Chapter 172
Chapter 172
Jiang Yunsui lay sprawled over White Horse’s back, clutching her forehead and refusing to get up.
Waaah… Mushroom had utterly embarrassed herself.
Her sharp ears even caught someone laughing.
“Quick, quick! Go inside!”
They could not stay out here.
Mortified, Little Mushroom buried her face and patted the horse, urging it through the gate.
White Horse trotted in, then turned around and kicked the gate shut with one hoof.
Jiang Yunsui raised her head. A large red mark covered her forehead.
“That hurt so much!”
“It’s all your fault for being so tall.”
White Horse stamped a hoof and gave her a sidelong look. With a flick of its tail, it turned away and began grazing.
“Cluck, cluck, cluck…”
Two chickens flew down from the roof.
Yes, from the roof.
The two chickens Jiang Yunsui had raised were now enormous roosters, each twice the size of an ordinary one. Their talons resembled an eagle’s, their beaks were as sharp as iron hooks, and their plumage was far more brilliant than that of other roosters. The proud feathers of their tails were especially long, and their combs were blood-red.
In short, they were gorgeous.
They could even fly for short distances.
Every morning at sunrise, they stood on the roof and crowed so loudly that they could be heard for miles around.
Having only just returned, Jiang Yunsui did not know that her two roosters had become famous throughout Beizhen City.
There were wastrels everywhere who enjoyed cricket fighting and cockfighting, and Beizhen City was no exception. Her roosters had caught the attention of the city’s cockfighting enthusiasts, some of whom had even visited personally to ask whether they were for sale.
Uncle Li had been watching the residence at the time and naturally refused.
Everyone in the household treasured these two birds. They were clever and beautiful, and no venomous insect or snake that entered the courtyard could escape their sharp eyes and beaks.
Since the beginning of spring alone, they had caught several venomous snakes that had slithered into the residence.
“Qianqian, Houhou.”
That was right. Jiang Yunsui had named the pair Qianqian and Houhou.
Anyone could tell the same person had named both pairs.
The two beautiful roosters walked up to Jiang Yunsui and obediently lowered their heads for her to pet.
“Where’s my Golden Eagle Egg?”
“Coo, coo.”
The two roosters led her into one of the rooms.
Inside a large basket was a nest made of dry grass and feathers that clearly belonged to the two birds.
They had been taking turns incubating the egg.
Jiang Yunsui picked it up and felt it carefully. Mm, its vitality was strong.
“Crack, crack…”
“Huh?”
The two roosters leaned in as well, their glossy black eyes fixed on the Golden Eagle Egg.
“It’s cracked!”
“It’s going to hatch!”
Jiang Yunsui’s eyes sparkled. She had never watched a tiny life break out of its shell before, and she immediately began waiting with eager anticipation.
She squatted on the floor, holding the Golden Eagle Egg patiently.
As time passed, her excitement slowly faded until her expression became numb.
“It has only made one tiny hole. How long is it going to take to come out?”
It had already been two hours.
She had even finished all her pastries.
Even the slow-tempered Jiang Yunsui was tempted to give it a hand.
But she knew she must not help in a situation like this. Whenever the little golden eagle inside grew tired, she could only send a little Imperial Flowing Essence into the egg.
Unable to bear sitting idle any longer, Jiang Yunsui tucked the Golden Eagle Egg under one arm and began gathering peach blossoms with the other.
A layer of grass surrounded the Peach Trees, so any blossoms that had fallen without being stepped on were clean. She only needed to take them back and wash them.
She knew how to make wine. There were many winemaking methods in her inherited knowledge, and peach blossoms could be used too.
Humming a song, she occasionally checked on the hatching eagle while scooping fallen petals into her basket.
“Qianqian, Houhou, go pick a few peach blossom branches for me. I’ll take them to Ji Yan’an and put them in a vase. Pretty flowers will make him happy, and if he’s happy, he’ll get well faster.”
She had to prove that Mushroom was very good at taking care of people too!
The two roosters flapped their wings and flew into a Peach Tree. As they landed, a shower of petals drifted down from the branches.
With effortless pecks, they severed several flowering twigs, then flew down and placed them in the basket.
They truly were remarkably clever.
Meanwhile, next door…
“Young Master, we have news of King Serpent.”
King Serpent was another of the main medicinal ingredients Ji Yan’an needed.
Uncle Li said, “Our men found a secluded village in the Ailao Mountains. Its people are extremely hostile to outsiders, but our men noticed that they have a strange attitude toward snakes. They worship a snake statue as a god. Although the statue is unpainted, it closely resembles the King Serpent Mr. Shen described. We also suspect the village sacrifices people to feed the snake.”
“This spring, our men discovered a boy and a girl imprisoned in the village and seized an opportunity to rescue them. We will have to learn more from those two. They both came from Snake God Village.”
Ji Yan’an said, “Bring them in.”
Soon, a boy and girl dressed in unusual clothing were escorted inside.
The boy hid his younger sister behind him and watched everyone warily.
Seated in the place of honor, Ji Yan’an regarded them calmly.
“My men did not save you siblings for nothing. I want everything you know about the Serpent God.”
The boy stared at Ji Yan’an without understanding him, though he could guess what they wanted.
“You will never find the Serpent God. Even if you knew where it was, you could not get inside.”
Ji Yan’an frowned and looked at Uncle Li. “You could not question them because you cannot understand their language?”
Uncle Li smiled awkwardly.
“Is that also why you failed to learn anything more?”
How could they gather information when they could not understand a single word?
Uncle Li merely smiled.
After a speechless moment, Ji Yan’an asked, “And you thought I would understand him?”
Uncle Li scratched his head. “Well… why don’t we ask Mr. Shen to come?”
“Then hurry up and get him.”
Ji Yan’an had never even heard the language the boy spoke. No matter how clever he was, he could not understand a language he had never encountered.
Shen Qingzhu arrived shortly afterward.
To their surprise, he really could understand it.
Listening to the boy, Shen Qingzhu raised an eyebrow.
“The Southern Shaman Clan.”
The boy watched him guardedly.
Ignoring that wary gaze, Shen Qingzhu turned to Ji Yan’an.
“Young Master, you have heard of the Ancient Nanzhao Kingdom, haven’t you?”
Ji Yan’an nodded.
“Aside from its king, Ancient Nanzhao had a theocracy above royal authority, led by the court priests.”
“Legend says those priests practiced shamanic arts. In truth, they belonged to the Southern Shaman Lineage and could make all beasts, and even every venomous insect and snake, submit to them. But the priests liked to sacrifice human lives. In reality, they were raising gu under the guise of religious offerings.
“Later, they used gu to control members of the royal family. Man-made disasters and internal conflicts plagued the Ancient Nanzhao Kingdom until foreign enemies intervened and destroyed it. Yet the Nanzhao Priesthood Lineage vanished without a trace.”
“It now appears they fled deep into the Ailao Mountains. Poisonous miasma fills those mountains, where venomous creatures and wild beasts abound. Even locals dare not enter lightly, let alone outsiders. That allowed the priesthood lineage to survive and multiply there.”
Ji Yan’an frowned. “In other words, this journey will be extremely dangerous.”
“Naturally,” Shen Qingzhu replied. Then he asked the boy, “Child, what did you mean just now?”
The boy said, “The Serpent God lives deeper in the poisonous forest, where countless powerful venomous creatures breed. Even the priests dare not enter. There are nine-foot-long giant centipedes, spider mothers as large as sheep, and enormous toads. Your insect repellents have no effect on them at all. Unless…”
“Unless you can find the legendary Nuqing Rooster, the natural enemy of those venomous creatures.”