A Mortal’s Immortal Gourd
Chapter 70: Chaste Fierce Goose

When Ergouzi arrived, the birdman was fighting two opponents alone, and the battle was evenly matched.  

The birdman flew in the air, each flap of his wings releasing two wind blades as light as feathers, slashing toward the two men.  

Each wind blade was faster and stronger than Ergouzi’s sword qi.  

Ergouzi estimated in his heart that with his current strength, he wouldn’t be able to block even one wind blade.  

Above the heads of the county magistrate and Officer Dian Shi on the ground, two flying swords circled and danced in the air.  

The flying swords moved like agile fish, their light flickering unpredictably, dazzling Ergouzi and filling him with dread.  

So these were the magical flying swords mentioned in the book. If one of these two flying swords were to slash at him, how could he possibly defend?  

With his current strength, it seemed impossible to withstand.  

Seeing such overwhelming power, Ergouzi involuntarily took a few steps back, his palm resting on his sword hilt.  

The flying swords summoned by the county magistrate and Officer Dian Shi tangled and clashed continuously with the birdman’s wind blades, the battle evenly matched.  

Ergouzi’s gaze shifted downward toward the spiritual field guarded by the county magistrate.  

The spiritual field was about one acre but had only one spiritual herb growing, its leaves like flames, emitting dense spiritual energy.  

Except for this spiritual herb, nothing else grew around it.  

Surely, this birdman had come specifically for this spiritual herb.  

“You abomination of the Myriad Demon Kingdom, the Great Zhou Dynasty and your kingdom have nothing to do with each other. Do you want to start a war between our two nations?”  

The county magistrate shouted loudly at the birdman in the sky.  

“Chirp chirp chirp...”  

“I’m only taking one spiritual herb. Why be so petty?”  

“I believe the Great Zhou Dynasty, as a great empire, would never wage war over a mere herb.”  

Only now did Ergouzi realize that the birdman flying in the sky not only understood human speech but could also talk—and talk a lot.  

Ergouzi hid behind the crowd, curiously observing the birdman in the sky.  

So this was what people from the Myriad Demon Kingdom looked like—strange and bizarre.  

According to the book, people from the Myriad Demon Kingdom excelled at controlling birds, beasts, insects, and ants.  

He wondered if the locust swarms burned earlier were controlled by this birdman.  

“You abomination, do you really think I can’t do anything to you!”  

“Release the arrows!”  

“Everyone, shoot arrows! Shoot him with a barrage of arrows and kill him!”  

The birdman’s reckless behavior had long enraged the county magistrate.  

“What are you waiting for? If you don’t have arrows, throw stones and bring him down.”  

“Ten Peiyuan Gutben Pills for each hit.”  

Sure enough, great rewards attract brave men.  

The originally hesitant crowd, upon hearing about the Peiyuan Gutben Pill reward, immediately grew excited. Those with bows shot arrows, and those without threw throwing knives and stones.  

However, Ergouzi, who usually risked life and treasure, took a few steps back again this time.  

He picked up a stone and weakly threw it, almost hitting Officer Dian Shi’s head.  

Having just escaped from a fire, he was still shaken and dared not take risks.  

Besides, he currently had ginseng and money, so he didn’t care about a mere ten Peiyuan Gutben Pills.  

Sure enough, strength lies in numbers. With so many attacking at once, several feathered arrows hit the birdman’s wings.  

Some stones and throwing knives also left moderate wounds on the birdman.  

Among these people, a few were stronger, having reached the Qi Refining stage, and could cast some spells.  

Several cast fireballs, wooden spikes, and water arrows.  

Surrounded and attacked by so many, the birdman saw no advantage today and suddenly let out a sharp whistle.  

Then, with a flap of his wings, dozens of wind blades shot out fiercely.  

“Ahhh...”  

The crowd immediately screamed in agony as a wind blade cut two people in front of Ergouzi in half at the waist, its momentum not ceasing as it continued slashing toward Ergouzi.  

In Ergouzi’s spiritual consciousness, the wind blade came too fast to track. Hastily, he raised his heavy sword, infused it with true qi, and blocked it in front of him.  

“Boom!”  

A tremendous force struck, sending Ergouzi flying backward. The heavy sword in his hand fell to the ground, but he barely managed to block the attack.  

“Ah!”  

