119: Chu Shengfan's second source beast

Appreciation was one thing, but this was only because they had encountered a kind-hearted Main Family; had it been anyone more assertive, the three sons of the Chen family likely wouldn't have even had the chance to speak those words.

Nanny Liu unhurriedly smoothed out her handkerchief, only speaking slowly after she had applied enough psychological pressure on the Chen family members.

"It is naturally because she remembers the old friendship that the Young Mistress sent me here. Otherwise, on that day when Miss Chen Ling gave a sachet to my Young Master in front of so many village chiefs..."

"The Young Mistress was already displeased upon learning of this. Isn't this taking advantage of our Young Master Fan's youth and ignorance to forcibly bind him into some sort of relationship?"

"Whether a young lady cares for her own reputation is not our place to manage, but a person as noble as my Young Master cannot be left with the reputation of a profligate playboy because of this incident."

Hearing Nanny Liu's words, Chen Ling supported herself against a high chair nearby, her face carrying a hint of grievance as she argued, "I didn't..."

"Whether you did or didn't, I believe I have made myself very clear. Do not think of binding yourself to my Young Master so early."

"If you cannot wait, then you should pick a good family for the girl and marry her off early. In any case, my Young Master will not discuss marriage matters before he is sixteen."

"If you can wait, my Young Master might not necessarily take a fancy to your daughter anyway. Don't let the girl's prime years be wasted in vain and then try to pin the blame on my Young Master."

"My advice is to stop excessively wearing down the friendship between our two families. As for the stakes involved, I ask Village Chief Chen to consider them carefully."

With that, Nanny Liu stood up. The little maidservant behind her picked up the basket from the table and followed her.

Chen Zhengchang coughed softly and said with a deep sigh, "You three, go see Nanny Liu out."

The three sisters-in-law accompanied Nanny Liu to the courtyard gate and watched her climb the stairs back to the Chu family estate on the hilltop.

Inside the house, Chen Zhengchang looked at Chen Ling with a complex gaze. "Xiao Ling, we are not worthy of the Chu family's Young Master. Forget about him from now on."

Chen Ling's eyes were red, but she didn't say a word.

Chen Minghua, however, let out a sigh. "I never expected that things would turn out so counterproductively."

...In the dead of night, Chu Jingyu came to Chu Shengfan's courtyard and saw him practicing his footwork with a long sword.

Chu Jingyu's gaze toward Chu Shengfan was full of kindness; this was a good child of his family, still working hard so late at night.

Chu Jingyu had a strong presence. When he stood in the courtyard, Chu Shengfan noticed his arrival, neatly sheathed his sword, and called out, "Grandfather."

"Your sword practice is not bad, but I think a machete is more practical. You can practice with a machete in the future."

Regarding his grandfather's suggestion, Chu Shengfan smiled and agreed, "Alright, I will practice it in the future."

Chu Jingyu sat down at the stone table in the courtyard and asked with a smile, "How have your thoughts been regarding the contract with a Source Beast?"

Over the past few days, Chu Jingyu had presented all the options the Chu family possessed to Chu Shengfan, letting him consider choosing one to form a contract with.

They were the 'Moon Worshipping Rabbit', 'Azure Fang Wolf', 'Ice Lotus', and 'Colorful Cloud Jellyfish'—four types of Source Beasts.

Among them, except for the 'Moon Worshipping Rabbit' which was Mortal Rank, the other three were all Uncommon Rank Source Beasts.

"If you don't like any of them, we can go to the Treasure Pavilion and look again. It's likely only a few days before they hold another auction."

Chu Shengfan came to the stone table and sat down. The Flower Medicine Butterfly fluttered around him, bits of pollen falling onto his body to repair the fatigue from his training.

"I'll go with the Colorful Cloud Jellyfish. It seems they don't have any shortcomings other than being a bit dim-witted."

Chu Jingyu was slightly surprised by Chu Shengfan's choice.

In fact, on some levels, the Moon Worshipping Rabbit had the highest potential among these Source Beasts. However, since Chu Shengfan already had a Medicine Beast, he urgently needed a Source Beast with direct combat capabilities to make up for his shortcomings.

So Chu Jingyu could understand why he didn't choose the Moon Worshipping Rabbit, but among the remaining three Source Beasts, Chu Jingyu's favorite was none other than the Ice Lotus.

Although it was only a plant-type Source Beast and faced certain restrictions, it was excellent in both offensive capabilities and battlefield control.

Furthermore, as a flower-type Source Beast, its blooming would coordinate well with the Flower Medicine Butterfly, promoting mutual growth for both parties.

"Can you tell Grandpa why you chose it?"

Facing Chu Jingyu's confusion, Chu Shengfan smiled. "The Azure Fang Wolf's combat ability is too low. Even when a pack of them besieged me—a newly advanced Uncommon Rank Contract Master without many combat methods—I managed to kill several of them. Their combat ability is truly worrying."

"As for the Ice Lotus..."

At this point, Chu Shengfan raised his palm, and the Flower Medicine Butterfly landed gently on his fingertip.

"Little Medicine Butterfly doesn't like that cold aura. I thought about it and decided not to force it to get along with a Source Beast it dislikes."

Hearing his words, the Flower Medicine Butterfly flapped its wings excitedly, and the purple-pink medicinal pollen filled a large area around the stone table.

"So I chose the Colorful Cloud Jellyfish. Not only are they tough and durable, but some are also massive and can serve as aerial transport. They're quite excellent."

"Besides, they are generally reserved. Perhaps only after forming a contract will I discover if they possess other special abilities."

Chu Jingyu raised his hand, wanting to pat his grandson's head, but seeing the child who had grown to 1.75 meters in the past half-year, he withdrew his hand. Half a year's time often made people forget that he was still just a child.

"Alright, Grandpa will take you to the back mountain to choose one."

The grandfather and grandson walked to the back mountain, bathed in moonlight.

Looking at the various glowing Jellyfish Source Beasts drifting through the air and the forest, their radiance had actually dimmed considerably compared to when they first arrived.

Perhaps because the energy within this realm was thin and they couldn't find food, these Source Beasts, known for their gentle temperaments, were gradually becoming frantic.

Chu Jingyu estimated that if this situation continued, these Jellyfish might drift away from this place to other regions in search of edible food.

He naturally wouldn't sit by and watch this happen; after all, he already regarded these dozens of Uncommon Rank Colorful Cloud Jellyfish and hundreds of Floating Jellyfish as the Chu family's property.

Therefore, he regularly had the steward grind Origin Rune Stones into powder and scatter it throughout the back mountain forest. In many cases, the crystalline dust of the Origin Rune Stones could serve as a substitute for their food.

Although it didn't have a great promoting effect on their growth, it could at least replenish the energy consumed within their bodies and allow them to survive normally.

The grandfather and grandson strolled through the forest, observing the state of the Colorful Cloud Jellyfish in the air to judge which was suitable for a contract.

After wandering for nearly an hour, the two finally stopped beneath the Colorful Cloud Jellyfish with the most complex and brightest colors.