Celestial Beast Taming

Chapter 245: Chapter 155: Why Not Get Rid of Him?

No matter what designs Ju Jiasu had on Wen Tao, being rejected so bluntly still made her turn and leave in a fit of anger.

Guo Xing looked at Wen Tao, a little surprised.

In Guo Xing’s eyes, Wen Tao was a very clever man.

If word of what Wen Tao just said got out, it would be tantamount to offending Master Cao Xing’an.

Originally, Jiao Donghai was supposed to have come with him to greet Wen Tao today.

But Ju Jiasu had made a request of Jiao Donghai, and since she was Cao Xing’an’s own niece, it was a request he couldn’t easily refuse.

With that connection, Jiao Donghai had found it impossible to refuse.

Between Cao Xing’an, a Five-finger Peak Creator at the height of his fame, and Tao En, whose power had fallen to that of a Three-finger Creator, Wen Tao had actually chosen Tao En.

’Do Wen Tao and Tao En go that far back?’

Fearing that Wen Tao didn’t fully grasp the situation, Guo Xing spoke to him with extreme seriousness.

”Tao En is indeed still in Longya City. The only reason he’s still here is that if he were to leave, he’d be killed before he even made it past the outskirts.”

”You must have heard about the feud between Tao En and Master Cao.”

”Right now, Master Cao is one of the top five figures in Longya City.”

”Many of the old, established powers and top factions in Longya City cooperate with Master Cao, not to mention Ju Jiasu’s connections.”

”In recent years, Master Cao has been exclusively cultivating Guardian Beasts for veteran Celestial Destiny Seekers like Red Dragon and Xiaofeng, and his relationship with them has grown increasingly close.”

”If you ended up making an enemy of Master Cao due to a direct conflict, that would be one thing.”

”But there’s really no need to antagonize a true Five-finger Peak Creator for someone else’s sake.”

”I’ve said what I needed to say. I’ll have the four Diamond Tickets for the Dragon Soaring Association in your hands before noon tomorrow.”

”I’ll send Master Tao En’s address to your Q-messenger in a bit. Whether you decide to visit him is up to you.”

”Let’s meet again tomorrow at noon. I have some other matters to attend to.”

With that, Guo Xing chose not to stay any longer at the Celestial Destiny Society.

As he turned to leave, Guo Xing sighed, seemingly unintentionally.

”In a few more years, I’m afraid Master Tao En won’t even be able to stay in Longya City anymore!”

Wen Tao smiled as he watched Guo Xing leave, feeling grateful for his kindness.

Guo Xing was a very warm person. If Wen Tao hadn’t been about to step into the feud between Tao En and Cao Xing’an, Guo Xing would have surely acted as a guide for him and Zhong Yi in Longya City.

Now, even if Guo Xing wanted to help, he had to keep his distance to avoid suspicion.

As a Celestial Destiny Seeker from Longya City, Guo Xing really had no reason to make an enemy of Cao Xing’an.

’But I don’t need to worry about all that!’

’Even if I wanted to have a Guardian Beast cultivated, I wouldn’t be asking Cao Xing’an for help.’

’Cao Xing’an can make things difficult for a local Celestial Destiny Seeker like Guo Xing.’

’But no matter how petty he is, he can’t do the same to me.’

’Rumor has it that Tao En is under the protection of several veteran Celestial Destiny Seekers in Longya City. But after Cao Xing’an became a Five-finger Peak Creator, he began currying favor with those same veterans.’

’No wonder Guo Xing sighed before he left that Master Tao En probably wouldn’t be able to stay in Longya City for long.’

”Xiaoyi, Guo Xing has sent over Master Tao En’s address.”

”Let’s head over now. The sooner we go, the sooner we can reach a conclusion.”

”If you determine that you can’t heal Tao En’s injuries, and he’s stuck as a Three-finger Creator with no hope of recovery, then I’ll find a way to take you to Cao Xing’an’s banquet tomorrow night.”

Wen Tao’s words made Sun Shiyu, who was standing next to Zhong Yi, almost choke on his own saliva, and he couldn’t help but start coughing.

He then lowered his head in embarrassment, feeling that what Wen Tao was saying now was a complete reversal of his earlier stance.

Cui Heng, on the other hand, gave Wen Tao a look of appreciation.

Cui Heng wasn’t as smooth an operator as Wen Tao, but Wen Tao’s pragmatism wasn’t just correct, it was incredibly smart.

