The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 51

No! That reaction meant something had happened to the little one.

Yi Xian had reacted a heartbeat too slow. When she came to her senses, not only was Lan Tong’s figure gone, but even the cub’s cries had vanished. The silence around her was so absolute it made her skin crawl. The chill rising from within felt like icy water poured over her head in early spring, freezing her from head to toe.

She lacked the keen sense of smell of a beastman and shared no spiritual connection with the cub. She had no idea where the little burrower had gone this time. Just as she stood helplessly, Lan Tong’s furious roar echoed from the south.

Yi Xian hurried toward the sound, teleporting instantly. When she arrived and saw what was happening, a firestorm of rage burst in her chest.

Several beast tamers dressed in white and gold robes were surrounding Lan Tong from four directions. Various techniques struck the large lioness whose eyes were bl00d-red with fury. Three more stood to the side, laughing as they toyed with the cub. They tossed spells at the small golden creature, scorching parts of her fur. Her left hind leg was limp, and she stumbled as she tried to run. Trapped between them, she was kicked and tossed like a ball.

The little one’s cries were sharp and pained, but the men only laughed louder.

“We caught the small one. No wonder it lured out a big one.”

“Kill the big one quickly. As for the cub… we can take it back and have some fun. I wonder if it’s male or female. Here, let me check first.”

“Hey, it scratched me! Break that paw!”

Hearing their taunting words, Yi Xian’s urge to kill surged. Even though her fury blazed high, she forced herself to breathe and calm down. As someone who was not even a formal disciple of the Qingshan Sect, she had no right to interfere openly. If she attacked directly, the accusation of harboring a beastman would fall upon her, making her path forward and Duanmu Ya’s impossibly difficult.

Yi Xian’s gaze dropped to the dagger strapped to her thigh. Then she looked at those who were amusing themselves by tormenting the cub. A plan took form in her mind.

A scream suddenly pierced the air, drawing every eye toward her.

Yi Xian had chosen her target well. It was the one who laughed the loudest, struck the cub the hardest, and ordered the others to kill the big one first and take the small one away. She teleported behind him, her blade flashing in one smooth motion so fast no one had time to react.

The man had been bending down to grab the cub, unguarded. By the time he sensed someone behind him, Yi Xian’s dagger had already sunk into his back. He let out a terrible cry. “Who dares sneak up behind me?!”

“Looks like an assassin!”

“Fu Xing, are you alright?”

“You try getting stabbed and see if you’re alright! Damn it, stop talking and get me a healing pill!”

Yi Xian, after striking, instantly teleported back to her hiding place. While one of them was taking out a pill to treat Fu Xing’s wound, she moved again, reappearing behind them.

“Yu Hong, watch out!”

Yu Hong reacted quickly, perhaps expecting another attack. He swung a wind blade behind him, grazing Yi Xian’s shoulder and slicing a strand of her hair. Yi Xian gritted her teeth, taking the hit in exchange for one of her own. Switching the dagger to her left hand, she drove it into his side and retreated before they could counter.

Her black assassin’s garb was torn, the wound deep enough to show bone. The heavy scent of bl00d filled the air. She had no time to treat it and quickly teleported several times in different directions. As she expected, Yu Hong appeared where she had just been hiding.

“This assassin’s fast!”

“Here?”

“There’s bl00d over here, too!”

Yi Xian noticed that Yu Hong’s search was alarmingly precise, and every location he checked had been one of her hiding spots. Feeling a faint breeze brush her cheek, she looked up at the trembling leaves glinting under the sunlight. Making a split-second decision, she teleported in the opposite direction.

It became a deadly chase, the two darting through the forest. Yu Hong followed the scent of bl00d, stopping and starting, until finally, beneath a tall tree, he found a bloodstained sleeve. As he lifted it to sniff, a glowing orb crackling with lightning rolled beside him. A beam of light flashed. Before he could turn around, a deafening explosion threw him backward.

Yi Xian heard the blast, looped around the side, and returned. When Fu Xing and the others turned toward the sound, she teleported behind Fu Xing again and stabbed him once more, right through his half-treated wound.

Fu Xing’s scream was almost inhuman.

“Fu Xing!”

“Catch that assassin! I’ll kill him myself!”

Yi Xian endured a blow that struck her like a lightning. Her chest seized, her whole body numb. She bent down, scooped the fallen cub into her arms, and teleported into the forest through a net of lightning.

The man scratched his head. “Fu Xing, do we keep chasing?”

Fu Xing, furious, moved too abruptly, reopening his wound. Pain twisted his face. “Chase them! That assassin’s working with the beastman!”

“But Yu Hong hasn’t returned yet. If I go, you’ll be alone—” Before he could finish, another beast tamer shouted, “That beastman’s tough! Retreat!”

