Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 52: The Great Cause of Raising Turtles

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: The Great Cause of Raising Turtles

Of course, his talk of becoming a Loose Cultivator was just something Fang Qingyuan said in a fit of anger. So many people out there were desperate to join the sect, yet couldn’t. Fang Qingyuan would have to have lost his mind to give up his position.

Being a Loose Cultivator meant living a precarious life. If you were bullied, no one would stand up for you. When encountering villains, a Sect Disciple’s status was a far greater deterrent than a Loose Cultivator’s.

An opponent would have to consider the consequences of attacking you. Unless they were a true desperado, no one would risk provoking a renowned and powerful sect like the Beast Taming Sect.

After a few more complaints, Fang Qingyuan returned to his Quiet Chamber and began his daily meditation and cultivation.

Half a month later, the grand and lively sect competition came to a close. The first-place prize was a reward of over one hundred Middle-grade Spirit Stones, a sum equivalent to the three-year income of a small sect.

The Southern Border region was generally poor. As Fang Qingyuan understood it, if he were to make an analogy to his previous life, the Central Plains would be like Europe, the Southern Border would be a small country in southern Africa, and White Mountain would be like Mexico.

Therefore, the sects here had very low incomes. A single reward from Lechuan was enough to make these impoverished sects green with envy.

However, Fang Qingyuan wasn’t too envious of the first-place winner’s prize. That person was immediately entrusted with an important task by Lechuan and sent off to handle matters without a moment’s rest.

Once caught up in miscellaneous affairs, not only would one’s cultivation speed be hindered, but one’s life would also be in danger. After all, the Beast Taming Mountain branch had only just arrived and had yet to establish its authority.

Some Cultivators in the Southern Border wouldn’t be swayed by the name of the Beast Taming General Mountain alone.

Fang Qingyuan was very satisfied with just having secured his status as an Inner Sect Disciple. As long as that status wasn’t revoked, his Spirit Fruit business could continue.

But as the middle of the year approached, it was time for Fang Qingyuan to complete his annual sect mission again.

This time, however, Fang Qingyuan had learned his lesson. Last year, he had foolishly gone to war with the Wei Family. Although he had made it through without any real harm, the experience left him with a lingering sense of fear.

So this time, Fang Qingyuan prepared to raise turtles. He had to raise turtles. In the future, for this type of mission, he planned to always raise turtles.

Arriving at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, Fang Qingyuan received the mission from a senior brother and then, with Yinbao in tow, headed straight for a certain area in the Black River.

When he reached the place, Fang Qingyuan sent out his sect identification signal. Instantly, a fellow disciple flew out. He was overjoyed to see Fang Qingyuan and said excitedly:

"Someone’s finally here to replace me! Junior Brother Fang, the next three months will be tough on you."

Seeing the look on this senior brother’s face, Fang Qingyuan’s heart skipped a beat. ’It seems raising turtles really is a terrible chore.’

But since he had already made his choice, there was no reason to back down. He cupped his hands and said:

"Senior Brother Li, let’s begin the handover."

Half a day later, Fang Qingyuan watched his senior brother rapidly fly away, then glanced back at Yinbao, who was retching uncontrollably. A sliver of regret appeared in his heart. ’It seems that raising turtles really is going to be miserable.’

Shaking his head, Fang Qingyuan banished these unpleasant thoughts. He entered a nearby building and began his grand enterprise of turtle-raising.

The Cloud-Headed Split Turtle was a Tier One Spirit Beast. Because it naturally preferred dark and damp places, the Black River was the perfect habitat for them.

This turtle had astonishing medicinal value. Its shell was an indispensable ingredient for refining the Qi Gathering Pill, so many sects raised them themselves to avoid having to purchase them elsewhere.

One thousand three hundred fifty-four Cloud-Headed Split Turtles were spread across a ten-li radius, and every single one was accounted for.

This ten-li area was enveloped by a Tier One Upper Grade Yellow River Illusion Sand Formation. Without external help, the turtles had no hope of escaping.

Fang Qingyuan’s main duties over the next three months were to patrol the Array, repair any gaps, feed the turtles, and, most importantly, prevent them from fighting.

Cloud-Headed Split Turtles were not docile Spirit Beasts. Each one was the size of a millstone, and when they fought viciously, even a tiger would have to retreat.

