Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 271

Chapter 271: Chapter 11 Butterfly Storm

Li Yan hadn't expected Zhao Jianzhong to become so direct all of a sudden, and for a moment, he didn't speak.

“Chu God Dance Record.”

Zhao Jianzhong slowly said, “Although I can't compare to Zhan Yuejin, that rich man, I wouldn't let you suffer a loss.”

Li Yan pondered for quite a while before he cautiously said, “Old master, I'm just a kid, I don't understand anything. What do you think I'm lacking?”

The old man shook his head upon hearing this and said, “You are quite slippery.”

Li Yan chuckled without responding. Compared to getting more benefits, his real goal was to extract more words from this old man who had clearly spent half his life fishing in Yan Fu.

After a while, Zhao Jianzhong said, “You're already at the Nine Luminaries level, don't you have a second inheritance?”

“No.”

Li Yan shook his head.

“The inheritance involved in your last incident was Mazu, which Mo changed into Lord of the Xiang River, at your request. Lord of the Xiang River, Gu Huo Bird… Are you trying to follow the 'Divine Court' path?”

Zhao Jianzhong meticulously analyzed, and Li Yan didn't expect to be able to deceive the old man but silently noted the words “Divine Court” and said with a humble attitude, “Just some little thoughts, old master, you must find it amusing.”

“Chu Land Divine Court, Eastern Emperor…”

Zhao Jianzhong frowned for no apparent reason and glanced sideways at Li Yan, who in front of him had thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and hands placed flatly on the table, manifesting proper decorum.

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“I'll give you a piece of advice. Spiritual Five Immortals are not like the Stubborn Five Insects, they cannot be discarded at will. They have a far greater influence on the traveler's personality and aptitude than the Five Insects. Therefore, when choosing a Five Immortals inheritance, you must think deeply. It's best to only cultivate one, and as for which inheritance's Proxy Traveler you become, that's another matter. You took Lord of the Xiang River, the Divine Court of the Eastern Emperor Taiyi inheritance; do you still want it?”

Li Yan passed a statement, “Then what does the old master suggest?”

“I give you two choices.”

Zhao Jianzhong held up two fingers, “Firstly, I take a high-ranking Chu Region Divine System inheritance in exchange for your Chu God Dance Record. Secondly, I will give you the inheritance as well, and in addition, I will guide you on how the Divine Court path should be walked. Moreover, I will provide you with a clue to the 'Eastern Emperor Taiyi' inheritance. Whether you can find it, that will be your destiny.”

The old man's expression was calm, “But, you'll have to help me with something.”

Li Yan didn't make a choice right away but instead posed back a question, “I've heard people say that not many travelers in Yan Fu are willing to take the 'Divine Court' path that the old master mentioned, and there's scarce experience to draw from.”

Zhao Jianzhong stayed silent, just quietly looking at Li Yan.

Li Yan's lips were a bit dry. He hung his head to arrange the mahjong tiles neatly before looking up and saying, “Old master, give me some time.”

Zhao Jianzhong gestured to take his time.

Li Yan pushed his chair back slightly and walked out of the room gently.

Under the eaves, he looked up at the sky, expressionless, and bit into a carrot. A woman wearing sunglasses, black leather pants, and emanating a strong scent of gunpowder was walking towards him.

Her legs were very long.

They passed each other, Li Yan leaving the house and she entering. Li Yan crunched the carrot loudly, and without looking back as she entered, the woman shouted to Zhao Jianzhong, “Hongzhong Old Man, is that Li Yan outside?”

The doors closed, and Li Yan could no longer hear the conversation inside.

“He said he needs to think about it.”

Zhao Jianzhong's vigorous palm rested on an ice mirror.

“Do you think he will agree?”

The woman crossed her arms.

“Hard to say.”

“With all your experience, can't you figure out the bottom line of a young man in his twenties?”

“If it were that easy, there wouldn't be the saying 'old and unable to see clearly.' If someone tells you that living to a hundred ensures you can predict everything, then he's definitely a charlatan,” Zhao Jianzhong shook his head: “However, if you ask me to guess~” The old man clasped his hands together: “He probably doesn't want to, saying he needs to think it over is just to save me face, at this moment he must be worrying about how to take the inheritance scroll from me and leave quickly…”

“This is troublesome. Even if I go back, it's not appropriate to say I won't help and just take the inheritance and leave quickly.”

