Under One Person: Rebuilding the Glory of the Beast Master

A group of people were already seated in the Zeng family ancestral hall. The village chief, Zeng Qingde, was an old man in his early sixties, lean but with bright eyes.

When he saw Zeng Qing'an enter, he took the initiative to give up the main seat—in terms of seniority, Zeng Qing'an was his cousin, but in terms of the status of the direct line, Zeng Qing'an was the rightful patriarch of the Zeng family.

The village chief is responsible for handling the daily affairs of Zengjiazhuang, while the clan chief takes the lead in everything.

"Qing'an, sit here," Zeng Qingde said.

Zeng Qing'an did not refuse and sat down in the grand master's chair in the center of the ancestral hall.

A charcoal fire burned in the room, casting flickering light on everyone's faces. He glanced around at the people present—Zeng Qingde, several elderly clan elders, two younger relatives who had worked in business outside the village, and one person he hadn't expected.

"Runguo?" Zeng Qing'an frowned slightly. "Weren't you working in Baoding Prefecture? Why are you back?"

Zeng Runguo was his nephew from the same clan. He had joined the army in Baoding Prefecture in his early years, and later retired from the army, becoming a minor official in the city. This man was in his early thirties, with a square face and thick eyebrows; he looked like a capable person. He stood up, his expression somewhat solemn: "Uncle, I've come back this time because I have something important to tell you."

"explain."

Zeng Runguo took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and laid it out on the table. Everyone crowded around to take a look. It was a hand-drawn map, depicting the terrain of the Daqingshan Mountains within a hundred miles, with several places marked on it in red circles.

"When I was in Baoding Prefecture, I made some friends in the underworld," Zeng Runguo said with a frown. "They sent me a message a few days ago, saying that the bandits in Daqingshan are not safe lately."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Everyone in Zengjiazhuang knew about the bandits of Daqingshan. The bandit leader was surnamed Ma and was known as "Lord Ma". He had at least a hundred men under his command and had been entrenched on Eagle's Beak Cliff for many years, making a living by robbing, burning, killing and looting.

However, Zengjiazhuang and this bandit gang had always lived in peace – firstly, Zengjiazhuang was remote, and secondly, the people in the village knew some tricks up their sleeves and were not as easy to bully as ordinary farmers.

In the early years, Lord Ma also sent people to Zengjiazhuang to collect "protection fees," but Zeng Qing'an dismissed them with a few "crazy" pigs. The group of people were chased by the pigs on the mountain and fled in panic. Lord Ma knew that this village was not to be trifled with, and he never came back again.

"Master Ma's gang has grown bigger and bigger in the last two years," Zeng Runguo continued. "I heard they've recruited dozens more bandits, so together with the original ones, there are probably more than two hundred of them. With so many people, they need to eat and drink, but this year the heavy snow has blocked the mountains, and grain can't be transported down from the mountains. They've robbed every place they could, and several nearby villages have already suffered."

"You mean, Lord Ma is planning to take over our Zeng Family Village?" Zeng Qingde's brows furrowed.

Zeng Runguo nodded. "Lord Ma is now in a desperate situation. If he can't get grain and money before the New Year, his two hundred or so men will definitely mutini. So—"

"So he's coming to Zengjiazhuang to take a gamble," Zeng Qing'an finished the sentence for him.

A silence fell over the ancestral hall.

The charcoal fire crackled, and occasionally a snowflake or two would drift in through the crack in the door, landing on the blue brick floor and quickly turning into water stains.

After a long while, an elder finally spoke up, his voice trembling: "Although our Zeng Family Village has the skills of the Beast Master, those are all ancient techniques passed down through generations. Nowadays, there are only eight people in the village who have truly mastered the family's skills. How could we possibly win against two hundred bandits in a head-on confrontation? Besides, the bandits have firearms."

"A head-on confrontation?" Zeng Qing'an spoke up. His voice wasn't loud, but it had a reassuring calmness. "Our Zeng Family Village has been able to stand in the mountains for two hundred years, relying on our strength, isn't it? What's there to be afraid of?"

He turned to Zeng Runguo and asked, "When will that gang of bandits arrive at the earliest?"

Zeng Runguo pondered for a moment: "The heavy snow has blocked the mountains, and their roads are difficult to travel. I estimate that it will take at least three to five days, and at most seven or eight days, until the snow subsides a little, at which point they will definitely come."

"Enough." Zeng Qing'an stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Runzu, go and call everyone in the village who knows any of the family's traditional skills, regardless of their ability, everyone. Qingde, organize all the able-bodied men in the village into teams, and make sure each household keeps a close watch on their pigs. When the time comes, the women should take their children to the tunnel behind the ancestral hall—"

He paused, his voice deepening: "Bring out all the firearms we bought. Zeng Family Village has been at the bottom of the supernatural world for two hundred years, but being at the bottom doesn't mean anyone can step on it."

