The Master of Beasts

Chapter 1033 - 371: Shadows Surge (Part 2)

About three hundred meters away from the Hundred Beasts Pavilion, there’s a rental building.

On the top of the rental building, a young man wearing sunglasses was holding a straw at the corner of his mouth, through which clear liquor flowed into his mouth.

"Brought back a child? Interesting, he’s always been under my surveillance, where did the child come from?"

The young man put down the bottle and touched his chin, saying, "It seems he still has some unknown methods."

Taking out the Mechanical Heart, the young man hesitated for a moment, then comforted himself, "My task is just to keep him within my sight, ensuring he doesn’t suddenly disappear. If I report that he suddenly brought a child back..."

"I would not only be reprimanded for dereliction of duty but also have my salary deducted, which is not worth it!"

"Hmm, got it, I’ll just be more diligent next time!"

"Ssss"

The young man’s shadow began to split, changing from one to four.

This action seemed to exhaust the young man’s energy, as his face turned somewhat pale.

"One Shadow Guard isn’t enough, then make it three!"

The young man was clearly a Shadow Mage!

As the shadows rapidly moved towards the Hundred Beasts Pavilion, a pair of bright eyes in the darkness closely watched everything. This person was Hei Yue!

To avoid the Assassination Association and gain freedom, Hei Yue chose to follow Chen Jiuge, relying on the Yun Family’s power.

However, the Assassination Association is a force not inferior to the Yun Family. After following Chen Jiuge to the Dusk Main City, Hei Yue had been hiding in the dark, assisting Zhuo Lin’s experiments.

Only after Zhuo Lin and Dang Yue formed the Hunting Team a year ago did Hei Yue act freely.

The task Chen Jiuge gave her was simple, to spy on the monitoring agents around the Hundred Beasts Pavilion.

Previously, no matter how diligent Hei Yue was, she couldn’t discover the young man’s presence. But as time went on, the young man grew increasingly careless.

Who would have thought that a Shadow Mage could be so noble and rare?

In terms of monitoring someone, the abilities of a Shadow Mage are unparalleled, and the young man’s cultivation was high. Those who could discover him in the Outer Circle were few and far between.

Perhaps the young man never expected that there was another Shadow Mage in the Outer Circle, and this Shadow Mage was secretly watching his every move.

"It should be this person; the task is finally completed."

Hei Yue’s figure disappeared into the darkness, letting out a sigh of relief after a year. It took a whole year to find this young man, which was incredible for Hei Yue, a Shadow Mage born as an assassin!

"So the one monitoring me is a Shadow Mage?" Chen Jiuge felt a bit uneasy.

"Yes, and there are actually three shadows!"

"Three shadows?"

Chen Jiuge’s mouth twitched. His reliance on the Shadow Demon’s ability to traverse shadows for concealment was like showing off inferior skills before an expert to Shadow Mages.

Shadow Mages are masters of shadow manipulation. With the Shadow Demon’s abilities, it’s impossible to evade their surveillance, and exposure is likely.

"Unless the Shadow Demon’s cultivation can quickly rise to the Seventh Level, but even thinking about it seems impossible!"

From Third Level to Fourth Level, Fourth Level to Seventh Level, these are two thresholds, and the latter is incredibly difficult.

Like how Chen Jiuge’s current cultivation was already at the Sixth Level, but in the past two years, he hasn’t even shown signs of breaking through to the Seventh Level.

Moreover, advancing to the Seventh Level requires specific spiritual materials and resources, which is unavoidable. With a Shadow Mage monitoring him, even if Chen Jiuge goes to the merchant association to buy spiritual materials, he can’t escape the Yun Family’s watchful eyes.

"However, that person’s attitude is somewhat lazy, so perhaps I can take advantage of it!"

"But I can’t rely entirely on other people’s attitudes; I must have a backup plan."

"Let’s drag it out for a few more years. If Yun Yan returns, these troubles would be insignificant!"

.......

Yue Family

Yue Zexuan personally led a new batch of Moon Shadows back to the ancestral residence of the Yue Family’s Inner Circle.

Looking at the low-key yet luxurious ancestral residence, Yue Zexuan sighed, "Never thought that a hundred years later, I would return here thanks to a Beast Master!"

"Greetings, Mr. Jiu."

"Ah, Yu, I didn’t expect you’re still the chief steward at your age. Shouldn’t you retire?"

