Despite now sitting on what amounted to a treasure trove, Lin Feng knew he couldn't simply claim all the rejected pills in the storeroom for himself. These were the designated 'feed' for the spirit beasts. If he took them all, what would he use to serve those demanding creatures?
Moreover, while the collection of medicinal herbs he'd gathered wasn't insignificant, it paled in comparison to the sheer volume of pills here. Crucially, repairing each type of pill required several specific herbs. Missing even one would prevent him from restoring a pill to supreme-grade quality. Access to the necessary repair materials was another hurdle. The Lingyue Sect certainly possessed these herbs in abundance, but obtaining them was a different matter. As a newly enrolled outer sect disciple, openly requisitioning large quantities was unthinkable. Trying to buy them with spirit stones wouldn't work either.
His initial excitement faded rapidly as he contemplated these problems, replaced by renewed apprehension.
...
"Sigh... Regardless, I need to assess the situation first!"
After some deliberation, Lin Feng decided to inspect the true nature of his 'duties'. Carrying the feeding record booklets, he returned to the pill storage room. Following the entries detailing pill types and quantities in each booklet, he retrieved batches of pill bottles from the shelves, storing them in his spatial ring.
He also gathered the jade slips, holding the one containing the rear mountain map as he exited through the back door into the vast, wooded wilderness of the sect's rear mountains.
According to the map, Lin Feng headed towards the nearest territory occupied by a spirit beast. The Lingyue Sect's rear mountains were rich in spiritual energy, nurturing formidable beasts and rare treasures deep within. The sect occasionally organized expeditions for disciples into those depths. However, the areas near the sect compound were dominated by the spirit beasts belonging to the sect's elders. Other wild beasts wouldn't dare encroach. These spirit beasts effectively guarded the sect's rear flank; not even a powerful Golden Core cultivator could sneak past them into the sect grounds.
Arriving at the area marked on the map as the domain of the Verdant-Horned Rhino, Lin Feng searched for a while before spotting his target in a small lake. The enormous, tank-like beast, resembling a cross between a hippopotamus and a rhinoceros, was bathing.
The moment Lin Feng came into view from a distance, the seemingly asleep rhino immediately snapped its head around, its eyes flashing with a fierce glint.
Lin Feng's heart lurched, and he froze. Though he knew this was a tamed spirit beast unlikely to attack indiscriminately like a wild demon beast, a chill ran down his spine. The Verdant-Horned Rhino belonged to the Sect Leader and was at the tier-3 peak level, equivalent to a Golden Core Perfection cultivator. If it decided to attack, Lin Feng doubted he could evade it. Furthermore, Fei Biao had mentioned this particular beast had once bitten off the arm of a previous keeper, proof of its notoriously bad temper.
Knowing the beast possessed intelligence, Lin Feng shouted loudly, "I'm a newly arrived Lingyue Sect disciple! I've come to bring you food!"
At the same time, he held up a milky-white token. This was the keeper's token left by Fei Biao, supposedly imbued with a unique aura that identified him to the beasts. Once familiar, the token might not be necessary, but Lin Feng wasn't taking any chances. Without it, he risked being torn apart as an intruder.
"..." The rhino clearly understood. A flicker of confusion crossed its eyes as it scrutinized Lin Feng. The hostility visibly lessened.
Lin Feng breathed an internal sigh of relief. He then pulled out numerous pill bottles from his spatial ring, pouring their contents onto a nearby boulder about waist-height. Over a hundred pills of several different types formed a small pile.
"Today's pills. Enjoy..." Lin Feng said politely, like a waiter, then cautiously backed away. Only after retreating over a hundred meters behind a large tree did he peer out to observe.
The rhino gave Lin Feng a lazy glance, then rose from the water with a tremendous splash. Shaking itself vigorously, it lumbered onto the bank and approached the pill pile. Its massive tongue flicked out. Lin Feng barely registered the movement before the entire pile vanished into its mouth. The rhino smacked its lips a few times, seeming vaguely unsatisfied. It cast another indifferent look towards Lin Feng's hiding spot before turning and ambling away, disappearing into the thickets to the right instead of returning to the lake.
"Whew..." Only after the rhino was gone did Lin Feng fully relax. He retrieved the Verdant-Horned Rhino's feeding record booklet and noted down today's location and the types of pills dispensed.
