Li Bufan explained that their Eldest Senior Brother was in secluded cultivation attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, which was why they had hired Shen Qingchen as a bodyguard.
After all, the combat power of disciples from the Beast Taming Sect mainly relied on their spiritual beasts; if an unexpected emergency arose, having a sword cultivator present to take charge would ensure safety.
He looked at us, his eyes growing brighter and brighter: “Ahem~ Since fellow Daoists of the Sword Sect are already here, why don’t we team up?”
Su Ning raised an eyebrow: “Team up?”
Li Bufan nodded: “We are currently tracking a Thunder-Winged Tiger and hope to form a contract with it. If we have the help of fellow Daoists from the Sword Sect, the success rate will surely be higher.”
He paused and added: “Of course, we won’t let you work for free. Once we capture the Thunder-Winged Tiger, I will personally reward you handsomely.”
I raised my hand: “Does it include meals?”
Li Bufan froze for a moment, then laughed: “Included! Unlimited spiritual fruits and spiritual meat!”
I looked at my senior brothers.
My senior brothers looked at me.
I blinked.
The meaning in my eyes was crystal clear: I want to eat spiritual fruits and spiritual meat!
Su Ning helplessly cupped his hands: “Ahem~ Then… we shall bother you.”
…………………………
And so, we followed the people from the Beast Taming Sect to track the Thunder-Winged Tiger.
Along the way, I watched the Beast Taming Sect members show off their wealth in all sorts of ways.
Their spiritual beasts ate spiritual fruits.
Not ordinary fruits, but fruits infused with spiritual energy—the kind that could be sold for ten low-grade spiritual stones each!
Their pills were popped like jelly beans.
Take one when tired from walking, take one when thirsty, and take one when bored!
They brought several sets of magic robes along to switch between.
This set in the morning, that set in the afternoon, and a spare set for the evening…
The most infuriating thing was that pink pig.
When it grew tired of walking, Qing Liuliu carried it in her arms.
When it was hungry, Qing Liuliu fed it spiritual fruits.
When it felt sleepy, Qing Liuliu laid out a soft cushion for it and coaxed it to sleep.
I looked at it.
Then looked at myself.
A human is worse off than a pig.
This phrase, I now deeply understood for the second, third, and fourth time!
…………………………
We pursued it for two days straight.
And finally caught up.
Right in the center of the valley ahead, a giant tiger was standing there.
With silvery-white fur, a pair of huge wings was folded along its sides.
Its eyes were pale gold, and its gaze was so arrogant it looked as if it were gazing upon a swarm of ants.
It was the one.
The Thunder-Winged Tiger.
A peak mid-tier demon beast!
With wings growing on its back, it could ride lightning, moving as fast as a flash of light!!
The people from the Beast Taming Sect rushed forward without a second word, forming a circle, with all kinds of spiritual beasts blocking the front.
The people from the Beast Taming Sect chanted incantations.
The spiritual beasts charged forward, attempting to exhaust the Thunder-Winged Tiger’s stamina.
But the Thunder-Winged Tiger was far too strong.
With a single flap of its wing, all the spiritual beasts went flying, like fallen leaves blown away by the wind.
Li Bufan threw out talismans.
The Thunder-Winged Tiger spat out a blast of lightning, burning the talismans to ash.
Another disciple threw out a rope magical treasure.
The Thunder-Winged Tiger batted at it with its paw, as if playing with a cat teaser wand.
And then snapped it in half with a single swat of its paw…
Qing Liuliu grew anxious and commanded the pink pig: “Little Pink! Get ’em!”
The pink pig was pushed forward.
It opened its eyes, looking around in confusion.
And then the Thunder-Winged Tiger swatted at it with its paw.
The pink pig went flying.
Rolled three times.
And kept sleeping…
I suspect it wasn’t even awake in the first place.
…………
Shen Qingchen was in charge of jumping in to rescue people every time someone from the Beast Taming Sect was attacked.
Forcing the Thunder-Winged Tiger back with a single sword strike, scooping the person up, and retreating rapidly.
He couldn’t harm the Thunder-Winged Tiger, yet had to protect his employers.
It was both dangerous and suffocatingly frustrating.
My senior brothers and I squatted behind the trees in the distance, watching this farce unfold.
Su Ning sighed: “So the Beast Taming Sect subdues spiritual beasts purely through exhaustion?”
Yan Chuan nodded: “Wear down the spiritual beast until it has no energy left, then use a contract talisman.”
Murong Zhuo frowned: “But the Thunder-Winged Tiger clearly still has energy to spare.”
Gu Chenguang flipped through his notebook: “Thunder-Winged Tiger, peak mid-tier, extremely high stamina. At this rate, even three days of wearing it down won’t be enough.”
My eyes widened: “Three days! Are we still going to eat or what?”
Gu Chenguang: “…That is indeed a good question.”
Third, Fourth, and Fifth Senior Brothers couldn’t stand watching anymore and charged forward to help wear it down.
Though it wasn’t very useful, since they couldn’t actually injure it.
