I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Chapter 30: Chapter 28: Night Cat’s Eye

"It’s getting late. Let’s stop here for today and continue tomorrow morning."

Jiang Zuo glanced at the sky; it was already growing dark.

Even the secularized villagers didn’t welcome outsiders at night.

He couldn’t visit every household in the village in such a short time, and since he had nothing urgent to do, Jiang Zuo decided it was best to rest and pick things up tomorrow.

For the past seven days, Jiang Zuo had been in the wilderness and hadn’t had a proper rest.

"Why don’t you stay at my place? My sister’s old room is available. We just need to tidy it up a bit."

Qi Xiao suggested.

"No, thanks. I’ll go to the inn. You can just go home."

Jiang Zuo waved his hand dismissively.

Qi Xiao had already shown him the inn while they were walking around earlier.

He didn’t know Qi Xiao well, and staying at his house would be restrictive and awkward. He’d just be making himself uncomfortable.

"Alright then."

Qi Xiao sounded resigned.

The truth was, he had a feeling he was going to get a beating tonight.

He couldn’t just get away with sneaking out the family heirloom ring by claiming he’d ’forgotten to return it’.

Earlier that evening, his father hadn’t said anything because Jiang Zuo was there, but the look in his eyes clearly told him to wait for what was coming tonight.

His father was a man who cared about face. If Jiang Zuo had come over, his dad wouldn’t have been able to lay a hand on him.

...

The inn in Cowherding Village was really just a guesthouse run by a middle-aged couple, with only two rooms available for lodging.

Basically, only merchants who came to purchase items made from beast bones would stay the night. Otherwise, the couple used the rooms themselves.

However, they would provide food as long as you paid.

Aside from not being able to wash your face or bathe, it wasn’t much different from a regular inn.

A flock of chickens was kept outside the inn. Jiang Zuo asked the price and immediately had the innkeeper kill the largest one for him.

With his current appetite, he needed a whole large chicken plus a lot of rice just to feel somewhat full.

The little black dog still had a small appetite. Jiang Zuo fed it a little, and its small belly was soon stretched taut.

After he had eaten his fill, Jiang Zuo trained the little black dog for a while.

After giving it a command to run around and play by itself in the room, Jiang Zuo observed a Beast Pattern once more before falling into a deep sleep.

Jiang Zuo remained half-alert as he slept, and the night passed peacefully into the next morning.

As promised, Qi Xiao came to the inn early to find Jiang Zuo.

The guy kept rubbing his rear as he walked. It looked like he’d gotten quite the beating last night.

That morning, Qi Xiao led Jiang Zuo to dozens of households, one after another.

He saw plenty of beast bones, but Jiang Zuo still couldn’t find an Obsession Relic.

’Are Obsession Relics really this rare?’

Jiang Zuo was getting frustrated.

It was true that these secularized families had sold most of their inherited antique bones to merchants.

But they still kept a small portion for themselves.

These were genuine antique bones, at least two hundred years old, and they all looked quite good.

If he couldn’t find an Obsession Relic even among these, Jiang Zuo had no idea how he was ever going to find one.

’Do I really have to just rely on luck?’

"What about the villagers who believe in the Beast God? Is there any family that would let us take a look inside?"

Having come all this way, Jiang Zuo wasn’t about to give up easily.

’Maybe all the good stuff is hidden in the homes of those who believe in the Beast God?’

"It’s difficult. However, I heard my dad mention something last night. I’ll go ask. There might be one family willing to let you see their collection of antique bones."

Qi Xiao said after a moment of thought.

He had previously told Jiang Zuo that he knew a Beast God-worshipping family who would be willing to show their hidden treasures.

That was a complete lie.

Those who still believed in the Beast God had incredibly firm convictions. If he dared to bring an outsider over, they would definitely be chased out.

"Alright."

Jiang Zuo had no objection.

Qi Xiao led Jiang Zuo deeper into the village.

