Beastmaster of the Ages

”Um....” Suishen Yuan awkwardly smiled and said, ”It’s nothing much.”

”Are you going to tell me or not?” Suishen Yao glared at him with her big pink eyes. She looked adorably fierce, making it hard for anyone to resist.

Suishen Yuan had to say, ”Your father said that he wanted me and Brother Yue to challenge the Prehistoric Path. Whoever achieves the highest accomplishment will....”

”Will what?” Suishen Yao gritted her teeth and asked.

”Will marry you,” Suishen Yuan said.

”Damn! I knew that old bastard would pull something like that!” Suishen Yao was instantly furious. She had already guessed the answer before asking.

”Cousin, your father actually has good intentions.”

”Shut up!” Suishen Yao looked distressed and very agitated. ”He’s so annoying! Annoying! I don’t want to marry either of you!”

Hearing that, Suishen Yuan’s face turned pale, feeling somewhat hurt. Fortunately, Suishen Yao had said ‘either of you’ or he might have cried.

”I also said that Cousin is still too young and doesn’t need to rush. But your father has good intentions, wanting you to settle down and begin totemic bonding early.”

”Go away, go away! I’ll cultivate on my own!” Suishen Yao was on the verge of tears from frustration.

”Cousin, your father has already publicly announced it. You might be the last one to know. Now all of House Suishen knows that I’m going to compete with Brother Yue. It’s the will of the ancestors and the entire house. All I can do is give it my all. If I win, I promise to protect you for life,” Suishen Yuan said with deep affection.

”He announced it? Damn!” Suishen Yao’s eyes widened and turned red. She grit her teeth and fiercely said, ”This is so annoying! I’m going to find that old bastard and get an explanation right now!”

Just like that, she transformed into a pink streak that vanished, leaving behind only Tianming and a helpless Suishen Yuan.

So

awkward. Tianming was full of question marks. He had been brought to the door of the Suishen Ancestral Hall twice, then tragically failed to enter twice. Now Suishen Yao had even run away, leaving him stranded in the heavily restricted Suishen Cave.

What should he do? Wait there? What if Suishen Yao got so emotional that she forgot about him?

”Cousin....” Suishen Yuan gazed at her departing figure with a somewhat melancholic expression, then he turned back and scrutinized Tianming again.

”I remember... a few hours ago, Little Zhao issued a challenge to a tainted beastmaster. I heard that the beastmaster won. Was that you?” Suishen Yuan asked.

”Yes.” Tianming nodded.

”And then you begged Little Yao to take you as a disciple to sneak into the Suishen Cave?” Suishen Yuan’s demeanor changed from gentle and sunny to dark and stern.

Tianming shook his head and said, ”Major Pathkeeper, you misunderstand. It’s the minor pathkeeper who wanted to use me to deal with her brother. She plans to train me, and I can only follow her orders.”

Before the conversation, he had already made sure through Yin Chen that this Suishen Yuan was indeed a major pathkeeper and a fourth-level foundationeer. He was just one step away from getting the title of reverend as well. Moreover, he possessed the ability to fight above his level. The thousand-year-old cultivator’s combat strength was comparable to Lan Yun and Reverend Daolie.

Given that Tianming was less than a tenth of his age, he didn’t want to offend him, so he spoke politely to avoid any backlash. However, he noticed that Suishen Yuan was in a bad mood and needed to vent his frustration.

”A black ring disciple, and a tainted mongrel at that! And she brought filth like you to the ancestral hall! Outrageous! If her father finds out, she’ll definitely be locked up again!” Suishen Yuan sternly said.

”Major Pathkeeper, I also know that I don’t deserve to be here, but I really had no choice.” Tianming said. He implied that Suishen Yao’s temperament was well known. Even you can’t handle her!

”Enough! I can’t let you influence her anymore. She’s just too playful. The so-called apprenticeship is just a game. Don’t take it seriously. I’ll take you out now, and she’ll forget about you in a few days,” Suishen Yuan coldly said.

”Thank you, Major Pathkeeper.” Tianming cupped his hands.

”Hmph!”

The Suishen Cave had so many formations and one needed to be led by a member of House Suishen to move through them. Thinking of how Suishen Yao had held Tianming’s hand to bring him in, Suishen Yuan was still quite annoyed, though he didn’t consider him a competitor.

Tianming extended his hand, but Suishen Yuan reached past it and seized the back of his collar, then started dragging him out!

Tianming was speechless. Although his neck didn’t hurt, being dragged out by the back like a caught thief was extremely embarrassing and undignified. Was it dragging a person or a dog? Clearly, in Suishen Yuan’s eyes, there wasn’t much difference between Tianming and a dog.

