Chapter 130: Even Males Have Eggs (Bonus chapter for Alliance Leader Xiao Li Ya 1)

……

On this day, the two entered the northwestern territory of Great Song, and before their eyes appeared a continuous mountain range that looked like a giant dragon lying prone.

The mountains rose and fell in majestic, undulating waves, with dense vegetation resembling a green sea. Snow-capped peaks, strange and steep, stood like giant pillars supporting the sky amidst the ridges. Clouds drifted and swept by, a clear breeze whistled, and the snow reflected a white radiance under the bright sun of the clear sky. It was a refreshing and delightful sight, appearing far more steep and craggy than the mountains of the Southern Border, where broad-leaved plants grew in mixed patches; the scenery was entirely different.

This was the Taiyi Shenshan, known as Diei.

It is said that Taiyi Mountain was formed by a giant dragon at the dawn of time and possesses the Qi of divine spirits. Thus, since ancient times, it has been called a blessed land for immortals by cultivation sects, giving birth to countless Immortal Sects, large and small. Furthermore, countless recluses and masters also loved to live in seclusion within these mountains, cultivating the Dao and remaining untainted by the mortal world.

After entering Taiyi Mountain, the Spirit Sparrow changed direction, following the continuous, towering mountain ridges and passing through one snow-capped peak after another, flying straight toward the west.

Looking at such a magnificent and beautiful scene before them, the oppressive mood brought on by the mutated Soul Beasts over the past few days eased significantly. Sitting on the back of the Spirit Sparrow, the two began to exchange some lighthearted topics, chatting about interesting anecdotes from the Immortal World.

Lan You spoke quite a bit, especially regarding matters of Yuqing Hall, seemingly wishing to remind Xu Chen to be better mentally prepared.

"Roar~"

As the setting sun began to slant, while the two were traveling, they suddenly heard a deafening roar from the mountain ridges below. The Spirit Sparrow beneath them suddenly stalled, its speed slowing down, and then it spread its wings and banked obliquely toward the direction of the beast's roar.

Lan You said softly, "Daoist Friend Xu, the Spirit Sparrow is likely a bit hungry and wants to forage. Why don't we go down and find a place to rest for the night, and continue our journey tomorrow?"

Xu Chen nodded and smiled, "That works. I am indeed a bit hungry as well. Having meat to eat is better than eating Bigu Pills!"

Upon hearing this, Lan You's cheeks turned red in an instant. With her heart pounding like a deer, she controlled the Spirit Sparrow to dive down, and soon the two landed on a steep, strange peak.

Once the Spirit Sparrow gained its freedom, it let out a long cry and spread its wings, whistling toward a mountain ridge several miles away.

Both of them now possessed very powerful Divine Sense, and they quickly searched the surrounding hundred-mile area. They discovered many types of wild beasts, and the roar from earlier must have been a variegated tiger that was foraging. Moreover, there was a strong fluctuation of vital energy; it was actually a Demon Beast.

However, this tiger demon's strength was not high, at most a First Stage mid-level, which was nothing more than a delicious meal in the eyes of a Third-Tier Spirit Sparrow.

The place where the two landed was covered with a thin layer of ice and snow. The surrounding rocks were craggy, and a large number of strange pines and ancient vines grew there. A cold mountain breeze blew past, carrying a peculiar fragrance.

Xu Chen couldn't help but be surprised. He released his Divine Sense to search the surroundings, his eyes lighting up as he took to the air. He quickly turned to the side of a cliff and discovered that in a crack in the middle of the cliff, there grew a small tree several feet tall. Its branches were gnarled and rugged, resembling a withered plum tree. However, on the small tree, a few flowers resembling gold and jade were blooming sporadically, emitting a rich fragrance that made one's mouth water and left the soul feeling refreshed.

"Could this be the Su Xin Plum?" Xu Chen was astonished.

