I'm Just a Beast Tamer

"If you have the cultivation technique on you, take it out. If not, write it down from memory. Don’t tell me you forgot."

Jiang Zuo led Wei Jiemie into an empty tent.

"Of course I have it with me."

Wei Jiemie gave a bitter smile and took out a jade Peace Pendant on a red string.

"The cultivation technique I practice is called the Life Essence Returning Skill. There’s no actual manual for it; my cultivation relies entirely on this Jade Stone."

"But forgive my bluntness—even if you’re talented enough to practice the Blood God Skill through proper methods, it’s impossible for you to cultivate the Life Essence Returning Skill."

Wei Jiemie stroked the jade pendant reluctantly as he spoke to Jiang Zuo.

’Even if Jiang Zuo can’t practice this Life Essence Returning Skill, once he learns the secret of this jade pendant, he’ll never let me keep it.’

"Oh? I’m listening,"

Jiang Zuo said noncommittally.

"Over the past ten-plus years, I’ve taken on many disciples and have confirmed that the vast majority of people cannot cultivate the Life Essence Returning Skill. Even for those who can, their age cannot exceed sixteen."

"However, for those under sixteen who can make this Jade Stone react, simply carrying it on their person will cause a mysterious power to automatically draw upon their life essence to begin cultivation."

"As long as their aptitude is suitable, the cultivation process will never stop."

"To be honest with you, before I reached the Grandmaster Realm, I basically spent no time cultivating on my own."

Wei Jiemie, as if resigned to his fate, revealed the secret of the Jade Stone.

"That miraculous? You’re not just making this up, are you?"

Jiang Zuo’s expression flickered as he took the jade pendant from Wei Jiemie’s hand.

But the moment he took the Jade Stone, a faint, emotionless voice sounded in his mind.

Age limit exceeded. Unable to cultivate Life Essence Returning Skill.

’It’s actually real?’

’To think the Mortal Territory has something like this. An item like this would be considered extraordinary even in the Cultivation Realm, wouldn’t it?’

Jiang Zuo was surprised.

The Mortal Territory was enveloped by the Heaven and Earth Sealing Spirit Array, which prevented the birth of Spiritual Qi or Spiritual Objects. Jiang Zuo had assumed that, at most, the Mortal Territory merely contained a Martial World of slightly elevated martial prowess.

But as time went on, he encountered more and more unbelievable things.

There was the stone tablet unearthed in Red Fox Town, which came from beyond the heavens. The Spirit Beast Egg, which had existed for who knows how many years, yet its Spiritual Qi had still not been completely drained. The unfathomably mysterious abilities of the black-clad woman from last night. And now, this mysterious Jade Stone from Wei Jiemie.

’Perhaps the waters of the Mortal Territory run far deeper than I had imagined!’ Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but think.

’Otherwise, what kind of Great Power would have had nothing better to do than to lay such a world-shaking array over the Mortal Territory?’

"It seems you’re capable of cultivating it. A pity your age is definitely over the limit."

Wei Jiemie was observing Jiang Zuo. Seeing his reaction, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ’As expected of someone who can cultivate the Blood God Skill.’

He had secretly tested this Peace Pendant on over a thousand people, including many martial arts geniuses.

But in the end, only a handful of them could make the Jade Stone react.

"It seems you weren’t lying. I’ll be taking this Jade Stone."

"That purple light that appeared on your hand just now, was that the Inner Breath cultivated from the Life Essence Returning Skill? Why is that Inner Breath so formidable?"

Jiang Zuo pocketed the Jade Stone and asked another question.

"That was indeed my Inner Breath. After I developed my Inner Breath and broke through to the Grandmaster realm, the Jade Stone imparted to me a method for cultivating Inner Breath called the ’Life Essence Withering Technique’."

"The Inner Breath cultivated with this method is extremely potent. Any enemy below the Meridian Passage realm who is touched by it will surely die, unless they immediately sever the affected body part."

"But!"

"Cultivating this technique actually consumes one’s lifespan!"

"I aged thirty years just from using my Inner Breath to break through three acupoints!"

"And every time I use my Inner Breath after that, it shaves off a bit of my lifespan!"

"Do you know, I’m actually two years younger than Mu Yedong!"

Wei Jiemie said, his face filled with terror.

After a mortal breaks through to the Grandmaster realm, they can live to be 150 years old, and the aging process of their body slows down dramatically.

Mu Yedong was already over sixty years old, but he still looked like a middle-aged man.

Wei Jiemie was younger than Mu Yedong, but he already looked like an old man.

After breaking through to the Grandmaster realm, Wei Jiemie had not made an inch of progress for many years.

After the Grandmaster realm is the Innate Martial Artist. It is said that Innate Martial Artists have a lifespan of over two hundred years.

If one could become an Innate Martial Artist, not only would their lifespan increase greatly, but they would also be invincible within the Mortal Territory.

But Wei Jiemie had a strong feeling that if he continued to cultivate, his lifespan would be exhausted long before he could even touch the threshold of the Innate Martial Artist realm.

