Beast Taming: the More the Better - Chapter 600 - 277: Five Poisons Family! Grandpa’s Gift!

Chapter 600: Chapter 277: Five Poisons Family! Grandpa’s Gift!

This is the entrance to an estate that at first glance seems rather ordinary.

However, this so-called ordinariness is judged from the perspective of Dragon Nation’s modern and even ancient standards.

This estate lacked tall buildings, somewhat resembling traditional ancient residences. However, it wasn’t quite like the gardens south of the Yangtze River with their red walls and green tiles; instead, it was more akin to the deep courtyards of the north.

Of course, Beihai City, where it was located, is indeed in the far north.

The most striking difference, leaving a lasting impression at first sight, was the pair of objects flanking the estate’s entrance. These were not the typical stone lion sculptures.

Instead, there were two extremely bizarre things.

Two giant Toads sitting on stone pedestals.

That’s right, two large Toad sculptures were positioned on either side of the gate.

They lent this majestic and solemn estate an indescribable atmosphere.

However, that wasn’t all.

Above the towering black gate, two things were carved as colorful painted patterns.

They were two vividly colored centipedes.

Their myriad splayed legs formed symmetrical patterns above the gate, connecting with the seams of the doors to create a strange, matching design.

Geez, just the entrance already features two of the Five Poisons. Indeed, as Su Ping had learned beforehand, the Rong Family truly is a standout in the legacy of Poison Type Breeder heritage. Although in the past several decades, the suppression of family-inherited Beast Tamer lineages has meant the Rong Family is far less illustrious than before, their foundation remains intact.

While Su Ping was carefully observing the Toad carvings on the large stone pedestals at the entrance, trying to determine what kind of Pet Beasts they depicted, the gate was pushed open.

A man who didn’t look old but had a weathered appearance emerged from the gate with a smile.

Following him were Rong Qiu, whom Su Ping had met once, and a man who strongly resembled Rong Qiu. He’s probably Rong Qiu’s brother, which would make him my uncle, Su Ping thought.

The man in the lead saw Su Anyong, who had returned, and Leng Ye beside him, and quickly said, “Ghost Saint has come personally, and I failed to greet you from afar immediately. Please forgive me, Ghost Saint.”

Leng Ye waved off the pretentious formalities and patted Su Ping’s shoulder. “Xiao Ping, this is your cheap grandfather Rong Bao. Call him grandpa!”

“Grandpa!” Su Ping called out cheerfully.

As Su Ping spoke, the man named Rong Bao finally turned his gaze to him. His smile, which had remained steady even before Leng Ye, trembled slightly upon meeting Su Ping’s eyes. He remarked, “He really does resemble him, even more so than in photographs and on television.”

The man mused, not minding the term ’cheap grandfather’ that Leng Ye had used.

Leng Ye spoke again, “Old Rong, now that your own maternal grandson is visiting for the first time, have you prepared a gift?”

“Uh…”

At these words, Rong Bao was briefly stunned, then cast a displeased glance at Su Anyong.

Clearly, Su Anyong hadn’t breathed a word about this visit; they had just shown up. How could he have thought to prepare a gift?

Thinking this, Rong Bao smiled and said, “My grandson’s first visit surely won’t lack a gift. Ghost Saint, rest assured, I will give Xiao Ping his gift during dinner tonight!”

The man behind Rong Bao, who Su Ping guessed was his uncle, smoothed things over with a smile, saying, “Please, Ghost Saint, and Father, come inside and talk. Xiao Ping must be tired from his journey. He should go rest first. It’s not too late to come for dinner; we’ll have plenty of time for a good chat then.” This man wore gold-rimmed glasses, and behind them, his face was exceptionally handsome, his smile refined.

“Tsk tsk, Old Rong, look how much more polite your Rong Xia is compared to you.”

Leng Ye chuckled and then confidently strode into the estate.

Rong Bao, unbothered by the sarcasm, turned to Rong Qiu and said, “Xiao Qiu, take my grandson to his room to rest first. Xiao Ping, rest up from your journey. It’s not too late to join us for dinner later; we’ll have plenty of time to chat properly then, grandfather to grandson.”

Meeting for the first time, Su Ping found this cheap maternal grandfather of his to be quite alright. It didn’t feel as estranged as he had imagined. After all, Su Ping hadn’t seen this man at all over the last twenty years, and this man hadn’t made any attempt to visit his grandson in Linzhou. To say there was any emotional connection was simply nonsense. In Su Ping’s view, his true family, aside from his soul Pet Beast and a few other Pet Beasts, consisted only of Su Anyong and Old Sha. As for these members of the Rong Family, he felt no particular estrangement, but certainly no warmth either. Grandfather, uncle, and even Rong Qiu, the young aunt now leading him to his room, were just so-so in his eyes. Of course, Su Ping remembered and appreciated kindness shown to him by others and was willing to be grateful and repay it. But still, Su Ping, though good-tempered and seemingly approachable, was very clear-headed about many relationships. Having not seen each other for over twenty years, what talk could there be of blood being thicker than water? That was pure nonsense, especially for these large, influential families. Their current warmth might stem from such ties, but that definitely wasn’t the whole story. Their cordiality was likely due to a few factors: Su Anyong’s successful return to Beihai City, Leng Ye’s backing in terms of connections and power, and the status Su Ping himself had achieved through his own efforts. Even so-called blood kinship, unless it’s immediate family, often requires one’s own strength for others to even acknowledge it.

