I, a cultivator, have ended up in the world of tomb raiding.

Partridge Whistle had incredibly sharp eyesight. The Mountain-Moving and Armor-Splitting Technique was based on the principles of mutual generation and restraint. Upon seeing the rooster's majestic appearance, he knew it was no ordinary creature.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he blurted out, "What a magnificent rooster!"

The young woman also looked at it closely. Seeing its bright feathers, golden body, and twice the size of an ordinary rooster, she exclaimed in surprise:

"This rooster has an extraordinary appearance; I wonder what kind of rare breed it is?"

Partridge Whistle said, "This is no ordinary chicken; it is a divine chicken that can suppress poisonous insects."

"It's truly a case of 'searching high and low without finding it, only to have it come to me effortlessly.' Having only been at Golden Phoenix Village for half a day, I've stumbled upon such a wondrous creature. The poisonous mirages and demons in the Bottle Mountain Tomb can be dealt with using this chicken to break the deadlock."

"Is this what you're looking for?" the girl in red asked, looking puzzled.

Just then, seeing the cleaver about to fall, Partridge Whistle's heart tightened, and he hurriedly shouted to stop it:

"Wait a moment!"

The old herb farmer was taken aback, turned around, and a look of displeasure immediately appeared on his face:

"It's none of your business if I'm killing my own chicken. You peddler, mind your own business."

Partridge Whistle quickly clasped his hands and said, "Old man, please don't be offended. This chicken has an extraordinary appearance and is truly rare. I don't know why you want to kill it. If you are willing to spare its life, we are willing to pay to buy it back."

"Sir, there's no need to go to such lengths to entertain us. We can have a simple meal; there's absolutely no need to kill a chicken," Hong Guniang quickly chimed in.

The old herbalist shook his head: "You young folks don't understand the old customs. I'm not killing the chicken to entertain guests, but because this chicken absolutely cannot be kept alive until today. Even if you offer a thousand taels of gold to redeem it, I will still kill it."

Partridge Whistle asked curiously, "What could be the reason?"

The old herbalist said in a deep voice, "If you take it away, you'll be inviting trouble. How could I do something so immoral? This chicken has already become a demon. Haven't you heard the saying, 'A dog doesn't live past eight, and a chicken doesn't live past six'?"

It turns out that this old man was once a member of the Jinzhai Leitan Taoist sect. Later, he went into seclusion in the deep mountains to avoid chaos. He was proficient in some divination and fortune-telling techniques and believed most in the sayings in "Yi Yao".

The book "Yi Yao" has been passed down since ancient times. It discusses strange phenomena in the world and says that if birds, beasts and animals live in the human world for too long, they will become demons after a certain number of years, which will bring bad luck to the family.

The mountain people of western Hunan have always been superstitious, and they firmly believe in this.

Upon hearing this, Partridge Whistle suddenly realized, and thought to himself, "So that's how it is."

If it were for any other reason, it would be easier to persuade him, but it is precisely because of these old folk taboos, and the old man is stubborn by nature, that it is difficult to change his mind.

The young woman, not understanding the reasoning behind it, tried to persuade the old herbalist with kind words, but the old herbalist was determined and remained unmoved.

On the other side, the simple-minded man was single-minded and only knew how to obey his father's orders, paying no attention to the arguments of the crowd.

They had already caught the chicken and were about to chop off its head with a cleaver.

Just as the chicken head was about to hit the ground, Li Yue flashed forward, grabbed the man's wrist, and said calmly, "Wait."

Seeing him try to stop him, the old herbalist said displeasedly, "What exactly are you trying to do?!"

Partridge Whistle quickly stepped forward to apologize.

Seeing his earnest words, the old herbalist's expression softened slightly, but his gaze toward Li Yue still held a hint of dissatisfaction.

Li Yue, however, remained unperturbed, his expression calm, and smiled slightly.

"Sir, please calm down. There's no rush to kill this chicken. We've been traveling the world for many years and have some experience. Why not listen to our reasons for not killing it?"

The old herbalist saw that Li Yue was only in his early twenties, yet he claimed to have traveled the martial arts world for many years. He found it both amusing and disdainful.

