Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 168: Wu Shouqing, the Bird Slave

The lower limit is at the fourth stage!

What does this mean?

It means that this bird, when it grows up, will be able to at least rival a Nascent Soul level cultivator.

If I can raise this bird as a spiritual pet, then I can be carried by it in the future.

How can Li An not be tempted?

Moreover, it seems that the higher-ups of the Jiang family have not noticed the abnormality of this divine bird. Instead, they all show regret because the divine bird is sick at its roots.

"They haven't noticed?"

"Others may not have noticed, but someone with the surname Tan will definitely notice. Maybe the mutation of this divine bird is related to her... Her cultivation level is much higher than those of the Jiang family."

Shangguan Xiaoxiao casually spoke, mocking the higher-ups of the Jiang family and looking down on them.

Li An pondered.

The divine bird is sick at its roots!

Now that it has mutated, the higher-ups of the Jiang family are unaware.

According to Shangguan Xiaoxiao, Tan Qingxue can see it, and she might even be the one leading the mutation of the divine bird...

But Tan Qingxue should also be unaware that the root of this divine bird's illness was intentionally left by Li An.

Therefore, at this moment, Li An is the person with the most information!

Whether it is the Jiang family or Tan Qingxue, they both need to cure the divine bird and remove its illness at its roots.

And according to what Tan Qingxue said, spiritual blood is the only solution...

So, what Shangguan Xiaoxiao said is not wrong. Li An does have a chance to get close to this divine bird, and once he gets close, he will have an opportunity...

Li An hesitated.

No matter how great the opportunity is, he still needs to consider the risks.

In an instant, Li An's thoughts turned a thousand times, and a plan had already formed in his mind...

Moreover, this plan has a very high success rate, and there won't be any danger along the way. He will be safe instead...

After the plan took shape, he thought about it three more times!

Then, his gaze became firm.

His Qi subtly circulated.

The young Qingyan Divine Sparrow, which was being observed by a group of higher-ups and Tan Qingxue, actually flapped its wings and flew towards Li An!

This young bird seemed tender, but its speed was very fast.

Everyone was shocked.

They saw the divine bird fly over and pecked Li An directly!

Li An felt pain and kept retreating. When he lowered his head to look, he saw a deep wound on his skin, with a burnt smell on both sides of the wound, as if it had been scorched.

"Huh? What's going on?"

Jiang Rilan and the other higher-ups were instantly moved, staring at Li An.

Even Tan Qingxue, with surprise in her beautiful eyes, pondered for a moment and said, "He... he has spiritual blood on him, which can nourish the divine bird!"

As soon as these words were spoken, two False Dan stage experts immediately restrained Li An, making him unable to move.

"Family head, elders, Wu Qin is innocent—"

Li An shouted in panic.

A group of elders walked over.

"What's going on here?"

Jiang Rilan's eyes carried a hint of vigilance.

The divine bird happened to be sick, and Li An's blood happened to be able to cure it... It's a bit too coincidental.

He was deep in thought and never believed in coincidences because true coincidences are too rare, while artificial coincidences are too common!

Tan Qingxue looked at Li An and suddenly said, "Wu Keqing, if I'm not mistaken, the spiritual herbs you cultivated were actually nurtured with your own blood, right?"

After speaking, she grabbed Li An's right hand and made a small cut with a silver knife. The blade was stained with a little blood, and she stuck out her tongue and tasted it.

"It's spiritual blood!"

Jiang Rilan and several other elders took blood samples from Li An and carefully studied them.

"It's indeed true!"

"Rare, rare!"

"This kind of person is one in a million. It's unbelievable that he ended up in our Jiang family. Could it be that the heavens are blessing our Jiang family?"

Many elders showed joy on their faces.

"Lock him up first."

Jiang Rilan said coldly.

He wasn't in a hurry. This matter... needed investigation.

Li An was thoroughly investigated and examined, clearly and unambiguously, otherwise, they would never rashly use Li An's blood to feed the divine bird.

Li An had no way to heaven and no door to earth. He pleaded in fear, but he was still locked up in Jiang's dark prison.

