Chapter 119: The Second Beast Companion

“Kidneys? Testicles?”

Cang Luo blinked, realizing Uesugi Emiko had misunderstood him, but he couldn’t tell her the truth—otherwise he’d expose his regenerative ability.

So Cang Luo could only say: “Emiko, you’re mistaken. I don’t use kidneys or testicles to subdue beast companions, nor any other organ. Let’s focus on how to catch the badger.”

“Really?” Uesugi Emiko gave Cang Luo a long look but asked no further.

She thought for a moment, then suddenly said: “Cang Jun, you can have Husky blast smoke into the burrow—that’ll surely force the badger out.”

Cang Luo slapped his forehead, delighted: “Why didn’t I think of that?”

He immediately transmitted the method to Husky via voice projection: blast smoke into the burrow—pour it on, choke the flathead to death!

He, Uesugi Emiko, and Fengli then spread out to guard several burrow entrances, preventing the badger’s escape while waiting for it to emerge.

“Aowu! Aowu!”

Husky let out two excited howls; its left silver wolf head puffed its cheeks and blasted a continuous stream of white smoke, thick with the smell of gunpowder, from its jaws.

Soon, Cang Luo saw smoke rising from a burrow beside Husky—this meant the burrows were connected.

Cang Luo grinned: “Husky, keep blasting—force it out, then make it your subordinate.”

“Aowu...”

Husky’s right wolf head howled excitedly again, while its left head intensified its smoke output.

Husky kept blasting white smoke into the burrows, and new burrows around them continuously began spewing smoke.

During this time, the badger continued its ambushes and harassment, but its range of movement shrank further.

Under Cang Luo’s command, Husky kept shifting positions and switching burrows to blast smoke, compressing inward until only one burrow remained without smoke.

Cang Luo sneered, standing guard with Uesugi Emiko at the single remaining burrow entrance, waiting.

Fengli pressed its ears to the ground, listening for any attempt by the badger to dig a new escape tunnel.

Uesugi Emiko suddenly said: “Cang Jun, do you think the badger might have suffocated inside—or already dug out and escaped?”

Cang Luo’s heart tightened; he wasn’t sure: “Probably not—it was too arrogant...”

No sooner had he spoken than he saw Fengli’s ears twitch—he instantly grew alert, knowing the flathead hadn’t fled; it was about to emerge.

Sure enough, less than half a minute later, a flat-topped head slowly poked out from the burrow they guarded—it was the flathead badger.

Cang Luo rejoiced; his Thunder Palm had been waiting. He slammed it down onto the badger’s forehead.

With only half his strength, the Thunder Palm easily knocked the badger unconscious.

“Yōshi!”

Cang Luo happily pulled the badger from the burrow, unable to resist muttering in Japanese.

These past days, living side by side with Uesugi Emiko, his Japanese had improved dramatically—far faster than learning from islander films back on Earth.

He tied the badger tightly with vine ropes, then took a beast hide from his pack and began drawing the beast companion contract array.

Uesugi Emiko watched silently beside him; she longed to ask what organ he’d use as sacrifice—but held back. She’d find out soon enough.

After more than ten minutes, the beast companion contract array was complete. He dripped his and the badger’s blood into it—all was ready.

But at that moment, Cang Luo suddenly grew uneasy—he wasn’t sure if his newly regrown appendix could serve as a sacrifice to subdue a beast.

If it could, it meant he’d gained a Summoner class.

If it couldn’t... it should work, right?

Cang Luo took a deep breath, stopped overthinking, and began subduing the badger.

One hand pressed on the array, the other gripped the badger’s flat head firmly; he unleashed all his Yuan Shi to invade the badger’s brain.

This step went surprisingly smoothly—no resistance, unlike when he subdued Husky. Perhaps because Husky had two heads, or because the badger was still unconscious.

In any case, Cang Luo effortlessly took control of the badger’s mind. Now, he only needed to offer an organ as sacrifice—the appendix.

He split off a strand of Yuan Shi to envelop his newly regrown appendix. This was the final, most critical step.

With nervous anticipation, Cang Luo activated the beast companion contract array—his palms sweated. Whether he’d gain a second, even third or hundred beast companions, it all hinged on this.

As he tensed, he suddenly felt a searing heat in his left hand pressing the array—the sign the array had activated.

Immediately after, he felt a slight tightening, a pang, on his lower right abdomen.

Inner vision revealed: the appendix was gone!

Where it had been, a wound remained—now being healed by infinite Yuan Li, cells splitting, flesh regenerating bit by bit—it itched...

At that moment, Cang Luo’s heart surged with overwhelming joy—the feeling... like conquering a city.

Success!

The badger became his second beast companion—and his appendix seemed capable of regenerating!

That meant, in a month, he could subdue another beast companion...

Cang Luo trembled as he withdrew his hands, gazing at the badger with burning eyes—as if it were a beautiful woman.

The tightly bound badger slowly woke, opening its shrewd eyes and staring intently at Cang Luo. It suddenly felt strangely familiar...

No—not familiar. A sense of absolute obedience.

That feeling made it deeply displeased.

“Yaya! Yaya yaya yaya...” The badger rasped several sounds at Cang Luo.