Jiang Zuo had only been in Cowherding Village for a little over half a day, but he already understood the general layout. The village was split into two groups: the secularized villagers mostly lived near the entrance.

Those who insisted on worshipping the Beast God, on the other hand, lived in the deeper, rear part of the village.

Seeing Qi Xiao bring Jiang Zuo over, many of the surrounding villagers showed open hostility.

Qi Xiao simply pretended not to notice, greeting everyone he saw with a cheerful smile.

These people ignored Qi Xiao, but they didn’t actively interfere with Jiang Zuo’s presence either.

"Wait here. I’ll go in first and check things out."

When they arrived in front of a house, Qi Xiao had Jiang Zuo wait outside the fence while he himself pushed open the gate and went inside.

"Feiyan! I’m here to see you!"

Qi Xiao called out in a loud, cheerful voice before he even reached the door.

"Qi Xiao? What are you doing here? You’re not welcome in my home!"

The voice of a young girl came from inside the house.

"Didn’t I hear from my father that Tian was in trouble? I came because I was worried about you and him."

Qi Xiao pushed the door open and went inside. Tian Feiyan fell silent for a moment and didn’t insist on chasing him away.

It sounded like the two of them moved into another room, as their voices suddenly grew quiet. Although Jiang Zuo’s hearing was excellent, he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

He could only tell that Qi Xiao was saying a lot to Tian Feiyan.

After a good while, Qi Xiao ran out, looking pleased. "It’s all set!" he said to Jiang Zuo. "Come on in!"

This time, Qi Xiao hadn’t been bluffing. He had actually convinced Tian Feiyan to allow Jiang Zuo into her home.

Tian Feiyan was a young woman who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen. She had two black Beast Patterns tattooed on her face, and a sky-blue feather was pinned in her coiled hair.

Although she wasn’t the kind of stunning beauty who turned heads, she had a strong air of the Alien Race about her.

Tian Feiyan’s expression was a little resistant. It was clear she was reluctant to let Jiang Zuo in and had only conceded because she had no other choice.

"These are the beast bones my family has collected. Many of them are two or three hundred years old."

Tian Feiyan said somberly, pointing to the beast bones arranged on a wooden table.

Based on her experience with the merchants who came here, more than half of the beast bones on this table would be bought.

Jiang Zuo was about to look over.

But in the next instant, his gaze suddenly shifted, locking onto an object hanging on the wooden wall at the front of the room.

『Obsession Relic ’Night Cat’s Eye’ discovered!』

The long-awaited notification appeared before Jiang Zuo’s eyes.

All the time he’d spent, coming all the way out to this godforsaken place, hadn’t been for nothing!

It was a lifelike black eyeball, beautiful as a gemstone.

For some unknown reason, this Night Cat’s Eye had been preserved inside a large piece of amber, which was how it maintained its lifelike state.

"I don’t need any of these. How much for that eyeball? I want that one."

Jiang Zuo glanced at the antique bones on the wooden table, then pointed to the Night Cat’s Eye in the amber and spoke to Tian Feiyan.

"That’s not for sale! If you don’t want these, then fine. Go on, get out!"

Hearing this, Tian Feiyan’s face hardened. She shooed Jiang Zuo and Qi Xiao out without the slightest intention of negotiating a price with Jiang Zuo.

"You’ve got a good eye, but that thing is her family’s heirloom. Back when her parents were still alive, they were very proud of owning that cat’s eye."

"Later, her parents went up the mountain and were both tragically killed in a flash flood. Their bodies were never recovered. So that cat’s eye became a memento of her parents."

"Feiyan treasures that thing. Besides her brother, she doesn’t let anyone touch it."

Qi Xiao sighed helplessly as he explained this to Jiang Zuo.

"Is there no way to make her sell it?"

Of course, Jiang Zuo wasn’t going to give up just like that.

If he missed out on this Night Cat’s Eye, who knew when he’d ever find another Obsession Relic.

