Druid Fairy

Chapter 101 Bloodline Talent

The ordinary beast "Little Black" is already quite convenient for transmitting messages; if one could contract a true spirit bird, its abilities would be limitless.

It is not only an excellent aid for investigation and tracking, but can also play an unexpected role at critical moments.

Li Pingcan became increasingly eager to follow the sight, and with a leap of his foot, he shot off like an arrow, chasing after the panicked vultures.

Li Pingfu only had time to hum in response. Seeing his younger brother's hurried manner, he smiled helplessly and followed closely behind.

The镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) of Weiyuan镖局 (Weiyuan Escort Agency) were busy subduing the golden eagle, and no one noticed the Li brothers. Zhao Huafeng was not good at running, so he could only watch helplessly as the Li brothers, along with Wang Liu and Zhao Xiaogua from the镖局, disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

"These Li brothers are truly swift as the wind!"

Zhao Huafeng's eyes were filled with envy. If his son could be so successful, why would he still be working as a镖局 (bodyguard agency) at his age, and almost ruin the reputation of Weiyuan镖局 by losing a shipment!
He immediately turned his head, staring sharply at the golden eagle, determined not to give it any chance to escape.

Deep in the forest.

The two brothers were incredibly fast, tracking the trail of the vultures and quickly overtaking the Weiyuan Escort Agency.

Wang Liu and Zhao Xiaogua were not slow either, but after being overtaken, they could not keep up with the pace of the two. Unable to find any trace of the vulture, they gradually fell behind and disappeared into the dense forest.

Li Pingcan activated both [Spore Sensing] and [Animal Communication], causing countless tiny mushroom spores to spread silently through the forest.

The mind also connects with the startled birds and beasts in the forest.

"Caw caw! There's a bad guy! There's a strange bird!"

Ouch! Someone stepped on my foot! Ouch, that hurts!

"Master, Master, we've been attacked!"

Fragmented information kept flooding into his mind, and Li Pingcan quickly analyzed it. Soon, he captured the vulture's inner thoughts.

Following the sound, they quickly detected a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy!

"Big brother, there he is!"

Li Pingcan suddenly ran off in one direction.

Li Pingfu's expression turned serious, his inner energy surged, and he was on high alert, immediately following behind.

In a relatively open valley ahead, a man dressed in a gray robe was furtively peeking out from behind a large tree, looking up at the sky.

His face was pale, and his eyes held a hint of anxiety. He was clearly the owner of those vultures, waiting for them to bring back "birthday gifts."

The two brothers exchanged a glance and crept closer like lynxes.

"Hoohoo!"

The next instant, a gale howled, and two figures, like black lightning bolts, closed in instantly.

The gray-robed man was startled and turned to see Li Pingfu's tall figure and fierce eyes, which terrified him.

Little did he know that a master of innate cultivation was hidden in this caravan!

"You...who are you?"

"The gray-robed man shouted, while his hands rapidly formed hand seals."

Li Pingfu didn't give him a chance to cast a spell. Without uttering a single word, he moved swiftly and unleashed a powerful tiger pounce, carrying immense force with his innate true energy, slamming it fiercely into the gray-robed man's chest.

"what!"

The gray-robed man screamed in agony. He had intended to summon his magical artifact to defend himself, but the fierce fist wind had disrupted his magical power. He staggered and fell to the ground, his chest caved in, several ribs were broken, and he let out a worm-like scream as he struggled in agony, his face turning deathly pale with fright.

Li Pingfu didn't use all his strength, lest he accidentally kill the man. He was speechless. How dare this weak cultivator come out to rob people?

"Speak! What's the story with that golden eagle?" Li Pingfu demanded in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the gray-robed man's face flashed with regret. He hadn't expected that his masterful bird-training skills would fail, and that someone would even discover his hiding place.

'A bunch of useless idiots!'

Thinking of that unruly golden eagle, he cursed inwardly, but outwardly he stammered, "I...I don't know either! What are you talking about? I don't understand..."

His eyes darted left and right, clearly indicating he wasn't telling the truth.

"Brother, leave it to me."

Li Pingcan pulled out several brightly colored hallucinogenic mushrooms from his pocket.

The gray-robed man saw the mushroom, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes, which quickly turned to disdain. He assumed Li Pingcan intended to threaten him with poison, but having traveled far and wide and stolen so much "stolen goods," how could he not have a high-quality antidote to save his life?

He didn't even struggle to avoid further suffering, but as soon as the mushroom entered his mouth, a strange, sweet taste instantly spread, and his consciousness began to blur.

The scenery before my eyes began to distort and change.

"What the hell is this!"