The small pile devoured by the rhino had contained dozens of Qi Condensing Pills, dozens of Blood Plume Pills, and about ten Foundation Establishment Pills and tier-2 Spirit Nourishment Pills. Though labelled 'rejected', Lin Feng saw supreme-grade pills. Watching them being wolfed down like candy beans caused an acute pang of distress deep within him.
...
Leaving the rhino's territory, Lin Feng trekked through the dense forest for a considerable time before entering the domain of the King Kong Savage Bear. He was just wondering how to locate his target in such a vast area when an earth-shaking roar erupted from his right front. He rushed towards the sound, arriving just in time to see a massive, three-meter-tall golden bear effortlessly ripping a wild boar, easily weighing four or five hundred pounds, clean in half.
The bear lowered its head, tearing a huge chunk of flesh from the carcass. Immediately, it sensed Lin Feng's approach, its head snapping up, eyes blazing with ferocity.
Lin Feng nearly turned and fled on the spot. Forcing himself to stay calm, he repeated the procedure: brandishing the token and shouting loudly, "I'm a new Lingyue Sect disciple!! I'm here with your pills!"
Seeing no immediate intent to shred him like the boar, Lin Feng hastily placed a large pile of pills – prepared earlier specifically for the Savage Bear's preferences – onto a broad leaf laid on the ground. He then slowly backed away.
The sight of the token did indeed lessen the savage light in the bear's eyes. It glanced at the pill pile but didn't approach immediately, instead continuing to feast on its freshly killed boar. Only after consuming most of the carcass did it amble over to the pills. Picking up the leaf like a platter, it tilted the contents straight into its mouth as effortlessly as a human popping candies.
Finished, it simply plopped down heavily beside a large tree, resting its head on the ground, motionless – perhaps digesting its enormous meal, or perhaps just resting.
Lin Feng waited a long while from a distance before finally daring to pull out the Savage Bear's record booklet, make his note, and slip away quietly.
The boar the bear had hunted was merely a mundane creature. Within the territories claimed by the guardian spirit beasts near the sect, other wild beasts rarely ventured anymore, having been hunted or driven out long ago. Occasionally, foolish mundane animals like this unlucky boar would stray in, becoming convenient prey.
Demonic beasts cultivated through various means: absorbing spiritual energy, consuming rare herbs, or preying on other beasts or even cultivators. However, the Lingyue Sect's guardian beasts had grown accustomed to relying on the sect-supplied pills for cultivation. Rarely did they venture deep into the perilous rear mountains hunting other demons.
...
Later, Lin Feng climbed a steep hill – the nesting site of the Purple-Crowned Thunder Crane. Reaching the summit after considerable effort, he found only an enormous, empty nest. The Thunder Crane was far more free-spirited than the rhino or the bear. It often flew far and wide. Fei Biao's manual noted it was rarely found at its nest.
Observing fresh tracks nearby indicating the crane had been there recently, Lin Feng left a small pile of pills beside the nest before descending.
...
In another territory, Lin Feng searched exhaustively before finally stumbling upon the Emerald Mandala Vine Python, camouflaged perfectly as a tree. He stopped nearby, weary, leaning against what he thought was a trunk to rest. Instantly, the 'tree' came alive, its coils snapping around him with terrifying speed. He almost died of fright on the spot. Only by frantically producing the token and shouting his identity did the python relent. Without it, he would have been Python fodder.
Then there was the Netherghost Shadow Wolf. Lin Feng didn't even dare enter its cave. He hastily deposited the pills at the entrance and sprinted away. As he left, he distinctly felt two chilling, ghostly lights watching him from the darkness within the cave – a chilling effect.
And the Tunnel-Scaled Crocodile... finding it involved searching a hillside riddled with holes for what felt like an eternity...
......
...
Night had fallen, the bright moon high in the sky when Lin Feng finally dragged his utterly exhausted body back to the keeper's quarters.
Opposite the pill storeroom, on the left side of the main hall, was the bedroom. Perhaps out of gratitude for Lin Feng taking over his burdensome role, Fei Biao had left behind a set of fresh bedding. Lin Feng, however, was far too drained to even notice. He collapsed onto the bed the moment he entered, unable to move a muscle.
"This won't do... I have to find a solution," he groaned into the pillow, his voice thick with fatigue. "If every day is like this… Forget alchemy or anything else… I'll be worked to death just tending to these demanding lords..."