32: Divine Power

“Dong—dong—”

Jiang Hanwen knocked on Father Jiang’s door.

“Dad, open the door.”

After ten breaths of shuffling inside, Jiang Yong slowly opened the door, looking at his son with a blank expression.

“What’s wrong, son?”

Jiang Hanwen stepped past his father and scanned the house, his gaze finally settling on the iron basin on the floor in front of him.

“Xiao Bu Dian, you’re eating my things again, itching for a beating, aren’t you!”

“Crack~” The door closed.

“Son, I’ll just get you more fertilizer, won’t I? It’s still small, don’t scare it.”

Jiang Yong’s face was slightly red. The little fellow, who had been gone for half a year, had only returned for half a day. He had originally intended to hide it from his son, but he didn’t expect Xiao Bu Dian’s greed to get it into trouble.

“Dad, tell me what it wants to eat. If it eats the eclipse moon flower, we’ll have to lose two-tenths of our Medicine Field just to make up for the loss.

It only eats and doesn’t do anything; you should say a few words to it too.”

Jiang Hanwen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It wasn’t that he truly begrudged the things, but rather that their sudden disappearance had caught him off guard.

Father Jiang no longer had to worry about him, and instead poured all his affection into Xiao Bu Dian.

He couldn’t even say a few words, as if it were a grandchild.

Xiao Bu Dian was also incredibly clingy. Even though it had already left the Medicine Field and returned to the mountains, it would frequently come back and dote on Father Jiang, missing him terribly.

“Clang~”

The iron basin was pushed aside, revealing a small, pointy head, about a third larger than it was four years ago.

Xiao Bu Dian looked at Jiang Yong, its inky eyes watery, as if tears were about to fall, gazing at Father Jiang with a wronged expression.

Jiang Yong’s heart melted. In the lamplight, a shadow on the floor flickered.

In three strides, he was by Xiao Bu Dian’s side, squatting down and gently stroking its now pure black scales.

“Good boy, don’t be afraid…”

Oh, this was a killer move. Let alone Father Jiang, who poured all his affection into it, even he felt the little fellow was wronged—cuteness is innocent.

Xiao Bu Dian emerged from underground, pointed with both hands out the window, then pointed underground, rubbed its belly, and made a gesture of eating.

“You’re saying that Spiritual Plant, you took it for your wife to eat?” Jiang Hanwen frowned. One gluttonous beast was bad enough; two, plus one in his pocket, that’s three!

Good heavens, he was being treated like a rich patron.

Xiao Bu Dian nodded happily, its two paws constantly pointing outwards and then grabbing inwards.

“You’re saying you still want more, and a lot of it?”

“Chirp chirp~”

Xiao Bu Dian nodded excitedly, clapping its two small paws, praising Jiang Hanwen’s intelligence.

“Alright, wait, I’ll go pick some for you.”

Jiang Hanwen pushed the door open and left.

Words aside, this little fellow had been with the father and son in the Medicine Field for many years. Before, it even picked Spirit Fruits and looked after Father Jiang, so it was half a family member.

It was just a bit of external wealth; Jiang Hanwen wasn’t that stingy.

It’s just that this boy was very picky, always eating the expensive stuff, and never even giving him a heads-up. He deserved a beating!

A moment later, a full half-basket of Spiritual Plants, worth over two hundred silver taels, was placed next to Xiao Bu Dian by Jiang Hanwen.

“Some of these Spiritual Plants are for me to turn in. Tell your wife not to eat them randomly. If she wants to eat, tell me in advance. If there are any left, I’ll pick them to nourish your wife.

Also, these are for your wife. Don’t be greedy, understand!”

Jiang Hanwen glared at Xiao Bu Dian, annoyed. For this endlessly gluttonous one, he had to give it a heads-up a few more times.

Seeing so many Spiritual Plants, Xiao Bu Dian swallowed, nodding its head rapidly like a pounding garlic.