He let out one last terrified scream before falling completely into a hallucination, drooling incoherently as he mumbled "Aba aba aba..."

Li Pingfu watched in astonishment each time he saw it; this method was simply unpredictable and beyond belief.

If it weren't for the fact that this hallucinogenic mushroom only exists for twelve hours, it would truly be a powerful tool to carry around.

Li Pingcan then began to guide the gray-robed man, first inquiring about the golden eagle.

"What exactly happened with that golden eagle?"

"It's an ancestral tradition. My grandfather was a Qi Refining cultivator back in the day. He saw two flying spirit beasts fighting in the mountains and they didn't return for a long time. So he took the baby bird from the nest and brought it home, saying it was some kind of innate spirit beast. He tamed it using the methods for training ordinary beasts, and unexpectedly, he succeeded..."

Upon hearing the words "innate spirit beast," Li Pingcan's heart skipped a beat.

Innate spirit beasts, as the name suggests, are spirit beasts born with intelligence and capable of absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate. They are usually offspring of powerful bloodline spirit beasts, but the birth of a spirit beast is far more difficult than that of a cultivator!
Because they combine the best qualities of their parents, innate spirit beasts possess bloodline talents far exceeding those of ordinary spirit beasts, and have enormous potential.

This golden eagle is actually a primordial spirit beast!

No wonder he could take away the birthday gifts out of thin air, and at such a fast speed that ordinary bodyguards couldn't catch up.

How did your grandfather tame it?

"It was very smart from birth, but it was fierce and unruly. My grandfather and father would beat it, starve it, and lock it up for ten days or half a month at a time. Later, it stopped making a fuss and became listless all day long, refusing to listen to anything we said... Later, my father came up with a solution: scald it with boiling water. Anyway, it wouldn't kill or harm it."

The more Li Pingcan listened, the more his brows furrowed. To resort to beatings and verbal abuse—even training ordinary beasts shouldn't be so cruel.

Using them to tame spirit beasts would be a terrible waste!
No wonder that golden eagle looked listless and dispirited; it had been subjected to long-term abuse and was even... depressed?

Can mythical beasts also suffer from depression?

This discovery greatly shocked Lee Pyeongchan.

It makes sense. Innate spirit beasts are like children in the early stages of human development. If they suffer heinous abuse for a long time, it's hard for them not to develop psychological problems!

"It...it also likes shiny things, and sometimes it secretly hides stones or gold, but we don't know where it hides them..."

The gray-robed man continued speaking, his tone tinged with grievance, as if complaining about the golden eagle's "disobedience."

Li Pingcan felt a sense of relief.

The golden eagle's interests are similar to the little black eagle's, so perhaps this is a good starting point. The fact that it has things it likes means it's not completely "introverted" yet!
He continued to inquire about the origins of the beast tamer, what other "ancestral treasures" he had in his home, and even some cultivation resources he had secretly hoarded.

Upon learning that the gray-robed man was merely a rogue cultivator whose family had been wiped out after offending a powerful cultivator, Li Pingcan became even less concerned. Such insignificant individuals would have been dealt with long ago by the Weiyuan Escort Agency had it not for the presence of the Golden Eagle.

"That's enough, let's finish."

Before the hallucinogenic mushroom illusion could end, Li Pingcan raised his hand and threw a magical throwing knife, mercilessly tearing the man's heart apart.

As a druid, he hated this kind of person the most.

He immediately used [Sculpted Clay] to bury the gray-robed man deep underground, thus eliminating him completely.

Having dealt with the mastermind behind the crime, the two brothers found the beast tamer's hideout. Inside, besides some stolen goods, a few spirit stones, several talismans, and a thin booklet, they discovered the hideout.

'He's even richer than that black-clad woman at the third level of Qi Refining!'

Li Pingcan was surprised. He was already so rich, and he was a Qi Refining cultivator, yet he still had to rob a caravan company.

Then I realized that it was precisely because he robbed the escort agency that he became so rich!
Li Pingcan picked up the booklet, glanced at it briefly, and his eyes turned slightly cold. "It's actually a book called 'Beast Taming Insights'!"

This book, "Experiences in Beast Taming," records some rudimentary methods of beast taming. It's not particularly profound, but for a newborn spirit beast, the combination of beast taming techniques and constant beatings and scoldings is already a disaster at the start. No wonder it was able to "train" the golden eagle.

Besides these, there are also some common Qi Refining stage pills, which can be considered a considerable fortune.

As for the other looted goods that haven't been distributed yet, consider them as "reward" for helping Weiyuan Escort Agency this time.

After all, Li Pingcan didn't know who the owner was, and if they went back, people might think they had stolen it.

