Longevity Candle

Chapter 78 The Art of Snake Control, Mythical Birds
Inside the tavern.

The couple busied themselves, sighing from time to time.

"The emperor of Ningguo was right after all." Li Zhu said with a bitter expression.

“We are all inferior to Brother Wanzhang,” Li Meng said in a low voice.

They couldn't understand it, but Li Wanzhang saw it clearly.

It was precisely because he saw things clearly that he persisted in the war, using himself as a blade to strike at the Ningguo army.

"I wonder if the founding emperor of Yunmeng saw it clearly?" Li Zhu suddenly said.

Li Meng's heart skipped a beat, and she whispered, "Clan."

Ningguo is home to powerful and wealthy families, while Yunmeng has a large clan influence. In many places, government officials have to consider the opinions of these clans when handling affairs.

“If he sees things clearly, he will try every means to drag his clan into the battlefield,” Li Zhu said. “These are not things we should worry about. Protecting Jiangzhu is our mission.”

Li Meng nodded and stopped thinking about it.

Whether they see it clearly or not, it's none of their business.

By evening, Xiao Qingxuan returned, but the couple did not tell her about Li Wanzhang.

As usual, she carried a jar of peach blossoms and, in the darkness of night, came before the wandering spirit of an old man.

"Grandpa, please have a jar of peach blossom wine," said Xiao Qingxuan.

The old wandering spirit was taken aback, then laughed and said, "I didn't expect you to come looking for me."

"Grandpa knows me?" Xiao Qingxuan asked in surprise.

“Those soldiers mentioned to me earlier that there was a little girl who could treat us to drinks. I didn’t expect you to come so soon.”

The old wandering soul chuckled, but did not accept the peach blossom wine.

"Does Grandpa want to drink?" Xiao Qingxuan asked.

"Having been dead for so many years, what wandering soul wouldn't want to taste the wine? But this wine can't be drunk so soon," the old wandering soul said.

"When would you like to drink, Grandpa?" Xiao Qingxuan asked, puzzled.

"Grandpa has an unfulfilled wish, so he doesn't want to leave yet," the old ghost said. "If you help Grandpa fulfill his wish, Grandpa will drink this jar of peach blossom wine."

“Grandpa, please tell me,” Xiao Qingxuan said obediently.

"When my grandfather was alive, he was skilled in the art of controlling snakes. He once went deep into the Nanling Mountains and tamed a snake king."

"If you are willing to learn this art of snake control and gain the Snake King's approval, then my grandfather will have a successor and can leave in peace."

The old wandering soul said.

"The art of controlling snakes?" Xiao Qingxuan frowned.

The south is home to many venomous insects and wild beasts, with snakes being rampant; occasionally, venomous snakes can be seen crawling through peach groves.

Snakes are venomous, and she didn't want to learn that method.

"If you learn the art of snake control, you can control thousands of snakes and prevent them from harming people," the old wandering spirit said.

Xiao Qingxuan was stunned for a moment: "Is that even possible?"

"The law has no distinction between good and evil; it all depends on how you use it. Even a venomous snake can protect the peace of a region," the old wandering spirit said.

“Then I’m willing to learn,” Xiao Qingxuan replied.

The old wandering spirit laughed heartily: "Alright, I will teach you the method of controlling snakes. However, you must remember one thing: the method of controlling snakes must not be revealed to the Chang family."

"Why?"

"Because my surname is Chang, I was once an elder in the Chang family."

"Then why won't you let me help you pass on the art of snake control to the younger generation of the Chang family?" Xiao Qingxuan asked, puzzled.

The old wandering spirit shook his head and sighed softly: "Don't ask, don't ask. Although you have obtained immortal methods, you are not yet a person of the immortal path. If I could not bear to see my learning cut off from the inheritance, I would not have made this request."

Xiao Qingxuan understood; it involved the existence of immortals: "Is it the snake-controlling technique passed down by that immortal from the Chang family?"

"Heh." The old ghost chuckled. "What a clever little brat. To control snakes, one must learn snake language and understand their hearts. Although snakes don't possess much intelligence, they still have feelings of joy and anger..."

He didn't mention the deity worshipped by the Chang family, but began to teach her how to control snakes.

