Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Chapter 301 - 241: Water Dragon’s Claw

After he recited the poem, several of the ladies from the Spring Flower Building giggled foolishly. A few who didn’t understand its meaning were informed by their sisters, causing their faces to turn bright red.

After teasing the lovely women, Fang Qingyuan had them withdraw. He needed to discuss proper business with Wan Sancai.

Once the flock of chattering, giggling women had departed, Wan Sancai offered his heartfelt praise.

"Elder Jia, your poetic talent is truly masterful. This junior is thoroughly impressed."

Fang Qingyuan waved his hand dismissively and said to Wan Sancai,

"There’s no need for such flattery. It was just a few playful lines. We Cultivators don’t concern ourselves with such things. Poetry alone won’t get you far in the Iron Wind Islands."

Seeing Wan Sancai’s awkward smile, Fang Qingyuan’s expression softened.

"We seem to get along well, so let’s drop the ’Elder’ and ’junior’ formalities. I’m a few years your senior, so you can just call me Brother Jia."

Faced with Fang Qingyuan’s gesture to close the distance between them, Wan Sancai was overjoyed. Suddenly, the expense of the Spirit Stones didn’t sting so much anymore.

The friendship of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was worth far more than hundreds or even thousands of Low-grade Spirit Stones.

"Using Blood Qi Waste Pills to fish for sea beasts—was that your own unique discovery, or does everyone do it?"

Fang Qingyuan voiced the question on his mind, as he had never heard of using Blood Qi Waste Pills for bait before.

The Beast Hunting Sea Ships all had their own unique methods for attracting sea beasts. These were closely guarded secrets for each vessel and were never easily divulged.

In response to Fang Qingyuan’s question, Wan Sancai answered cautiously,

"I’m not sure what methods the other Beast Hunting Sea Ships use, but I discovered that Blood Qi Waste Pills could attract sea beasts not long ago. That day, I was fishing on the western cliffs, and while mixing my bait, I accidentally added a Blood Qi Waste Pill. My catch that day was double what I usually get."

’So he’s a fishing fanatic,’ Fang Qingyuan thought. He glanced at Wan Sancai’s attire. His clothes weren’t luxurious, yet he could afford to visit the Spring Flower Building from time to time. It was the classic behavior of a die-hard fisherman.

Frugal with food and clothing, but absolutely unwilling to skimp where it counted. For instance, he made sure to visit the Spring Flower Building at least once a month.

Fang Qingyuan didn’t consider the information Wan Sancai provided to be particularly valuable. Blood Qi Pills weren’t rare Elixir Pills, so someone must have discovered this secret before.

It was just that everyone chose to keep it hidden, treating it as their own secret fishing formula. Of the hundred or so Beast Hunting Sea Ships moored at the Iron Wind Pier, who knew how many of them already possessed this knowledge.

In fact, they likely possessed even better bait recipes. In their eyes, Blood Qi Waste Pills were probably considered second-rate.

But if the major powers behind the Beast Hunting Sea Ships looked down on it, then he could certainly reap some benefits.

’Qi Refining Loose Cultivators like Wan Sancai outnumber the Beast Hunting Sea Ships by more than ten to one. If I sell these Blood Qi Pills to them, I’ll have a foundation to build upon.’

’Hmm, not as normal Blood Qi Pills. They should be packaged as bait Elixir Pills, part of a superior Secret Technique. That would sell much better.’

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan smiled and said,

"Younger Brother Wan, would you be interested in going into business with me?"

...

「The next day.」

Fang Qingyuan and Wan Sancai went to Du Feng Cliff on the west side of the island together.

It was one of the few prime fishing spots in the Iron Wind Islands, where hundreds of Cultivators could be found angling day and night.

Du Feng Cliff was a small Spiritual Land. At its base, schools of migrating Spirit Fish would sometimes gather, and they were quite valuable.

The clifftop was bright and sunny, but down at the base, astral winds howled, which meant few Cultivators dared to descend and use large nets to fish.

If you wanted to fish from a Flying Boat, you had to apply for a permit from the Iron Wind Beast Taming Sect. If you fished without one, you wouldn’t even have to worry about the sect itself; the major powers with their permitted Beast Hunting Sea Ships would be more than happy to teach you a lesson.

