The disappearance of one chick would not make her sad for long.
There were still two other chicks in the nest waiting for her to feed them.
Although her cultivation was already comparable to that of a human cultivator in the Dragon Transformation Realm, this Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird, which had always lived on the edge of the Barren Ancient Forbidden Zone, still retained the wild nature of a vicious bird and followed the Natural Laws of the jungle.
She would not make a fuss over the death of her chick and demand revenge like a human would.
Three chicks had hatched in the nest to begin with, and raising all of them to adulthood would have been extremely difficult.
Now that one chick had died, the two remaining chicks could receive more care, which instead increased their chances of survival.
Eight hundred li east of the Barren Ancient Forest, there was a Nameless Mountain Forest.
Two Divine Rainbows that looked like shooting stars arrived in an instant from the southwestern horizon and plunged into the mountain forest below, vanishing without a trace.
In the forest, the rainbow radiance faded, revealing the figures of two adults and one child.
The three of them were Jiang Shuwen, Jiang Caihong, and Li Zhi, who had just flown out of the Barren Ancient Forest and relied on their extreme speed to evade the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird seeking revenge.
After landing, Li Zhi looked warily at Jiang Shuwen and Jiang Caihong. He immediately retreated several steps, putting considerable distance between them.
Jiang Caihong was amused by Li Zhi's cautious appearance and said, "Little fellow, now you know to be afraid. You've got quite some nerve, daring to steal a chick from a Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird. Do you know how strong that Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird is? One breath from it could blow you to ashes."
Jiang Shuwen looked at Li Zhi with a gentle expression and asked, "Little friend, what's your name? Where are your family members? Why did they let you train alone in the Barren Ancient Forest?"
Seeing Li Zhi's appearance, Jiang Shuwen assumed that he was a child brought outside by his elders for training.
Across the Eastern Wasteland, the more talented a child was, the younger the age at which they were usually sent out for training.
They would even specifically choose places filled with danger to cultivate a child's purest spiritual instincts and wild nature.
This method was used to develop a child's physical potential.
Almost every major force had this tradition, so Jiang Shuwen and Jiang Caihong did not find it strange to see Li Zhi moving about alone in the Barren Ancient Forest.
Li Zhi remained silent. He even tugged at the Beast Skin Bag on his back, as if afraid that the two of them would snatch it away.
It was not that Li Zhi did not want to answer them. He simply had not understood what they were saying.
Their speech sounded like an extremely complicated dialect to Li Zhi.
Seeing this, Jiang Caihong asked curiously, "Little fellow, the two of us did save your life, after all. Aren't you going to say anything?"
Jiang Shuwen examined Li Zhi from head to toe. His eyes flashed with brilliance as he exclaimed, "What an astonishing physique. Little brother, which family are you a disciple of?"
Li Zhi continued looking at them warily.
Jiang Shuwen immediately understood and said, "I almost forgot to introduce myself. Big Brother's name is Jiang Shuwen, and this Big Sister is Jiang Caihong. We're both disciples of the Desolate Ancient Jiang Family."
Seeing that Li Zhi's eyes showed confusion rather than surprise after hearing their introductions, Jiang Caihong sent Jiang Shuwen a Telepathic Transmission: "Brother Shuwen, could this child be mute?"
Jiang Shuwen also saw the bewilderment in Li Zhi's eyes and said with a smile, "Perhaps this little friend simply doesn't understand what we're saying."
Looking at Li Zhi's brightly shining bald head and his beast-skin clothes full of wildness, Jiang Caihong said, "That really is possible."
She then directly used Divine Sense to communicate with Li Zhi. "Little friend, what's your name?"
"Zhi."
Li Zhi finally understood what they were saying and answered them.
However, his accent sounded obscure and difficult to Jiang Caihong and Jiang Shuwen as well. They could not make out his name clearly.
"From this child's accent, he doesn't seem to be from the nearby Yan State," Jiang Caihong sent Jiang Shuwen another Telepathic Transmission.
"Little friend, where is your home? Why are you training alone in the Barren Ancient Forest?" Jiang Shuwen also used Divine Sense to communicate with Li Zhi this time.