Now that the new emperor of Yunmeng Kingdom has ascended the throne, that immortal has fallen into slumber, which is why he is able to teach Li Qingxuan.

If he were not still asleep, he would never dare to teach it. The art of controlling snakes is a means of survival for the Chang family, and only core members of the clan can learn it.

Li Qingxuan studied diligently. Every year, many people in Qiuyue City are killed by venomous snakes. If the venomous snakes could be controlled, it would be a good thing.

She took back the lamp and moonlight, and only invited the old wandering soul to drink.

Late at night, the old wandering spirit went home with her, and from then on, he could teach her the art of controlling snakes during the day.

Li Qingxuan gained another teacher and began to study some medicinal herbs, some of which promoted the growth of snakes and others could detoxify snake venom.

To the old wanderer's surprise, Li Qingxuan's talent was unprecedented, and her learning ability was astonishing.

Although she was busy, she still didn't forget to visit Zhang.

Life was fulfilling and not boring, and Li Qingxuan's martial arts skills improved more and more.

Spring comes and autumn goes, time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Li Qingxuan is fifteen years old. She has mastered the art of controlling snakes and only lacks a snake king.

She often went to the peach grove to look for poisonous snakes.

The hissing of venomous snakes conveys their joys and sorrows, as well as simple desires such as needing food, feeling hot, or feeling cold.

She can distinguish all kinds of emotions.

She fed many venomous snakes, satisfying their simple desires, and the snakes became friendly with her.

Li Qingxuan held up a small snake in her hand, its color as green as jade. This was a jade snake, a famous venomous snake in the Yunmeng Kingdom. One bite from it was enough to overwhelm even the most skilled martial artists.

But this isn't the most venomous; it's unlikely to become the king of snakes.

The old ghost floated beside him, glancing occasionally toward the stream, its eyes filled with deep fear.

"Grandpa, what are you afraid of?" Li Qingxuan put down the jade snake and, before he could deny it, said, "I've brought you to the peach grove for three years. Every time we come, you never go near there and always look there warily."

The old ghost sighed, "Did the person who gave you this peach grove leave any instructions?"

“She told me not to go there at midnight, on the night of the full moon,” Li Qingxuan said.

"Yes, remember to be obedient and see your grandfather off." The old wandering spirit breathed a sigh of relief and said.

"Aren't you going to wait for me to tame the snake king?" Li Qingxuan asked in confusion.

“The Southern Ridge is dangerous. Let’s wait and ask the immortal behind you before making a decision. I don’t want to wait any longer,” the old wandering spirit said.

Li Qingxuan took out peach blossom wine: "Let's drink peach blossom wine one last time."

"Alright." The old wandering soul drank most of it in one gulp, looking at her with complicated eyes: "Little Qingxuan, your grandfather is leaving. Remember, if the clan members make things difficult for you, bring out the immortal behind you, and don't take matters into your own hands."

A green lamp was lit, and the old wandering soul grasped it and walked into the endless darkness.

"Grandpa, may you have a next life," Li Qingxuan said, offering her blessings.

She learned about some things about the clan; they worshipped immortals and also obtained methods from them.

Using these methods, they established themselves and developed into the behemoth they are today, controlling a region.

In the old wandering soul's view, Li Qingxuan was the one chosen by the immortals, but she was just starting out and was not yet able to go head-to-head with the clans.

Li Qingxuan didn't care; she never intended to provoke anyone.

If you provoke her, her sword may not be ineffective.

gurgling

Suddenly, she heard the sound of drinking. Li Qingxuan looked in the direction of the sound and was startled to see a strange bird with black feathers all over its body. Its two heads were buried in the wine jar, and one head was staring at her.

Seeing her look over, the strange bird was startled and squawked, but when its two heads didn't respond, it immediately started cursing, "You two, stop drinking! You've been found out, you idiots..."

"Nonsense, how could she possibly see us?" Two heads were raised, their hair still damp with a little alcohol.

They looked at Li Qingxuan and were momentarily dumbfounded.

The man who had spoken up to remind him had instead plunged his head into the wine jar and started gulping it down.

"You bastard, you were supposed to keep watch..."

Three heads squeezed into the wine jar, vying for the peach blossom wine.

Li Qingxuan was stunned. Weren't you afraid that I would see you?

(End of this chapter)