Li Yan crouched under a poplar tree, with men and women practicing shooting at the foot of the grass slope.

From the incident in Gaoxiangpu to the so-called “Yan Fu authority,” Zhao Jianzhong only wanted to get the Chu God Dance Record, and he didn't need to do so much or even meet Li Yan personally.

Zhao Jianzhong's choice was actually a relatively indirect way of pulling him in. Li Yan could even assert that this favor was definitely not a big trouble; Zhao Jianzhong, as one of the Ten Masters, lacked neither skill nor power. By asking for help himself, he was effectively announcing to Yan Fu travelers that this person would belong to him from now on.

Actually helping Zhao Jianzhong was not an unacceptable task.

Being able to control all Yan Fu travelers and maintain the “reality” in its current state, Zhao Jianzhong, undoubtedly, was one of the ruthless figures among the Ten Masters. Otherwise, he couldn't suppress the ambitions of others who might be Ten Masters themselves.

Being a part of Zhao's family, how good that would be…

But Li Yan, having dealt with old masters like him before, understood that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Whether it was the Eight Sufferings of Sifan or Yan Fu Ten Masters, even the top experts among the Six Ministries were just pawns in the game. It's nice to have the shade of a big tree, true, but with a fallen nest, there would be no intact eggs.

Although he was new to Yan Fu and had ventured blindly at first, having personally involved in several life-threatening affairs, if Li Yan still couldn't sense the approaching storm, he might as well blind himself.

Most importantly, despite Zhao Jianzhong trying his hardest to conceal it, even to the point of making a personal appearance to showcase a deference to talent, Li Yan could still be certain that joining Zhao Jianzhong's side would impose considerable constraints on him, especially in matters concerning Yan Fu events.

The reason is simple: an old man who voluntarily restricts the improper actions of Yan Fu travelers in reality has as strong a sense of responsibility as he does a desire to control.

Li Yan was free from entanglements, and having broken free from the debts of gratitude and revenge left by his father in Guangdong early on, there was no need to burden himself with this constraint.

Now that he thought about it, was the old man indirectly driving a hard bargain? If I don't agree, it'd be convenient for him to just give me the inheritance and let me leave, preventing me from making outrageous demands…

As he was thinking this, a pair of long legs blocked his view.

Li Yan looked up.

“Shall we talk?”

The woman took off her sunglasses. A pair of phoenix eyes looked at Li Yan.

Li Yan glanced at her and shifted a bit to the side.

The woman chuckled, “You're really not the type girls like.”

“May I have your name?”

“Bifang Bird, An Jing.” She paused, her tone lingering, “I'm good friends with Taishuai. You can just call me Sister Jing.”

She looked younger than Li Yan, but considering she was a Proxy Traveler, the form of address wasn't odd.

An Jing?!

Li Yan feigned surprise on his face, “Taishuai, isn't he one of Sifan's people?”

“Who said people from Sifan can't make friends with Proxy Travelers?”

Li Yan smiled, “Makes sense.”

He turned the name An Jing over in his mind, feeling certain about something, but he didn't rush to speak.

“There's something, the old man mentioned at first, but he thought your reaction was off, so he didn't continue. However, I think it is very important to you,” An Jing said.

“What is it?”

“Many people, including the old man himself, are very wary of the Mountain God by your side. Hongzhong Old Man invited you here actually to seek your opinion, or to make some sort of amends. Later, realizing your attitude towards her… he didn't mention it. But the issue remains the same.”

Li Yan's eyebrows lifted gradually and he stood up, his voice growing graver, “What's the reason for the wariness?”

“Within Sifan, more than seventy percent share the same origins as your Lady Dan, is that reason enough?”

Li Yan, whose qigong training was not bad these days, chanted in his heart several times to suppress the sudden anger. He then said, “You think it's something like this, eh? If the old master points out a path for me, as long as it doesn't harm Lady Dan, I'll follow it.”

An Jing waved her hands dismissively, “Hey, hey, hey, that's not what I mean. Most Proxy Travelers are weary, and no one wants to do evil for no reason. Having a grudge over distaste isn't worth it, and nobody would pursue it. It's not a big deal. Didn't you see that when Hongzhong Old Man sensed something amiss, he dropped the subject?”

