Beast Taming Clan: I Have a Jade Book Chapter 4: Getting Spirit Stones

Nestled on the slopes of Lingyun Peak stands a grand hall, secured by heavy guards. A narrow, meandering stone path adorned with specks of green moss serves as the only entrance.

A meadow blooming with spirit flowers in bizarre hues flanks the stone path.

Yet Ye Jingcheng refrained from letting his eyes wander, since this was the Ye Family’s Treasure Pavilion, where family members trade for precious treasures.

Furthermore, those meadows conceal deadly arrays; venturing inside might trap one in confusion or inflict wounds.

Solely the stone path evades the arrays’ influence, granting direct and safe passage.

Though he possessed a good stock of Spirit Nourishing Pills, his Red Flame Fox and Jade Ring Rat gobbled them up swiftly. In under ten days, his pills were completely exhausted.

He needed to visit the Treasure Hall to barter for more spirit medicines, then head to the Pill Pavilion to concoct fresh batches of Spirit Nourishing Pills; he also intended to acquire some Spirit Beast Meat.

On top of that, he hoped to collect the spirit medicines from the Ancient Book’s pill recipe at the earliest opportunity.

In short order, he hurried along the stone path to reach the hall’s entrance, where crowds of cultivators bustled, swapping for various treasures.

There among them, he ran into his second brother, Ye Jingyong.

The latter had recently obtained a Flying Cloud Leopard, whose appetite would naturally surpass that of his Red Flame Fox.

Therefore, upon exiting the Treasure Hall, Ye Jingcheng plainly saw Ye Jingyong’s distressed expression; he remembered how elated his brother had looked when first bringing the Flying Cloud Leopard back home!

It seemed like he had transformed into another person entirely.

"Second Brother!" Ye Jingcheng called out.

Ye Jingyong turned his gaze, spotted Ye Jingcheng, and flashed a wry smile:

"Jingcheng, you here to trade for spiritual food too? I’ve finally realized why our Ye Family stays so poor." Ye Jingyong said, his face tinged with grimness.

"I’ve already visited three times, spirit medicine’s all gone, contribution points are spent too!"

"With two spirit beasts of yours, you’ve surely come multiple times already, right?"

"Yes!" Ye Jingcheng nodded. Even though it marked his first visit, his brother’s eager look prompted him to nod along.

"By the way, next time you’re around, Second Brother will lead you to snag some spirit stones; they ought to hold you over for a long stretch!" Ye Jingyong abruptly recalled, rubbing his thumb against his index finger, at last revealing a grin.

Yet Ye Jingcheng harbored doubts.

Raised on Lingyun Peak alongside the Jing generation, he knew Ye Jingyong’s nature all too well.

His methods for acquiring spirit stones often skirted the edges of propriety.

"Don’t worry, it’s not my doing—Fourth Brother’s spearheading it; he passed this intel to me, so now you trust it?"

"Is Fourth Brother behind the call?" Ye Jingcheng grew intrigued; Fourth Brother Ye Jingyu stood in stark contrast to Second Brother Ye Jingyong: one the sharp mind of the Ye family’s Jing generation, the other a sheer powerhouse!

"Naturally, though Fourth Brother insists on waiting one more month." Ye Jingyong explained.

Noticing Ye Jingcheng’s nod, he drew near to whisper in his ear.

"It’s Demon Valley, already cleared by the family; its spirit veins will inevitably draw demon beasts back. We only need to hold off a bit longer."

Having said that, Ye Jingyong took his leave and departed.

After mulling it over, Ye Jingcheng nodded in agreement too. His Fourth Brother lived up to his smarts; Demon Valley lingered with blood’s stench, keeping mighty demon beasts away for now—only early Tier One ones, unable to ignore the spirit veins’ temptation, would claim it initially.

Timing the strike right would ensure plentiful gains without fail.

Ye Jingcheng consented for yet another cause: Ye Jingyu’s father was none other than the Ye Family patriarch, Ye Xingliu.

He counted among the Ye family’s sole two Foundation Establishment powerhouses; permitting Ye Jingyu’s involvement guaranteed the youth carried safeguards, so peril might bring retreat empty-handed or lighter purses at worst, but never death.

Ye Jingcheng reflected briefly, then shook off the thought; a month remained, so no urgency pressed.