A Beast Hunting Sea Ship just over twenty zhang long would have two Foundation Establishment Cultivators overseeing it. The hundred-zhang ships even had Golden Core Cultivators on board.

With practiced ease, Wan Sancai led Fang Qingyuan to a gap in the cliff face, then flew through it to a spot about two-thirds of the way down Du Feng Cliff.

The area was densely pockmarked with hollows that people had carved out. Inside some of them, Cultivators were already casting their lines.

When they reached one of the hollows, Fang Qingyuan saw that the caves carved into the cliff were much larger than he had imagined.

Sensing that the Spirit Vein here was equivalent to a Tier Two Lower Grade, Fang Qingyuan asked curiously,

"How come no one lives here?"

A Tier Two Lower Grade Spirit Vein was sufficient to serve as the Spiritual Land for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s family. Fang Qingyuan found it a bit of a waste that it was just being used as a fishing spot.

Wan Sancai chuckled and explained,

"It’s not safe enough. We might be here to fish for sea beasts, but sometimes, the sea beasts fish for us. Some Second-stage Sea Beasts will intentionally attack Qi Refining Cultivators for their own cultivation. People used to live here at first, but after a few died and everyone saw the Iron Wind Beast Taming Sect wasn’t going to intervene, they all had the sense to move to the inland Marketplaces."

So that was it. This area wasn’t protected by the Iron Wind Beast Taming Sect. Aside from those who weren’t afraid to die, the rest of the Cultivators had all moved into the sect’s territory, where they could rent or purchase residences.

Putting that aside, Fang Qingyuan settled in to watch Wan Sancai chum the water.

As everyone knows, you have to chum the water before you fish. If you don’t give the fish a little something sweet, why would they ever stick around?

Wan Sancai threw the bait Fang Qingyuan had given him—the one mixed with Blood Qi Pills—into the water. In less than a quarter of an hour, the spot he had chummed was swarming with fish.

The other fishermen nearby saw this and clicked their tongues in amazement.

The Blood Qi Pill contained rich Sea Beast Essence Blood and nourishing Ginseng Essence. For Spirit Fish, these were rare and precious nutritional resources.

To put on a good show, Fang Qingyuan had intentionally increased the potency, mixing three Blood Qi Pills to create this particular lump of bait.

As the current carried the scent of Wan Sancai’s bait far and wide, a distant Tier Two Lower Grade Cyan Stone Bone Fish caught the smell and headed over.

In the water, fish were not as intelligent as beasts on land. However, this Cyan Stone Bone Fish had managed to cultivate to Tier Two Lower Grade, equivalent to a human’s Early-stage Foundation Establishment. Its intelligence was already comparable to that of a ten-year-old child.

Faced with the delicious bait, the Cyan Stone Bone Fish hesitated for only a few moments before taking a bite.

The next moment, Wan Sancai was yanked from his spot, his body flying uncontrollably toward the base of the cliff below.

Wan Sancai’s soul nearly fled his body. He instinctively cried out,

"Brother Jia, save me!"

Despite the perilous situation, Wan Sancai’s grip on his rod didn’t loosen. Such was the creed of a true fisherman.

Fang Qingyuan frowned at the sight. The effect of three mixed Blood Qi Pills was too good; it had even attracted a Foundation Establishment Stage sea beast.

Fang Qingyuan swept the area with his Divine Sense, and the image of the Cyan Stone Bone Fish under the water was imprinted in his mind.

It had a cyan maw and sharp fangs, was three zhang long, and bore a cyan, gem-like protrusion on its forehead. Its nature was clearly ferocious.

Seeing that Wan Sancai still refused to let go of the rod and was about to be dragged into the water, Fang Qingyuan sighed softly. He couldn’t stand to see the business partner he had just found perish so suddenly.

Fang Qingyuan pointed a finger at the churning water below. A five-inch-tall Black Tortoise Divine Statue appeared on his shoulder, and in the next instant, a dragon’s roar thundered in Wan Sancai’s ears.

A transparent water dragon, five zhang in length, instantly took form. It had three claws. The one on its belly caught the falling Wan Sancai, while the two on its chest plunged straight into the water below.

The Water Dragon’s Claw, an art of the Lake Spirit.

This was a Nine Radiance-level Daoist art that Fang Qingyuan had unleashed with the help of his Water Spirit Xuanwu:

’Water Dragon’s Roar!’