Strange Bird Tames Horse

After Mystic Swan left, Li Jun began carefully measuring this stretch of mountains.

Though he had previously had Hu Dadao's rather detailed map, Cangwu Mountain was Azure Cloud Sect territory after all, and he still needed to personally go over the direction of the entire mountain range.

As for spirit herbs, with the Fusang Hand in his possession, he was not worried at all about feeding those Fiery Mane Horses.

After half a day of surveying, he had more or less familiarized himself with the mining area on the eastern side of Cangwu Mountain.

As for the western side, there were no large ore veins there, and it was full of demonic beasts, so he did not intend to venture too deeply in, lest he sprout extra branches outside the knot.

"This Spirit River Phantom is so magnificent. I truly don't know whether it's fortune or disaster."

Li Jun raised his head and looked at the sky. With his current realm, he truly could not understand the essence of the Spirit River Phantom.

But his intuition told him there was a great terror there, and he absolutely could not set foot in it lightly.

"Flap, flap!"

As the setting sun sank westward, Mystic Swan found Li Jun in a small mountain hollow somewhere on the western side of Cangwu Mountain.

"Gah, gah-gah, gah..."

Mystic Swan gestured for a while, and through Li Jun's repeated verification, he obtained the information he wanted.

First, Yao Yuzhi had indeed come.

Although this Black Rock Mine excavation did not require a disciple of her level to participate, she had still come.

And according to Mystic Swan, this person had been spying from the shadows all along, and was also cultivating some strange cultivation method.

"Could this fellow know the origins of that Spirit River Phantom?"

Li Jun pondered, then decided to have Mystic Swan keep mainly to watching her closely and observe the changes in silence.

As for the matter of the Fiery Mane Horses, sure enough, it was just as he had expected: Lu Jinxuan and the others really were playing tricks.

According to Mystic Swan's description, Lu Jinxuan and the others were indeed capturing Fiery Mane Horses, but there was no so-called taming at all.

They had merely fed the Fiery Mane Horses some strange pills, then led them away.

"To harm me, they really did rack their brains and exhaust their bitter hearts."

Li Jun's expression did not change, but he had already made his decision.

Over the next three days, Lu Jinxuan never showed himself.

Li Jun took advantage of this period to thoroughly figure out the terrain and prepare enough of the medicinal herbs he needed.

It was not until the fifth day that Lu Jinxuan finally appeared, bringing six groups of Fiery Mane Horses to find Li Jun.

"Junior Brother, we spent several days of effort and finally found these few Fiery Mane Horses. The other three peaks have also made preparations in secret. Junior Brother, we have to hurry too!" Lu Jinxuan said with emotion.

"Senior Brother Lu, don't worry. In these next few days, Junior Brother will nurse these Fiery Mane Horses' bodies into good condition, so they can cooperate with all you Senior Brothers in mining when the time comes," Li Jun said, cupping his fists.

"Very good. In the next few days, Junior Brother need not go to the kitchen anymore. The forest near the kiln cave can be used to raise Spirit Beasts. I have already applied for it. Junior Brother may use it as you please."

"Many thanks, Senior Brother!"

Li Jun cupped his fists, then saw Lu Jinxuan off.

He looked at the Fiery Mane Horses before him, then immediately reached out and touched one.

The Fusang Hand unfolded, and Li Jun was like a "divine physician holding consultation," immediately beginning to diagnose and treat the Fiery Mane Horse.

"Neigh!"

Suddenly, the Fiery Mane Horse let out a burst of whinnies and immediately kicked Li Jun.

"Damn!"

Li Jun crossed his hands in front of his chest. The black horse hoof came up, and its tremendous force sent him flying directly.

"Thud, thud, thud!"

Li Jun retreated several steps in succession before finally dispersing the force on his body.

"What great strength!"

He waved his hand, then raised his head and looked, only to discover that the horse was actually glancing at him sidelong.

"Well now, I refuse to believe I can't cure you!"

Li Jun refused to believe in evil. He flew straight onto the horse's back, swearing to subdue this horse.

Bang!

However, the moment he sat down, he was once again blasted flying by a horse hoof...

For the next half day, Li Jun tried several times, but he actually failed every time.

These Fiery Mane Horses were fiercer than the last. After half a day, his body was covered in horse-hoof prints.