At the same time, the county magistrate’s flying sword seized the opportunity and pierced through the birdman’s body.  

The birdman let out a miserable scream and flew away toward the distance.  

“Chase him!”  

How could those on the ground catch someone flying in the sky?  

The birdman escaped, leaving the county magistrate and Officer Dian Shi furious, glaring at Ergouzi and the two giant geese behind him.  

“Why didn’t you chase after him?”  

“I was injured just now, and the feathers of the two geese were burned off. They can’t fly...”  

Seeing the hostile looks, Ergouzi hurriedly explained.  

“Missing the best chance allowed the Myriad Demon Kingdom’s abomination to escape. This is an unforgivable crime. Arrest him and throw him into the dungeon.”  

Ergouzi didn’t even get a chance to defend himself before two Qi Refining cultivators tied him up.  

And just like that, he became the scapegoat for the escape of the Myriad Demon Kingdom’s abomination in this battle...  

…………  

Ergouzi was locked in the dungeon, and many had long coveted his two white giant geese.  

Spirit beasts capable of carrying people in flight—who wouldn’t want them?  

Qi Refining cultivators could only use the Wind Riding Technique, at best running faster or jumping higher.  

Flying was impossible.  

One had to reach the Foundation Establishment stage to ride a sword and fly.  

But reaching the Foundation Establishment stage was extremely difficult.  

So these two flying giant geese were immediately divided between the county magistrate and Officer Dian Shi—one goose each.  

It was hard to say that their targeting of Ergouzi this time wasn’t because of these two geese.  

The giant geese’s legs were chained with iron chains, locked in specially made iron cages, with assigned guards for care and maintenance.  

But soon, it was discovered that since being captured, the giant geese neither ate nor drank.  

No matter if fed grass, vegetable leaves, or rice grains, the two geese held their proud heads high, disdainfully ignoring the food.  

“Hmph, just two flat-feathered beasts. What’s there to be proud about? Let them starve for two days first.”  

However, even after starving for two days, the giant geese still refused to eat.  

Even with expensive spiritual grains used as bait, the geese held their heads high, not bothering to glance at the food.  

This left the two powerful county leaders somewhat helpless.  

“I heard there’s a spell in Qingzhou city that can control spirit beasts and make them obedient.”  

Officer Dian Shi, being experienced, knew some information about beast taming.  

“But the round trip to Qingzhou city takes twenty to thirty days. The giant geese would starve to death long before then.”  

“Besides, spells of that level require great merit or corresponding wealth to exchange for.”  

The county magistrate shook his head, holding no hope for Qingzhou’s beast taming spells.  

“Heh, I don’t believe I can’t tame a flat-feathered beast.”  

Officer Dian Shi’s face showed a fierce determination.  

“Just watch how I tame this beast.”  

After saying this, Dian Shi strode to the iron cage, grabbed the iron chain, and forcibly pulled one giant goose out.  

This goose was stubborn—though its feet were scraped raw on the ground, it refused to take a single step forward with Dian Shi.  

“Gak gak gak...”  

The goose held its head high, flapped its wings, and swept toward Dian Shi.  

Though a spirit beast capable of flight, the goose’s strength was only equivalent to early Qi Refining stage.  

Naturally, it wasn’t a match for Dian Shi; its wings didn’t even reach his side, and Dian Shi whipped it with the iron chain, scattering feathers everywhere.  

Dian Shi planned to use tough measures, swinging the iron chain to beat the goose violently.  

“Gak gak gak...”  

The proud head of the goose remained held high, refusing to submit.  

“I don’t believe I can’t tame you!”  

After beating it for a while, Dian Shi tied the iron chain around the giant goose, then mounted its back, gripping the chain tightly with both hands.  

He then drew a short sword and stabbed it fiercely into the goose’s flesh.  

“Fly for me!”  

The goose cried out in pain, gave two squawks, ran a few steps, and took off into the sky.  

Dian Shi sat triumphantly on the goose’s back. No matter how fierce the goose’s temper, under such harsh measures, it had to obey.  

But the goose didn’t submit easily. It flew wildly in the sky, performing various difficult maneuvers, trying to shake Dian Shi off.  

Dian Shi held the iron chain tightly, legs clamped around the goose’s back. No matter how the goose struggled, it failed to throw him off.  

After futile struggles, the goose seemed to give in, spreading its wings and soaring higher with Dian Shi on its back.  

