Under One Person: Rebuilding the Glory of the Beast Master

Zeng Qing'an held his grandson tightly in his arms.

"Get a good night's sleep!"

The snow was still falling, and in no time it turned the area outside the village back into a blanket of white, covering the corpses and blood.

Some who hadn't died were still struggling, but they would soon succumb to the biting cold and lose their lives.

The people of Zengjiazhuang naturally wouldn't care about those bandits, letting them waste their last breath in the snow. This is the reality of the world today.

If the bandits win today, these ruthless killers and thieves will not let anyone in Zhengjiazhuang go.

The women emerged from the tunnel behind the ancestral hall and began cleaning up the mess. The men carried the injured pigs back to their pen and dragged the dead ones into the rooms. These pigs would not be skinned or dismembered, for they had died fighting for Zengjiazhuang and would be buried in the Zengjiazhuang cemetery to receive offerings.

Of course, the most important reason is that Zengjiazhuang is not short of money.

Liu Hua rushed out of the ancestral hall, hugged Zeng Su tightly, and cried uncontrollably, "My dear grandson, why did you run out like this? Are you alright?!"

"Don't worry! Su'er is just exhausted. He'll be fine after a good night's sleep. Go back and make some soup with my old ginseng and an old hen for Su'er. That should be enough," Zeng Qing'an said.

"It's alright, it's alright." Liu Hua cried as she touched his face. "If anything had happened to Su'er, I wouldn't want to live anymore..."

Thanks to the joint efforts of the people of Zengjiazhuang, all the injured pigs and people have been taken care of. As for the situation outside, we can't worry about it now, the snow is too heavy.

Inside the room, Big Black's eyes were half-closed, and his breathing gradually calmed down. Zeng Qing'an was using his Qi to force out the venom little by little.

"Old buddy, you've worked hard." Zeng Qing'an patted Big Black's neck, his eyes glistening with tears, because he knew that Big Black wouldn't live much longer. His life force was like a candle flame that had burned out, with only a little light left.

Big Black rubbed its head against its owner's hand, then closed its eyes and fell asleep. It had no regrets; on the contrary, it felt that its life as a pig was very exciting. In the end, it was even able to help its owner. This was the thing it wanted to do most in its life.

"Get some sleep!"

Zeng Qingan patted Big Black's head and pulled a blanket from the side to cover him.

Zengjiazhuang won this battle.

But they won badly.

Of the thirty-eight pigs, twenty-five died, and the remaining thirteen were also injured by the Gu poison; it was uncertain whether they would survive. All eight extraordinary individuals were wounded; two of them had been severely stung by black bees and were running high fevers; it was unclear whether they would pull through. The ordinary people were fine, as they hadn't been allowed to get too close in the first place, and the evacuation was swift.

Zeng Qingan took a deep breath, turned around and walked towards the ancestral hall.

"Brother Qingde," he said as he walked, "take care of the injured tribesmen, and have the women brew some medicinal soup. Clean up the dead pigs properly, and bury them when the weather clears up. As for the bandits' corpses, throw them into the ravine outside the village after the weather clears up, so the smell of blood won't attract wild animals."

"Understood," Zeng Qingde replied, turning to make the arrangements.

Zeng Run's ancestors, along with Liu Hua, escorted Zeng Su back, and then returned to their own room. In their room, the Beast Taming Flower was lying there, but it had already lost its life.

Even though he was over 30, Zeng Runzu couldn't hold back his tears, which streamed down his face.

Zeng Runzu's talent for cultivation was not very good, in fact, it could be said to be very poor. It took him three whole years to even get the basics of the Beast Sensing Technique, and his progress in Qi cultivation was even slower.

Actually, sometimes he just relaxes. Anyway, he can't really train to a certain level, so why bother? And with Da Hua around, even if his own strength is a little weaker, it's not a big deal.

Today, Zeng Runzu felt a deep resentment towards his own strength for the first time. Why couldn't he be stronger? That way, Da Hua wouldn't have died, and his nephew wouldn't have had to fight the Quanxing demons at the age of eight.

That's just how people are; they only regret things when disaster strikes.

When Zeng Su woke up, it was already noon the next day.

The first person I saw was Grandma Liu Hua. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her eyes red, clearly having barely slept all night.

When Zeng Su opened his eyes, she was stunned for a moment, then tears fell down her face as she reached out to touch Zeng Su's face.

"Oh dear, my darling grandson, you're finally awake! You scared your grandma to death, you know that?"

Zeng Su tried to sit up, but his whole body felt like it had been run over, and every muscle was aching.

