WBICDPH Chapter 43 Part 2

Compared to the ring, something else weighed more heavily on his mind.

Today, Zhe Yu had explained the opportunities and talents this body possessed. When Lin Jin first learned of it, he’d been thrilled—but now that he’d calmed down, it seemed he still couldn’t do much.

The issue of affinity hadn’t been solved. He still couldn’t become a beast tamer!

So what if he could manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth? At most, he could cast minor spells. Other cultivators relied on techniques, sword arts, and divine abilities—what did he have? Cleansing spells? Growth spells? The most aggressive thing he could manage was probably a lightning spell, but those were all basic spells. If he could do them, others could too.

After thinking it over, it seemed the most practical combat use was forming an unbreakable barrier out of spiritual energy to keep himself alive.

Still, Zhe Yu had said he could properly use this talent and walk his own path. If Zhe Yu said so, there must be a reason. The Huaiyu Sacred Body clearly had far more potential—it just required him to explore it himself.

Same as always: one step at a time.

Humming to himself, Lin Jin followed the guidance of that scammer black butterfly all the way back to Nanqian Sect.

Once he reached Nanqian Sect’s territory, the black butterfly formed from Zhe Yu’s spiritual power dissipated on its own. By then, Lin Jin knew the way. He headed first to Moyuzi’s small courtyard, and as soon as he entered, he saw Miss Hua squatting beside the chicken coop, apparently reflecting on her mistakes.

“Hey, Miss Hua, what are you doing?”
Lin Jin walked over and patted Hua Nanzhi on the shoulder.

She glanced back at him.
“Watching the chickens. I still feel like something’s off about this bunch.”

“Why?” Lin Jin followed her gaze into the coop.

His adorable Red Silk Mountain Chickens were strolling around and pecking at food as usual—peaceful, orderly, and perfectly normal.

“Which one escaped earlier?” Lin Jin counted them and asked.

“I don’t know. I can’t tell them apart—they all look the same. Why? Is it important?”

“No, just asking. As long as the count’s right.”
As he spoke, Lin Jin rolled up his sleeves, lifted the hem of his robe, and climbed into the coop himself.

Hua Nanzhi looked at him in confusion.
“What are you doing?”

“Obviously, I’m grabbing a chicken to roast. Tonight’s main dish is roast chicken.”

“I nearly died bringing those chickens back, and now you’re telling me you’re going to roast them?”

“Yeah. My master raises these Red Silk Mountain Chickens to roast and eat in the first place.”

Lin Jin surveyed the flock and quickly locked onto the biggest, fattest, prettiest one.

He bent down and grabbed the Red Silk Mountain Chicken. Glancing at it casually, he noticed something slightly unusual.

Red Silk Mountain Chickens were white all over, with only a few red feathers on their foreheads and tails. Normally, an adult had three red plumes on its brow—but the one in his hand had five.

Aside from that, it was no different from the others—at least, neither Lin Jin nor Hua Nanzhi could see any difference.

There were always exceptions. Maybe this one was just especially outstanding and good-looking.

Lin Jin didn’t think too much about it. He grabbed the chicken by its wings and headed straight for the small kitchen.

Hua Nanzhi, craving roast chicken, found an excuse to stay and help out.

Soon, the aroma of barbecue filled the courtyard. Just as the roast chicken was about to be done, Lin Jin suddenly heard three powerful bell tolls echoing from the main peak of Yanyu Mountain.

He recognized that sound. The bell was mounted in the most prominent place on the main peak and was usually rung only when something serious had happened, to warn the sect’s disciples.

Three tolls generally didn’t signal a dire emergency—at least, nothing that concerned low-ranking disciples like them—so Lin Jin didn’t pay it much attention. He set the dishes on the table as usual and happened to run into Moyuzi, who had just returned from an assembly.

The old man strolled in with his hands behind his back. Seeing the table full of good food, his small eyes lit up.

“Oh? What’s the occasion today? So many dishes.”

“Oh, nothing special. Just cooked on a whim.”

With Hua Nanzhi still present, Lin Jin couldn’t admit this was supposed to be a farewell dinner. He changed the subject casually.

“By the way, Master, why did the mountain-shaking bell ring just now?”

As he asked this, Hua Nanzhi came jogging over with the roast chicken. Moyuzi stared at the glistening, fatty bird on the plate, practically drooling.

“Oh… nothing major. Elder Liuxun’s Flame Cloud Sparrow went missing. Everyone’s been asked to help look for it.”

As he spoke, Moyuzi glanced at Hua Nanzhi, as if suddenly remembering something.

He pulled a Red Silk Mountain Chicken out of his storage ring.

“Little Hua, take a look at this. What’s this? I asked you to feed the chickens—how did you manage to let one run off? Caught it red-handed, didn’t I? Criticism!”

Half-joking, Moyuzi shook the recovered chicken at Hua Nanzhi, then grabbed it by the wings and wandered off toward the chicken coop on the other side of the courtyard.

He completely failed to notice the expressions on the two youngsters’ faces.

“……”

Lin Jin swallowed hard.

He looked at the chicken in Moyuzi’s hand, then at the one on the table.

His voice trembled.
“Just now… what did my master say the bell rang for?”

Hua Nanzhi was sweating buckets.
“B-Because Elder Liuxun’s Flame Cloud Sparrow went missing.”

“The numbers in the coop are correct, so why does my master still have a Red Silk Mountain Chicken in his hand?”

“I don’t know…”

“Then what exactly did you bring back?”

“A R-Red Silk Mountain Chicken…”

“Really?”

“……Probably?”

The more they talked, the more uneasy they became.

Finally, Lin Jin took a deep breath and asked with his last shred of hope,
“Where did you find that chicken?”

“……”
Hua Nanzhi was silent for a long time before answering,
“I think it was… behind Dongli Sect’s mountain.”

Hearing that place name, Lin Jin completely broke down.

“Sis! You’re my real sister!! How do you go looking for a chicken and end up in Dongli?!”

Hua Nanzhi was equally distraught.
“Didn’t you tell me to search in that direction?! If you keep going that way, you end up in Dongli!!!”

In Lin Jin’s eyes, the roast chicken on the table blurred into double images. At this moment, it wasn’t roast chicken—it was a death warrant from the King of Hell.

Unable to catch his breath, Lin Jin collapsed stiffly onto the ground.