Master of the Golden-Scaled Beast

The days that followed were exceedingly მშვიდful. Ye Jingcheng spent his ordinary days refining spirit pills for the shop, while devoting most of his time to raising spirit beasts.

The Crimson Flame Fox had also grown larger and larger. Its fur had become ever more fiery red, gleaming with spiritual light wherever it went, displaying every sign of an imminent breakthrough. This made Ye Jingcheng all the more attentive.

He normally bestowed more treasure light upon it, and nearly all the spirit pills were supplied to the Crimson Flame Fox. In contrast, the Jade Ring Rat had been somewhat neglected.

News that his Crimson Flame Fox was extraordinary had long since spread throughout the Ye Family.

Having also visited the Ye Family ancestral shrine and met the family head, he knew that the Ye Family's foundations went far beyond what appeared on the surface. Thus, he had far fewer reservations.

Yet there had been no news at all from the Golden-Scaled Beast's owner, nor had that person returned.

Ye Jingcheng could only wait for news. Although he greatly desired the spirit beast, it did not belong to the Ye Family yet.

Of course, that was good too. He could slowly save up spirit stones.

Outside the market, meanwhile, news of evil cultivators grew increasingly rampant. At first, solitary Rogue Cultivators had disappeared one by one. Later on, even small groups of Rogue Cultivators and cultivators from minor clans gradually began to meet with disaster.

Within the market, the Mo Clan also began organizing an alliance to hunt down evil cultivators.

Naturally, the affairs of the outside world held little appeal for Ye Jingcheng at present.

He was tempering a pill furnace while the Crimson Flame Fox continuously released flames.

The terrifying heat turned the entire pill furnace an abnormal fiery red, while the spirit patterns upon it seemed as though they had come alive.

Gradually, Ye Jingcheng's heart rose to his throat.

This feedback from the pill furnace was something he had never experienced before. If he succeeded this time, it would mean his pill-refining technique had risen to another level.

A faint, almost imperceptible pill fragrance emerged, making Ye Jingcheng even more excited. The Crimson Flame Fox also worked its flames more vigorously, and even their color deepened into a richer crimson, like the blazing sun at noon.

The next moment, as the pill furnace's lid flew high into the air, the Crimson Flame Fox withdrew its flames at Ye Jingcheng's command.

Inside the pill furnace, a full eight Azure Spirit Pills appeared before Ye Jingcheng. Each pill was incomparably full and round, brimming with spiritual luster.

An even richer pill fragrance wafted forth as well.

"Eight pills. Once I reach nine, I can try refining first-rank high-grade spirit pills!" Ye Jingcheng was overjoyed.

It had only been a year and a half since he began using the Crimson Flame Fox to refine pills, yet his pill-refining technique had improved greatly once more.

Even with Azure Spirit Pills, the most difficult to refine, he could successfully complete four out of every five furnaces.

The number of finished pills had also risen from three or four at the start to nearly always six or seven now.

This time, he had refined eight pills, and they even carried the pill fragrance unique to first-rank low-grade Spirit Feeding Pills.

"Here!" Ye Jingcheng still took out a pill bottle and stored six of them inside. As usual, he placed the remaining two into the Crimson Flame Fox's mouth!

The latter swallowed them in one pleased gulp, its blue pupils narrowing into slits.

After swallowing the pills, the Crimson Flame Fox let out two shrill cries!

Its fur became fiery red, as though its entire body had caught fire.

The next moment, it leaped onto the stone table and lay down.

It occupied the entire stone table, spiritual light continuously spilling from its body. Ye Jingcheng did not dare hesitate and hurriedly took out an isolating array disk, sealing off the Crimson Flame Fox once more.

"It's finally about to break through!" Ye Jingcheng gazed at the Crimson Flame Fox glowing red, his heart bursting with joy.

Once the Crimson Flame Fox broke through to the late first rank, he could cultivate the Beast-Link Mark. Then, with the difference in their spiritual power, he could attempt to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement.

