Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 82: Coming from Behind

Fang Qingyuan was right. Zhao Liangde was indeed his benefactor. After She Xuanyan left the Zhao Mansion, Zhao Liangde summoned Fang Qingyuan inside.

As soon as they met, Zhao Liangde tossed a storage pouch to Fang Qingyuan and said unhurriedly:

"You worked hard on this. The She Family paid a considerable price to withdraw from the Celestial Attraction Mountain front. This is your share. Take it."

Fang Qingyuan took the storage pouch and stuffed it into his robes without a second glance. He knew he absolutely could not refuse it at a time like this.

Accepting it meant they were all in this together. Refusing it would imply he was dissatisfied with the distribution and held a grudge.

Fang Qingyuan, having acted as the middleman, had a little scheme in mind besides the reward in his robes. He smiled and asked:

"Uncle Zhao, I wonder... will this matter with the She Family be difficult to handle? If they are successfully withdrawn from Celestial Attraction Mountain, perhaps I could lend a hand with their subsequent arrangements."

The moment Fang Qingyuan finished speaking, Zhao Liangde retorted irritably:

"You’re quite the schemer, aren’t you? What? You want to put the She Family under your command?"

Fang Qingyuan repeatedly said he wouldn’t dare, but his cheeky grin betrayed his true intentions.

Zhao Liangde mulled it over for a moment before surprisingly nodding and saying:

"It’s not impossible. The She Family was one of the first to be conscripted by Wei Tong. For some reason, he placed them on the absolute front line. They’ve suffered heavy casualties these past days. The She Family must hate the Wei Family to the bone. If we save them, they’ll have no choice but to follow our Southern Border Beast Taming Sect with complete loyalty from now on."

Hearing Zhao Liangde’s words, Fang Qingyuan thought to himself, ’For the She Family to be in such a miserable state... could it be that what happened back then was leaked?’

’Perhaps the Wei Family had suspected it all along but never acted on it, waiting for this opportunity to use the She Family as cannon fodder.’

These thoughts flashed through Fang Qingyuan’s mind. He looked at Zhao Liangde with eager eyes. As an Operation Manager, he only had ten Cultivators under him. Of those, only three were at Mid-stage Qi Cultivation, and the rest were all at Early-stage Qi Cultivation. He didn’t have a single strong fighter who could handle a real battle. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

The She Family had once managed to stand up to the late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator Swentai, proving their methods and Divine Techniques were impressive. If he could bring them under his command, wouldn’t his own position be much more secure?

Zhao Liangde pondered for a moment before finally saying:

"Alright, here’s the plan. I’ll work on this. Once the She Family is released and returns, have them station themselves north of Shandu. You will be their point of contact. You are to report anything to me immediately."

Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan guessed that Zhao Liangde had also taken an interest and wanted to subdue the She Family for himself. After all, even if they had suffered heavy casualties, they were still a Foundation Establishment Clan, and that was of considerable value.

As an Inner Sect Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, and with Zhao Liangde currently short on manpower, it seemed he was being treated as a trusted subordinate.

This was an opportunity—a chance to get closer to Zhao Liangde and enter the inner circle of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect.

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan bowed in thanks and said:

"I will remember your words, Uncle. If there are any developments with the She Family, I will report them to you immediately."

After hearing Fang Qingyuan’s pledge of loyalty, Zhao Liangde waved his hand, dismissing him.

When Fang Qingyuan emerged from the Zhao Mansion, She Xuanyan met him and also handed over a storage pouch, saying gratefully:

"Thank you for your trouble in acting as a liaison, Fellow Daoist Fang. Please accept this small token of our appreciation. You have saved our entire She Family."

Fang Qingyuan accepted the storage pouch. A quick scan with his Divine Sense revealed over two thousand low-grade Spirit Stones lying inside, and he couldn’t hide the smile on his face. He said politely:

"You’re too kind, Fellow Daoist She. We fought side-by-side back in the day, after all. All I did was pass on a message; it’s not worth such a generous gift."

Although Fang Qingyuan said this, he clutched the storage pouch with no intention of returning it. She Xuanyan offered a few more words of flattery before Fang Qingyuan finally tucked it into his robes.