...

Pitch black.

The prison was sturdy and impossible to break out of.

In the darkness, Li An shouted and screamed, but he finally stopped when he got tired.

After being locked up in the dark prison, he experienced humiliation and was thoroughly searched from top to bottom. Everything, including his storage bags, was taken away.

But nothing was found. He had already anticipated Jiang Riba's downfall and had hidden the top-grade Primordial Spirit Pill, two flying swords, the Transcending Tribulation Jade, and a large number of talismans in a secret place on Zhike Peak where no one could find them.

He only carried some normal items on him, and of course, he intentionally left two or three third-grade talismans so that the Jiang family wouldn't suspect anything.

At this moment, he kept thinking and deducing in his mind.

Jiang Rilan was cautious and wouldn't let Li An approach the divine bird rashly because it was too coincidental.

So, he would carefully investigate Li An's past.

But Li An's identity was not a problem, and moreover, he had made preparations before, asking Tan Qingxue for spiritual herbs with the purpose of currying favor with Jiang Ruoxu... all of this was very normal. After the investigation, the Jiang family would probably think that he was innocent and attribute it to mere coincidence.

The most important thing was that the Jiang family had no choice.

The divine bird had a problem, and they couldn't just let a fourth-grade spiritual beast be delayed by its illness.

They had to use Li An's blood.

Moreover, spiritual blood couldn't be directly obtained by slaughtering Li An. That would be killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Li An's blood alone wouldn't be enough.

The Jiang family needed to take good care of Li An!

A little bit at a time, over a period of time...

Long-term nourishment.

Only in this way.

This was the reason why Li An dared to reveal himself.

The outcome was definitely that the Jiang family treated him like a pig, giving him good food and drink, and letting him provide for the divine bird.

But the Jiang family didn't know that what was truly special about Li An was not the so-called spiritual blood, but his life essence.

From the beginning, the divine bird had been in contact with the aura of Li An's life essence. Li An could completely use this process to quietly control the divine bird.

Even if Jiang Ruoxu performed the Integrated Union ritual on the divine bird, Li An had no fear.

He was the first person to have his aura blend with the divine bird.

It's just that his plan for the Gold Core might be slightly affected and delayed.

But to obtain such a divine bird... it was completely worth it.

Li An is only 255 years old now, with a window period of 140 years to reach the Dan Condensation stage.

Before the age of 400, one can still reach the Dan Condensation stage.

So, what is there to fear?

He endured, enduring until the Jiang family lost their guard against him...

...

Li An spent three months in prison.

During these three months, the Jiang family mobilized many people to thoroughly investigate the background of "Wu Qin".

But it was destined to yield little results.

On this day.

The prison gates were opened.

The family head, Jiang Rilan, personally arrived. He had a gentle smile on his face, waved his hand, and behind him, his servants brought Li An exquisite delicacies.

Li An felt a bit fearful, "Family head, are you... are you going to give me the death penalty?"

"No... I don't want to die, I don't want to die!"

Jiang Rilan looked at Li An's frightened appearance and became even more satisfied. He comforted, "Rest assured, you won't die."

"I have already investigated. During your time in the Jiang family, you performed exceptionally well and were a loyal minister of my Jiang family."

Li An excitedly said, "Family head, are you... are you releasing me?"

Jiang Rilan said, "First eat, after eating, freshen up... there are good things waiting for you."

Jiang Rilan left.

...

Not long after.

Li An, who saw the light of day again, walked into the main hall of the Jiang family.

"Wu Keqing, you have suffered in prison during this period. This is some compensation from my Jiang family—"

A beautiful maid brought over a pile of items.

A third-grade Body Nourishing Pill!

A third-grade Heart-Protecting Mirror!

A brand new third-grade Talisman Pen!

All of them were top-quality!

For a cultivator at Li An's cultivation level, each of these three items was an invaluable treasure that was difficult to obtain.

Li An deliberately acted a bit stunned.

