Chapter 8: True Power

Awuuu!

Brutus howled and immediately launched his offense. Bloody armor wrapped around his body as he pounced forward. The other members of their hunter team looked around as if to search for the girl's team, which should come out at any moment to defend them.

The Hunters acted as if it happened too often for them, not even caring they were two innocent looking girls. The Wolf didn't care, even more, treating all humans as a piece of meat.

Lisa gazed at Yiren while pulling out some explosive pills and sighed in relief, seeing her eyes turn golden.

"Brutus! Sit down!"

At her call, the Wolf froze, stopping himself immediately. His momentum dragged him forward, sliding on the dirt until eventually halting right in front of the girls. He sat down like a dog, waiting for more orders from her.

"Lay down!"

Brutus immediately executed, finally lowering himself to a height where Yiren could pet him.

"Hehe, good boy," Yiren praised with a giggle as she rubbed under its chin.

The man in red mask seemed dumbfounded, calling out in disbelief, "Brutus! What are you doing?!"

He was completely ignored, his Wolf enjoying rubs.

Yiren didn't finish at that, gazing at the other four beasts. "Everyone, come here. I'm giving away free belly rubs!"

As if she placed a charm on them, all four rushed to her, ignoring their owner's orders to come back. The Beasts circled Yiren and Lisa, asking the two to pet them. Even if she didn't want to, they dragged Lisa to play as well, forcing her to pet the Beasts despite her fear.

Only one thought came to the Hunters' minds after seeing Yiren's feat.

She was a Master Beast Tamer! A great one at that!

With just one command, their Spirit Beasts went out of their control. Even their Boss didn't have such skills.

The Hunters didn't hesitate and landed on the ground, pleading for mercy.

"Miss! We apologize for our rudeness. We didn't realize you were also a Beast Tamer. Please spare us and our beasts."

Their Beasts stepped aside, showing Yiren and Lisa, but they didn't seem like they accepted the Hunters' apology.

"I tried to explain, but you didn't let me!" Yiren cried out, upset. "I took a liking to your Beasts, so I think I will keep them. Maybe it will teach you a lesson to not attack innocent people."

The eyes of five Hunters widened.

Killing or stealing away their beasts was akin to robbing their livelihood. How are they supposed to feed their families otherwise?

The owner of Brutus didn't hesitate, dropping down on his knees despite his friend's surprised looks.

"Please, we won't be able to survive without them! If you want to punish someone, punish only me! I was the one who made a mistake! I'm single, but they have families! They need to feed them! If you take their beasts away, their kids and wives will starve. Please! Spare them!"

Awuu!

Brutus howled at his owner before nudging and poking Yiren with its nose.

"You think I should spare them?" Yiren questioned.

Brutus first gazed at his owner before back at her, nodding. The other four Beasts also approached Yiren, pleading with their eyes. When the Hunters saw it, they were close to bursting into tears.

"Do they treat you all well?"

Roar!

They all nodded with a quiet snap and a stomped with their paws.

Yiren didn't plan to take them away, only wanting to test Hunter's personality. If they weren't kind to their Beasts, she would adopt and take all of them away.

Make sure to take care of your Spirit Beasts as if they were your family and friends. If I see anything happen to them, I will come and take them away," Yiren called out in an unusual stern voice before patting the Beasts on their heads. "Alright, you are free to return."

All four Beasts rushed forward first, knocking their owners to the ground with their charge only to lick them happily. The owners didn't mind at all, hugging their Beasts. Yiren was right. They were their companions and partners, just as important as their family.

Brutus stayed behind, waiting for his owner to lift himself from the ground first.

"You can stand up. Your Brutus is waiting," Yiren advised, rubbing the Wolf on its strong leg.

"Brutus…?"

The man looked up, taking off both his hood and mask. He was young, about sixteen years old, with his features not yet fully developed, but one could see he has been through a lot at first glance.

Woof!

Brutus barked and jumped forward.

"Brutus!" The Youngster cried out and rushed to meet him half-way.

Naturally, Brutus knocked him back with the sheer weight alone, but it didn't matter for him. The Youngster was happy to keep his friend.

"Awww… Isn't it cute?" Lisa commented at the sight of five grown men hugging their Beasts.

With everyone hugging, she hugged onto Yiren and praised excitedly, "Big sis, you were so cool! I almost didn't recognize you!"

"Of course! Your big sis is always cool!" Yiren accepted proudly. "As long as you stand by my side, nothing will happen to you."

"Hehe, then I will make sure to hug you tightly," Lisa said with a giggle.

Xuefeng was probably the most worried about them, but with Yiren's skills, they were perhaps the safest from all of his wives. Yiren just needed to tame some powerful Beast that will defend them from all danger until they meet again.

"Miss, I apologize once again. I didn't recognize your greatness and offended you," the Youngster apologized after the Beasts returned into their Summoning Tokens to rest. "Would you two be interested in visiting our tribe's Village? My father is also a Master Beast Tamer, but his power can't compare to Miss. He would be thrilled to meet you."

"Is everyone in your tribe a Beast Master?" Yiren asked curiously.

"Yes. It's a tradition of our tribe. We tame Spirit Beasts and coexist with them. Many Spirit Beasts are roaming in our Village in broad daylight. They help us a lot too." The Youngster introduced.

Yiren's eyes brightened, suddenly turning back to her cute and exciting nature.

"Can we go? Can we go?" Yiren asked Lisa while jumping happily.

All five hunters were dumbfounded, not ready for such a drastic change.

"Ehem, lead the way, please. We will check your Village before we depart," Lisa agreed formally after clearing her throat. "As a Manager of this lady here, I need to manage her time. Master Beast Tamer, like her, is extremely busy these days. We have a lot of jobs scheduled this month."

The Hunters nodded as if it was natural.

"Of course! Follow me please, our Village is not far from here. Barely ten minutes by flight," the Youngster said politely.

All of them looked at Yiren with respect, admiration even.

They launched to the sky all together when one of the older Hunters asked curiously, "Miss, what were the strongest Beasts you tamed in your life?"

"You mean, who is my friend? Well, there Drakos, Bella—" Yiren began to count on her fingers when Lisa stopped her.

"Let me answer for her. Drakos is a Blue Dragon from Dragon Race with his stage comparable to Immortal Stage Cultivator, while Bella is a Celestial Stage Phoenix who already reached its human form. We naturally consider them our friends instead of Tamed Beasts."

"Yes, exactly," Yiren affirmed. "Bella is so pretty, but I liked it when she was a Phoenix. Her feathers were so soft~. I loved to sleep on her back and fly in the sky. Ah…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Her words rendered the five Hunters speechless once again.

A Dragon!

A Phoenix!

That was the true power of a Master Beast