The wind roared past his ears, and as the mountains and streams quickly fell behind him, Ji An couldn't resist letting out a long howl.
But the moment he opened his mouth, the gale stuffed it full of air, making him cough violently.
He had been careless.
The foolish Gray-Feathered Sand Goose beneath him rolled its eyes, showing open disdain and mockery.
Then it suddenly accelerated, performing all kinds of dangerous stunts in midair, steep climbs, rapid dives, and tight spirals, each maneuver designed to try and shake off the rider on its back.
Ever since it had seen the wild beasts soaring freely in the skies, the sand goose had yearned for that same freedom.
It was clever enough to know that if it could just seize the beast token that bound it, it would be free.
Back when it had first been tamed, it had secretly tried similar tricks, suddenly rolling or diving midair to throw its handler off. But after a few harsh punishments, it had learned to behave, at least on the surface.
Now, with the token passed to this new master, it saw another chance.
At first, when the sand goose started its antics, Ji An had been excited; he thought this beast actually understood the thrill of a good show.
But as the maneuvers grew wilder, his expression darkened.
He suddenly recalled the Beast Hall disciple's warning: "Once sold, spirit beasts cannot be returned. This one is intelligent and mischievous; you'll need to discipline it firmly."
So that was the catch. No wonder it had been sold for four stones less despite its fine condition, and not just because of Zhao Mengyao's face.
Ji An held up the beast token and tried to command it through spiritual sense: "Slow down! Fly steady."
The sand goose ignored him completely and only sped up further.
So you're rebelling, are you?! Ji An's lips curled back as he seized the goose's head with one hand. With the other, he raised the token close to his eyes.
At his fingertip, razor-sharp golden light flared, the Sharp Metal Art sparking with cold brilliance.
In the bird's black pupils, golden blossoms bloomed, the piercing aura stabbing into its eyes until tears streamed down, glittering as they scattered into the air.
"Gaaawk!"
The suffocating sense of imminent death engulfed the sand goose's tiny mind. It croaked frantically, wind flooding its throat.
Instinct told it to jerk its head away, but the deadly golden light hovered right at its eye. Terrified, it froze, pleading silently.
That razor-thin brush with death was far more direct and terrifying than the token's punishments.
When Ji An finally heard the wind around him ease, he dismissed the technique and stroked the feathers of the bird's neck.
"Behave yourself. Don't push me into turning nasty."
The rest of the flight was much steadier. When it came in to land, the sand goose even let out two crisp calls to warn its rider of descent.
Inside his courtyard, Ji An lowered the protective array. His Spirit-Seeking Rat immediately bristled at the sight of the huge gray bird, eyes flashing with hostility.
The little creature fluffed up its golden-brown fur and scampered over, squeaking ingratiatingly.
"Gaaawk!"
The sand goose suddenly lunged its head forward with a loud cry, as if to say: Little runt, I don't like the way you looked at me just now!
Startled, the rat darted behind Ji An, poking its head out with bared teeth in a pitiful show of defiance.
"Enough, both of you! If I ever catch you fighting, you'll both be punished."
Ji An raised the beast token and gave each of them a stern warning, especially cautioning the sand goose not to touch any of the courtyard's spiritual plants.
Then he returned to the bamboo loft, scooped out half a bowl of Jadegrain Rice, and scattered it as feed.
Soon, he would be leaving this temporary dwelling behind. Apart from the lush spiritual plants filling the yard, he felt little attachment to the place.
Ji An packed away the wooden carving and a few robes into his storage pouch, gathered up his talisman brushes and ink, and even bundled up the spirit rice from the grain jar. By then, there was nothing left in the courtyard that could be called his personal belongings.
Six years had passed. He was still poor, yet he had exchanged that poverty for the cultivation of the ninth layer of Qi Refining. His future stretched before him like the rising sun.
After a brief moment of sentiment, Ji An grabbed the pouch of talisman grass seeds, took his two spirit beasts, and strode out.
The warding light at the gate shimmered once more before fading into nothing, sealing the courtyard behind him.
In the spirit fields, orange-red light and earthen-yellow light flashed in turn as Ji An scattered talisman grass seeds, followed by the Thick Earth Formula and then a gentle rainfall.
His movements were smooth and practiced. As the silver rain trickled down, fresh sprouts of green pushed up through what had been barren soil.
The Jadegrain Rice was already entering its tasseling stage, the stalks swaying as the spirit rain tapped their leaves and unfurled their green blades.
"Now that I'm raising two beasts, I'll need to plant more Jadegrain Rice.
And since I won't be able to guard the fields all the time, I'll have to buy a puppet beast to drive off thieving birds… which means more spirit stones spent."
Ji An made his calculations, then tucked the Spirit-Seeking Rat into a cloth pouch, mounted his sand goose, and flew off.
He landed in front of a courtyard and called out:
"Feihu?!"
The bamboo lodge door swung open, and Huang Feihu came out with his usual honest smile.
"Senior Brother, what an honor! Please, come in."
His eyes lit with envy when he saw the vigorous Gray-Feathered Sand Goose. For him, the price of a flying beast was no small matter, and raising a medium-sized beast like that cost a fortune besides.
The two men passed through the courtyard, where vegetables and fruits grew in neat rows, before sitting down inside the bamboo lodge.
Ji An glanced at the talisman brush and paper laid out on a side table and smiled.
"So, Junior Brother, what kind of talismans are you working on? I've got a batch of low-grade talisman paper. Would you like some?"
"I only just started learning. I've been practicing Golden Armor Talismans and Flame Explosion Talismans."
Huang Feihu scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
They were the most popular talismans on the market, but since his mastery of the spells was still shallow, he wouldn't be able to make money from them for at least another year or two.
"Two hundred sheets will be enough, Senior Brother. A month from now, I'll be harvesting my own talisman grass."
As he spoke, he placed two spirit stones on the table.
Ji An set down a stack of paper, more than two hundred sheets in total, and smiled.
"Take them all. When you're just starting, you'll need plenty to practice with. Forget the spirit stones for now. Pay me back when you're actually making a profit."
He then told Huang Feihu about his recent acceptance as a disciple under Elder Ge at Verdant Cliff, and added with a grin:
"You've got talent in farming, Junior Brother, it shouldn't go to waste. When I advance to Foundation Establishment, my teacher's medicine garden will surely need new caretakers. At that time, I'll be able to recommend you."
He believed in laying groundwork and thinking ahead; every bit of good impression left on his master was worth something. Even if Huang Feihu didn't meet Elder Ge's requirements, Ji An could still hire him to help manage his own spirit fields.
"Many thanks, Senior Brother."
Huang Feihu stood and bowed deeply. His grandfather had often spoken of the various benefits a spirit farmer could enjoy, and securing the duty of tending a master's private medicine garden was considered the best path forward.
If one managed to care for an elder's garden, it was even better.
But such opportunities required not only skill in planting, but more importantly, the right connections.
He was confident in his planting, but with no family connections, finding such work was nearly impossible. He had thought of spending spirit stones to buy favors, but feared he wouldn't even know whom to bribe.
Now, with Ji An's promise, all those worries evaporated. With his senior brother's talent and resources, he might well form his Foundation within a few short years.
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