Thus, Suishen Yuan dragged Tianming out without a second glance, not caring about his expression or whether he bore any resentment. However, a thousand-year-old powerhouse comparable to a reverend was more intimidating than Lan Yun. In his hands, Tianming was truly helpless.

No wonder the Three Exalted Houses can’t hide their inherent arrogance. In comparison, Suishen Yao is much more lovable.

Coming into and out of the Suishen Cave was a humiliating experience. Tianming was dragged in and out, both times without any choice in the matter. Suishen Yuan could have left Tianming with some dignity, but chose not to. Ultimately, he felt Tianming was unworthy of touching his noble body.

At the same time, his action was venting his frustration at being rejected by Suishen Yao.

While they were having their youthful drama, Tianming was the one who suffered! Suishen Yuan? Just you wait! Such arrogant contempt and disdain toward others filled him with anger. Suishen Zhao was brought up much better in contrast.

Not long after, Tianming was effectively thrown out of the Suishen Cave by Suishen Yuan.

He looked down at Tianming with a cold expression and said, ”When you leave, don’t tell anyone you came to the Suishen Cave, and especially not that Little Yao brought you in. If I hear anything, you know what will happen, right?”

”Understood.” Tianming calmly nodded, keeping it all in mind.

”And another thing!”

Suishen Yuan raised an eyebrow and coldly continued, ”If Little Yao asks about you, just say I sent you out of the Suishen Cave because you had no one to care for you. If Little Yao causes me trouble, you’re dead.”

”Got it,” Tianming replied.

”Smart. Now get lost.” Suishen Yuan sneered and turned back into the Suishen Cave, leaving with a swagger. After some light bullying, he felt better.

Tianming’s mood, however, didn’t change for the worse.

”If this had happened before, you wouldn’t have been able to tolerate such humiliation,” Ying Huo said.

”Since coming to Myriadpath Valley, I’ve had new experiences. And with evil impulses looming, I experience both extremes. Either I cross the line and get angry to the point of losing my mind, or I remain calm, keeping the so-called humiliations and resentments inside, not showing them on my face. I’m less than a hundred years old, and he’s a thousand-year-old Three Exalted Houses prodigy. It’s normal for him to suppress me, but for me to suppress him would be a miracle.” Tianming clenched his teeth, looking at his hands.

”And that day isn’t far off!” He would simply keep these grudges in his heart, neither forgotten nor forgiven.

***

Before long, the transmission stone from Suishen Yao, provided on the way to the Suishen Cave, lit up. Her angry face appeared in the transmission stone.

”Bastard, why did you leave?” Suishen Yao glared at him.

”Your cousin thought I had nowhere to go and sent me out first,” Tianming said. To be honest, he was interested in the Suishen Ancestral Hall. However, going there was too dangerous, so he felt it was unnecessary.

”Him again, so annoying!” Suishen Yao gritted her teeth. After venting for a while, she glared at Tianming and said, ”Forget it, you just hang around outside for now! I’m really annoyed right now!”

With that, the transmission stone abruptly turned off.

”She’s obviously upset, but probably won’t bother me for now. However, having her identity tied to me will make people in Myriadpath Valley less likely to mess with me.” The current situation was actually better. He wasn’t being tormented by her, but still enjoyed her protection.

”In that case, I’ll follow my original plan.” Although he hadn’t been able to access valley lord or eminent caeli in advance, at least he had gained stability and safety. Right now, he didn’t need to take any risks.

”After defeating Suishen Zhao, I became famous in Myriadpath Valley. Next, I need to focus on consolidation.” That was his original plan, so his next target was still the Grand Myriadpath Ruins.

”First, I need to solidify the orders that expanded after using the order fragments last time.” Tianming didn’t return to Grandblue Palace but headed directly to the Grand Myriadpath Ruins.

However, at that moment, Lan Yun’s transmission stone lit up. When Tianming activated it, he smiled and said, ”Master, missing me already?”

Lan Yun’s image in the transmission stone remained icy and cold. She glanced at Tianming, frost glistening on her eyelashes, and calmly said, ”Still in the Suishen Cave?”

”I got kicked out. The minor pathkeeper was just playing around, no one would take it seriously,” Tianming laughed.

”Then, do you still consider me your master?” Lan Yun’s lips slightly curved, her expression full of allure as she deeply gazed at Tianming.

”Once a teacher, always a teacher!” he earnestly said.

”Oh.” Lan Yun lowered her head, playing with her hair. She softly said, ”Then come back to me in Grandblue Palace.”

”Return?” Tianming smiled and said, ”Of course.”

”Good.” Lan Yun nodded and turned off the transmission stone without appearing too deliberate. She had no idea that her obvious mood and demeanor changes during her previous visits to Fallengrace Peak had been entirely observed by Yin Chen.

”She wants me back at Grandblue Palace?” Tianming frowned.