“I also—”
Wang Meiruo tried to stand up and speak, but Wang Dahei pulled her back down. “You’ve already voted. Give us brothers a chance.”
Lei Jiashu bit her lip and was the first to raise her hand. “I agree. I was going to give Junior Brother money anyway, but he said he had enough and didn’t want it. This time, he has to take it.”
Second Senior Brother Yi Xiaoyun and Third Senior Brother Bai Machi raised their hands together. “Agreed. We’ve had opinions about Junior Brother for a while. Raise some big guys for everyone; don’t just let us eat chicken.” After speaking, the two exchanged smiles. It was rare for these two stubborn individuals to agree on something.
Seeing that the other Senior Brothers agreed, Wang Dahei smiled contentedly. “We just want to show those who suppress Junior Brother that Junior Brother cannot be defeated, and neither can our Gold Vault Ten Brothers.”
Hearing ‘Ten Brothers,’ Huang Guiren immediately sat up straight.
Hearing ‘Ten Brothers,’ Qian Duoduo covered his face with both hands, quietly wiping away tears from his eyes. Sharing the same surname doesn’t necessarily make them brothers. But those who dare to stand up for you, unafraid to face powerful enemies, are definitely brothers.
…
That day, after the Spirit Chicken feast, none of the Senior Brothers left. Some weeded, some dug soil, some repaired fences, working all day to expand the estate from one thousand mu to two thousand mu.
In the newly opened area, a large pond was specially dug in the middle. This pond was for the Spirit Beasts to drink from; otherwise, if the Spirit Beasts ran to the Mengyuan River, they could easily dirty the water and also fall into the river.
Around the estate, Senior Brother led people to dig a deep trench and then diverted water from the Mengyuan River into it. This would both irrigate the spiritual plants and increase the Spiritual Qi concentration of the estate.
Outside the deep trench, the Senior Brothers laid out an entire circle of Formations. The Materials consumed by these Formations alone exceeded one million gold coins. While it couldn't be said to be impregnable, it could certainly be said that any Cultivator below Foundation Establishment shouldn't even think of causing the slightest damage.
Over the next half-month, the Senior Brothers and Wang Meiruo brought over a hundred types of Spirit Beasts to the estate. The largest was a female Golden Ox. The smallest was a nest of ants.
They still wanted to bring more, but Qian Duoduo stopped them. These Spirit Beasts each had their own temperament and preferences; if forced into one garden, they would inevitably fight. Fighting would lead to casualties, which would be counterproductive.
Whenever a new type of Spirit Beast arrived, Qian Duoduo and Huang Guiren would section off a small courtyard to raise it separately.
“Junior Brother, look what I brought!”
A few days later, Wang Dahei stood outside the estate and called out to Qian Duoduo.
Without waiting for Qian Duoduo to answer, he raised his hands high, revealing two turtles the size of washbasins.
“Senior Brother, didn’t I tell you not to send more?” Qian Duoduo said with a wry smile as he approached.
“I suddenly remembered that this pond is still empty; it can’t be wasted. We need to raise something in it.” Wang Dahei put the two turtles into the water. “Let me tell you, these two turtles weren’t cheap; they’re rare breeds.”
“Ironclad Black Tortoise. It can carve Formations.” Having studied the second volume of the Encyclopedia of Weapon Refining these days, how could Qian Duoduo not recognize it?
Wang Dahei chuckled. “You’re quite knowledgeable. They are a male and a female. If you raise them well, they can lay eggs, and then you can hatch a group of turtles. Then I won’t lack Materials for making Formations.”
Qian Duoduo clapped his hands. “It has to be Senior Brother; you reminded me. We need to pair up these Spirit Beasts in our estate. If there’s a male, pair it with a female. If there’s a female, pair it with a male.”
“I have a solution.” Huang Guiren, who was beside him, rubbed his hands and spoke. “In the Ling Beast Research Institute, they have males if you want males, and females if you want females.”
With his shifty eyes and eager expression, Qian Duoduo knew at a glance that he wanted to steal.
“Don’t ever go to that place.” Wang Dahei immediately stopped him. “I’ve heard that some of the Spirit Beasts there are even more powerful than Elders. If you anger them, they’ll eat you for dinner.”
“What if I go to buy them?” Qian Duoduo asked Huang Guiren.
“The Research Institute never sells Spirit Beasts,” Huang Guiren said, spreading his hands.
Wang Dahei narrowed his eyes. “Why must you buy?” He formed a circle with his right index finger and thumb, then straightened his left index finger and threaded it through the circle.
“Not buy? Then what do we do?” Qian Duoduo didn’t understand.
“Hehe, I get it.” Huang Guiren had a mischievous smile on his face.
“You get it?” Qian Duoduo didn’t believe him.
“Senior Brother means—” Huang Guiren leaned close to Qian Duoduo’s ear and whispered.