Doing good deeds is always both laborious and expensive.

The Li brothers returned to the escort team and returned the stolen "birthday gifts" they had found to the escort agency.

The feeling of getting it back was wonderful. Holding the birthday gift, Zhao Huafeng was excited and patted his chest, saying, "Thank you so much, my dear nephew! It's all thanks to you! Otherwise, Weiyuan would have been ruined! Just tell me what you want!"

If the goods are truly lost, no one can bear the wrath of the powerful figures.

The other bodyguards beside him were also in tears.

They've been escorting goods for ten years and have developed a strong attachment to the Weiyuan Escort Agency. If the Weiyuan Escort Agency were to disappear, it would be difficult for them to be accepted by other escort agencies. It wouldn't be that they couldn't find new work, but their income would definitely decrease significantly.

Fortunately, Chief Escort Zhao knew Li Pingfu, thus escaping misfortune. No wonder the Li brothers were able to establish themselves in Yunshui County; they were truly capable of recovering their lost items so quickly!

Of course, the Li brothers' loot couldn't have only included "birthday gifts"; there must have been other treasures as well. How could the legendary thief only have this much wealth?

But since the other party had come to their aid, they were the saviors of their own escort agency. According to the rules of the martial arts world, those "stolen goods" should rightfully belong to them, and no one would question it.

"I do have a favor to ask."

Li Pingfu asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Uncle Zhao, can I have this golden eagle?"

You should know that this golden eagle is one of the "main culprits," and the escort agency would love to stew it in an iron pot. It's really not good for him to leave like this.

"This……"

Zhao Huafeng hesitated for a moment, then agreed, "Then I'll have someone deliver it to your door."

The golden eagle was of no use to them except for venting their anger. Its flapping wings appeared fierce, but its spirit was utterly listless, its feathers disheveled; it might kick the bucket in a few days, and it seemed to have no value whatsoever.

Upon hearing Zhao Huafeng's agreement, Li Pingcan looked at the golden eagle, which was filled with vigilance and despair. There was still no response from the [Animal Conversation] feature, so he let out a heavy sigh.

The path to forming a contract with this spirit beast is long and arduous!

…………

Li Family Residence.

The wheels of the Weiyuan Escort Agency rolled on and on.

The golden eagle had been under the control of the Weiyuan Escort Agency for some time. Although it was still struggling, its strength had obviously diminished, and its eyes were lifeless.

"Let it go," Li Pingcan said.

The镖局 (bodyguard agency)镖师 (bodyguard) hesitated, "This beast is very fierce. What if it hurts someone if we release it?"

"My older brother is here."

"makes sense."

The bodyguards suddenly realized that with a master of the Innate Realm right here, why should he bother with anything else? They shouted and together they untied the ropes.

As soon as the rope was untied, the golden eagle struggled to take flight, and a strong wind suddenly arose.

However, it was injured by Zhao Huafeng and was weak. After flying a few feet, it crashed heavily to the ground again.

Li Pingcan slowly stepped forward and gently comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you."

The golden eagle let out a shriek and desperately retreated, trying to avoid Li Pingcan's approach.

This is no spirit beast, it's clearly a wild beast!
The body has degenerated due to prolonged abuse.

Li Pingfu shook his head. He believed in his younger brother's abilities, but the golden eagle was clearly beyond repair.

Once trust is broken, how easy is it to rebuild it?
Li Pingcan did not force his way closer, but kept a distance, slowly squatted down, took out a precious medicine that could heal injuries, and gently placed it on the ground in front of the golden eagle.

"This is medicine to heal your wounds. Take it and you will get better."

The golden eagle stared warily at the precious medicine, then glanced at Li Pingcan, its eyes filled with hesitation.

It had become accustomed to the malice of humans and was filled with distrust towards any human who approached it.

However, the alluring fragrance of the precious medicine, the excruciating pain in its wings, and the pure kindness it felt ultimately swayed it.

It cautiously poked its head out and gently pecked at the precious medicine with its beak. A cool, warm current instantly flowed through its body, and the pain suddenly subsided.

"Wow..."

The golden eagle let out a low cry, and the wariness in its eyes lessened slightly.

For the next few months, Li Pingcan lived and ate with the golden eagle, inseparable from it.

He didn't try to get close or forcibly touch it. He simply gave it precious medicine every day, used the "Natural Grace" to purify the impurities in its body, constantly communicated with it using "Animal Talk," and gave it sparkling gems that the golden eagle liked.

He told the golden eagle about the natural scenery of Ling Mountain, the kindness of the old peach tree, and the friendship of the five spirit beasts. Like a patient healer, he warmed the golden eagle little by little with the purest kindness.

