Longevity, starting from being a chicken raising servant Chapter 4 - 4 4: Spirit Chicken!_1

Chapter 4: Spirit Chicken!_1 The servants finally arrived with the delivery of chicken feed and culled spirit insects.

Old Sun, however, remained visibly perplexed.

Why did it lay an egg so suddenly? Was my memory playing tricks on me?

Standing by his side, Wang Ba didn't dare interject. He simply followed Old Sun's lead, helping to dump the fresh feed into the large fermentation vat.

Even though it was mere chicken feed, a trace of spiritual energy lingered within it.

Just by catching a scent of the mixture, Wang Ba felt the lingering sensation of weakness in his body begin to fade.

Once this feed finished fermenting, the potency of its spiritual energy would rise significantly.

The Precious Chickens that consumed such nourishment would grow more robust, and their internal spiritual energy would become far more concentrated.

Of course, the discarded spirit insects were a crucial component as well.

"Don't use your bare hands!"

Old Sun barked, stopping Wang Ba just as he reached toward the pile of insects.

The old man quickly grabbed an iron spoon, scooping up the wriggling spirit insects and scattering them before the waiting Precious Chickens.

"Most of these culled spirit insects are venomous. It won't hurt the Precious Chickens, but if a human touches them, they’ll end up dead or crippled!"

Perhaps for some unknown reason, Old Sun, who had been quite cold the previous day, was remarkably talkative today.

He offered various bits of practical advice every now and then.

Startled by the warning, Wang Ba immediately pulled his hand back.

Old Sun noticed the reaction but didn't show any disdain.

It was only natural for someone to be jumpy after narrowly escaping death.

"They only require feeding once per day. Don't fret about them starving; the spiritual energy from the feed and insects is enough to keep them satisfied for a full day and night."

Old Sun set the iron spoon aside, continuing his instructions.

Wang Ba nodded repeatedly, committing the information to memory.

This was certainly a departure from his previous life, where chickens would spend the entire day pecking for food.

After all, ordinary chickens have straight digestive tracts; they eat and excrete almost simultaneously, processing food at an incredible speed.

Seeing that Wang Ba was attentive, polite, and modest,

Old Sun's demeanor softened considerably compared to the day before, and he didn't mind sharing a bit more knowledge:

"See that one? It stops eating as soon as it's full. And that one over there—these Precious Chickens are incredibly fussy eaters. Sometimes you have to starve them a bit to keep them in line, and that one... Huh? That’s odd!"

Following Old Sun’s pointed gaze, Wang Ba spotted a sturdy, round hen that looked vaguely familiar. It was using its heavy frame to shove its peers out of the way.

Meanwhile, its beak was working furiously, pecking at the food as if it hadn't eaten in years and was trying to make up for lost time.

The feed in front of it was vanishing at a rate visible to the eye.

It was eating more than all the other hens combined.

Wang Ba's heart gave a sudden thud.

This chicken was being far too conspicuous!

Old Sun, watching the scene unfold, knit his brows tightly.

"It’s that chicken again..."

"How peculiar!"

Old Sun limped toward it, and with a sudden blur of motion, reached out to seize it!

However, to the utter shock of both Old Sun and Wang Ba,

The hen gave a nimble hop and evaded his grasp!

Wang Ba was especially stunned!

He had witnessed Old Sun's hand speed both last night and this morning.

The old man's movements were usually unerring and precise!

Whichever bird he aimed for, he caught!

Instead of being angry at the miss, Old Sun looked ecstatic.

He lunged for the hen a second time.

This time, Wang Ba couldn't even track the movement.

There was only a momentary flash before his eyes.

"Cluck! Cluck—"

The plump hen was now firmly in Old Sun's grip.

He deftly pinned the chicken's wings behind its back and began running his hands over its body.

As he felt the bird's frame, Old Sun's eyes began to sparkle.

"Good heavens! It’s almost a Spirit Chicken!"

"A Spirit Chicken?"

Wang Ba inquired, sounding confused.

Old Sun was in high spirits after finding such a rarity, so he didn't hold back.

"While Precious Chickens are high-priced, and even the Qi Refining immortals of the Sect eat them, they are still fundamentally mundane livestock. At best, they possess a shred of spiritual intelligence!"

"But a Spirit Chicken... that is a true Immortal Bird that has evolved beyond the mundane world!"

"Granted, this one isn't a true Spirit Chicken yet, but it's very close. Even so, this is a massive achievement!"

"If it's raised with care over the next few days, it will undoubtedly transform into a Spirit Chicken."

Old Sun explained with great enthusiasm.

