I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Chapter 26: Chapter 24: Benefactor

"There’s a place like that? Please tell me more, Shopkeeper Xu. It’s not too far, is it?"

Jiang Zuo had only asked casually, not expecting much, but it seemed he’d stumbled upon something unexpected.

"Not far, not far at all. If it were too far, I wouldn’t know about it."

"Go to Chongming Town. To the south of Chongming Town, near the national border, there’s a village called Cowherding Village."

"Its exact location is very remote and hard to describe, but I know someone who knows the way. If you find him, he can take you there."

"The villagers of Cowherding Village have worshiped the Beast God since ancient times. The village is filled with artifacts and jewelry made from various beast bones, and many people there collect ancient ones."

"Some traders of curiosities know about it too. Sometimes, they’ll bring some beautiful bone artifacts with them to trade when they’re passing through."

"If you’re looking for antique beast bones, you can’t go wrong there."

Xu Mingde said.

Chongming Town was a small town quite a distance from Sifang County. If you continued south from Chongming Town, you would eventually cross the border and leave the nation of Da Xi.

"Worship the Beast God?"

Jiang Zuo was surprised.

’Wouldn’t a village like that be targeted and suppressed as an Alien Race?’

"Haha, there’s actually a story behind it."

"When that village was discovered in ancient times, the people were practically savages. The village was filled with artifacts made from beast bones, and their clothes were just simple animal hides."

"When people from Da Xi arrived, the village didn’t resist and expressed their willingness to join Da Xi."

"The area is remote and difficult to traverse, a barren land where not even birds would lay eggs. The people who found it had no idea how several hundred villagers managed to survive there."

"The entire village was dirt poor. There was nothing to plunder even if you wanted to. It was better to just leave them be as unofficial guardians of the border."

"Later, the village was given the name Cowherding Village, and they began to interact with outsiders, imitating and learning the ways of ordinary people."

"They worship the Beast God among themselves but never proselytize to outsiders."

"Now, several hundred years have passed, and Cowherding Village is nothing like it used to be."

"Although they still worship the Beast God, they’ve long since grown accustomed to using beast bones for trade to make money. In the past, that would have been absolutely impossible."

Xu Mingde explained with a smile.

To put it bluntly, back in ancient times when the villagers truly worshiped the Beast God, no one paid this village any mind.

Now that the village has integrated into Da Xi, although they still worship the Beast God, who knows how much that faith has been diluted.

"Interesting. When I have the time, I’ll make a trip there."

Xu Mingde, clearly like many others, didn’t think much of Cowherding Village. If Jiang Zuo hadn’t asked, he probably wouldn’t have even remembered such a place existed.

But to Jiang Zuo, it was a potential treasure trove waiting to be discovered.

There were vast quantities of beast bones, antique ones at that. The possibility of finding an Obsession Relic was quite high.

’If I’m lucky and find a few, I’ll have struck it rich.’

...

「Red Fox Town.」

"My lord, this is a letter sent from the Ping’an Post Station in Sifang County via the Worldwide Bank."

Steward Luo handed the already opened letter to Zhang Bingjun.

"The Worldwide Bank? What kind of emergency did the Ping’an Post Station run into?"

Zhang Bingjun frowned and took it.

BAM!

After quickly reading it, Zhang Bingjun slammed his hand on the desk in a rage.

"How outrageous! These bastards have some nerve! Are they trying to rebel? Scheming to create a massacre and stage a jailbreak... Are they trying to be the death of me?"

Zhang Bingjun was truly furious.

Slaughtering a carriage full of people to create a massacre, then breaking the prisoner out of jail after Chief Lu and his men were lured away...

If those criminals had succeeded, how could Zhang Bingjun possibly face the consequences?

Looking back hundreds, even thousands of years, not even that one corrupt official who brought about his own ruin had ever let something like this happen.

If it really happened on his watch, Zhang Bingjun would be the first County Magistrate in the history of Red Fox Town to do so.

The infamous one, that is.

He would be a laughingstock for generations, even after his death.

"Is what Jiang Zuo said true? Is it possible he was just guessing wildly?"

However, Zhang Bingjun quickly calmed down, reread the letter, and turned to ask for Steward Luo’s opinion.

"Jiang Zuo attached the names of the other passengers in the carriage. We can find them to verify at any time."

"Jiang Zuo is a steady person. He wouldn’t tell a lie that could be so easily exposed and that offers him no benefit. The fact that the Ping’an Post Station used the Worldwide Bank to deliver the letter shows that they have already confirmed the incident."

"Furthermore, he provided very detailed descriptions of the three robbers’ appearances, builds, and clothing in the letter. They are likely three Skin Refining Martial Artists with the surname Ding, and the robbers referred to the captured criminal as Laoqi."

"I have already sent Chief Lu and his men to investigate. I believe we will have news soon."

Steward Luo analyzed.

At the time, only three people had jumped out to intercept the carriage. Jiang Zuo had only described the appearance and clothing of Ding the Third, Ding the Fourth, and Ding the Fifth.

