Chapter 74: Show Some Spine
Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Show Some Spine
’Women! You will not sway my devotion to Martial Arts!’
With great willpower, Tang Wen refused their offer to help him undress and warm his bed.
He sent the three women out the door.
The foot wash and massage alone had already left him too worked up to sleep.
He had no choice but to practice several rounds of the Eight Vajra Techniques, burning off energy and distracting himself at the same time.
The next morning, Tang Wen instructed the three women that they no longer needed to come and wash his feet in the evening.
He needed to devote himself to his Martial Arts Training and strive to become an Awakened as soon as possible.
The main reason was that he knew his willpower was quite average.
At his core, he was just an ordinary office worker.
Back when he was in the city, the only reason he could control himself and avoid indulgence was all thanks to one word: "poor."
The dream he had last night was hotter than any film from Tokyo.
He truly had no confidence he could withstand the temptation, so his only option was to stay away from it until he broke through and became an Awakened.
If you’re afraid of getting your shoes wet, stay away from the riverbank!
Today was a day off.
Tang Wen was in the courtyard, focused on his training.
[Earth Fire Stance (Meditation), Mastery (2831/3000)]
[Breathing Technique, Beginner (411/500)]
His experience in the Earth Fire Stance and Breathing Technique was nearly maxed out, so Tang Wen dedicated more time to them, seeking a quick breakthrough.
Then there was Hard Qigong.
[Hard Qigong, Master (909/1000)]
Thinking back on the last battle, the tips of those three Armor-Piercing Arrows had reeked horribly. They were clearly coated in poison.
A wave of retroactive fear washed over Tang Wen, and he secretly decided that until his Hard Qigong reached the level of Great Success, he would absolutely not take off his two layers of Scale Armor!
’No, even after my Hard Qigong reaches Great Success, I should still wear it.’
"Commander Tang Wen! Commander Zhou Bing! Please hurry to the Royal Palace for a council meeting!"
At dusk, a messenger suddenly arrived.
Shattering the day’s peace.
Tang Wen sheathed his saber, and Zhou Bing put away her spear.
With the three women helping them, the two got ready and made their way to the Royal Palace.
「In the Council Hall.」
The hall was packed with Commanders, all of their eyes fixed on General Zhao.
Once everyone had arrived, General Zhao spoke. "We’ve negotiated terms with Elder Ya, the one who is both a Beastmaster and a Pharmacist. The camp will give him preferential treatment in exchange for him teaching us the arts of Beast Taming and pharmacy."
"He’ll begin by teaching Beast Taming tomorrow. All available Commanders should attend. And this must be kept secret. We can’t have Black Mountain Camp finding out before we’ve even learned the skill ourselves..."
’Beast Taming?’
He recalled how the Slave Capture Team had run them ragged with the help of the Blood Crows.
Tang Wen and Zhou Bing discussed it and decided to take turns attending the lessons, ensuring their duties in the Hunting Battalion were still covered.
The next morning, Tang Wen arrived at the gate of a heavily guarded courtyard.
Even before entering, he could hear the CAW CAW CAW of Blood Crows.
Upon entering, he saw several rows of tables and chairs. On them sat birdcages, each containing a half-grown Blood Crow.
Tang Wen was no stranger to these Blood Crows.
He was the one who had ordered his men to move them from Elder Ya’s home.
"So, it’s you."
Elder Ya lay on a recliner, looking at the young man who had captured him. He showed no intention of standing, simply rocking back and forth leisurely and taking an occasional swig of wine from his gourd.
"The wine your camp brews is mediocre at best!"
Tang Wen picked up the booklet on the table and said casually, "If you despise it so much, don’t drink it."
"Hmph. Youngsters these days have no respect for their elders. Kid, you’re not even eighteen, are you? To think a backwater place like this could produce a genius like you! However, being a genius at Martial Arts doesn’t mean you can learn Beast Taming. I’d advise you not to waste your time. Better go back and focus on your training!"
Elder Ya grumbled to himself.
Another seven or eight people trickled into the courtyard.
Aside from the Commanders, there were also captains.
Tang Wen had arrived earliest, so he took a seat in the front row.
He had already flipped through the booklet on raising Blood Crows once.
Elder Ya stood up and began to lecture, huffing and glaring.
