Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 177: Living off Spirit Beasts (Long Chapter)

"Mr. Lin, you've come again - please come in quickly!"

At the Zhen Dan Pavilion, the pavilion master, Long Ying, hurriedly greeted Li An upon his arrival, leading him into a quiet room and serving him tea.

Over the past two years, Li An had been using the alias "Lin An" and had developed a close relationship with the Zhen Dan Pavilion, particularly with Long Ying.

"Master Long, you're too polite..." Li An smiled.

"What's there to be polite about? If it weren't for Mr. Lin's generous donations, I, Long Ying, would still be wearing a worried expression!" Long Ying was quite grateful to Li An.

Initially, Li An had only come to the shop to buy some alchemy materials for his daily use. Gradually, the two got to know each other. Three months ago, when the Zhen Dan Pavilion urgently needed a third-grade spiritual herb, they were willing to pay a price far higher than the market value.

Unable to find it anywhere else, Li An sold it to Long Ying at the usual price, and he did so generously. As a result, Li An became an esteemed guest of the Zhen Dan Pavilion.

"These are just trivial matters." Li An smiled faintly and asked, "Has there been any progress in finding the third-grade alchemy furnace that Master Long was looking for?"

Li An had been using the excuse of learning alchemy to purchase medicinal herbs and alchemy furnaces here.

The reason he wanted to find a third-grade alchemy furnace was twofold. First, he did plan to start learning alchemy in the future. Second, and more importantly, it was to see Lady She.

After all, with Li An's alchemy skills, being able to refine a top-grade pill was already quite good. It was truly unnecessary for him to buy a third-grade alchemy furnace now.

"We haven't found one yet..." Long Ying pondered for a moment. "But today, Mr. Lin is in luck. Our master is currently discussing matters in the inner hall."

"May I ask if I can inquire about it later? Please wait a moment, Mr. Lin."

Li An nodded happily and took a seat in the quiet room.

Not long after...

"Mr. Lin?"

The sound of light footsteps could be heard, and a beautiful woman in a black dress had already pushed open the door. It was none other than Lady She, whom Li An had met many years ago.

"Lin An greets Fellow Daoist She!" Li An stood up and bowed.

Lady She glanced at Li An and said, "Long Ying, change the tea to the best spirit tea."

Long Ying's expression changed slightly. The best spirit tea was usually only served to true Dan-level cultivators...

In an instant, he realized that Li An was indeed a true Dan-level cultivator! He immediately became more respectful and turned to make the tea.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, how can I help you?" Lady She smiled, getting straight to the point, showing her intelligence.

"I would like to purchase a third-grade alchemy furnace..." Li An said.

Lady She shook her head. "Please treat me with sincerity, Fellow Daoist."

Li An smiled helplessly. "To be honest, I would like to ask Lady She to recommend a spiritual vein for me to settle down and make a living in front of the mountain master."

Facing such a clever person, he didn't need to hide too much, as it would only make him seem hypocritical.

"A third-grade spiritual vein..." Lady She smiled. "It seems that Fellow Daoist Lin is quite familiar with the Tian Sha Mountain Range. You even prepared a gift for the mountain master..."

The little snake in her sleeve had already shown some movement, so she could tell that Li An had brought spiritual food with him.

"Please allow Lady She to recommend it for me..." Li An said, presenting a box.

Inside the box was spiritual food!

A hint of approval flashed in Lady She's eyes. This Lin An was quite considerate. However, she pushed the spiritual stone back and said, "Fellow Daoist Lin has already given me the gift of medicine. I have yet to repay it, so how can I accept another gift from Fellow Daoist?"

"Please accompany me to the Bai Ling Peak."

Li An already knew that the mountain master behind Lady She, "Master Bai," resided deep within the Tian Sha Mountain Range, in the Bai Ling Peak.

"Thank you!"

Li An was immediately overjoyed.

Immediately, Li An followed Mrs. She and left Tianya City, heading towards the Tianya Mountain Range.