"clear!"

There were no objections; the clan chief's words were orders, and all that was needed was to carry them out.

Then Zengjiazhuang started to move.

Meanwhile, Zeng Su stayed at the old house to perform a final acupoint massage for Bai Jia Hei before its evolution.

Bai Jiahei lay on the ground, humming softly, his eyes narrowed, clearly enjoying himself immensely.

After more than a year of nurturing day and night, Baijiahei's internal energy has accumulated to a critical point. This is the highest level that Baijiahei, a pig with only an E+ talent, can reach. Unless it has a fortuitous encounter, it will be difficult to go any further.

but--

Zeng Su opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and brought up the system panel.

A light screen appeared in his field of vision, clearly displaying black and white "data":

[Evolvable target: White + Black]

[Breed: Wild boar/local pig hybrid]

[Current Evolution Stage: Mortal Beast]

[Potential Rating: E+]

[Possible Evolutionary Paths:]

【Route 1: Iron-bridled Pig (D) - Conditions: Target age ≥ 1 year (met), daily Qi-based unblocking of specific meridians (met), weight reaches 500 jin (495/500), fed with iron thorn feed (not completed)】

【Route 2: Mighty Pig (D+) - Conditions Not Met】

【Route 3: Perception Pig (D-) - Conditions Not Met】

He chose the first of the three evolution paths: Ironfur Boar. Sensitive Boar, as the name suggests, is primarily for support and positioning, and its current role isn't very significant. Mighty Boar takes too long to evolve, so Ironfur Boar is the best choice.

However, in terms of evolutionary conditions, the weight is still five pounds short.

Zeng Su frowned because Bai Jiahei was too muscular, with little fat to weigh much, so his weight was still a bit short.

He got up and walked to the corner of the yard, scooped out two ladles of pre-mixed ingredients from a rough earthenware jar—roasted soybean flour mixed with wheat bran, bone meal and a little salt—and poured them into the white and black food trough.

Bai Jiahei buried his head in his food, eating quickly and cleanly, leaving not even the bottom of the trough, cleaner than a dog licked clean.

Zeng Su scooped up two more ladles, this time adding a handful of black beans—black beans that his grandfather had soaked in medicinal wine for three years. The beans were soaked in the wine, plump and shiny, emitting a rich and mellow aroma. Bai Jia Hei's nose twitched twice, knowing what good stuff this was, and it couldn't wait to bury its head in the trough, chewing loudly.

After Baijiahei finished eating, Zeng Su placed his palm on its ribs and belly, circulating his Qi to accelerate Baijiahei's absorption capacity.

Zeng Su looked at the system panel

—Weight: 501 jin (250 catties).

Arrived!

Without a second thought, I immediately poured all the prepared ingredients into a wooden basin. Hematite, tiger bone powder, goji berries, ginseng, deer antler, medicinal black beans, and several other pre-ground medicinal powders were all mixed together and stirred quickly with an iron spoon.

He reached out and released his Qi into the pot of miscellaneous things. The things in the wooden pot began to change after coming into contact with the Qi. In the blink of an eye, everything disappeared, leaving only a round object the size of an egg.

This is "Ironthorn Feed," the final step in the white-and-black evolution process.

Holding the ironthorn feed in your hand feels like holding a lump of iron; both its texture and feel tell you that it is a solid iron ball.

"Is this thing really edible?"

He remained skeptical of the large iron ball in his hand. Although it was called animal feed, he thought that biting into it would probably break his teeth!

I glanced at the person next to me, Bai Jiahei, whose innocent big eyes looked just like those of a college student who had just entered the workforce.

Bai Jiahei also tilted its head to look at its owner.

"Alright! We have to give it a try no matter what."

As he spoke, he handed the iron ball—no, it should be iron thorn feed—to Bai Jiahei.

Bai Jiahei came closer and sniffed the iron ball.

Pigs have a sense of smell that is several times stronger than dogs, so Baijiahei can smell the special aroma emanating from the iron thorn feed, a smell that makes your blood tremble.

It yearned, yearned so much. Saliva dripped from Baijiahei's mouth, but it didn't bite immediately. Instead, it looked up at its owner, its eyes filled with pleading.

It will only eat if its owner allows it.

"Eat!"

Zeng Su reached out a hand and patted Bai Jiahei's head.

After receiving permission from its master, Baijiahei could no longer resist and swallowed the iron thorn feed in one gulp without chewing.

I initially thought it would take some time for it to take effect, but it started glowing as soon as it ate the Ironthorn Feed (both white and black).

It's not a metaphor; it really is shining.

A layer of amber light shone through the skin of the person with fair skin, as if a fire was burning inside their body.

Bai Jiahei stood frozen in place, only his abdomen heaving violently, each breath accompanied by a low, muffled groan.

Through his connection with the Beastmaster, he could sense that Bai Jiahei was suffering.

