Chapter 86: The Rooster Lays an Egg

Xu Jia could not be bothered to listen to the two of them drone on about these stale, trivial matters.

He shouted: "You two are singing in harmony, what case are you trying to settle?"

That wife of Huang Tianliang knew this was a master, so she bowed her head and prostrated, saying: "This little demon heard that the Wild Fox Zen under the Old Crooked-Neck Tree had taken the Supreme Truth as a master, and now that the altar has been opened and the Dharma spread, proper cultivation has begun. Having resolved old enmities and cleared away accumulated grievances, my cultivation is ultimately not up to par, and my lifespan is nearly exhausted. I have only a nest of descendants I cannot let go of, so I have come to seek a Karmic Connection with an Immortal..."

Xu Jia did not like this kind of scheming; it felt like coercion. However, this nest of weasels did indeed have a connection with him, simply because he had conceived the thought of taking in a nest of weasels to deal with the chicken demon; once the thought was moved, the cause and effect were set in motion.

Buddhism says: When a thought moves, the connection arises. The ten-directional Dharma Realm is like a copper bell and a great drum, ringing incessantly; it is not stillness.

Moreover, in the "out-of-the-stable" halls, besides the Fox Immortal, the ones with the most capability are the "Yellow Immortals."

Xu Jia did not agree, only saying: "I also look at Karmic Connections. This nest of Fox Immortals formed a connection with me and were once my benefactors, so I did not begrudge them the transmission of the Dharma. Although I have some connection with you, it is shallow and optional. How things proceed depends on the virtue of your descendants."

Upon hearing this, Huang Laotai hurriedly said: "My descendants are all from a noble lineage; my husband, Huang Tianliang, is the six-hundredth-generation descendant of the Great Yellow Immortal, Huang Muchun!"

Six-hundredth-generation descendant?

Xu Jia subconsciously calculated: even if one uses "thirty years as a generation" for humans, or if calculated by birth, it is roughly twenty years per generation, with five generations under one roof equating to one hundred years.

But there is another way of calculating: from the time a person becomes a great-great-grandson until they become an ancestor themselves, spanning eight or nine generations... calculated this way, ten years is an average generation.

Even so, six hundred generations is terrifyingly long; one would fear it goes all the way back to the time of the Yellow Emperor.

But weasels have short lifespans and breed quickly; even with some cultivation, a generation is only two or three years. By this calculation, a six-hundredth-generation descendant would imply a relationship spanning thousands of years.

One can only say that everyone's ancestors were once prosperous. If you are the six-hundredth-generation descendant of Huang Muchun, then Xu Jia could say that the Miscellaneous Fur Fox is the seven-hundredth-generation descendant of Daji.

Moreover, Xu Jia does not value so-called "family status" when taking in these small animals.

He immediately shook his head: "Then why don't you cultivate the Yellow Immortal Mysterious Technique? Why must you join my sect?"

This Huang Laotai sighed: "The juniors are unfilial and have already lost most of the ancestral Immortal techniques. However, there is still one treasure I am willing to offer to the Supreme Truth in exchange for protection."

"I have already lived for over one hundred and ninety years, and I cannot survive the two-hundred-year great tribulation no matter what."

"Among my descendants, those with talent died young and failed to overcome their tribulations; the Yellow Immortal Temple's Incense Fire has also declined, the shrine is dilapidated, and I have no strength to maintain it."

"Among my offspring, there are only two I cannot let go of: one is Silang, and the other is Jiuniang. These two have some talent. If they could serve under the Great Immortal, I am willing to gift the land deed and ancestral property of the Tian Liang Huang Xian Miao to the Supreme Truth to serve as a Daochang."

Xu Jia sneered: "Am I greedy for your family's things? Is this forming a connection? Is this forming a grudge? Who is to say that after your descendants learn the Dharma from me, they won't turn around and attack me, claiming I occupied their ancestral property? Who is this temple dedicated to? Do I have to continue the offerings? This is your family's Incense Fire, not mine."

The more Huang Laotai heard Xu Jia speak this way, the more she believed Xu Jia was a master, and her attitude became even more humble.