Li Zhi stared at him warily, seemingly worried that Jiang Shuwen would suddenly try to snatch the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird chick he had just obtained.
Seeing this, Jiang Shuwen sent a Telepathic Transmission to Jiang Caihong. "This child is extremely guarded. He doesn't seem to trust us."
Jiang Caihong also sent a Telepathic Transmission. "Brother Shuwen, don't you find it strange? This child seems to have been on guard against the two of us from beginning to end. He doesn't show the fear a normal child would after suddenly being taken away by strangers. And his body is far too strong for a seven- or eight-year-old child. I took a look just now, and his physique seems no weaker than yours or mine. To possess such an astonishing physique at such a young age is somewhat similar to the Barbarian Race living in the Southern Range."
Jiang Shuwen had never dealt with cultivators of the Barbarian Race in the Southern Range. He had only heard the clan elders introduce the general situation of the Southern Range's Barbarian cultivators while studying at home. Each of them had bodies far too strong to be considered those of ordinary human cultivators. He said, "Perhaps this little fellow is a member of the Barbarian Race."
"We brought him out of the Barren Ancient Forest so abruptly and interrupted his training journey. Could we have angered his elders?" Jiang Caihong asked Jiang Shuwen worriedly through Telepathic Transmission.
"That shouldn't be the case. If he really had an elder secretly following him, they absolutely wouldn't have let this little fellow steal that Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird's chick," Jiang Shuwen gave his judgment.
"What if his elder is an Immortal Platform Great Power? Perhaps they don't regard that Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird as a threat at all and simply wanted this little fellow to experience being hunted by a vicious bird?" Jiang Caihong shared her thoughts with Jiang Shuwen.
That was because when the two of them had been seven or eight years old, it had been impossible for them to possess a body as strong as Li Zhi's.
Within the clan, only a few direct descendants with dense Emperor Bloodline or clan disciples with special physiques could undergo various baptisms with precious blood and Precious Medicine while they were young, causing their physical qualities to increase severalfold.
Of course, it was not that Ordinary Disciples could not undergo such baptisms. Rather, only children with naturally powerful physiques could withstand the Medicinal Power of precious blood and Precious Medicine, allowing them to possess an extremely powerful physique before they even began cultivating.
In the entire Jiang Clan, among the direct descendants known to the two of them, not one had possessed physical qualities comparable to Li Zhi's at his age.
Although the two of them had not examined Li Zhi's bones and did not yet know what kind of physique he possessed, the vigorous qi and blood hidden within his small body could not escape their Divine Sense.
The two of them vaguely felt that bringing Li Zhi away just now might have been somewhat rash.
"Little friend, where are your elders?" Jiang Caihong then asked through Divine Sense.
"They're dead," Li Zhi said calmly.
"Dead? You've been living alone in the Barren Ancient Forest?" Jiang Caihong instinctively assumed that the elder Li Zhi referred to was the Guardian who had brought him out for training, and she asked in surprise.
Li Zhi nodded.
Jiang Shuwen asked through Divine Sense, "How long have you lived in that Barren Ancient Forest?"
Li Zhi replied, "Almost a year."
Jiang Shuwen asked again, "Then why did you steal the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird's chick?"
Li Zhi said, "I planned to roast it and eat it."
Jiang Shuwen stared at Li Zhi with his eyes wide open.
He instantly began imagining that the elder who had brought Li Zhi to train in the Barren Ancient Forest had suddenly discovered something abnormal within the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Zone. Unable to resist, the elder had entered the Forbidden Zone to gather Saint Medicine, only to die inside the Forbidden Zone of Life.
Afterward, young Li Zhi had been left alone to live in that Barren Ancient Forest.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he was approaching the truth. Jiang Shuwen asked, "Did your elder go to the Nine Holy Mountains inside the Forbidden Zone and never return?"
Li Zhi found the question rather strange, but he still nodded.
At present, aside from Ye Fan, there should have been no one else who could climb the Nine Holy Mountains within the Barren Ancient Forbidden Zone and survive.
Jiang Shuwen wore an expression that said he had expected as much.