After all, neither Wen Tao nor Zhong Yi had any real contact with Tao En or Cao Xing’an.

And as outsiders, it wasn’t their place to judge who was right or wrong in the dispute between Tao En and Cao Xing’an.

Tao En’s son was killed by an old, established faction, and that faction was indeed backed by Cao Xing’an.

However, Cao Xing’an had not been the one to order the faction to kill Tao En’s son.

Tao En wanted revenge, and after becoming a Five-finger Creator, he annihilated that faction.

Although Cao Xing’an was displeased, he didn’t say much about it.

After Tao En became a Five-finger Peak Creator, even though his son’s death wasn’t his fault, Cao Xing’an still made a great show of wanting to bury the hatchet with Tao En.

With no deep friendship with either side, their decision would ultimately come down to a consideration of benefits.

They weren’t afraid of offending a Five-finger Peak Creator like Cao Xing’an, but there was no need to needlessly provoke his enmity for someone who had no value.

”Brother Tao, Elder Cui, let’s go now. If I really can’t heal him, then I can only say that Master Tao En and I were not fated to be.”

The two Celestial Destiny Seekers from Starlight City wanted to visit Tao En the moment they arrived in Longya City.

This was no small matter for Cao Xing’an.

Ju Jiasu had deliberately reported the situation to Cao Xing’an.

Cao Xing’an was in the middle of preparing for his evening banquet. Many people had come to Longya City hoping to participate in the Dragon Soaring Assembly.

Whenever the Dragon Soaring Assembly was held, Cao Xing’an would use this method to expand his network of connections.

Ever since he became a Three-finger Creator, Cao Xing’an had been using his family’s Energy to build his own personal power base.

In Cao Xing’an’s view, no matter how strong one’s personal Ability was, it was far less reliable than building a vast network of influential connections with oneself at the center.

Hearing Ju Jiasu’s words, Cao Xing’an immediately put down the pair of Jade Balls he was rolling in his hand.

”Shushu, this Wen Tao you speak of, is he the same Celestial Destiny Seeker you mentioned to me before?”

”He’s hardly ever been to Longya City. How could he have such a deep friendship with Tao En?”

”He’s probably visiting Tao En this time because he heard the news and thought he could offer a helping hand in his time of need.”

”Hoping that if Tao En ever recovers, he could use this to ask for a favor.”

”Over the years, people from other cities have often come to visit Tao En. Don’t they all have the same motive?”

At this, Cao Xing’an shrugged, a nonchalant expression on his face.

”Once the visit is over, he’ll probably distance himself from Tao En, just like all the others.”

”Shushu, if you have designs on him, you can wait until after he visits Tao En to extend your invitation.”

”If you want to invite him, your uncle will save a spot for him.”

Cao Xing’an hadn’t killed Tao En’s son; the boy’s death had nothing to do with him.

Cao Xing’an had stressed this point countless times over the past decade or so, but Tao En never believed him.

Although Tao En’s son’s death had nothing to do with Cao Xing’an, the injury to Tao En’s soul had been deliberately caused by him.

To prevent Tao En from recovering, Cao Xing’an had acted ruthlessly.

If not for the few veteran Celestial Destiny Seekers who were protecting Tao En, Cao Xing’an would have eliminated him long ago—cutting the weeds and pulling the roots!

Even now, when he thought of Tao En’s Talent as a Creator, Cao Xing’an would still wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in a cold sweat.

If Tao En hadn’t pushed him so hard back then, with an attitude that suggested a fight to the death, Cao Xing’an wouldn’t have dared to make a move against Tao En, who was then at the peak of a Five-finger Creator.

Fortunately, he had succeeded in bringing Tao En down and destroying his foundation.

Otherwise, he would be the one being driven out of Longya City like a stray dog right now.

Tao En wouldn’t have killed him, but being driven out of Longya City and having the network he’d spent a century building severed would have been a fate worse than death for Cao Xing’an.

”Uncle, in that case, I’ll go invite Wen Tao again. After he sees Tao En, he’ll have no reason to refuse my invitation.”

At this, Ju Jiasu paused, then lowered her voice and said,

”Uncle, with the Dragon Soaring Assembly this time, Longya City is full of outsiders. It’s the most chaotic time for the city.”

”Why not take this opportunity... to get rid of Tao En?”