Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 213

Chapter 213: 50 chapters Walking

Li Yan blinked and suddenly burst into laughter, “The elder speaks his mind; I harbor no such intentions. In front of so many people, you need not cut me off like that. Please, get up.”

Li Yan's words were light, but their underlying meaning merited careful consideration. Black Old Axe's demeanor left him somewhat nervous, and seeing Li Yan's casual and composed attitude, his confidence waned even more. With Li Yan's support, he floated up to his feet.

The average age of the Red Flag soldiers was about thirty, and these men were the most supportive of Li Yan. However, those over fifty who could no longer fight, whose prestige remained substantial, feared that Li Yan would mistreat the descendants of the Zheng Family with an overweening ambition to monopolize the Five Flags. Black Old Axe was straightforward, but his attitude reflected the sentiments of the Five Flags elders towards Li Yan.

Li Yan took this as an interlude without much consideration, yet he faintly felt that in this era, keeping Xiu'er well-protected and preventing her from doing things might not be the wisest choice, even though she was just a girl about the same age as his niece, innocent and carefree.

Black Old Axe's sons and sons-in-law, totaling about a dozen, lived together. His words carried the weight of nine cauldrons. With shelter provided for the ships, most of the crew stayed there, and Li Yan, accompanied by Xue Ba, Gu, and others, headed straight for Xiangyan Temple in Quanzhou, as previously investigated.

Robbing the Buddha's son in Quanzhou is easy to understand. Robbing the Buddha's son refers to the custom in Quanzhou, where every household vies for Buddha statues annually.

This custom originated during the Northern Song Dynasty, when a monk named Master Yunyi at Xiangyan Temple was so profound in the Buddhist Dharma that people honored him as a Buddha after his death.

It was rumored that any village graced by the golden-bodied Buddha statue would have a prosperous year; therefore, every May, on the deity's birthday, people from various places would come, seeking to snatch the statue.

Since Earth Endurance mentioned “Robbing the Buddha's son,” the likely whereabouts of the Exotic Beast Map were almost certain. Li Yan realized he needed to visit Xiangyan Temple.

The famous temple in the Fujian Area, Xiangyan Temple: inscribed with “Tranquil and detached, a heavenly lake amidst mountain hues.”

Mount Lingzhi, Stone Pillar Pool, Zhi Shui Rock, Lv Jun Screen, Flying Stones Pit, Zhi Shui Bridge, Crescent Moon Pavilion, Stone Fungi Pavilion, Gathered Stones Hall. Ancient trees reached for the sky, embodying a haven of peace.

The group changed into different clothes, and even Li Yan wrapped a headscarf around his head; he did not want to stir up trouble. Under the pretense of worshiping Buddha and donating over a thousand taels of silver for incense, they managed to meet Master Ciji, the abbot of the temple.

The pleasantries were brief, and Li Yan got straight to the point, taking out the “Frozen Tail Roc Map.”

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“Master Ciji, do you recognize this item?”

Master Ciji took a close look; the map was simple, crudely drawn, and seemed more like a child's plaything, but Master Ciji examined it with utmost seriousness.

He faced Li Yan and asked, “May I know where Mr. Li acquired this map?”

“A friend gifted it to me,” Li Yan replied, unperturbed.

“Indeed, this map comes from our Xiangyan Temple,” Master Ciji acknowledged with a nod, then shifted the conversation, “However, I remember that this Frozen Tail Roc was given away by my disciple Cihang, who hung it in Chiyuan Temple at Humen Town. Some time ago, Humen was raided by the Red Flag pirates, and the map's whereabouts became unknown. When you mention a friend gifting it to you, could that friend happen to be the notorious South Seas pirate Tianbao?”

This comment made Gu and Xue Ba look disgruntled, while Li Yan remained relaxed, “The Master jests; I am an honest man. Besides, if I truly knew Tianbao, and I so boldly showed up like this, allowing the Master to recognize me, it would inevitably lead to a conflict, a messy affair soaked in blood, most inauspicious indeed.”

Master Ciji's eyebrows twitched, “So, what is Mr. Li's purpose for this visit?”

“Where are the remaining eleven parts of this twelve-piece map?”

An unsurprised look crossed Master Ciji's face, and he spoke candidly, “Frozen Tail Roc, Painting Tiger Orchid, Kaoyao, Xiaochamai, Yaoxiong, Huanxi, Baduyao, Shuizhamai, Linbei, Magui, Shanxiao, Jingxi. These twelve Exotic Beasts were painted by a monk named Mi Li from our temple. As for the Exotic Beasts in the paintings, no one has seen them, nor are there any records about them in any literature. They were considered mere doodles, but since Master Mi Li was the most distinguished figure in our temple after Master Yunyi and was well-known throughout the Fujian Area, these paintings have been passed down as a form of remembrance.”

“The remaining paintings, six are in different temples, two have been sold to others, and three have interested no one. Devotee, if you want them, just take them.”

Li Yan laughed heartily, “Thank you for the trouble, The Master.”

Master Ciji beckoned to a novice monk inside the room, “Perfection, go get the paintings of…”

“Why don't we accompany Master Ciji ourselves, along with this Master Perfection.”

Li Yan interrupted Master Ciji.

“…Very well.”

Knowing the direction, the rest was easy. Li Yan, commanding the connections of the Red Flag Gang, dispatched his men to run about Zhejiang and Fujian, and in just two or three days, through cunning and brute force, had managed to obtain nine of the Exotic Beast Maps.

However, the last two maps were a challenge; one had been bought by a British merchant and its whereabouts were unknown, the other had been taken to a Japanese Buddhist temple, and he hadn't received any news from his men.

But by this time, he had been informed by his spies that the general from Guangzhou had spent a whopping 1.5 million taels of silver to hire a joint British and Portuguese army to eliminate Lantau Island.

Li Yan dared not delay, and had to put aside his search. He needed to hurry back to Lantau Island to defend against the enemy.

Before departing, Li Yan arranged the ten maps he had obtained. The maps were vividly colored, and each creature was portrayed with a quirky charm.

Li Yan had once seen ancient novels with gilt drawings that, though not lifelike, were full of spirit, completely different from the style of these paintings.

These few maps didn't really look like the work of revered monks. They seemed more like…

Comics?

An idea struck Li Yan. He flipped the ten maps over, back side up, and pieced them together under the oil lamp, revealing a half-missing message!

[You have discovered a message left by a Yan Fu Walker among the Yan Fu remnants!]

“This message is only visible to Yan Fu Walkers.”

Li Yan quickly scanned it. Despite missing a small part, the overall meaning was still clear.

“My name is Mi Li, I'm from Inner Mongolia, a member of the Eight Extremes Walkers from Tian Jiazi Nine, inheriting the Azure Dragon. Oh yes, although I can't rule out the possibility of similar fruits appearing in the future, up to now at least, Jiazi Nine is the only one that produces the fruit that Yan Fu Walkers seek.”

“Yan Fu incidents won't erase a Walker, but there's a risk of failing crucial missions and not being able to return. Yes, that's me, hehe. The World Cup finals must have been won by Germany.”

“Thinking back, I regret it, I shouldn't have gotten greedy. After all, Eight Extremes Walkers can freely choose their Yan Fu incidents. But I really fell for Zhan Yuejin's trickery; that bastard looks doughy, but cuts flesh with a soft knife.”

“The Yan Fu incident I faced offered a very high reward, pertaining to a secret Yan Fu treasure that only this particular fruit can produce: Mage Tool.”

Chapter end