57: Thank you for the invitation, Fetion message

The two cultivators, one tall and one short, scurried away like rats, disappearing into the bustling crowd in a blink, as if they had never appeared.

Yan Gang still glared in the direction they vanished, his chest heaving, and he grumbled in a muffled voice:

"Bah! Cunning scoundrels! If I ever see them again, I'll make sure they pay!"

Li Yinglong, hearing this, smiled faintly and slowly said:

"The Jianghu is treacherous. Such people are like maggots clinging to bone; it's unlikely this is the last time. Observing their shifty eyes as they left, and their hurried but not disorderly steps, they might not have truly fled far. Perhaps they are lurking somewhere outside the village, waiting for 'fat sheep' like us to fall into their trap. It's not impossible."

Aya, having wiped away her tears of excitement, frowned slightly upon hearing this, a look of realization and lingering fear on her face:

"Old Sir is absolutely right! Just now, I was so mesmerized by that ice soul spirit ginseng that I didn't detect the danger! If not for your Wisdom Eye, discerning their treacherous plot, my brother and sister and I might not only have been cheated of our Spirit Stones but also endangered the lives of our clan members! This kindness, Aya and my brother will never forget!"

Saying this, she was about to bow again.

Li Yinglong lightly flicked his sleeve, and a gentle force supported the two, his tone shifting to soft instruction:

"No need for such formality. Just remember what happened today. When you're out and about, never harbor ill intentions towards others, but always be wary of others. I'm not teaching you to be overly suspicious and lose your sincerity, but rather to discern truth from falsehood, and to understand that the sinister nature of human hearts often manifests in subtle details."

The three finally understood completely; Li Yinglong was speaking from experience.

Yan Gang slapped his head hard and said in a simple voice:

"I understand! From now on, when something happens, I need to look more, listen more, and think more, not just rely on brute force!"

"Good."

Li Yinglong nodded:

"A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. Experience is sustenance. Fortunately, we didn't suffer a loss. See, we got the item and saved a hundred Spirit Stones."

Aya had completely calmed down by now, regaining some of her usual spiritedness. She carefully placed the cold jade box containing the ice soul spirit ginseng into her personal pouch and said to Li Yinglong:

"Old Sir, your concerns are well-founded. But you don't need to worry; leave this matter to Aya!"

With that, she smiled brightly, took Lin Xiaowan's hand, and said to Li Yinglong and Yan Gang:

"Please follow me, everyone!"

She skillfully led the three through the bustling, shoulder-to-shoulder market to a relatively quiet corner.

This place leaned against a natural stone wall covered in thick moss, and in front of the stone wall grew a towering ancient tree that would take more than ten people to encircle.

This tree had weathered countless years; its trunk was gnarled and vigorous, like a coiling Dragon, and deep brown resinous sap subtly seeped from its cracked bark, emitting a faint fragrance.

Its crown was like a magnificent canopy, its branches and leaves extremely lush, blocking out the sky and sun. Sunlight filtered through the gaps, creating dappled patterns of light.

Even stranger, hundreds of birds of various kinds perched among the layers of branches.

These birds varied in form and size, with colorful plumage—some red as flame, blue as indigo, emerald as jade. Most were highly spiritual, either preening their feathers quietly or tilting their heads to observe the people below, emitting clear and melodious calls, yet without the usual cacophony of a bird market.

Upon closer inspection, many branches held small, exquisite bamboo and wooden bird nests of uniform style, neatly arranged.

Under the shade of the giant tree, not far away, was a simple hut built with thick bamboo and stone slabs. In front of the hut, a bamboo recliner was placed, on which an old man leisurely lay, smoking a water pipe.

The old man's skin was dark, his face covered in wrinkles like old tree bark. He wore a collarless indigo homespun jacket, his feet bare. He puffed on his water pipe, his eyes narrowed, looking lazy and content.

"Grandpa Shama!" Aya called out cheerfully, jogging over.

The old man opened his eyes at the sound. Seeing it was Aya, a kind smile appeared in his cloudy old eyes. He put down his water pipe and sat up:

"Oh, it's Aya, girl, and Yan Gang, lad! It's been a while since I saw you two running around wildly. How's your Father's cold leg doing these days? Did he use the 'Fire Ant Wine' I had someone send over last time?"

Aya replied with a giggle:

"Thank you for your concern, Grandpa Shama. Father is much better and is already talking about inviting you to the village for a drink when you're free! I came this time to borrow a messenger bird to send a message of peace back to the village and to ask a few uncles to come and pick us up."

"No problem, no problem." Grandpa Shama chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Li Yinglong and Lin Xiaowan who followed behind. Seeing that they were unfamiliar faces, yet with extraordinary bearing, he merely nodded slightly and didn't ask further, clearly accustomed to guests from all directions.