Jiang Yong saw his son bring so many Spiritual Plants and said with a pained heart:

“Do you want to get a little less? That’s so much.”

“It’s fine, I planted them all anyway, it has nothing to do with the farmers.” Jiang Hanwen waved his hand casually.

Father Jiang doted on Xiao Bu Dian as if it were his grandson; diverting the old man’s attention was also good.

“Chirp chirp chirp!”

Xiao Bu Dian anxiously grabbed Jiang Hanwen, and after gesturing, it scurried into the hole, not even taking the Spirit Medicine.

A quarter of an hour later, the little fellow emerged from the dirt.

Jiang Hanwen’s brows instantly furrowed; he smelled a faint scent of blood.

“Whack!”

A thick stack of golden-skinned books, stained with blood, was thrown onto the ground by the little fellow.

Then, Xiao Bu Dian began a long series of performances in front of the father and son.

After watching the performance, Jiang Hanwen said with a half-believing, half-doubting tone:

“You’re saying that many people were fighting, and then they coincidentally encountered a beast tide, and they were all killed.

And then you bravely stepped in and picked up this thing?”

It was also because Jiang Hanwen was familiar with Xiao Bu Dian; otherwise, it would have been truly impossible to understand this series of bizarre expressions.

“Incorrect?”

The little Godzilla-like Xiao Bu Dian continued to gesture, finishing its dance-like display, then patted its chest, proudly lifted its head, looking endearingly clumsy.

“You’re saying this book, you went to great lengths, waiting until the tiger fell asleep, to steal it for me?”

This time, the details were correctly supplemented.

The little fellow agilely flicked the scales behind it, proudly straightened its body, and stood obediently in front of Jiang Yong.

“Good boy, anything you give is a kind gesture.” Jiang Yong vigorously rubbed the little fellow’s head. Xiao Bu Dian squinted its eyes, thoroughly enjoying it.

Slaughter, beast tide, tiger king.

Each word draped a veil over the book.

What kind of book was so highly regarded?

Jiang Hanwen went to pick up the book. The moment he touched it, his expression instantly turned serious.

This seemingly palm-thick book actually weighed two hundred catties!

“Dad, I’m going next door to read.” Jiang Hanwen quietly took the book and left.

Back in his room, he bolted the door and put on a pair of self-made gloves.

He didn’t know what material was used, but the book cover was very hard, like gold and iron.

Jiang Hanwen slowly opened the heavy pages.

“Divine Breath True Scripture”

Jiang Hanwen’s pupils constricted slightly. It wasn’t just any Cultivation Technique that could be called a ‘Sutra’.

Turning further, there was a single character in the middle of the page—Xuan.

Below the character Xuan, a small line of text was written: ‘Engraved by the Dao Child, Wu Anguo’.

Gulp~

He swallowed hard. Wu Anguo, that name had resounded throughout Azure Flame six hundred years ago.

The last non-imperial Duke of the Azure Flame Kingdom, and he was ennobled for his martial prowess, Duke Wu Anguo!

About six hundred years ago, the western border was in crisis, with three nations launching a surprise attack.

On a snowy night, leading eighteen hundred white-robed tribal cavalry, Wu Anguo opened the gates to meet the enemy, clashing with three hundred thousand enemy troops.

In historical records, the bloodshed and combat were omitted, with only a faint line added.

The blood river swelled, people were like charred remains, for ten days unceasing.

A battle that sealed his legend, the one-armed Wu Anguo returned.

Three years later, he gathered one hundred thousand troops, annihilated one nation, took over most of the territory of the remaining two nations, seized their Spiritual Veins, was honorably ennobled as Duke, given a golden whip, to strike down corrupt emperors and punish treacherous officials.

However, years of warfare had left this Duke with countless scars within his body.

Leaving behind only two young and ignorant sons, he passed away six years after arriving at his fief, his soul returning to the heavens.

Even with all that, Wu Anguo was only the Dao Child who engraved the book, not the author!

His investment in these Spiritual Plants was far too great, wasn’t it?