Chapter 62
[Jin Du was furious over Yuan Chenxing's refusal to play along, but at the same time, he became even more interested in him.]
[After getting tired of obedient beauties, trying something rebellious and untamed sounded refreshing.]
[Jin Du told Yuan Chenxing that he had simply been too busy lately and had unintentionally neglected him.]
[He also claimed he had already punished the people responsible.]
[Then he asked Yuan Chenxing whether he was satisfied. If not, he could personally deal with them himself, and Jin Du would support him.]
[To be fair, Jin Du truly was a skilled hunter.]
[For the sake of getting what he wanted, he could lower himself before his prey, and his words were exceptionally persuasive.]
[Most people would have seized the opportunity immediately.]
[But Yuan Chenxing had already seen through his true face. He wasn't fooled.]
Punished?
Yuan Chenxing let out a cold, disdainful laugh.
That was nothing but empty talk.
Those people acted under Jin Du's authority as the young sect master. How could Jin Du possibly abandon his own dogs?
Claiming they had been punished was easy.
Actually doing it was another matter entirely.
[Yuan Chenxing bluntly stated that he wanted to personally witness their punishment.]
[Jin Du clearly hadn't expected such a response. His expression stiffened on the spot before he ordered the men to be brought over.]
[The group was beaten until they were half dead. Only then did Yuan Chenxing finally tell them to stop.]
[Dragging along his own injured body, he personally broke their ribs, crushed their hands, and snapped their leg bones.]
[In truth, Yuan Chenxing wanted to crush their throats and kill them outright. But he understood Jin Du's bottom line.]
[So he endured it. Afterward, Jin Du asked whether he had vented his anger enough.]
Ruan Qingzhu immediately rolled her eyes.
That scumbag really had the nerve to ask.
Senior Brother Yuan had been beaten into that state, yet Jin Du acted like he couldn't even see his injuries.
If he truly cared, he would have treated Yuan Chenxing long ago instead of pretending afterward.
Lou Yuqing thought exactly the same thing.
[Jin Du lowering himself before Yuan Chenxing was nothing more than strategy. He never actually cared about Yuan Chenxing's feelings.]
[In Jin Du's eyes, Yuan Chenxing was simply a "beauty" worth conquering.]
[Once he succeeded, all this fake patience would disappear instantly.]
[Offering Yuan Chenxing a chance to retaliate was merely a calculated move.]
[He wanted Yuan Chenxing to feel appeased. To soften. To lower his guard.]
[Unexpectedly, Jin Du's attention suddenly shifted elsewhere.]
[Toward the Silver Moon Wolf.]
[The little wolf had only recently awakened its illusion abilities. Its aura remained unstable, and although it tried to hide itself, traces of that newly awakened power still leaked out.]
Ling Yunxiao's brows lifted slightly.
[The Silver Moon Wolf had originally been Jin Du's intended natal spirit beast.]
[As for why he hadn't personally nurtured it and instead handed it to an outsider to care for—that part was unclear.]
[But one thing was obvious. The little wolf clearly disliked Jin Du. It preferred Yuan Chenxing instead.]
[Originally, if Yuan Chenxing managed to establish a contract before Jin Du noticed anything, success should not have been difficult.]
[But now? That possibility had practically vanished.]
Yuan Chenxing himself remained calm.
After all, those events were already long past.
The reason Jin Du had neglected Zhizhi before was simple.
At the time, Zhizhi had not yet awakened any supernatural abilities.
And for beast tamers, whether a spirit beast possessed supernatural abilities or not made an enormous difference.
Spirit beasts capable of awakening such powers were exceedingly rare.
[Jin Du was overjoyed after discovering the Silver Moon Wolf had awakened its supernatural abilities.]
[In that instant, he even forgot about Yuan Chenxing.]
[As long as he successfully formed a contract with the Silver Moon Wolf, the bottleneck suppressing his cultivation would immediately shatter.]
[His aptitude was extremely poor.]
[His meridians were naturally blocked, and he possessed mixed five-element spiritual roots.]
[Even after consuming countless medicinal pills, he remained stuck at the peak of Qi Refinement without making further progress.]
[The Silver Moon Wolf had originally been captured specifically for him by the Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.]
[As long as Jin Du completed the contract, he could use the spirit beast's power to force a breakthrough.]