He put his fingers to his mouth and let out a long, clear whistle.

Before the whistle faded, a gray shadow shot down from the top of the giant tree like lightning, moving so fast it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye!

In a blink, it had landed steadily on the leather arm guard of Grandpa Shama's outstretched arm.

It was an exceptionally magnificent falcon!

This falcon was only about half a foot in size, a bit smaller than a typical hunting falcon, but its streamlined body was full of explosive power.

The feathers on its head and neck were dark green, while its back feathers were a dense pattern of alternating dark gray and inky black fine stripes, gleaming with a metallic cold light under the sun.

Its eagle eyes were sharp as torches, with golden irises and pitch-black pupils, radiating intelligence with every glance.

Its beak was short and hooked, as if polished from black jade, and its talons were slender yet powerfully sinewy, gripping the arm guard tightly.

Most remarkably, its tail feathers were longer than those of ordinary falcons, slightly forked at the end, clearly indicating its exceptional ability to change speed and direction in the air.

Yan Gang quietly explained to Li Yinglong beside him:

"Old Sir, these are the messenger stations set up by our Hundred Clans of the Southern Border in various places. Each clan raises spiritual birds skilled in flight, which are then housed in stations in major strongholds and cities, overseen by old trainers like Grandpa Shama. When clan members need to, they can come here to write letters, which are then sent back to their own stronghold by messenger birds."

"This 'Green Shadow Falcon' is one of the fastest flying birds of our Angry Dragon Clan; traveling a thousand li in a day is nothing to it."

Li Yinglong carefully observed the Green Shadow Falcon. It looked proud and quite affectionate towards Grandpa Shama, gently pecking the old man's finger with its beak, clearly well-trained.

He couldn't help but secretly praise that although the Hundred Clans of the Southern Border seemed isolated, they had their own efficient and practical information transmission network. He couldn't help but ask:

"Can such messenger birds be purchased by outsiders? Do they require special methods for training?"

Just then, Aya had already retrieved a brush, ink, and a small roll of special thin parchment from the bamboo hut of the station, quickly wrote the letter, tied it with a thin string, and returned.

She happened to hear Li Yinglong's question and replied with a smile:

"Old Sir, it's best for these messenger birds to be nurtured daily with the future owner's vital blood Qi and aura while still unhatched in the egg. When they hatch, the first person they see is very likely to be recognized as their master, making training twice as effective. If it's an adult wild bird, its wild nature is hard to tame, and it's extremely difficult for it to recognize a master."

"Our Angry Dragon Stockade just happens to have a clutch of Green Shadow Falcon eggs about to hatch. You've helped us tremendously this time. Later, I'll have Father pick out a few of the best fledglings to give to you! Consider it a small token of our appreciation!"

Yan Gang also nodded vigorously, his eyes full of eagerness:

"Yes, Old Sir! You and Younger Sister Xiaowan must come back to our stronghold as guests! Let our clan properly thank you!"

"Hmm? Visit your stronghold as guests?"

Li Yinglong hadn't expected them to invite him as a guest and was momentarily taken aback.

He initially wanted to decline, but seeing their genuine sincerity, clearly not empty pleasantries, he pondered for a moment.

He indeed needed such spiritual birds to establish his own communication network between the isolated island overseas and Linhai City.

Moreover, after several days, he had grown curious about the customs and traditions of this Southern Border stronghold, so he no longer refused, cupping his hands and saying:

"Since that's the case, I shall presumptuously impose. Thank you both for your kind invitation."

Aya was overjoyed at the news. She carefully rolled the parchment letter into a small scroll, inserted it into a light bamboo tube, and sealed it with wax.

Grandpa Shama took the bamboo tube, skillfully tied it to the silver ring on the Green Shadow Falcon's leg, gently patted the falcon's back, pointed north, and low-roared:

"Go!"

The Green Shadow Falcon, as if understanding, let out a clear cry, flapped its wings, and transformed into a green lightning bolt, shooting into the sky. In a few breaths, it had become a small black dot in the heavens, rapidly disappearing in the direction of the distant, mist-shrouded mountains.

"Alright, at most by tomorrow noon, the stronghold will receive the letter and send people to pick us up."

Aya clapped her hands and turned to Li Yinglong with a smile:

"Old Sir, Younger Sister Xiaowan, let's find a place to rest in the Blood Gu Village first, while we wait for our clan members to pick us up. We can also show you around the Blood Gu Village!"

Li Yinglong smiled and nodded, his gaze once again sweeping over the towering ancient tree teeming with spiritual birds and Grandpa Shama leisurely smoking his water pipe. In his heart, he couldn't help but feel a greater sense of anticipation for the Angry Dragon Stockade he was about to visit.