Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 53: Golden Claw and Silver Cang

On the way back to the Turtle Breeding Pool, Fang Qingyuan flew along on Yinbao, while a ten-foot-tall eagle hovered ahead, cocking its head as if to tell him to hurry up.

This eagle, the Golden Claw and Silver Cang, had wings as swift as the wind and talons as sharp as awls. A single circle in the air was enough to leave Fang Qingyuan far behind.

Yinbao, the mount beneath Fang Qingyuan, had wanted to compete with it at first. But after flying at full speed for several miles, it lost heart and admitted defeat.

Fang Qingyuan had been pessimistic about Yinbao’s idea from the start. ’How could a big goof like you possibly compare to the flight speed of a Golden Claw Silver Grey Flying Eagle?’

’You should be competing with it on who can haul more cargo, not pitting your weakness against its strength.’

This Golden Claw Silver Grey Flying Eagle was something of a friendly loan from Tian Ziyi. Fang Qingyuan had paid ninety Low-grade Spirit Stones to rent it for three months.

That was equivalent to one Low-grade Spirit Stone a day to rent a Late-stage Qi Cultivation-level fighter. All he had to do during that time was keep the eagle well-fed and cared for.

Tian Ziyi was definitely doing him a huge favor. If it had been anyone else, forget one Low-grade Spirit Stone a day—even for ten a day, Tian Ziyi wouldn’t have given them the time of day.

The journey of a hundred-odd li took Fang Qingyuan just under an hour. If the Golden Claw Silver Grey Flying Eagle hadn’t been waiting for him, it would have arrived long ago.

When they arrived, the flock of White-headed Vultures was still circling above the Array, diving down from time to time as if trying to break its defenses and snatch a turtle to eat.

Unfortunately for them, Fang Qingyuan had filled the Array with enough Spirit Stones before he left. The Array was now operating at peak performance, and the White-headed Vultures were just running into a wall.

Staring at the White-headed Vultures, Fang Qingyuan revealed a ferocious grin. ’Go on, keep hopping around. I’m about to show you just how formidable this Golden Claw Silver Grey Flying Eagle is.’

In fact, before Fang Qingyuan could even give the signal, the Golden Claw Silver Grey Flying Eagle had already spotted the flock of White-headed Vultures. A sharp, murderous glint appeared in its eyes. With a spread of its wings, it shot toward the flock like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Instantly, feathers flew and screeches filled the air. At first, the flock of White-headed Vultures, relying on their superior numbers, tried to swarm the Golden Claw and Silver Cang. But how could they know that this eagle was from the Beast Taming Sect? They were no match for it.

The War Beasts trained by the Beast Taming Sect were taught combat and killing techniques from a young age. These White-headed Vultures relied solely on instinct; even with several times the numbers of the Golden Claw and Silver Cang, they were not its opponent.

Fang Qingyuan watched from the side, unable to intervene. He had initially wanted to send out his Magic Sword to lend the Golden Claw and Silver Cang a hand, but his sword couldn’t even touch a feather on the White-headed Vultures.

After a few attempts, Fang Qingyuan gave up on the pointless effort. He and Yinbao stayed where they were, content to just watch the show and admire the Golden Claw and Silver Cang’s magnificent display of power.

A moment later, following a few mournful cries, the White-headed Vultures scattered and fled, their plumage sparse. One of them, however, was pinned firmly under the talons of the Golden Claw and Silver Cang, unable to move. It was clearly not going to survive.

After a piercing screech, the Golden Claw Silver Grey Flying Eagle flew over proudly, carrying the unlucky White-headed Vulture. It tossed the vulture down in front of Fang Qingyuan and then watched him quietly.

Watching the White-headed Vulture fall, Fang Qingyuan quickly used his Spiritual Power to catch it. The corpse of a Late-stage Qi Refining demonic bird was worth a good number of Spirit Stones; how could he just let it be thrown away?

However, as magnificent as the Golden Claw and Silver Cang was, it hadn’t emerged completely unscathed. Noticing that its body was still seeping blood, Fang Qingyuan signaled for it to follow him back.

But with another screech, the Golden Claw and Silver Cang shook its wings and gave chase to the fleeing White-headed Vultures in the distance, showing no intention of listening to Fang Qingyuan.

’Fine,’ Fang Qingyuan thought. Since this one hadn’t had its fill of battle, he wouldn’t bother it anymore. He took the thoroughly dead White-headed Vulture and returned to the Array below.

...

Half a month later, Fang Qingyuan rode Yinbao to Black River Square, leaving the Golden Claw Silver Grey Flying Eagle behind to guard the Turtle Breeding Pool.