"Indeed. This flower blooms on the cliffs of snow-capped peaks where human footprints are rare, but it is considered a common item in Taiyi Mountain. I have many planted where I live. This Su Xin Plum is picked before it fully blooms, then dried and steeped as tea. The taste is fragrant and pleasant, and it can also calm the mind and soothe the soul. I pick and collect some every year. If Daoist Friend Xu likes it, I can give you some to take back and drink slowly."

Lan You stood beside Xu Chen, stepping on her Flying Sword as she explained softly, her black dress fluttering in the wind, looking like a fairy.

Xu Chen's face twitched slightly.

The Su Xin Plum is considered a First Stage high-grade spirit wood. Both its flowers and fruits can be used in pills, the most famous of which is the Su Xin Pill. It is mainly used for calming the mind and soothing the soul, assisting in cultivation to better comprehend the process, and its effects are far better than the Dust-Avoiding Bead.

But he never expected that this kind of Spirit Medicine, which was impossible to obtain at the Taiyuan Sect, could be found everywhere in Taiyi Mountain, let alone that Yuqing Hall actually planted it as an ornamental plant to pick flowers and make tea.

Truly, comparing people leads to death, and comparing goods leads to throwing them away.

Compared to the wealthy and imposing Yuqing Hall, although the Taiyuan Sect had been rising relatively quickly recently, it was still just an upstart, and its foundation was lacking by more than just a little bit.

Of course, this type of auxiliary Spirit Pill was not easy to sell. Mainly, compared to the Qi Replenishing Pill, calming-type Spirit Pills were not items of urgent need. Although they were of great benefit to cultivation, the poor were not among those who could consider them.

Xu Chen had been learning alchemy for several months and had systematically studied various alchemical knowledge that had appeared in the Immortal World; identifying Spirit Medicine was also the most basic lesson.

The Su Xin Pill was a very unique type among auxiliary Spirit Pills. If one could consume it frequently, it would greatly improve one's cultivation insights, and the progress of cultivation would naturally improve quite a bit as well.

Xu Chen had the Dust-Avoiding Bead, so he didn't need it much in his daily life, but whether or not one had this kind of Spirit Pill made a big difference for cultivation.

For a moment, Xu Chen was filled with emotion; the initial surprise was swept away, and he was instantly uninterested.

However, since he had encountered it, he didn't want to just ignore it, as it was wild Spirit Medicine after all. Therefore, he raised his hand and gave a light grab. Immediately, a dozen flowers still covered in ice and snow were wrapped in a ball of vital energy and gathered into his palm. Each one looked like gold and jade, still emitting faint fluctuations of Spirit Qi.

Xu Chen looked closely and sniffed a few times, sighing, "The fragrance is elegant, the Spirit Qi is abundant, and it looks like it was carved from ice and jade. It truly is a treasure of heaven and earth; one cannot see this at the Taiyuan Sect."

Lan You heard this and said, "The lands are different, so the produce is naturally different. The Southern Border has spring all year round with flowers in full bloom, and its produce is far more abundant than in the northwest."

Xu Chen couldn't help but smile bitterly, saying, "The Southern Border is indeed rich in produce, but it is also more dangerous, with poisonous insects and snakes everywhere and Demon Beasts running rampant. I actually prefer the scenery and climate of this Taiyi Mountain. Never mind, let's not talk about this. With this Su Xin Plum, I will try to refine a batch of Su Xin Pills later; it can also pass the time tonight. If it is refined successfully, it can be considered a harvest from the journey!"

Lan You was both surprised and happy, "So Daoist Friend Xu really knows how to refine pills?"

Xu Chen laughed dryly and nodded, "I've let Daoist Friend Lan see a joke; I have indeed learned a few superficial skills."

As the two were talking, they suddenly heard the roar of a tiger again from the distant mountain ridge, followed by a loud "Boom," and then they saw a cyan light explode on the mountainside several miles away, accompanied by a large area of trees collapsing and breaking, and a cloud of dust rising into the air.

Not long after, a seven-colored giant bird rose from the place of the explosion. After flapping its giant wings a few times and circling the mountain ridge once, it flew straight toward the peak where Xu Chen and the other were staying.