Li Yan shook his head, “This is no small matter. I have to thank you for the warning. If you can show me a clear path, I'd be even more grateful.”

“I can point out a path for you,” An Jing raised an eyebrow, a sly expression on her face, “There is a clear path, but it depends on whether you take it.”

Li Yan intended to wait and see, but the matter concerned Lady Dan, and he really didn't want to get on board, so he had to speak, “Sister Jing, may I be so bold as to ask, what is the relationship between the old man and Zhan Yuejin?”

“So-so, that youngsters quite sensible, more agreeable than Cao Yuanchao.”

“Got it.” Li Yan didn't dwell on the conversation further and walked into the house.

An Jing, confused, followed him inside, only to find Li Yan suddenly turn and slam the door shut, barring her outside.

“What do you mean by this, you little rascal?”

“Have you thought it through?”

Zhao Jianzhong was unhurried.

“Old man, there's something I'd like you to take a look at.”

Without beating around the bush, Li Yan handed Zhao Jianzhong the Shuizhamai Map he had brought from the South Seas.

Zhao Jianzhong glanced at it and his eyelids suddenly widened, grabbing it and holding it in his hands, spending a good half a tetime in silence.

Li Yan looked down, patiently waiting. After a while, a hoarse voice came from the other side.

“Much appreciated~ I owe you one.”

“I got this map by chance and reaped some benefits from it. I don't want to let down the person involved, but given the current situation, I can't provoke the Jie Master, and I don't want to cause trouble for you either.”

Shuizhamai, in the Minnan dialect, means a beautiful woman. After Mi Li's death, he also entrusted his Proxy Traveler successors to hand this item to An Jing, evidently close to her, with a strong likelihood of being lovers.

But under the circumstances just now, giving the map to An Jing was not wise,

It was evident that this woman had a deep connection with Zhao Jianzhong. If Li Yan rashly told this woman that Mi Li was murdered by Zhan Yuejin, and An Jing acted out of impulse rather than planning, it could escalate the situation and even implicate Zhao Jianzhong.

By then, Zhan Yuejin would hold a grudge against Li Yan, Zhao Jianzhong would be displeased, An Jing might be unharmed, but Li Yan would suffer great losses.

“I have to thank you, and now you can speak your mind,” Zhao Jianzhong said, his voice sounding much hoarser.

“Old man, to be frank, I haven't been in Yan Fu long and I'm too inexperienced. Rashly reaching for high branches, I'm afraid of falling to my death. If you really need my help, just say so, but personally, I'm more comfortable wandering on my own. Also, I've heard about my companion…”

“My rule is, issues concerning Proxy Travelers are to be dealt with in other realms, within the events of Yan Fu,” Zhao Jianzhong interrupted Li Yan, “I'll handle this. That Mountain God won't be questioned by anyone anymore. But this isn't a matter that can be settled with just one word. I need some time. I only have one condition: until I inform you it's alright, in your events of Yan Fu, don't bring her along.”

“Understood.”

“I get your point. After the Yan Fu certification, I will give you the inheritance scroll. Although it's not of the Five Immortals Category, it's much better suited for you than Lord of the Xiang River. Is it not awkward for you to have two women as your inheritance?”

“Then I'm grateful to you, old man.”

Li Yan saw the look on Zhao Jianzhong's face indicating it was time to leave, and he stood up first.

“The content of Yan Fu events for Proxy Travelers is jointly managed by the landlord and the Ghost Master. Keep your mouth shut and the matter of Mi Li won't be leaked. Let's leave it at that for today.”

Li Yan nodded and took his leave as instructed, leaving the old man alone in the room, surrounded by a circle of mahjong tiles, with four potential Thirteen Wonders waiting…

Zhao Jianzhong pinched a mahjong tile, the fourteen tiles laid flat on the table, indicating a winning hand.

To win on the tile Hongzhong.

The fifth Hongzhong.

“I…”

Zhao Jianzhong's face was as cold as a sculpture. After a long time, he covered his face with the back of his hand, the Shuizhamai Map clenched tightly in his grip.

“My… son…”

Chapter end