Three Kingdoms Lords: Starting by walking into the mouth of a giant python

Chapter 89 Bird Craftsman's Clothes Lacquered Staff

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Bird work clothes

[Rank] Earth Grade.

[Attribute] Draw six birds on your clothes and use their blood to dot their eyes; you will gain the abilities of the birds.

[Description] Gu Sou conspired with Xiang to murder Shun, ordering him to burn the granary. Shun told his two daughters, who said, "Sometimes they will burn you, sometimes they will warn you, sometimes they will kill you. A magpie will be like your clothes; wear the clothes of the bird craftsman and go away." Gu Sou burned the granary from below, and Shun, wearing the clothes of the bird craftsman, flew away. —Biographies of Exemplary Women / Bamboo Annals

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Shun, also known as Yu Shun, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, was also called Chonghua. After his birth mother died, his father, Gusou, remarried and had a son named Xiang.

Gu Sou liked Xiang but disliked Shun. Xiang was unruly and they both wanted to kill Shun.

Later, Gu Sou ordered Shun to fill the granary and dig a well, which Shun did. Gu Sou then set fire to the granary and filled the well with earth, but Shun escaped death by wearing a bird-shaped robe and dragon-patterned clothes.

This "Bird-crafted Dragon Robe" refers to the [Earth-grade Bird-crafted Robe] and the [Heaven-grade Dragon-crafted Robe].

The [Bird Clothes] can transform into birds, and the [Dragon Clothes] can transform into flying dragons; both are rare treasures.

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Lacquered Staff

[Rank] Earth Grade.

[Attribute] The ancestral staff of the Lacquer Carving Clan. Holding it can transform into a [Dragon Boat] and drive away [Flying Swallows].

[Description] A man from Lu was adrift at sea when he encountered Confucius and his seventy disciples sailing on the water in Xuanzhou. Qi Diao gave the man a wooden staff, instructing him to close his eyes and ride it, and to return and inform the Marquis of Lu to build a city to defend against invaders. The man from Lu went out to sea and threw the staff into the water; it turned out to be a dragon. He told the Marquis of Lu, but the Marquis did not believe him. Suddenly, tens of thousands of swallows flew by, carrying soil to build a city wall. The Marquis was amazed and built a large city at Qufu. Then, the Qi invaders arrived, but failed to conquer it and returned. — *The Spring and Autumn Annals of the Sixteen Kingdoms*

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The Qidiao clan was a small family during the Spring and Autumn Period. For generations, they were loyal to the Zangsun clan of the State of Lu, guarding the sacred tortoises "Da Cai" and "Luo Ju". Three members of the clan, Qidiao Duo, Qidiao Tu Fu, and the "Confucian Knight" Qidiao Kai, all studied under Confucius.

The [lacquered staff] was a formidable weapon in naval warfare. In the first [Dream] game, a player wielded it across the Yangtze River, and even generals like Gan Ning and Wen Ping couldn't subdue it. In the end, Zhou Yu had to intervene and drive it away. That player then went to Japan, conquering various Japanese states such as [Touma] and [Gunu], and even forcing [Yamatai] to submit, achieving great power and prestige for a time.

Of all the clothes and walking sticks, Li Yu preferred the bird-worker's clothes.

As dusk fell and the crowds outside thinned out, Li Yu left Fanghu and headed to a leveling spot in Wangwu Mountain.

Ten miles north of Yugong Ravine, between two peaks, lies a [wind cave].

There is a creature in the cave called the Azure Goose. When it flaps its wings, a great wind comes out of the cave, uprooting thatch and trees, like a hurricane at sea.

There were more than ten [Earth Grade] geese in the cave, each nearly ten feet long and extremely alert. As soon as Li Yu reached the entrance, he heard several honking geese, and a hurricane swept in, blowing him twenty feet away.

Li Yu brushed the grass and dust off his clothes and straightened up. He waved his hand to summon the elite troops from [Fanghu] and continued towards [Fengxue].

However, the [Azure Goose]'s wind-blowing power was too strong, and [Ding Gu] and Red Fish were blown away. [Snake Princess] Ya Ya pulled a piece of stone from the mountain to destroy the [Wind Cave], but was also blown away along with the snake and the stone. [Thirteen Ants] needless to say, they were blown away without even making a splash.

Fortunately, [Queen Mao] can ride the wind, and no matter how strong the wind is, she can still roam in it.

More than ten geese took turns fanning the wind, but they couldn't blow the Queen's feather away. Later, she even went upstream and went straight to the Wind Cave.

Amidst a series of squeaking noises, Li Yu and his men seized the opportunity to storm in.

About fifteen minutes later, the man, the snake, and the hairy creature, tightly dragging a [golden goose], fled the [Wind Cave] in a sorry state. Together with the [Thirteen Ants], who were swaying back, they vanished in an instant.

Upon entering [Fanghu], the sight of them being pinched black and blue by the flock of geese startled the young mistress and servants who had been waiting for a long time, as well as the housekeeper and the Xiong couple who were taking a stroll.

Li Yu didn't have time to explain, so he forced the young lady to use the [Azure Goose] as a model and made her paint on the [Bird Work Clothes].

The young woman hurriedly took out cinnabar and azurite and carefully drew the shape of a [wild goose] on the front of her clothes.

Finally, Li Yu took a few drops of blood from the goose's wing, and the young lady used this as ink to dot the goose's eye.

