CHAPTER 248: CHAPTER 248 THE NINE CLANS ARE SAVED!

"Just now, it was right here..." The boatmen never expected that instead of catching the outsider who was raising mystical creatures, the official would start yelling at them.

As ordinary folks, they were most afraid of officials, and now, being stared at with wide eyes, they instinctively felt uneasy. One of them kicked an old beggar, "Master Li, the beggar saw it too just now!"

Old Li was quite angry, thinking how did he encounter these fools?

It’s one thing to shout without evidence, but can’t you see the divine bird is particularly close to him? I’m already angry at you, yet you still dare to argue back, trying to embarrass me?

With his heart burning with anger, he looked sharply towards the old beggar.

The beggar waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "Master Li, I didn’t see any mystical creatures. The young sir asked me for directions and gave me a roasted chicken. I hadn’t eaten for three days and was focused on eating, didn’t see anything. The young sir is a good man, how could he raise mystical creatures? They must have mistaken."

Finally, someone gave him a way out, and Old Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuan glanced at the few ragged strong men, feeling that they were really struggling, and besides, he indeed didn’t expect to actually summon his contracted mount, so he agreed, "It was a misunderstanding. I raised an unusual big bird as a pet, perhaps these people haven’t seen it before and mistook it for a mystical creature."

"That’s not a big bird, that’s..." One still wouldn’t back down, trying to argue, but Old Li swung and hit his belly with the hilt of the long blade at his waist, "Ignorant fool, say less!"

Little Yellow Sparrow didn’t care what these people were babbling about; it hadn’t eaten a food containing spiritual energy for a long time. Suddenly, smelling the familiar scent, it jumped and rubbed continuously, ignoring Old Li who was secretly summoning with his hand.

Sweat broke on Old Li’s back. The village head and squad leader were not around; he had taken the divine bird out to handle errands, but couldn’t call it back. If it really ran off with the young guy...

Thinking about losing the divine bird, Old Li’s face turned somewhat pale; that would mean more than just "glory to the ancestors." With the village head’s violent temper and his emphasis on Water Virtue Star Monarch’s reward, he’d definitely report to the county magistrate to execute the Li family’s nine generations!

"Ancestor, come back quickly..." Old Li anxiously dispersed the complaining people, bitterly praying and rubbing his fingers to summon the divine bird.

However, Little Yellow Sparrow’s attention was entirely on Jiang Yuan’s right hand. Previously, while riding the mount, he’d held his right hand amidst Yun Mo’s neck feathers, where the remaining scent was strongest, causing the little sparrow to push forcefully into his palm.

"Is it hungry?" Jiang Yuan had never raised bird pets before, nor expected to be so liked by the spiritual little sparrow. Seeing the misunderstanding cleared up by the village soldiers, he considered returning the bird to them.

But no matter how he handed it over, the agile little sparrow clung to his right hand and refused to come down.

Old Li was both embarrassed and anxious, taking out the fruits he usually fed the divine bird, yet it didn’t even glance at them.

"Oh, I got it!" Jiang Yuan suddenly realized and took out a spirit fruit from his storage bag.

This was actually Yun Mo’s favorite fruit, containing weak spiritual energy, and tasted sweeter and crisper than ordinary fruits. Before, when Yun Mo lacked spirit stones and couldn’t supplement spiritual energy, it frequently bought spirit fruits from the market to munch on, which was better than nothing.

Though there was no shortage of spirit stones for cultivation now, Yun Mo had long developed a habit of chewing on spirit fruits, and Jiang Yuan would buy several pounds when he encountered them at the market.

Besides sharing them as snacks with everyone, he occasionally ate a couple himself, thinking that perhaps absorbing more spiritual power might let him truly cultivate instead of relying entirely on the system.

After all, Little White said even if a food contained a lot of spiritual power, ordinary people could consume it, although their body couldn’t retain the spiritual power, it could be nourished momentarily and carry away some accumulated toxins, benefitting the body somewhat.

The only issue was that using expensive spirit elixirs on ordinary people seemed wasteful.

Since the sparrow was spiritual, why not let it taste a spirit fruit?

"Chirp chirp!"

