1586 The Swiftness and Savagery In their Beast Blood!
“Hey, say something!”
“Wake up! Hurry and wake up! Have you been scared silly?”
“Pitiful child. It seems like he’s never seen such vicious and large Mythical Beasts before.”
The pushing and shouting of the crowd finally brought Xia Fan back to his senses. Just now, he had withdrawn into his own mind, where he had been taught by Cid Raleigh how to subdue Mythical Beasts.
!!
The warriors heckled him, thinking that Xia Fan had frozen from fear. After all, getting two Lion Vultures was one thing, but making them recognize him as their master was quite another! Let alone Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha, even the chief beast tamer of the Beast Garden, General Lear, couldn’t tame them! These two had been born and raised by the beast tamers of Demon Slayer Clans, and would never accept outsiders!
“Uh…were you guys calling me just now?” Xia Fan asked as he came to his senses, pointing at himself.
The crowd erupted with laughter, looks of derision appearing on everyone’s faces. Traveling Buddha covered his face, feeling like he was going to humiliate himself this time. He didn’t have any beast taming techniques, so he was putting all his hopes on Xia Fan. After all, back in Ashen Moon, Xia Fan had frequently called up rats and other creatures to help him search for targets. But… the difference between rats and Lion Vultures was just too great!
Lear raised an eyebrow and walked over to Xia Fan. He was wearing a general’s uniform with golden epaulets, and he looked quite impressive. Lear had been in charge of the Beast Garden for many years and had tamed countless beasts, creating a massive flying army.
Out of consideration for Lear’s enormous contributions to Subduing Demon City, the council had specifically awarded him the rank of general. Other generals had to get there through achievements in battle, but Lear had gotten there purely through his ability to tame beasts. Just from that, everyone could see just how amazing he was when it came to beast taming!
Clearing his throat, Lear frowned and said, “Per the requests of the Dongfang Clan and Jia Clan, the ownership of these two Lion Vultures has already been passed to you two. In other words, these Lion Vultures are your personal property.”
“Mm, mm, very good, very good.” Xia Fan rejoiced, his lips curving into a smile.
Lear said, “But according to the rules of Subduing Demon City, flying Mythical Beasts are an important strategic resource. If the two of you cannot tame the Lion Vultures and make them participate in battle, the transfer of ownership will be invalid, and the Lion Vultures will be sent back to their owners.
“I’ve already tried once, but the two of them have fierce personalities and refused to buy what I was selling. For the sake of your own safety, I advise you to give up. Lion Vultures aren’t Mythical Beasts that just anyone can own. No one will look down on you if you give up.”
Give up?
Xia Fan shook his head like it was a rattle drum. That old demon dragon had just taught him a method to tame the Lion Vultures, so how could he give up?
“Not giving up?”
“He actually wants to try?”
The crowd erupted.
Lear froze, inwardly very unhappy. He actually wanted to give Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha a way out, but now it seemed that Xia Fan didn’t have eyes and didn’t know when to retreat.
‘What is he thinking? Even I wasn’t able to tame these two Lion Vultures, but they want to try? Who do they think they are?’, Lear thought to himself.
He snorted coldly. “Hmph! Since you want to try, then be my guest. This old man is looking forward to your performance!”
“Hahahaha!~”
Everyone laughed again. These warriors were just here to see the show, and they all looked at Xia Fan like he was an imbecile.
…
Outside of the Beast Garden, Dongfang He coincidentally ran into Jia Yuntian. Dongfang He was rather magnanimous, chuckling and saying, “I didn’t expect you to be here. What? Can you still not accept the loss of your Lion Vulture?”
Jia Yuntian shook his head lightly. “Someone willing to make a wager has to be willing to pay out. But before leaving, Nikai sent me a voice message saying that Lion Vultures have savage temperaments, and it would be best if they didn’t hurt Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha, so I came over with my clan’s beast tamer to take a look.”
Dongfang He frowned. He had received the same voice message. Nikai’s butler had come to find him this morning, saying that it was a request his master had made before leaving. It was only then that Dongfang He learned that Nikai had left with the elders of her clan, setting off the night before for the Northern Sea.
Nikai hadn’t originally been included in the Northern Sea investigation team, but her father was the deputy leader. Considering that Nikai’s ability could be of help to their investigation, he decided to take Nikai with him.
Dongfang He felt like there was a knot in his heart. Nikai was the woman he had decided to marry, but his woman had given him and Jia Yuntian the same voice message. It made Dongfang He feel quite uncomfortable.
“Little Niki really deserves to be my woman. Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha saved her, so she returned their favor. This sort of kindness and consideration is exactly why I have to marry her,” Dongfang He said bluntly.
“She still hasn’t agreed to marry you,” Jia Yuntian replied indifferently.
Dongfang He laughed and made an inviting gesture. “There’s no rush. She’ll agree one day. Since you’re here, let’s go together.”
Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, Dongfang He found that his beast tamer was looking rather green, so he asked curiously, “What’s wrong with you? Why is your complexion so bad?”
“It…it’s nothing…” the beast tamer mumbled back.
Dongfang He was even more confused, sternly saying, “You’re what I’m like. If you’re loyal to me, I’ll protect you no matter what happens, but if you’re hiding something from me…don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
As the successor of the Dongfang Clan, Dongfang He had an unimaginably high status. The beast tamer shivered at his words.
“Then, it’s about the Lion Vulture we gave Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha. It’s simply impossible to tame.”
“Why?”
“Because that Lion Vulture is a direct descendant of the Golden One!”