"I beg the Supreme Truth to enlighten me!"

Xu Jia also sighed at the depth of her planning for her descendants. She appeared as an old woman, and acting so humble and small made her seem very pitiful. But the more this was the case, the less he could take them in randomly, otherwise, they would all learn this routine in the future. He only said: "I have a matter at hand, which is the affair of the Longevity Sect. Within this sect, there was an evil Daoist previously whom I beheaded, and now a Saintess has arrived. If you can find out her background, it will count as doing me a favor, and from there, a Karmic Connection will be formed."

When Huang Laotai heard of the Longevity Sect, her heart trembled, but she remembered that her life was short; waiting for death was still death, so she might as well take a gamble.

She immediately gritted her teeth and said: "The Supreme Truth can rest assured, this matter is left to me!"

Then she took out a Broken Bowl: "This is the bowl our ancestors used to suppress a thousand-year-old centipede spirit. It has always been receiving offerings in the Yellow Immortal Temple, but we lost the incantation and do not know how to use it. It is better to offer it to the Supreme Truth first."

This bowl was pitch black, with chipped edges, looking like a beggar's bowl, but it inexplicably possessed a certain aura. Hearing that it was a bowl used to suppress a thousand-year-old centipede spirit, Xu Jia immediately understood where this Karmic Connection came from.

Perhaps it was related to the Yushan Wulong Mountain God. He did not stand on ceremony and accepted the Broken Bowl, while saying: "You don't have to act like you're facing certain death; I am only asking you to gather information, not to throw your life away."

"It only depends on your sincerity and your determination."

Upon hearing this, Huang Laotai gave a few instructions to the little weasels, nothing more than telling them to be obedient.

Afterward, she transformed into a puff of yellow smoke and left.

Xu Jia instructed Hu Jinhua: "Erase the Gu Talisman in the bamboo forest, disperse the Illusion Technique you cast, and stir up a gust of yin wind to blow away the evil energy, so as not to accidentally harm mortals in the future."

Hu Jinhua entered the bamboo forest to break the magic, while Xu Jia went personally to the Qingfeng Pavilion to see what the situation was.

The Qingfeng Pavilion was already covered in bird droppings. Come to think of it, these droppings are treasures; in industry, they can be used to make saltpeter, and in agriculture, they are excellent fertilizer.

The various foxes and weasels had already bitten the wild chickens and domestic chickens there to death. With the chicken demon gone, the little weasels casting their Illusion Technique meant that naturally, none were spared.

Xu Jia knew that these weasels and fox demons alike had all suffered losses at the hands of the chicken demon. Moreover, both species naturally loved to eat chicken, so it was expected they couldn't control their instincts. But the chicken demon was already dead, so there was no need for such intense killing intent; it was too wasteful... so many chickens, they wouldn't be fresh once dead...

"Master Xu! Look at this, this egg seems different!" Hu Du Xiu caught a chicken egg the size of a goose egg and showed it to Xu Jia. The shell was dark green, faintly marked with patterns.

Xu Jia performed a calculation: "This is an egg laid by the chicken demon!"

"Ah? Wasn't it a rooster?"

"It was originally a hen, but after becoming a king, it automatically turned into a rooster. Have you heard of a hen crowing at dawn? However, this egg was indeed laid after it turned into a rooster. As the saying goes, a rooster laying an egg, a laying rooster—the fighter jet among roosters. Is this egg not extraordinary?"

"Then, since its harem is all hens, can it hatch chicks? If it can't hatch, let's eat it!"

Hu Du Xiu was already drooling: "I've never seen such a big egg; it must be delicious!"

"Eat! Eat! Eat! That's all you know!" Xu Jia tapped its head: "This is clearly an egg laid through induced conception. I don't know which spirit it is, or what lewd Qi was born in heaven and earth, that could make a rooster lay an egg. The patterns on this egg faintly correspond to the appearance of the Four Wood Avian Stars in the sky. Coupled with the chicken demon's ability to drive the wind, if this egg hatches, it is very likely to be a Wood Avian Wind Pheasant. Who knows, it might even turn into a Qing Luan?"

(End of chapter)