Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Chapter 306 - 246: The He Family’s Great Ship

Three months later, Fang Qingyuan was in his residence reading biographies when a Sound Transmission Talisman flew up to the array protecting his home, circling it continuously.

Upon seeing it, Fang Qingyuan opened a small crack in the array, allowing the Sound Transmission Talisman to fly through.

After tearing open the Talisman and listening to its message, Fang Qingyuan considered it for a moment. He then disguised his appearance, opened the array, and went out.

Fang Qingyuan made his way to the western docks and found Shen Wan Jun.

Three years had passed, yet Shen Wan Jun looked no different. For the past three years, Fang Qingyuan had consistently sourced his Sea Beast Essence Blood from her, and they had cooperated very well.

Later, Fang Qingyuan started providing her with bait made from Blood Qi Pills in exchange for Sea Beast Essence Blood. Eventually, it reached a point where Fang Qingyuan no longer had to pay Spirit Stones for his supply; sometimes, Shen Wan Jun even owed him Spirit Stones.

After receiving the bait from Fang Qingyuan, Shen Wan Jun had it analyzed and discovered the main ingredient was the Blood Qi Pill. But even knowing this, she continued to source the bait from him.

This was because nowhere in the entire Iron Wind Islands could one find a lower price than what Fang Qingyuan was offering.

After three years of refining Blood Qi Pills, the Bee Queen’s proficiency had reached a new level. Now, it only failed occasionally, perhaps once every ten batches.

Furthermore, the other main ingredient for Blood Qi Pills was ginseng, a spiritual ingredient that Fang Qingyuan had in abundance within his Immortal Mansion.

Given his success rate and low costs, if Fang Qingyuan hadn’t been worried about provoking the hostility of other Elixir Pill merchants by setting his prices too low, he would have monopolized the entire Blood Qi Pill market on Iron Wind Island.

Even so, Fang Qingyuan had made a name for himself within the small circle of Beast Hunting Ship crews thanks to his Blood Qi Pills.

Some time ago, Shen Wan Jun’s Beast Hunting Ship had been commandeered by the Beast Taming Sect. She herself was also hired by the sect to accompany five Nascent Soul Cultivators in an attack on the Demon Sect Headquarters.

Of course, on a battlefield of that caliber, it was not Shen Wan Jun’s place to be on the front lines. She was dispatched to the rear to help round up any Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators who slipped through.

Now that the fighting had subsided, Shen Wan Jun had completed her mission and returned with a great deal of cultivation resources.

Shen Wan Jun wanted to liquidate these resources as quickly as possible. After all, some of the items were unsuitable for her, and she needed a sum of Spirit Stones to pay compensation to the families of the cultivators from her ship who had died in battle.

The Beast Taming Sect didn’t offer Spirit Stones as compensation, but instead provided several beast hunting permits. With these, Shen Wan Jun could acquire a few more Beast Hunting Ships.

Of course, if Shen Wan Jun were to sell these permits, she would receive a large sum of Spirit Stones, but she was loath to do so.

Several other Beast Hunting Ship owners had the same idea as Shen Wan Jun. After discussing it, they decided to organize a small, private gathering to sell their spoils of war in exchange for Spirit Stones.

As for selling them at the island’s official auction houses?

They had dismissed that idea for two reasons. First, the auction houses charged a commission, taking five to ten percent of the final price.

Second, the spoils they had acquired came from Demon Cultivators. Many of the items were of questionable origin and could not be sold openly.

That was why Shen Wan Jun had thought of Fang Qingyuan. In her eyes, Fang Qingyuan the Pill Master was quite wealthy. Moreover, he had previously expressed interest in buying Sea Beast Essence, proving he wasn’t the type to be scared of trouble.

Fang Qingyuan’s interest was naturally piqued by Shen Wan Jun’s invitation. He was in desperate need of High-tier Spiritual Objects, and an underground auction like this was a promising place to find them.

