"But, whether itâs the hatching or the subsequent cultivation, itâs all very troublesome. Besides, thatâs just the theoretical upper limit. When it actually hatches, it might not necessarily reach the true Spirit Saint Level!"
It was rare to see his unreliable old dad speak so seriously.
Su Ping chuckled. "It doesnât matter. I never intended to contract that so-called Egg of the Five Saints as my own Contracted Beast anyway!"
Su Ping wasnât lying. He hadnât even considered it; that kind of Pet Beast didnât align with his cultivation philosophy.
Su Anyong was taken aback. "You donât plan to contract it, so you donât want it anymore?"
"Just because Iâm not contracting it doesnât mean I donât want it. Iâll take it home and raise it for now. Who knows, maybe later Iâll want to contract it or find some other use for it?"
Su Anyong looked skeptical.
Does he even hear what heâs saying? Thatâs a Pet Beast egg that could potentially reach the Spirit Saint Level, not some Forest Wolf he can just raise however he pleases!
However, Su Ping didnât respond to him but suddenly said, "Su Anyong, tell me the truth. What Realm are you at now?"
Su Anyong raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask? Iâm definitely stronger than you, thatâs for sure."
Su Ping gave this old coot an unfriendly look.
Well, whatever. This old coot was as secretive as an unmarried maiden from ancient times. After all these years, he hadnât revealed a thing, leaving Su Ping completely unaware of what this old cootâs Contracted Beasts were.
After a pause, Su Ping continued, "In that case, Iâll raise it for now. When you break through to your next Realm and gain more Contracted Beast slots, you can contract it then."
"I..."
Su Anyong opened his mouth; he hadnât expected Su Ping to come out with such a statement.
"You..."
Su Ping directly interrupted him. "Su Anyong, has the Rong Family treated you well? Considering your personality, even so many years after Momâs death, you still seem to be in contact with the Rong Family and on pretty good terms."
Su Anyong fell silent, then nodded, a trace of reminiscence on his face. "Indeed, they were good. The Old Master wasnât against your mom and me. Back then, your dad was just a simple soldier, with a status worlds apart from your momâs.
"To be honest, the first time I visited your momâs family, I was indeed a bit nervous. I was even prepared to say things like âfortune changes over thirty years.â But the Old Master was always supportive.
"After your mom passed away unexpectedly, he was also very supportive of me. He felt apologetic and guilty that I was implicated by the Rong Family and had to leave the Legion.
"Actually, the Old Master has always been good to you. The reason he hasnât contacted you all these years was also to prevent the Rong Family from affecting your future, as it did mine.
"But this has nothing to do with you. You donât have to accept the Old Masterâs gift just because of me, nor do you need to get unnecessarily entangled with the Rong Family beyond our blood ties..."
Su Ping, however, didnât seem concerned. "What kind of entanglement is that?"
Su Anyong sighed. "Youâre like a newborn calf that doesnât fear the tiger. Back in those days, the suppression by the various great families, the rise of every new faction in the countryâthey all climbed up over the corpses of powerful aristocratic families!
"If it werenât for your Second Masterâs connections with Ximo, let alone other matters, it would have been questionable whether your dad could have even kept his military rank, or indeed, his life...
"Nowadays, many people have risen to power through such means. If your appearance becomes linked with the Rong Family, it might stir up talk of an aristocratic resurgence! For you, this could tarnish an otherwise promising future."
Su Ping smiled. "Let alone what Leng Ye said about times being different now compared to decades ago. Even if it were decades earlier, so what? Dad, let me ask you, if you were a Saint Spirit-level Beast Tamer at that time, would your connections with the Rong Family have affected you?"
Su Anyong was stunned, then became furious, slamming his hand onto the table. "You little rascal, still trying to put on airs with your old man? Are you trying to tell me that youâre now a Saint Spirit-level Beast Tamer? Are you implying that the reason your dad is such a screw-up and got entangled with the Rong Family is purely because heâs incompetent and always looking over his shoulder?"
Just as Su Ping had mustered his youthful arrogance and vigor, Su Anyong slapped it all away. Su Ping instinctively shrank his neck. "Thatâs more or less what I meant."
"So thatâs what you meant! You little brat, youâre incorrigible! Anyway, Iâll speak to the Old Master and have him revoke his decision. If you donât want to contract that Egg of the Five Saints, why insist on getting involved in this mess?"
Finding that appealing to emotion and reason was useless, Su Anyong decided to take a hard line.
Su Ping let out a long sigh. "Su Anyong, didnât you give me Xiao Qing from the Rong Family in the first place? So, if I accept this Egg of the Five Saints and give it to you to contract, wouldnât that be perfectly reasonable?"
"âReasonable my foot! A mutated Forest Wolf comparable to the Egg of the Five Saints? Enough of this nonsense. Iâm going to find the Old Master."
"Indeed, theyâre incomparable. Perhaps Xiao Qing is even more precious to me. Hey! Donât go! Wait a minute!"
Su Ping called out to Su Anyong, who was cursing and about to get up, and directly asked him a question, "Su Anyong, let me ask you something. You have to answer me truthfully, swearing on your conscience and on Momâs spirit in heaven!"
As expected, Su Anyong stopped, his gaze turning hostile as he looked at Su Ping.
"Do you currently lack a Contracted Beast? Or, to put it another way, for Momâs sake, do you want to contract one of the Rong Familyâs patrimonial Five Saints?"
Do I need a Contracted Beast? For Ah Chunâs sake?
Su Anyong fell silent for a moment before he finally said, "In a while, I should be advancing to Emperor Level. As an Emperor-level Beastmaster, I indeed havenât decided on my fifth Pet Beast yet. Your mother was strong-willed. However, in her era, the Egg of the Five Saints hadnât yet appeared. Ah Chun once told me that even if she couldnât become the Beastmaster for an Egg of the Five Saints, she wanted you to... Bah, forget it! She only said that because sheâs gone now. If she were still here, sheâd never agree to let you get involved in this mess. Alright, I wonât waste my breath on you!"
Su Anyong headed straight for the door. However, just then, Su Ping narrowed his eyes and spoke up again, "Emperor Level... Su Anyong, youâve hidden it deep, havenât you?! Youâre part of the Legion, right? If youâre with the Legion, youâre a Legion Beast Tamer, which means youâre a soldier. And soldiers must obey their superiors, correct?!"
"Hmm?" Su Anyong looked dubiously at Su Ping, whose expression had turned serious.
This kid, my superior? Donât tell me heâs planning to use Leng Ye to pressure me?
Soon, this puzzled and muttering father of his went from surprise to utter shock.
This was because Su Ping, as if performing a magic trick, took something out from his coat.
It was a golden badge.
The badge featured a coiled Five-clawed Golden Dragon, and an indescribable majesty accompanied its appearance.
Su Anyong stared, dumbfounded, as his son pinned the item to his chest. Then Su Ping spoke, "Su Anyong, as the holder of the Dragon Emblem, I order you: stop looking for trouble! Iâve already said Iâm leaving that Egg of the Five Saints for you to contract. Just obey the order and donât be ungrateful!"
He looked at his smirking son.
Then he looked at the golden badge on his sonâs chestâthe very same emblem he had only ever seen on the Second Master or in restricted photographs.
Su Anyong was bewildered and confused.
But he knew that despite all his precautions, he hadnât prevented it.
In the end, this little rascal had still managed to show off.