...

The Tianya Mountain Range is roughly divided into four main veins: east, west, south, and north. Tianya City is located at the intersection of these four veins.

All four main veins are fourth-order spiritual veins!

And the many third-order spiritual veins are considered the remaining veins.

The White Mountain Lord is located on the east vein.

After entering the mountain range, between the desolate mountains and wild ridges, there were occasional powerful spiritual beast auras, which made Li An quite nervous. However, Mrs. She remained calm and said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, there's no need to be nervous. With me here, those spiritual beasts won't harm you."

As she spoke, she took out pieces of jade plaques, and within those translucent jade plaques, there seemed to be embedded white scales.

"This is the token of the White Mountain Lord, which allows safe passage here."

Li An nodded and thanked her, feeling a chill in his heart.

No wonder cultivating in the Tianya Mountain Range requires the approval of the mountain lord. Even if one could sneak in without the token, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator would not survive for long.

With the token in hand, even if they flew through the air, the spiritual beasts in the mountain range would not bother them.

"We're approaching the White Spirit Peak. We'll have to walk from here."

Ahead was a beautiful mountain peak, rising above the forest, shrouded in clouds and mist. At a glance, it was clear that it was a sacred place for cultivation. Mrs. She spoke, and the two of them immediately landed.

There was a set of green stone steps ahead, extending for nearly two thousand steps.

On both sides of the steps, there were many stone sculptures of animals, emitting a mysterious aura.

Ascending the stone steps, after reaching the top, they saw a magnificent stone palace standing in front of them. A young girl in colorful clothes walked over, her movements agile, and she said, "Master She, who is this?"

"Miss Sakura, this is an outsider Fellow Daoist named Lin An, who wishes to pay respects to the mountain lord," Mrs. She introduced.

Miss Sakura curiously glanced at Li An and said, "Alright, wait here, I'll go report."

She entered the stone palace.

"This little girl is a spiritual parrot, tamed by the mountain lord to be her maid," Mrs. She's voice echoed in Li An's mind.

Li An suddenly realized, and at the same time, he became more solemn and cautious.

Generally speaking, spiritual beasts cannot easily transform into human form.

It is said to be very difficult, and it is said that only when one reaches the "Soul Formation" stage can they have the ability to transform. To completely remove their demonic body, they would have to endure until the Transcending Tribulation, relying on heavenly thunder.

But if it is "demonic transformation," they can have the Divine Ability to transform early on.

The demonic race is somewhat similar to spiritual beasts, but their bloodline is even more mysterious and surpasses that of spiritual beasts.

The bloodline of ordinary spiritual beasts is predetermined. For example, the Blue Flame Divine Sparrow is always fourth-order, unless they encounter an extraordinary opportunity, it is almost impossible to change.

But the demonic race is similar to humans, they can improve themselves through cultivation, and within the demonic race, there is also a lineage inheritance!

If a spiritual beast is tamed by a demonic race, it is also possible for them to transform into a demon.

It seems that the rumors from the outside world are true. This mountain lord... is truly a demon.

Soon, Miss Sakura came out, bouncing and said, "The mountain lord is available, you can go in and see her now."

Mrs. She then led Li An inside.

The spacious hall was filled with an inexplicable demonic aura.

The mountain lord, like an emperor, sat above the hall, with a bead curtain separating them, layers of demonic aura on the curtain, making it impossible for visitors to see the mountain lord's appearance.

"Lin An pays respects to the mountain lord!"

Li An was extremely respectful and directly took out a beautifully packaged gift box and respectfully presented it.

Miss Sakura took the box and entered the bead curtain.

"Are you a beast tamer?"

Behind the bead curtain, a lazy female voice sounded. Instead of commenting on the offering, she asked a question.

Li An suddenly felt as if there was a gaze probing into his sleeve.

Li An hurriedly held out a small red bird from his sleeve and said, "I am not an animal trainer. This little spirit bird resonates with my soul by accident, so I have adopted it."