’What’s the use of being powerful if you’re dead?’

That was why Wei Jiemie had completely stopped cultivating, making no progress for years. He also did his utmost to avoid fighting, especially against other Grandmasters.

If that hadn’t been the case, why would Wei Jiemie have handed over such a miraculous Cultivation Jade Stone to Jiang Zuo so easily?

With the Jade Stone taken by Jiang Zuo, Wei Jiemie felt a profound sense of relief.

As long as he carried the Jade Stone, he was always plagued by the unwilling thought of living out the rest of his life so meekly.

Now that the Jade Stone was gone, he no longer had to feel so unresigned.

...

Inside another tent.

"Commander Xia, we have you to thank for inviting that expert. Otherwise, all of us generals would have died at Mu Yedong’s hands, and Celestial Gate Pass would have fallen."

As the medicinal effects gradually wore off, Hong Yangtai seemed to age several years in an instant.

But he didn’t dare to rest just yet; there were some things he had to ask about.

"It was a stroke of luck. I also never expected that Zhao was hiding his abilities so well."

Xia Shiyuan shook his head with a wry smile.

’If it weren’t for Jiang Zuo’s astonishing strength, I wouldn’t have gotten off with just a severed arm.’

"Is it possible to ask him to join the army and serve our Cao Kingdom?"

Hong Yangtai asked.

Mu Yedong wasn’t dead. After this, if he were to face Mu Yedong on the battlefield again, he would no longer be his match. Defending Celestial Gate Pass would become incredibly difficult.

"The chances are slim."

Xia Shiyuan shook his head and went on to detail what Jiang Zuo had been doing outside Lizhou all these years.

"Forget it. It seems he’s a recluse. But he still has things he wants, so we can plan slowly for the future."

"The most pressing matter now is to find out how Xu Wancai contacted the remnants of the Xu Family, as well as Mu Yedong and his people."

Hong Yangtai shook his head, his voice suddenly brimming with killing intent.

The Xu Family was now universally despised in the Cao Kingdom. Only if the Cao Kingdom fell into turmoil and was too preoccupied to deal with them would they have a chance to turn the tables.

In this incident, someone from the Xu Family must have contacted Xu Wancai and instigated this attack.

While the Xu Family remnants were still unaware of the situation, the chances of finding them were extremely high.

...

Jiang Zuo found Xia Shiyuan.

"Commander Xia, I’ll leave the man to you. I’ll be leaving on my own shortly. As long as word of this doesn’t get out, it’s unlikely Mu Yedong will return."

"Zhao, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. General Hong and the others still want to thank you for saving their lives,"

Xia Shiyuan said hurriedly.

"I imagine General Hong isn’t in great condition right now. I only came because I accepted payment from you, Commander Xia. There’s no need for such formalities."

Jiang Zuo shook his head, declining.

’Meeting Hong Yangtai would just involve exchanging pleasantries.’

’Xia Shiyuan knows what I want. If he finds another extraordinary item like the Fire Phoenix Feather, he’ll naturally come find me when he needs me.’

With Mu Yedong beaten back, the chances of him returning were almost nil.

But if he did return, it would mean he had found a way to deal with him.

He had more than earned the payment Xia Shiyuan had given him this time. It was best to leave as soon as possible.

Xia Shiyuan sighed, knowing Jiang Zuo’s personality, and didn’t press the matter.

As for Hong Yangtai, after giving instructions on some urgent matters, he had already passed out. It was unlikely he would wake up for another day or two.

Several other generals in the army had been killed by Mu Yedong, and there were a pile of affairs to handle in the aftermath.

...

At the first light of dawn, Jiang Zuo returned to the riverside.

Great Black ran up, barking, and circled him. Jiang Zuo released Xiaoqing from his back, and the small creature ran into the river to play.

Jiang Zuo carefully mulled over his trip to Celestial Gate Pass.

He had worn a straw hat the entire time, but the possibility of his identity being exposed was still extremely high.

Even with Xia Shiyuan helping to cover for him, a thorough investigation could easily follow the clues back to him.

After all, the situation had been urgent, so Xia Shiyuan could only have looked for someone in or near Lizhou.

In any case, Jiang Zuo decided to prepare to flee.

’If anything seems off, I’ll run first and figure out the rest later.’

After raising the Black Stone Fish for over twenty years, Jiang Zuo had recently been feeling more and more strongly that he was getting closer to obtaining the ability to breathe underwater.

He wouldn’t give up on raising the fish, but he could do that anywhere.

The Li River was long. He could easily find a new spot, change his identity, and no one would be able to find him.

And Jiang Zuo’s premonition was correct.

「Three days later, at the riverside.」

WOOF WOOF!

Great Black, who had been dozing, shot to its feet and barked fiercely at the distant woods behind them.

Jiang Zuo looked over and saw a woman in black walking slowly out of the woods.

’It’s the woman who saved Mu Yedong that night!’

’It only took her three days to find me!’

Jiang Zuo immediately looked over at her, his guard up.

The methods that woman had used that night were still vivid in his mind.