Chapter 173: A Fellow Disciple's Kindness is More Valuable than Anything Else
Chapter 173: A Fellow Disciple's Kindness is More Valuable than Anything Else
"Then, I thank Junior Brother Lu."
Seeing Lu Xuan's agreement, Huang Yuan heaved a sigh of relief.
Other outer sect disciples from the Water Domain had approached him, asking him to contact Lu Xuan on their behalf to examine their dragon-serpents and giant pythons for the parasitic Hidden Scale Fish.
If Lu Xuan had refused, Huang Yuan would have lost face in front of them.
Huang Yuan waved his right hand, and with a flash of spiritual light, a flying boat artifact appeared on the ground.
The two of them boarded the boat, and the artifact transformed into a stream of light, speeding off into the distance.
Qianlong Lake was vast, spanning hundreds of miles, and naturally, there was more than one place where first and second-grade dragon-serpents and giant pythons were being raised.
After a moment, the two arrived in front of several stone houses.
As soon as they landed, several people hurried out and their eyes lit up when they saw Lu Xuan and Huang Yuan.
"Brother Huang, you finally came. You really made me wait," said a middle-aged cultivator with a steady demeanor enthusiastically greeting the two. He grabbed Lu Xuan's hand and didn't let go for a long time.
Lu Xuan freed himself and bowed in greeting, "Greetings, Senior Brother."
"Senior Brother Zhang, I finally managed to get Brother Lu here. Don't scare him away now," Huang Yuan teased from the side.
Zhang Hao couldn't help but rub his hands together, smiling awkwardly.
Huang Yuan introduced everyone to each other, and they all entered the stone house together.
"Senior Brother Zhang, Brother Lu is here this time to solve the problem of the Hidden Scale Fish parasites in the dragon-serpents and giant pythons. Please plan and arrange everything, and try to inspect all the dragon-type magical beasts in this area at once," Huang Yuan said, getting straight to the point as they entered the stone house. Lu Xuan sat quietly by the side, smiling but remaining silent.
"As for the remuneration, Brother Lu only wants a small token of compensation for his efforts, and the inspection price will be the same as before," Huang Yuan continued.
"For each dragon-serpent or giant python inspected, two spirit stones will be required. If Hidden Scale Fish or other abnormalities are found, it will be twenty spirit stones per beast," Huang Yuan explained the terms.
"So, Senior Brother Zhang, what do you think?"
"That's wonderful! Brother Lu is so considerate and righteous towards his fellow disciples. I'm truly grateful!" Zhang Hao said with a smile. He had been prepared for an increase in inspection prices, but Lu Xuan's offer came as a pleasant surprise.
The cultivators raising the dragon-serpents and giant pythons were ordinary outer sect disciples, neither of noble birth nor exceptional talent within the sect. As such, they had poured their heart and soul into the task of raising these beasts.
Although each cultivator would have to pay around a hundred spirit stones, it was nothing compared to the value of the rare and precious dragon-serpents and giant pythons.
After a brief conversation, someone led Lu Xuan to start drawing blood from the dragon-serpents to examine them.
One by one, the dragon-serpents were presented to Lu Xuan under the control of imitation Binding Dragon Rings.
He would first feed them a small piece of demon beast meat to gain their cooperation and gather detailed information about their health and condition. Then, he would proceed to draw their blood.
This process was repeated like an assembly line, with each dragon-serpent brought before him, and he mechanically and numbly repeated the same actions over and over.
As the number of dragon-serpents from which he drew blood increased, the small white jade bottles in his storage bag that were used to hold the essence blood began to run out, and he gradually found himself short on containers.
During the breaks between drawing blood and collecting payment, Lu Xuan would combine the essence blood of the same breed of dragon-serpent or giant python, freeing up new white jade bottles to prevent the embarrassment of not having enough containers.
Occasionally, he would also discover the presence of Hidden Scale Fish parasites within the dragon-serpents, and he skillfully removed them, leaving the cultivators to dispose of the parasites themselves.
"Senior Brother Zhang, all the dragon-serpents and giant pythons in the waters have been inspected. We found traces of a few Hidden Scale Fish, but further analysis of the essence blood is needed for more insights." Lu Xuan said tiredly to the steady cultivator. In reality, he felt incredibly satisfied.
"We are truly grateful for your help, Brother Lu. If not for your assistance, who knows how long it would have taken us to detect the presence of the Hidden Scale Fish, given our limited knowledge of dragon-serpents," Zhang Hao expressed his relief.
"It's my duty as a fellow disciple. If you want these dragon-serpents and giant pythons to stay healthy and grow swiftly, I can come by regularly to draw their blood for check-ups and prevent infestations by other parasitic demon insects and evil spirits," Lu Xuan offered.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao and the others nodded in agreement.
As dusk fell, Lu Xuan and Huang Yuan decided to return. Their flying boat artifact swiftly enlarged, and the two leaped inside.
The strong gale howled in their ears as Lu Xuan turned back to look, spotting Zhang Hao and the others still standing in the same spot, seeing them off.
"Such a scene inspires poetry," Lu Xuan thought to himself, a smile tugging at his lips.
"As Lu Xuan boards the boat, ready to depart,
He hears the sound of singing from the shore.
Though Qianlong Lake's waters run a thousand fathoms deep,
They pale in comparison to the warmth of my fellow disciples' send-off..."
"Well done, well done~"
"Brother Lu, we've arrived at your cave abode. It's getting late, so I won't intrude for a cup of tea," Huang Yuan said as he maneuvered the flying boat artifact. He had brought Lu Xuan back to the vicinity of his cave abode.
"Alright, then. Thank you for your help, Brother Huang. Next time, we'll have a proper drink or two," Lu Xuan replied, not bothering with a fake invitation.
After Huang Yuan left, Lu Xuan arrived at the gate of his courtyard and activated the formation, dispelling the thick white mist. The gate appeared clearly before him.
As he pushed open the gate, he was greeted by a pair of emerald green eyes, shining like ghostly flames in the dim light.
"A night owl," Lu Xuan muttered as he released a burst of spiritual energy. The light illuminated the surroundings, revealing the source of the eyes.
The emerald eyes belonged to the Cloud-Stepping Lynx, who stretched lazily, extending its limbs and twitching the tufts of fur on its ears happily.
"Meow~"
A low growl, tinged with a hint of complaint, echoed as the lynx padded away gracefully on its cloud-like white paws.
Back in the house, Lu Xuan found the baby Wind Falcon lying on the wooden bed in a most undignified manner, its round belly facing upward. Its breath caused its tiny body to rise and fall, and its pale green bird feet were spread apart, occasionally fiddling with its pale green feathers.
Lu Xuan began organizing the numerous white jade bottles in his storage bag, combining the essence blood of the same breeds of dragon-serpents and giant pythons.
While there were many variants among the dragon-serpents, most of them were common species, so he was able to consolidate a significant number of bottles.
After finishing the inventory, Lu Xuan felt a sense of fatigue after a whole day of focusing his attention on the dragon-serpents and giant pythons.
He quickly freshened up and then let his head fall onto the wooden bed, finding the perfect spot on the baby Wind Falcon's round belly to use as a pillow.
"Comfortable~" he sighed, soon drifting into sleep.
The Cloud-Stepping Lynx quietly hopped onto the edge of the bed, its emerald eyes unblinking as it watched Lu Xuan sleep peacefully.
(End of Chapter)
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