Chapter 85 - 83: Great Black’s Slap
"Go!"
Xiaoqing was no ordinary sea turtle. If it said something was good, it had to be good.
Xiaoqing led Jiang Zuo, diving straight down toward the bottom of the sea.
It finally stopped about three thousand meters from the coast, at a depth of over three hundred meters.
Plump sea fish swarmed the area, and the seabed was covered in a vast expanse of volcanic rock.
Xiaoqing found a crevice in a pile of rocks and squeezed inside.
Jiang Zuo couldn’t fit, so he had no choice but to start digging with his hands.
After digging for several meters, he finally saw Xiaoqing and, next to it, an irregularly shaped Jade Stone the size of a football.
The Jade Stone was a bluish-green, somewhat resembling jadeite.
As Jiang Zuo drew closer, he felt a gentle energy warming his body, making him feel wonderfully comfortable.
’Tsk, tsk. So this is the Jade Stone those people were looking for. A piece this big... I wonder how much it’s worth.’
Jiang Zuo dug out the large Jade Stone and headed back with Xiaoqing.
When Jiang Zuo first heard that the seafood around Fire Mist Island was not only delicious but also nourishing, and that there were special Jade Stones to be found, he had suspected there might be a considerable number of them on the surrounding seabed.
He hadn’t expected to dig up such a large piece less than a month after arriving.
After he tossed the large Jade Stone onto the shore, Great Black came trotting over excitedly and circled it, refusing to leave.
Jiang Zuo asked Xiaoqing if the energy emanating from the Jade Stone was Spiritual Power.
Xiaoqing shook its head, but it didn’t know what kind of energy it was either.
’It seems the Heaven and Earth Sealing Spirit Array only absorbs Spiritual Power and Demonic Power. Besides Spiritual Power and Demonic Power, other Extraordinary Powers must exist in this world,’ Jiang Zuo mused.
The Jade Stone was greatly beneficial to Jiang Zuo, Great Black, and even Xiaoqing, so Jiang Zuo simply left it in their living and cooking area, making it convenient for Xiaoqing and Great Black to enjoy.
Jiang Zuo wasn’t worried about anyone stealing it.
For one, the area was deserted. Even if someone did try to steal it, they would need to be at least a Grandmaster.
Anyone less powerful wouldn’t survive a single slap from Great Black—to say nothing of Xiaoqing.
With the Jade Stone around, the two little critters hardly went to play in the sea anymore.
They spent nearly half their day playing around the Jade Stone.
The Jade Stone’s effect was astonishingly good.
Half a month later, Jiang Zuo was surprised to see that the stat bonuses he received from Xiaoqing had actually increased.
Although it was only about 10 points in strength and Physique, it wasn’t much.
But in the twenty-plus years before this, Xiaoqing had only granted him a 5-point bonus.
Great Black’s progress was even more impressive. Aided by the Jade Stone, it reached the Great Perfection of Meridian Passage in its Cultivation all in one fell swoop.
With a little more time to consolidate its realm, it would be able to attempt a breakthrough to the Inner Breath Grandmaster level.
And foreseeably, breaking through to the Inner Breath Grandmaster realm wouldn’t pose much of a challenge.
’When that happens, what should I call Great Black? The Dog Grandmaster?’
...
On Eagle Mountain, the Seated Mountain Eagle chicks had begun to hatch. Jiang Zuo had been visiting the mountain from time to time to check on them and select his targets.
In his days of observation, Jiang Zuo discovered there were also some Seated Mountain Eagles on Eagle Mountain that hadn’t built nests.
’It seems these are the ones preparing to build their nests next year.’
Having been on Fire Mist Island for over a month, Jiang Zuo had made a couple of trips to the island’s settlements to inquire about matters related to the Seated Mountain Eagles.
The Seated Mountain Eagles weren’t permanent residents of the island. Those that wished to reproduce would return to Eagle Mountain six months to a year in advance, and only after choosing a mate would they begin building a nest.