Although he was cautious in his heart, he was not particularly afraid.

On the contrary, he was quite looking forward to it...

During his two years in the city, he had inquired about many rumors related to the mountain lord...

One of them was that the mountain lord valued spirit beasts, so he would pay more attention to people who could get close to spirit beasts.

This was also the reason why Jiang Ribai was able to thrive in the Tianya Mountain Range.

But he didn't want to reveal his ability to control beasts. After all, he didn't need to be highly valued. As long as he could find a safe place to cultivate, it would be best to be an outsider.

So, he came up with this method to show his closeness to spirit beasts without being too highly valued.

The shape of the Qingyan Divine Sparrow had already changed completely, and its aura had been changed by his life essence.

Even the members of the Demon Cult, Shangguan Xiaoxiao and Shangguan Shengxian, couldn't see through his life essence. He didn't believe that these demons could figure it out.

"This little bird is somewhat intelligent, but not much. Hmm, you can resonate with the spirit bird's intelligence and gain its approval. It shows that you are not a wicked person who treats spirit beasts as servants."

A lazy voice sounded from behind the curtain.

"Leave a drop of your essence blood."

Madam She hurriedly reminded from the side, "Thank the mountain lord quickly!"

Li An hurriedly thanked and felt quite solemn in his heart.

Just now, the mountain lord had already probed the soul and divine consciousness of the Qingyan Divine Sparrow!

Fortunately, Li An had long been prepared to conceal his beast control technique, and his relationship with Xiaoqing was based on the nourishment of his life essence, so it did not harm Xiaoqing's soul like ordinary beast control techniques would.

Otherwise, judging from the words of the mountain lord... it would be troublesome.

Xiaoying walked down with a jade plate, and there was a small silver knife on the jade plate.

Li An cut his wrist and a drop of his essence blood flowed into the jade plate.

"What is the name of this little sister?"

Xiaoying asked while staring at the small red bird in Li An's hand.

"Xiaohong."

Li An answered and felt that Xiaoying's eyes seemed much friendlier.

"Xiaohong, hehe, it sounds a bit like my name."

She reached out her delicate jade hand and touched the head of the small red bird, then walked back behind the bead curtain with Li An's essence blood.

Not long after...

"The mountain lord allows you to stay. Here is a token and a contract. You can choose a 'Ding' grade spiritual vein to cultivate within the jurisdiction of the mountain lord, and there are also various miscellaneous matters for you to read in the contract. By the way, does Xiaohong like this?"

While handing two jade plaques to Li An, she couldn't wait to take out a green grain of rice to feed Li An's small red bird.

Xiaohong took the grain of rice and chirped twice, then affectionately rubbed against Xiaoying's hand. Xiaoying seemed very happy.

Li An checked and found that one of the jade plaques was the same as the one Madam She had taken earlier, with a white scale embedded in it, while the other contained a lot of information.

But he didn't read it directly for now. Instead, he bowed to the mountain lord and said, "Lin An takes his leave--"

The three of them walked out of the stone palace.

"Miss Xiaoying, Xiaohong has never taken the initiative to get close to others..."

Li An smiled and suddenly took out a small box, "A small token of appreciation, thank you, Miss Xiaoying."

There was also a precious spiritual food in the small box!

Xiaoying said, "Oh, there's no need..."

"Xiaohong and I share the same thoughts. This is not just my thought, but also Xiaohong's thought... She is very close to you."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoying nodded and accepted it, saying, "Well, thank you, Xiaohong."

She touched the small red bird again, and then, not knowing what she remembered, she said, "You should work hard and let Xiaohong move to a 'Bing' grade spiritual vein as soon as possible..."

"Madam She, you are more familiar, please take care of this... What's his name?"

From beginning to end, she only paid attention to the small red bird in Li An's hand and completely forgot Li An's surname...

"Mr. Lin."

