Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 70: Top-grade Spirit Root

Seeing Fang Qingyuan about to leave, Steward Zhang stopped him and said,

"Nephew Fang, don’t be in such a hurry to leave. There may be no spots left in the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace, but that doesn’t mean other marketplaces don’t have openings. Why not look around a bit more?"

Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan stopped in his tracks. He looked back at Steward Zhang, waiting for him to continue.

Steward Zhang smiled and continued,

"It’s nearly impossible to find a shop in the Celestial Gate Mountain Marketplace, but Black River Square has plenty of vacancies. If you go now, the prices are even discounted. How about it, Nephew Fang?"

Seeing Steward Zhang’s smiling face, Fang Qingyuan finally started to understand. ’So, he was waiting for me here all along.’

’No wonder he kept stringing me along for so long even after telling me there were no shops. So this was the real sales pitch.’

Black River Square was now completely dominated by the Vast Collection Pavilion. After the last incident with the Tribulation Cultivators, the Pavilion’s backer, Qi Yun Sect Elder Gao Guangsheng, had personally come to take charge. He had forced over a dozen Golden Core Cultivators from White Mountain to flee into the forests.

His might was domineering, but no matter how well he handled the aftermath, it was like locking the barn door after the horse has bolted. Many Cultivators had died in Black River Square during that incident, and everyone was still shaken by it.

Furthermore, in order to catch the mole and the Tribulation Cultivators, Black River Square had been sealed for half a year. It had only just reopened.

The current Black River Square was sparsely populated. Storefronts had been vacated, and an air of desolation and misery permeated the area.

Gao Guangsheng didn’t stay long. Before he left, he ordered the local person-in-charge to restore the marketplace to its former glory as soon as possible. This put the Vast Collection Pavilion’s manager in a bind.

A single command from Gao Guangsheng had to be treated as a matter of utmost importance by the manager. But since no one dared to go to Black River Square, the manager couldn’t exactly hold a knife to their throats and force them.

This explained why Steward Zhang, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was being so polite to Fang Qingyuan. There was clearly an ulterior motive.

As a man of the Vast Collection Pavilion, Steward Zhang was on a mission. It wasn’t just Fang Qingyuan; he probably gave the same spiel to anyone who came looking to rent a shop.

However, Fang Qingyuan still had reservations about going to Black River Square. Like everyone else, he was worried it wouldn’t be peaceful.

The last thing you want when running a business is constant trouble. Fang Qingyuan had no desire to go to Black River Square just to run into more chaos.

Seeing the hesitation on Fang Qingyuan’s face, Steward Zhang decided to strike while the iron was hot.

"A comparable shop in Black River Square costs only fifty Spirit Stones a month to rent right now. Plus, there are storefronts for sale—no auction necessary. You’re guaranteed to get a place if you go now, Nephew Fang."

Faced with Steward Zhang’s enthusiastic sales pitch, Fang Qingyuan said hesitantly,

"The price is cheap, but if the foot traffic doesn’t recover, going there would just be a waste of time."

Steward Zhang had a ready answer for that. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Black River Square is located at the intersection of several major powers: the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect, the White Mountain Artifact Rune Alliance, the Nanchu Sect, and also the Wei Family. Bordering all these factions, how could it not prosper in the future?

"This current predicament is only temporary. Just wait a few years, and it’ll be impossible to find a vacant shop here again."

Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan thought it over carefully and realized Steward Zhang had a point. In real estate, it’s all about location. Black River Square was uniquely positioned; in just ten or twenty years since its founding, it had become a vibrant and successful marketplace. It was so desirable that even a power like the Vast Collection Pavilion had shamelessly seized it by force. The current state of decay definitely wouldn’t last forever.

The logic was sound, but Fang Qingyuan couldn’t bring himself to make a decision on the spot. He needed to at least investigate further and see the place with his own eyes. It wouldn’t be too late to decide after that.

So, Fang Qingyuan demurred,

"Let me look around a bit more. I’m not in a rush."

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s response, Steward Zhang’s expression turned cold. He said,

"Well, you’d better hurry. Don’t blame me for not warning you when the opportunity is gone."