That was why ordinary disciples in Early-stage Qi Cultivation were not suited for this job. If they couldn’t even defeat the turtles, they would become a laughingstock.

In addition to stopping the turtles from fighting, he also had to prevent other Spirit Beasts from coming to steal them for food. In the eyes of other Spirit Beasts, a Cloud-Headed Split Turtle was a highly nutritious meal.

The turtle-raising grounds were over a hundred li from the sect, in a remote location. Normally, no other Cultivators passed through this place. And so, Fang Qingyuan began his life as a turtle-raiser.

But after only three days, Fang Qingyuan ran into a problem.

"Damn those White-headed Vultures! Sooner or later, I’ll catch you and pluck all your feathers out!"

Fang Qingyuan stood in mid-air, glaring at a small flock of White-headed Vultures circling in the distance, unable to stop himself from cursing. For the past few days, these vultures had been constantly trying to steal the turtles. In a moment of carelessness, Fang Qingyuan had actually let them succeed once.

He had lost three Cloud-Headed Split Turtles that time, and the loss was agonizing. All the Cloud-Headed Split Turtles were counted. If Fang Qingyuan couldn’t hand over enough turtles after three months, he would be held accountable by the sect and fined.

Fortunately, the sect had also given Fang Qingyuan a loss allowance of ten turtles for the three-month period. If he exceeded this number, he would have to compensate with Spirit Stones. If he didn’t, the remaining turtles from the allowance would belong to him.

This was considered a small benefit for the disciples who came to raise the turtles.

But it had only been a few days, and he had already lost three turtles. If this continued, Fang Qingyuan would be ruined by the compensation fees.

Staring at the White-headed Vultures posturing triumphantly in the distance, Fang Qingyuan forced himself to calm down. The White-headed Vultures were Tier One Upper Grade Spirit Beasts, equivalent to Late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators. What’s more, there was a group of them. If it came to a real fight, he truly couldn’t defeat them.

For now, he could rely on the Array to stop the vultures from stealing the turtles, but he couldn’t just stand guard for three whole months, could he? Otherwise, his own cultivation would fall behind.

’I have to think of a solution. I can’t let these White-headed Vultures keep stealing my turtles.’

With this in mind, Fang Qingyuan turned and went back inside the Array. He steeled his heart and added a handful of Low-grade Spirit Stones to the Array’s core, pushing it to operate at full power. Only then did he hastily mount Yinbao and rush toward the sect’s Beast Cages.

Once at the Beast Cages, Fang Qingyuan exchanged a few words with Tian Ziyi, then walked inside, found Lao Bai, and got straight to the point:

"Lao Bai, I’ve run into a problem and was hoping you could help me out. Here’s what happened."

Lao Bai listened quietly as Fang Qingyuan explained. Finally, a troubled expression appeared on its huge ape-like face. While it was true that it was a Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast, it was ultimately a land-based creature. Dealing with Late-stage Qi Cultivation Spirit Beasts like the White-headed Vultures, which had astonishing flight speed, was beyond its capabilities.

But since Fang Qingyuan had come asking for help, Lao Bai didn’t want to disappoint him. So, it raised a finger, pointed to the next enclosure, and started making suggestive faces at Fang Qingyuan.

Seeing Lao Bai’s expression, Fang Qingyuan understood immediately. Lao Bai wasn’t suited for this task, but the flying eagle next to it was perfect.

So, after thanking Lao Bai, Fang Qingyuan went to find Tian Ziyi again and requested to rent the flying eagle.

But Tian Ziyi also looked troubled. He said:

"It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but without a written order from the Courtyard Head, I can’t just lend you a Foundation Establishment Spirit Beast on my own authority. Why don’t you go get an order first?"

Fang Qingyuan’s face fell. ’Do I have to bother Lechuan for something like this? If everyone went to Lechuan whenever they ran into trouble, what would Lechuan become?’

He didn’t even have to think about it. Lechuan would definitely refuse to even see him over such a trivial matter.

Seeing the disappointed look on Fang Qingyuan’s face, Tian Ziyi spoke again:

"Although I can’t lend you the Foundation Establishment flying eagle, what about its son, a flying eagle at Late-stage Qi Cultivation?"