Chapter 98: Mysterious Spirit Beast

Trouble? Jiang Fan asked in surprise, "Please enlighten me, Senior Brothers."

One disciple took off his thick clothes, a look of worry on his face. "We also tried to collect honey just now, but when we got there, we found a spirit beast had broken into the beehive. It's devouring the honey, making the Wolf-Head Bees agitated and furiously attacking the spirit beast. When we went down, the Wolf-Head Bees mistook us for accomplices and attacked us wildly too."

As he spoke, the disciple shook his clothes. Hundreds of stingers fell to the ground from them, densely packed. It was clear how frenzied the Wolf-Head Bees were at that moment.

"Junior Brother, if you really want to go down, maybe try another day," the two disciples kindly advised.

Wait for another day? Who knew how much honey would be left by then, after the spirit beast had eaten its fill? Failing to collect three catties of honey would mean failing the task. This was his first time carrying out his master's instructions; he couldn't possibly mess it up, could he?

"I'll go down and take a look," Jiang Fan said.

Seeing that Jiang Fan wouldn't listen to his advice, the disciple said, "Then put on my thick clothes. If you go down like that, you'll be stung to death."

Jiang Fan shook his head. "No need." With that, he grabbed the rope and began to rappel down the cliff.

The two disciples couldn't help but frown. "Junior Brother Jiang, isn't he too arrogant?"

"Let's wait here. It won't be long before he calls for help."

Jiang Fan didn't actually need the rope; with his movement technique, he could navigate the sheer cliff face as easily as walking on flat ground. He simply didn't want to worry his senior brothers too much.

Soon, he slid down to the mid-section of the cliff. Below him was a bottomless abyss. He wondered what kind of spirit beast could climb so high to steal honey. From a distance, he indeed spotted a man-sized cave on the cliff. Large sections of golden-yellow honeycomb were visible emerging from the cave. Countless Wolf-Head Bees were buzzing wildly, occasionally swarming into the cave to attack something.

Just then, a Wolf-Head Bee spotted Jiang Fan and immediately flapped its wings, darting towards him. Jiang Fan quickly uncorked a jade vial he had prepared earlier, releasing an astonishingly fragrant aroma. After approaching, the Wolf-Head Bee stopped attacking him. Instead, it circled him continuously, seeming to regard Jiang Fan as a flower from which it could collect nectar. All hostility vanished.

Jiang Fan thought to himself that this method was indeed effective, and he easily slid down to the cave entrance. Peering inside, he couldn't help but be astonished. He saw an unknown spirit beast, about the size of an orange cat, with large, watery eyes, a black nose, and orange fur. It was leaning against the honeycomb, legs crossed. It held a piece of honeycomb dripping with honey in each of its small paws. It took a bite from the left, then a bite from the right. Halfway through, it discarded the honeycomb, finding the piece in its paw too small and its short legs unable to reach its mouth. It broke off a new, larger piece and continued to munch happily.

The ground was littered with discarded honeycomb. He roughly estimated that the wasted honey alone amounted to at least five catties. "You prodigal!" A vein throbbed on Jiang Fan's forehead. Fortunately, he had arrived; otherwise, no amount of honey would be enough for this creature to squander. What was more infuriating was that, relying on its thick hide which the Wolf-Head Bees couldn't sting through, it stuck out its tongue at the attacking Wolf-Head Bees. Its behavior was utterly obnoxious and practically begged for a beating.

"You little rascal, get out!" Jiang Fan couldn't hold back and snapped.

Only then did the small spirit beast notice someone had entered. It immediately dropped to all fours, its tail shot up, and all its fur stood on end. It opened its small mouth, baring its teeth and letting out strange cries. It showed no fear of humans whatsoever.

Jiang Fan was amused and stepped forward, intending to grab its neck and throw it out. To his surprise, it darted forward with such incredible speed that Jiang Fan almost didn't react in time. He managed to pull his hand back just in time, but he felt a burning sensation on his palm. Looking down, he saw five faint white marks on the back of his hand.

"Oh? Your claws are quite sharp, and your speed is incredible," Jiang Fan remarked in surprise. If it weren't for his exceptional movement technique and his 'Copper Skin and Iron Bones' realm, that claw strike would have at least cut him to the bone.

