C7 I Am a Professional When It Comes to Raising Chickens

Su Jiuming was at a loss.

The materials listed were bizarre and peculiar, and despite studying them for quite some time, he still couldn't make heads or tails of them.

Thankfully, Lee Daoquan had previously shown him around the Veiled Moon, so he wasn't completely without a clue.

Since he needed to feed a spirit animal, heading to Fae Peak seemed like the logical choice—it was the place to be for anything related to spirit animals.

Conveniently, Fae Peak was not far from Su Jiuming's Misty Peak. It was just a matter of crossing a few hills.

It was odd; initially, just climbing Misty Peak once would exhaust him. But now, traversing several hills to reach another peak was merely a matter of a few hours.

Whether it was the spiritual energy of Misty Peak or Su Jiuming's own rigorous training was unclear.

His physical condition had improved significantly. Without feeling the slightest bit weary, he had already trekked to Fae Peak on foot.

The disciples of Fae Peak greeted him warmly from a distance. Upon noticing the little chick perched on Su Jiuming's shoulder, they nodded in understanding.

They escorted Su Jiuming up the mountain, and before he could articulate his needs, one disciple dashed into the storeroom and emerged with an assortment of items, launching into an explanation:

"The chief has certainly come to the right person. This chicken coop should be made from wheat straw—it's the most suitable. And for the chick's feed..."

"I have a list. Just help me gather the items on it, please."

Initially, Su Jiuming managed to respond, but as the disciple prattled on, he interrupted, losing his patience.

The Fae Peak disciple finally paused and took the list with a hint of reluctance, pouting before turning back to the storeroom.

Su Jiuming couldn't help but feel a bit helpless as he watched the disciple's displeased expression.

There was nothing he could do; the mission's requirements were clear.

It wasn't long before the disciple reappeared, this time with a smile and carrying a single stalk of grass.

"Chief, I don't have the chick's feed you listed, but I've given you all the materials for the coop you need. It's perfect."

"Also, regarding this Blood Drop Grass, though it's listed, this plant is toxic and should not be fed to chickens. Please reconsider this carefully, Chief."

The disciple packed the Blood Drop Grass and other items into a burlap sack, proudly tucking in the chicken feed he had prepared himself.

Su Jiuming offered a few words in response, grabbed the sack, and headed out. He couldn't shake the feeling that the disciple had an unspoken message written all over his face:

Raising chickens is my specialty.

[The formula you have is for feeding chickens, but the formula for nurturing spirit animals is naturally different. Rest assured, when it comes to expertise, our system has the upper hand.]

Sensing Su Jiuming's skepticism, the system proactively clarified things for him, further convincing him of the uniqueness of the little chick perched on his shoulder.

Su Jiuming scoured the area for the necessary ingredients. The news of the Chief raising chickens had spread like wildfire, even drawing Lee Daoquan to sneak a peek.

"Junior brother, this chicken..."

"It's a spirit animal."

Su Jiuming had a retort for every comment, but Lee Daoquan wasn't bothered. If his junior brother wanted to raise it, then so be it.

Everyone has their own passions, as long as they don't neglect their cultivation.

After Su Jiuming went to great lengths to find all the materials, the system instructed him to construct a shelter for the spirit animal as specified.

But as Su Jiuming was nearing completion, he couldn't help but notice something odd about the massive nest he'd built from wheat straw and other materials.

Wasn't this just an oversized chicken nest with an added shed?

Su Jiuming didn't dwell on it, though. The chick seemed no different from any other at the moment, and there seemed to be no issue with raising it this way.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission. Your reward has been issued: Chick Growth Hormone.]

Once he had properly mixed the chicken feed and the system had distributed the reward, Su Jiuming was left dumbfounded by the system notification's name.

"System, what's with this name? You can't tell me there's been another mix-up, can you?"

[... I will correct it right away. How about a different name?]

"Can a name change really solve the problem?"

Su Jiuming couldn't help but roll his eyes. Yet, as he caught the expectant gaze of the little chick perched on his shoulder, he felt a twinge of hope.

He mixed the hormones into the rice and fed it to the chick.

The chick devoured its meal with gusto, polishing off a plate of feed as big as itself in just a few bites.

After eating, the chick shook itself, its down becoming fluffier, and it visibly grew in size right before his eyes, expanding to a full circle larger.

"This hormone... is incredible."

"Of course, anything that comes from this system is top-notch."

"But... what's the use if it only grows bigger?"

Su Jiuming watched the chick grow rapidly, yet its appearance remained unchanged. It was now as tall as his forearm but still looked like a newly hatched chick, prompting him to sigh in frustration.

"Spirit animals are not like ordinary chickens. Once it's fully grown, it can serve as a mount. Just be patient."

The system soothed Su Jiuming, and he allowed himself to be reassured.

Later, the system assigned him numerous tasks, including finding a particular fruit on the back mountain known as the Ginseng Fruit, following the system's specific formula.

The new feed mixture worked wonders, making all of Su Jiuming's efforts worthwhile.

But as days passed and the chick continued to grow without any other changes, Su Jiuming began to worry.

He prayed for a miracle; he didn't need it to transform into a giant eagle, even a large goose would do.

Initially, Lee Daoquan had teased him for building an oversized chicken coop, but now he was silent: who could have predicted the chick would grow so large?

"System, don't you think this chick is really... excessively large?"

At that moment, the chick had reached the height of his thigh, yet it still looked exactly as it did when it hatched. Su Jiuming couldn't resist questioning the system.

"...Perhaps it needs to awaken its wild nature. Since you're bored, I'll assign you a new task."

The system evaded a direct response and instead issued a new mission to Su Jiuming.

With not much else to do and only Lee Daoquan for occasional company on his Misty Peak, Su Jiuming often found himself chatting with the system, and over time, they had grown quite familiar with each other.

The frustrating aspects were still just as irritating.

[Mission: Catch the Insects; Reward: ???]

"...Is there any way to uninstall the system?"

[Uninstall is not supported. Once the system is bound, it is effective for life.]

Su Jiuming felt a twinge of regret. Had he known this would be the outcome, he wouldn't have asked that question. Now, he was saddled with a new mission.

Unable to uninstall it, what choice did he have but to comply?

Despite the system being a nuisance and a bit of a trap, he hadn't managed to cultivate yet. But at least he received something for completing each mission.

Items like the axe for chopping wood and the tongs for lighting fires were all high-quality. They hadn't failed him yet.

At the very least, Su Jiuming's life was decent. He had food and drink every day and could do as he pleased.

Wasn't that far better than the life of those stuck in a 996 job?

With that in mind, Su Jiuming got right to work. He grabbed his axe and headed to the back mountain, constructing the insect cage and setting up the bait as the system had instructed.

Once everything was in place, he instructed Chicky to watch the house. Cage in hand, he made his way down the mountain, all the while grumbling to himself.

"Chicky sure has it good—plenty of food and drink, and someone to look after him. And it's not just any food; it's the good stuff."