Chapter 138 Picking Up the Pearl
Today, Jiao Jue heard a few more kind words from Ji Rong, and couldn't help but raise his head proudly; he pondered these words carefully, and suddenly asked, "What is a country?"
Ji Rong thought for a moment and said, "As my elder brother said, each tribe governs its own territory, and together they protect the king's place, forming their own country."
Jiao Jue sighed, "Silly bird, you are indeed quite clever. I have been in the War God Temple for many years, but my cultivation has not improved at all. I have been friends with you, silly bird, for decades, but I have repeatedly learned the truth from you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiao Jue's aura surged, and the light on his forehead shone brightly. The aquatic creatures that passed by were all affected by him and couldn't help but bow down, calling him "Your Majesty."
Ji Rong was overwhelmed by this imposing aura and felt her legs go weak. Fortunately, the tree trunk inside her supported her, giving her the strength to move. She quickly flapped her wings and flew away three zhang away.
Jiao Jue's aura came quickly and dissipated just as fast. In less than ten breaths, he transformed into a dragon the size of an insect.
Ji Rong looked over and saw that Jiao Jue looked like a worm, with no indication that he had any cultivation.
"Big brother, what's wrong?" Ji Rong asked in surprise.
Jiao Jue looked at her, squinted, and said smugly, "I've gained something. From now on, you can carry me without breaking your bones."
After saying that, it wrapped its claws around Ji Rong's claws. Ji Rong was shocked and hurriedly shook off the claws, but found that the horn jade was now as light as a feather. She couldn't help but lower her head and say, "Big brother, can I learn this technique? Please teach me!"
Jiaojue looked up and said, "This is a secret technique from the ancient times. If you can revert to your ancestral form and become a pure-blooded phoenix, you might be able to learn it, but do you have more than 50% phoenix blood in you?"
"Another 50%?" Ji Rong couldn't help but purse her lips upon hearing this, as the phoenix bloodline in her body was probably less than one percent.
Everyone scattered and wandered off. Ji Rong also walked in the direction Gu Qingqing had gone, saying as she walked, "Big brother, I want to buy something. Pay me with spirit crystals."
Jiao Jue closed her eyes and ignored her. Ji Rong wandered around and came to a bird cultivator.
Ji Rong looked at a cage of baby birds that looked just like the stall owner's and said, "Are you selling your own baby birds?"
The bird flapped its wings repeatedly and said, "Senior, you misunderstand. These birds are the chicks of my clan who failed to develop intelligence this year. The clan instructed me to sell them for a few spirit crystals to make up for the losses."
Flower and Bird Island is frequented by wealthy families; if someone takes a liking to them, it's a stroke of good fortune for them.
Ji Rong went to another fishmonger's stall to ask, but received the same answer.
Ji Rong followed the cultivators, wandering aimlessly along the path, asking questions whenever she saw someone who caught her eye.
Amiao hugged Ji Rong's neck and said, "Lord Ji Rong, if one doesn't gain wisdom while living here, does that mean one cannot be considered a subject of Lord Canghe?"
Ji Rong considered for a moment and replied, "Unintelligent beings can actually give birth to intelligent offspring."
Lord Canghe may not think that way, but everyone below is doing it this way; over time, everyone will tacitly accept that what you say is true.”
But Ji Rong thought to herself that birds, beasts, insects and fish that cannot truly think, if they cannot even be made intelligent, are most likely not to be awarded the golden seal.
Indeed, there is never absolute fairness in this world.
The joy of one group of creatures will inevitably surpass that of another.
As for Canghe Jun, he minimized the impact on the vulnerable groups to the greatest extent possible, making him undoubtedly a successful emperor.
But the situation of the Wu tribe is different. They have degenerated their bloodline but retained their minds, and their cultivation system is also unique.
"If I really want to seek refuge with Lord Canglan, I need to think this through carefully," Ji Rong thought to himself.
Ji Rong walked on the street for a while and then saw Master Bai carrying Gu Qingqing around looking for her. When he saw her, he said, "Honored guest, the performance is about to start. Let's go over there."
Ji Rong and the others then followed Bai Zhushi Fei.
They flew to a riverbank where the sound of conch shells filled the air.
On the beach, a group of clams were dancing with their shells. The features that these clams had evolved were not very clear, but their shells were shimmering with a beautiful radiance.
In the river, fish hold up their colorful snail shells, seemingly playing a damp, melodious tune.
Having missed the opening, Manager Bai introduced, "These are all pearl cultivators from our Canghe River who have cultivated precious pearls."
After they finish dancing, any of you who want to go into the water can choose one. With their permission, they will escort you down to search for pearls. Once you find them, they are yours, and you won't need to spend any treasures.
The clam monks will cover you with their precious pearls, allowing you to move briefly in the water;
But remember, you must not take their precious pearls, otherwise they will be swallowed by the clam cultivators, and we will not care.
If you are truly interested in that pearl, you can inquire about its price from the elder of the clam tribe who resides beneath the reef after the performance.
Such a performance held no appeal for a true dragon like Jiao Jue, who could traverse the heavens and the earth with ease.
But for Ji Rong and Gu Qingqing, who belong to races on land, they hold immense appeal.
As the sound of the conch shells faded, the clam cultivators closed their shells and stretched out their tentacles, throwing pearls into the river.
The row of fish blowing conch shells stopped their conch sounds, blew bubbles, and called out, "Ladies and gentlemen, let's dive in and search for the pearl!" Then, they began blowing their conch shells again with great effort.
Upon hearing this, all the cultivators went to pick out clams to take into the water. Ji Rong searched around, but couldn't find a single clam willing to shelter her.
Those with high cultivation levels were already reserved by cultivators familiar with the ways of the world; while those with low cultivation levels wanted to run away as soon as they saw Ji Rong.
At this moment, the jade pendant at Ji Rong's feet suddenly spoke up: "Just go down, I'll protect you."
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong let out a strange "ha-ga-ga" laugh towards the sky, and then plunged into the water.
As soon as Ji Rong touched the water, the air around her seemed to become tangible, forming a large sphere around her. Jiao Jue detached itself from Ji Rong's claws, took out a huge Ze Ming Pearl, and handed it to Ji Rong, saying, "You can play with this. Return it to me when you get ashore."
Ji Rong took Ze Mingzhu and happily exclaimed, "I understand, thank you, big brother! Hahaha."
Ji Rong, with bubbles on her head, went down into the water to search, but found nothing.
Seeing her floundering around in the mud like an eel, getting herself covered in filthy mud, Jiao Jue couldn't help but say with disgust, "Silly bird, you're already at the Venerable Realm, how come you don't know how to use the Gathering Divine Eye to search?"
After saying that, he taught Ji Rong a mnemonic rhyme. Ji Rong remembered it quickly, but learned it more slowly.
With great difficulty, Ji Rong finally managed to focus her divine vision and saw faint, shimmering light in the mud. She happily paddled with her wings and picked up the pearls with her claws from the riverbed.
Before long, Ji Rong had picked up a small pile.
She found an empty jade box in her storage ring and happily put all the beads away.
Seeing Ji Rong's greedy look, Jiao Jue pointed out, "These trash stones are worthless. Move that rock aside and dig down eight inches; there's a good one there."
Ji Rong looked at the spot Jiao Jue had mentioned, but saw no trace of its precious light; yet she still moved the huge rock as instructed.
After digging down five inches, a faint light suddenly appeared. Ji Rong dug another claw, and the light became even brighter.
In the end, Ji Rong unearthed the remains of a clam and obtained a pearl the size of a pottery bowl.
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