22: Chapter 22 The Storm Is Brewing!

Shi Jian stopped chewing.

These conditions—any Loose Cultivator or wild Yao Beast would have long since kowtowed in gratitude; one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones was equivalent to ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

It was equivalent to five years of the Sun Clan's tribute. If one factored in the Rank Two Medicinal Pills and other items, a single year's worth would equal ten years for the Sun Clan!

Shi Jian felt a strong surge of temptation, but he quickly regained his composure.

Become a Protector at White Cloud Temple?

It sounded nice, but once inside a Golden Core Sect, there would always be a mountain weighing down on his head. His life and death would be in the hands of others, and he would have to spend every day reading people's expressions.

In Hongtian City, he was a local tyrant, and Sun Boan treated him like an ancestor.

All the money earned was at his disposal!

As the saying goes, 'better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a Phoenix.' Shi Jian didn't actually want to be a dog for the Human Race. If he were to be a dog, wouldn't it be more comfortable and easy to just join a Nascent Soul Great Sect?

Shi Jian swallowed the fruit pulp and put on a simple and honest expression. He raised a paw to scratch his ear, looking as guileless as could be.

"The Temple Master's favor is deeply appreciated, and I am endlessly grateful."

"It's just..."

Shi Jian sighed, his tone suddenly becoming incredibly world-weary. "Years ago, I was heavily injured and nearly died in the desolate mountains."

"If the Sun Clan's ancestor hadn't passed by and fed me half a bottle of Medicinal Pills, saving my life, I, Old Shi, would have perished long ago."

"Yao Beasts are simple-minded and stubborn."

Shi Jian looked Zhao Qing straight in the eye. "As long as a single member of the Sun Clan remains alive, I must continue to guard the gates of Hongtian City for them."

Hearing this, Zhao Qing frowned slightly.

"The struggle for the Great Dao emphasizes Wealth, Companionship, Techniques, and Land. Are you willing to ruin your own path for a hollow promise and a fading sentiment?"

"Temple Master, you are mistaken."

Shi Jian shook his head and said solemnly, "White Cloud Temple's power awes this entire region. With a Golden Core expert presiding over it, the Foundation Establishment experts under its banner are as numerous as the clouds."

"How could it possibly lack a crude and foolish wild bear like me, who only knows how to use brute force?"

"By staying in Hongtian City, I am actually sharing the Temple Master's burdens. Hongtian City's Foundation Establishment Cultivators have dwindled, leaving no one to guard the vast territory under its jurisdiction."

"By guarding that place and protecting the land, I am also helping the Temple Master safeguard this foundation!"

"If any petty Demonic Cultivators dare to invade, I will be the first to object. White Cloud Temple stands high above, governing the overall situation; it's only fitting to leave the dirty and exhausting work of Hongtian City to a crude bear like me."

His words were airtight.

With sincere and righteous words, he not only established his persona as a loyal bear who 'values sentiment and righteousness' and 'repays kindness,' but also greatly flattered the status of White Cloud Temple.

Finally, he proved his strategic value: being a watchdog for you down there is more useful than being a mascot at home.

The Main Peak's hall fell into a deathly silence.

Zhao Qing stared at Shi Jian with a piercing gaze. Shi Jian met his look calmly, his eyes clear and foolish, making it impossible to see anything beneath the surface.

After a long while, Zhao Qing suddenly burst into laughter.

"What a stubborn bear demon! What a fine way to guard a region for White Cloud Temple!"

With a wave of his sleeve, a jade box sealed with a Talisman flew toward Shi Jian.

"Since your mind is made up, I will not force you. This Rank Two High Grade 'blood bodhi' is your reward. Guard Hongtian City well for me."

"It is also good to protect the land well."

Shi Jian caught the jade box steadily and gave a simple, honest grin.

"Thank you for the reward, Lord Temple Master!"

Half an hour later.

Shi Jian walked out of the hall. Yun Song was waiting outside to lead him down the mountain.

Walking along the mountain path, the simple and honest look on Shi Jian's face vanished completely. He looked back at the Main Peak's hall towering into the clouds, his eyes as cold as frost.

The Golden Core pressure from earlier had seemed terrifying, but it carried a hint of being strong on the outside yet weak within.

The moment Zhao Qing withdrew his pressure, his breathing skipped half a beat. Although it was well-concealed, as a Yao Beast, Shi Jian's perception of blood and Qi far surpassed that of human Cultivators.

Deep within that blood and Qi, a trace of Death Qi was hidden.

This Golden Core Old Ancestor was likely injured, and the injury reached his foundation. There was probably a major issue with his Lifespan; he might have even overdrawn it...

No wonder he was in such a hurry to recruit Foundation Establishment Middle Stage combat power, even to the point of offering such generous terms.

White Cloud Temple, the mountain weighing down on the nine counties of Baiyun Prefecture—its interior was likely surging with undercurrents and had become a muddy mess!

Shi Jian tightened his grip on the jade box in his paw. He didn't know if the sky outside would collapse.

But he knew that things were about to change in Baiyun Prefecture.

He had to get that kid Sun Boan to speed up the rate of making money. If the Sun Clan could produce one or two Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the next twenty years...

Then in the future, they would have the strength to maintain peace in their region.