Eternal Beast Taming Family

An elderly man was the first to walk up the path from the back of the mountain; he looked even older than the village chief.

However, neither his walking posture nor his demeanor resembled that of a villager, and he was not much different from the stewards in the town.

Behind him followed several burly young men and two neatly dressed, fair-skinned boys.

The older one looked to be thirteen or fourteen years old, while the younger one looked to be only eight or nine.

The older one held the younger one's hand, and the younger one tightly protected a bulging lump on its chest with one hand, its chubby face tense. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was hiding some kind of treasure.

The dark-skinned boy, Chen Xu, looked at the two fair-skinned boys with a hint of jealousy in his eyes. Then, when the older boy looked over, he quickly turned his head to the side.

Chen Zhengchang quickly went to greet the elderly man at the head of the group.

"Brother Chu, have you discovered anything?"

Chu Jingyu nodded with a gentle smile on his face.

"We set off for a more distant place today and made some new discoveries. We found two mines that are slightly smaller than ours. However, the journey is long, and if we were to start mining, we probably couldn't return to the village in a day."

Chen Zhengchang smiled from the bottom of his heart. It doesn't matter if the road is a little far. As long as there are minerals, the villagers can continue to prosper as long as this pillar industry in the village remains intact.

Just like what the young boy said, the village might actually produce a few contract masters in the future.

"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Chu. I'll go back to the village now and call the elders for a meeting to discuss a plan. You can come too, Brother Chu. If it's inconvenient for you, you can ask Qin Hui to come instead."

Chu Jingyu smiled and shook his head, "No, I found some medicinal herbs on the mountain and I'm in a hurry to try them on Qin Hui when I get back. You can discuss it yourselves."

Chen Zhengchang wanted to say something more to advise them, but Chu Jingyu had already led the two boys along the mountain path to another road.

Chen Xu moved closer to Chen Zhengchang, squinting his triangular eyes as he stared in the direction where Chu Jingyu and the other two had disappeared.

"I didn't expect him to actually find it, and even be willing to tell me."

Chen Zhengchang was annoyed just looking at his nephew. He slapped him on the back of the head and cursed as he did so.

"You'll learn from your short-sighted mother; you'll suffer the consequences sooner or later."

After saying that, he ignored him, called to the young men who came up from behind, and hurriedly headed into the mountains.

……

The Chu family's residence was built far from Fuhe Village.

Fuhe Village was built at the foot of three mountains, while the Chu family's house was built on a gentle slope on the mountainside of Qixia Mountain, facing east to greet the first rays of dawn each day.

The house is made of blue bricks and gray tiles. Because the space is large enough, there are three rooms in each of the north and south wings.

The main hall is a standard five-room house, a standard that is among the best in the eighteen villages under the jurisdiction of Heyu Town.

It was only in recent years, with the emergence of mining as a new industry, that houses with blue brick and gray tile walls began to be built in Fuhe Village.

A few years ago, it was good enough to support a family, let alone have spare money to build a big house.

In the courtyard, Chu Jingyu led two boys, each carrying a basket on their back, into the yard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, the younger boy shook off his elder brother's hand and hurriedly hid in the middle of the three houses on the south side.

The older boy stared blankly at his arm that had been flung away. After the younger boy went into his room, the older boy belatedly went to the door and knocked.

With some concern, she asked, "Xiao Yuan, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

From inside came Chu Shengyuan's childish voice, which sounded somewhat panicked and trying to stop him, "Brother, I'm fine, don't come in."

Chu Shengfan frowned slightly, his eyes, as bright as starlight gems, revealing a deeper worry. It seemed his younger brother was hiding a secret.

"I'm going in now."

As he spoke, he exerted force with his hands, but the door seemed to be latched, only wobbling slightly without being pushed open.

There was another sound of rummaging through drawers and cabinets inside the room, and then the locked door was opened from the inside, revealing a young boy with a few beads of sweat on his forehead.

Chu Shengyuan, his short arms propped against the two slightly ajar doorframes, blinked at his older brother, "Brother, I'm fine, are you okay?"

Chu Shengfan gave his younger brother a strange look, wondering what he was trying to hide.

"I've been curious for a long time. What were you hiding in your arms when you were on the mountain?"

I told you not to pick up random things on the mountain; they might be some kind of evil spirit. Or did you pick up some unknown egg again?

Chu Shengyuan secretly glanced back.

"Oh, brother, I didn't pick anything up. I've already learned my lesson last time, and I definitely can't make the same mistake again."

As he spoke, Chu Shengyuan pushed Chu Shengfan, who was trying to enter the room, outwards.

Seeing his younger brother's resolute attitude, Chu Shengfan decided to take a gentler approach. He released his strength and let Chu Shengyuan push him away from the door.

Then a girl of about ten years old came out of the room on the north side, walked towards Chu Jingyu, and helped him unload the basket on his back.

