Beastmaster of the Ages

Wei Tianxiong had already arranged for people to clean up Rainforest Pavilion.

“The Rainforest Pavilion has always been a beautiful place, but no one was allowed to enter for twenty years. And now he’s making people clean it up. Does elder brother intend to save her or not?” Wei Qing couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

“Who knows? However, it was so hard to make him happy for a bit, and now this happened. I expect our coming days to not be so peaceful,” Wei Tianxiong said.

“Did he say second sis has Lifesbane and doesn’t have much longer left?” Wei Zikun said.

“Let’s wait for Mu Yang to bring her back.”

Wei Zikun was slightly gloomy. “Do you think father will forgive her?”

“How could that be? She hasn’t returned for twenty years, returning only when she’s about to die. You saw how he reacted. You think it's possible?”

“Then, what do you think?” Wei Zikun asked.

“It’ll be good if she doesn’t return.”

“Big brother, I feel the same as you. She can’t be forgiven after what she did to father,” Wei Zikun said.

“Mu Yang, you won’t be happy that I said that, right?” Wei Tianxiong looked at Mu Yang who hadn’t left yet.

“Your thoughts have nothing to do with me. I’ll get Wei Jing first.” Mu Yang left Li Tianming behind for them to escort to Rainforest Pavilion, while he brought Wei Jing back. He had happened to ask Li Tianming about her residence before coming to Wei Manor. Who knew that it would be useful at such a juncture?

Mu Yang turned and left, leaving Li Tianming to face the whole Wei family by himself.

They were all his relatives. Wei Tianxiong and Wei Zikun were his uncles, while Wei Guohao, Wei Lingxuan and the rest were his cousins. Normally, they should have grown up together. He had held out some hope before coming to meet these relatives.

However, now, he knew he had just been indulging in fantasy.

“Guohao, bring them away, lest they embarrass us even further,” Wei Tianxiong said mildly.

“Yes, father.” Wei Guohao nodded, before approaching Li Tianming. “Follow and behave yourself. Don’t think of running away. If you don’t behave, you’ll have no choice but to suffer.”

“Ah, what a party pooper. I only have one birthday a year to make grandfather happy, but some contemptible person just had to ruin it.” Wei Lingxuan came along as well.

Li Tianming followed them.

With the younger generation of Wei Manor led by Wei Guohao, the others followed his lead and joined in.

“Sister Xuan, why did you call him contemptible?”

“Haven’t you heard of the infamous Li Tianming? He was already an institute disciple three years ago. He tried to chase Lin Xiaoting’s girlfriend and failed. So, he tried to drug and violate her. Fortunately, Lin Xiaoting got there in time and executed his lifebound beast,” Wei Lingxuan said disdainfully.

“‘Disgusting. What a scary person!” Wei Zikun’s eldest, Wei Qingyi said exaggeratedly.

“What an embarrassment for such a person to be related by blood to us.” Wei Guohao gave Li Tianming a cold sneer.

Wei Lingxuan curled her lips. “I bet I can guess why grandfather kicked out his mother. Like mother, like son, they say.”

“Do you believe I’ll smack you until your face swells up and you can’t spew any more nonsense?” Li Tianming suddenly turned around and stared at Wei Lingxuan.

“Ohhh, how scary!” Wei Lingxuan pretended to be flustered as she hid herself in the crowd.

“Sister Xuan! Better hide quickly. This person must be super duper strong to say such words!”

“Perhaps he’s a genius just pretending to be weak. Don’t look at how he’s about third level Spiritsource. If he makes a move, Sister Xuan may be taken down in one hit.”

“At that time, maybe he’ll stun us all. How about we give him a preview of what that’ll be like?”

“Come, altogether now.” They all gathered and looked at Li Tianming, before sighing in praise.

“Wowzers, I did not think Li Tianming was this strong.”

“Ohmigosh, he took one hit, just one hit!”

“My god, he sent Brother Hao flying with one breath!”

