Chapter 126: A Deal Is Made

Could it be...

Lin Xiao hurried inside.

Jiang Youfu and Liu Yunang, not understanding the urgency, followed him.

As soon as Lin Xiao lifted the grass curtain, he saw that Xiao Luan, now noticeably larger, was impatiently trying to wake the wild chicken on the ground by kicking it with its claw.

Xiao Luan, with its claw already raised over Big Peach's face, froze when it saw Lin Xiao entering the hut. It blinked innocently with its little chicken eyes.

"Cluck?"

Seeing Xiao Luan about to rough up the poor chicken, Lin Xiao sighed in exasperation and pointed at the wild chicken that had just reached Enlightenment Stage 1.

"Is this your disciple?"

Xiao Luan immediately lowered its claw and stood proudly, puffing out its chest as it flapped its wings in pride.

"That's right! This is my disciple! I even gave it a new name—Big Peach! From now on, you can all call it Big Peach."

Jiang Youfu, who had peeked into the hut, was shocked to see Xiao Luan.

"Xiao Luan, you're already at Enlightenment Stage 5? You're at the same level as me now! You've cultivated so fast!"

Liu Yunang, who initially couldn't sense Xiao Luan's cultivation level, was just as stunned when he heard this.

"What?! Xiao Luan is at Enlightenment Stage 5?"

That meant Xiao Luan had surpassed him. He was currently only at Qi Refining Stage 4, with some way to go before reaching Stage 5.

Upon hearing Jiang Youfu's words, Xiao Luan was equally surprised.

"Cluck, cluck?!"

What? I'm at Enlightenment Stage 5?

It immediately spun around to inspect itself.

No wonder it had grown so much and felt so much stronger!

Seeing Xiao Luan, who had just realized it had advanced, Lin Xiao pointed at Big Peach on the ground and asked again,

"Your disciple, well, Big Peach now, has reached Enlightenment Stage 1. Did you know that?"

"Cluck?" Xiao Luan scratched its head with its wing, then turned to look at Big Peach on the ground. Only now did it realize that its disciple indeed seemed to have some spiritual energy.

Its eyes lit up, and with a swift kick, it woke Big Peach from its slumber.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck!"

Big Peach, jolted awake, looked up in confusion at the large, terrifying chicken and the three humans at the entrance, trembling with fear. It didn't even recognize that this big chicken was its master or understand what had just been said.

Seeing Xiao Luan's rough treatment of Big Peach, Lin Xiao couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the poor thing, having such a master.

He continued questioning Xiao Luan,

"Did you feed them the bead I gave you yesterday? By the way, where are your other two disciples?"

At the mention of the bead, Xiao Luan nodded and proudly clucked about how generously it had shared some of the tasty bead with them.

But when asked about the other two disciples, Xiao Luan's eyes filled with tears as it clucked mournfully to Lin Xiao,

"They were too weak. They went to sleep and never woke up! I buried them outside." It pointed a wing toward the right side of the hut.

Lin Xiao: ...

So, those two poor wild chickens had likely died because they ate the demon core of a Tongyuan Stage demon beast, completely overwhelmed by its power.

Seeing Xiao Luan mourn for a few seconds before bouncing back to normal, Lin Xiao decided it was better not to tell it the grim truth.

Instead, he cautioned Xiao Luan,

"That bead I gave you... Eat only a little at a time, and don't eat it too often. Take it slow, okay? As for your disciple, Big Peach, maybe don't feed it any more for now."

One more bite and it might not survive.

Lin Xiao figured that Big Peach only survived because Xiao Luan had given it the smallest piece of the bead, while the other two must have eaten too much and couldn't handle it.

As for why he didn't think Big Peach's survival was due to some exceptional talent or bloodline...

Given that the three wild chickens had shown no improvement despite following Xiao Luan around in the highly spiritual environment of the sect, it was clear they were just ordinary wild chickens.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Luan nodded in agreement.

It didn't quite understand why Lin Xiao was saying this, but since the delicious bead had come from him, it decided to follow his advice.

Relieved that Xiao Luan agreed, Lin Xiao felt a bit guilty. He had underestimated the consequences, leading to the loss of two disciples. Fortunately, Xiao Luan hadn't recklessly eaten the entire demon core at once; otherwise, it might have shared their fate.

He also blamed himself for not asking Senior Liao more about how to feed the core to a demon beast. Senior Liao probably assumed Lin Xiao would use the demon core for alchemy or crafting instead.

Looking at the bewildered Big Peach on the ground and Xiao Luan, who had resumed showing off its authority as a master, Lin Xiao thought it might be time to revisit the Beast Cultivation Hall Blueprint.

Feeling a twinge of guilt, he realized he had been neglecting Xiao Luan.

Although it was just a wild chicken, it was still a part of their sect.

Gently stroking Xiao Luan's little head, he softly said,

"In a few days, when I have time, I'll build a proper place for you and Big Peach to live."

Hearing that it would get a new home, Xiao Luan excitedly raised its head and clucked,

"Cluck, cluck, cluck!"

Lin Xiao smiled and nodded,

"Alright, it's a deal."

Finally starting to wake up, Big Peach realized that this now much larger chicken was indeed its master. Then it noticed something even stranger—it could understand what its master and this human were saying!

How amazing.

Just then, a sudden flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder.

The air grew increasingly humid.

The thunderclap startled Jiang Youfu, making his face twitch involuntarily.

Big Peach, even more frightened, instinctively burrowed under its master's belly, hiding its head and trembling.

Xiao Luan looked down at Big Peach, who was shivering under its legs, and promptly dragged it out by its comb.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck!"

Useless! What's there to fear from a little thunder?

But Big Peach continued to tremble and tried to snuggle back into its master's embrace.

Watching the interaction between the master and disciple, Lin Xiao chuckled, then stood up and told Xiao Luan,

"It's about to rain. We're heading down the mountain now. You two should sleep on the grass mat tonight, and if the rain gets too heavy and the hut isn't suitable, you can go to the residence and find Senior Liao or Mo Yuanjiao. Understand?"

While trying to keep Big Peach from snuggling too close, Xiao Luan nodded and clucked,

"Got it, got it. You guys go on now."

It had a disciple to teach!

With that, Lin Xiao and his companions bid farewell to Xiao Luan and Big Peach, then made their way down the mountain and headed home.

Just as they arrived, another flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder that echoed across the village.

All the villagers hurriedly placed every container they could find—buckets, basins, and more—outside in their yards, then quickly closed their doors and windows.

Everyone huddled inside their homes, ready to welcome the first heavy rain of the Grain Full season.