"In addition, I have already decided that the position of the Chief of Zhi Ke Peak will be taken by Mr. Wu. I wonder if Mr. Wu is willing to grace us with his presence?"

Jiang Rilan leisurely spoke.

Li An immediately bowed!

"Thank you, family head, thank you, family head... Wu Qin, a lowly person like me, unexpectedly receives such great favor from the family head. Wu Qin is willing to die a thousand deaths!"

He was extremely excited.

Jiang Rilan stroked his beard, smiled faintly, nodded, and then sighed, "Chief Wu, the rise and fall of my Jiang family rests on your shoulders... There is something I need your help with."

Li An said, "Please give your orders, Wu Qin is willing to give his all, even if it means going through fire and water, or facing blades and boiling oil."

Jiang Rilan smiled and said, "It's not that serious."

"Our clan's divine bird has already hatched, but it carries a hidden illness. This bird is related to the future of our clan, so it must be treated... Only you, Chief Wu, can save it."

Li An was slightly taken aback.

"Chief Wu, rest assured, I have already looked into it. You only need to provide some essence blood every month to feed the divine bird. Of course, my Jiang family will continuously supply you with spiritual medicines and so on, so that you won't harm your foundation."

"In addition, I can make a promise to Chief Wu. When the divine bird's illness is cured, I will personally protect you and send you to the True Dan stage!"

"I have already collected medicinal materials for you and refined the Yuan Ling Pill. Inferior Yuan Ling Pills are not worthy of you!"

Jiang Rilan spoke each word, and every sentence struck a chord in Li An's heart.

Truly, he was a worthy clan leader. At this moment, no one could oppose him.

What's important is that Li An also understood that this kind of person is like this, often resorting to temptation before coercion.

If Li An doesn't know how to appreciate the favor, then the Jiang family naturally has thunderous means.

Does he have a choice?

After a moment of contemplation, Li An immediately bowed deeply and expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you, Clan Leader. I, Wu, am willing to give my all for the family—"

He gritted his teeth and agreed!

He understood very well that from now on, he would be the first minister on the surface, enjoying all the honors, and the Jiang family would give him everything...

But in reality, he was just a bird slave!

Born for the sake of a bird...

But it doesn't matter!

...

On this day, he was sent back to the Zhi Ke Peak in a grand manner!

Moreover, the family arranged for two pseudo-Dan level experts to "protect" him!

When the news came out, Zhi Ke Peak was directly shaken, and the elders of the three halls all came to greet him.

"This..."

"How could this..."

The members of the Xuanwu Hall were all shocked to see Li An return in such glory.

Especially Chen Lin, his face turned pale, and sweat kept dripping!

When Li An was still "farming" before, he had proposed to the family to expel Li An many times, but he had never succeeded. He was still puzzled...

Now Li An had directly become the first minister?

What exactly happened...

—Everything about the divine egg was confidential. Except for Tan Qingxue, no one at Zhi Ke Peak had the slightest clue.

"Does he have an even bigger background in the family?"

Chen Lin felt a sense of panic in his heart. How would he deal with Li An after humiliating him like that before?

Zhang Meng trembled all over.

Who could have imagined that the already declining Li An would have another chance to rise to such glory...

Even if she went to offer herself on the pillow now, it would be useless, right?

It's over...

Only Sun Jinxue's beautiful eyes showed a hint of complexity.

She remembered Li An's seclusion and simplicity over the past year, living in a humble room, wholeheartedly farming, never humble nor arrogant...

Facing gains and losses with such indifference, facing the ups and downs without being moved by honor or disgrace!

She stared at Li An and saw that even though he was being guarded by pseudo-Dan level cultivators at this moment, which was a great honor, Li An still remained calm, without a trace of pride or arrogance...

"This is the true demeanor of a cultivator!"

She inexplicably felt a genuine admiration for Li An's demeanor... He was so handsome!

...

As Li An walked through the crowd, maintaining a calm appearance on the surface, his heart was cursing...

The damn Jiang family sent two pseudo-Dan cultivators to monitor him!

Shameless!!!

...

(End of this chapter)