Upon entering the mansion, Su Ping wasn’t surprised. It met his expectations: sculptures and markings of typical Poison Type Pet Beasts—toads, spiders, centipedes, scorpions, and pythons—were everywhere.

It was a distinctive feature of the Rong Family.

Previously, Su Ping had heard that the Rong Family was also known as one of the Five Saints Families, or the Five Poisons Family.

“Su Ping, this is your first time home. This room originally belonged to my older sister—your mother. You’ll stay here during your days in Beihai City. If there’s nothing urgent at home, consider staying a bit longer,” Rong Qiu said, smiling warmly.

This woman had put on quite an act when she first visited the Heart of Woods, Su Ping recalled.

“How is your research on the Cold Water Wolf going?” she continued.

“It’s going well. Your method of cultivating poison within the body, using special resources to stimulate the Cold Water Wolf’s poison glands during Evolution, is a truly unique Cultivation insight!”

“Giggle, to receive praise from the cultivation genius who won first place in our Breeder competition, I, your young aunt, am truly blessed! How is the Evolution of your Forest Wolf progressing?” Rong Qiu asked as she led Su Ping into a separate courtyard.

“I’ve decided to advance its Evolution by focusing on Wood and Poison dual-types for in-depth Cultivation. I also have some ideas for its specific Abilities and form.”

“That’s right. With your Cultivation Talent, the Rong Family doesn’t need to worry much about Pet Beast Cultivation. But since your father has already promised, we won’t skimp on necessary aid! So, if you need anything for the Evolution, just let us know,” Rong Qiu said.

Su Ping nodded and, not holding back, said, “I do need some help. Poison System resources are hard to come by on the market, and the Breeder Association has strict restrictions. Since the Rong Family is a major name in Poison Type Pet Beasts, I would like an Emperor Level Poison System Resource.”

Rong Qiu was slightly taken aback but then nodded thoughtfully. “No problem, I’ll talk to Father about it.”

Su Ping chatted with his young aunt Rong Qiu for a good while.

Only then did he begin to understand the Rong Family better.

Such a vast estate obviously wasn’t inhabited by just his grandfather Rong Bao, his uncle Rong Xia, and Rong Qiu.

Within the Rong Family estate, besides Rong Xia’s family, there were several other branches.

In total, counting all the various branches, the direct relatives and their immediate families numbered over a hundred.

This fit Su Ping’s image of a huge family.

In the past, members of the Rong Family had held important positions throughout Dragon Nation. Now, however, they could only manage minor roles in business or other sectors to get by.

This was Dragon Nation’s way of suppressing the great families.

Of course, for the younger generation like Su Ping’s, restrictions were somewhat looser; within the Rong Family, some served in the military or studied in academies.

Apart from Rong Family affairs, Su Ping’s conversation with Rong Qiu mostly revolved around his inquiries about Heavenly Mountain.

Xiao Qing was a Pet Beast the Rong Family had discovered in the large wildlife park at Heavenly Mountain.

Of course, whether a Rong Family member had personally discovered it was unknown.

In any case, if Xiao Qing was found there, then it was highly likely that the Legendary Level resource, Biyao Chunshen, was also there.

Heavenly Mountain is located less than a hundred kilometers south of Beihai City but covers a vast area.

A continuous expanse of mountain forests connects several cities.

Finding Biyao Chunshen in this area, even if Xiao Qing could sense it somewhat, would certainly not be easy.

But difficult or not, the task had to be undertaken.

Su Ping had made up his mind. If nothing unexpected happened, he would spend most of his time in Beiyuan Province at Heavenly Mountain. As for when he would find Biyao Chunshen, or even if he could find it at all, that remained unknown. Even Su Ping wasn’t confident, but he wouldn’t pass up even the slightest chance.

However, an unexpected event occurred that very night, catching Su Ping by surprise. He didn’t have to wait long. After all, it was already afternoon when he arrived in Beihai City, and the Rong Family’s evening banquet soon commenced.

With Leng Ye’s attendance, and Su Ping—who could just about be considered a direct maternal grandson of the Rong Family—arriving for the first time, Su Ping saw at the feast the large gathering of the Rong Family’s extended relatives that Rong Qiu had mentioned.

Not to mention, there were quite a few young people of the Rong Family from his own generation. Compared to the Dong Family, which Dong Muyun said had dwindled significantly, did the Rong Family, one of the Five Saints Families, still seem so thriving?

As the guest of honor at the banquet, Su Ping was immediately warmly welcomed by Rong Bao. He was seated between his grandfather and Leng Ye, in the most honored positions at the table. This cheap grandfather of his then vigorously introduced him to everyone.

At the enormous family dining table, everyone wore smiles, offering the warmest welcome to this maternal grandson from the direct line of the Rong Family.

At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.

However, when Rong Bao, his cheap grandfather, spoke the next words in front of everyone, many faces in the room could no longer hide their discontent:

“Chun’er’s early passing is one of the few great regrets of my life. Xiao Ping hasn’t been back to the Rong Family for so many years, and now that he has arrived, I, as his grandfather, must show my support! Therefore, I, in my capacity as the Family Head of this generation of the Rong Family, have decided: one of the Eggs of the Five Saints produced by our family in the Five Saints Secret Realm this generation will be given to Xiao Ping to incubate and nurture.”

At these words, Su Ping looked puzzled, Su Anyong frowned slightly, and a knowing, meaningful smile touched Leng Ye’s lips.

As for the rest of the Rong Family members, apart from Rong Qiu, even the man Su Ping knew as his uncle, Rong Xia, looked none too pleased.