Of the four who had surrounded Lan Tong, one had already lost an arm, crushed by her jaws and flung against a tree, his fate uncertain. The remaining three realized their attacks had little effect on her and began to retreat.

Suddenly, roars echoed across the forest. Ten golden-maned lions charged toward them from afar. Seeing this, Fu Xing and his men hurriedly grabbed their wounded and fled.

Lan Tong would not let them go so easily. With one swipe, she sent the last man flying. Then, leaping forward, she caught him midair and slammed him into the ground. The crunch of bone echoed. Bl00d sprayed from his mouth, and he went limp.

The ten beastmen shifted into human form. “Lan, are you alright?”

Lan Tong was covered in bl00d. Shaking her great head, she followed the lingering scent of bl00d in the air and found Yi Xian sitting beneath a tree, the cub cradled in her arms.

Yi Xian’s hands trembled. Only when she lifted the little one did she realize her palms were slick with bl00d. The cub’s belly bore a deep gash more than ten centimeters long, nearly splitting her open.

Yi Xian gathered light energy and began healing her bit by bit, whispering for her to stay quiet. The cub whimpered softly but didn’t cry, only licked her paw from time to time, her eyes wet as she gazed up at Yi Xian.

Lan Tong came closer, sniffing, then licked the bl00d on Yi Xian’s shoulder. Her tail looped around them, encircling Yi Xian and the cub protectively.

The ten beastmen gathered around, their expressions shifting when they saw Yi Xian.

“A human?”

“What’s she doing?”

“Isn’t that the one Lan’s been looking for?”

“The cub’s wound… it’s healing!”

“Is she a shaman?”

Yi Xian ignored their muttering. Bunch of muscleheads, she thought. “Lan Tong, you killed disciples of Mingwang Peak. They won’t let this go. They’ll send more after you.”

Lan Tong kept licking.

Yi Xian, annoyed, smacked the lioness’s head. The surrounding beastmen gasped, but Lan Tong merely shook her head and kept licking. She discovered another wound on Yi Xian’s back, where the lightning had scorched her skin to the bone. It had gone unnoticed only because Yi Xian had been leaning against the tree.

Lan Tong nudged her away from the trunk and kept licking persistently.

Yi Xian, feeling the dozen stares fixed on her, wished she could dig a hole and disappear. The cub added to her mortification, wagging her tail and letting out a soft, happy cry.

“Forgot your pain already, huh?”

“Rawr.”

Once the cub’s belly was healed, Yi Xian examined her hind leg. The moment she touched it, the cub cried out in pain, curling up and tucking her tail tight. Yi Xian frowned. “Could her bone be broken?”

Lan Tong shifted into human form. Her injuries were severe, her exposed skin covered in cuts, burns, and bruises. Some wounds still oozed bl00d. Yet she looked unfazed as she reached to lift the cub by the scruff. Yi Xian smacked her hand. “She’s still hurt. Don’t move her.”

Lan Tong glanced at the cub, who blinked innocently back at her.

Yi Xian ignored their silent exchange. “We need to move. When Mingwang Peak’s beast tamers come, you won’t get away.”

Lan Tong’s brows didn’t even twitch. “Not afraid.”

Yi Xian could hardly imagine what would happen if humans and beastmen started a battle here. The bloodshed would be unimaginable. “If this spreads, Xiao Nan will be their first target. They’ll have countless ways to kill her or use her to threaten you.”

Lan Tong opened her mouth to reply, but Yi Xian cut her off. “Don’t think you can always protect her. Today’s mess proves it. You never should’ve brought her into human lands.”

Her anger rose again at the sight of the cub’s injuries. The thought of those men made her bl00d boil. Yet what she wanted most was to punch this stubborn woman in front of her.

Lan Tong sniffed the air and saw that Yi Xian’s wound on the back had reopened. She gave it another couple of licks. “Fine. Come with me.”

The beastmen surrounded the trio and transformed back into their animal forms, galloping toward their camp. Yi Xian watched them and sighed. It feels like I’ve stumbled into a zoo. “Once Xiao Nan’s healed, I’m leaving.”

Lan Tong growled softly in protest.

Yi Xian placed a hand on her back, channeling light energy to heal her wounds. Lan Tong’s eyes fluttered half-shut, warmth spreading through her body. Her tail swayed lazily in contentment.

By the time they reached the beastmen’s camp, Yi Xian had healed about a third of Lan Tong’s injuries. But when they arrived, every beastman turned to stare. In an instant, Yi Xian was surrounded. Among them were lions and wolves, but also creatures of the air and water. What shocked her most was the Behemoth.