[Unfortunately, Jin Du was arrogant by nature.]
[Before the Silver Moon Wolf awakened its abilities, he looked down on it completely. He believed a spirit beast without supernatural powers wasn't worthy of him.]
[He even demanded that the sect master search for stronger spirit beasts instead.]
Seeing this, Lou Yuqing instantly had countless complaints bottled up inside her.
[You're already this useless and you still dare look down on the little gray wolf?]
[With your trash talent, you should be secretly thanking heaven for getting such a powerful spirit beast.]
[No wonder the little wolf hates you.]
[You're the one getting carried here, okay? Imagine how much pressure that wolf has to endure dragging your cultivation upward.]
[And now the moment you see awakened abilities, your entire attitude flips overnight.]
[Your face-changing speed is seriously impressive.]
Steward Xie listened while nodding repeatedly in agreement.
Exactly.
People like Jin Du would do anything for profit.
Changing expressions faster than flipping a page was practically a basic survival skill for them.
[Jin Du was an extremely meticulous person.]
[To celebrate obtaining his future natal spirit beast, he specially organized a contract ceremony.]
[He planned to formally establish the contract with the Silver Moon Wolf while receiving admiration and congratulations from everyone present.]
[Under those circumstances, his attention toward Yuan Chenxing naturally weakened considerably.]
[If Yuan Chenxing chose to escape during this period, his chances of success would become much higher.]
[However, whenever Yuan Chenxing remembered the little wolf's pleading eyes and the bond between them, he hesitated again and again.]
[In the end, he still stayed.]
[He wanted to see whether there was any possibility of taking the little wolf away with him.]
[Even when Jin Du demanded he become his male concubine, Yuan Chenxing endured the humiliation and agreed temporarily while waiting for an opportunity.]
[Waaaah, this is so touching.]
[This is true love!]
Yuan Chenxing: "..."
That really wasn't necessary.
He honestly was not that devoted.
If there truly had been no escape route, he definitely would have run for his life.
After all—there was absolutely no way he could genuinely become someone's male concubine.
During that period, Jin Du constantly used various excuses to initiate physical contact.
Yuan Chenxing's patience had already reached its limit.
He had no doubt that if Jin Du ever tried forcing himself on him—he would drag Jin Du down to hell with him.
Fortunately, Jin Du considered himself a refined gentleman.
He disliked forcing unwilling people.
Seeing Yuan Chenxing's continued resistance, he generously claimed he could wait a little longer and give him time to mentally prepare himself.
At the same time, he continued showering Yuan Chenxing with cultivation resources.
Yuan Chenxing understood perfectly well what that was.
A sugar-coated bullet.
So he ate the sugar coating—and threw away the bullet.
No matter how kind Jin Du pretended to be, Yuan Chenxing still did not want to become his male concubine.
[Yuan Chenxing's patience eventually paid off.]
[On the night before the contract ceremony, he discovered that the guards watching the Silver Moon Wolf had gotten drunk.]
[Taking advantage of the opportunity, he quietly snuck inside and successfully took the little wolf away.]
[Jin Du was extremely arrogant and never bothered setting up defensive formations or restrictions.]
[Yuan Chenxing immediately formed a contract with the Silver Moon Wolf.]
[The moment the contract was completed, his injuries recovered to peak condition.]
[His cultivation also broke through several levels in succession.]
[Afterward, he placed the little wolf inside a spirit beast pouch and fled the sect overnight.]
[Because he had previously worked under the young sect master, the disciples guarding the mountain did not make things difficult for him.]
[They simply let him leave.]
Only then did Ruan Qingzhu finally let out a breath of relief.
At least fate had not completely abandoned Senior Brother Yuan.
Yuan Chenxing rubbed his nose awkwardly.
Back then, he truly had been young and reckless.
There were two reasons he abducted the Silver Moon Wolf.
The first was to save Zhizhi.
The second—was revenge against Jin Du.
Looking back now, even he admired his younger self's courage.
With nothing but a surge of emotion, he had dared oppose the entire Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.
And afterward, he had nearly died during the pursuit.
[The next day, Jin Du proudly brought the Silver Moon Wolf out for the contract ceremony.]
[There are many types of contracts between beast tamers and spirit beasts.]
[Jin Du originally intended to establish the deepest bond possible—a Soul Contract.]