The two storage pouches pressed against his chest felt wonderfully solid. ’No wonder people like being officials,’ Fang Qingyuan thought. He was just a minor Operation Manager, and all he did was act as a go-between, yet he’d received so many benefits.

’If I could reach Zhao Liangde’s position, wouldn’t I be hauling in Spirit Stones by the basketful?’

Running the shop in Black River Square and toiling away at the ferry every day for half a year wouldn’t even match the profit from this single affair.

The Spirit Stones in the two storage pouches totaled three thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. Zhao Liangde had given him one thousand, and She Xuanyan had given him two thousand.

It was true that power brought wealth. A true man couldn’t go a single day without power. Otherwise, you’d just be scraping by, and the slightest storm could come along and drown you.

With this in mind, Fang Qingyuan’s perspective shifted slightly. His previous focus on running the ferry and his shop began to fade.

....

「Two months later.」

Fang Qingyuan sat cross-legged inside a massive tent, meditating to regulate his breathing and cultivating with his eyes closed.

Half a day later, as the Wood Spirit Power in the air slowly dissipated, Fang Qingyuan opened his eyes.

Sensing the steady progress in his cultivation, a flash of joy crossed Fang Qingyuan’s face before he returned to his calm composure. His body was now brimming with Spiritual Power. He estimated it wouldn’t even take half a year to break through to the Sixth-Layer Qi Refining; he would probably be able to do it around the beginning of winter.

Originally, it would have taken Fang Qingyuan two and a half years to break through from the Fifth-Layer Qi Refining. But in the past year or so, his Wood Spirit Root aptitude had increased by another point, now sitting at twenty-eight.

An increase in Spirit Root sensitivity led to a faster cultivation speed. An aptitude of twenty-seven points required two and a half years to break through, whereas an aptitude of twenty-eight points only required two years and three months.

A year and a half had now passed since his last breakthrough. Furthermore, feeling that the current situation was perilous and keenly aware of the disadvantages of his low cultivation level, Fang Qingyuan had resumed taking cultivation-aiding Elixir Pills. As a result, his cultivation speed had become even faster.

Before, when things were stable, Fang Qingyuan felt it didn’t matter if his breakthrough came a year earlier or later. As long as his foundation was solid, it was better to avoid taking Elixir Pills and reduce the accumulation of pill toxins.

But now, during a time of war, he couldn’t afford to be so particular. At a critical moment, every extra bit of Spiritual Power counted.

Fang Qingyuan’s Spirit Root aptitude had changed dramatically compared to this time last year. His Wood Spirit Root aptitude had increased by one point. More surprisingly, his Metal Spirit Root aptitude, once the lowest of the five elements, had leaped up to become his second Middle-grade Spirit Root, surpassed only by his Wood Spirit Root.

Currently, Fang Qingyuan’s aptitude scores were: Wood, twenty-eight; Earth, twenty-one; Water, sixteen; Fire, thirteen; and Metal, twenty-two.

In nearly a year, Fang Qingyuan’s Metal Spirit Root had gone from ten points to its current twenty-two, more than doubling.

Such a massive increase was naturally thanks to the Nascent Soul Giant Beast. Of the Gold Spirit Power that had been sealed inside Fang Qingyuan’s body, roughly one-tenth of it had been extracted and absorbed by the Immortal Mansion Space over the past year.

’At this rate of extraction,’ Fang Qingyuan mused, ’should I consider changing my Cultivation Technique? In the foreseeable future, my Metal Spirit Root will definitely be the first to become a Top-grade Spirit Root.’

’It might even become a Celestial Spirit Root. If that happens, my current Cultivation Technique, the Cyan Wood Technique, would be a waste of my aptitude.’

’However, switching Cultivation Techniques midway comes with many complications. I’ll need to consider the specifics very carefully.’

Just as Fang Qingyuan was lost in thought, a subordinate’s voice suddenly came from the entrance:

"Steward Fang, the She Family Patriarch, She Xi Yu, requests an audience."

Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan’s expression brightened, and he quickly stood up.

"Show him in. Oh, no, I’ll go greet him myself."