"There's something wrong with these horses. Their strength is actually this great, and they seem extremely irritable."

Li Jun looked at these horses. Judging from those few kicks just now, how could these horses possibly have been properly tamed?

Moreover, if his cultivation had not improved, those few kicks, even if they had not taken his life, would have left him seriously injured.

"What fine scheming. They clearly calculated my strength. No matter how I struggled, at best I'd fail to tame the horses and be held accountable; at worst I'd be badly injured and lose my life."

Li Jun rolled his shoulders. If he wanted to tame these horses, he was probably going to need some other methods.

After thinking it over, he temporarily tied the horses up, then went to a small hollow by the mountain on the west side.

After calling out for a while, Li Jun saw Mystic Swan again.

"Birdman, do the Fiery Mane Horses have any natural enemies? Or is there some way to tame them?"

"Caw?"

Mystic Swan looked strange, thinking, You, a human brat, came to ask a yao like me about taming horses?

"Aren't you brimming with spirituality? Back when you carried me through the mountains and forests, didn't you brag that you were the lord of all beasts? Don't tell me you can't even suppress these lowly Fiery Mane Horses?" Li Jun said.

Back then, when he had made Mystic Swan carry him to Fire Cloud City, he had heard no shortage of nonsense from the other party along the way.

"Caw! Caw caw caw!?"

Mystic Swan was furious. A few inferior little horses thought they could be compared with it?

As it spoke, Mystic Swan beat its wings and flew off, about to go teach those few wild horses a lesson on the spot.

"Sure. Let me see the majesty of you, lord of all beasts. If you can do it, I'll keep you supplied with fine wine!"

Li Jun beamed with delight. Mystic Swan had finally taken the bait.

The man and the bird arrived in the dense forest. The six Fiery Mane Horses looked over in unison, their eyes full of disdain.

"Caw! Caw caw!"

Mystic Swan was enraged. These few wild horses were actually just as that stinking brat had said; even after seeing him, they were still this arrogant!

Mystic Swan suddenly swept its wings, stirring up a gale, and clawed straight at one of the horses.

"Neigh!"

The Fiery Mane Horse let out a long cry, its forehooves suddenly rearing up as it prepared to strike back.

However, Mystic Swan was extremely fast, its speed not even inferior to a second-tier yao beast.

Before the Fiery Mane Horse could react, Mystic Swan grabbed its back directly, then carried it into the air.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss!"

The Fiery Mane Horse struggled, but Mystic Swan did not indulge it at all. It flew to a mountain hollow and threw it straight down.

Li Jun hurried after them, and then saw the Fiery Mane Horse being flung down directly, smashing hard onto the ground.

The Fiery Mane Horse roared. Before it could get up, Mystic Swan seized it again, then slammed it down viciously.

Bang!

"Hiss, hiss!"

Bang!

"..."

Li Jun watched that Fiery Mane Horse go from looking down on the world with nothing in its eyes at first, to later begging bitterly for mercy.

By the end, even its eyes had cleared considerably.

"Birdman, that's about enough. If you keep throwing it, I'm afraid it'll die."

"Caw!"

Mystic Swan tossed the Fiery Mane Horse down, then flew up into a tree and, with a bit of a clean freak's fussiness, rubbed its claws.

Two streams of air surged from its nostrils. Clearly, Mystic Swan still had not fully vented its anger.

Li Jun walked forward. This time, the Fiery Mane Horse did not kick him again.

Afterward, he once again used Fusang Hand to diagnose and treat the Fiery Mane Horse.

"Mm? This is Louse Poison? What a vicious heart!"

Li Jun's gaze instantly turned cold.

Mystic Swan had told him before that Lu Jinxuan had fed these horses some medicinal pills. He had thought they were something like Tendon-Softening Pills, something that could temporarily calm yao beasts.

But now, he finally knew that all of these Fiery Mane Horses had been poisoned with Louse Poison.

This poison could not only poison yao beasts to death; once the yao beast died, the Louse Poison would also spread to humans, and in severe cases it could cause a plague.

If he really brought these Fiery Mane Horses to the mine, one slip, and it might take the lives of those ordinary people in the mine!

"Liu Pan'er, Lu Jinxuan... you truly are worse than beasts..."