[Unfortunately, despite all their time together, the Silver Moon Wolf still refused to become close to him.]
[A Soul Contract requires mutual willingness.]
[If Jin Du forced it by brute force, the backlash could easily destroy him instead. Left with no other choice, he reluctantly settled for a Blood Contract.]
[At that moment, the Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and several high-ranking cultivators arrived together.]
[The instant they saw the "Silver Moon Wolf," all of their expressions froze.]
[Because that wasn't a Silver Moon Wolf at all. It was merely a stone concealed beneath an illusion.
[Jin Du's expression immediately darkened.]
[Still unwilling to believe it, he personally cut open the wolf's paw in front of everyone, intending to draw blood for the contract.]
[But the moment the blade touched it—]
[Bang.]
[The Silver Moon Wolf vanished instantly. The illusion shattered completely, revealing an ordinary stone beneath.]
[Silence fell over the entire ceremony.]
[No one expected such a humiliating disaster.]
Yuan Chenxing's smile brightened instantly.
Although he hadn't witnessed Jin Du's expression personally—he could imagine it perfectly.
And once Jin Du learned who was responsible?
That scene would become even more entertaining.
[The Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect immediately ordered an investigation.]
[The results came quickly.]
[Five suspects were identified, including Yuan Chenxing.]
[Large numbers of disciples were dispatched to capture them.]
[Yuan Chenxing encountered pursuers several times during his escape.]
[Fortunately, with the Silver Moon Wolf's illusion abilities helping him, he repeatedly escaped danger and continued fleeing elsewhere.]
Lou Yuqing sighed while shaking her head.
[The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect's higher-ups were honestly way too confident. Any one of them could've crushed Yuan Chenxing effortlessly.]
[Even with the Silver Moon Wolf helping him, he still would've stood no chance against true high-level cultivators.]
Yuan Chenxing nodded calmly in agreement.
That was true.
Fortunately, the higher-ups themselves never personally intervened.
Otherwise, he would never have escaped alive.
At the time, they still didn't know Yuan Chenxing had already formed a contract with the Silver Moon Wolf, so the disciples sent after him were not overwhelmingly powerful.
If Jin Du had not later used the Spirit Shadow Butterfly to track him—he actually might have escaped cleanly.
[Jin Du waited a very long time.]
[Eventually, every suspect except Yuan Chenxing was captured and brought back.]
[Only then did he finally realize—the "male concubine" he had never taken seriously had stabbed him with a devastating betrayal.]
[Enraged beyond reason, Jin Du used the Spirit Shadow Butterfly.]
[This spirit beast was weak and practically useless in combat. Most even died after a single use.]
[However, it possessed an extremely terrifying tracking ability.]
[As long as it smelled an item carrying a cultivator's aura, it could track them across tens of thousands of miles.]
[If Yuan Chenxing remained within range, escape would become impossible.]
[Jin Du personally led the pursuit.]
[Yuan Chenxing sensed the danger immediately and fled with the Silver Moon Wolf. Unfortunately, their strength was still insufficient.]
[Eventually, Jin Du cornered them beside a river while riding a flying magical artifact.]
[Neither side spoke.]
[Jin Du hated Yuan Chenxing to the bone. The moment he attacked, he used a killing move.]
[Yuan Chenxing was no match for him. He was struck directly in the chest and sent crashing into the river.]
[Seeing that Yuan Chenxing still hadn't died, Jin Du prepared to finish him off.]
[At that critical moment, the previously silent Silver Moon Wolf suddenly unleashed an illusion over everyone present.]
[Then it dove into the river, carrying Yuan Chenxing away at terrifying speed.]
[By the time everyone broke free from the illusion, the river had already returned to complete stillness.]
[Jin Du stood at the riverbank clutching the dead Spirit Shadow Butterfly.]
[He swore that one day he would tear Yuan Chenxing apart piece by piece to avenge both the theft of his spirit beast and the humiliation inflicted upon him.]
Lou Yuqing immediately scoffed.
[Ha. Pure impotent rage. At the end of the day, you still failed to catch him.]
Then she glanced toward Yuan Chenxing again, genuine admiration appearing in her eyes.
Honestly—pulling off something this outrageous took serious courage.
Yuan Chenxing silently thought: The bold get rich. The timid starve.