Sure enough, as soon as the spirit fruit was taken out, Little Yellow Sparrow excitedly chirped and jumped up to peck at it.

Taking the opportunity, Jiang Yuan handed both the spirit fruit and sparrow to Old Li.

Finally, it returned to its rightful owner, and seeing his obvious relaxation coupled with a friendly smile at Jiang Yuan, he flipped out a gold coin and waved it, "Officer, I’d like to ask you about some old affairs."

"Of course! Of course!" Old Li finally held the divine bird again, his suspended heart finally relaxed, safeguarding the nine generations!

He breathed a sigh of relief and then, looking at the shiny gold, beamed with joy, "Young sir, what would you like to inquire about? Our family has lived in East Lake Port for eighteen generations; if it’s anything around here, I’m sure I know!"

"Do you know the inside story of the extraordinary events on Wangting Mountain seventeen years ago?"

Old Li’s face immediately froze as he had been boasting a moment ago. He cautiously glanced around before lowering his voice to ask, "Don’t mind me asking, young sir... are you a cultivator?"

"What if I am? What if I’m not?"

"If you are, please give me some guide money, and I’ll find someone who knows about it for you. Afterward, if I act oblivious, don’t turn me in; let’s just consider it forming some good karma. If not, then don’t inquire; that’s beyond what ordinary folks can meddle with!"

"Officer, lead the way, please." Jiang Yuan casually grabbed a handful of gold coins to hand over.

Old Li’s hands trembled slightly as he received them.

Damn, I finally have the chance to meet a real cultivator! No wonder the divine bird took a liking to him, delighted by a strange fruit from the young man; no wonder those fools accused him of raising mystical creatures, must be his mount!

So that’s what cultivators look like, seemingly no different from ordinary people...

Helping him might really form good karma? Could I obtain the secret cultivation method? Was Old Zheng’s ramblings about gaining age and muddling up nonsense really right?

He stuffed the gold coins into his chest and led the way, but couldn’t help letting his mind wander.

What exactly happened on Wangting Mountain seventeen years ago, he was just a half-grown child with no clue at the time. But since becoming a village soldier and knowing Zheng Elder before his retirement, he learned that it was a matter significant enough to change the fate of ordinary people.

Almost every village soldier knows Zheng Elders cache a secret capable of granting cultivation power, yet no one knows exactly what it is. Even after retiring, he always roams the mountain, hoping for the destined individual.

In the past, Old Li often secretly mocked him for either being crazy or old, but today, truly meeting a cultivator inquiring about the seventeen-year-old secret, he suddenly started believing and vaguely hoped to benefit...

"Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s no loss; at least there’s all this gold!" he thought, secretly admiring cultivators for being unique, so damn generous, casually grabbing a large handful of gold!

If Zheng Elder’s promise holds true, whoever helps guide the destined person to him will receive the cultivation method and join him on the path to immortality. If he truly establishes celestial affinity, wouldn’t he easily glorify his ancestors, bringing honor to his family?!

"Elder Zheng! Elder Zheng, look who’s here!" Getting more excited, Old Li grasped the bird with one hand and clutched the gold coins in his chest, walking faster until he couldn’t contain his excitement and started running.

After passing through the town built along the mountainside, he pushed open a dilapidated wooden door shouting, "Quick, quick, quick! Come welcome your destined person!"

Zheng Lang, over fifty, was carving his deepest secrets onto stone over and over, feeling his memory waning with age. Yet, holding onto such an important secret capable of changing mortal destiny, he refused to silently grow old.

To avoid forgetting any detail, he began engraving signs on stone only he could understand.

Thus, when Old Li rushed in with a young man and heard they were indeed here to inquire about the seventeen-year-old secret, he dropped his carving knife in excitement and shakily stood up to ask, "Are you truly a cultivator? Can you show me?"

Worried the old man might get too excited and faint, Jiang Yuan first gently chatted to calm him down before producing a paper crane from his storage bag and blowing a breath on it.

Seeing the paper crane animate like a living creature in his hand, Zheng Lang had no more doubts and knelt down immediately, "I’ve waited seventeen years, finally! Great immortal, I’ll share everything I know, just please show mercy and accept me as an apprentice!"