Chapter 53: Eagle-bro, Your Feathers Smell So Nice
Inside the Myriad Medicines Pavilion, Jiang Lin and the blue eagle, Xiao Lan, locked eyes—one human, one beast—neither willing to back down.
Jiang Lin had never encountered such a shameless, traitorous magical beast. He had promised to forge weapons to support it, and yet the damn bird had turned its back on him without hesitation and secretly flown into Xiao Yi Xian's arms?
Xiao Yi Xian quickly tugged Jiang Lin's sleeve and laughed softly to comfort him. "Xiao Linzi, don't act like a child always getting worked up over Xiao Lan. Honestly, it's thanks to your reputation that Xiao Lan was even able to come to the Myriad Medicines Pavilion."
Under normal circumstances, Xiao Yi Xian wouldn't have had the clout to bring the blue eagle Xiao Lan to Qingshan Town's pavilion. First, she wasn't sure about Master Yao's attitude. Second, she didn't know how the townspeople would react. But thanks to Jiang Lin, Master Yao—perhaps realizing he was playing favorites—had begun treating Xiao Yi Xian better as well. As for Qingshan Town, after the firestorm that wiped out many scheming mercenaries during the blacksmiths' conflict a year ago, the remaining folks were surprisingly understanding about her having a magical beast partner.
With all these factors aligned, Xiao Yi Xian was able to bring Xiao Lan into the Myriad Medicines Pavilion. Neither Master Yao nor the mercenaries objected.
"…Alright," Jiang Lin muttered, realizing he did, in fact, play a role in all this. He gave up the impulse to wring Xiao Lan's neck and instead took out a small, smooth, and adorable pill bottle from his storage ring and handed it to Xiao Yi Xian.
"You're already at the ninth stage of Dou Qi, right? I just happen to have a Qi Gathering Powder here. It'll help you break through to Dou Practitioner faster."
Xiao Yi Xian was slightly stunned. As a healer, she naturally knew the names of many pills. The Qi Gathering Powder was renowned across the continent for aiding Dou Qi apprentices in breaking through to Dou Practitioner. At auction, such a pill could fetch prices in the five digits! This wasn't just medicine—it was practically gold in pill form!
"Isn't this a bit too valuable?" she asked, cupping the bottle in her small hands. She wanted to refuse but couldn't find a compelling reason.
Then she asked a question she would soon regret: "Xiao Linzi… what's your current level?"
"Hmm…" Jiang Lin paused, his expression slightly downcast. Just as Xiao Yi Xian was about to comfort him, he weakly said, "Sigh… just a mediocre, average six-star Dou Practitioner. Feels like my cultivation has slowed. I'm basically useless now…"
Dou Qi Stage Nine, Xiao Yi Xian: "…"
She stood frozen, recalling the time she had mocked him: "Stage one of Dou Qi? At your age? Even the kids in Qingshan Town are stronger than you!"
Her delicate face flushed with a shade of alluring red. She suddenly felt embarrassed by her past arrogance.
"Hmph! You're getting revenge for what I said three years ago, aren't you?" she pouted, glaring at Jiang Lin. But instead of turning him down, she took the Qi Gathering Powder boldly and without further complaint.
Three years ago, Jiang Lin had just begun cultivating Dou Qi. Two years later, he became a Dou Practitioner. One year after that, he reached six stars. Xiao Yi Xian couldn't even imagine such speed. Who else in the Jia Ma Empire could compare? And this bastard hadn't even used any cultivation-enhancing pills! The only bottleneck he faced was at stage nine of Dou Qi, where he brute-forced his way through over two or three months?! (Xiao Yan had pills + dual Heavenly Flames and still only reached Dou Grandmaster in three years.)
"Hehe, why don't you go prepare to break through? I can feel your Dou Qi is pretty full—you've definitely reached the breakthrough threshold," Jiang Lin said with a grin. Regular Dou Practitioners couldn't sense another's Dou Qi level. Dou Qi was a proto-form of true Dou Energy—it had some of the same properties but couldn't be detected by standard methods. Only those with powerful souls could sense it in Dou Qi apprentices.
That's why after becoming a Dou Practitioner, one's aura could be easily identified. But at the Dou Qi stage, a special stone monument was needed for testing.
But clearly, Jiang Lin's soul intuition was terrifying. Just by feeling the energy density in Xiao Yi Xian's body, he could estimate her level precisely.
"Okay, after I break through, I'll tell you some good news," she said, still surprised at his canine-level nose. After a moment's thought, she returned to her room to prepare.
Outside her room, in the courtyard, only Jiang Lin and Xiao Lan remained—man and bird—still locked in a silent standoff.
And then Jiang Lin started groping the eagle.
"Hold still, let me feel your structure."
"Coo! Coo!"
"Brother Lan, don't be so stingy. Let me check your bones. Hmm… your Dou Qi is intense. Your meridian layout and toughness are clearly above average."
"Coo coo coo! (I'm an eagle!) Coo coo coo! (I'm an eagle!)"
"Brother Lan, your feathers smell amazing."
"COO COO!!"
"Shush. You'll disturb Xiao Yi Xian's breakthrough."
"…"
The blue eagle lay silently on the cold ground, invisible tears trickling from the corners of its eyes.
This scene…
???
Thanks to the Qi Gathering Powder, Xiao Yi Xian's breakthrough went smoothly. She encountered no resistance and, in just half a day, advanced from Dou Qi Stage Nine to a one-star Dou Practitioner.
When she finished tidying up and opened her door with a bright smile, ready to share the good news about Xiao Lan, the moment she stepped out, she froze. Her hand stopped midair.
It was late afternoon. The sky had dimmed, the distant clouds painted in yellow and red. Amid the hazy glow in the courtyard, a shadow loomed over a giant eagle, groping and pressing. The eagle didn't even make a sound—it just lay there. And with her heightened senses, Xiao Yi Xian was pretty sure she saw tears at the corners of the eagle's eyes.
"Ah! You two—what are you doing?!" she shouted, finally snapping out of her shock and putting an end to Jiang Lin's bullying.
"Huh? Oh, congrats, Boss Xian'er, on your breakthrough." Jiang Lin, who had been straddling the blue eagle to stop it from resisting, looked up, then casually put away a small notebook bearing a poorly drawn star chart that looked vaguely eagle-shaped, and got off with a smile.
Freed at last, the blue eagle shakily got up and waddled to Xiao Yi Xian with tear-filled eyes, wordlessly accusing Jiang Lin of his savage actions.
Jiang Lin's strength was just too much. As a flying magical beast, it couldn't resist him at all.
Sob sob sob… This lordly eagle… I'm not clean anymore!
(END CHAPTER)
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