Then, during the breeding season, they would mate and incubate their eggs to hatch the eaglets.
Once the eaglets were old enough to fly from the nest and hunt for themselves, the Seated Mountain Eagle parents would leave Fire Mist Island, flying off to some unknown destination.
The eaglets would hunt alone on Fire Mist Island for a while, and once their bodies and wings were strong enough, they would follow their parents’ path and also fly away from Fire Mist Island.
Each year, about five to eight pairs of Seated Mountain Eagles came to Eagle Mountain to hatch their offspring. If some failed to find a mate, they would leave alone.
Jiang Zuo was fortunate; this year had a relatively high number of successful pairings, giving him more options to choose from.
Seated Mountain Eagles were enormous and had astonishing appetites.
Although Seated Mountain Eagles were expert fishers, they already had to expend considerable effort just to feed themselves. Raising two or even three eaglets was manageable while they were still small.
Once the eaglets grew a bit larger, their food requirements would become even more staggering. Two eaglets was more than most Seated Mountain Eagles could support.
If they encountered a continuous spell of bad weather and couldn’t catch fish, the weaker eaglet would likely be abandoned.
However, they wouldn’t resort to eating the weaker one like some other birds. Instead, they would push it out of the nest and off the cliff, leaving it to its fate.
By this time, the Seated Mountain Eagle eaglet would have already grown some feathers, and its body wouldn’t be too large. If it struggled and flapped, tumbling down the cliff instead of falling straight to the ground, it still had a decent chance of survival instead of being killed by the fall.
There were some people and gangs on Fire Mist Island who raised Seated Mountain Eagles, and this was how they obtained their eaglets.
They would essentially pick up the injured Seated Mountain Eagle eaglets, nurse them back to health, and slowly raise them.
Very few people could do what Jiang Zuo was doing: coming up here to pick one out himself.
Birds aren’t mammals, so they don’t need to go through a nursing period.
As soon as he picked one out, Jiang Zuo could start feeding it directly.
Half of the eggs had hatched by now, and Jiang Zuo already had some potential candidates in mind.
In a few more days, all the eggs would be hatched, and Jiang Zuo could then pick three to start raising together.
...
While Jiang Zuo was away, several uninvited guests arrived at the beach near his wooden cabin.
"Heh heh, don’t bother running, you two. Volcano Island is big, but where can you possibly escape?"
"So young, and both of you have already reached the Blood Exchange realm. You truly live up to your former reputations as little geniuses!"
"If I hadn’t already become a Meridian Passage expert, I might really not have been a match for you two."
A middle-aged man sneered, chasing the Yu Family Siblings ahead of him like a cat toying with mice.
"Don’t let him get to you! On land, we’re no match for him. If we escape into the sea, two against one, we still have a sliver of a chance!"
Yu Xuemei said in a low voice, her body and her brother’s stained with blood.
They had secretly returned to Fire Mist Island this time with two objectives, one of which was to seek revenge on their enemy, Wei Jichang.
Their parents had been merchants on Fire Mist Island, dealing in Jade Stones and ore.
Trying to find a Jade Stone on the island by sheer luck was next to impossible.
But in the mine shafts, one could still occasionally dig up a Jade Stone.
A Jade Stone’s value was far higher than that of ore, so some miners would try all sorts of ways to smuggle out any they found.
This was precisely the business their parents were in.
Generally, this kind of gray-market business was conducted in private, leaving no loose ends or evidence behind.
The Yu siblings’ parents were only able to run this business because they were both Martial Artists who had nearly reached the Great Success stage of Blood Exchange.
Without sufficient evidence, not even the gangs wanted to provoke their parents.
If their parents had been killed in a dispute arising from their business, the two siblings might not have felt such hatred.
After all, while such a business brought great rewards, it also came with great risks.
But eight years ago, Wei Jichang had asked their parents to help him with a task.
