86 The Truth of the Immortal Encounter
In the small house, Jiang Ming did not seem to see the black dog’s resentful eyes and said lightly, “As long as you take the antidote in time, you won’t die. Can you write?”
The black dog stared at Jiang Ming for a long time, as if it wanted to protest. In the end, it could only nod its head in humiliation when it thought of this human’s brutal means.
Jiang Ming was not surprised. If he could think of teaching Master Si how to read and write, it was impossible for the person who trained this black dog to not think of it as well.
He immediately threw over a paper and a pen and shouted, “I’ll ask, and you’ll answer. What is your name? Where are you from? Where is your master, and why do you want to kill me?”
“I’m not here to kill you.” The black dog was shocked and quickly wrote down an answer.
“You still dare quibble?!” Jiang Ming slapped the table, “If you lie again, I’ll chop off your legs and stew them. Tell me everything you know!”
The black dog’s eyes were filled with fear.
“I’m Black Bean, from the country of Yue. My master has entered the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest. I was just about to chase after him. We’re really not here to kill you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, it’s okay. What’s your master’s name, appearance, and realm?” Jiang Ming did not wait for it to answer and continued to ask, “Tell me everything about you and your master. If you dare hide anything from me, I won’t be this nice!”
Black Bean’s face was so scared that it almost turned white. He picked up the charcoal pen and started to write wildly. “My master’s name is Wu Rong. He’s 24 years old, tall, and thin. He’s a third-class martial artist. My master’s ancestors once obtained the beast-taming prescription in the mountains, and the Wu family once had a Grandmaster. However, now that his family has fallen, and Master is the only child left, he heard that the immortal encounter is coming again at the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest, so we wanted to try his luck.”
The black dog kept writing. Jiang Ming was pleased to read all its answers, and gradually figured out the origin of the black dog.
If the black dog was not lying, the man in the bamboo hat who had come to the Hundred Herb Hall to buy herbs should be its master, Wu Rong.
According to the black dog, the ancestor of the Wu family was a figure from nearly a thousand years ago. He had once obtained the beast-taming prescription in the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest. With that as his backing, he had developed the family into a very prosperous state in less than three generations.
However, the beast-taming prescription was only an auxiliary technique, and the Wu family’s beast-taming prescription stood out, so it was targeted by some people. After hundreds of years, the Wu family gradually declined. Wu Rong was the only one left in his generation.
This black dog was Wu Rong’s guardian that his father had used Wu Rong’s blood to train for him. He had also left behind some money to help Wu Rong and ensure that he lived a safe and stable life.
It was a pity that Wu Rong was not that skilled. However, he was quite proud. According to what Black Bean said, Wu Rong was not willing to let his family die out, and he felt that the beast-taming prescription was not strong enough. Moreover, it was only an auxiliary technique, so he wanted to come to the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest and seek a true immortal technique to restore the glory of his family.
However, Wu Rong did not want Black Bean to risk following him, so he drugged it and abandoned it halfway. Fortunately, Black Bean had a sensitive nose, so it was able to find him all the way here.
As for why there was still an incomplete beast-taming prescription circulating at the foot of Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest, this was not something Black Bean knew.
“Maybe there were people from the Wu family who wanted to go back to the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest to seek opportunities.” Jiang Ming shook his head and did not bother to think about it.
“It seems that this Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest really has an immortal hidden somewhere!”
According to Black Bean, Jiang Ming had a better understanding of the immortal encounter in Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest.
According to the ancient books passed down by the Wu family, after the Wu family’s patriarch obtained the beast-taming prescription at the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest and established the Wu family, he would collect rare natural treasures, stones, and medicines every year and personally send them to the depths of the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest. It was not until the Wu family’s ancestor died that he stopped.
“The immortal encounter is more like a transaction.” Jiang Ming was deep in thought. “This sleeping immortal is like a mountain god, collecting tributes and giving opportunities. However, if he was a true immortal, why would he go through so much trouble? If he needed anything, he could just get it himself.”
A Grandmaster could easily establish a huge force to work for him. This immortal could easily create a Grandmaster army, so why did he hide in the mountains and get other people to do these things for him?
“Is the immortal who appears once every few hundred years injured? Or is he sealed away?” Jiang Ming muttered internally. However, a person who could live for a thousand years was probably not a weak person.
“The Wu family’s ancestor paid tributes every year. I’m afraid the immortal must have used some means to force him into servitude.” Jiang Ming wondered if he could be immune to the immortal since he was an immortal as well.
“By the way, do you have the complete beast-taming prescription?” Jiang Ming suddenly asked. If he was Wu Rong’s father, he would definitely give the black dog a copy of his family’s secret technique.
According to the black dog’s description, the complete beast-taming prescription not only allowed humans to communicate with beasts, but it also contained the beast’s martial arts technique. As long as there were enough resources, it could allow ordinary beasts to nourish their blood Qi and become martial artists. This was also the reason why Black Bean could become a third-class martial artist.
“This is much more powerful than my beast-taming prescription!” Jiang Ming’s eyes were filled with anticipation.
“I don’t have it,” The black dog wrote quickly and shook its head firmly.
Jiang Ming nodded. It seemed that his guess was right. It really had it!
However, it seemed that this dog was quite loyal to the Wu family. How to win him over was a problem.
Suddenly, the sound of flying birds came from outside the window.
Jiang Ming’s eyes moved, and with lightning speed, he knocked the black dog unconscious with a punch.
A swift flew in through the window. It seemed to be a little anxious, and it quickly spat out a ball of paper.
“The man who refined the medicine was killed. Two members of the Liang family were injured and are walking down the mountain. They are expected to be out in three days. The man who refined the medicine was interrogated before he died, and he said that he left the prescription in the Hundred Herb Hall.”
Jiang Ming suddenly had a bad feeling.
How did the Liang family know that Wu Rong had the beast-taming prescription?
However, it was useless to think about this now. The most important thing was that he had to nip the trouble in the bud.
He stood up and was about to leave when he suddenly caught a glimpse of the black dog. His eyes moved and he burned the note.
“Anyway, those two people are injured and can’t get out for the time being.” Jiang Ming sat at the table and made a plan.
* * *
The next morning, Black Bean woke up in a daze.
“You’re tired from the long journey. I want you to sleep a little longer.” Jiang Ming had a kind look on his face. “It was all a misunderstanding before. I’m really sorry. I’ve suddenly realized that you’re very honest and loyal. We have no grievances or grudges. You’re definitely not here to kill me. I’m very touched by your loyalty to your master. Why don’t I go into the mountain with you and help you find your master?”
Black Bean was a little touched and scratched his head, but he did not dare move.
“Alright, it’s decided then.” Jiang Ming smiled, stuffed the black dog into the herb basket to stop it from moving, then carried the herb basket and walked into the mountain.