Chapter 96, Chapter 96, Jia Rongshan
Li Chang'an looked at the group of spirits in front of him.
The snake spirit's body was missing scales in many places, and its tail seemed to be broken off.
The Black Bear Spirit was missing half of its left paw, and had a deep scar on its left eye. Its pupils were gray, indicating that it was blind.
"How did you get these injuries?"
“The cultivators don’t believe we are spirits; they think we are demons. They basically start yelling at us to kill as soon as they see us,” the white fox spirit said helplessly, standing with her two front paws outstretched.
For this reason, they were also very wary of cultivators. When they woke up and saw Li Chang'an in the mountains, they thought he was another person who was going to harm their home, so they attacked him.
Li Chang'an understood, and then asked, "Can these injuries be healed? I have a friend whose healing skills are very powerful."
Jingjing replied, "It can be cured, but the Spirit Race cannot rely too much on others for cultivation. Their injuries can only heal themselves after their cultivation level increases."
The mountain god knew this when he rescued them, which is why he only spared their lives; the rest was up to them.
Li Chang'an nodded.
Since we can't directly intervene, let's try our best to increase their cultivation speed.
The vegetables grown in the immortal mountain now are very helpful for cultivation, aren't they?
After pondering for a while, Li Chang'an squatted down and said with a serious look, "Now that Jiarong Mountain is affiliated with Xuanling Immortal Mountain, as the spirits of Jiarong Mountain, you all have to listen to me. If any of you are unwilling, I can let you leave here."
"Whether you stay or leave, you should think it over carefully."
As soon as Li Chang'an finished speaking, the group of old, weak, sick, disabled, and strange creatures in front of him were all stunned.
Golden Beard and White Fox Spirit stood there, looking at each other. Black Bear Spirit stood stiffly under the tree, his two paws clasped together. Snake Spirit coiled on a branch, so stunned that he forgot to flick his tongue.
The squirrel spirit hopped around on the branches; although it had gained intelligence, it still couldn't speak.
After a long while, Golden Beard turned to look at Jingjing and asked, "Steward, where is the master?"
It was asking the mountain god of Jiarong Mountain.
"Wherever the master goes, we will go."
The other spirits also looked at Jingjing.
They remembered seeing the mountain god before they went to sleep, but when they woke up today, the mountain god's presence was gone, and the familiar scenery around them had all changed.
They were extremely uneasy, which is why they were so wary of Li Chang'an, this visitor from the mountains.
Jingjing looked at the golden whiskers, but didn't rush to refute its name.
He was silent for a moment, then said in his usual tone, "The mountain god has vanished. As the God said, Jiarong Mountain is now subordinate to Xuanling Immortal Mountain. Before a new mountain god appears, all affairs are under the jurisdiction of the God."
The spirits quieted down, looking at Li Chang'an with either trepidation or hesitation.
Although they were weak, they knew that Jiarong Mountain had been taken into this world by a very powerful deity, who was the master of this place.
The Li Chang'an standing before me is that divine being.
Now, the owners here want them to choose whether to stay or leave.
The spirits were confused and couldn't make up their minds for a while.
Li Chang'an sighed inwardly.
He had no intention of pressuring the spirits, so he softened his tone and said, "I have no intention of driving you away. Take your time to think it over. Don't rush to give me an answer. Even if you decide to leave, I will arrange your future path."
How could he possibly let the spirits leave on their own to make a living?
If they really want to leave, he will ask the Jade Balance Star Lord to help them register their identities, proving that they are spirits and harmless, and then make arrangements to protect them.
After speaking, Li Chang'an stood up.
He glanced at his phone; it was almost 2 p.m., so it seemed he wouldn't be able to have bamboo shoots stir-fried with cured pork for lunch.
He put away his phone, turned to Jingjing and said, "Let's continue shopping."
Jingjing nodded: "Yes."
After bidding farewell to the spirits, the two continued their journey towards the mountaintop.
The higher you go, the fewer trees you see, let alone spiritual plants.
The mountaintop is flat and covered with waist-high weeds.
Passing through this grassy area, the highest point of Jiarong Mountain is just a few large rocks.
Li Chang'an discovered a lot of earth spirits under a large rock.
However, these earth spirits were all in pieces, the largest of which was only the size of a fist.
If it weren't for the inability to use spiritual power, I could have probed to see exactly how much earth spirit remained beneath the soil.
Li Chang'an could only roughly count the ones that were visible to the naked eye; there were about thirty in total.
He stood atop the highest, largest rock and gazed into the distance.
Across the Ningjing River is the towering Wolu Mountain, while to the right is another immortal mountain shrouded in a sealing wall.
As soon as Li Chang'an's gaze fell on that immortal mountain, golden particles floated out of the storage bag at his waist, forming a miniature three-dimensional map of the Xuanling Immortal Mountain.
On the map, another sacred mountain, located on the same side of the Ningjing River as Jiarong Mountain, lit up.
【Qingyao Mountain】
Sacrifice requirements: one bolt of silk from a sacred silkworm, five kinds of sacred fruits, and one jar of fine wine, to restore Jiarong Mountain to its prosperous state.
