I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Chapter 38: Chapter 36: An Extremely Unexpected Upgrade

"Jiang Zuo, I remember you’re almost done raising this year’s black dog. Why don’t you take this puppy and see if you can keep him?"

"We don’t know how to train them, and Lord Zhang’s term ends in less than half a year. If we take him on the road and he’s disobedient, he’ll most likely get lost. If you have other plans and think he’s not a good fit, just raise him until he’s weaned. I’ll find another family for him after that," Steward Luo said.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Bingjun had already been in office in Red Fox Town for four and a half years.

Once his five-year term was up, they would have to leave Red Fox Town.

The journey would be long, and a puppy of a few months is at its most active. Since they couldn’t make the puppy obey, it would almost certainly get lost on the road.

However, Steward Luo knew Jiang Zuo traveled to Sifang County every year to select Dog Seedlings. He didn’t raise just any dog, so Steward Luo certainly wouldn’t force him.

They were fond of Great Black, but their affection was limited to him. They didn’t particularly care about other dogs.

"No problem. This pup is a little weak, but his build isn’t bad. Once he’s nursed back to health, he’ll be just as good as any other dog."

Jiang Zuo agreed at once.

He had previously performed a bloodline strengthening on Eighth Generation Great Black, and Jiang Zuo was curious to see what changes would manifest in his offspring.

After raising dogs for over a decade, Jiang Zuo understood Great Black dogs quite well. The specific Dog Seedling was no longer so important.

He could raise basically any black dog; picking a good seedling just made the process smoother and easier.

Besides, this son of Great Black already looked a bit larger than other black puppies his age, likely due to his father’s strengthened bloodline.

"Great Black!"

Jiang Zuo strode forward and barked out the name.

Hearing the familiar voice was like a sharp rap on the head for Great Black. His agitated mood instantly calmed.

"WHIMPER..."

Great Black turned to Jiang Zuo and began to whimper pitifully, his cries filled with sorrow.

Jiang Zuo sighed and patted the dog’s head, just like he used to.

He hadn’t expected that after he trained the Great Blacks to be obedient, they would also become so emotionally complex.

As Jiang Zuo petted him, Great Black lowered his head, gently picked up the puppy nestled beside him, and offered him to Jiang Zuo.

He probably understood the reason for Jiang Zuo’s visit. He wouldn’t have trusted anyone else, but he had complete faith in Jiang Zuo to raise his son.

Steward Luo and the few servants in the courtyard clicked their tongues in amazement, their faces filled with admiration.

They could hardly get near Great Black, yet when Jiang Zuo arrived, the dog willingly handed over his own son.

"Steward Luo, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take this little one with me. His condition is more serious than I initially thought."

Jiang Zuo comforted Great Black for a moment before turning to Steward Luo.

He had already examined Great Black’s son carefully. Not only had the pup been starving for two or three days, but he also seemed to be premature, suffering from Innate nutritional deficiencies.

And yet, his frame was still quite large for his age.

Great Black watched wistfully as Jiang Zuo departed. A moment later, he began to pace back and forth in the courtyard again, growing agitated.

"You rascal... go on, follow him. Just remember to come back soon."

Having lived with Great Black for several years, Steward Luo understood him to some degree.

With a sigh, Steward Luo instructed Great Black.

With permission granted, Great Black bounded out of the courtyard with a happy yelp.

Halfway home, Great Black caught up with Jiang Zuo.

"What are you doing following me? Oh, well. Come on, if you must."

Jiang Zuo was a little surprised.

Although the Great Black dogs he sold all lived within Red Fox Town, none had ever returned to him before.

This was partly because Jiang Zuo would give the dogs a final, suggestive command, and also because he would instruct the new owners not to let their dogs roam freely.

This was the first time one of them had ever come home.

And this first time, it immediately caused a problem.

Dogs are territorial creatures, and the stronger the dog, the stronger its territorial instinct.

When Twelfth Generation Great Black saw Jiang Zuo return not only with a puppy but also with another full-grown Great Black in tow, he was incensed.

He immediately charged out of the house and began barking furiously at Eighth Generation Great Black.

Eighth Generation Great Black was not about to back down. When it came to a fight, he had never feared anyone!

Baring their teeth, the two Great Blacks were about to lunge at each other.

"Knock it off, both of you!"

Jiang Zuo unceremoniously slapped each of them, and they instantly fell silent.

’For now, I’ll have to feed him heated rice paste.’

Jiang Zuo examined the puppy’s condition again.

The pup was a bit premature. At less than a week old, he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for over two days and was extremely weak.

There was no cow or goat milk in Red Fox Town, and finding a nursing mother dog on such short notice was highly unlikely.

However, Jiang Zuo was not without experience raising unweaned puppies.

