Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 166 - 131 Birth of the Divine Beast_2

Chapter 166: Chapter 131 Birth of the Divine Beast_2

Impatience had even taken over.

Gu Wen was already used to it, so it wouldn’t be strange if they had bipolar disorder too.

But this wasn’t his past life, where if someone really got depression and it affected others, they would simply get beaten and kicked out of the team. Jun Yan and Chi Yu Zi were strong, and so far, they hadn’t caused any trouble to others.

Gu Wen took out the heirloom Jade Pendant, whose outer stone shell had completely worn off, revealing a palm-sized, transparent and clear jade, circular, with a lifelike mythical beast engraved at the center.

It had an added touch of liveliness, emitting a faint aura.

Holy, powerful, noble.

Jun Yan looked surprised but didn’t say much, just stood quietly by the side watching.

"It’s about to come out."

Suddenly awake, Yu Hua stretched out her hand to take the Jade Pendant and said, "It might still take a few days; during this time, you need to refine it day and night with your blood. Thus, after its birth, it will consider you as kin."

At that moment, Jun Yan reminded, "Doing so will also contaminate the Innate Divine Beast’s bloodline."

"Above the Dao Realm, bloodlines aren’t regarded. Without Dao Realm, it won’t be of much help to you," said Yu Hua confidently, "What you need is a completely loyal helper, not a proud creature. If it doesn’t submit to you, just kill it."

Training an Innate Divine Beast like a dog? That’s too tyrannical.

Jun Yan shook his head secretly but chose to keep silent. Offering suggestions but not instructing others was a smart move, to avoid annoyance.

"How to nurture it with essence blood?"

Gu Wen asked. He too felt that loyalty was more important, and he didn’t want to bring an overlord figure home.

Yu Hua responded, "Mix your essence blood with mana and drip it on, it really needs mana."

Gu Wen tried it, and the moment his blood touched the Jade Pendant, it disappeared. Immediately after, the pendant conveyed a faint Divine Thought, craving more mana.

The blood was to lure it into refining itself, but what it actually needed was mana.

Was this a bit sneaky?

Gu Wen’s conscience hesitated slightly for two seconds and then without any hesitation, he increased the dosage, frantically pouring in essence blood.

Cultivate for me, Daoist Master!

After dripping ten drops of essence blood, the heirloom no longer consumed, and the Divine Beast’s Divine Thought also began to weaken. However, it had already established an initial connection with Gu Wen.

Gu Wen’s Divine Thought slightly probed into it, with the inside of the Jade Pendant looking dim and foggy, barely revealing a blurry form pulsating.

It had fur.

That was the only thing he was sure of.

-----------------

The next day.

Gu Wen and others used some simple spells to disguise themselves before heading to a nearby town to ask for directions to the ferry.

As the saying goes, money talks. Therefore, Gu Wen first went to a pawn shop, retrieved some gold, and exchanged it for a hundred taels of silver. Otherwise, it was inconvenient to use, and the commoners were afraid to accept it.

Then, just after they left the pawn shop, Gu Wen and his companions were robbed. Very shortly after their departure, more than a dozen thugs surrounded them.

"It’s a dangerous world."

Gu Wen shook his head helplessly and then signaled Jun Yan with his eyes; his methods should be able to resolve the matter silently and effortlessly.

Understanding Gu Wen’s hint, Jun Yan snapped his fingers and the thugs scattered in confusion.

From Gu Wen’s Divine Thought probing, the thugs seemed to revert to normal only after they were a hundred yards away.

"Kill them," Gu Wen said indifferently. "Evil people are inexhaustible, but failing to kill them only allows them to harm the good. There’s no need to hold back when we encounter them."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a ghostly figure in white appeared behind the thugs, the ghost holding an iron needle against their top of the skull.

Jun Yan explained, "They will die in three days. This way, we can prevent the leak of information."

Very well, very cautious.

Then, the group moved into the bustling city center. South Water was clearly more prosperous and peaceful than Bianjing in the north; at least the people were not all dreary.

But living in chaotic times didn’t make it much better, and there were countless people selling their children; along the way, several people asked them if they wanted to adopt a child bride.

Although going to a brothel might fetch a better price, any household with a bit of conscience would not choose it first, just as boys would not go to a summoning house.

Going to a wealthy family’s house, there was at least a chance of getting out, but entering a place of smoke and willows was almost certainly a one-way trip.

The teahouse owner was a sixty-year-old man who initially didn’t want to deal with Gu Wen and his group, but his attitude warmed up immediately upon seeing the silver.

Upon hearing that they wanted to go to the ferry, he suddenly exclaimed, "You can’t go, you mustn’t! The ferry has been occupied by rebel forces, and I’ve heard those rebels even eat people."

"Rebels?"