He gritted his teeth, propped himself up against the headboard, and looked around—this was his room. The snow outside had stopped, and sunlight streamed through the window paper, casting bright patches of light on the floor.

"Grandma, I'm fine." His voice was a little hoarse, and his throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire. "I'm just a little tired."

"Tired? You're not tired at all! You've risked your life!" Liu Hua was both angry and heartbroken. While wiping away her tears, she picked up a bowl of steaming soup from the bedside table. "Your grandfather asked me to make this for you. It's ginseng and old hen stew. Drink it while it's hot to nourish your body."

Zeng Su took the bowl, the aroma of chicken soup wafting into his nose and whetting his appetite. He lowered his head and took a sip; the warm soup entered his stomach, and a warm feeling spread from his stomach, easing the aches and pains throughout his body.

"Grandma, where's Grandpa?"

"Your grandfather is in the ancestral hall. He went to discuss things with Qingde and the others early this morning." Liu Hua took the empty bowl and put it aside. She then wrapped Zeng Su tightly in a blanket. "Don't worry about that for now. Just lie down and rest. Grandma will get you another bowl."

Liu Hua went out.

Zeng Su leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes for a while, going over the events of yesterday in his mind.

Gao Tianci, Jin Guang Shangren, Quanxing.

These three words were like three thorns stuck in his heart. He knew what Quanxing was, and he also knew the weight of Master Jinguang.

Although he had anticipated this situation, it still caught him somewhat off guard when it actually happened.

Yesterday, under those circumstances, he didn't think about anything else but fighting. The reason he was able to severely injure Gao Tianci wasn't because he was stronger, but mainly because Gao Tianci had underestimated him.

Very few people would not underestimate an eight-year-old child.

"Knock knock knock".

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," Zeng Su said.

The door was pushed open, and Zeng Runguo entered. He was wearing a slightly worn gray cotton-padded jacket, with a Mauser pistol tucked into his waistband. His expression was much gentler than usual, but the solemn look between his brows was still there.

"Awake?" Zeng Runguo sat down on the stool beside the bed, looking Zeng Su up and down. "You look alright, just a little thinner. Your grandma said you drank a bowl of chicken soup, how was your appetite?"

"It's alright." Zeng Su looked at his uncle from the same clan. "Uncle Runguo, when are you leaving?"

Zeng Runguo paused for a moment, then laughed: "How did you know I was leaving?"

"You're carrying a gun and have changed your clothes. If you were planning to stay in the village permanently, you certainly wouldn't be dressed like this." Zeng Su paused. "Besides, you came back to deliver a message. Now that things are over, you should naturally go back."

Zeng Runguo stared at Zeng Su for a long while, then shook his head and sighed, "What's wrong with your little brain? You're only eight years old. An eight-year-old shouldn't be thinking so much."

He stood up, paced around the room a couple of times, then turned around, his smile fading and replaced with a serious expression.

"I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning," he said, "back to Baoding Prefecture."

"So fast?"

"Hmm. There are still matters to attend to in Baoding Prefecture, so we can't delay too long." Zeng Runguo walked to the window, opened it, and saw a vast expanse of white outside, with the distant mountain ridges gleaming blindingly in the sunlight. "And—your grandfather asked me to take you to Sanyi Gate."

Zeng Su fell silent.

He had heard his grandfather mention this yesterday and knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.

"So soon?" he asked.

Zeng Runguo turned around and looked at him.

"You saw what happened yesterday. The Quanxing people have their eyes on Zengjiazhuang. Although that Golden Light Master has left temporarily, no one knows if he will come back, or who he will bring." Zeng Runguo's voice was not loud, but every word was firm. "You are now Zengjiazhuang's greatest treasure, and also its biggest target. Every day you stay in the village, Zengjiazhuang faces more danger."

Zeng Su remained silent.

He understood.

Grandpa sent him away not only so that he could learn skills at the Sanyi Sect, but also to remove Zengjiazhuang from his "target".

This approach is correct. After all, Jin Guang Shangren is a member of Quanxing Sect, and he might change his mind at any time. Moreover, the other party has such a powerful force as the Golden Escape Flowing Light, so it's not impossible that he might suddenly come to Zeng Family Village to kill people.

"I understand," he said. "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"We'll set off before dawn. Better early than late; the journey will take several days, so we need to leave quickly while the snow stops." Zeng Runguo patted his shoulder. "You rest well; I'll pack your things."

He turned to leave, but stopped at the door and turned back: "By the way, I've already fed you Baijiahei. You're in great spirits, eating and drinking well, and there's nothing wrong with you."

