WBICDPH Chapter 12 Part 1

Chapter 12: The Beast-Taming Contract

Being suddenly called out, Lin Jin felt a little guilty.

He put on a show of following the elders beside him to complete the formal salute, then stood properly in place. Still, his eyes couldn’t help drifting again and again toward that man.

So he’s the current sect master of Yanyu Mountain?

The sect master’s name was Zhe Yu. There were pitifully few descriptions of him in the original text, yet the martial world was full of his legends—because his reputation was so bad it inspired universal outrage. He was the kind of person whose name alone would make even a passing dog spit twice in disgust.

The reason was simple: Zhe Yu had seized the position of sect master by killing its rightful owner.

A hundred years ago, Yanyu Mountain had produced a peerless prodigy. He built his foundation at thirteen, formed his core at twenty, and at a young age became the world’s only Sword Sovereign. He was like a banished immortal—dressed in white, cutting down those who bullied the weak, carrying his sword across the Nine Provinces to uphold justice. Wherever his name was mentioned, it was met with nothing but praise. In the vast cultivation world, there was no place he hadn’t visited, no corner untouched by his protection.

That man had been Yanyu Mountain’s chosen successor—and Zhe Yu’s senior brother.

Standing beside someone too dazzling, anything you do pales by comparison. Zhe Yu had lived in that shadow. From childhood, he had been jealous of his senior brother, opposing him at every turn. The resentment built up over time, until it finally drove him to an irreversible act.

Zhe Yu murdered his brother and seized the position, causing an enormous uproar throughout the cultivation world. People pointed at his back and cursed him for nearly a century, but Zhe Yu himself never seemed to care, spending his days hugging a wine jug and drifting through life in a drunken haze.

The original novel spared him no harsh words—dark-minded, competitive, viciously jealous—but looking at him now, Lin Jin felt that didn’t quite fit.

Didn’t this sect master look rather… refined and immortal-like? Aside from seeming a bit decadent, he didn’t look like those negative descriptions at all.

Still, Lin Jin knew better than to judge by appearances, and his heart thumped nervously.

He was still wondering how to respond to Zhe Yu’s earlier remark when San Zongyu, standing beside him, spoke first:

“Sect Master, what brings you to the Qingyu Platform today? Is there something you need?”

Zhe Yu chuckled softly.

“Listen to you—making it sound like I’m so busy. I’m idle every day, of course, I have time. I heard something went wrong with the inner sect trial, so I came to take a look.”

As he spoke, Lin Jin noticed Liu Xun nearby, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly and pursing his lips in clear displeasure.

In fact, ever since Zhe Yu appeared, the expressions on all the elders’ faces had been rather telling—yet they maintained a surface harmony with remarkable unanimity.

Only San Zongyu remained composed as ever.

“Yes. There was unrest outside the mountain last night, and demons took advantage of it to infiltrate the sect. It was my negligence that allowed the Huaxin Fiend to enter the trial realm and led to the death of an innocent disciple. I ask the Sect Master to punish me.”

“Huaxin Fiend?”

Zhe Yu paid no attention to the rest of San Zongyu’s words, lingering only on those three syllables as if savoring them.

He curled his lips slightly, set Qiuqiu on his knee, and raised a hand to heal the little beast’s injuries with spiritual power. Skipping the topic entirely and ignoring San Zongyu, he lifted his gaze back to Lin Jin.

“You said just now—he’s your contracted beast?”

Lin Jin paused, then answered:

“Yes.”

“But if I’m not mistaken, you haven’t actually formed a contract with him. Am I right?”

Huh? Beast-taming requires a contract?

Lin Jin was momentarily at a loss. When he looked up and saw Zhe Yu staring at him, he hurriedly replied:

“…That’s right.”

“Kid, you’re far too careless. A wild, unruly creature like this needs a contract to restrain it before you can safely command it. Don’t you think?”

As he spoke, Zhe Yu continued healing the little beast on his knee, absentmindedly toying with the soft fur on its head. Before long, the beast’s ears twitched, and it opened its clear blue-green eyes.

Zhe Yu curved his lips faintly and, without drawing attention, pressed two fingers against the fragile spot at the beast’s neck, suppressing its instinctive struggle—both a reminder and a threat.

No one else noticed this subtle movement. Their attention was caught by his earlier words.

Wild? Unruly? That palm-sized puppy?

A contract to restrain it? A Bi-Eyed Hound—something people in the mortal world raised like an ordinary dog—needed such trouble?

Before they could process that, Zhe Yu’s next sentence left everyone stunned:

“I happen to be in the mood today. Why don’t we do it here? I’ll act as intermediary and help you and your beast form a contract. How about it?”

Cultivators usually formed contracts with spirit pets or demonic beasts on their own. Only when the beast’s cultivation far exceeded the cultivator’s would an intermediary be required—otherwise, not only might the contract fail, but the cultivator could even suffer a fatal backlash. In such cases, a high-level cultivator would suppress the beast’s cultivation and act as a bridge to ensure the contract succeeded.

Zhe Yu had served as an intermediary before. Despite his terrible reputation, he was undeniably powerful. When Moyuzi once contracted the Taotie Beast, he had asked Zhe Yu for help—and that help was far from free. Zhe Yu had extorted five hundred top-grade spirit stones, leaving the old man heartbroken for a long time.

That Zhe Yu would voluntarily offer to act as intermediary was already astonishing. Even more unbelievable was that the object of this favor was merely a Bi-Eyed Hound puppy.

There was no reasonable explanation. Perhaps Zhe Yu was simply too idle and acting on a whim to amuse himself.

Lin Jin, unaware of any of this, didn’t understand what Zhe Yu meant or whether he should accept. He could only sneak glances at others’ reactions.

Liu Xun kept raising his eyebrows—Lin Jin couldn’t read him.

Moyuzi was winking at him furiously. What did that mean? Agree or refuse?

His heart pounding, Lin Jin finally cast a pleading look at San Zongyu.