The chief steward Yu Cheng gave a wry smile, "Mr. Jiu jokes, this old bag of bones can still hold on for a few more years."

"True, if you retired, Yu, there’d be no one left to uphold appearances in the Yue Family!" Yue Zexuan sighed.

Yu Cheng maintained his smile but didn’t respond.

Having served as the chief steward of the Yue Family’s ancestral residence for a millennium, Yu Cheng had seen countless ups and downs, including people like Yue Zexuan who made mistakes and were exiled to the Outer Circle, only to return after proving their worth. This wasn’t the first time he’s seen such a case.

Though this Yue Family’s Mr. Jiu was exiled for so long, long enough for Yu Cheng to think he could never return, indeed, anything is possible, isn’t it?

Yu Cheng’s cultivation was very high, so high that in the entire Yue Family, very few were stronger. But his steadiness in the chief steward position didn’t rely on cultivation; it was his impartial and humble nature.

"You’re back."

The Yue Family Head, Yue Heng, stood with arms crossed, back facing Yue Zexuan, his imposing frame exuding an oppressive aura.

But Yue Zexuan didn’t mind, as his older brother always liked to act mysterious. Although he wasn’t a brute, he wasn’t particularly astute either.

"Yes, a hundred years, long enough for me to almost forget I belong to the Inner Circle of the Yue Family." Yue Zexuan looked at the furnishings of the hall, his mind slowly recalling the past.

"Seems you have a lot of resentment, but if you hadn’t been so impulsive back then, you wouldn’t have......"

"Brother, you didn’t bring me back because of such trifles, did you?" Yue Zexuan interrupted.

Yue Heng showed a hint of displeasure, but remembering Yue Zexuan’s century in exile, partly due to impulse, but ultimately because the Yue Family wasn’t strong enough.

"The new Moon Shadows are selling well, receiving high feedback ratings, with many returning clients placing early orders."

"You want to increase production?" Yue Zexuan frowned, then shook his head, "Brother, that’s impossible. No matter how strong Chen Jiuge’s abilities are, he is only one person."

"But he alone supports two Hundred Beasts Pavilions!"

"It’s different; the Yue Family has Beast Master support, not solely relying on him!"

"The secret recipe, have him hand it over!"

"Do you think that’s possible?"

"As long as the price is right, nothing is impossible!"

A cold glint flashed in Yue Heng’s eyes, "The interests of the new Moon Shadows are vast, even if it means offending the Yun Family!"

"Killing the goose that lays the golden eggs!"

"That goose isn’t ours, is it?"

"Indeed, not the Yue Family’s!" Yue Zexuan sighed. Collaborating with Chen Jiuge had been pleasant, and personally, continuing the cooperation would be fine.

"What can the family offer?"

Yue Heng tossed a list to Yue Zexuan, "Three items, three is the bottom line!"

Looking down at it, Yue Zexuan’s pupils slightly contracted, "Brother, you’re really going all out, can those old relics in the family agree?"

"The Great Elder agrees, they won’t object."

"The Great Elder may not hold on for a few more years. By then, these old relics will be the biggest obstacles to the family’s growth."

"Say no more, this isn’t your concern."

"Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back first!"

"No rush, stay a few more days. After a hundred years, our little sister has been missing you greatly!"

"Little sister...."

Feeling a pang of guilt, Yue Zexuan replied, "I’ll stay for three days."

"Alright."

The Yue Family’s ancestral residence was vast, as large as a small town; it had existed since the founding of the city. Dusk Main City’s duration of existence is marked in thousands.

Over the long years, the descendants of the Yue Family have spread far and wide.

Passing through the stately reception hall, he made his way to the backyard.

Yue Zexuan stopped in front of a quaint courtyard, looking at the tall cherry blossom tree inside, a wave of nostalgia hitting him.

"Creak"

In the courtyard, a young girl stood beneath the cherry blossom tree. The falling blossoms shifted her expression from astonishment to joy, tears springing to her eyes.

"Yue Ying, Brother Jiu is back!"

"Boohoo, Brother Jiu, you’re finally back!"

Hugging his little sister, Yue Zexuan’s eyes reddened, "Sorry, it’s Brother Jiu who’s been away too long."

"It’s okay, it’s okay, Brother Jiu’s return is enough!"

In the joy of the young girl’s expression, Yue Zexuan spent the happiest three days he’d had in a hundred years.