Beastmaster of the Ages

Jiang Lincheng was going to let Tianming leave, while Tianming didn’t want to trouble the siblings. He found that he quite liked them. Yet, with more people came more variety in personality. They were unlucky that someone like Jiang Yulian was there.

As for the others from the Primordial Sands, they didn’t quite know what was going on, and since Jiang Lincheng was their leader, they didn’t seem to want to object to anything. At least that was the case before news of the golden ninelives fruit got out, which triggered Jiang Yulian’s killing intent once more.

”Jiang Yulian!” Jiang Datou was about to lose it. ”Are you crazy? Are you looking down on us? Do you think you call the shots here?!”

”So what if I look down on you? Aren’t you just a brute? I’m just thinking for the sake of the group!” Jiang Yulian snapped.

”Let’s go!” Jiang Datou said. He simply couldn’t handle a woman like that.

”You can’t! He must stay,” Jiang Yulian said before turning to her husband. ”Say something! If we release him, word of the golden ninelives fruit will leak out! If the Eightpart Pantheons gets wind of it, not only will our efforts be wasted, we’ll also be putting ourselves at risk!”

Everyone knew that it wasn’t a matter of a mole in their midst; rather, it was a matter of trust. Jiang Yulian didn’t take the siblings seriously, so she naturally wouldn’t trust anyone that they spoke well of. There would be no need for all the drama if she trusted their word.

”Brother Cheng?” Jiang Datou stared at Jiang Lincheng, anger filling his chest.

Jiang Lincheng felt rather helpless at the sight of his angry wife. ”How about this? Before we can ascertain his background, we have to trouble this friend over here and request that he be restrained. If we can later prove that he isn’t a spy, we’ll release him.”

”So you don’t take me seriously either at the end of the day,” Jiang Datou said.

Jiang Xiaobai contemptuously looked at the couple and roared, ”She’s got you completely whipped! Think for yourself, why don’t you?!”

”Shut up!” Jiang Yulian snapped. She was so frustrated that she was on the brink of tears. She wrapped her arms around her husband’s and said, ”I’m only doing this for the safety of the group! She just insulted you! You’re a man, say something!”

Jiang Lincheng felt an even more intense headache welling up. ”Alright, all of you quiet down.” He glared at his wife and continued, ”You too. Let’s focus on retrieving the golden ninelives fruit.” He had clearly decided on subduing Tianming to stop him from leaking the news.

”Are we just going to restrain him? I heard that the effects of the golden ninelives fruit are rather impressive. We should go the safer route to prevent any word of it from getting out,” she said, albeit softer than before after seeing the frustration building in her husband. Still, she simply couldn’t stand how Jiang Datou was looking at her.

”Lin Feng, I’m so sorry!” Jiang Datou said. He had wanted to bring Tianming into the Primordial Sands family, only for things to end up this way due to Jiang Lincheng. The siblings really couldn’t bring themselves to face him.

”That woman’s always been like that, constantly looking down on people and thinking she’s some brilliant planner. How disgusting!” Jiang Xiaobai knew that Tianming was fast. ”You should run! We’ll keep in touch with a transmission stone and look for you once we get a chance!”

It sounded like Jiang Lincheng wouldn’t let the siblings leave, either. Jiang Yulian immediately called a few third-level cosmic gods to start subduing them.

”It’s no matter,” Tianming said, patting Jiang Datou on the shoulder. ”I’ll eventually seek you out as well. I still need you to take me to the Primordial Sands.”

”No problem, Brother,” Jiang Datou said.

Tianming then zipped away, leaving a trail of monochrome lightning diagrams behind him and disappearing in an instant.

”Give chase!” Jiang Yulian shrieked. The cosmic gods wildly charged into the cavern pathway in a desperate attempt to capture Tianming. She then glared at the siblings and smirked. ”See? I knew he was a spy! Look at how he ran off? Is there even anything in those heads of yours? You two are fucking retards.”

”How are you so sure that he’s a spy?” Jiang Xiaobai said.

”If he wasn’t a spy, why would he have to run off?”

”Are you stupid? Who wouldn’t run off when someone as toxic and conniving as you threatened to ’restrain’ him?!”

”He’s running because he had ill intentions in the first place! Still, what can a quasi cosmic god possibly do? There’s no way he can elude us forever.”

”That’s enough! Shut up, all of you! Let’s head to the golden ninelives fruit,” Jiang Lincheng yelled.

”Fine, let’s go!”

The other cosmic gods of the Primordial Sands didn’t want to be part of the drama in the least and followed the one who had brought the news.

”Wait, isn’t this the direction Lin Feng ran off in?” someone suddenly said.

”It’s just a coincidence,” Jiang Yulian said. ”Hurry up, everyone! The treasure won’t be there forever!” She led the group toward their destination.

Jiang Datou looked at Jiang Lincheng and resignedly sighed. He was a close friend that he had once called his brother, yet Jiang Lincheng had lost all respect for him over a mere woman.

”Marriage sure is scary. I don’t want to get married. If I do, I might lose my sense of self!” Jiang Xiaobai muttered.

”It depends on the person!” Jiang Datou looked at Jiang Lincheng from behind and whispered, ”Good men who are unfortunate enough to run into a woman like that would end up completely ruining their lives.”

***

”Golden ninelives fruit... I haven’t heard you mention any before,” Tianming said, having left the pursuers in the dust.

”Yeah, but... they are... really rare,” Yin Chen said.

”Are they good?”

”They are... probably much... better, right?” Yin Chen didn’t sound all that sure.

”Well, if the fruit’s that tempting to them, it must be pretty good! That woman really wanted to mess with me no matter what. I’ll take the fruit from her then, since it’s what she wanted the most! I can’t wait to see her cry.”

Xian Xian said, ”Little Li might be helpless, but at least he has a good eye for women, unlike that fool.”

”Then can you stop calling me out like usual?” Tianming asked.

”In your dreams, maybe.”

Soon, Yin Chen had some good news to share. It had found the golden ninelives fruit.

”I’m working alone, while they’re moving in a whole group. I’ll be long gone by the time anyone arrives!” Tianming zipped toward the location at full speed, Yin Chen and Meow Meow working in tandem to get him there. The golden fruit hadn’t been that far away to begin with. There was a blinding golden light coming from up front with many cosmic gods gathered nearby.