Note: Except for the last one, all other conditions for the sacrificial ceremony must be prepared by Li Chang'an himself.
Li Chang'an saw the first item and was somewhat puzzled.
"Spiritual silkworm? Where is it?" He had thoroughly explored Jiarong Mountain but hadn't seen any spiritual silkworms.
Jingjing, who was standing beside her, was taken aback. She raised her hand, and a crystal box appeared in her palm.
"here."
The crystal box is made of a transparent material with a hint of green, so you can see the contents inside very clearly.
Inside the box were two jade-white silkworm cocoons, which shimmered with a faint iridescent light.
"These are actually spirits from Jiarong Mountain, but only these two pupae remained six thousand years ago. It was only by using this divine artifact left by the God that they have been preserved to this day."
The spirit silkworm is an extremely fragile spirit race with very high requirements for its growth environment and food, but it is also very spiritual.
Six thousand years ago, before Jiarong Mountain was incorporated into Xuanling Immortal Mountain, it suffered a disaster. A large number of spirit silkworms could not survive and died. The last two were saved by the passing God Wuya who left behind a divine artifact.
That is why the mountain god of Jiarong Mountain agreed to let the god Wuya be taken into Xuanling Immortal Mountain.
"The deity said that as long as enough spiritual power is injected into these two silkworm pupae, they can hatch into a male and a female spirit silkworm moth to reproduce. As long as they are still alive, the spirit silkworm clan still has hope. However, to enable them to reproduce, a spirit mulberry tree is needed."
Li Chang'an understood.
He first had to plant a spirit mulberry tree, and then let the two spirit silkworm pupae break out of their cocoons and become spirit silkworm moths to reproduce.
Although there are no spirit trees on Jiarong Mountain now, Li Chang'an already has a wealth of experience in how to grow spirit crops.
He nodded, took the crystal box, and continued to examine the sacrificial conditions at Qingyao Mountain.
His gaze fell on the last line, and he paused for a moment, slightly stunned.
Although this clause did not specify the exact requirements for a "prosperous scene," he guessed it should at least be similar to what he had seen in the realm of the mountain god.
Li Chang'an gripped the earth spirit he used to cool himself, his gaze gradually hardening.
Even if the basic manual doesn't require it, he will still try his best to do so.
After seeing the contrast between Jiarong Mountain's past and present, he could not remain indifferent.
Therefore, he needs the help of the spirits of Jiarong Mountain. Although he just proposed the choice of whether to stay or leave, he will still try his best to keep the spirits here.
Li Chang'an composed himself. Now that he had finished exploring Jiarong Mountain, he said goodbye to Jingjing and quickly went down the mountain to return home.
The sun is almost setting now.
Li Chang'an placed the box containing the silkworm pupae, steamed rice, sliced the bamboo shoots he had dug and peeled that morning, and stir-fried them with cured meat.
After that, he casually made a few more dishes and put them on the table. Then he sent a message to the mandrill, asking it to bring two chickens and two black-scaled fish when it came back.
After killing and plucking the feathers of the two chickens, and cleaning them thoroughly, put them together in two clay pots to stew, adding a few red dates and shiitake mushrooms to each pot.
The black-scaled fish is simply steamed after its scales and internal organs are removed.
The stewed chicken and steamed fish were intended for the spirits of Jiarong Mountain, so as soon as they were put into the pot, Li Chang'an and Tianxuan started their meal as usual.
The mandrill quickly peeled the shells of two shrimp and put them into a bowl.
Ever since it started being served at the dinner table, Li Chang'an has been catching a few shrimps and crabs every day.
After swallowing two plump shrimp, the mandrill slowed down and said, "You weren't here at noon today, and we were all starving."
It looked at Li Xiaoguai, who was meowing and eating bits of shrimp in the corner, and said with a mournful voice, "This little guy has goat milk to drink, he's not hungry at all."
Actually, it also caught some raw shrimp and crab to eat, but it always felt that since it wasn't made by Li Chang'an, it was missing something in terms of flavor.
Tianxuan and Chajing ate their rice, nodding silently.
The Blade & Soul ate gracefully and slowly, without saying anything.
In the past, these people and spirits all practiced fasting, so they would never bother to study cooking.
Therefore, Li Chang'an is the only one in this family who knows how to cook.
Li Chang'an chuckled: "I wandered around Jiarong Mountain a bit longer, which took up some time."
He raised an eyebrow after saying that: "When I was unconscious for a week and no one was cooking, you guys didn't complain of being hungry, did you?"
Tianxuan coughed lightly and said, "Actually, today, I'm mainly craving the taste of bamboo shoots."
After he finished speaking, both Tea Essence and Mandrill nodded hurriedly.
The sword spirit also raised its eyelids and glanced at Li Chang'an.
Ever since they saw Li Chang'an return from digging bamboo shoots in the morning, they had been quietly anticipating the taste of bamboo shoots.
Having lived in Xuanling Immortal Mountain for so long, this is the first time I've ever seen bamboo shoots growing in the bamboo forest outside.
Unexpectedly, Li Chang'an, who had promised to come back for lunch, ended up spending the entire day at Jiarong Mountain.