The door closed. Zeng Su sat alone on the bed, listening to the occasional voices and pig noises coming from outside the window, feeling a mix of emotions.

He's leaving.

He had to leave the home where he had lived for eight years, his grandparents and relatives, and even though he worked day and night, he had to leave that warm pigsty and his companions.

But he had to go.

It's not about escaping, it's about coming back in a better way.

In the afternoon, Zeng Qing'an returned from the ancestral hall.

When he entered, Zeng Su was sitting in the main room eating. Liu Hua was beside him, serving him food while nagging him, saying things like "Eat more meat," "Look how thin you've become," and "No one will cook for you outside," repeating these phrases over and over again.

Zeng Qingan sat down across the table, picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of food, chewed it twice, and put down his chopsticks.

"Su'er."

"Um."

"Runguo will take you away tomorrow, but Grandpa won't go with you," Zeng Qing'an said with some sadness. "There are still a lot of things to take care of at the estate, and Grandpa can't leave."

Zeng Su paused for a moment while holding the bowl, then continued drinking the soup.

"Hmm," he said.

Zeng Qingan looked at his grandson's expression and his lips twitched, unsure whether he wanted to laugh or sigh.

"Your Uncle Runguo is always traveling, so he knows more about the martial world than I do. He knows where the Sanyi Sect is, how to get there, and what to be careful of on the road. I trust you to go with him." He picked up his teacup, took a sip, paused, and said, "Once you get to the Sanyi Sect, learn its skills well. You've learned enough of the Zeng family's methods, but the Sanyi Sect is different. It's the orthodox Xuanmen sect, and its foundation is something our small sect can't compare to."

"I know."

"Also," Zeng Qing'an put down his teacup, took something out of his pocket, and placed it on the table, "take this with you."

It was a wooden sign.

Zeng Su recognized the wooden plaque; his grandfather had always carried it with him and treasured it.

The wooden plaque is about the size of a palm, entirely black, with an ancient-style character for "beast" carved on the front and a strange beast that resembles neither a pig nor a tiger on the back. The edges of the plaque are worn smooth and shiny, clearly indicating that it is an old object that has been around for many years.

"This is something passed down from our Zeng family ancestors." Zeng Qing'an pushed the wooden plaque in front of Zeng Su, his voice carrying an indescribable solemnity. "What it's called, our ancestors didn't pass it down. They only said it was a magic artifact, made by a master craftsman from the supernatural world specifically for the Beast Master when the Zeng family was at its peak."

Zeng Su picked up the wooden plaque; it felt heavy in his hand, much heavier than it looked. He tried to probe it with his Qi, and a faint fluorescent light appeared on the surface of the plaque. A warm Qi surged out from within, resonating with his Qi in some way.

"It has only one function—to house and tame your beasts," Zeng Qing'an said. "When you inject Qi into it, you can create an independent space inside, specifically for housing your beasts. The size of the space depends on the amount of Qi you inject; the more Qi you inject, the larger the space."

Zeng Su's eyes lit up.

Beast Taming and Beast Storage – isn’t this just a beast taming space?

In the world of supernatural beings, one of the biggest limitations for beast masters is the issue of "carrying" their beasts. Taking a behemoth like Bai Jiahei, weighing seven or eight hundred pounds, out in public is a disaster; it causes chaos wherever it goes.

This is one of the reasons why most beast masters stay in one place and rarely venture out – it's not that they don't want to go out, but that they can't take their pack of animals out with them.

Other extraordinary individuals who roam the world can be described as "wandering the world with a sword," but for a beastmaster, roaming the world is simply called "pet transport."

But with this wooden sign, the problem was easily solved.

"This wooden plaque has been passed down in the Zeng family for over two hundred years, from generation to generation, until it came to me." Zeng Qing'an's voice suddenly tightened. "It should have been passed on to your father, but he passed away early, so I've kept it all this time. Now it's time to pass it on to you."

"Grandpa, this thing is too valuable—"

"Valuable?" Zeng Qing'an waved his hand, interrupting him. "No matter how valuable something is, it's just a piece of wood if no one uses it. You need it more than anyone else, so take it."

Zeng Su held the wooden plaque, feeling the warmth from his palm, and did not refuse again.

"Thank you, Grandpa," he said.

Zeng Qing'an looked at his grandson, then suddenly reached out and rubbed his head hard.

"No need to thank me, I'm your grandpa." His voice was a little hoarse, but he was smiling. "As long as you're alright, grandpa is at ease."