Ding Yi and Ding the Second had more distinctive builds and faces, but they were both Muscle Training Martial Artists. It would be nearly impossible for an ordinary person like Jiang Zuo to escape from Muscle Training Martial Artists, even in a forest.

Therefore, Jiang Zuo could only swap the one who jumped out, Ding the Second, for Ding the Fourth.

It wouldn’t be surprising for an ordinary person to escape from a Skin Refining Martial Artist in the woods.

Jiang Zuo wasn’t afraid of being exposed. The carriage had fled in a panic, so it was impossible for the other passengers to have gotten a good look.

If the Government Office questioned them, even if one of them felt something was off, they wouldn’t say much if everyone else said it was fine.

"Investigate! If it’s confirmed, report that there is a Blood Exchange Martial Artist among the robbers and send an urgent dispatch requesting Military Generals to be stationed here!"

"Then, let that scoundrel in prison die! Afterward, issue a public notice saying he died suddenly from an illness!"

"Aren’t they all about brotherly love? I’d like to see if those bastards will show their faces then!"

Zhang Bingjun said coldly.

A Blood Exchange Martial Artist was one realm higher than a Bone Refining one and far more powerful.

Whether or not there was actually a Blood Exchange Martial Artist among the bandits wasn’t the point. As long as the initial report was confirmed, there *would* be one.

"Good. We really have Jiang Zuo to thank this time. Otherwise, things would have gotten truly troublesome."

Steward Luo nodded.

Although it wasn’t confirmed yet, he believed it was almost certainly true.

And with the arrangements Zhang Bingjun had made, even if there were repercussions later, the main responsibility wouldn’t fall on him.

He had discovered the problem first and sent an urgent request. If the imperial court refused to send men and something happened, the primary blame wouldn’t be his.

And if they did send men and nothing happened, it would mean the bandits were scared off and didn’t dare to make a move.

The robbers’ attempt to silence witnesses by creating a massacre was a real event. Zhang Bingjun wasn’t afraid of an investigation.

As for possibly being wrong about the bandits’ cultivation realms, that was a trivial matter.

So, whether the court sent men or not, he held the initiative.

"If Jiang Zuo hadn’t been vigilant and lured the robbers away, that group would have already succeeded in their massacre. And we were only able to capture that thief so quickly before because of the dog he raised. Jiang Zuo might just be my lucky star here in Red Fox Town."

Zhang Bingjun stroked his beard.

"However, the fellow is also a bit too timid. He said he’s afraid of retaliation and plans to stay away for a few months before coming back. He even asked if a Government Official could keep an eye on his house for him so no one squats in it."

Steward Luo was a bit speechless as he recalled the last part of Jiang Zuo’s letter.

"Indeed. Everything else is fine, but to be so afraid of death at such a young age... he lacks a certain youthful passion."

"Regarding his house, just have our men keep an eye on it. We can’t have him coming back to find his house is actually gone."

Zhang Bingjun also found it amusing, then gave the order.

...

「Sifang County.」

The Worldwide Bank was extremely efficient.

By a little after three in the afternoon, Jiang Zuo received word that the letter had been delivered into the hands of Steward Luo at the Red Fox Town Government Office.

’That’s settled. If something really does happen, staying in Sifang County might not be safe either. I’ve bought the puppy, so I might as well leave as soon as possible.’

A small black puppy with a fine-looking coat was now at Jiang Zuo’s feet.

Sifang County had a special market for poultry and beasts, where common domestic birds and animals could be bought.

However, Jiang Zuo’s request was rather specific: a small black puppy about a month old.

And even though he had the Beast Taming System, he still needed to choose the puppy carefully if he wanted to raise it successfully.

After so many years of raising black dogs, Jiang Zuo had developed a knack for knowing which kind of puppy was most suitable.

In previous years, Jiang Zuo might have had to wait two or three more days to buy a suitable and satisfactory one.

It seemed his luck was good this time. Jiang Zuo hadn’t spent much time before finding the little guy at his feet.

With a flick of his hand, Jiang Zuo inducted the little guy into the Beast Taming System, making it the Ninth Generation Great Black.

Cultivation Beast Cage (1/1): Great Black

——Great Black: Medium-sized black-furred canine, juvenile stage. Intelligent and lively, possesses one Talent Slot. Current cultivation progress: 9%.

’An intelligent and lively type of black dog. My eye for this is really getting better and better.’

After being inducted into the Beast Taming System, some information about the Ninth Generation Great Black appeared on the status panel.

Jiang Zuo had raised a black dog with an intelligent and lively personality before. Dogs with this temperament learned quickly, responded well to physical training, and were quite easy to raise.

"YAP YAP!"

The little black dog yapped in its high-pitched, puppy voice. It had been a little afraid of Jiang Zuo before, but now it suddenly acted much more familiar with him.

Jiang Zuo grinned and patted the puppy’s head, equipping its Talent Slot with the "Learning" talent. Then, he took it to the market and bought a large pile of supplies.

Then, man and dog quietly left Sifang County.

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