Chapter 30

ch 30.1 – A Pleasant Surprise

All the little ears perked up when they heard about going into the mountains. Cheng Biyuan looked at his daughter and finally shook his head and wouldn’t let the three young ones to go with them. He told the three of them to stay home and cultivate.

Under the disappointed look of the three young ones, Cheng Xiao Xiao followed her dad into the mountain in the back of the house.

“Xiao Xiao, what do you need from the mountain?” asked Cheng Biyuan.

Cheng Xiao Xiao held nothing back, “Dad, I want to go look for precious herbs, or vicious beasts. If I can collect these into the dimension, it can be leveled up. As the level of the dimension increases, it will have more abilities.”

“Oh!” Cheng Biyuan nodded, he wasn’t that surprised by it. “You can plant the herbs in the dimension, but what can you do with the vicious beasts?”

That he couldn’t figure out, but he was curious. Why would you want to keep a bunch of vicious beasts in the dimension?

“Dad, have you ever heard of summoners or beast driver?” answered Cheng Xiao Xiao with a question.

Summoners? Beast driver?

These words made him think of a very prestigious title – beast tamers!

Beast tamers were those that understood wild beasts. They could summon vicious beasts from the forest to fight for them. The flying beasts could even let me ride and travel on. There were only a handful of these beast tamers in Dafeng Country. Whenever one of them appeared, they would be treated as special guest by the emperor. They get to stay in the palace and are well feared and respected.

Whenever one appeared in a dynasty, they would strike fear into even nearby countries. Summoners were too terrifying. The kind of beasts that they could summon could defeat even the most elite soldiers. Who would dare fight something like that?

Was she saying that…

Cheng Biyuan’s eyes widened and looked of disbelief. He was so excited that he started to stutter, “Xiao, Xiao Xiao, are you saying that, you mean, you can become a beast tamer?”

“Beast tamer?” Cheng Xiao Xiao was no stranger to that term either. It’s really the synonym to summoner or beast driver, just a different name.

“Yes, dad. With the dimension, I can collect vicious beasts inside. They will recognize me as their master. From then on, both Yuteng and me can use them to fight for us, I guess that will make me a beast tamer.”

“Oh god, that is great. It really is. You, us, beast tamer. A beast tamer in the Cheng’s family!” Even the usually staid and earnest Cheng Biyuan started to ramble from excitement after hearing this news. Cheng Xiao Xiao could see a hint of tears out of the corner of her father’s eyes.

“This is fantastic. Our branch could have such a talent, and a well-respected beast tamer at that. Ha ha ha ha…”

Cheng Biyuan was laughing so heartily he didn’t care that Cheng Xiao Xiao was standing right next to him. Cheng Xiao Xiao saw tears running down his face and had mixed emotions. From his words, she gathered that the Cheng’s was not from an ordinary background.

She had read too many novels with such cliché plotlines where someone of prestigious heritage like her dad being kicked out of the family that she had a pretty good idea what had happened.

Judging from his drastic reaction, he must be looking forward to the day where he could go back and brag about his achievements!

It took Cheng Biyuan quite a bit of time to regain his composure. He had a look of gentleness and determination, “Xiao Xiao, let’s go. Dad will take you to collect precious herbs and tame vicious wild beasts and let you become the most power beast tamer!”

“Okay!” Cheng Xiao Xiao smiled and nodded.

The father and daughter walked further into the mountain. This was a mountain that they have entered this time, not where she has gone to collect firewood with her brother previously.

ch 30.2 – A Pleasant Surprise

“Dad, are these uncharted territory?” asked Cheng Xiao Xiao as they walked on.

“You are exactly right. This ancient forest goes way deep, the beasts here are very powerful and had many different herbs. At the same time, these aren’t beasts that you everyday hunters can handle. I have only been here a few times. After all, we are just hunting for food, any wild animals will do, there is no need to come here to battle these vicious beasts.”

“Dad, have you seen mythical beasts?”

“Mythical beasts? The vicious beasts here can be considered as mythical beasts. They are more vicious and smarter than your normal beasts. Granted, if anything, they are on the lower end of the scale. I have heard that mythical beasts at the highest end can transform into human form. But these are legends, I have only heard of them.”

“Oh, so what’s the strongest mythical beast that you have encountered like?”

“The strongest mythical beast? The strongest mythical beast that I have seen was more powerful than a level 10 martial master!”

“Martial artist? Dad, what is a martial master?”

“Those who cultivate has different levels – martial apprentice, martial scholar, martial master, martial spiritualist, martial king, martial emperor, and martial monarch. Martial emperor and martial monarch only exist in legends. The strongest martial artists in Dafeng Country are merely martial king.”

The two chatted as they walked on and Cheng Xiao Xiao learned more as they go. She didn’t expect that each of these category further subdivided into ten levels, similar to that in her old novels.

From her father’s words, she learned that he was only a martial scholar before. But Yuteng’s healing power allowed him to achieve martial master. A martial master was already pretty high up in terms of ability in Dafeng Country.

After four hours of walking, Cheng Biyuan stopped. Looking at the mountain range in front of them, quietness surrounded them. Yet a surge of viciousness came at them from afar.

This was Cheng Xiao Xiao’s first time experiencing the magnificent of high mountains. She looked afar and saw clouds, fog, and all the mountains joining together. The vegetation was thick, and old, ancient trees rising up into the sky. In the midst of the fog, one could almost make out the roaring of vicious beasts.

“Xiao Xiao, are you afraid?” asked Cheng Biyuan with a smile.

Cheng Xiao Xiao smiled, “No, not with you around!”

She was somewhat buttering up to her father, but that aside, her father was a martial master and she has the dimension. There was nothing to be afraid about. Not to mention that little Yuteng was closeby, her safety was more or less guaranteed.

“Good, then let’s go!” Cheng Biyuan had a bright smile. Cheng Xiao Xiao’s buttering up had worked wonders.

“Okay!”

The two of them walked deeper into the mountain ranges.

“SSSSSsssss!”

A strange noice and Cheng Biyuan stopped in his steps. A bright, silvery light came bearing down from an ancient wood like a metal arrow!

“Be careful!”

A low cry from Cheng Biyuan and Cheng Xiao Xiao ducked to one side. She saw her father reached out and caught the silver bolt with two fingers right before it reached his face.

“SSSsssssss….”

A small, long, and silver snake curled around the father’s fingers. It let out a piercing noise but it couldn’t attack with it’s head being stuck between the fingers.

“Xiao Xiao, this is silver jade snake. It likes to hide and attack people from inside the tree. It looks soft but it’s hard like steel. It’s equivalent to a level three martial apprentice. But it’s most deadly weapon was its poison from it’s mouth. They are very toxic, even a little bit can kill a person. Do you want it inside the dimension?” Cheng Biyuan gave Cheng Xiao Xiao a brief explanation of the snake.

Cheng Xiao Xiao figured she already had a bandit krait, what’s another silver jade snake? She nodded, “Dad, let met collect it into the dimension. It could make a good assistant!”

“Up to you!”

Little Yuteng flashed out, waved her arm, and the silver snaked disappeared from inside Cheng Biyuan’s grip.