Chapter 352: Chapter 352: Underground Black Market
"Young Master Ye, be careful!"
Luo Cheng cried out in alarm, rushing forward to help.
"Young Master Cheng, there’s no need to worry. I, Xuan Ye, have a natural affinity for Demon Beasts. This creature wouldn’t dare harm me."
A faint smile played on Ye Xuan’s lips as a wisp of power from his Devouring Martial Soul silently entered the Two-Headed Firebird’s mind.
"You beast! How dare you act so wildly? Kneel before me!"
Ye Xuan roared suddenly.
The Two-Headed Firebird, which had been posturing aggressively just a moment ago, suddenly showed a trace of terror in its eyes. With a THUD, it knelt before Ye Xuan, its heads bowed low.
The entire crowd instantly erupted in an uproar, completely stunned.
A majestic Tier Five Two-Headed Firebird had actually knelt on the spot from just a single shout from this young man.
To everyone watching, the scene felt like something out of a dream.
Was it as the young man said—that he had a unique affinity for Demon Beasts? Or was he a powerful Beast Tamer playing the fool?
But such a young Beast Tamer... ’That seems impossible,’ they thought.
Besides, the young man hadn’t done anything. With just one sharp command, he made the Two-Headed Firebird kneel. Not even a Beastmaster Grandmaster could pull off a feat like that, right?
The most shocked of all was Qin Yu. When the Two-Headed Firebird knelt, it was kneeling on his behalf, and it was his pride that was trampled.
He immediately whistled, but the Two-Headed Firebird only trembled slightly, showing no obvious reaction.
Qin Yu was horrified. Nothing like this had ever happened since he’d had a Beast Tamer subdue this Two-Headed Firebird for him.
A cold glint appeared in his eyes, his killing intent overflowing. "Brat, what did you do to my Fire-Fury?"
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. "Young Master Qin, you must be joking. I’ve been standing here the whole time; what could I possibly have done? Perhaps this Two-Headed Firebird has simply come to understand its place as a beast and learned to fear humans."
"You’ve got some nerve, brat. Do you have any idea who I am? Here in the Imperial Capital, there are very few who dare speak to me like that."
The killing intent in Qin Yu’s eyes grew even stronger.
"Young Master Qin, please calm your anger." Luo Cheng quickly stepped forward and pulled Ye Xuan back, speaking respectfully, "This man is a guest of my Luo family. He’s new to the Imperial Capital and doesn’t know the rules. I beg you, Young Master Qin, to be magnanimous and give the Luo family some face. Please don’t take offense."
A hint of panic was on Luo Cheng’s face as he hastily explained, all while tugging on the corner of Ye Xuan’s sleeve, clearly afraid of what else he might say.
"The Luo family... How much is your Luo family’s face worth?" Qin Yu sneered.
Luo Cheng’s expression turned ugly, but to protect Ye Xuan, he could only bite the bullet and say, "Young Master Qin, while the Luo family may not be a major family in the Imperial Capital, we are still a vassal house under the esteemed Murong family. You may not give face to my Luo family, but surely you can’t disregard the Murong family, can you?"
All eyes turned to Murong Yunyi.
Murong Yunyi’s face was grim, but at this moment, he had no choice but to step forward and speak.
Otherwise, it would be his Murong family that lost face.
"Brother Qin Yu, give me some face and let this matter go," Murong Yunyi said, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice. "I’ve told you before, Demon Beast mounts are nice, but they’re still just beasts. And beasts, well, they can be unreliable at times."
He had been holding in a bellyful of anger after losing the bet earlier, and now he could finally vent some of it.
"Hmph." Qin Yu snorted coldly. Just then, he found that he had regained control of his Fire-Fury.
"Fine, I’ll give Brother Yunyi face. As for you, brat, don’t let me see you again. Or I’ll make sure you die a miserable death."
Climbing onto the Two-Headed Firebird, Qin Yu quickly entered the city. He was anxious to get back and find a Beast Tamer to see what had happened to his Fire-Fury.
"Thank you, Young Master Yunyi, for speaking up for us," Luo Cheng said with a sigh of relief, bowing deeply.
Murong Yunyi glanced at Luo Cheng. "Although your Luo family is a vassal of my Murong family, you can’t just throw our name around everywhere. Also, the Luo family is a respectable house, after all. Stop making friends with such shady characters."
After saying his piece, Murong Yunyi also entered the city swiftly, not giving Luo Cheng another glance.
Luo Cheng’s face was filled with embarrassment. He said apologetically to Ye Xuan, "Young Master Ye, Young Master Yunyi is just like that. Please don’t take it to heart."
Ye Xuan just smiled faintly. As if he would care about such things.
If he hadn’t been with Luo Cheng today and didn’t want to bring trouble upon the Luo family, how could the likes of Qin Yu and Murong Yunyi possibly act so arrogantly before him?
The farce at the city gate quickly came to an end, but because it involved two young masters from prominent families, news of it spread through the Imperial Capital like wildfire.
Ye Xuan, the one who had forced Qin Yu’s Tier Five mount, the Two-Headed Firebird, to kneel with a single shout, naturally became the focus of everyone’s discussions.
Many people guessed that the young man with the Luo family must be a Beast Tamer.
Such a young Beast Tamer naturally attracted countless people’s attention.
「In a luxurious mansion in the center of the Imperial Capital’s outer city.」
After returning to his mansion, Qin Yu hurriedly summoned a Beast Tamer who was in his family’s service.
"Oh? So something like that happened?"
This Beast Tamer had gaunt cheeks, small eyes, and was about sixty years old. With a small mustache and a short stature, he resembled a mouse. Upon hearing Qin Yu’s words, his eyes glinted sharply.