"Baijiahei?" Zeng Su placed his hand on its ribs, the temperature of his palm almost making him pull his hand away—Baijiahei's body temperature was rising rapidly.

He immediately brought up the system panel:

[Evolving - Ironfur Boar (D)]

[Progress: 3%...7%...12%...]

The numbers flashing on the screen reassured Zeng Su somewhat, at least indicating that the evolution was proceeding normally without any problems.

He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged next to Baijiahei, and placed his palms on its body, continuously channeling his Qi into Baijiahei's body. Although he didn't know if this would work, it was something he, as its master, could do, at least to alleviate Baijiahei's pain.

As soon as his Qi entered Bai Jiahei's body, he perceived a scene that left him speechless.

The meridians in Bai Jiahei's body, which he had spent more than a year nurturing, clearing, and strengthening, were visibly "collapsed" and "rebuilt."

The original meridians were like narrow, winding mountain paths, allowing only one person to pass at a time. Now, those narrow paths are being forcibly widened, straightened, and reshaped by a powerful force, transforming into broad highways. The new meridians are three times thicker than before, and the Qi flowing through them is more than twice as fast.

What shocked Zeng Su even more was the white and black bone structure.

Under the perception of Qi, Bai Jiahei's bones resembled red-hot iron bars, gleaming with a dark red light. He could "see" that the internal structure of the bones was undergoing some kind of change that he could not understand. Almost every one of Bai Jiahei's more than three hundred bones was undergoing this change simultaneously.

The muscles, both white and black, are also undergoing a transformation.

Under the stimulation of Qi, muscle fibers split, grow, and reorganize wildly. The new muscle fibers are several times thicker than the original ones, and their arrangement is more compact and orderly.

[Evolving - Ironfur Boar (D)]

[Progress: 34%...41%...53%...]

The numbers on the system panel were jumping faster and faster. Bai Jiahei's body temperature had risen to an unbelievable level, and Zeng Su could even smell a burnt smell—the smell of the scorched quilt beneath Bai Jiahei.

"roar!"

Bai Jiahei suddenly let out a low growl.

The sound didn't seem like something a pig could make; it was deep and resonant, with a metallic vibration, like the lingering echo of a large bell being struck.

The roar echoed in the courtyard of the old house, causing the snow on the eaves to fall down in a rustling sound.

This naturally attracted the attention of other people in Zengjiazhuang, especially Zeng Qing'an, because the sound came from the backyard where his beloved grandson liked to stay the most.

"Oh no, could something have happened to Su'er?"

He couldn't care less about anything else. Zeng Qing'an used his movement technique to quickly run to the old house. Everyone else in the village came too, especially those who had learned the techniques.

However, after arriving outside the old house, Zeng Qing'an did not rush to go in, because he sensed an extremely powerful Qi erupting inside the old house.

Although it was somewhat unfamiliar, he quickly thought of Baijiahei (a brand of hot and cold drinks), and he could also sense that his grandson was in the old house.

"Father, what's wrong?"

Zeng Runzu also arrived. Seeing his father waiting outside, he didn't rush forward blindly. Sometimes, he was quite clever.

Everyone else stopped at the gate of the courtyard.

"Our Zeng family has produced a prodigy!" Zeng Qing'an suddenly exclaimed with a loud laugh, his excitement overflowing.

Upon hearing this, Zeng Runzu came to his senses.

"Was that commotion caused by Xiao Su?"

"Send all irrelevant people back. Everyone stay here and guard. Don't let anything disturb Su'er. Shoot down even a bird!" Zeng Qing'an immediately ordered.

Zeng Runzu and the others immediately took action, surrounding the entire old house and driving back all the villagers who had come after hearing the commotion, so as not to let anyone or anything disturb Zeng Su's breakthrough.

In the backyard of the old house, the evolution of the "white plus black" style has reached its final stage.

Zeng Su's palm remained pressed against Bai Jiahei's ribs and abdomen, sweat dripping down his cheeks and leaving a small water stain on the blue brick floor.

[Evolving - Ironfur Boar (D)]

[Progress: 75%...82%...93%...]

The numbers on the light screen jumped faster and faster, Bai Jiahei's body temperature began to drop, and the amber halo gradually receded, shrinking back into his body from the skin's surface.

Then--

"boom!"

A visible shockwave exploded from Bai Jiahei's body, throwing Zeng Su backward and causing him to land on his backside.

The blast wave, carrying dust and snow, spread outwards, scattering several strings of dried chili peppers hanging on the wall and even making the roof tiles rattle.

Outside the courtyard, Zeng Qing'an's expression changed.

He sensed the Qi contained within that wave of energy—powerful and violent. This was not the kind of Qi that an eight-year-old child could release, nor was it the kind of Qi that Zeng Qing'an could release.

This is the Qi of that pig.

How could a pig possess such strong Qi?

"Could it be?"

The strange people from Zengjiazhuang present all thought of one word.