Wei Qingyi shook in laughter. If it hadn’t been inappropriate, perhaps they would have collapsed to the floor in their laughter.

“I simply can’t believe a newly joined disciple is actually so strong. I’m so scared now. I won’t dare to do it again!” Wei Lingxuan caused another round of laughter.

All of the drama queens had plastered on exaggerated expressions.

“Why aren’t you saying anything, Li Tianming? Are you fantasizing of actually beating us one day?” Wei Guohao smiled at him.

“Whatever you say.” Li Tianming curled his lips.

‘Well, at least your imagination is strong. A lot of newly joined people really don’t understand the gap between them and us who’ve been in Heaven’s Sanctum since young. Wei Qingyi here is seventeen, three years younger than you. But he’s fifth level Spiritsource, and can beat you anytime, anyday. Everyone here is more talented than you,” Wei Guohao continued mockingly.

“Alright, alright sheesh. You all are the bigliest talents, ok?” Li Tianming said indifferently. However to him, since he could return to Ignispolis and become a prime disciple, the day he closed the gap was just a month or two away.

He just had to wait and see.

Even if he was locked away in Wei Manor, it wasn’t like he couldn’t cultivate and become stronger. Since they had already done a dry run, they could compare notes on the differences with the real thing later on.

At Li Tianming’s current rate of improvement, could Wei Manor cage him in?

……

They reached Rainforest Pavilion that had been deserted for twenty years. Various servants were already cleaning it up, and the guards arranged by Wei Tianxiong were already stationed there. Two people would guard in shifts, not letting Li Tianming and Wei Jing leave,

“Go in. I don’t understand why it needed to be cleaned. The filthy Pavilion is a perfect fit for you.” Wei Guohao’s face was filled with dislike.

Li Tianming couldn’t be bothered with him, as he examined the place that should have been where Wei Jing grew up.

“Xiao Gao, Zhao Jin. Watch him well, he’s not to take even one step out. An old one will come soon too, and same for her,” Wei Guohao instructed the two middle-aged men there.

“Yes, young master Guohao. We’ve already received instructions from the chancellor.” The two hurriedly nodded their heads.

“Alright, let’s go. Let's continue celebrating Xuan’er’s birthday. Let’s not come back here ever again!”

The crowd of youths all left, chortling, their mood a complete opposite to the taciturn Li Tianming.

He saw many reflections of his mother in the layout of the place.

The servants worked quickly, and the place was soon livable. The master bedroom in particular was spruced up well, whether on Wei Tianxiong or Wei Tiancang’s orders.

The servants quickly departed once they finished their work.

Half an hour later, Li Tianming heard footsteps. Mu Yang was lending his mother an arm to support her as she walked in.

“Mother,” Li Tianming called.

Wei Jing smiled at him gently.

“I failed,” Li Tianming said.

“You didn’t,” Wei Jing said gently.

“I really did.”

“Look, isn’t this where I’ve been dreaming of returning to even in my dreams?” Wei Jing looked around, emotions and memories clouding her eyes.

“Tianming, take care of your mother. I’ll go visit master, I feel like there’s some chance,” Mu Yang said.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t understand. Master isn’t the truly heartless type. Now that Jing’er is back, they’ll have chances to interact. At least, the chances of him saving her are higher than kicking you out of Ignispolis. There would be no chance left if she was kicked out of Ignispolis.”

Li Tianming thought so too. That was why he hadn’t been worried when Wei Jing was sentenced to life imprisonment. What was that in the face of his mother living on?

……

Highcloud Chamber was not only the best place for cultivation, but also had the biggest fish pond in Wei Manor. Currently, there was an white-haired old man fishing by the pondside. Alas, he wasn’t calm, and his fishing rod kept trembling. If he actually caught something, it would be a minor miracle.

“Elder brother, so are you saving her or not?!” The Heavenly Guardian of Sanctions, Wei Qing, was lazily lying down on a rock and stretching, the severe aura that usually surrounded him now entirely absent.