"I, Yin Xuzi, have been a Beastmaster for decades, and I’ve never heard of a Martial Artist forcing a Demon Beast to kneel with a mere shout."
His curiosity piqued, he quickly moved in front of the Two-Headed Firebird and sent out continuous streams of Profound Sense to investigate.
"How is it, Master Yin Xuzi? Did you find anything? Is that young man a Soul Refiner?" Qin Yu asked anxiously.
Yin Xuzi shook his head. "The mark I carved on this Two-Headed Firebird is completely intact, and there are no other beast taming marks. This means the brat is not a Beast Tamer..."
Before Yin Xuzi could finish his sentence...
The Two-Headed Firebird, which had been calmly accepting Yin Xuzi’s inspection, suddenly pecked viciously at him. Yin Xuzi had no time to react and was sent staggering back in haste, a bloody hole pecked into his body.
After pecking Yin Xuzi, the Two-Headed Firebird then lunged ferociously at Qin Yu.
Qin Yu was terrified. He tried to calm the bird down, but no matter how he tried to control it, the Two-Headed Firebird completely ignored him, continuing its ferocious attack.
Left with no choice, Qin Yu began to fight back.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The entire courtyard instantly descended into utter chaos.
"Master Yin Xuzi, what in the world is going on?" Qin Yu demanded, both shocked and furious.
"I don’t know either!" Yin Xuzi’s face was grim as he continuously formed one Beast Taming Hand Skill after another. But no matter how he tried to control the Two-Headed Firebird, it paid him no mind, completely ignoring his commands.
For a time, the Tier Five Two-Headed Firebird rampaged through the courtyard, wreaking havoc everywhere and even crashing into a nearby room.
CRASH!
"My antique vase!"
"No, no! That’s the agarwood chair I went to so much trouble to find! Oh, dear heavens!"
The Two-Headed Firebird’s eyes were bloodshot. As a Tier Five Demon Beast, its power was immense. Its sudden rampage threw the Qin family mansion into utter chaos.
In the end, the Two-Headed Firebird charged suicidally toward Qin Yu.
Qin Yu did his best to defend himself, but the bird still managed to tear off a piece of his flesh, causing blood to gush out.
"Kill it! Kill it for me!"
Finally, with bloodshot eyes, Qin Yu gritted his teeth and gave the order. Several guards who had rushed over at the commotion then managed to kill the Two-Headed Firebird on the spot.
By now, the entire Qin family mansion was a complete mess.
"Master Yin Xuzi, what the hell was that all about?" Qin Yu asked, his face ashen.
This was the first time his Two-Headed Firebird had gone berserk since it was subdued.
"Someone must have tampered with it. Otherwise, my Beast Taming Hand Skills would never have been completely useless," Yin Xuzi said through clenched teeth.
But he just couldn’t figure out how the other party had done it. He was a Fifth Grade Beastmaster; it was impossible that he couldn’t even detect that something was amiss.
"It must have been that brat," Qin Yu said, his eyes filled with hatred.
At this moment, the only person he could think of was Ye Xuan.
But unfortunately for him, he had no proof.
’If I ever see you again, I’ll make you pay,’
Qin Yu hissed.
He had asked Master Yin Xuzi to go to great lengths to subdue the Two-Headed Firebird, and he had been extremely fond of it. He never imagined that he himself would one day give the order to have it killed. Looking at the bird’s corpse, his heart ached as if it were bleeding.
「On a bustling street in the Imperial Capital, Ye Xuan was walking alone.」
A faint smile suddenly touched the corners of his lips.
The Two-Headed Firebird’s actions had been under his control, and everything that had just happened at the Qin family mansion had been transmitted clearly into his mind.
Beast Tamers control Demon Beasts by engraving a mark inside them and using it to issue commands to control their behavior.
Compared to controlling a Profound Beast with Soul Thought, it was a world of difference.
And Ye Xuan’s Devouring Martial Soul could even erase the Soul Thought of a Demon King. Dealing with a mere Fifth Grade Beastmaster was, naturally, a piece of cake.
’A pity the Two-Headed Firebird was a bit too weak. If it had been a Tier Six Demon Beast, Qin Yu probably wouldn’t have survived.’
How could Ye Xuan not know that Qin Yu had intended to kill him back at the city gate? It was only because of Luo Cheng’s intervention that he hadn’t acted.
Towards those who wanted to kill him, Ye Xuan would never show the slightest mercy.
With a small smile, Ye Xuan continued walking down the street.
After entering the Imperial Capital, despite Luo Cheng’s strong invitations for Ye Xuan to be a guest at the Luo family estate, he had refused.
He was now on a very famous underground black market street in the Imperial Capital.
He had learned from Luo Cheng that this street specialized in selling certain shady treasures, and no questions were ever asked about their origins, which perfectly suited Ye Xuan’s needs.
The Profound Mystery Sect was terrifyingly powerful; they even had a warrant for his arrest in the Sky Empire’s Imperial Capital. If he tried to buy something to remove the aura of the Nether Heart Seed from a large, legitimate shop, it would be difficult to avoid attracting the Profound Mystery Sect’s attention.
Choosing this black market was a result of Ye Xuan’s careful consideration.
After walking for a while, a large pavilion appeared before Ye Xuan. Inscribed above the entrance were three large characters: "Celestial Breath Tower."
The Celestial Breath Tower was one of the most famous black market establishments on this street. It was said to have all sorts of materials and treasures, with a selection rivaling even some of the major shops in the Imperial Capital. It was a favorite haunt for countless Martial Artists.
As soon as he entered the Celestial Breath Tower, a sharp-looking attendant came up to greet him.