Following that, he stepped into the Treasure Hall with his clan token, commencing the exchange for spirit medicines.

Guarding the Treasure Pavilion was Ye Jingcheng’s Eighth Grandfather, Ye Haiping.

"Eighth Grandfather!" Ye Jingcheng stepped up eagerly, sorting and placing back the leftover spirit medicines he’d borrowed before into the rear cabinet.

The Ye family’s spirit medicines fall into two categories: those at Tier One Middle-grade or lower are primarily kept in the rear artifact cabinet for nurturing, whereas ones above Tier One Middle-grade get stored inside the Ye family’s storage bags, sealed using spirit jade.

"Jingcheng, Eighth Grandfather can handle this alone; it won’t take much time."

"Eighth Grandfather, Jingcheng is keen to trade for spirit medicines!" Ye Jingcheng responded with a grin.

Observing Ye Jingcheng’s words, Ye Haiping sensed the young man’s good intentions and allowed him to lend a hand.

Before long, all items were neatly arranged.

"What would you like to trade for?" Ye Haiping rubbed his hands together.

"Ten portions of spirit medicines for Spirit Nourishing Pills, plus twenty pounds of Spirit Beast Meat, two Antitoxic Pills for treating wounds, and two Blood Essence Pills!" Ye Jingcheng recited them item by item.

He had plotted these exchanges far in advance; the Red Flame Fox couldn’t show sudden healing—it needed to recover gradually, step by step.

This would give everyone a believable progression.

Yet Ye Haiping saw through it instantly, curiosity sparking as he asked:

"So, is the Red Flame Fox on the mend?"

Ye Jingcheng shook his head firmly:

"Not that fortunate; it’s just clinging to a sliver of vitality, the poison appears somewhat weakened, and Jingcheng is merely fantasizing about a lucky break."

"As long as it survives, that’s enough; this beast isn’t ordinary, enduring like this proves its exceptional talent beyond what we imagined. Kid, your luck is truly something." Ye Haiping nodded approvingly, offering high praise.

A Red Flame Fox cub at full power would fetch at least a thousand or two thousand contribution points at minimum—Ye Jingcheng had clearly grabbed a golden chance.

While speaking, Ye Haiping pulled spirit medicines for Spirit Nourishing Pills from the artifact cabinet at the back, swiftly assembling ten portions.

Furthermore, he drew out a massive wooden chest from the Spirit Beast Bag, sealed on top with a spirit talisman.

Ye Haiping peeled off the talisman, exposing bloody flesh from a Tier One Iron-skinned Pig—precisely twenty pounds!

At last, he produced two pill vials, each holding two pills.

"Spirit medicines for Spirit Nourishing Pills cost 2 contribution points each, totaling twenty points; Spirit Beast Meat is 1 point per two pounds, making ten points; Antitoxic Pills and Blood Essence Pills are 5 points apiece, adding up to twenty points—for a grand total of fifty contribution points!"

Ye Jingcheng nodded in agreement, handing over his clan token to deduct the points.

Thus, the Spirit Beast Meat and spirit medicine materials entered his storage bag.

"Eighth Grandfather, could Jingcheng ask you one more thing?" Ye Jingcheng produced a jade talisman.

It bore engravings of spirit medicines from an ancient book that he couldn’t identify.

"This one’s Cyan Fish Fruit, so called because it looks like a blue fish; it’s a Tier One High-grade spirit fruit..."

…

Ye Haiping patiently described each to Ye Jingcheng!

Ye Jingcheng absorbed the explanations, a pang of bitterness hitting his heart; that spirit pill was no less than Tier One High-grade, far beyond his current alchemy abilities.

"Eighth Grandfather, in that case, let me trade for some spirit talismans: two Golden Sword Talismans, two Wood Vine Talismans, and two Water Shield Talismans!" Ye Jingcheng pondered briefly before presenting his token again.

Heading to Taihang Mountain’s Demon Valley in just a month demanded solid preparations, and spirit talismans were ideal safeguards.

"Excellent!" Ye Haiping delved into the storage bag once more, promptly fetching six spirit talismans—all Tier One Middle-grade, pricey even in the clan exchange at ten contribution points each.

"That comes to sixty contribution points!"