Fang Qingyuan nodded repeatedly. Only after leaving the building did he let out a sigh. ’Why is it so hard to start a business?’

....

Two days later, Fang Qingyuan temporarily set aside the matter of renting a shop. He traveled to Qingfeng Mountain, ready to collect this year’s harvest of Qingfeng Silver Hero Tea.

It was already the height of summer. The Qingfeng Silver Hero tea leaves were typically all picked around the Qingming Festival, but Fang Qingyuan had been too busy with his trade route this year to collect them. He was only now free to do so.

He hadn’t visited in over a year, and the Qingfeng Tea Garden hadn’t changed much, aside from the addition of two babbling toddlers.

When he met with Qu Wei, Fang Qingyuan accepted the jade box containing the Qingfeng Silver Hero tea and asked,

"I haven’t been here in over a year, and your families have grown. Whose children are these?"

Qu Wei smiled and answered cautiously,

"One is from the Liu Family, and the other is mine, your subordinate’s. Our wives both became pregnant after you left last year and gave birth after the new year. They haven’t even been weaned yet."

Fang Qingyuan nodded and commented casually,

"When they turn three, send them to the sect for the Ascension Conference. If they’re found to have a Spirit Root, all your hardships will be over."

"How could I be so lucky? You might not find a single cultivation prospect in a thousand people. I can only dream."

Fang Qingyuan chuckled and teased,

"Hey, don’t think like that. What if? Fine, since I have some free time today, bring the two little ones over. I’ll test them for you."

Hearing this, Qu Wei quickly had someone bring the two infants to Fang Qingyuan.

A newborn’s Spirit Root is not yet apparent. It generally becomes clearest around the age of three. Furthermore, with at least several thousand infants born within the sect’s territory each year, it was simply more practical to wait until they all turned three and test them at the same time.

Having just received over thirteen jin of Qingfeng Silver Hero tea, Fang Qingyuan was in a good mood. He figured he might as well test the children for Qu Wei, allowing him to plan for the future.

Upon seeing a stranger, the two children opened their mouths to wail. Fang Qingyuan infused them with a wisp of Wood Spiritual Qi, and the two infants peacefully drifted off to sleep.

Fang Qingyuan took out the Testing Token. He pricked one infant’s finger for a drop of blood, smeared it onto the token’s surface, and then channeled his Spiritual Power to activate the Magical Artifact. A moment later, the Token emitted a faint glow.

Seeing the value indicated by the glow, Fang Qingyuan’s expression brightened. ’The Token lit up, which means it detected a Spirit Root.’ Judging by the brightness of the light, however, the Spirit Root’s quality wasn’t particularly high.

In the end, Fang Qingyuan congratulated Qu Wei,

"This child has a Spirit Root. The test shows he has a Gold Spirit Root with a value of thirteen. That’s a Lower-grade Spirit Root, so he can cultivate. You’re now the father of a future Cultivator."

Upon hearing the news, Qu Wei was stunned at first, then became overjoyed. If not for Fang Qingyuan’s presence, he would have shouted and cheered to vent his elation.

After he finished speaking, Fang Qingyuan took a drop of blood from the other child’s fingertip and repeated the test.

Fang Qingyuan was rather nonchalant this time, as the odds of finding two Spirit Roots at once were minuscule. But in the next instant, a blinding white light erupted from the Token, stinging his eyes.

"A Top-grade Gold Spirit Root?!"

Staring at the Gold Spirit Root value of thirty-five on the Token, Fang Qingyuan’s voice trembled. ’A Top-grade Spirit Root! That’s twelve points higher than my own was when I started.’

Barring any mishaps, a person with Upper Grade Spirit Root Talent was almost guaranteed to become a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator in the future.

After his initial shock, Fang Qingyuan felt a wave of elation, which was quickly followed by suspicion. Both children possessed Gold Spirit Roots, and one was even a Top-grade Spirit Root. If he hadn’t witnessed it himself, he would never have believed it.

’Could it really be a stroke of luck?’

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan sank into contemplation. A moment later, his gaze shifted toward the ten-mu Tea Garden before him.