TRWSB – Chapter 209 The Saint-Level Beast Awakens

At Qi Shaorong’s Residence

Yi Fan handed over a stack of documents regarding Zuo Yunfei and Zhuang Hao to Qi Shaorong.

Qi Shaorong glanced through the materials, smiling lightly. “Looks like their beast taming business is doing quite well.”

Yi Fan nodded in admiration. “Indeed! Now beast merchants from all nations are flocking to that area, all hoping to claim a piece of the pie. Young Master Zhuang really is something—when he puts his mind to it, there’s nothing he can’t do!”

Qi Shaorong gave Yi Fan a sideways look. “If Ah Hao heard you praising him like this, he’d probably float off into the clouds.”

Yi Fan chuckled. “I’m just telling the truth. Though of course, I’d never say it to his face.”

Qi Shaorong mused, “At this rate, do you think Zuo Yunfei can really gather two billion in four months?”

Yi Fan nodded. “He should be able to. From what I’ve heard, Zuo Yunfei wasn’t originally after the beast taming profits. His real goal is the mineral-rich mountain range. Once he clears out the magical beasts, he can sell the mining rights. In that case, cashing out two billion shouldn’t be difficult.”

Qi Shaorong rested his chin on his hand. “Seems like my asking price wasn’t too outrageous after all. Sometimes, you just have to give people a little push. Otherwise, they won’t realize they can make money.”

Yi Fan glanced at Qi Shaorong. “Interestingly, I heard that the profit-sharing deal between Zuo Yunfei and Zhuang Hao is thirty-seventy—Zuo takes 30%, Zhuang takes 70%. Based on current numbers, Young Master Zhuang is pulling in tens of millions per day. At this rate, his earnings may actually surpass yours.”

Qi Shaorong laughed. “That’s a good thing! I could support him, but if he can support himself, all the better.”

Yi Fan nodded. “That’s true.”

Qi Shaorong then stood and made his way to Qi Heng’s study.

“Young Master!” Qi Heng stood up in a fluster.

Qi Shaorong’s eyes swept over the desk. Qi Heng, noticing his look, hurried to gather and hide the materials scattered on the table.

“Looks like I don’t need to say much. You already know about Zuo Yunfei.”

Qi Heng awkwardly tidied the desk. “I came across the information by chance.”

Qi Shaorong smiled. “Seems like I underestimated him. At this pace, it won’t be long before he comes back.”

Qi Heng kept his head down, a faint blush rising to his cheeks.

In the Tianxing Mountain Range

“These bamboo groves are incredibly lush,” Zuo Yunfei observed.

Zhuang Hao tapped a few of the bamboo stalks with his fingers. “If I’m not mistaken, these weren’t naturally grown.”

Zuo Yunfei looked at him curiously. “How do you know?”

“Judging by the growth rings, these bamboos are relatively young, but they’re too tall and robust. Something’s off. Be careful.” If a magical beast was present and completely undetectable, it could only be that kind of beast…

Zuo Yunfei frowned. “Guessing blindly won’t help.”

He extended his hand, unleashing a lightning strike above the bamboo forest.

“What are you doing?” Zhuang Hao asked, annoyed.

Zuo Yunfei shrugged nonchalantly. “If we can’t find it, let’s force it out. If it’s a Saint-level beast, it won’t tolerate attacks on its territory. But… so far, no response.”

Just as he finished speaking, the bamboo forest began to shake violently.

The ground beneath their feet cracked open, revealing a massive fissure.

A rotund black-and-white creature, resembling a panda, emerged from the forest.

“A Terra Bear!?” Zhuang Hao exclaimed in shock.

Zuo Yunfei had already leapt to safety the moment the ground split.

“I remember now,” he said. “There’s an old family record that mentions a miner encountering a bear while digging for minerals.”

Zhuang Hao frowned. “If you knew that, why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“The guy who wrote it wasn’t very literate. It was a mess—I didn’t connect the dots at first,” Zuo Yunfei replied.

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Forget that. Aren’t you a Gold-ranked Beast Master? Can’t you form a supreme contract with it? Try it!” Zuo Yunfei suggested.

Zhuang Hao frowned. “This is a Saint-level beast. If it’s not weakened first, there’s no way.”

“Then let’s fight!” Zuo Yunfei declared without hesitation.

He launched the first attack. The Terra Bear roared in fury, causing the bamboo stalks around them to transform into sharp arrows that rained down on the two men.

The bear jumped about in rage, shaking the ground with thunderous crashes each time it landed.

Zuo Yunfei moved to dodge but found his legs felt numb and heavy. His whole body was unnaturally sluggish.

“The bear… it’s altering gravity,” he muttered, starting to understand.

He dodged clumsily, with Zhuang Hao in similarly poor condition.

The battle raged on with no decisive victor. Eventually, both had no choice but to retreat.

