Beastmaster of the Ages

”That’s right. Suishen Yue really lucked out.”

”I don’t get it either. I heard Suishen Yao’s working hard to rise in the Fortuna Ranking. It must mean that she doesn’t like Major Pathkeeper Suishen Yue at all.”

”The other minor pathkeeper, Suishen Shuang, is matched with Suishen Zhao. That’s what I find confusing. If Pathkeeper Li is truly a genius like never before, who could they possibly match with him apart from a minor pathkeeper?”

All the theories were built on the assumption that House Suishen heavily valued Tianming. The faulty premise created quite a lot of contradictions.

”Don’t tell me they’re going to match him with Eminent Jiguang?” someone gasped with a spark of inspiration.

”Oh, damn.... That’s exciting....”

”If I were Pathkeeper Li, I’d swear my living body and eternal soul to House Suishen if they matched me with Eminent Jiguang.”

”Eminent Jiguang is peak. I’d immediately surrender.”

”It’d be the perfect picture of harmony if the young Pathkeeper Li got a nurturing elder sister to protect him. I’d serve House Suishen for life in exchange for a gentle home to return to.”

”Dude, wouldn’t that make Pathkeeper Li Suishen Yao’s uncle-in-law?”

”Hahaha!”

Eventually, more and more people gossiped about Eminent Jiguang. Her influence among the people in Myriadpath Valley wasn’t something Suishen Yao could compete with. Everyone from the ancient, august houses to those of the Three Exalted Houses, eminent or otherwise, speculated what Tianming’s boldness implied.

People even spun rumors about Eminent Jiguang, who was far past the age of eligible marriage, saying that she would be married to Tianming on the same day Suishen Yao and Suishen Yue were wed! Either way, the prevailing thought was that Eminent Ranxing approved of Tianming.

***

In the courtyard of a golden palace deep in Suishen Cave, Eminent Ranxing sat in the middle of a flower bed. Before him was a lady clad in gold robes and the burly Suishen Yue.

”She’s still hiding in Jiguang Sea and not responding to you no matter what, right?” Eminent Ranxing said with an angry expression.

Suishen Yue didn’t say a word. Instead, the lady beside him smiled. ”I don’t blame Yaoyao. It’s only normal for girls to be shy about things like that. Once the marital rites are completed, she’ll slowly open up to it. However, with the day of the wedding approaching and how she’s a fine appreciator of beauty, we should make an effort to help her pick wedding ornaments. Otherwise it’ll be a little rude to the many eminents and reverends of Myriadpath Valley who’ll attend the wedding.”

Eminent Ranxing furrowed his brows. ”Sister-in-law, rest assured that I’ll tell Jiguang that.”

”Very well. I’m counting on you.”

Eminent Ranxing sounded a little exasperated. ”It can’t be helped. Jiguang almost encourages my daughter’s behavior. Even though my sister’s almost three thousand years old, she’s still reckless and stubborn and doesn’t care about other people’s feelings. Once Yaoyao gets married and has her own children, she’ll understand the heavy burden she bears. That’s what it means to be born in House Suishen. In exchange, we have the privilege of enjoying resources that people can’t even dream of obtaining.”

”It’ll come with time. Yaoyao will have more than enough of that to grow into her role.” The lady didn’t comment on Eminent Jiguang in the slightest, however.

Eminent Ranxing took out a transmission stone and a figure within it said, ”Eminent Yinyue of House Yumo broke in.”

”Her?” Before he hung up, he could hear a commotion from the outside. All of a sudden, a woman with pale skin like white jade and a really tall, slender build burst in. The astron density of her body was intense and she seemed to have a rather heavy baleful aura.

”Greetings, Eminent Yinyue,” Suishen Yue said and bowed, being the junior.

Eminent Yinyue of House Yumo didn’t pay him any heed. She turned to Eminent Ranxing and said, ”Hey, tell me. What’s your attitude about all this?”

Eminent Ranxing doubtfully stood up. He turned and looked at the lady in golden robes, who picked up the signal and left with her son. When they were gone, he said, ”Eminent Yinyue, what’s the meaning of this?”

Yumo Yinyue smirked and sat down to the side, still glaring at him. ”Are you just feigning ignorance or do you not really know?”

”I really don’t know what you’re asking about,” he said with a shrug.

”Fine! Since you don’t, I’ll tell you! Your new minor pathkeeper, Li Tianming, issued a challenge for the top ten in the Fortuna Ranking and defeated my daughter. That’s fine in itself, but then he killed the physical body of my daughter on top of it and caused four hundred years of her painstaking effort to go to waste!”

”What?” Eminent Ranxing’s eyes burned with flames of anger. ”Is that true?!”

”You can be damn sure it is! My daughter’s cultivation mindset is in tatters. She’s been crippled. Do you think I’d make something like that up? Hundreds of thousands of people in Myriadpath Valley stand witness to it!”

”Wait a moment.” Eminent Ranxing furrowed his brows and contacted Fen Nu, who calmly explained everything to him, as well as the crowd’s reaction. After that, his expression relaxed somewhat. ”I heard what happened. Even though that kid went too far, there’s nothing I can do about it. He was sneak attacked after the duel ended. Punishing him for retaliating won’t sit well with the crowd.”

”The crowd?” Eminent Yinyue smirked. ”Ranxing! I’ll let you know I came as a representative of House Yumo to assess your attitude toward this matter. Everyone out there’s saying that you want to use this youth to elevate House Suishen to dominate the entire valley!

”They’re making it sound like you have such ambitions. Have you forgotten the ancestral teachings? Have you forgotten that the Three Exalted Houses have the same origin? Have you forgotten the lesson that House Qitian had to learn after the dog they cared so much for bit the hand that fed it?”

Eminent Ranxing shook his head. ”Eminent Yinyue, I understand how you feel after your daughter was injured, but what’s with all these accusations you’re unfairly throwing at me?”

”I’m not the one who’s saying it, everyone else is! Why don’t you listen to what the public is saying for once? Isn’t that what you intend to do by taking in someone of a different surname into your ranks? Rumors also say that your little sister’s using her sensual charms to keep that promising genius on a leash!”

”Preposterous!” Eminent Ranxing’s rage flared again. After some thought, he said, ”Don’t act rashly. Let me explain to you and House Yumo about this matter.”

”Very well, I’ll be listening.” She crossed her arms and legs and waited.