Gu Chenguang protected me, continuing to hide behind the big rock to watch the show.
When it got boring, he pulled out spiritual fruits and dried meat for me to eat.
Provided by the Beast Taming Sect—they said there was unlimited supply.
After eating and drinking my fill, I let out a yawn, feeling a bit sleepy.
And then~~
I ran out.
Gu Chenguang was too late to stop me.
“Junior Sister!” he cried out in shock.
But I had already run far ahead.
The Thunder-Winged Tiger was preparing to flap away another batch of spiritual beasts when it suddenly saw a tiny figure walking toward it.
It froze.
Every human and beast froze on the spot.
Shen Qingchen’s expression changed, and he was about to charge over.
Su Ning grabbed him: “Eldest Senior Brother, don’t worry. Let her go.”
Shen Qingchen frowned.
Yan Chuan patted his shoulder: “You’ll get used to it.”
Murong Zhuo nodded: “She has her own way.”
Shen Qingchen: “…”
I ran straight to the center of the battlefield.
I looked up at the Thunder-Winged Tiger.
The Thunder-Winged Tiger looked down at me.
I beckoned with my hand: “Tiger Bro, want to come down and chat?”
The Thunder-Winged Tiger hesitated for a moment.
And then landed right in front of me.
Dead silence fell over the entire area.
The mouths of the Beast Taming Sect members dropped wide enough to fit a fist.
Eldest Senior Brother was stunned too.
Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Senior Brothers… were already used to it.
I sat on a rock, while the Thunder-Winged Tiger lay flat before me.
I asked it: “You look down on them, right?”
The Thunder-Winged Tiger flicked its tail.
I nodded: “Yeah, I think they don’t deserve you either. One only knows how to feed a pig, another only knows how to throw talismans, and a few can’t even chase properly.”
The Thunder-Winged Tiger’s mouth seemed to twitch.
I patted its head: “Tiger Bro, how long have you been staying in this secret realm?”
The Thunder-Winged Tiger didn’t answer.
But I guessed, a very long time.
I asked again: “Then how are you faring here in the middle perimeter?”
The Thunder-Winged Tiger’s eyes dimmed for a moment.
I understood.
I began preaching big life principles to it:
“Those people from the Beast Taming Sect, although they’re weak, they are rich.”
“Unlimited spiritual fruits, no worry about beast food, and even servants to cater to you.”
“If you follow them, you won’t need to hunt for yourself, won’t need to fight for territory, and won’t need to live in fear of being encircled and suppressed by cultivators.”
“Although they don’t deserve you right now, they are young. You can just wait for them to grow up.”
The Thunder-Winged Tiger’s ears twitched.
I struck while the iron was hot: “Look at that guy~”
I pointed at Li Bufan.
“That guy, although a bit silly, chased you for so long, which shows he truly likes you. Following him, you won’t suffer any losses.”
The Thunder-Winged Tiger looked at Li Bufan.
Li Bufan tried hard to squeeze out a sincere smile.
The Thunder-Winged Tiger looked back at me again.
I delivered the final clincher: “Although this is the middle perimeter, those high-tier demon beasts from the inner perimeter could come to snatch territory at any time. As a peak mid-tier beast, how many high-tier beasts can you beat?”
The Thunder-Winged Tiger fell silent.
Silent for a quarter of an hour.
Then, it turned its head toward the people of the Beast Taming Sect.
Raised its paw.
And pointed at Li Bufan.
Li Bufan froze.
I smiled.
I turned around and shouted to Li Bufan: “Congratulations, Tiger Bro chose you.”
Li Bufan rushed over, almost dropping to his knees before me.
Trembling, he pulled out a contract talisman.
The Thunder-Winged Tiger didn’t resist.
Contract successful.
Cheers erupted across the entire area.
The people from the Beast Taming Sect hugged each other, crying and laughing.
My senior brothers stood to the side with complex expressions.
Su Ning swallowed his saliva: “If we also had a mid-tier demon beast…”
Yan Chuan chimed in: “Our combat power would jump by at least one full realm…”
Murong Zhuo blinked: “And how cool would that look…”
Gu Chenguang silently pulled out his little notebook and began calculating:
—— Beast-raising Costs:
—— Monthly beast food for a mid-tier beast: At least 500 medium-grade spiritual stones
—— Spiritual fruit snacks: At least 100 medium-grade spiritual stones
—— Healthcare & medical: Reserve 10 high-grade spiritual stones
—— Beast gear & equipment: At least 100 high-grade spiritual stones
—— Beast advancement pills: At least 200 high-grade spiritual stones
—— Total: ≈ Can’t afford
He closed his notebook and looked at the other senior brothers.
The other senior brothers shook their heads in unison.
Su Ning: “Not thinking about it anymore.”
Yan Chuan: “Don’t dare to anymore.”
Murong Zhuo: “Don’t want it anymore.”
Very good, complete unity of thought.
Gu Chenguang nodded and put his notebook away.
…………………………
After the excitement subsided, the people from the Beast Taming Sect gathered around me one after another, their eyes looking at me as if looking at a deity.