He had to get this Obsession Relic, no matter what.

"Well... it’s not impossible. But even if she agrees to sell, the price won’t be low. A merchant who found out she had it offered over three hundred taels, and Feiyan still refused."

"Tell me the highest you’re willing to pay, just so I have a baseline. And, if this works out..."

Qi Xiao hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I’ll offer one thousand taels! If you can convince her, I’ll give you an extra fifty taels as a reward!"

Jiang Zuo said decisively.

Right now, he just wanted to get his hands on the Night Cat’s Eye. Spending a little extra money was no object.

"Deal! Just wait for my good news!"

Qi Xiao’s eyes lit up. He beat his chest in assurance, then turned and went back into Tian Feiyan’s house.

"What are you doing back here? Go away, I don’t welcome you!"

Tian Feiyan scowled, rudely trying to drive him away.

"Hey, Feiyan, don’t be so hasty. If Tian were standing here perfectly fine, I’d leave without another word."

"Are you saying I’m an easy target?"

Tian Feiyan’s tone was aggressive. Qi Xiao had barely said two sentences before she shut him down.

"That’s not what I mean. Feiyan, please calm down and listen to me for a moment."

"What I mean is, you should think more about Tian."

Qi Xiao waved his hands placatingly.

Tian Feiyan wasn’t some savage, unreasonable person. On the contrary, she was usually very gentle, considerate, and thoughtful of others.

"Feiyan, Tian has been unconscious for several days now, right? I just saw him, and he’s already lost some weight. If he doesn’t wake up soon, the situation could get dire."

"Tian’s a grown man. How can he survive on just the medicine and porridge you feed him every day? If this continues, he’ll only get weaker and weaker, and his condition will worsen."

"If you want him to get better, you have to feed him something highly restorative, like Blood Ginseng!"

"I know you go up the mountain every day now, trying to gather Blood Ginseng, and many in the village are helping you search."

"But Blood Ginseng isn’t something you can just find whenever you want. Think about it: in a whole year, how many people in our village ever manage to find any?"

"By the time you find some, when will that be?"

"I know you’re probably planning to borrow money from the villagers to buy some if you can’t find any in the next couple of days."

"But a single stalk of Blood Ginseng costs over one hundred taels of silver. Even if you want to buy it, you might not be able to find one right away. And given Tian’s condition, one stalk might not even be enough. You’d need at least two or three."

"You might be able to borrow enough money for one stalk, but can you really borrow enough for two or three?"

"Even if you get lucky, borrow enough money, and Tian recovers smoothly, have you thought about the future?"

"Tian isn’t getting any younger. If he’s in debt for several hundred taels of silver, what girl would dare marry him in the future?"

"You don’t want to see him end up like me, unable to get married at his age, do you?"

"And what if Tian is unlucky? What if you can’t buy any Blood Ginseng in time and his condition suddenly worsens? By then, it will be too late to save him."

"If Tian passes away, leaving you all alone, what will you do?"

"Marry into someone else’s family, taking your heirloom with you?"

At first, Tian Feiyan listened with resistance, but when Qi Xiao started talking about the Blood Ginseng, she began to waver.

Qi Xiao was right. That was indeed her plan.

And when Qi Xiao spoke of the possibility of her brother’s tragic death, leaving her all alone, her face instantly turned pale, and her heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

Although Qi Xiao also called him Tian, Tian Feiyan’s brother was actually several years younger than Qi Xiao.

When Tian Feiyan was six, her parents died in a flash flood. At the time, her brother was only thirteen.

Although the villagers helped, Tian Feiyan was mostly raised by her brother alone.

Tian Feiyan couldn’t imagine how she would go on living alone if her brother died. What meaning would life even have?

Just the thought of it sent her into a panic, filling her with unbearable pain.

"I... I understand. You can tell him to come in. I’ll sell him the cat’s eye."

Tian Feiyan said, wiping her tears, her voice choked with sobs.

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