It was telepathically shouting: “Let go of this great master! Release me at once!”

Cang Luo’s face darkened instantly—he slapped the badger hard, sending it rolling across the ground in circles.

Cang Luo clapped his hands and barked: “Dare you call yourself ‘great master’ in front of me? You little flathead, you want to die? Get over here!”

With its limbs bound by vines, the badger could only roll—like a sausage—until it reached Cang Luo’s feet.

It rasped telepathically: “I rolled over, I rolled over.”

Cang Luo was speechless—he knew the badger meant: “I rolled over.”

Too fast, no pause—the absence of a comma changed the meaning entirely.

As he untied the badger, Cang Luo shook his head: “Husky, this flathead still can’t speak well. Teach it properly—it’s your subordinate now.”

“Aowu! Aowu! Yes, boss!” Husky answered in its unmistakable double-tone voice.

Cang Luo nodded, then turned to the badger: “From today, your name is Pingtou. The two-headed Flame Wolf beside you is Husky—your senior.”

The badger nodded its flat head, then looked at Husky—and scrunched up its face. It realized the two-headed Flame Wolf was only a Rank One beast.

It extended one claw—upward.

Cang Luo blinked. Middle finger? Was this defiance? But how did it know the meaning?

Without hesitation, Cang Luo slapped Pingtou again, furious: “Respect your senior! You two must coexist peacefully—or I’ll skin you alive!”

This time, Pingtou stayed quiet, nodding, no longer provoking Husky—but it raised its middle finger at Fengli.

Fengli didn’t understand the gesture, but sensed the provocation. It immediately snarled, baring its Qi claws and lunging at the badger—until Uesugi Emiko grabbed it like a kitten and lifted it off the ground.

Uesugi Emiko held Fengli, stunned: “Cang Jun, you’ve successfully subdued it?”

“Mm.” Cang Luo nodded.

“Then what organ did you use as sacrifice?” Uesugi Emiko circled Cang Luo once, examining him.

She noted his limbs were intact, his features complete—he hadn’t sacrificed any external body part or organ.

If not limbs or features, then it must be an internal organ.

Had she guessed right?

Did Cang Jun’s kidneys or testicles get used as sacrifice?

Cang Luo noticed Uesugi Emiko staring intently at his waist and lower body. He sighed: “Stop looking—it’s not what you think.”

Only a fool would use kidneys or testicles as sacrifice—but how to explain?

Cang Luo thought for a moment, then spoke with cryptic calm: “I’ve cultivated a secret technique. Subduing beasts requires no sacrifice.”

“Secret technique?”

Uesugi Emiko furrowed her brows, disbelieving. Though such a technique existed, it had been lost for over a thousand years.

In ancient Qin, there was an Emperor-level sect called Ten Thousand Beasts Manor—the compiler of the Ten Thousand Beasts Atlas.

Ten Thousand Beasts Manor possessed a secret beast-taming technique called the Beast Taming Scripture, which could subdue multiple beast companions without sacrifice—immensely powerful.

Unfortunately, Ten Thousand Beasts Manor made too many enemies and was annihilated; the Beast Taming Scripture vanished with it.

Could Cang Jun know the Beast Taming Scripture?

Impossible.

Uesugi Emiko believed it must be tied to Cang Luo’s secret realm.

So—could Cang Luo subdue beasts without sacrifice because he’s from the secret realm? Or because the realm possesses a technique like the Beast Taming Scripture?

If the latter, that would be catastrophic.

The Emperor-level Ten Thousand Beasts Manor was destroyed because of the Beast Taming Scripture!

If Cang Luo’s secret realm held a similar technique, the Japanese Imperial Court would spare no effort to seize it.

Thinking of this, Uesugi Emiko gave Cang Luo a long look. She realized he seemed unaware of the disaster such a technique could bring to his realm...

She took a deep breath, calming her racing heart, desperate to return to the Five Elements Palace immediately.

As she walked, she said: “Cang Jun, let’s go.”

Cang Luo noticed her urgency but didn’t question it. He recalled Pingtou into his beast companion space and followed silently.

An hour later, the two emerged from the beast forest onto a major road.

This road led north to Uesugi Emiko’s Imperial-level sect, the Five Elements Palace, and south to Cang Luo’s Emperor-level sect, Profound Heaven Sect.

They paused at the crossroads. Uesugi Emiko smiled: “Cang Jun, until we meet again!”

Cang Luo nodded, about to speak—when he saw three youths sprinting toward them. The lead youth shouted as he ran: “Emiko! Emiko!”

Cang Luo’s brow furrowed sharply. He stared—and realized their robes were identical to Feng Qingyun’s.

Disciple of the Five Elements Hall?

Mei Zi is calling Himeko?

Cang Luo froze, thinking of someone—Uesugi Himeko’s senior brother, and also her lover.

His name is Lin Zhiping!

No way? How could I run into him here?

Cang Luo turned his head and saw Uesugi Himeko waving at him with a delighted expression.

Speechless—it really is Lin Zhiping...

Should I step aside?

Cang Luo was now nervous, because Uesugi Himeko was still wearing his clothes...

What if they misunderstand?

Will they beat me up?