With his mission accomplished, Li Yu threw the goose into the "Prisoner of Youli" and finally breathed a sigh of relief before examining the "Bird-Worker's Clothes".

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Bird work clothes (1/6)

[Rank] Earth Grade

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After these days of study and research, the young lady's painting skills have reached the point of perfecting the form and expressing the meaning.

The arts of calligraphy, painting, and singing are different from the methods of fighting with swords and spears; they have their own distinct realms.

Art forms such as sculpture and painting can be categorized into four realms: establishing form, conveying meaning, communicating with the spirit, and creating.

[Standing form] Needs no further explanation.

[Expressing the meaning] means capturing the spirit. [White otters competing with mullet] belongs to this level.

As for "spiritual communication," it is like "Luo Yin painting horses," "Li Sixun painting fish," and "Zhang Sengyao painting hawks," which can make the painted objects leap out of the painting and communicate with the outside world.

The realm of [Creation] is equivalent to that of immortals and saints, capable of nurturing spiritual energy and giving birth to all things.

The goose painted by the young lady, with its blue feathers, yellow beak, long neck, and short feet, is incredibly lifelike.

Li Yu put on the [bird-themed clothes], and with a thought, instantly transformed into a grey goose. It ran a few steps and then soared into the sky.

After crossing the small hill of Fanghu, passing through the peaks of Canghai, skimming across the seas in all directions, and finally landing in front of the Immortal Abode Stele with a howling wind, it transformed back into human form.

[Snake Princess] and [Queen Mao] felt nothing during this unrestrained flight, but the young lady, servants, and the head of the household, Xiong Fu, all gathered around and stared intently at [Bird Clothes].

Seeing that the little maid was eager to try, Li Yu let her dress up as a goose and experience it.

Unfortunately, the [maid goose] was wobbly and could not even stand steadily, let alone fly, so in the end it had to take off its clothes and give up.

Li Yu looked at the young lady, who said she would try again when she had time in the future.

The two old men wanted to fly, but seeing the little sparrow's bruised and swollen face, they were afraid that their old arms and legs couldn't handle it, so they shook their heads and gave up.

Li Yu was about to put away the [Bird-Worker's Clothes], but suddenly summoned the elites in the [Pot] and rushed to the [Wind Cave].

He transformed into a grey goose and swaggered into the cave. Before long, he managed to coax a silly goose out.

[Snake Princess] and [Queen Mao] rushed forward, bound him, put him in the [pot], and threw him into the prison.

After repeating this process several times, he earned five geese.

After Li Yu went there six times, the [Azure Geese] wouldn't come out of the [Wind Cave] no matter how he coaxed them.

Li Yu decided to rebel in his own den, and [Snake Princess] and the others seized the opportunity to rush in. With the help of those inside and outside, they tied up several more snakes.

Later, unable to enter the cave, Li Yu simply stood at the entrance, fanning himself against the few remaining geese inside. With their support, [Snake Princess] and [Ding Gu] were no longer afraid of the strong winds, and charged into the cave, capturing all the geese.

From then on, Fanghu gained another specialty product—the goose egg.

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The following day, Li Yu took out his teapot and leisurely climbed to the top of Wudou Peak.

There were far fewer people attending today than yesterday.

Lu Yi breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Li Yu. The two sat down, and Lu Yi began to speak quietly.

With Gai Xun's [Flying Lightning Spear] as a precedent, the ones who value the [Investiture of the Gods Scroll] the most now are none other than the Western Xianbei, who were terrified by the [Flying Lightning Spear]. Then there are the former generals of Xiliang, who have been suppressed by Duan Wei and Gai Xun and can no longer raise their heads.

The people who bought the [Investiture of the Gods series] yesterday were from the Tuyuhun tribe of the Western Xianbei.

As soon as they left with the scroll, the people of Xiliang followed closely behind. Some other players and locals, hoping to take advantage of the chaos, also joined the pursuit.

According to those who rushed back, the two sides fought and retreated, and when they reached Shangdang, Niu Fu of Xiliang surrounded the Xianbei people.

At that time, the moon was high in the sky, and the Xianbei people were quite decisive, all using the [Investiture of the Gods series].

Fortunately, Niu Fu had sharp eyes and shot several Xianbei people with arrows, thus saving the scroll.

Unfortunately, the [Sage of Longshan] was used by the Xianbei players and disappeared.

Then, the people of Xiliang clashed with some of the people who followed them.

After a fierce battle under the moonlight, Niu Fu and his retainers escorted Yang Jian westward. Long Ji and Deng Jiugong, however, disappeared without a trace.

"Brother Li, you should leave Wangwu Mountain as soon as possible," Lü Yi advised.

In the eyes of many people today, Li Yu is nothing more than a collection of moving treasures.

Those who are greedy and covetous are countless.

Just as Li Yu was about to thank Lü Yi for his concern, Jian Yong and another player walked over.

Li Yu recognized the player.

Luo Meng, a general of the [Kyoto Alliance], is slightly weak in martial arts but has considerable military talent. He once joined [Moonlight Scroll - Wang Wanshou] and followed Ma Xianpi of Southern Liang in attacking Qushan City, earning the title [Earthly Grade - Xianpi's Observation].

"Jian Yong has met with both of you."

"Luo Meng greets the Donkey King and Brother Li."

Fifteen-year-old Jian Yong and twenty-five- or twenty-six-year-old Luo Meng bowed to each other.

Li Yu returned the greeting, thinking to himself, "These two fellow travelers have come here to ask for help, haven't they?"

(End of this chapter)