C13 Promote Chicken Feed
"Senior Brother, what brings you here?"
The morning's commotion had barely settled when Lee Daoquan arrived at Misty Peak. The place hadn't buzzed with this much activity in ages.
"Your Jabberwocky turned your second senior brother's White Tiger into a mere shadow of itself. The whole sect has been upended trying to calm that White Tiger down."
Lee Daoquan watched the Jabberwocky pecking at the chicken feed in his bowl and replied with a chuckle, while inwardly marveling at the situation.
I knew Su Jiuming's bird was formidable, but I could never have pictured it overwhelming a White Tiger so much larger than itself, sending it running for the hills.
"Well, if that White Tiger was after my Jabberwocky's chicken feed, it got what was coming to it," Su Jiuming said, dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand. The memory of the tiger's hasty retreat brought a smile to his face.
The two watched the Jabberwocky eat, their conversation meandering. Soon, Lee Daoquan became lost in thought, staring at the chicken feed, his expression alternating between solemn and enlightened.
"What's on your mind, Senior Brother?" Su Jiuming asked, noting Lee Daoquan's grave look.
"Junior Brother, does your Jabberwocky always eat like this?"
"Yes, is there a problem?"
Lee Daoquan paused for a moment before responding. Su Jiuming answered swiftly, oblivious to any issue.
"During my travels, I encountered a master who raised spirit animals. He had a similar kind of feed that would greatly enhance a spirit animal's strength with just one meal."
"Unfortunately, the master was reluctant to share his secret formula. Despite my pleas, I never managed to obtain it..."
Lee Daoquan gazed at the chicken feed, from which a robust spiritual energy emanated, and spoke with a hint of wistfulness, his conviction growing.
Without waiting for Su Jiuming to respond, Lee Daoquan moved closer to the Jabberwocky, touched the chicken feed, examined it, and gave it a sniff. Then, he tentatively tasted it with the tip of his tongue...
Indeed, this was the same spirit animal feed that the elder had crafted back then.
"Junior Brother, this feed is identical to what the master used. Do you have any more of this spirit animal feed? Could you let me test it?"
After triple-checking and finding no errors, a gleam sparked in Lee Daoquan's eyes. He rose to his feet and, with a surge of excitement, addressed Su Jiuming.
"Ah, oh, okay."
Watching Lee Daoquan eagerly lick the chicken feed and then turn to Su Jiuming for more, Su Jiuming couldn't help feeling awkward, yet he cheerfully consented and headed to the storeroom.
No sooner had Su Jiuming brought out a pre-mixed bowl of chicken feed than Lee Daoquan swiftly grabbed it and gave it another taste...
"Yes, yes, this is definitely it!"
Lee Daoquan was thrilled, while Su Jiuming wore a look of embarrassment.
The second senior brother's cat had just come to sample the feed, and now the eldest senior brother was here too. Could the chicken feed really taste that good?
After expressing his gratitude to Su Jiuming, Lee Daoquan carefully cradled the brimming bowl of feed and departed, unconcerned about the dirt staining his white robe.
Su Jiuming watched, his heart pounding, as his eldest senior brother treated the simple bowl of chicken feed as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
Could it be that his eldest senior brother intended to eat the chicken feed himself?
Reflecting on his eldest senior brother's recent actions, Su Jiuming was filled with doubt:
Had his cultivation practice caused his eldest senior brother to lose his senses? To think of chicken feed as a treasure?
Lee Daoquan, oblivious to Su Jiuming's puzzled look, clutched the feed and made a beeline for Fae Peak.
Upon reaching Fae Peak, he called forth the disciples and began testing the chicken feed's effects on their spirit animals.
"Eldest Senior Brother, we don't know if this spirit animal feed is toxic. It's one thing for ordinary spirit animals, but there's no need to risk your immortal crane," a disciple cautioned, eyeing the noble creature.
"No worries. I brought this spirit animal feed back, so I should be the one to take responsibility," Lee Daoquan replied, dismissing the concern with a wave of his hand. He tenderly stroked the two red feathers atop the immortal crane's head and offered it Su Jiuming's chicken feed.
The crane ate with gusto, and other spirit animals, bonded to their masters, broke free from the disciples' control, clamoring and skirmishing over the small dishes of chicken feed scattered on the ground.
After the celestial crane finished its meal, it emitted a resonant call. Light spots, manifestations of spiritual energy, coalesced on its body before ultimately dissipating, transforming into a third feather atop the crane's head.
Each new feather signified a substantial increase in the celestial crane's strength.
This particular crane had undergone a transformation, achieving the power of the Golden Core stage.
Other spirit animals also experienced enhancements proportional to their consumption, but subsequent feedings yielded no additional benefits.
The test results were clear: Su Jiuming's spirit animal feed significantly bolstered the animals' strength and constitution, but only the initial feeding was effective.
Upon discovering this, Lee Daoquan promptly sought out Bai Yifeng to strategize.
After deliberation, Lee Daoquan set off for Misty Peak to request a batch of spirit animal feed from Su Jiuming, aiming to fortify the spirit animals of the sect's disciples.
"No problem at all. Senior Brother, just swing by in three days to pick up the chicken feed," Su Jiuming agreed.
To Su Jiuming, whether it was labeled as spirit animal feed or not, chicken feed was simply chicken feed—nothing extraordinary.
"However, Senior Brother, those three feathers of yours are quite distinctive," Su Jiuming teased, while privately musing:
Lee Daoquan must have a lot of free time on his hands, dyeing feathers on a celestial crane and leaving just three on its crown.
Lee Daoquan, in his urgency, didn't fuss over the details and swiftly mounted his newly ascended celestial crane to make his way over.
This was no ordinary celestial crane; it bore the lineage of the mythical Vermillion Bird, and its crown was adorned with red feathers, not a pill crown.
Taking in Su Jiuming's comment and considering his own crane, Lee Daoquan nodded in agreement, "The name Three Feathers suits it well. My Firecloud Crane has been nameless, so henceforth, it shall be known as Three Feathers."
Three days later, Lee Daoquan, riding atop Three Feathers, reappeared at Misty Peak. He delivered a substantial quantity of spirit animal feed to Fae Peak, instructing the disciples there to distribute it among the sect's members.
In just one night, the majority of the sect's spirit animals ascended a realm, subtly yet significantly enhancing the Veiled Moon Sect's collective might.
Among the numerous spirit animals that had partaken of the chicken, only one showed minimal improvement, and that was Qin Fengzhu's White Tiger. After a single lick, the White Tiger had already absorbed all the spiritual energy it could, and any further consumption would be as ineffective as a drop in the bucket.
Once a paragon among its peers, the White Tiger now struggled to hold its head high within the Veiled Moon. A stroll through the sect would reveal many spirit animals of comparable strength. Moreover, the eldest senior brother and others, whose spirit animals were already not far behind the White Tiger, now possessed the formidable power of the Golden Core Stage. Meanwhile, the White Tiger languished with the mere might of a False Golden Core.
Consequently, the stature of Fae Peak soared overnight, earning a stellar reputation among the sect's disciples and garnering high praise for its nurtured spirit animals. But the Fae Peak disciples, aware of the full story, grew restless. Without delay, they dispatched two of their own down the mountain, making a beeline for Misty Peak to seek out Su Jiuming.