Black puppies usually wean after about a month. Many of the Dog Seedlings Jiang Zuo had raised in the past came to him before they were weaned.

Rice paste with a little sugar, mixed with some finely chopped green vegetable leaves, could provide the pup with decent nutrition.

It was no substitute for mother’s milk, of course, but once the pup grew a little stronger, Jiang Zuo could start mixing in minced meat, and he would grow quickly.

The little pup was starving, but he hadn’t been able to eat any solid food. The moment he tasted the rice paste Jiang Zuo prepared, he reacted instantly.

But Jiang Zuo fed him very slowly, taking care not to give him too much at once.

The pup’s body was weak; if fed too much at once, his stomach wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Eighth Generation Great Black kept pacing around Jiang Zuo and the puppy, making Jiang Zuo a little dizzy and impatient.

"Alright, he’s fine now. Go on home."

Seeing the puppy lie down and close its eyes to rest, Jiang Zuo waved his hand, shooing Eighth Generation Great Black away.

"WOOF! WOOF!"

Before leaving, Eighth Generation Great Black shot two provocative barks at Twelfth Generation Great Black.

Twelfth Generation Great Black was instantly enraged.

’This guy! You think I’m a pushover just because I haven’t shown my teeth? I let you off for the master’s sake, and now you’re pushing your luck?’

"Stop it. Get back home."

Twelfth Generation Great Black was about to pounce and fight Eighth Generation Great Black, but Jiang Zuo intervened. He gave Eighth Generation Great Black a light kick and told him to get lost and go home.

Eighth Generation Great Black had undergone bloodline strengthening, giving him an all-around advantage in attributes. He was also in his prime, while Twelfth Generation Great Black was not yet a year old. In a fight, the younger dog would be no match.

In another two weeks, Twelfth Generation Great Black’s cultivation would reach 100%. Jiang Zuo certainly wouldn’t let an accident happen now and cause a delay.

Eighth Generation Great Black’s mood had clearly improved, and he trotted jauntily back toward the County Magistrate’s Office.

Every evening after that, Eighth Generation Great Black would run back to watch his son grow a little bigger each day.

And every time, he would get into a barking match with Twelfth Generation Great Black.

As long as the two didn’t actually come to blows, Jiang Zuo couldn’t be bothered to intervene.

In the blink of an eye, nearly two weeks passed.

The once-frail puppy, under Jiang Zuo’s meticulous care, now looked no different from any other pup his age and spent his days running about energetically.

When Eighth Generation Great Black arrived in the evening, the puppy would even run back and forth between the two quarreling dogs.

Jiang Zuo had grown used to the sight.

Ignoring the three dogs, Jiang Zuo gazed at his attribute panel, his spirits lifting.

Just a moment ago, Twelfth Generation Great Black’s cultivation progress had reached 100%.

’Once I raise Great Black’s son, my Tamer level will increase!’

After more than thirteen years, his experience as a Novice Tamer had reached "95/100."

By this time next year, he would finally graduate from being a Novice Tamer.

...

"Congratulations, Steward Liang!"

The annual Great Black auction was held as usual. After being an unsuccessful bidder for several years, Steward Liang finally won Twelfth Generation Great Black with a bid of one thousand two hundred taels.

The auction prices had been more or less the same for the past few years; it all came down to who was willing to bid just a little bit more.

Amid a chorus of congratulations, the crowd quickly dispersed.

"Jiang Zuo, your skill at raising dogs is truly extraordinary!"

Once the crowd had thinned, Subai walked over, her voice full of admiration.

She remembered her first day in Red Fox Town. Jiang Zuo had been auctioning off Eighth Generation Great Black and sold him for the astronomical price of five thousand taels.

At the time, Subai had assumed Jiang Zuo used some kind of violent method to make the black dogs submit and force them into Learning.

But after knowing him for several years, Subai had learned that Jiang Zuo never resorted to such tactics when training his Great Blacks.

His harshest method was simply withholding food when a dog was disobedient.

In truth, even that rarely happened. More often than not, the dogs seemed to genuinely like Jiang Zuo, obeying his commands eagerly and training on their own initiative.

Subai couldn’t understand why, but that didn’t stop her from being impressed by Jiang Zuo’s skill with dogs.

Every black dog he trained learned a full range of skills. Being deeply familiar with beasts herself, Subai knew this was an incredibly formidable ability.

Jiang Zuo was about to offer a few humble words, but the next moment, he stared dumbfounded at the lines of text appearing before his eyes.

[Yu Subai is deeply impressed with your Beast Taming ability!]

[+20 Beast Taming Reputation!]

[+10 Beast Taming Experience!]

[You have become a ’Junior Beast Tamer’!]

[Cultivation Beast Cage Limit +1!]

[You have acquired the Beast Taming Talent: ’Combat’!]

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