He then asked Li Zhi about his experiences living in the Barren Ancient Forest.
Li Zhi answered everything without reservation. There was nothing he needed to hide, so he told Jiang Shuwen about fighting vicious beasts in the mountains and tempering his body with the evil water of Blackwater Lake.
After hearing Li Zhi's account, Jiang Caihong revealed a trace of tenderness and said, "What a strong child. Why don't you come with us from now on?"
Li Zhi immediately shook his head.
Jiang Caihong said, "Only by cultivating with us will you have a chance to return to your homeland. Don't you miss your parents?"
A trace of sorrow flashed through Li Zhi's eyes. He said, "They're both dead."
Jiang Shuwen then asked, "Little friend, do you still remember where your home is?"
Li Zhi looked up at the southern horizon and said, "It's very, very far away. I can't get back there alone."
These words caused Jiang Shuwen and Jiang Caihong to misunderstand. They assumed that Li Zhi was a disciple of the Barbarian Race from the Southern Range.
Jiang Shuwen said to Jiang Caihong, "As expected, this child is from the Barbarian Race of the Southern Range. His elder brought him to our Eastern Wasteland for training, but something unexpected happened to the elder and left him here alone."
Jiang Caihong asked, "Then should we send him back?"
Jiang Shuwen shook his head. "The Barbarian Race of the Southern Range has always been mysterious and normally has no dealings with the various sects of our Eastern Wasteland. Even if we wanted to send him back, we probably couldn't find the exact location of his home. Besides, with our current cultivation, taking him to the Southern Range to look for his family would probably be extremely dangerous."
Jiang Caihong said, "Then should we take him with us for now?"
"We came out to train as well, so taking him with us wouldn't be suitable. Besides, he's still too young. He hasn't even opened his Bitter Sea yet. He needs to eat, drink, and relieve himself every day, which would make traveling with us inconvenient. I think we should first send him to a sect in Yan State to cultivate. After a few years, when he's grown a little and his cultivation reaches the Life Spring Realm, allowing him to ride a rainbow through the air, we can come back for him and send him home."
After thinking carefully for a moment, Jiang Shuwen came up with this solution that satisfied both sides.
Jiang Caihong's eyes lit up. "This place isn't far from Smoky Haze Grotto-Heaven, one of Yan State's six major sects. Why don't we send him to Smoky Haze Grotto-Heaven to cultivate?"
The two of them did not believe that a sect in a minor place like Yan State would dare refuse this small request from disciples of an Ancient Family.
Jiang Shuwen nodded and said, "We should ask this little fellow what he thinks first."
Jiang Shuwen then said to Li Zhi, "Little friend, do you want to go home? Big Brother plans to arrange a safe place for you to live and cultivate. After you've grown a little, Brother Shuwen and Sister Caihong will come pick you up and send you home."
Jiang Shuwen then told Li Zhi about his plan.
Li Zhi was secretly delighted. Just when I'm sleepy, someone sends me a pillow. The character of these two Jiang Clan disciples is truly excellent.
After hearing Jiang Shuwen's suggestion, Li Zhi nodded, removed the Beast Skin Bag from his back, and handed it to Jiang Shuwen. "A gift. For you."
A hint of delight flashed through Jiang Shuwen's eyes. He then said, "The Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird chick is very precious. Are you really going to give it to Brother Shuwen?"
"Mm." Li Zhi nodded and stuffed the Beast Skin Bag into Jiang Shuwen's hands.
Jiang Shuwen thought for a moment, then took a scroll from his Bitter Sea and handed it to Li Zhi. "This scroll was compiled by a Great Power of our Jiang Clan. It contains general cultivation knowledge about the Eastern Wasteland, as well as cultivation guidance for the Wheel Sea and Dao Palace Secret Realms. My cultivation is about to break through to the Four Extremes, so it's no longer useful to me. I'll give it to you now. Keep it safe. After you arrive at Smoky Haze Grotto-Heaven, read it often. It will be of great help to your cultivation going forward."
"Thank you, Brother Shuwen." A faint smile finally appeared on Li Zhi's face.
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