The small spirit beast seemed surprised too, and it even raised its right paw in a puzzled manner, as if wondering if its claws hadn't been sharpened enough.

"Little fellow, you've met your match," Jiang Fan narrowed his eyes and immediately activated his movement technique. The small spirit beast was also startled by Jiang Fan's movement technique. Its boasted agility was utterly useless against Jiang Fan, and its sharp claws couldn't inflict any damage. After only seven or eight exchanges, it was pinned against the wall by Jiang Fan, who held it by the neck.

"Most people really couldn't handle you," Jiang Fan said, catching his breath slightly. Without a cultivation of Foundation Establishment Stage Seven or Eight, one would likely suffer a great loss facing this tiny creature. Capturing it would be even harder.

The small spirit beast defiantly flailed its legs, trying to scratch Jiang Fan fiercely with its claws. However, its four short legs were simply too short; it couldn't reach him no matter what.

"Just stay put for now," Jiang Fan said, pulling some vines from the stone wall nearby. He tied it up completely, bundling it into a ball of fur, and tossed it into a corner. Then, he happily began harvesting the honey. The Wolf-Head Bees, sensing the fragrance on Jiang Fan, instinctively did not attack him and allowed him to collect the honey.

On the cliff, the two disciples waited for a long time, but they didn't feel any tugging on the rope. They began to worry. "Could he have been stung to death down there before he even had a chance to cry out?"

Just then, the rope shook. They immediately rushed over and pulled with all their might. Before long, they pulled Jiang Fan up. Seeing him completely unharmed, both were stunned. "The Wolf-Head Bees didn't sting you?"

Then, to their surprise, they noticed Jiang Fan was holding a large chunk of honeycomb in his arms. There were a full four catties of honey inside. "You collected so much? And the Wolf-Head Bees didn't attack you? Those Wolf-Head Bees treat honey like a treasure; they'd sting someone to death for even a little, let alone this much! Junior Brother, you're simply amazing!"

Jiang Fan didn't say a word. He cut off one catty for each of them. "Take these and hand them in the day after tomorrow."

The two looked embarrassed. "How can we accept this?"

Jiang Fan replied, "We're all fellow disciples, there's no need to be embarrassed." There was still plenty more below, and he simply couldn't carry it all.

The two gratefully accepted the honey, and one of them suddenly lowered his voice. "Junior Brother, a heads-up. You only need to submit one catty of honey. You can sell the rest at the night market; it's very valuable. We'll keep your secret." After speaking, the two mysteriously departed with the plump disciple.

Jiang Fan couldn't help but smile. Once they were out of sight, he found a basket and quietly went down again. Not long after, he returned to his cave dwelling, carrying a full ten catties of honey and the small spirit beast.

"This task should be a sure thing now; even Senior Brother won't be able to find fault." Jiang Fan put the honey aside. He turned to look at the small spirit beast. Even though it was tied into a ball of fur, it was still baring its teeth ferociously. "Still so fierce? I'll hold onto you for a few days." He found a chicken coop and tossed the small spirit beast inside.

Little did he know, outside Qingyun City, on a massive, phoenix-like flying beast, several graceful figures stood. Leading them was a woman in her forties, but her complexion was so well-preserved she looked around thirty.

"Are you sure my spirit pet ran into Qingyun City?" The leading woman was none other than Gong Caiyi, the Sect Master of the Spirit Beast Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects. "This beast tide was triggered by the beasts searching for it; we cannot afford to lose it."

A beautiful female disciple bowed and said, "Yes, this disciple personally saw it slip into Qingyun City."

Gong Caiyi nodded slowly. "Very well then. I will use the excuse of observing Qingyun Sect's new disciples' ancestor worship ceremony to stay at Qingyun Sect. You must search for it secretly and find it!"

Two days later, as the bell chimed, the disciples of the Sect Master's Peak gathered in the main hall. Today was the day they had to submit their assignments. In the past, no one paid much attention to this day, as it was a common occurrence. But today was different. The Senior Brother had declared that if Jiang Fan failed, he would have to clean the latrines. Everyone eagerly awaited Jiang Fan's arrival.