At Qi Shaorong’s Residence

“The four months are almost up,” Qi Shaorong said thoughtfully.

Yi Fan nodded. “Yes. However, from what I’ve heard, it seems Young Master Zhuang and Zuo Yunfei have run into a bit of trouble.”

Qi Shaorong turned his head toward Yi Fan. “Those two—what kind of trouble?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Yi Fan replied, “but rumor has it that ever since about a month ago, after the two of them entered the forest, they’ve been disappearing frequently. No one knows where they go. And when they return, they’re always in a sorry state—without any apparent gains.”

Qi Shaorong rubbed his nose and mused to himself: If it weren’t Zhuang Hao and Zuo Yunfei disappearing like that, but any other pair, given how Yi Fan described them—vanishing mysteriously and returning disheveled—I’d suspect they were off having some wild affair. The messy appearance? A result of poor coordination between top and bottom roles.

Qi Shaorong stroked his chin and said, “Given Zhuang Hao and Zuo Yunfei’s abilities, ordinary magical beasts shouldn’t be much of a threat. Could it be… they’ve run into a Saint-rank beast?”

Yi Fan squinted slightly. Saint-rank beasts were known to take human form, and at that level, their behavior often mirrored that of humans. In fact, in the Central Continent, the Kingdom of Li had a national advisor who was actually a Saint-rank Wind Eagle.

Yi Fan nodded. “I think that’s the most likely explanation. Nothing else really fits.”

“If those two really are facing a Saint-rank beast, they won’t get themselves killed, will they?” Qi Shaorong asked, somewhat anxiously.

“Don’t worry, Young Master,” Yi Fan reassured him. “Based on what we know, they should be fine.”

Qi Shaorong didn’t respond, only furrowing his brows in concern.

At that moment, Qi Heng arrived at the door and overheard the conversation between Yi Fan and Qi Shaorong. His expression darkened, and he turned and walked away in silence.

Tianxing Mountains

Zuo Yunfei emerged from the mountain forest. His clothes were ripped, a deep gash ran along his side.

After briefly treating his wounds, he muttered in confusion, “What’s up with that bear today? It was way more aggressive than usual. Don’t tell me it’s in heat?”

Zhuang Hao frowned. “Maybe it’s just sick of us constantly provoking it.”

Zuo Yunfei laughed, energetic despite his injuries. “Give it a bit more time, and it won’t hold out anymore. If we can defeat that thing, the clan elders will finally see my worth. Next time I challenge them, they’ll stop saying I’m still too weak.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Who is it that can’t hold out anymore?” came a voice from the forest.

Qi Heng stepped out from the trees.

Seeing him, Zuo Yunfei’s face lit up with joy. “Ah Heng, what brings you here?”

Qi Heng shot him a look and replied, “Back in the capital, everyone’s saying you and Young Master Zhuang eloped. I thought I’d come see how your romance is progressing.”

Zuo Yunfei pulled a face. “Why do people in Yuanguo always assume I’m romantically involved with Zhuang Hao? Is that really what they think of my taste?”

Zhuang Hao glared at him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, Zuo Yunfei?”

“You’ve got stinky feet, okay?” Zuo Yunfei retorted. “It’s suffocating. Anyone who shares a bed with you is doomed. Don’t tell me I need to remind you.”

Zhuang Hao rolled his eyes. “Look who’s talking! You snore so loud at night it shakes the heavens. Anyone trying to sleep near you can forget about it.”

Qi Heng: “…”

“Are you two injured?” Qi Heng asked, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

Zuo Yunfei frowned slightly, snapping back to his senses. “How did you find us here? I already had this area sealed off. Come on, let’s move before that bear comes after us.”

Qi Heng narrowed his eyes. “That bear? So you really did run into a Saint-rank beast?”

Zuo Yunfei nodded. “Yeah. There’s a Saint-rank Earth Bear around here. Perfect for a bit of combat training!”

Qi Heng scowled. “Training with a Saint-rank beast? Are you not worried about dying in the process?”

Zuo Yunfei waved off the concern. “That Earth Bear probably just recently advanced to Saint-rank. It’s not that strong. Nothing to worry about.”

Qi Heng didn’t look convinced. “Not that strong? And yet you’re injured. If it were strong, you’d be dead!”

Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Heng and hesitated before asking, “Did your young master come with you?”

Qi Heng shook his head. “No. I came alone. Snuck off without telling him.”

“Oh,” Zhuang Hao responded, a trace of disappointment flickering across his face.

Zuo Yunfei clapped a hand on Zhuang Hao’s shoulder. “Come on, don’t be so down. If you’re that eager to see Qi Shaorong, just wait a bit longer. Once we take care of that Earth Bear, we’ll head back. Qi Shao’s a busy man—he probably doesn’t have time for you right now.”

Zuo Yunfei then gave Zhuang Hao a smug, mocking look behind Qi Heng’s back. Zhuang Hao rolled his eyes in exasperation.