Madam She smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. Lin... That's it, I'll leave first."

Xiao Ying fed a green grain of rice to the little red bird, then happily skipped back to the palace.

Seeing her leave, Madam She and Li An descended the mountain, unable to help but sigh, "Fellow Daoist Lin An, you are truly lucky!"

Lin An asked, "Madam She, why do you say that?"

"Do you know, within the Tian Sha Mountain Range, human lives are worth less than beasts."

Madam She said, "In the eyes of the Mountain Lord, spiritual beasts hold a higher status, while the human race... is actually very lowly."

"If a beast tamer were to come, it would be difficult to even preserve their lives... I once had a good friend who was also a beast tamer in the outside world. After coming here, they suffered greatly and almost lost their life."

Li An's heart stirred, could Madam She's friend be Jiang Ribai?

Jiang Ribai actually had such an experience?!

He suddenly realized that his information was not completely accurate... According to the little information he received before, being able to control beasts should have been an advantage.

He didn't expect it to be a pit!

Fortunately, he was cautious and didn't reveal his knowledge of beast control.

Madam She looked at the sleeve of Li An's robe and said softly, "But if one can coexist with spiritual beasts as equals, or even be close to them, then the Mountain Lord will regard them highly."

A black snake poked its head out from her sleeve, and she sighed gently, "I have endured many years in the Tian Sha Mountain Range before receiving the Mountain Lord's reward of this 'Black Spirit.' You should know, this Black Spirit is not my pet, but my master!"

"I have raised it for so many years, yet the Black Spirit is only familiar and trusting towards me... far from being as naturally close as you are without controlling beasts."

"Brother Lin, although this little bird is ordinary, it can bring you many benefits... Otherwise, even if you offer spiritual food, there would still be other tests."

Upon hearing this, Li An couldn't help but feel a complex mix of emotions. It seemed that he had succeeded so smoothly this time... all thanks to Xiao Qing.

Eating a free meal from a spiritual beast??

"I see, I see... Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for enlightening me!"

He also felt quite emotional and couldn't help but gently stroke Xiao Qing.

Madam She looked at the little bird in Li An's hand and was truly envious. Setting aside everything else, she had never been able to gain the favor of Xiao Ying...

Clearly, from the Mountain Lord to Xiao Ying, they all thought highly of Li An.

All because of his spiritual beast.

Li An should be the person who entered this place the most easily.

Moreover, the instructions from Xiao Ying before parting... it seemed that he couldn't take Lin An lightly.

Thinking of this, she immediately said, "Fellow Daoist Lin, do you know that this mountain range is divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D?"

Hearing Madam She's words, Li An said, "Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist."

"A-level is the White Spirit Peak, a fourth-grade spiritual vein, pure and exceptional."

"B-level is also a fourth-grade spiritual vein, but it is contaminated by evil energy, very serious."

"C-level is a third-grade spiritual vein, but it is very clean."

"D-level is also a third-grade spiritual vein, but it is also tainted by evil energy."

Li An instantly understood.

He currently only had the qualifications to cultivate in the D-level spiritual vein.

No wonder Xiao Ying instructed him to let Xiao Hong move to the C-level spiritual vein as soon as possible... The D-level spiritual vein would have an impact on both cultivators and spiritual beasts, and they couldn't stay there for long.

"But in reality, there are good and bad D-level spiritual veins, some with heavy evil energy and some with less... I happen to know one with the least evil energy, the best among all D-level spiritual veins!"

She smiled, "Brother Lin, are you interested?"

Li An actually wanted to say that he had no interest at all...

He was actually more interested in those D-level spiritual veins with heavy evil energy.

But since Madam She asked, he could only say, "Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist!"

Madam She said, "Follow me."

Originally, the little favor she showed him, bringing Li An to meet the Mountain Lord, would have been enough... But now that Li An had performed well in front of the Mountain Lord and Xiao Ying, she became interested in investing more in him!

...

(End of this chapter)