A moment later, the Spirit Sparrow dropped a variegated tiger over a zhang long in front of the two with a thud. It then folded its large wings and landed, pressing down on the tiger's corpse with its sharp giant claws. With a few "crunch, crunch, crunch" sounds from its giant beak, it tore open the tough tiger skin and began to gorge itself on large chunks of flesh and blood.

Xu Chen stepped forward and pushed the Spirit Sparrow. The Spirit Sparrow glared at him, but still moved aside reluctantly. Xu Chen took out his Flying Sword and with a "swish," chopped off a tiger leg.

Watching Xu Chen walk away carrying the tiger leg, the Spirit Sparrow couldn't help but glare at him and cry out, clearly a warning.

Xu Chen also glared and said, "What are you looking at? Want to fight? I'm just eating one of your tiger legs, not eating your eggs, you stingy thing!"

Lan You stood to the side, covering her mouth as her delicate body trembled, suppressing her laughter as she said, "This is a male sparrow, how could it lay eggs?"

Xu Chen said righteously, "Males have eggs too!"

Lan You was stunned for a moment, seemingly understanding, and her cheeks turned red to the roots of her ears. She turned her head away, her body shaking even more violently.

During this journey together, the two no longer felt the sense of mortal danger they had when trapped in the cavern, so their communication and conversation were much more relaxed. Thus, over the past few days, they had come to understand each other quite well.

It was just that both of them were the type who didn't talk much, and sometimes they couldn't find anything to say, leading to the conversation dying out.

However, the awkward atmosphere between the two was becoming weaker and weaker.

Xu Chen released his Divine Sense and quickly found a wind-sheltered cave on the mountainside.

The two soon arrived at the cave. Xu Chen found some dry branches, ignited them with a Magic Spell, and then chopped some wood, tying it simply into a barbecue rack. He then placed the tiger leg, which weighed several dozen catties, on it to roast. He also took out quite a bit of oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and various spices with faint fluctuations of vital energy from his Storage Bag and began to apply them, his movements extremely skillful.

Lan You sat to the side, watching with a face full of surprise.

This was originally a demon tiger, and its flesh was rich in vital energy. To minimize the loss of vital energy, Xu Chen also stimulated a burst of vital fire to speed up the roasting process. In less than a quarter of an hour, a rich, roasted meat aroma began to fill the cave. The surface of the tiger meat began to turn golden-brown, and grease dripped into the fire with a sizzling sound.

"Alright, it's about ready to eat!"

Xu Chen tore off a small strip of tiger meat with his hand and tasted it, feeling that it was charred on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. He then used his Flying Sword to slice off a piece and handed it to Lan You.

Lan You held the fragrant roasted meat and hesitated for a long time, but in the end, she couldn't resist the temptation and began to tear off small pieces to eat.

Xu Chen, on the other hand, ate in a savage manner, tearing and chewing quickly, not wasting any time at all.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Xu Chen had already finished most of the tiger meat, while Lan You had only just finished one piece.

"Ugh, so full!" Xu Chen let out a fragrant, satisfied burp and leaned against the stone wall, rubbing his belly without any regard for his image.

Lan You glanced at the remaining tiger meat, seemingly still wanting to eat.

Xu Chen smiled and said, "Daoist Friend Lan, if you haven't eaten your fill, then eat some more. I usually get by on dry biscuits and rice porridge at the sect and rarely eat meat like this. However, although this demon tiger is of a very low grade, its meat is indeed quite good and full of vital energy. After eating my fill, I feel warm all over. I'm afraid it won't be easy to eat such good tiger meat again next time."

Lan You then lightly traced her fingers over the grill, and a wisp of vital energy condensed into a Wind Blade, quickly slicing off a piece of meat the size of a palm, before she began to eat silently in small bites.

Starting from today, three chapters will be released every morning at 7:30, to make it convenient for friends heading to work to pass the time on the road.

In addition, the other alliance leaders are still owed more than ten chapters; I will slowly make them up, generally posting them in the evening.

Once again, thank you to all the friends who subscribed, tipped, and voted.

(End of this chapter)