Standing before the massive creature towering more than a head above her, Yi Xian suddenly realized that Lan Tong, compared to her kin, was actually small. She almost laughed at her own ignorance for once thinking the lioness enormous and imposing. Next to this towering beast, Lan Tong looked… petite.

“Lan, who is this human?”

“My mate.”

Every beastman around them stared at Yi Xian with changing expressions. Yi Xian, annoyed, pulled out two golden hairs from Lan Tong’s head, but the lioness did not seem to care. She only looked at Yi Xian with mild confusion, as if to ask what was wrong.

The Behemoth bent slightly, lowering its massive body. One of its huge hands reached toward Yi Xian.

Yi Xian shielded the cub in her arms and raised her dagger. “Don’t move.”

The little one gave a few low growls at the Behemoth. Yi Xian heard it speak in confusion, “You were bullied outside?”

Lan Tong gave the cub a sidelong glance. “We ran into a few humans. I took care of one. Yi Xian will heal Xiao Nan, don’t worry.”

Just as the Behemoth was about to turn away, it suddenly bent down again. With two fingers, it pinched the dagger in Yi Xian’s hand and brought it close to its eyes. “You gave this human your Bl00d Blade?”

Bl00d Blade?

Yi Xian looked at Lan Tong. This was her first time hearing anything about the dagger. Lan Tong seemed a little annoyed. “What’s hers is mine.”

Yi Xian wanted to hit her again.

The Behemoth nodded, returned the dagger to Yi Xian, and dismissed the surrounding beastmen. Yi Xian was surprised. “Just like that? Aren’t you worried I might be a spy sent by humans?”

Lan Tong led her to her tent and answered firmly, “You wouldn’t.”

Yi Xian did not know where that confidence came from. Inside, the tent was nearly bare, a pitiful sight. “This is where you and Xiao Nan live?”

Lan Tong spread a layer of beast hide on the ground, then lifted Yi Xian and set her down before starting to pull at her clothes. Yi Xian immediately pointed the dagger at her. “If you try anything, I’ll kill you.”

Lan Tong said calmly, “Don’t move. Your wound’s open again.”

Yi Xian relaxed slightly when she realized Lan Tong had no ulterior motive, though she still refused to undress or lower her guard. “It’s not serious. I can heal myself. Check on Xiao Nan first.”

“Rawr.”

Yi Xian lifted the cub for inspection. Besides the long slash across her belly, her hind leg bone was probably broken. There were lightning burns on her back and neck, and tiny blade marks on her ears and body. The more Yi Xian looked, the stronger her urge became to go back and finish off those men slowly.

“Xiao Nan, are you really alright?”

The cub licked Yi Xian’s palm and tried to burrow into her arms. Yi Xian caught her, pressing her legs together to keep her from moving. Then she used Light Spirit to heal her little by little. At first, the cub’s eyes darted around curiously, but soon she began to nod off, her small head bobbing like a pecking chick.

Yi Xian had never seen such a carefree child. The sight made her both helpless and pained.

During this time, a purple orb rolled into the tent by itself. It was the Purple Yuanxiao. Yi Xian beckoned it closer, and surprisingly, it rolled to her obediently.

She knew the orb was a creature she didn’t fully understand but could likely comprehend her words. “From now on, you can’t take Xiao Nan to dangerous places.”

The orb displayed a pitiful expression, then began to cry, leaving Yi Xian unsure what to do. Just then, Lan Tong returned, carrying a large prey animal over her shoulder and a small, still-living cub in her hand.

“Bl00d Blade,” she said, extending her hand.

Yi Xian frowned. Your own cub was almost killed, and you went hunting another’s? “That thing’s covered in spikes and barely has any meat. Let it go.”

Lan Tong gave the spiky animal a shake, weighing it, then stepped outside and threw it in a perfect arc far away. Turning back, she dropped her catch in front of Yi Xian. “Eat this.”

Yi Xian saw new wounds on her, fresh cuts and burns that were still bleeding. Most were lightning strikes. “You don’t feel pain?”

Lan Tong replied, “Used to it.”

Yi Xian felt an odd kinship. She, too, had treated her own wounds alone countless times. Even in this world, it had become routine except that now, Duanmu Ya sometimes helped her with the ones she couldn’t reach. “Sit still. Don’t move.”

Lan Tong sat cross-legged and watched the light forming in Yi Xian’s hands. “That thing doesn’t hurt people.”

Yi Xian understood her meaning. Most others’ spirit energy carried aggression. The beast tamers who had attacked her earlier had filled the air with destructive power. “You beastmen heal yourselves by licking?”

Lan Tong’s lips curved slightly. “You.”