His joy was plain to see as he inspected the hen from every angle.

In contrast, Wang Ba felt a sense of unease.

It was only natural that the chicken changed after he had infused it with his own lifespan.

Still, he asked the most important question:

"Old Sun, how much credit would I receive for presenting a Spirit Chicken like this?"

Old Sun carefully set the hen down and replied:

"It could grant you an exemption from the annual offering."

"Only a single year's exemption?"

Wang Ba felt a wave of disappointment.

He had hoped for something like Cultivation Methods as a reward from the Sect, even if he didn't strictly need them.

"Hmph! Don't look down on an exemption."

Old Sun's good mood made him quite chatty:

"The Sect follows strict rules."

"You are free to do as you wish with the extra chickens in the villa, provided they are well-tended and the monthly quotas are met. Failing those quotas leads to very grim consequences."

"Think about it. If you don't have to hand over chickens for a year, you'll have an extra 48 Precious Chickens and 2,400 Precious Chicken eggs to sell for yourself!"

"Based on current prices, a male Precious Chicken goes for two-tenths of a Spirit Stone, and a female for four-tenths. That alone is worth fourteen low-grade Spirit Stones!"

"While the eggs aren't worth much individually, 2,400 of them are worth another two or three Spirit Stones."

"Add it up, and you're looking at seventeen or eighteen low-grade Spirit Stones!"

"With eighteen Spirit Stones, you could buy a massive estate in the mortal cities and marry several wives!"

Wang Ba's pulse quickened!

He hadn't realized Precious Chickens were so lucrative!

Nor did he realize the immense value placed on a Spirit Chicken!

After all, the reward is rarely worth more than the item itself. If the Sect was willing to offer such a reward, the value they gained must be even higher.

However, upon doing the math, he sensed something was off.

"Old Sun, the number of chickens we have doesn't seem enough to cover the regular offerings."

"Even with a year's exemption, we'd still need to keep birds for breeding and for the following year's quota. In the end, we might only be able to sell about eleven roosters and two hens."

"Even with the eggs, that only totals about three or four low-grade Spirit Stones."

Old Sun paused, looking slightly surprised by Wang Ba's observation.

"You're quite sharp!"

After a moment of silence, he glanced around and lowered his voice:

"The Sect isn't charitable; they calculate these things even better than you! Precious Chickens are the closest thing to Spirit Chickens and are notoriously hard to breed. The Sect managers know this well; just meeting the monthly quota is considered a success for most estates. There’s rarely a large surplus."

"Our estate was hit hard by a disease a few years back and suffered heavy losses. We've only just started to recover."

"And as for the shortage... heh, the Sect doesn't care! If you're short, you find a way. Even if you have to buy them from the market to fill the gap, you must do it. Do you think they give us a salary for no reason?"

"So that’s how it works."

Wang Ba suddenly understood.

He had wondered why the Spirit Chicken's value was so high; it turned out the reward was essentially a hollow promise.

This also cleared up his confusion regarding the discrepancies in the villa's chicken count.

"Well, since I'm leaving soon, I figured I should tell you these things so you can keep them in mind. It'll be good for you."

Old Sun stroked his beard as he spoke.

"Wait, you're leaving the mountain?"

Wang Ba was caught off guard.

"Life demands it!"

Old Sun let out a long sigh, his hand still on his beard:

"When I was a young man, I was obsessed with finding immortality. I spent my entire family fortune just to join the Sect, hoping for even the smallest opportunity."

"After entering, I spent fifty years diligently practicing the Body Strengthening Scripture. I've reached Stage IX, just one step away from Stage X and developing a Spiritual Root..."

"But alas, what a pity!"

"That one single stage is a gap as wide as a thousand miles!"

"Wang, life is fleeting. Seize what you can now, and don't wait until you're my age to feel regret."

"This is the only advice I can offer you as an elder."

Wang Ba remained silent.

Old Sun's life story felt like a mirror of his own at first glance.

It was almost as if he were hearing his own future narrated back to him.

In truth, Old Sun's talent was far superior to Wang Ba's.

Reaching Stage IX of the Body Strengthening Scripture in fifty years was no small feat.

Had he stayed in the secular world, he would have been a legendary martial arts master.

He could have lived a glorious life, traveling the lands on horseback.

Instead, here in this immortal Sect, he was nothing more than an obscure old man tending to chickens.

A life spent in bitterness and longing.

Without his golden finger, Wang Ba's path would likely have ended the same way.

But now that I have a chance to change my fate, I won't let it pass!

I must be patient and wait!

Watching the Precious Chickens roam the yard, Wang Ba quietly clenched his fists.