“When Jing’er was young, you always treated her like your treasure. You spoilt her for twenty years and didn’t let anyone touch her. You couldn’t possibly just watch as she leaves this world in suffering, right? There’s no outsiders or juniors here, so just be frank with your little brother,” Wei Qing jabbered on.

Wei Tiancang threw the fishing rod on the ground loudly, snorting in anger, “How dare she be so obstinate! She’s had Lifesbane for twenty years, but still refused to come back. Still, in the end, who’s the one who came back to beg for help?”

Wei Qing rolled his eyes.“Well, you were the one who couldn’t control your temper and was so fierce, cutting off all her paths with a few vicious words. I wouldn’t dare return if I was Jing’er either.”

“Nonsense. Was I so fierce?” Wei Tiancang asked doubtfully.

“What do you think? It’s been twenty years. We’re all old codgers now, so please start moving on. Sure, I do agree Jing’er was partly at fault, but she’s suffered from Lifesbane for twenty years. Isn’t that enough? Just give me a clear answer so I can relax. Save, or not save?” Wei Qing asked.

These pair of brothers were already in their sixties and seventies. There weren’t any outsiders here, so they were as blunt as they wanted to be.

“Of course I will. That’s my daughter.” Wei Tiancang gritted his teeth.

“Then why all the shouting and bluster?”

“What about my face? She’s been gone for twenty years, and if I’m too eager to save her immediately, how embarrassing will that be?”

“Dear brother, you were the one who forbade anyone from looking for her. And a certain someone said she was not to step one foot in Ignispolis ever again.”

“...”

Still angry, Wei Tiancang  jabbed the fishing rod at the lake before sitting down in exhaustion. “She could last twenty years. She’ll last another with Mu Yang. I’ll save her when she comes and apologises to me.”

“Does she have to in public, say how she was wrong, and shouldn’t have been disobedient to her father and chosen Li Yanfeng?”

“Then?”

“Whatever. It’s up to you. It’s your daughter that’s suffering, not mine.” Wei Qing shrugged.

“Could you have a daughter as pretty as mine?”

“Is she prettier now? Still boasting?”

“......”

“Still, your two sons seem to hate Jing’er.”

“It has nothing to do with them.”

“Well Mu Yang is impressive, forgetting old enmities like that.”

“Yes, Jing’er and I owe Mu Yang too much,” Wei Tiancang  said.

“It’s all in the past. Mu Yang is enjoying the simple life now, no?” Wei Qing smiled, before remembering the young man from earlier. “How do you find her son, your grandson?”

“What kind of genius could trash like Li Yanfeng raise? He’s joined Heaven’s Sanctum, but his age is high and his stage is low. He’s much worse than Wei Qingyi!” Wei Tiancang said.

“That you’re wrong. You don’t know what happened to him three years ago. I just found out myself.”

“What happened?”

Wei Qing ran through it.

“This is his stage after starting from scratch. Even if he started the year he lost his lifebound beast, it’s been three years at most. Three years to train back to third or fourth level Spiritsource is decent.”

“Not growing up Wei Manor, lacking my personal guidance. He even lost his Four-Winged Goldroc and only has a wildbeast lifebound beast. How far he can go is limited. If he even accomplishes half of Wei Qingyi, it’ll be great already.” Wei Tiancang said with certainty.

“True. But this child also has some integrity issues. That matter three years ago has spread far and wide.” Wei Qing sighed.

“Wrong,” Wei Tiancang said.

“What’s wrong?”

Wei Tiancang frowned.“The child I saw today wasn’t that sort.”

“Sure?”

“Sure. That child had a stubborn look in his eye and was also upright. He’s not the vulgar sort,” Wei Tiancang said.

“Then that’ll be interesting.” Wei Qing said.

“Hmph. That little chickling dared to talk back to me, I’ll have to test him.”

“How?”

“Oh, you’ll see.”

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. “Master, can I come in?”

“Mu Yang is here. I’ll skedaddle first!” Wei Qing immediately vanished.