Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 73: Chapter 27 Taking Everything for Oneself Use

Li Yan stepped forward two paces and bowed deeply, “Li Yan of the Ming Country’s Liaodong Town General Flag, greets the great She Mountain Woman.”

The She Mountain Woman’s crystalline eyes wandered over Li Yan, her arched brows lowered as she replied gently, “Guests are to be welcomed. Last time, General, you did not trust my words; perhaps this time you are willing to drink the soup I’ve made…”

Li Yan coughed, “Back then, we were fleeing and struggling, naturally panicked and suspicious, which is why we offended you. Your soup had a very good taste.”

With a sweet smile, the She Mountain Woman lightly tapped with her finger. Ash-colored tiles and wooden fence posts rose from the ground, and in no time, a farmhouse appeared before everyone. Leading the girl by the hand, she turned to glance back at Li Yan and the others, then pushed the door open and entered.

The others followed closely into the house, where a bright fire burned and an iron pot exuded a fragrant aroma as always. The She Mountain Woman ladled out a bowl of hot soup filled with the scent of grain and handed it to Li Yan. Stirring with a wooden spoon, her smile was as warm and welcoming as the day before.

Just as Li Yan raised his arm, a hand reached between the two of them.

“Excuse me, do you have any alcohol to drink here?”

Yu Shu took the bowl from the She Mountain Woman’s hand and asked earnestly.

The She Mountain Woman’s gaze shifted slightly as she replied, “Underneath that window sill, there is homemade rice wine. If the young lady doesn’t mind, she may try it.”

“Hmm~”

Yu Shu finished the soup in one gulp, thanked the She Mountain Woman, and turned to leave.

Li Yan composed himself, “On that day, we were pursued to She Mountain by the Red Guards. During the fierce battle, the enemy leader suddenly exposed a flaw. I suspect it was the great She Mountain Woman who assisted us. For this life-saving grace, I have yet to express my gratitude.”

The She Mountain Woman untied her indigo cloth headscarf, allowing her black hair to cascade freely, and said softly, “General, you are imbued with ancient fierce energy; spirits with less than a hundred years of cultivation cannot even approach you. Even if I hadn’t intervened, that man wouldn’t have been able to trouble you. What life-saving grace is there to speak of? It is our duty to lend a hand when the Ming Country sends troops to assist us. General, you must have something straightforward to discuss, so speak plainly.”

Such behavior from the She Mountain Woman indeed saved Li Yan a great deal of effort.

Li Yan pondered for a moment and then said frankly, “Since that is the case, I will speak directly. Your country is now truly at a critical juncture of survival. As the saying goes, ‘Without the skin, where can the hair attach?’ We have come with a letter bearing Emperor Xuanzong’s Seal, hoping to recruit the assistance of the celestial beings and deities to repel the great enemy.”

Li Yan instructed someone to retrieve the seal and letter from a package. The She Mountain Woman’s eyes hardened as she saw the red, hazy glow of the seal, which was the light of the Joseon’s National Destiny Dragon Tiger Qi.

She quickly read through the letter and couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh, “I presume the Joseon official who stamped this letter must have felt quite hollow inside.”

Her smile was tinged with a touch of bitterness, “What celestial beings and deities… I am but a lone spirit of the mountains. General, we are well aware of what you speak. If Joseon’s national destiny perishes, we wandering spirits of the wilds will also fade away. Ever since our country’s fortunes dimmed, many wild gods have disappeared without a trace, to my knowledge. It angers me that I rely on She Mountain for my existence and cannot take even a half step away from it in this lifetime; I truly cannot be of help to you, General.”

Li Yan smiled in understanding, and the She Mountain Woman continued, “However, I do know of some wild creatures and demon gods within the realm who, either because their temples have been destroyed or their followers slaughtered, indeed harbor thoughts of attacking the Japanese pirates alone. General, you may gather these individuals—they could be of some use.”

Yu Shu, who was sipping the rice wine from the side, made a tsk-tsk sound from time to time, while Li Yan’s expression remained serious:

“Please enlighten me, great one.”