Yi Xian wanted to hit her again, but didn’t know where, since she was covered in wounds. “This is Light Spirit. Most of your injuries are from lightning. Lightning energy is among the most destructive of elements. You should be careful if you meet a lightning beast tamer again.”

Lan Tong’s eyes lit with curiosity. “Then you’re a Light Spirit Tamer? Your light is very bright. You could blind them in battle.”

Yi Xian didn’t know whether to call her clever or shameless. “You killed disciples of Mingwang Peak today. Qingshan Sect won’t abandon the secret realm keys for a few deaths, but they’ll want revenge. Maybe not openly, but they’ll come for you later during the tournament or inside the secret realm. Don’t leave camp alone. And don’t let Xiao Nan wander off.”

Lan Tong’s eyes brightened. “You’re worried about us.”

Yi Xian raised an eyebrow. That expectant look in those blue eyes made her sigh. “I’m worried about Xiao Nan. If they want to bait you, all they need is her.”

Lan Tong’s expression drooped. Even looking worn and bloodstained, with her golden hair, blue eyes, and high nose bridge, she still carried that exotic allure. But Yi Xian was unmoved. She’d met too many foreign women in her mercenary days to be swayed by beauty.

Yi Xian spent the night in Lan Tong’s tent, healing their injuries until dawn. When she finally confirmed it, her heart sank as she realized the cub’s leg bone was broken.

Although her Light Spirit aided the healing, Xiao Nan’s steps remained weak and uneven when she tried to walk. She could no longer hop and run as she once did. The cub grew quiet and listless, lying still on the hide. Even her favorite white fruits could not lift her spirits.

Yi Xian thought hard. This couldn’t continue. Even a human would find it hard to accept being crippled, let alone a beast. She couldn’t imagine the little one’s human form limping for life.

She left a beastman to watch Xiao Nan and returned to Qingshan Sect.

The moment Duanmu Ya saw her, she pulled her aside. “Yi Xian, where have you been these past two days? Something huge happened! Mingwang Peak’s disciples were attacked by beastmen, more than ten of them! Some are dead, and some are maimed. Everyone’s furious and demanding justice. Wait, your face looks strange. Why aren’t you surprised?”

Yi Xian said flatly, “There were only seven. One dead, maybe two crippled. If they’d all died, it’d be cleaner.”

Just thinking of the cub’s leg made her want to break all of theirs. “Xiao Ya, if someone’s leg bone breaks, do you know how to fix it?”

Duanmu Ya blinked and knelt to inspect her legs. “You look fine. But normally, you’d need Bone-Mending Ointment. Light Spirit could heal it, though, if you cultivate diligently.”

Yi Xian grabbed her sleeve. “You mean Light Spirit can heal broken bones?”

Duanmu Ya nodded. “Remember the Marrow-Cleansing Pill? It renews the body. Light Spirit can do something similar, but it works from the inside out—”

Yi Xian interrupted. “From the inside out. You mean… exactly that?”

“Of course. When you cultivate, Light Spirit expels toxins from your organs and widens your meridians. It can gradually mend bones, too.”

Yi Xian understood. That method was only for cultivators. “The ointment, let’s talk about the Bone-Mending Ointment. Do you have any?”

Duanmu Ya shook her head. “Of course not. I’ve never needed it.”

Yi Xian looked at her seriously. “Xiao Ya, I need your help.”

After listening to Yi Xian’s explanation, Duanmu Ya slammed her hand on the table. “Those bastards! Hurting a child? Shameless! And now they’re pretending to be victims?”

“Pretending to be victims?” Yi Xian asked.

“Yes! They’re saying they ran into beastmen at the foot of the mountain, tried to ignore them, but the beastmen attacked first. They fought back in defense, and Senior Xu was killed by one of the beastmen. Now everyone in Qingshan Sect is demanding retribution.”

Yi Xian’s tone was calm. “Good.”

Duanmu Ya stared at her. “Good? How is that good?”

Yi Xian’s only comfort was that they hadn’t mentioned Xiao Nan. As long as the cub’s name stayed out of this, she would remain safe. “Hatred between humans and beastmen won’t vanish overnight. Even without this, something else would’ve reignited it.”

Duanmu Ya thought about it and reluctantly nodded. “You’re probably right.”

Yi Xian said, “Forget that for now. Tell me what ingredients the Bone-Mending Ointment needs.”

Duanmu Ya scratched her head. “Most are easy to find, but one isn’t. You’ll need Bone Tendon, and it only comes from one type of phantom beast. Hard to find.”

“What kind of beast? Where can I find it?” Yi Xian pressed.

Duanmu Ya gestured its size with her hands. “The Bone-Spiked Beast. Covered in spines, long and bristling like strands of hair.”

Yi Xian, “…