Li Chang'an responded with an "Oh".
It turns out that it was because there was something new and interesting that I had been curious about it for a long time.
"This time it was my oversight that I didn't send you a message beforehand." He knew how unpleasant it felt to have your expectations dashed.
Tianxuan smiled and said, "It's alright, these bamboo shoots taste very good, so it's worth the wait."
Bamboo shoots have no astringent taste from oxalic acid, and are crisp and sweet. When stir-fried with cured pork, they absorb the flavor of the cured pork, creating a rich and layered taste that is neither oily nor greasy.
Li Chang'an smiled and said, "Next time the same thing happens, I will definitely tell you in advance so you won't have to wait too long."
We need to create a group chat, since everyone has a mobile phone now.
However, the spirits on Jiarong Mountain haven't arrived yet.
Thinking of the spirits over there, Li Chang'an paused, put down his bowl, and said, "I encountered a group of spirits on Jiarong Mountain."
He recounted the situation of the spirits and monsters, and then said, "If we manage to keep them all here, I'd like to build another house here, and then construct a bridge over the Ningjing River to facilitate their passage."
Since everyone is a member of Xuanling Immortal Mountain, living together makes it easier to get to know each other.
Moreover, those spirits are sensitive and extremely insecure, so living with them would likely alleviate these issues.
The mountain god had vanished, so Li Chang'an wanted to take care of the spirits and monsters for him.
After Li Chang'an finished explaining his idea, Cha Jing immediately said, "I support it."
The mandrill looked conflicted, but still nodded in agreement.
Although they are somewhat socially anxious, at least they are a group of spirits, not humans, so it can accept them.
The mushroom spirits, who were drinking the sweet syrup, made a "gurgling" sound.
They are all spirits, and they naturally feel compassion and a desire to help each other when they see other spirits and monsters.
Li Chang'an looked at the sword spirit.
The sword spirit nodded and simply hummed in agreement.
He meant to support building the bridge.
Li Chang'an immediately felt relieved and looked at Tianxuan, saying, "Star Lord, I need your help with the design again."
Tianxuan smiled and said, "No problem."
Li Chang'an picked up his bowl and continued eating.
After dinner, the stewed chicken and steamed fish on the stove were ready.
The sword spirit was instructed to draw a cleansing talisman to wash the dishes, while Li Chang'an left with chickens, fish, and some spiritual vegetables.
As the sun set and there was no longer any need to work in the fields, Black Sword followed Li Chang'an.
It carried Li Chang'an across the river and arrived at the mountainside of Jiarong Mountain.
After sunset, Jiarong Mountain was much cooler than at noon.
When Li Chang'an jumped off the black sword, he was so cold that he shivered and quickly took out a thin coat to put on.
The moment he landed, the spirits quietly emerged from the woods.
Just as Li Chang'an was about to take out what he had brought, he heard the owl speak first: "God, please let me stay. I will obey your orders."
Li Chang'an paused slightly, glancing at the owl on the branch.
The owl wasn't very noticeable, but at noon, it was the only spirit besides the squirrel spirit that didn't attack him.
Unexpectedly, it's the first one to say it's staying.
Following the owl's lead, the golden-bearded fox spirit also spoke up: "We want to stay and will obey your orders."
The snake spirit flicked her tongue, "I want to stay too."
The black bear spirit nodded: "Me too."
The squirrel spirit couldn't speak, but it leaned against the owl, looking at Li Chang'an with a blank expression.
Li Chang'an looked at the spirits around him and immediately smiled, his voice gentle: "Alright, since you are all willing to stay, I will also say my first request."
"That is—we cannot take action against anyone who enters Xuanling Immortal Mountain."
After all, the Qingfeng Sect disciples come in every day to pick up vegetables, and the owners of Xiaoping'an Supermarket and their family also come to visit and give gifts during festivals. The monsters can't just fight them one by one.
The spirits looked at each other, all somewhat hesitant.
Li Chang'an added, "Don't worry, with me, my friends, and Senior Divine Wood Ox here, no bad guys will be able to get into Xuanling Immortal Mountain. Even if they do, we'll be there to hold them off, so you don't need to lift a finger."
"We have the ability to protect this place. You just need to focus on your cultivation and live your own lives."
The spirits stared at him blankly.
Li Chang'an's smile shone even brighter in the afterglow of the setting sun. He patted his chest and said, "One of my friends is the spirit of a divine sword. No one in this world can defeat him."
Golden Beard, limping, stepped forward first: "Great...God, is there anything else you need us to do?"
They would feel uneasy if left to cultivate in the mountains and do nothing.
Li Chang'an understood, nodded, and said, "I need your help to plant trees, starting with mulberry trees."
He paused, looked around at his surroundings, and then, as if struck by a thought, added, "And then, it's about growing fruit."
The conditions for offering sacrifices to Qingyao Mountain require spiritual fruits. Since no spiritual fruits were seen on Jiarong Mountain, he would interpret them as spiritual fruits.
Moreover, the large temperature difference between day and night on Jiarong Mountain is perfect for growing sweet fruits.
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