Then one night, only their father returned, covered in blood. He put them on a fishing boat leaving Fire Mist Island and stayed behind to hold off their pursuers, allowing the two siblings to escape with their lives.
Eight years passed, and they had cultivated to the Blood Exchange realm.
But who would have known that Wei Jichang had somehow become a Meridian Passage expert.
If Yu Xuemei hadn’t reacted quickly, the two of them would have been killed on the spot.
"Father said back then that Wei Jichang would be stuck at the Blood Exchange realm his whole life, that it was impossible for him to enter the Meridian Passage realm."
"Now that he’s a Meridian Passage expert, he must have stolen that treasure Father spoke of!"
Yu Yunhui said, his voice laced with hatred.
As he spoke, the seashore came into view.
The two of them charged forward recklessly, intending to jump into the sea and fight for that slim chance of survival.
As they burst out from the woods, they realized that someone had built a wooden cabin here, on the beach of this remote place.
Next to the cabin, there even seemed to be a big black dog and a small turtle.
But the two of them had no time for such details; they just desperately charged ahead.
’Someone lives here? Is it an ambush?’
When Wei Jichang, who was chasing them, saw the wooden cabin, he couldn’t help but scan his surroundings warily, not immediately continuing the pursuit.
He didn’t see any human figures, but that big black dog was quite conspicuous...
’Wait, what is that?’
Upon seeing the massive, bluish-green Jade Stone next to the big black dog and the small turtle, Wei Jichang’s eyes widened.
’Isn’t that a Longevity Jade?’
’A Longevity Jade this large would sell for an astronomical price!’
’If I can get my hands on that, why would I need to bother with the gang? I could have unimaginable wealth, wash my hands of this life, and go enjoy myself.’
The magical Jade Stones produced on Fire Mist Island, once they reached a certain size, were called Longevity Jades.
If a mortal carried one, they would rarely get sick and would be guaranteed to live a long life, which made them extremely popular with the nobility.
Every single Longevity Jade could be sold for an extremely high price.
This massive Longevity Jade before him could be cut into dozens of smaller Longevity Jades at the very least.
With this, what need would he have to be in a gang, living a dangerous life on the edge?
Wei Jichang quickly scanned the area and saw no one else besides the big black dog and the small turtle.
’Heaven is helping me! This is my fated fortune!’
Wei Jichang thought, his heart thumping with excitement.
As for the Yu Family Siblings, they were already dead in his eyes.
No longer chasing the Yu Family Siblings, Wei Jichang strode toward the Longevity Jade.
"Is that a Longevity Jade? How can there be such a huge Longevity Jade here?"
Yu Xuemei noticed Wei Jichang’s movement. Her gaze fixed, and she finally saw the large Jade Stone beside Great Black.
"Let’s fight him! We can’t let him get his hands on something so valuable!"
If Wei Jichang obtained this treasure, who knows how easy his life would become.
At this thought, Yu Yunhui’s eyes immediately turned bloodshot, and he wanted to fight Wei Jichang to the death right then and there.
"Don’t move! Something’s not right!"
Yu Xuemei hurriedly pulled Yu Yunhui back.
She looked at the lazily lounging big black dog, feeling that something was very off.
"Get lost! This is mine!"
Wei Jichang already considered the large Jade Stone his own. Great Black staying beside it was like it was freeloading off of him. How could he tolerate that?
He threw a kick, intending to send Great Black flying.
Great Black glanced at Wei Jichang in confusion, then lifted a paw and swatted at him.
’What’s this dog trying to do?’
’That paw... it seems so fast...’
As he was thinking this, Wei Jichang had no time to dodge and was struck squarely by Great Black’s paw.
WHAM!
Wei Jichang’s body was sent flying, twisting wildly in the air. By the time it hit the ground, it was already a contorted mess.
His eyes were wide open, fixed on the big black dog in his final moments before death.
He was a Meridian Passage expert!
How could he be slapped to death by a dog?!