Qian Duoduo’s eyes widened, realizing a whole new side of the world.
“Not spending a single penny? That’s great! Let’s do it that way. I’ll leave it to you.” Qian Duoduo grabbed Huang Guiren’s hand, giving him a brand new task—to “walk” Spirit Beasts, specifically at the Ling Beast Research Institute.
After a few days of “walking,” the bellies of many Spirit Beasts in the estate began to swell. Spirit Sheep, Spiritual Wolves, Spirit Rabbits, Spirit Cats—several of them were heavily pregnant, on the verge of giving birth.
Only the female Golden Ox’s belly remained unchanged.
“Our estate’s Golden Ox eats Purple Clover Grass every day, drinks Mengyuan River water, and is raised to be so plump and sleek, with such a magnificent demeanor. How can it stay single forever?”
Qian Duoduo couldn’t understand and asked Huang Guiren for the reason. Huang Guiren said there were no male Golden Ox at the Ling Beast Research Institute.
When pressed about where there were male Golden Ox, Huang Guiren replied that a male Golden Ox wasn't far away; it was Palace Lord Tang’s mount.
When he mentioned his Zhangzuo Dajiu, Qian Duoduo immediately thought of those cute little snakes in Little Dragon Valley.
Alright, before achieving the top five in the Outer Sect’s small competition, let’s put aside the matter of pairing up the Golden Ox for now.
…
Counting the time, there was still one month until the small competition.
Bu Huan Estate, whether it was the spiritual plant area or the Spirit Beast area, was full of vitality.
The Spirit Chickens entered their high-yield egg-laying period. Besides what the Ten Brothers of Qian Duoduo ate themselves, and what was taken for hatching, they could still sell over ten thousand eggs to the sect every day. Huang Guiren’s small courtyard was full of half-grown Spirit Chicken chicks, which could be moved to the estate in a few more days.
The Ironclad Black Tortoise sent by Senior Brother had already laid four eggs. The female turtle buried the eggs in the sand. Whenever Wang Dahei came to the estate, he had to check, calculating which day the little turtles would hatch.
Qian Duoduo and Huang Guiren gradually figured out the temperaments of the Spirit Beasts and, after reasonably arranging their living spaces, there were far fewer conflicts in the Spirit Beast area.
Half of his free time was spent competing in the training grounds, and the other half was spent studying the second volume of the Encyclopedia of Weapon Refining. After asking Liu Boli to be the examiner and taking the test three times, Qian Duoduo felt that his mastery was no less than that of the first volume, and decided to visit Wanjin Pavilion again.
After thinking about it, he decided to go at night. To take the test quietly.
Autumn, Wanjinge Square.
Qian Duoduo circled twice and found that the Fire Phoenix was still the leader of the six pillars. On the first golden pillar, the Golden Toad he drew was ranked first, and the Fire Phoenix was second.
“Could it be that Cao Yueying hasn’t come to refresh the golden pillars in these past two months?”
Just then, Qian Duoduo’s Spiritual Awareness heard two Disciples chatting in the shadows.
“Be careful, among the people wandering around this square, there might be that cow dung,” one Disciple said in a hushed voice.
“Don’t talk nonsense, that’s not cow dung, it’s a Golden Toad, or a frog,” the other Disciple retorted.
Qian Duoduo originally intended to pass by, but when he heard “Golden Toad,” it seemed to be related to him, so he focused his Spiritual Awareness again.
“Anyway, it’s nothing good. Daring to stand above our Senior Sister Phoenix is seeking death.” The Disciple who called Qian Duoduo “cow dung” seemed to be an admirer of Cao Yueying.
“This person also has some skill. Senior Sister adjusted her state and continuously refreshed for a month, but still couldn’t reclaim the top spot on the first golden pillar.” This Disciple spoke honestly.
“Cao Yueying has such persistence? Is a mere title of pillar leader worth such obsession?” Imagining her entering and exiting the Wood House again and again, failing and being disappointed each time, Qian Duoduo’s heart bloomed with joy.
“What skill? Only daring to take the assessment at night, not daring to see sunlight, he’s just a rat.” After calling Qian Duoduo “cow dung,” he then called Qian Duoduo a “rat.” Senior Brother, how did Qian Duoduo offend you?
“The name Capturing Rat Squad is quite appropriate,” the honest Disciple echoed.
“Haha, to find out who surpassed Cao Yueying, they actually formed some Capturing Rat Squad specifically to catch me?” Qian Duoduo felt both annoyed and amused: “Why can others be the pillar leader, Cao Yueying can be, but I can’t?”
Locating the two members of the Capturing Rat Squad, and taking advantage of their inattention, Qian Duoduo slipped into the Wood House behind the second golden pillar, muttering to himself, “If they don’t let me be the pillar leader, I’ll be one anyway!”