Judging from the calm demeanor and impressive bearing of these three young men, even if they were indeed peddlers, they were certainly no ordinary people.

Although he didn't believe this young man could come up with any novel ideas, he still wanted to hear what else he had to say, so he said in a teasing tone:

"Very well, I'll hear what other brilliant ideas you have. To be honest, I'm also reluctant to kill it, but old customs and traditions are here, how dare I go against them?"

Taking advantage of the moment, Partridge Whistle gestured for the man to put down his knife. Once everyone was seated at the table, he slowly began to speak:

"Old man, do you know that the eyelids of chickens and other birds are exactly the opposite of those of humans? Humans move their upper eyelids, while chickens and other birds open and close their lower eyelids."

He pointed to the rooster in the coop and said, "Gentlemen, take a closer look and see how well this rooster's eyelids are formed."

That old man had raised chickens his whole life; how could he not know this principle?

But upon closer inspection, one can't help but be slightly taken aback—this colorful rooster actually does move its upper eyelids, just like a normal person.

If you weren't paying close attention, you would have easily overlooked this detail.

The young woman in red was also astonished and blurted out, "What's the reason for this?"

Partridge Whistle said, "The reason its eyelids grow this way is because it is no ordinary chicken."

Everyone was still completely confused. If it wasn't a chicken, what could it be?

Partridge Whistle didn't hold back and told everyone frankly:

The old rule that "dogs should not live to eight years old and chickens to six years old" applies to domesticated chickens, but this chicken is not subject to this rule.

Since ancient times, western Hunan has had the phoenix and black bird totem, and many place names are related to the legend of the phoenix. This county is called Nuqing, which itself is an image of the phoenix's cry.

This rooster, with its five-colored plumage, golden claws, and proud crest, and its eyelids raised high, is no ordinary chicken; it is a rare breed—the Angry-Eyed Rooster.

He paused, then said:

"The rooster crows at dawn, which distinguishes yin and yang, black and white. The rooster with angry eyes can also ward off evil spirits and demons with its crow."

Any bird whose eyelids are positioned below its head and above its shoulders is a phoenix. Although its name contains the word "chicken," it should never be considered a common chicken.

The cry of the phoenix is ​​an auspicious omen; such a precious creature of heaven and earth, if recklessly slaughtered, will only bring disaster.

Having said that, Partridge Whistle looked at the old herbalist, his words earnest:

"That's why we advised you, sir, not to use the butcher's knife. We are willing to exchange goods for it; we will never take it for nothing."

Hong Guniang understood and immediately took off the bamboo basket on her back and took out a whole bag of refined salt weighing more than ten pounds.

In the deep mountains, salt is more expensive than silver, and this bag contains quite a lot.

Partridge Whistle said loudly, "I will exchange this bag of salt for this divine rooster. Please grant my request, sir."

Upon hearing this, the old herbalist's eyes gleamed, but he waved his hand dismissively and said decisively:

"My chickens are from Baoji, I'm not selling them."

Upon hearing this, everyone nearly choked with anger and coughed up blood.

The old man had clearly just learned that his rooster was a rare treasure.

Seeing how much they valued Baoji, even willing to exchange over ten kilograms of salt for it, they were now trying to raise the price on the spot.

Partridge Whistle was fairly composed, but Red Girl's eyelids twitched so badly she almost had a fit.

But she also knew that getting angry was useless, and then she had an idea.

She originally came from the Moon Gate sect and was most skilled in ancient magic tricks.

The "moon" technique is a clever illusion that can silently move objects even when they are right in front of you.

With just a move, she could steal the chicken right under the noses of the father and son, taking it away without anyone noticing.

Just as she was about to secretly begin her attack, Li Yue suddenly spoke up, saying to the old herbalist:

"Sir, this chicken is a divine creature that has lived for over six years and developed intelligence; it has its own will. Forcibly keeping it in captivity may not bring you good fortune."

The old herbalist frowned: "It's a chicken, it can't talk, how do you know what it's thinking?"

"Spirit birds are imbued with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and naturally have the ability to choose their masters. Whether it wants to leave or stay, I can find out with just a question." This was exactly what Li Yue had been waiting for.