The sun had long set in the west, with only clouds to keep the sky company. The burning red glow had faded, now only half the sky was painted in a much softer orange.
Before the sky became fully dark, Li Changsheng had reached Li Manor.
Li Manor was built facing the south with its back to the north and stationed at its entrance was a pair of lions, each around 13 feet tall. Lanterns lit up the main entrance from above and splashes of golden rays from the early evening sky wavered with the whims of the wind.
Vermillion main doors were swung wide open and a pair of manservants stood by each side. The manservants were large and well-built, and with a long staff in their hands, they struck a very imposing figure.
Due to more than ten generations of hard work, the Li Clan was now thriving. There were at least a few hundred clan members, and that was without accounting for their manservants and maids. To say the least, they were the bulk of Nero City's forces.
"Young Master Changsheng! You're back!"
The servants ran up to greet Li Changsheng upon noticing his return. The Li Clan enforced their rules strictly. It did not matter that both Li Changsheng's parents had passed, or that Li Changsheng did not hold a high position within the clan. He was a young master of the family, and a demon tamer to boot, so the servants would never pick on someone like him.
Li Changsheng nodded and stepped across the threshold of the main doors.
He was met with a spectacular view upon entering the Manor. Pine trees mirrored themselves on the water surface not too far from the stilted pavilion while the flowing water was bathed in the faint orange of the sunset. Branches of different trees entangled with each other artistically, forming atypical shadows that swayed over the pond.
All sorts of gemstones were scattered across the pavilion. There were ones as clear as crystals shimmering under the light, while others seemed almost alive as they reflected the green of the foliage and left behind a jade afterimage. Some of them, when touched, reminded you of the mountains and others reminded you of black pines. There were gemstones that held the vibrant colors of rainbows, ones in the shade of onyx voids, and ones decorated with metamorphic stripes. Together, the interweaved stones formed an exquisite work of art.
Despite spanning over hundreds of acres of land, the Li Manor did not seem all that big after the distribution of the land.
Quickly, Li Changsheng arrived at the small courtyard at the north-east corner of the Manor—a spot he made his home.
The courtyard was not large, and beyond its entrance lay a winding corridor with a pebbled path that led to the back alley. The courtyard was shielded with limestone walls and its garden bloomed vibrantly with luscious colors.
Stepping into his courtyard, Li Changsheng found his uncle lazing on a chair in front of him. He rested his chin on his right hand as his half-closed eyes drooped, which made it hard to tell if he was actually asleep or just pretending.
His uncle, Li Haoqiong, was a handsome man, and his black qipao accentuated his pale porcelain skin. His long hair was draped untidily on his shoulders and contrasted the small three wisps of beard that grew under his jaw, which gave him a somewhat wild appearance.
Appearance-wise, his uncle was nothing short of dashing. In fact, he had been the dream man of each and every woman in Nero during his younger years. Despite that, he somewhat paled in comparison to Li Changsheng.
If one had to put it into words, it was like the difference of a face that could launch a thousand ships versus one that could launch a hundred. The difference was evident.
As far as Li Changsheng could remember, his uncle had always been a lazy bastard who preferred taking advantage of people rather than working hard to get what he wanted, in no sense a role model for the younger generations. Perhaps it was because Li Changsheng was a handsome and charming child that Li Haoqiong frequently 'bullied' him in the pretense of 'teaching'.
Of course, the 'bullying' was never more than playful banter.
In Li Changsheng's point of view, however, Li Haoqiong had committed too many 'evil deeds' to count!
"Oh! Changsheng, you're back!"
Li Haoqiong blinked his eyes open when he heard movement and stretched, bleary-eyed. As he gave Li Changsheng a good look-over, his eyes fixed on Ai Xi in his arms.
For some reason, Ai Xi became less lively and fell silent under Li Haoqiong's gaze and tucked herself into Li Changsheng's arms to hide.
This was solely the instinct of a wild demon!
"Oh? Not bad, not bad at all. That explains why you're so reluctant to take the 'trash' this clan has, and why you're even willing to put yourself in danger to search for one in the wild! So, what grade is this demon?"
Li Haoqiong had a sharp eye and a good knack for observation. He could tell that there was something special about Ai Xi with just a few glances.
"Superior Grade!"
Li Changsheng felt no need to hide this from his uncle as Ai Xi was his demonic pet. No one could possibly snatch her from him, let alone his uncle who had pretty much raised him. The two were on great terms.
Of course, Li Changsheng never revealed his special ability to anyone—that was his trump card.
"Superior Grade!"
Li Haoqiong's widened with surprise, unable to keep his calm. He would never have thought that within the few days Li Changsheng had spent outside, the boy would return with a Superior Grade demon, a White-Fronted Tiger no less too!
However, he was a man of vast knowledge, and concealed his surprise in an instant. He exclaimed in a congratulatory tone, "Good, good, very good! I expected no less from my nephew. I see you're showing the same flair I used to have back in the day."
Saying that Superior Grade demons were rare was an understatement. Despite the Li Clan's prestige, the number of people who had them could be counted with one hand, and Li Haoqiong was one of them.
Li Haoqiong believed that fate definitely played a part for Li Changsheng to bind with this demon, so he did not think too deeply about it.
"You're bragging again!" Li Changsheng pouted, too tired to argue. He had heard about Li Haoqiong's past achievements countless times. Like how Li Haoqiong had once accidentally stepped on a newborn snake only to realize it was a Superior Grade demon after they made a contract.
Seriously!
Li Changsheng finally returned to his own room after chatting with his uncle. Absent-mindedly tossing his backpack to the side, he flopped onto his bed, not wanting to move a muscle.
For the past few days, Li Changsheng had been dancing in the jaws of danger. Day and night, he had been so on edge and constantly on the lookout for danger that he never managed to get a good rest.
The crises and hardships he faced could not easily be fathomed.
As the exhaustion and relief finally crashed onto him now that he was home, he wanted nothing more than to sleep like a log.
However, instead of sleeping, Li Changsheng merely rested his eyes for a brief moment before he shot his eyes open again, reenergized.
Li Changsheng splashed some water on his face and stared at his perfectly unblemished appearance reflected in the mirror. He froze, dazed by the 360° all-round perfection that was his handsome face, and his breath was taken away.
After a while, with great determination and difficulty, Li Changsheng finally wrenched his gaze away and took breath after deep breath of fresh air.
Holy sh*t. What was this sorcery? He had almost turned himself gay!
…
Having washed up, Li Changsheng deployed his omniscience to make sure that no one was spying at him, and removed a thick book from the bookshelf by the side.
The Illustrated Guide to Demons was an encyclopedia that recorded a large amount of data on demons. The book was old and battered, hanging by its last seams and it looked like it might break apart any moment due to Li Changsheng's incessant flipping.
Taming demons into demonic pets required a deep understanding, first and foremost. Demon tamers needed to not only know the details of all demonic pets by heart, but also must have a good grasp of their skills, strengths, and weaknesses, and be able to use them to their full advantage.
Instead of flipping straight to the page of the White-Fronted Tiger, Li Changsheng merely held the front cover between his fingers and leafed through the pages a few times with his other hand. Soon, a small crack split open on the thick cover, and a shimmer of something golden could just be seen in the gap between the covers.