Besides, the event was to be held at the harbor, which offered a degree of security. So, Fang Qingyuan decided to check it out.

Upon boarding Shen Wan Jun’s ship, Fang Qingyuan noticed several other Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, none of whom he recognized.

He extended his spiritual perception and sensed a wash of green. Fang Qingyuan relaxed slightly.

’Green means no hostility,’ he thought. ’Looks like they’re all just guests who want to bid on items.’

A moment later, Shen Wan Jun welcomed two more Foundation Establishment Cultivators, bringing the total number on her ship to seven.

All of them had disguised their appearances, clearly wishing to conceal their true identities.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Shen Wan Jun stepped forward and spoke in a gentle voice:

"You all know the purpose of our gathering. Each of you is someone I trust, which is why I am the only one who knows your true identities. There is no need to converse with one another. After this is over, you won’t recognize each other even if you meet, so please, act without reservation."

After she finished speaking, Shen Wan Jun clapped her hands. The next moment, Fang Qingyuan felt the large ship beneath them begin to move.

"Mr. Shen, what is the meaning of this? Weren’t we told the location was at the docks?"

A cloaked Foundation Establishment Cultivator spoke up, his tone laced with heavy dissatisfaction.

Shen Wan Jun smiled apologetically and explained:

"According to a report, the Great Zhou Academy found out about our trading location. They’ve been putting pressure on the Beast Taming Sect, so we need to head a little further out to sea. This gesture, leaving the Iron Wind Island docks, will be enough to satisfy the Beast Taming Sect.

The distance isn’t great—only a hundred li from the docks. If anyone feels uncomfortable with this, you are free to leave now."

Fang Qingyuan frowned slightly at her words. Still, for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, a distance of a hundred li was a short trip, taking less than fifteen minutes for a round trip. Besides, with the Beast Taming Sect and the Great Zhou Academy watching the main island, Shen Wan Jun and her associates wouldn’t dare pull any major stunts.

A scheme to ambush and slaughter all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present was the stuff of legends; something like that hadn’t happened even in White Mountain for many years.

With that thought, Fang Qingyuan remained calmly seated. The Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had questioned the change also fell silent and retreated, apparently accepting the explanation.

The great ship sailed on, quickly reaching a point on the open sea a hundred li from the docks.

By now the sky had darkened, and a vast, brilliant light appeared up ahead.

Colorful lanterns adorned the hulls of a dozen or so large ships gathered ahead, forming what looked like an island made of light.

The ship at the very center was a full hundred zhang in length. On its thousands of lanterns, a single character was displayed—the surname "He!"

"This way, everyone. The transaction will be held aboard the He Family’s great ship. Elder He is a Late-stage Golden Core Cultivator, so you need not worry about your safety."

Shen Wan Jun spoke again, then led the group toward the He Family’s ship.

At the entrance, a guard stood watch—an Early-stage Golden Core Cultivator. When the man’s gaze fell upon Fang Qingyuan, he felt as if his disguise was completely transparent.

Fang Qingyuan was startled. ’An innate ability related to detection! Just how extravagant is this He Family, to use someone like him as a mere guard?’

A few moments later, everyone had been scanned by the man. Despite this blatant intrusion, not a single person stepped forward to voice their displeasure.

"Alright, no problems. Mr. Shen, please lead your guests inside."

At the Golden Core Cultivator’s words, Shen Wan Jun smiled and led the group through, into the interior of the great ship.

As soon as they entered, a group of beautiful female Cultivators at the Mid- or Late-stage of Qi Refining approached, each one pairing herself with a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and murmuring softly:

"I am to be your personal attendant for the evening, Senior. During this time, I will be responsible for all of your needs."

Some of the cultivators clearly enjoyed being waited on so humbly by these beauties, but Fang Qingyuan was speechless. He recognized the Maid before him. It was the very same Qing Guanren who had served him three years ago: Cyan Sparrow.