My Apprenticeship to Uncle Jiu: I Was a Warlord in the Republic of China

Uncle Jiu coughed and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. We have to at least raise this chicken. If it becomes a spirit beast and then doesn't recognize us and runs away, we won't have anywhere to cry."

When Jiang Li heard this, he was not in a hurry, but continued to talk about buying peach wood and looking for lightning-struck wood.

He also mentioned that there might be a big red rooster that has been raised for eight or nine years in the home of Old Man Zhang in Zhangjia Village, so he wanted to ask Uncle Jiu to go and take a look at it now.

Then he took off the package, took out the cinnabar and sulfur he had bought, and asked, "Master, can these things be used to draw talismans?"

Uncle Jiu looked at these things and examined them carefully and said, "Not bad, not bad. In addition to making talismans, you can also use these things when the batch of peach wood you bought arrives."

Jiang Li scratched his head and asked, "Do we need these things to make peach wood magic tools?"

Uncle Jiu smiled and said, "Of course. Although this peach wood can exorcise evil spirits, its effect is slightly weak and it is easy to crack. If it is soaked in cinnabar and realgar, it can not only double its power, but also make it less likely to crack and make it more durable."

Jiang Li said, "It's good that it's useful. I just don't know when we can go to Zhangjia Village to buy chickens. I think that long-lived chicken may be more suitable for training into a spiritual beast."

Uncle Jiu smiled awkwardly and said, "Don't worry, don't worry. Wait two days. Didn't you and Shopkeeper Li agree on three days? Then we can do both things at the same time."

Jiang Li nodded and said, "Master is right, that's exactly what we should do. We'll hire a car and bring him back when the time comes."

Uncle Jiu told Wencai to move the things alone, and then asked Jiang Li, "Have you been lazy these two days?"

Jiang Li said, "No, I went shopping with my family for half a day when I got home. The rest of the time I was either reading or practicing martial arts. I was definitely not lazy."

After hearing this, Uncle Jiu didn't say anything else, but asked Jiang Li to practice Dingzhen Fist. Although there was no significant improvement, he was definitely not rusty. After all, he had only practiced for seven or eight days. If he hadn't practiced for two days, it would definitely be noticeable.

Back at the charity cemetery, Jiang Li's days became like practicing, eating, reading, eating, and sleeping again.

Because Uncle Jiu discovered that Jiang Li's character was obviously stronger than Qiu Sheng and Wencai, he put more thought and hope into Jiang Li.

Two days passed in a flash. That day, Uncle Jiu brought Jiang Li to the Jiang family courtyard. Jiang Li took the money, got on the donkey cart and went to Zhangjia Village.

After crossing the mountain roads along the way, the two finally arrived at Zhangjia Village at noon. After asking, they successfully found Old Man Zhang. Uncle Jiu immediately got out of the car and started chatting with Old Man Zhang.

After some discussion with Uncle Jiu, Old Man Zhang successfully rejected Uncle Jiu's proposal. During this period, Jiang Li had already seen the big rooster and said that there was no problem with it being a fighting cock among roosters.

Just by visual inspection, Jiang Li estimated its weight, which should be around ten kilograms. It looked very impressive, and there seemed to be a little bit of... wisdom in its eyes.

That’s right, it’s wisdom, which makes Jiang Li more determined to buy it.

After seeing Uncle Jiu's failed negotiations, Jiang Li came to Old Man Zhang and said, "Grandpa Zhang, my name is Jiang Li, and I'm Jiang Kaishan's son. I don't know if you know my father."

When Old Man Zhang heard someone calling him grandpa, he immediately looked at Jiang Li and said, "Hey, I don't think I've ever heard of that. But even if I knew your father, this chicken has been with me for so many years, I won't sell it no matter what!"

Jiang Li looked as if he was about to say something but hesitated to say, "Master, just tell Grandpa Zhang the truth. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, you won't be at peace."

Uncle Jiu looked at Jiang Li, who was blinking at Meng Meng, with a look of surprise on his face and said, "You should tell me."

Seeing Uncle Jiu taking over, Jiang Li immediately said to Old Man Zhang, "Grandpa Zhang, you don't know that my master is a disciple of Maoshan, and Maoshan has a secret method."

"You can train the demon beast into a spirit beast and use it to guard the temple. The reason I came to you today is because I like your big rooster and want to train it into a spirit beast."

When Old Man Zhang heard this, his eyes widened and he said in disbelief, "So my chicken is a monster?"

Jiang Li quickly said, "Don't worry, Grandpa Zhang. It just has some... magical properties now. It's not a monster. We came here to buy it. Otherwise, if it really goes further, I don't know whether it will be a blessing or a curse."

After hearing what Jiang Li said, Old Man Zhang immediately remembered the extraordinary origin of this chicken. An average rooster only lives for three to five years and most of them die of illness (after the rooster's breeding period, its immunity will weaken, making it more susceptible to parasites and diseases).

The chicken he raised lived for nine years and became more and more energetic. He found that the chicken not only ate insects, but also mice and snakes. Once, when he looked into its eyes, it seemed that he was not looking at a chicken, but a...

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, so he immediately knelt down and said to Uncle Jiu, "Uncle Jiu, save me, please take it away quickly, I don't want this chicken anymore."

Uncle Jiu was immediately dumbfounded. He just held on to Old Man Zhang and tried to comfort him, but to no avail. He could only look at Jiang Li for help.

Jiang Li said to Uncle Jiu at this time, "Master, just agree to it, and we will give Grandpa Zhang more money when the time comes."

Old man Zhang said hurriedly, "No money, no money, just take it."

Jiang Li helped Old Man Zhang up and said, "Grandpa Zhang, don't get excited. This chicken is not a monster. It just has a slight possibility of becoming a monster. It's okay. We can just buy it and take it away."

Old man Zhang was about to cry. He said, "Then hurry up and buy it. Take it away immediately after you buy it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li immediately took out three silver dollars from his pocket and handed them to Old Man Zhang, saying, "Grandpa Zhang, please keep these three silver dollars. They are for buying the chickens. We will take them away immediately."

The two drove on the road to Lijia Town. Uncle Jiu looked at Jiang Li and hesitated to speak. Finally, he asked, "You are obviously telling the truth. Why did Old Man Zhang's attitude change so drastically?"

Jiang Li said, "Because he doesn't know about Maoshan, monsters and spirit beasts. People are always curious about unknown things, and they are also afraid of unknown things."

Uncle Jiu seemed to be thinking about it, and then he said solemnly, "You should use these methods less in the future. It's easy to lead you astray."

Jiang Li's smug expression immediately subsided. After thinking carefully for a while, he said, "Master, don't worry. I will pay attention."

The two of them came to the furniture store in Lijia Town in silence. When they saw Li Fugui, Jiang Li smiled and asked, "Shopkeeper Li, have you found my peach wood?"

When Shopkeeper Li saw Jiang Li bringing a middle-aged man with a righteous face, he said, "Master Jiang, don't worry. I have already done it. It is now in the backyard. Do you want to come with me to take a look?"

Jiang Li glanced at Uncle Jiu and saw him nod, so he said, "Then I'll trouble Shopkeeper Li to lead the way."

Shopkeeper Li immediately bent down and invited the two to the backyard. Then they saw seven or eight peach tree trunks that were 20 to 30 years old lying on the ground. The branches had been trimmed, leaving only a trunk that was more than three meters long.