The goose flew higher and higher. Dian Shi sat steadily, smoother than riding a horse.  

A cold wind blew against Dian Shi’s face, making his clothes flutter as he looked down at the shrinking landscape below.  

So this was what flying in the sky felt like—awesome!  

At that moment, the goose suddenly accelerated, crashing toward a mountain cliff.  

“Beast!”  

“Stop right now!”  

“Stop already!”  

Dian Shi’s moment of joy lasted only fifteen minutes before he was drenched in sweat with anxiety.  

He gripped the iron chain desperately, trying to stop the goose.  

But in the air, there was nothing he could do except watch helplessly as the cliff grew closer.  

“Boom!”  

The goose and Dian Shi crashed into the cliff.  

The goose’s face was smashed, dying instantly.  

Dian Shi’s cultivation was deep, and he avoided hitting the cliff directly with his head, narrowly saving his life.  

But then he tumbled down the cliff, breaking more than a dozen bones and rupturing internal organs.  

He lay among the rocks at the cliff’s base, eyes rolling back, blood flowing from his seven orifices, his limbs twitching uncontrollably.  

Fortunately, the county magistrate saw the goose’s suicide crash and immediately led a group of officers to carry the half-dead Dian Shi back.  

Dian Shi’s injuries were severe; it was lucky to survive.  

No one knew how long he would lie there before recovering, but his strength would certainly decline.  

He had little hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage before, and now that hope had dimmed further.  

The county magistrate looked at the remaining giant goose in the iron cage and dared not ride it.  

Spirit beasts had some intelligence.  

If they were not truly tamed, who knew when they might take revenge?  

Just as the county magistrate pondered how to handle the remaining goose, County Sheriff Sima Gang arrived.  

“Sheriff Sima, aren’t you leading troops to suppress bandits? How’s it going?”  

During this time, the county magistrate and Officer Dian Shi organized people to exterminate locusts, while Sheriff Sima led the army outside to fight bandits.  

From rumors, the sheriff’s progress seemed unfavorable.  

Looks like when reporting upwards, the main credit would be on his side.  

“Sigh! Bandits and mountain thieves grow more numerous, impossible to eliminate. Every day we kill some, but new ones rise to cause trouble.”  

Sima Gang sighed. Too many bandits—those troublemakers appear as decent citizens before your eyes, but in the blink of an eye, they become bandits.  

Sometimes he wished he could kill them all, leaving none alive.  

But since some had to farm and pay taxes, he had to endure.  

“Then why do you have time to come see me today?”  

“I came to ask for a person.”  

“Who?”  

The county magistrate was curious about who was worth such a personal visit.  

“Scholar Zhang.”  

The county magistrate was stunned but quickly understood—probably after the two flying spirit beasts.  

“Scholar Zhang missed the best chance and let the Myriad Demon Kingdom’s abomination escape. This is a capital crime. I’m about to report to the prefecture, and he’ll probably be executed before the New Year.”  

The county magistrate had been worried about dealing with the remaining giant goose, but now with the sheriff’s visit, he couldn’t easily hand over the goose.  

“As the saying goes, princes who break the law are punished the same as commoners. As the county’s guardians, we must uphold the law and set an example for the people.”  

The sheriff didn’t say more and pulled out a wooden box from his sleeve, pushing it to the county magistrate.  

“Look at this century-old ginseng. Will it redeem Scholar Zhang’s crime?”  

The county magistrate opened the box, revealing a hundred-year-old ginseng root.  

“Since Sheriff Sima has personally come, I must give you face. Take both the man and the geese.”  

“Thank you!”  

Sima Gang thanked and left immediately.  

Outside the county office gates, Sima Yi had long been waiting. Seeing Sima Gang, he hurried to greet him.  

“Uncle, was it settled?”  

“I risked my old face and a hundred-year-old ginseng. How could he refuse?”  

Sima Yi was delighted. “Thank you, Uncle.”  

“No need to thank me yet. Don’t forget the promise you made to me.”  

Sima Gang’s face was serious. He had worked hard for his nephew.  

“My nephew will definitely keep his promise,” Sima Yi cupped his hands and promised.  

“That’s good. But I have to remind you: you traveled dozens of miles at night for a friend, but people’s hearts are unpredictable. He might not consider you a friend.”