Gu Wen thought to himself that this was bad news. Jiang Family Village was near the ferry, and rebellion was always accompanied by military disasters.

"Do you know the specific situation over there? And which rebel forces are they?"

"Half a year ago, the court imposed additional taxes, and the local notables in the county rebelled, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of civilians and capturing the ferry..."

The teahouse owner began to vividly describe how the rebels took over the ferry and battled the imperial army, even featuring confrontations between warriors akin to those in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Gu Wen suspected that if he offered more silver, the old man would claim he had rolled up his sleeves and fought in the battles himself.

He understood and often saw such exaggerations. In the information-blocked ancient society, most people’s news came from hearsay, and each person would artistically embellish their stories.

Someone who escaped from the ferry might have run away without even seeing the rebels but would certainly dramatize the danger when recounting it to others. Then, it would move on to the classic "I have a friend" scenario, and as the story spread, it would become distorted.

The hundreds of thousands of civilians were probably just tens of thousands, and the cannibalism was likely untrue.

However, Gu Wen could extract many useful pieces of information and roughly restore the intelligence.

The local notables rebelled due to excessive taxation by the court; otherwise, they would have been driven to bankruptcy. Such was the magical reality of Daqian, with the Lord Emperor now taxing the scholars and landlords as well.

However, notables usually did not engage in burning, killing, or looting, as they rallied the local civilians.

Now, six months had passed, and the rebels were still at large, which clearly meant the South Water County Governor was making a mess and waiting for the court to resolve it.

"...there has to be mention of a young general with the surname Jiang, who, with just one horse and spear, broke through a hundred men! Unfortunately, he chose not to serve the Imperial Court and instead joined the rebels."

A spear-wielding general with the surname Jiang...

Could it be Jiang Fugui?

Gu Wen suddenly felt it was unlikely because he knew Jiang Fugui’s character.

He was clever but lacked courage, making him comfortable as a subordinate, efficient and not apt to overstep.

It was most likely his son, Jiang Jucai, who had secretly run off to join the rebels. That boy had never been fond of studies, and before leaving, Gu Wen had even taught him the Xuanming Spear.

Gu Wen and his group stayed overnight at an inn. That night, Jun Yan left for two hours, claiming he was dealing with the innkeeper and his backers, their entire families and all.

It was all to avoid drawing attention. As long as those who noticed them were dead, they would be safe.

The next day, they left the town for the ferry, not in a rush, traveling while looking for opportunities along the way.

On September 9, they encountered a strange fish, eating it and gaining eight years of Heavenly Marrow.

On the 10th, they discovered a place where Lingzhi grew, obtained the Lingzhi, and consumed it for twelve years of Heavenly Marrow.

On the 11th, as Spirit Fruits were credited from a Divine Tree friend, using favors, they got Jun Yan’s Spirit Fruits, trading a Taoist Sword for ten more Spirit Fruits from Chi Yu Zi, gaining fifty years of Heavenly Marrow.

Marked down that the little nun owed Dao Ye one Spirit Fruit.

On the 12th, Yu Hua sensed a place where Immortality Pills had once been, discovered a cavernous treasure trove, killed a giant bear, and obtained thirty years’ worth of Emperor’s Gel.

On the 13th, they found three ginseng roots, three kinds of top-grade Spiritual Medicine, and several low-quality ones, totaling twenty years of Heavenly Marrow.

On the 14th, they only found one Lingzhi, gaining ten years of Heavenly Marrow, but quietly and silently, Jun Yan stole an Emperor’s medicine ship, splitting the rewards and obtaining ten more years of Heavenly Marrow.

Immortal Land was full of treasures and opportunities everywhere; Gu Wen wished he could plow under the entire world. Especially after his Primordial Spirit left his body, Gu Wen could sweep through a hundred-mile radius in half a day.

Then he would let Chi Yu Zi and Jun Yan gather the opportunities, which was like plucking feathers from a passing goose.

After all the hustle and bustle, Gu Wen had amassed a total of one hundred and ten years of Heavenly Marrow and thirty years of Emperor’s Gel.

[Heavenly Marrow one hundred seventy years][Emperor’s Gel sixty years]

-----------------

At this point, as they remained hidden, various forces also quieted down and gathered near Fire Cloud Cave.

Ao Tang had arrived near Fire Cloud Cave early on, at times transforming into jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, insects, fish, birds, and beasts to search for Spiritual Medicine in the mountains and forests, swallowing them to refine into pills for logistical support. Occasionally, he transformed into a black-faced strong man, approaching Fire Cloud Cave to gather information.

As many days had passed, even he had no news of Yu Hua; they seemed to have evaporated from the earthly realm.

The various forces and Ao Tang were becoming increasingly anxious.

Where are you all? Weren’t you supposed to come to Fire Cloud Cave?