The little interlude passed just like that. Yuan Wu picked up her sword and continued searching for chickens. She had no idea where all the chickens in this forest had run off to. Surely they could not all have been eaten.........
Hmm.... That possibility is quite likely.
After all, chickens were ordinary beasts and could reach Second Rank at most. Yuan Wu had never seen a Second Rank chicken.
As she walked, Yuan Wu suddenly stopped and smacked her forehead. “Wait a moment, Xiao Ba. Do I really have to find chickens? Won’t any egg-laying bird do?”
🟢But the mission says it has to be chickens.🟩
“Think about it. Chickens are poultry that can lay eggs, and birds are also poultry that can lay eggs, so why can’t they be birds?” Yuan Wu was tired and did not want to go to the trouble of finding chickens, so she immediately tried to bluff the System.
🟢Then...... all right.🟩
The System also felt that what Yuan Wu said made sense.
“Okay, let’s go find birds.”
“Damn it, I let all those birds I saw along the way go. I thought it had to be chickens. I’m such an idiot!” Yuan Wu fell into self-isolation. After all that, she had been the one overthinking things, focusing only on the wording instead of finding a way around it. Sigh.
“Let’s go back the way we came and catch all the birds we saw earlier.” Yuan Wu turned around and walked back, her tied-up hair tracing a beautiful arc through the air.
In the quiet forest, a Huoyan Bird passed elegantly along the path, and Yuan Wu happened to spot it.
This bird had several distinctive red tail feathers, a patch of white on its chest, and looked somewhat like a chicken. It was about the size of a goose, laid eggs abundantly, and was a flock-dwelling poultry spirit beast. However, not many of its eggs could hatch.
Where there was one, there were usually at least two more nearby.
The Cultivation of this one was not high. It should have only recently advanced to Second Rank and not yet stabilized. Huoyan Birds were naturally capable of breathing fire, making them spirit beasts highly sought after by lower-rank Cultivators......
Yuan Wu was in no hurry to catch it. She merely concealed her aura and leisurely followed behind the Huoyan Bird.
The Huoyan Bird stopped and started along the way, lowering its head to forage. Following it, Yuan Wu arrived beside a small stream, where she indeed spotted four more Huoyan Birds.
Their Cultivation varied, but even the weakest was at the mid-stage of First Rank🔵equivalent to the mid-stage of Qi Refining🟦. Taking them all down would still be somewhat difficult.
But this did not trouble Yuan Wu. She took out a handful of Chicken Feed and scattered it toward the Huoyan Birds.
Yuan Wu’s appearance startled them, and the five Huoyan Birds flew around in panic.
However, when they saw that Yuan Wu was not moving and that she carried no malice, the Huoyan Birds slowly calmed down. From several meters away, they tilted their heads and watched her.
The two sides remained locked in a standoff. Yuan Wu thought they might not have caught the scent of the Chicken Feed, so she moved a few steps forward and scattered another handful.
When she looked up, the Huoyan Birds had all retreated several steps, maintaining a perfectly suitable distance.....
Yuan Wu: .........6
It seemed that as long as Yuan Wu stayed there, nothing would progress. Having no choice, she sighed, turned around, and left, disappearing from the Huoyan Birds’ sight.
The Huoyan Birds were wary as well and did not immediately approach. Roughly fifteen minutes later, they finally sent the one with the lowest Cultivation forward.
That Huoyan Bird with the lowest Cultivation did not look very clever. Its eyes were even crossed. When Yuan Wu had still been there, it would have rushed over to eat if the other birds had not held it back.
Cluck cluck cluck～
After seeing that the one who had eaten the Chicken Feed was fine, the other four slowly approached and began eating at ease.
Once they started eating, things got out of hand. Only two handfuls of Chicken Feed had been scattered, which was nowhere near enough for five birds to share. The birds even fought over the last bit of Chicken Feed.
Yuan Wu, hiding behind a tree and watching silently, chatted with the System.
“How can these birds be both clever and stupid? If I weren’t patient, I might have left already.”
🟢Their intelligence is equivalent to that of a four- or five-year-old child. How much can you expect them to understand?🟩
“True. What do you think the success rate would be if I jumped out later and lured them away with Chicken Feed?”
🟢Fifty percent.🟩
“No, I think it’s one hundred percent. Your Chicken Feed looks like it really suits their taste.”
🟢Of course. Anything produced by the System is guaranteed to be excellent.🟩
While the System was feeling proud, Yuan Wu slowly walked out, holding Chicken Feed and clucking at the Huoyan Birds.
“Don’t be afraid. This stuff is tasty, right? I still have more. Do you want some? Come with me, and you can eat this every day from now on. All you have to do is lay eggs for me.” Yuan Wu’s sleazy villainous appearance was just like Snow White’s stepmother when she was tricking Snow White into eating the apple.
The Huoyan Birds were not very intelligent, and out of her long speech, they understood only a few words: “Eat every day, follow her, lay eggs.”
Huoyan Birds could lay eggs every day, and the eggs would hatch into chicks only during a certain period. Thus, outside that period, the eggs had no value at all.
Of the five birds, two were male. One was the one with the highest rank, while the other was that fool.
The five birds formed a circle and clucked as they discussed the matter. In the end, they decided to follow Yuan Wu. However, they also had requirements, which needed the System to translate.