Dongfang He was taken aback as he realized what the beast tamer was saying. The Golden One was a legendary Lion Vulture of the Dongfang Clan. Its bloodline was extremely pure and its personality just as violent. Only the clan’s most senior beast tamer, Brieler, had been able to tame it.
“Why did you send over the Golden One’s descendant?”
The beast tamer stammered, “We thought that your loss was unjust and wanted to win back some pride for you. Even if Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha won the contest against you, they can’t be allowed to be too arrogant. They had to be taught a little lesson.”
“What were you even thinking!? This isn’t making things difficult for Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha! It’s making things difficult for me! Am I that sort of petty person? What will other people think of me!?
“The Golden One’s descendant is too fierce. If things go poorly, it might even kill someone,” Dongfang He swore angrily. “Where’s Brieler? Hurry and find him! He’s the only one who can restrain the Golden One’s descendant!”
“That…the chief followed the second master to the Northern Sea on a mission. After bringing the Lion Vulture over to the Beast Garden, he left the same night!”
“Haaa…” Dongfang He massaged his forehead. The Golden One and the Silver One were the two most vicious Lion Vultures of Subduing Demon City, and they belonged respectively to the Dongfang Clan and the Jia Clan. Putting aside their bloodlines, they were incredibly powerful in combat. Crucially, only the chief beast tamers of the two clans could control those two savage beasts and their descendants.
With the Dongfang Clan’s chief beast tamer on the mission to the Northern Sea, there was no second beast tamer who could control those Lion Vultures. Not even the Beast Garden’s Chief Lear could do it!
Dongfang He clenched his teeth. “Let’s go. Until Brieler returns, we have to stop anyone from getting close to that Lion Vulture, or else we’ll have a big problem.
“Hey, Yuntian, what are you doing?”
Dongfang He saw that the Jia Clan’s beast tamer was almost prostrating, saying something to a cold-faced Jia Yuntian.
Jia Yuntian turned to him and said, “What a coincidence. The Lion Vulture my clan sent over is the Silver One’s descendant. They were also angry and wanted to make things difficult for Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha.”
Dongfang He’s hairs stood up. As successors of Demon Slayer Clans, he and Jia Yuntian were not that petty, but their subordinates clearly lacked their magnanimity.
Now they were in a pretty pickle. The descendants of the Golden One and Silver One had been given to Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha. They were the most savage beasts of Subduing Demon City, and also the ones with the purest of bloodlines. If Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha got reckless and tried to make those beasts submit, a huge battle might take place.
At this point, a clamor erupted from the Beast Garden. Dongfang He’s subordinate had sharp eyes and immediately saw that Xia Fan was going into the cage. Aghast, he reported that to Dongfang He and Jia Yuntian.
“Hurry! Go and stop him!” Dongfang He shouted.
He didn’t care if Xia Fan lived or died, but if there was a problem, what would Nikai think of him? He had already said that he was willing to pay out, but now, it looked like he was scamming Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha! This was just humiliating!
“If it’s really no good, we’ll have to kill the two Lion Vultures,” Jia Yuntian said in his cold voice.
…
To enter the cage, one had to first go through a corridor protected by bars. Xia Fan had just entered the first door when the people shut the gate and locked it, acting as if the Lion Vultures might suddenly come out and maul them to death.
Xia Fan shrugged and continued inside. Upon reaching the second door, he undid the alloy lock, opened the door, and strode inside while taking a deep breath.
Cid Raleigh had told Xia Fan that one had to treat Lion Vultures as one would deal with a vicious dog. The key was to not show fear, let alone run away. If one turned and ran, the dog would howl and give chase, at which point one would be finished!
The correct method was to look them in the eyes and then unleash one’s mental pressure. Animals would follow their risk-avoiding natures, and if they sensed that their opponent was more powerful than them, they would become cautious. At that time, one would then move to the second step, which was to enter their minds and clash directly with their mental power.
Xia Fan did that. His gaze was not like a cold and sharp blade, as it was when in front of his enemies. If his gaze was too sharp, the Lion Vultures would regard him as an aggressive enemy, and to protect themselves, they would often choose to strike first.
One had to suppress their gaze, but this was a restraint that came from withholding power, not murderous intent. It was like a peerless expert facing down an ordinary person. Would a peerless expert have killing intent in their eyes at that time? Not at all, because they were confident in their power and regarded all other creatures as ants.
Xia Fan’s eyes were brimming with confidence as he walked fearlessly toward the Lion Vultures. The Lion Vultures looked at him warily. The closer he got, the more they could feel the majestic power radiating from him.
When he was less than fifty meters away, Dongfang He and Jia Yuntian rushed onto the scene. Their subordinates wanted to call out to Xia Fan to stop him, but Dongfang He sternly cut them off.
“Don’t shout! In this tense atmosphere, you might trigger the Lion Vultures and start a fight!”
Jia Yuntian said calmly, “Correct. Xia Fan is very fast. So long as there’s no mishap, he should be able to get out safely.”
“But those are the descendants of the Golden One and Silver One…” a beast tamer muttered. He didn’t believe that anyone could escape the claws of those two savage beasts unscathed.
The entire Beast Garden became eerily quiet, everyone holding their breaths as their nerves stretched to maximum tension, their eyes fixed on that scrawny young man in the cage.
“Don’t get any closer! Don’t get any closer!”
Tension!
Incomparable tension!
Some people mentally prayed, while others looked away out of fear, turning their backs to the cage for fear of seeing the blood that might splash out if the two savage beasts attacked.