Once he reached the sixth level of Qi Refinement, his chances of refining first-rank high-grade spirit pills would be even greater!

After steadying his emotions, Ye Jingcheng finally left his room after a long while. As usual, he went to the inner courtyard to inspect the Ye Family's spirit beasts. By now, he had grown accustomed to checking on the Ye Family's spirit beasts from time to time.

Whenever he found injured spirit beasts, he bestowed a little treasure light upon them.

After all, the Ye Family's spirit beasts were all young beasts captured from the Taihang Mountain Range. Injuries were simply too common.

This had caused the Ye Family's business to grow better and better recently.

At last, Ye Jingcheng walked over to the Golden-Scaled Beast. Over the past half year, it had grown somewhat larger.

It had also become quite close to Ye Jingcheng. Whenever Ye Jingcheng came over, it would lower its forepaws to the ground and nod its head at him from time to time.

Ye Jingcheng now understood what the Golden-Scaled Beast meant. He placed a hand on its head, scratched its hard scales a few times, and only then bestowed a little treasure light upon it.

The Golden-Scaled Beast's body grew even more relaxed, and it completely sprawled upon the ground.

Ye Jingcheng was exceedingly satisfied at the sight.

Although the Golden-Scaled Beast was not yet his demon beast, among everyone in the Ye Family shop, it was closest to him.

Just then, the outer courtyard gate opened, and his Thirteenth Aunt entered with a beautiful female cultivator.

The beautiful female cultivator looked sixteen or seventeen. Dressed in a green skirt, she still appeared somewhat youthful and inexperienced. Upon seeing the Golden-Scaled Beast, she hurried over and reached out to touch its head.

The Golden-Scaled Beast immediately rose to its feet, baring its fangs and letting out two low growls as it retreated toward its cage!

Now, pressing its head without giving it that treasure light was utterly impossible. It rejected everyone besides Ye Jingcheng.

It hated freeloaders!

"Fellow Daoist Ye, this is my father's Golden-Scaled Beast!"

"Please, Fellow Daoist Ye, save my father! So long as you can save him, this Golden-Scaled Beast will be given to your Ye Family!" Tears shimmered in the green-skirted female cultivator's eyes.

"Miss Xu Xiuqing, please don't panic. Our Ye Family's head shopkeeper is temporarily away at the moment!" Ye Xinghong consoled her as well.

From her words, Ye Jingcheng also understood that this Golden-Scaled Beast was a spirit beast captured by Xu Xiuqing's father. He had intended to give it to Xu Xiuqing so she could sell it and gather enough spirit stones to join a sect.

But when Old Xu had gone to contact a buyer, he never returned.

Now, other Rogue Cultivators had seen the beast and assumed it belonged to an evil cultivator using it to capture lone Rogue Cultivators.

Naturally, this scene left Xu Xiuqing weeping like pear blossoms in the rain.

But Ye Xinghong could not agree to it, and Ye Jingcheng naturally could not either.

Though he wanted the Golden-Scaled Beast, he could not possibly drag the family into unrighteousness.

Besides, that evil cultivator was not someone he could deal with.

Even if his Crimson Flame Fox broke through, or even if he himself had already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining, he still possessed that much self-awareness.

All he could do was lament the Golden-Scaled Beast's misfortune.

"Your Ye Family is a renowned beast-taming family throughout the region. You must have a way. If you can do your utmost to save my father, I am willing to tell the Ye Family the location of a spirit mine!"

Perhaps Xu Xiuqing was truly desperate. In the end, she gritted her teeth. Her chest rose and fell sharply as she took out two unpolished spirit stones.

Though spirit stones were mined from natural spirit mines, they were not naturally formed into neat pieces. They had to be polished and cut by cultivators.

Yet the spirit stones in Xu Xiuqing's hand were clearly unpolished.

Just then, Ye Xinghe also walked out from the inner courtyard.