🟢They say they must receive the food in your hand every day. They also need to eat insects for nutrition. During hatching season, you are not allowed to take their eggs; they need to raise their own offspring. They also need a place to live, but you cannot keep them confined.🟩
After hearing their requirements, Yuan Wu felt they were acceptable and nodded at them. “No problem. Food and lodging are included.”
“Come with me.”
The arrangement between one human and five birds was settled just like that. As Yuan Wu had said, no poultry could resist the allure of Chicken Feed. Thus, the five Huoyan Birds followed Yuan Wu back to the Farm.
As soon as they entered the Farm, the Huoyan Birds sensed the spiritual energy different from that outside and began wandering around energetically.
Yuan Wu did not see the Blazing Flame Bird in the Farm. Knowing it had left, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Half the mission was complete. Now all that remained was the Chicken Coop.
She had originally planned to build it herself, but she had no tools. The one made from demon vine was not liked by the Huoyan Birds......... If only she could force them with violence........ Hmph. Once her strength was a little greater, she would become a bandit! Whatever she said would go.
Sigh, Yuan Wu checked her pocket. She had 500 spirit stones left.
The word “poverty” was engraved into her very bones.
“Xiao Ba, how much does a bird coop cost?” Yuan Wu asked.
🟢What kind do you want?🟩
“An ordinary one.”
🟢Fifty spirit stones.🟩
Fifty...... That was acceptable.
Yuan Wu steeled herself and paid the System fifty spirit stones.
A two-story, wooden villa-style Chicken Coop, three meters long and three meters wide, appeared. Yuan Wu suddenly felt that the fifty spirit stones had been well spent.
“Hey, you know, this ordinary Chicken Coop is pretty good.” Yuan Wu’s eyes curved as she ran her hands over the coop, left and right, like an ignorant country bumpkin.
🟢Hehe, actually, this is a high-grade Chicken Coop. The ordinary Chicken Coop was out of stock, so dear, you still need to compensate me with twenty spirit stones～🟩 The System’s words made Yuan Wu’s smile vanish without a trace in an instant.
“Take the Chicken Coop back and give me my spirit stones.” Yuan Wu’s face went expressionless, and she moved several meters away from the coop at once.
The System looked at Yuan Wu pitifully, its eyes brimming with tears. “But the store doesn’t allow credit. I paid the difference for you myself. Those were the spirit stones I had saved to store energy.”
Yuan Wu could not stand that look, but she refused to accept such an expensive Chicken Coop. “Then return it. I can make one myself.”
The System scratched its head. “You don’t want it? Everything produced by the System’s store has benefits. This high-grade Chicken Coop can increase the egg-laying rate by ten percent, a function ordinary Chicken Coops don’t have.”
Yuan Wu thought about it.
Why did it feel like a pretty good deal?
She stroked her chin thoughtfully. “Although it is quite good, I only wanted an ordinary Chicken Coop in the first place. You bear half the responsibility for this high-grade Chicken Coop, so I’ll only compensate you with ten spirit stones.”
The System was persuaded by Yuan Wu......
In the end, both human and System lost ten spirit stones apiece.
Fortunately, the Huoyan Birds were very satisfied with the coop. One by one, they went to find soft grass to use as bedding on the wooden floorboards. They certainly knew how to enjoy themselves.
Seeing how comfortable they were, Yuan Wu stopped paying attention to them.
Remembering that she still had a stalk of Fragrant Cloud Grass given to her by the Black Snake, she picked up a hoe and walked to the radish field.
Beside the radish field was a large mound. When Yuan Wu approached and took a closer look, she discovered that Da Bai had dug the burrow herself. The entire family of four was huddled inside.
Yuan Wu was very pleased with Da Bai. The radishes in this area had been tended very well by her and had grown lush and juicy.
The radishes occupied only one-third of the field, leaving another section empty. Yuan Wu casually planted the Fragrant Cloud Grass there. The spiritual energy in the soil nourished it, and the Fragrant Cloud Grass visibly grew a little larger.
Yuan Wu found this astonishing. It was probably because the Fragrant Cloud Grass was not a high-grade spirit grass, making the effect so obvious.
When Da Bai saw Yuan Wu plant a stalk of spirit grass, she eagerly bounded over and poured water from her cupped paws near the roots of the Fragrant Cloud Grass.
Yuan Wu nodded, stroked Da Bai’s rabbit head, and shamelessly took out a handful of Chicken Feed to feed her. “Well done. Here’s your reward.”
Da Bai ate a mouthful of Chicken Feed and decided that this stuff tasted better than radishes. Holding the rest, she returned to the burrow and shared it with the little rabbits.
After being tired all day, Yuan Wu was ready to rest as well.
But first, she should eat before bed.
However, she had no ingredients, so she could only spend money to buy food from the System.
“Xiao Ba, Xiao Ba, I want a serving of rice topped with braised pork. How many spirit stones?”
🟢Dear, it only costs four spirit stones.🟩
“Deduct it yourself.” Yuan Wu was already ravenous. As soon as the meal appeared, it went straight into her stomach.
That night, her body once again began absorbing spiritual energy on its own.
Outside the Farm, a dark figure paced back and forth, wanting to enter but not daring to........