Chapter 286: The Bird Knows How to Repay Kindness (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Rumble!
In the middle of the night, lightning sounded in the Wu Mountains that stretched for thousands of kilometers.
The bird with snow-white feathers was like a white ghost. It silently passed above the treetops of the deep mountains and forests. After flying for a kilometer, it landed on a tree branch to hide from the rain and watched the figure in the forest slowly run past.
Guan Yujia’s shoulder had been pierced by a spear, and he was suffering from internal injuries. He couldn’t return to the Iron River Mano, so his only way out was to rush to the Hidden Dragon Cave as soon as possible and obtain an Earthly Camel Bead to treat his injuries.
The Hidden Dragon Cave was located in the west of Wu Province, and his current location was the center of Wu Province. It wouldn’t be easy for the heavily injured Guan Yujia to cross hundreds of kilometers of deep mountains and ancient forests on foot.
After running for dozens of kilometers in the mountains and completely shaking off his pursuers, Guan Yujia hid in a cave and swallowed some medicine to recuperate.
The bird had flown all night in the rain without anything to eat or drink. It landed near the cave. After confirming that the target wouldn’t leave in a short time, it searched for food in the surrounding forest.
As a domesticated bird, the bird ate whatever Ye Jingtang ate since they were young. It didn’t touch anything that Ye Jingtang didn’t eat. The only food it could find in the forest were pheasants, mountain rabbits, or small fish.
After searching for a long time in the mountainous wilderness and failing to find suitable prey, the bird flew high into the sky and looked around the surroundings, wanting to find a village with lights to mooch a meal.
But it didn’t find the village. Instead, it found the faint light of a fire in the distant mountains. “Chirp?”
The bird glided across the night sky and passed through the forest all the way to a mountain stream. It stuck its head out from the bushes to look.
There were ancient trees and rocks on both sides of the mountain stream. On a cliff beside a pond, there were indentations that had been washed out by floods. There were big trees on top and a cobblestone beach below.
At this moment, there was a bonfire on the cobblestone beach. Above it were two shiny fat fish roasting on wooden sticks.
On a smooth boulder not far away sat a woman in a snow-colored dress with her sword stabbed into the stone beside her. She was holding a wine gourd in her left hand and raising her head to drink wine.
“Chirp!” Yesterday morning, the bird had seen this fairy sister who had run away from Tangtang’s bed and fell outside the window. Its eyes couldn’t help lighting up. It wanted to find an opportunity to mooch, but after a closer look, it felt that things weren’t right.
Beside the mountain stream, Daoist Xuanji was drinking the Fierce Woman’s Worry. Her bearing was as graceful as an immortal’s, and she looked like a forest fairy born in the green mountains.
Not far from Daoist Xuanji, a black-clothed woman was sitting on a rock with her arms and legs tied up. Only her eyes were revealed behind her black scarf as she said angrily, “Demoness, how many times have I told you? 1 don’t have the Roaring Dragon Chart. You’ve ambushed me time and time again without any morals…”
Daoist Xuanji put down the wine gourd and handed it to the black-clothed woman. “Do you want some?”
The black-clothed woman glared and turned her head. “I don’t have time to talk nonsense with you, demoness. I have something important to do these days. Let me go finish it, and I’ll tell you the news about the Roaring Dragon Chart afterward. If you continue to pester me and mess up my affairs…”
Daoist Xuanji went over and sat down in front of her. She wanted to pull down the black-clothed woman’s scarf, but after being given a fierce glare, she gave up and asked, “The Prince of Wu probably doesn’t have the Roaring Dragon Chart. You’ve been running around for more than half a year, but 1 haven’t seen you steal anything. What are you looking for?”
“Will you let me go if I tell you?”
Daoist Xuanji shrugged slightly. “It depends on whether your words are true or not and whether the situation is critical.”
The black-clothed woman fell silent for a moment before explaining softly, “I am from the tribes of the Western Sea of Northern Liang. The Imperial Court of Northern Liang treats the tribes of the Western Sea as barbarians. Every year, each tribe has to give a large amount of horses, medicinal herbs, and money in tribute. If we can’t hand it over, Northern Liang will send troops to capture our people to do hard labor…”
“The tribes of the Western Sea are not easy to deal with. In the past, they almost swallowed half of Great Yan and Northern Liang…”
“If you don’t attack us, why would we attack you? Be it Great Yan, Great Wei, or Northern Liang, who doesn’t dig up our land and force us to pay tribute? My hometown is by the Heavenly Carnelian Lake. But my tribe members can’t even go to the lake to take a look, or they will be treated as rebels and killed on the spot. Our ancestors have been bullied for generations. Can’t we resist when we have the chance?”
Daoist Xuanji took a sip of wine. “That’s true. But what does this have to do with you coming to Wu Province?”
“In the past, there were powerful shamans in our tribes who concocted a secret medicine that could let people be reborn. However, they were killed by the Northern Liang Imperial Court, and the medicine and formula were also stolen by the Northern Liang Imperial Court.
“I ran all over Northern Liang to find the formula and think of a way to restore it so that my people won’t be slaves for generations… The formula was originally in the hands of the Northern Liang Imperial Court, but it was stolen by Imperial Physician Zhang Jinglin. Now, Zhang Jinglin is under the Prince of Wu…”
After Daoist Xuanji listened carefully, she nodded thoughtfully. “1 see… How about you give me the Roaring Dragon Chart, and I’ll help you capture him?”
The black-clothes woman hesitated for a moment and asked, “Are you sure?”
“I need the Roaring Dragon Chart to save my disciple’s life. As long as you give it to me, what’s the big deal in helping you catch someone?”
The black-clothed woman hesitated for a moment. “On account that you don’t look like an evil person, 1’11 believe you this time. The Roaring Dragon Chart is on my chest. You have to return it to me after you use it. If you dare to lie to me, you will be struck by lightning!”
Daoist Xuanji revealed a smile and put her hand into the black-clothed woman’s clothes. “You should have done this earlier. Ha- Your breasts are quite big…”
Her words stopped abruptly.
The serious gaze of the black-clothed woman immediately turned sly as she quickly rolled to the side. “I’ve already told you that 1 don’t have the Roaring Dragon Chart, but you don’t believe me. You’d better not move. This is a strange poison 1 use to save my life. If you move, you’ll really die. Don’t blame me for not warning you..”
