One person: I, Daoist Master, am a cultivator of immortality!

After successfully reaching the ninth level of Qi Refining, he couldn't help but let out a long roar, which drew complaints from the surrounding Miao villagers. Although the rooster had just crowed, the villagers had actually been awake for quite some time.

After all, they had to go to the fields to work every morning, and the herb farmers had to go into the mountains early to collect herbs, lest they get lost at night. After apologizing to the villagers around him, he wandered around the Miao village. Chen Yulou and Luo Laowai hadn't returned yet; they probably camped in the mountains last night, since there was so much to carry. And since they were traveling in a large group, their slow pace was understandable.

Sun Yao, having nothing to do, was strolling around the Miao village when he heard a strong rooster crowing, which undoubtedly caught his attention.

He immediately followed the sound and saw an old herbalist holding a broadsword, pointing at a large rooster in the chicken coop, seemingly cursing something. He suddenly remembered something he had forgotten: according to the original setting, the Angry Sun Rooster of Xiangxi was a phoenix breed, highly skilled at dealing with scaled insects. More importantly, this rooster was a phoenix breed; even if its bloodline was extremely fine, Sun Yao could extract a trace of phoenix blood from it using the Heaven and Earth Furnace method.

Thinking that Di Shitian was able to live forever and do so much with just a few drops of phoenix blood, Sun Yao felt that even if he only obtained a trace of phoenix blood, he could still improve his life level.

Thinking of this, Sun Yao immediately took out a century-old ginseng he had previously picked, pushed open the courtyard gate, and walked into the courtyard.

"Um, who are you? Why are you in my house?"

"Old man, don't get excited. I think your rooster is quite extraordinary. Would you be willing to give it to me? I'm willing to exchange it for a hundred-year-old ginseng and five Ganoderma lucidum. Old Zhang, you should think carefully. Of course, the Ganoderma lucidum is nothing, but a hundred-year-old ginseng is hard to find these days. This medicine is a life-saving medicine. If anything goes wrong, using it to keep someone alive is an absolute lifesaver."

"This..." The old herbalist hesitated after hearing Sun Yao's words. Of course, he wanted to sell the chicken, but it was a precious bird, fed with lingzhi and ginseng. Was it a profit or a loss to exchange it for a hundred-year-old ginseng and five lingzhi? He pondered this question.

"If you still have any hesitation, sir, I can add another Nine Dragons Stem. But this is the final price. No matter how precious this chicken is, it can't possibly be worth more than these! You need to think carefully, sir. This opportunity is fleeting; once it's gone, it's gone forever. I don't believe anyone in this village will be willing to pay such a high price for this chicken. I won't be staying here long. If you don't want to sell it to me today, I might leave tomorrow when the people I'm waiting for arrive."

To get the chicken, Sun Yao used both reason and emotion. The old herbalist, who had been hesitant, gritted his teeth and agreed after hearing Sun Yao's words. After all, Sun Yao was right; no one else in the Miao village would pay such a high price for a chicken. Only a passerby like Sun Yao would be willing to pay such a high price for a chicken.

In this way, Sun Yao paid the price of a century-old ginseng, five Ganoderma lucidum plants, and a Nine Dragons Coil to obtain this Phoenix Nuqing Chicken, a unique breed from Nuqing County in western Hunan Province, from the old herbalist.

Logically speaking, this Angry-Eyed Chicken, possessing phoenix blood, could be used as a spirit beast. However, Sun Yao didn't intend to slowly cultivate it into a phoenix-type spirit beast. After all, that would take far too much time. It would be much easier for Sun Yao to catch a phoenix directly when he became powerful enough.

However, to maximize the effects of the phoenix blood extracted from its body, Sun Yao currently lacks sufficient medicinal herbs. He also needs a ginseng root at least 300 years old and a Qilin blood root. He doesn't have enough of these things at the moment, especially the 300-year-old wild ginseng, which he'll likely have to find beyond Shanhaiguan towards Changbai Mountain. Fortunately, he had a fairly good relationship with the eldest daughter of the Chuma family during the Lu family banquet, and with the help of the stone flower at Shanhaiguan, things should go smoothly. After all, beyond Shanhaiguan lies Chuma territory, and no one wants to provoke the Five Immortals in Northeast China. Especially with the immortals' protection in Changbai Mountain, finding the 300-year-old wild ginseng should be quite easy. However, since he's taken on this favor, he has to repay it. To get these immortals to find things for him, he'll probably have to give something in return. But there's a good thing in giving and receiving, and Sun Yao is happy with that.

After obtaining the Angry-Eyed Chicken from the old herbalist, Sun Yao returned to his rented house. Around three or four o'clock that afternoon, Luo Laowai and Chen Yulou's group finally entered the village. However, each of them had sustained some injuries, indicating they had ultimately fought a fierce battle with Ma Zhenbang. But judging from the outcome, it seemed they had won without paying a heavy price.

"Master Dao, we've had quite a haul this time, but it will take a while to convert all of this into money." As soon as Chen Yulou returned, he went to Sun Yao and explained his gains.

"It's alright, there's no problem with the money. I'm not in a hurry for the money right now, I'll ask you for it when I need it. This time I'm heading north to Changbai Mountain outside the Great Wall. I need a wild ginseng king that's over 300 years old, and I reckon you can only find that in Changbai Mountain. The Xieling bandits are scattered all over the country, so I hope the leader can find someone to go with me to the Great Wall. After all, I'm the kind of person who gets lost as soon as I enter the forest, I'm afraid I won't be able to find the way to Changbai Mountain."

“Alright, that couldn’t be simpler. Actually, the most suitable person would be Hua Maguai, but he’s been by my side for a long time, and he’s been helping me with all sorts of things. I really can’t do without him. So I’ve decided to let Miss Hong go with you to Changbai Mountain, so that you can have someone to look after you.”

"Okay. I have no objection to whoever it is. What I need is your Xieling bandits' extensive network of contact points and intelligence across the country. If you encounter any trouble in the future and need my help, you can send a message to Miss Hong and have her tell me."

"Yes, then I'll thank you in advance."

"No need for that. Let's benefit each other and make progress together. Go and talk to Miss Hong and tell her to pack her bags as soon as possible. We need to head north as soon as possible."