Beastmaster of the Ages

”Tianming, Yaoyao’s been frustrated for quite a while, so she isn’t in the best of moods. You have to be more patient with her,” Eminent Jiguang gently said.

”It’s fine. My big sister has always had a temper. My brother here is used to it,” Suishen Zhao said.

”Shut up!” Suishen Yao wanted to pinch her little brother to death so badly. She pulled Tianming aside, blushing as she angrily pouted.

”How’d I make you angry this time, Mistress?” Tianming helplessly said.

”You didn’t, but listen up. There’s some unpleasant things I have to tell you beforehand,” Suishen Yao said.

”Fine, I’ll listen.”

”First, you should understand that I’m your master and you’re my disciple. We’re separated by a generation, so there’s no way for us to become a true couple, alright? If we force that to happen, wouldn’t it be completely unnatural?”

”Unnatural? People just have to get used to it, right?” Tianming said, thinking at the same time that she was the only one in all of Myriadpath Valley that thought of them as master and disciple. Not to mention, there was nothing that forbade masters and disciples from falling in love.

”You aren’t making any sense! Just listen. Later, I’ll go to see my grandfather. He’ll definitely bring up the matter of our marriage. It’s the condition for your return to Myriadpath Valley. If you don’t completely become mine and House Suishen’s, they’ll always be worried about your presence!”

”Sure, I understand,” Tianming said. ”You do? Then what’s your plan?” Suishen Yao glared at him.

”Little Master, as long as you agree, I won’t oppose it,” Tianming said with a suppressed chuckle.

”Nonsense!” She angrily pulled on Tianming’s collar. ”I’ll never love you. You’re just a brat that still smells like his mother’s milk! Don’t get any ideas, you hear?”

”So you don’t want to marry me? Are you going to go against your grandfather’s will?”

”Of course not! We’ll get married, just like he wants, but it’ll be a fake marriage. We’ll only be a couple in name. I’ll give you resources, protection, and status, but you can’t dream of touching me.”

Tianming wanted to laugh. She had already lost her Suishen Blood, yet she still couldn’t bring herself to cross that line. In his eyes, she was an immature little girl.

”Li Tianming, do you hear me?” She menacingly showed her fangs. ”If you have any untoward thoughts about me, I’ll castrate you! You’ll only have six astral organs remaining when I’m done.”

Tianming found her fierce act rather cute. He pondered in silence for a moment and said, ”Little Master, since we won’t be a true couple, you won’t fault me for finding love elsewhere, right?”

”You can’t!” she snapped without even a moment’s hesitation.

”Why not?”

”If you get found out, I’ll be mocked for being cheated on!”

”Well, I do have needs that need relieving, you know.”

”You aren’t even a hundred years old. What kind of needs could you have? My Auntie’s over two thousand years old and she doesn’t have those needs!”

Tianming burst out laughing at the recollection that Eminent Jiguang had almost devoured him during their demonstration of totemic bonding. ”That’s pretty unreasonable. You can’t claim me for yourself and not use me at all.”

”Use you? Don’t make it sound so gross!”

”Well, if ’use’ sounds bad to your ears, you can just call it ’enjoying’ me.”

Suishen Yao didn’t know how to argue with him anymore and pinched Tianming’s ears. ”You’re just a brat, so you’d better not have any weird thoughts. Or else... or else....”

”Or else what?”

”I’m a second-level foundationeer and I’m at the top of the Fortuna Ranking. I’m stronger than you, so I’ll crush you!”

”First?” Tianming recalled that he had killed Yumo Xue, causing Suishen Yao to rise to first place as she had yearned for such a long time. ”You won’t be first for long.”

”You dare challenge your master?!” Suishen Yao said, shocked.

”In time, you’ll become my disciple. You should start learning about how to serve your master early on. You’ll be the one giving me massages in the future.”

”You’re the bottom, so stay down and don’t dream of becoming the top!”

”Bottoms and tops, eh? Sounds like you’ve been studying up on nighttime marital duties,” Tianming said.

”Ah! Aaaaah!” Even though Suishen Yao wanted to beat him up, she began realizing that the hold she’d had over him had slowly faded away. No matter what she said, others merely thought of it as a couple’s spat. Eminent Jiguang and the rest were even watching with great interest.

Suishen Yao was mortified and embarrassed by what Tianming was saying in front of them. People kept going on about how great a match the two of them were. It wasn’t until Suishen Yao went to complain to her aunt that Tianming stopped teasing her. But no matter how Suishen Yao complained about Tianming, Eminent Jiguang merely gave her an understanding smile, much to her chagrin.

”I don’t want to live anymore.... Everyone keeps helping him, but not me... sniffle....” She broke down as the others around her laughed.

”Yaoyao, I’m so envious. You’re still able to flirt so much even though you’re about to get married,” Suishen Shuang said.

”My sister’s just acting. Deep down, she’s really easy to please and she’s happier than she’s ever been,” Suishen Zhao said.

”Suishen Zhao, how dare you rebel?! I’ll tear your mouth off!” Suishen Yao snapped.

Tianming was only able to go from being her toy to being able to tease her because of his rapidly rising status. He had obtained her Suishen Blood, and as far as the rest of the world was concerned, they were a true couple even if she refused to acknowledge it. That was a true conquest!

***

Word of Tianming’s return to Myriadpath Valley had spread. House Yumo’s incident had provided a smokescreen for that to take place, but once he was back, the smokescreen was almost immediately gone.

Nobody knew that he had been the cause of the whole incident in the first place. There was no way they would be able to connect the dots. If anyone found out, they would no doubt be stupefied. His glorious return was like salt in House Yumo’s fresh wound.