"To command a Blood Crow, you must first understand the Blood Crow! Do you understand? Do you?! The only ’bird’ you lot understand is the one in your pants!"
When it came to his area of expertise, Elder Ya was full of spirit.
He had the same aggressive air as a street peddler shouting his wares.
Given that he possessed genuine skill, no one bothered to argue with him.
Elder Ya continued his venom-tongued mockery. "Many of you aren’t even as good as a Blood Crow."
Someone scoffed, indicating that he should stop before he went too far.
But he continued, "And don’t you get all indignant. Blood Crows are monogamous for life. If the female dies, the male lives out the rest of his days alone! Which one of you can do that?"
"Ha! As if that’s true."
"Heh heh, what are you, old man? A crow in disguise?"
"HAHAHAHA!"
The courtyard filled with boisterous laughter.
Elder Ya’s eyes went wide with anger. He wanted to curse them out, but then he saw their unfriendly gazes.
All he could do was fume silently.
The content of the lesson was very simple.
It was mostly about observing the Blood Crows, understanding their habits, feeding them, and giving them water.
Elder Ya explained a few key points. An hour or so later, the lesson was over, and each of the Commanders left, carrying a cage with a cawing Blood Crow inside.
They shot suspicious glances at Elder Ya, muttering and cursing as they walked away.
"That old geezer... he’s holding back the real stuff, isn’t he?"
"I think so, too. Everything he taught was just basic bird-raising stuff."
Only Tang Wen didn’t move. He took out his flint and steel, and using a pair of tweezers, he roasted a plump green caterpillar over the flame.
A few seconds later, he stuffed the insect into the gaping beak of the little Blood Crow.
Then he took out a small, wine-cup-sized stone bowl from the cage, heated it, and poured in some clean water.
"You’ve raised birds before, kid?"
Elder Ya looked puzzled. Warm food was much better for young birds.
Tang Wen smiled and carefully stroked the little Blood Crow, which had now eaten its fill.
The small Blood Crow, more intelligent than an ordinary bird, began to feel a sense of familiarity toward him.
Once it had eaten and drunk its fill, it began to nuzzle its small head against the pad of his finger.
The Attribute Panel popped up: [Beast Taming Skill, Beginner (0/500)]
In that instant, the little Blood Crow grew even closer to him.
It nuzzled his finger nonstop, even pecking him gently with its fledgling beak.
"You’re one lucky kid."
Elder Ya looked embarrassed. His earlier words urging Tang Wen to quit were still echoing in his ears.
Blood Crows are notoriously ill-tempered. Generally speaking, they don’t grow so close to people.
"Aside from being diligent with its daily care, is there anything else you can teach me?"
"Hmph! This is just the beginning. Focus on raising it properly! We’ll talk again in a week."
Tang Wen didn’t mind. He simply picked up the birdcage and left the courtyard.
That afternoon, Zhou Bing returned from her lesson empty-handed.
She explained, "I need to focus all my energy on my Martial Arts."
Tang Wen squeezed her hand. "Right. So you can become an Awakened sooner."
Tang Wen, however, planned to continue learning Beast Taming.
For him, it was a simple matter of convenience.
When other people raised a Blood Crow, it would caw, and they wouldn’t understand what it meant.
But when Tang Wen’s Blood Crow cawed, he would try feeding it. If his experience points increased, it meant he had done the right thing.
With this instant feedback, learning Beast Taming was like playing a game.
He tried various foods for the Blood Crow and eventually discovered the little creature’s favorite: a mixture of lamb’s blood, minced meat, and maize.
「Seven days passed.」
It was time for the second Beast Taming class.
Fewer than half the people from the first class had shown up.
Other than Tang Wen, not a single Commander had come; the only attendees were captains or ordinary Guards.
Watching Tang Wen stick his hand into the cage and freely ruffle the Blood Crow’s little head, Elder Ya’s expression grew unsettled.
’When I was learning, I had to coat my entire hand in bird droppings just to get my Blood Crow to stop rejecting me.’
’And I had to endure that pungent smell for half a month before I could even get this far.’
’What the hell? I haven’t even taught him the ’bird-dropping’ trick, yet this Blood Crow has already completely surrendered and is letting him do whatever he wants?’
’Show some backbone!’
’Peck him!’
’You’re a Mutated Beast! Even a low-level Mutated Beast is still a Mutated Beast!’