“In the West Double-Flower Square Village, there is a Niutou Chantanner whose entire worshiping family was killed by the Japanese pirates. Moreover…”

After a lengthy discussion, the She Mountain Woman placed the indigo headscarf from her hand into Li Yan’s palm.

“With this as your guide, General, you are sure to find what you seek.”

Li Yan held the still warm headscarf in his hand, and words began to form before his eyes.

You have triggered a special Yan Fu event!

The requirements for this Yan Fu event are as follows: form a team composed of the Ming Army and supernatural beings. Once assembled, this team will carry a special status.

Judgment criteria:

One, the team must have at least one Ming Army general of “Ten Cities” strength or higher.

Second, all ghost creatures and Wild Gods must be rated at least a “Walkers of the Ten Cities”.

Successfully resolving this incident in Yan Fu will significantly increase your purchasing authority limit and will come with an additional special reward after the completion of the Yan Fu incident.

The girl with black hair and white clothes silently floated over, growled at the She Mountain Woman, and the woman frowned and locked eyes with the girl.

“This girl seems to be a ghost kept by the chief of the thieves,”

Li Yan probed.

“Her name is Nanako. She’s another unfortunate soul.”

The She Mountain Woman fell silent for a moment before speaking, “I have something I’d like to ask of the general.”

“But speak, my lord,”

“Nanako, she wants to go with you.”

Li Yan glanced at Nanako, who seemed a bit afraid of him, shrinking back continuously.

“In that case, very well,”

Li Yan nodded.

The She Mountain Woman stirred the grains in the pot, her Joseon-style, voluminous skirt softly touching the ground and her long sleeves nearly reaching Li Yan’s feet.

Apparently reminded of something, the She Mountain Woman sighed lightly, “General, when you leave, returning to She Mountain will likely be an unlikely hope. Since awakening my spiritual awareness hundreds of years ago, I have hardly spoken to a few people, and now the sister I just acknowledged is also leaving, this is really…”

Her appearance was gentle and charming, with not a trace of the fierce appearance of the She Mountain Spirit or the Heavenly Consort, but more like an ordinary woman waiting for her husband to return home, even her momentary loneliness was indistinguishable from theirs.

Li Yan was at a loss for words and remained silently contemplative.

For some reason, Nanako, who chose to leave She Mountain, finally attached herself to Wang Sheng’s scabbard; seeing Wang Sheng’s flushed face, Li Yan touched his neck but didn’t inquire further.

The group had descended from She Mountain and it was nearly midday, a north wind blew at the foot of the mountain, but Li Yan’s blue headband fluttered to the west. Recalling the She Mountain Woman’s words, Li Yan, without hesitation, led the group westward. Behind them, the woman’s singing floated from She Mountain, melodious and touching.

In the snowy expanse of the mountain, the She Mountain Woman’s singing ended; her eyes moved expressively as she slowly turned back.

Yu Shu stood at the doorway, arms crossed, wearing a black jacket smeared with blood, green vines binding her long hair into a ponytail, and a red gourd wine jug dangling from her forefinger. Her eyes were slightly squinted.

“Miss, is there anything else?” the woman asked softly.

Yu Shu’s expression was inscrutable, her gaze roaming over the She Mountain Woman, her smile growing increasingly unrestrained.

…

“Hey, let’s get moving,”

Yu Shu, leaning against a tree, opened her eyes and looked up at Li Yan, asking, “How long have I slept?”

“About half an hour,”

Shortly after they left She Mountain, Yu Shu suddenly suggested they rest, and Li Yan readily agreed.

All the while, Li Yan kept an eye on Yu Shu, uncertain of the woman’s depth. Yu Shu claimed she was now only at the level of Ten Cities, which Li Yan did not believe.

However, after interacting with her for the past couple of days, this Taishuai, notorious in the realm of Yan Fu, had done nothing but sleep, indulge in wine, and indulge in food without showing any additional signs, which indeed puzzled Li Yan.

Yu Shu stood up, mounted her horse, and her legs pressed against the horse’s belly. She seemed a bit drunk, mumbling on horseback, “Life’s vibrant, flesh and spirit intact, traversing Yan Fu, seizing all for oneself, heh heh…”