Fang Qingyuan had two objectives for this trip to Black River Square. First, to sell the three White-headed Vulture corpses in his storage bag, and second, to restock on spiritual materials and food.

These three White-headed Vultures were the fruits of the Golden Claw and Silver Cang’s labor over the past half-month. Unfortunately, after two weeks, the vultures had been scared witless and no longer dared to return.

This left Fang Qingyuan a little disappointed. He even considered taking the Golden Claw and Silver Cang into the wild to hunt them down. In the end, however, reason won out over greed. His main task right now was still to raise his turtles properly.

The corpses of three Late-stage Qi Refining demonic birds should fetch seven or eight mid-grade Spirit Stones.

Live demonic birds were actually worth more, but in the eyes of the Golden Claw and Silver Cang, only a dead opponent was a safe opponent.

Having obtained three demonic bird corpses, Fang Qingyuan certainly wasn’t going to complain about the Golden Claw and Silver Cang not leaving any alive. It was good enough to get anything at all. Without it, he would still be stuck in a battle of wits with that flock of White-headed Vultures.

In Black River Square, after some haggling, Fang Qingyuan sold the three demonic birds for seven hundred and forty Low-grade Spirit Stones. He was quite satisfied with this price.

After stowing the Spirit Stones, Fang Qingyuan went to a spiritual material vendor—the same little shop as before. Over the past year, the owner had become familiar with him.

Every so often, Fang Qingyuan would come to his shop to buy a dozen or so cubic meters of Spirit Wood. It would be hard for the shop owner not to recognize such a regular customer.

However, Fang Qingyuan didn’t just buy from one place. He was a frequent visitor to Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace, Qinghe Square, Sanqi Square, and others.

A dozen or so cubic meters of Spirit Wood cost a little over one hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. By purchasing from different locations, Fang Qingyuan avoided attracting unwanted attention.

Even if someone did get curious about why he was buying Spirit Wood, they wouldn’t dig too deep. After all, his association with Beast Taming Mountain was enough to ward off the curiosity of idle hands.

Arriving at the Spiritual Material Store, the owner saw Fang Qingyuan and said with a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Fang, you’re here again. The usual?"

Fang Qingyuan took out over a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones and handed them over, asking curiously:

"Yes, the usual. It’s just that, coming here today, I feel like there are far fewer people in the Marketplace than last time. What’s the reason for that?"

The shop owner chuckled, accepted the Spirit Stones, and replied casually:

"What else could it be? Someone was unhappy with the last division of the Marketplace, so they’re kicking up a fuss and demanding a tournament. They want to reallocate everything based on combat records. All the Cultivators from the various powers have gone out to fight in the arenas these past few days, so it’s only normal for the Marketplace to be a little empty."

Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan had a moment of realization. The tournament was a recurring spectacle in Black River Square. Because the square had only recently opened, all the surrounding powers wanted a piece of the pie. Each one felt they deserved the best locations, leading to constant conflict. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

But no one was willing to go to war over a marketplace. So, someone—it’s not clear who—suggested using a tournament to decide the allocation of shops within the square.

’But they just had one last year. Why are they holding another one now? Isn’t this a bit too frequent?’

Seemingly noticing Fang Qingyuan’s confusion, the shop owner gave a mysterious smile and said, showing off his inside knowledge:

"You know the Vast Collection Pavilion, right? Their backer, a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator, was dissatisfied with their previous share in Black River Square. So, he took it upon himself to organize this year’s tournament. When a Nascent Soul Cultivator speaks, the other powers have no choice but to play along for show."

Fang Qingyuan was astonished to hear this. ’A few mere shops in a marketplace are enough to make a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator personally intervene? To do something so shameless... just how greedy is this Nascent Soul Cultivator?’

Of course, Fang Qingyuan would never dare to say such a thing out loud. He only slandered the man in his heart. Then, he looked at the shop owner and teased:

"Then why aren’t you out there fighting in the tournament? I’d hate to come back one day and find this place under new management."

The shop owner listened and replied with a helpless look on his face:

"You think I actually own this shop? I’m just renting. What the hell do I care who wins or loses? As long as I pay my rent on time, it’s none of my business. Why would I go get mixed up in all that?"

Fang Qingyuan laughed and stopped teasing the shop owner. Seeing that it was getting late, he gestured for the owner to hurry up. He still had to get back and feed his turtles their dinner.

And so, the shop owner once again yelled at the top of his lungs:

"Xiaowu, are you done yet?"