Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 83: Bowing the Head in Subservience

Under the shade of a tree outside the tent, She Xiyu was waiting with a group of She Family disciples. A few of the younger Cultivators started complaining in hushed voices: 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"That Fang Qingyuan is just a Mid-stage Cultivator at the Fifth-Layer Qi Refining, yet he’s making a whole group of us wait. The Patriarch is a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator! This is just too..."

Before he could finish, She Xiyu, who was at the front, suddenly whirled around. Anger flashed across his face, and the disciple immediately swallowed the rest of his words.

"What are you talking about? Is a distinguished disciple of the Beast Taming Sect someone you can gossip about behind his back? You should know how instrumental Fang Qingyuan was in getting us back from the front lines! If he hadn’t pulled the strings for us, we would’ve died sooner or later in that mud pit at Celestial Attraction Mountain."

The one who spoke out was She Xuanyan, a leading figure of the She Family’s younger generation. The moment he spoke, the young disciples fell silent, not daring to make another peep.

For a moment, silence returned to the She Family’s group.

A moment later, Fang Qingyuan strode over. When he saw the group from the She Family, a sincere smile appeared on his face. ’My hired muscle has arrived.’

As he drew near, the She Family members all came forward to greet him. Fang Qingyuan was startled to see that Patriarch She Xiyu’s left sleeve was empty, and his face was as pale as paper.

Fang Qingyuan froze for a second, then asked with genuine concern:

"Patriarch She, are you all right? How did you injure your arm?"

She Xiyu let out a long sigh, then bowed with his one remaining hand.

"The She Family will never forget the debt we owe Fellow Daoist Fang for helping us return alive from the Celestial Attraction Mountain front. As for this arm, it’s just a minor injury. Nothing to worry about."

She Xiyu spoke lightly, but Fang Qingyuan could still sense the brutality of the fighting at Celestial Attraction Mountain. The news he’d heard in the rear was nothing compared to the firsthand account of someone like She Xiyu. So, Fang Qingyuan led She Xiyu into the tent, and the two prepared to talk in detail.

Inside the tent, Fang Qingyuan had the Servants serve tea, then asked:

"Patriarch She, what is the situation at the front now? I heard that the three Golden Core Cultivators from the Artifact Talisman Alliance will be coming from the rear soon. Is this news true or false?"

She Xiyu took a sip of tea before replying:

"That news is most likely false. When I retreated from Celestial Attraction Mountain, the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s offensive was in full swing. If their three remaining Golden Core Cultivators were planning to come, they would surely be holding their forces back now, conserving their strength to deliver a decisive blow in one fell swoop. They wouldn’t be attacking so fiercely with no intention of slowing down."

Hearing She Xiyu’s analysis, Fang Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. ’If the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s three remaining Golden Core Cultivators were really coming, I would have had to make plans early. At the very least, I’d need to find Zhao Liangde again and secure an escape route.’

But there’s no smoke without fire. Fang Qingyuan asked again:

"Then what are the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s three Golden Core Cultivators doing in the rear? With seven Golden Core Cultivators, they could crush the Wei Family instantly. Why wouldn’t they do it?"

After Fang Qingyuan asked his question, She Xiyu smiled. In his eyes, Fang Qingyuan truly didn’t understand the inside story and lacked experience, which was why he would ask such a naive question.

But this aspect of Fang Qingyuan made She Xiyu all the more certain that if he wanted to make his way in the territory of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect, finding someone like Fang Qingyuan was his best choice.

’If he already knew and understood everything, what use would I be? How could I make myself valuable to him?’

Thinking this, She Xiyu spoke candidly:

"Fellow Daoist Fang, do you know the origin of this Artifact Talisman Alliance, and its roots?"

The question caught Fang Qingyuan off guard. He thought about it and realized he truly didn’t know. The Artifact Talisman Alliance had always been in the White Mountain Territory, far from Celestial Gate Mountain. Before, Fang Qingyuan had been completely focused on his ferrying business, so he’d had no mind to pay attention to such things.

Even now that war had broken out, he wasn’t facing it directly, so he naturally hadn’t given it much thought.

Seeing that Fang Qingyuan didn’t know, She Xiyu slowly began to explain:

"The Artifact Talisman Alliance is a faction formed by several sects and families from White Mountain. They originally established the Alliance to band together for mutual protection, fearing they would be bullied by other powerful sects.