A gentle woman walked out of the main room. She looked at the group of people in the courtyard and said with a smile, "You're all back. Let's eat."

Since his mother had spoken, Chu Shengfan temporarily gave up pursuing his brother's "secret" and walked into the main room with his grandfather and sister.

Inside the middle room of the south wing, a stone carving shaped like a book was hidden under layers of clothing.

Chu Mu, who had just awakened from yet another deep sleep, opened his eyes to complete darkness. His originally calm state of mind was now rippled, becoming even more somber.

—He was truly buried under the mud, never to see the light of day again?

—He really wants to die now.

The sunset glow on the horizon painted Qixia Mountain red, adding a touch of splendor, making it look as if the sunset itself was resting on the mountain.

Chen Zhengchang, accompanied by a seemingly honest-looking young man, knocked on the Chu family's door.

Chu Shengfan came to unlock the door and saw the village chief and young men outside, greeting them:

"Village Chief, Uncle Chen, please come in."

Looking at the boy in front of him, who was only twelve or thirteen years old, Chen Zhengchang sighed inwardly. Compared with the children in the village, the children of the Chu family were indeed different.

He was well-mannered and possessed the noble air of a young master from a prominent family in town.

I don't know where the Chu family fled from, but they must have been a once-great family that fell into decline.

Chu Jingyu never spoke about the origins of the Chu family's ancestral lineage, and after receiving no answer when asked the first time, the village never inquired about it again.

Perhaps to repay the village for taking him in, Chu Jingyu used his contracted beast to find mineral veins for the village, which has gradually made the village much richer over the years.

Now, the village has actually received a lot of kindness from the Chu family.

Chen Zhengchang and Uncle Chen were led into the main room by Chu Shengfan. The gentle woman, who was also Chu Shengfan's mother, Jiang Nian, served tea and then quietly withdrew.

At this moment, inside the main room, Chu Shengfan's grandfather, Chu Jingyu,

Chu Shengfan's father, Chu Qinhui, should have been a handsome and talented young man, but the ashen look on his face made him look as if a gust of wind could blow him over.

There was also Chen Zhengchang, and his second uncle Chen who escorted him there.

Chu Shengfan sat at the end of the table.

Chen Zhengchang first looked at Chu Qinhui beside him and asked with concern, "Qinhui, are you feeling any better lately?"

A smile appeared on Chu Qinhui's gloomy face. "Thank you for your concern, Village Chief. I've been feeling better lately."

Chen Zhengchang nodded, "If you feel better, don't stay cooped up in the house all the time. Go out for some fresh air and sunshine."

Chu Qinhui smiled and agreed.

After drinking another cup of tea, Chen Zhengchang finally revealed the purpose of his visit.

"We discussed the mine this afternoon, and we all agreed that we should start construction as soon as possible and strive to begin production within ten days."

Chu Jingyu's gray eyebrows furrowed; he hadn't expected the village to be so tight with the schedule.

"The original Mingyu stone mine can still hold on for a while, right? This new stone mine is far away, and the construction of roads and the arrangement of accommodations will probably not be completed in a short time."

At this point, Chen Zhengchang sighed deeply, "We are well aware of these things, but the Zhang family steward who came to collect the cranes this afternoon only collected two."

I've heard that a contract master has emerged in Fuyan Village, and his source beasts can raise wild cranes with even better aptitude. If the cranes our Fuhe Village obtains remain of such poor quality, the Zhang family will no longer come to collect them.

Two cranes? That's unprecedentedly few. The last time the Zhang family steward came to collect the cranes, there were never fewer than thirty.

If the village chief's words are true, then Fuhe Village has essentially lost one of its pillar industries.

Chu Jingyu finally understood why the clan elders were so anxious about opening the new mine.

But as urgent as it was, Lin Yeshan was far from the village, and there were probably ferocious beasts lurking in the deep mountains and forests, so there were too many dangerous factors.

Although he had many thoughts on his mind, he was, after all, an outsider, and it was not appropriate for him to comment too much on the decisions made by these clan elders.

"If you need any help, the village chief can simply ask."

Chu Jingyu understood that his purpose in coming here was simply to use the power of the "Golden Jade Beast" in his possession to help the village open up mines, just like it had been twenty years ago.

Sure enough, upon hearing his words, Chen Zhengchang's face lit up with joy. "Then thank you very much, Brother Chu."

After chatting for a while in the main room, the young man, carrying a torch, left the Chu family with Chen Zhengchang.

From the Chu family's door, one can see Fuhe Village at the foot of the mountain, with scattered lights reflecting the smoke rising from the village chimneys.

After entering the house, locking the door, and tidying up, the Chu family members all went to rest.

Before resting, Chu Shengfan knocked on Chu Shengyuan's door, but there was no response. He guessed that Chu Shengyuan was tired from climbing the mountain during the day and had already gone to bed early.

Feeling helpless, he could only wait until tomorrow to explore his 'secret'.