The golden eagle's injuries are healing rapidly, and its spirits are gradually returning.

It began to tentatively approach Li Pingcan, no longer emitting sharp hisses, and the fear in its eyes was gradually replaced by curiosity and dependence.

It would imitate Li Pingcan, tilting its head to look at him, quietly lying beside him while he meditated, and even chirping a few times in response when he told him interesting stories about Lingshan.

This subtle change brought Li Pingcan immense joy.

Finally, one day.

"You...you really won't hurt me?"

The golden eagle emitted a hoarse yet clear sound.

"Of course not, I'm your partner."

Li Pingcan was overjoyed and took advantage of the situation to stroke the golden eagle's soft feathers.

The golden eagle's body trembled slightly, but it did not retreat.

This was the first time it had felt a gentle touch from a human, and its feathers visibly trembled, as if it had gotten goosebumps.

“You…you are different from them, I believe in you.”

The golden eagle's voice trembled, a hint of disbelief mixed with a long-lost sense of trust.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Li Pingcan displayed the "Animal Companion" contract in front of the golden eagle.

"Want to try?"

The golden eagle hesitated for a moment, then, sensing the power of acceptance and affinity, it stretched out its beak and gently touched Li Pingcan's fingertip.

"Buzz!"

An invisible wave instantly spread between them. A strange connection was established between Li Pingcan and the golden eagle; they seemed to become a part of each other, able to share senses and communicate telepathically.

The contract is successful!

A surge of information flooded into Li Pingcan's mind in an instant.

You have formed an equal soul contract with the Golden Eagle (a primordial spirit beast), and it has become your loyal companion!

[You have acquired the Golden Eagle's bloodline talent: Wind Riding (You can borrow the Golden Eagle's ability to fly to a limited extent, greatly increasing your speed, but consuming a small amount of mana)]

"Wind Control!"

Feeling the unique power within his body that connected him to the golden eagle, it was as if he could rise with the wind and soar into the sky with just a thought.

Li Pingcan was overjoyed.

To live a long life, you have to run fast!
And all you need to do is run faster than your fellow Daoist!

Can mere sword flight compare to the speed, distance, and power of my Golden Eagle spirit beast?
The [Wind Control] talent, combined with the Druid skill [Dance of the Wind], will be a killer move!

I can't wait to try out the Golden Eagle's bloodline talent, "Wind Control".

Li Pingcan stood in the backyard, his magical power surging within him. A peculiar power emanated from the golden eagle's contract connection point, instantly flowing throughout his entire body.

Even without transforming into a bird, one can directly "ignite" their bloodline!
The next moment, an invisible current lifted his body slowly into the air, making him feel exceptionally light, and the trail of the wind was clearly audible.

This is not about controlling the wind, but about becoming a part of the wind yourself.

His figure moved like a willow catkin, light and ethereal, with astonishing speed. Previously, he could only glide short distances at low altitudes by transforming into a bird, but now, he could ride the wind without changing his physical form—it was a qualitative leap!

"This talent is amazing!"

Li Pingcan was overjoyed; the feeling of soaring freely was incredibly exhilarating.

He felt the consumption of his internal mana. Although each time he rode the wind, he needed to consume a small amount of mana, he could easily bear this consumption with his cultivation level of the second stage of Qi Refining.

"With the Wind Control talent, my chances of winning on the third level of the Dragon Palace are much greater!"

The Water Dragon Guards are immune to water magic and their unpredictable movements prevent him from fully utilizing his close-combat abilities. Now, with the Wind Control talent, he will be able to outmaneuver the Water Dragon Guards with greater speed and agility.

"It's time to challenge the third level!"

The following day, Li Pingcan returned to the Dragon Palace.

The Azure Dragon chuckled, drawing out his words with a playful grin, "Little carp, you'd better perform well this time, or you'll get beaten out by the Water Dragon Guards again!"

"Don't worry, things are different now."

Li Pingcan retorted sharply, "Don't talk about me anymore. It's been a year, and you still haven't passed the second level? You need to practice those resistance techniques I taught you!" His tone was full of disappointment and frustration.

Qingjiao immediately became dejected. "Those beauties and power, I couldn't help but fall into them as soon as I saw them. That illusion was just too real!"

Li Pingcan shook his head, ignoring the lewd dragon, and entered the trial.

[Human Li Pingcan enters the 'Hundred Battles Hall' trial on the third level of the Dragon Palace.]

[Trial Requirements: Survive under the 'Water Dragon Guard' for the duration of an incense stick burning.]

(End of this chapter)