"Generally speaking, this kind of faction lacks the cohesion of a proper sect. With seven Golden Core Cultivators, you have seven different voices. If they can’t even speak in unison, how can they form a fist to strike anyone?

"The four Golden Core Cultivators currently attacking Celestial Attraction Mountain are one faction within the Alliance. The remaining three Golden Core Cultivators belong to another. While the two sides may not be as incompatible as fire and water, the chances of them joining forces to fight a common enemy are extremely slim."

Hearing this inside information, Fang Qingyuan finally understood. ’So the Artifact Talisman Alliance isn’t a monolithic block after all. That makes sense. Even within a sect, if the Sect Leader isn’t strong enough, the infighting can be vicious. It’s even more true for a loose alliance like this, where each member represents their own family’s interests.’

’But even if the remaining Golden Core Cultivators from the Alliance don’t show up, it’s still four against two. Given enough time, the Wei Family probably won’t be able to hold out.’

’No, I still need to make plans early. I have to secure an escape route as soon as possible.’

Though Fang Qingyuan thought this, he didn’t let it show on his face. He asked a few more questions about the situation on the front lines and learned that Celestial Attraction Mountain had now become a meat grinder. Several thousand allied troops were besieging Celestial Attraction Mountain. They had broken through the Mountain Protection Array several times and charged in, only to be driven back out by the Wei Family.

Celestial Attraction Mountain is a vital pass for attacking Shandu Mountain. If this position wasn’t taken out, the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s forces wouldn’t dare advance on Shandu easily. If they were caught in a pincer attack by the Wei Family, even a massive army could be defeated.

Finally, Fang Qingyuan asked:

"What about the disciples our Southern Border Beast Taming Sect sent to help? Has Patriarch She seen them?"

She Xiyu nodded and said:

"Your Beast Taming Sect truly lives up to its reputation as a great sect. Your military formations are disciplined and your combat strength is formidable. When your disciples charge into formation with their Companion Beasts, the enemy can’t stop them without a three-to-one advantage in numbers. However, they are a bit too eager for battle, and their casualties are not light."

Fang Qingyuan gave a dry laugh and moved past the topic. He knew the inside story. ’The Beast Taming Sect’s army was probably being forced into this by the few uncles from Zongshan. Otherwise, based on what I know of my senior and junior brothers, there’s no way they’d be so eager for a fight.’

A few days ago, Zhang Yuan had sent a letter telling Fang Qingyuan that he’d been fighting hard on the front lines. He’d had a breakthrough on the battlefield and was now a Late-stage Cultivator at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

That kid Zhang Yuan had really found a blessing in disguise. A bottleneck that could trap other Cultivators for four or five years, or even a decade, he had crossed with ease after just a few months on the battlefield.

His only complaint was the wartime ban on alcohol. He said that once he got back, he would definitely find Fang Qingyuan and drink to his heart’s content.

When Fang Qingyuan read that letter, his heart had sunk. ’That kid Zhang Yuan, daring to say something like that... I’m afraid his chances aren’t good.’

After talking with She Xiyu for half a day, Fang Qingyuan led the She Family group to a hilltop on the north side of Shandu.

The group of Cultivators stood on the not-so-tall peak, looking at the Shandu grand array in the distance. Fang Qingyuan said:

"Uncle Zhao’s intention is for you to guard this northern side of Shandu. The family that was originally stationed here has already been transferred to the front lines to fill your post.

"So, if you don’t want to be replaced by the next ones in line, you’d best listen to Uncle Zhao. Just as he could withdraw you with a single word, he can send you right back up there with a single word."

As soon as Fang Qingyuan finished speaking, She Xiyu led the She Family disciples in a bow and declared loudly:

"From this day forward, the She Family will follow Elder Zhao’s lead. If Elder Zhao gives an order, the She Family will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Seeing She Xiyu, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, bowing and acting subservient before him, Fang Qingyuan felt a surge of satisfaction, but he quickly helped She Xiyu up.

After speaking his harsh words, Fang Qingyuan offered a few words of comfort. Once everyone had risen, he let out a hearty laugh under their watchful eyes, mounted his Silver Treasure Bat, and with a single flap of its wings, shot instantly into the sky.

A long while later, only after Fang Qingyuan’s figure had vanished into the clouds, did the members of the She Family look away.