nucmednet 013 Jade Maiden and Mountain God
013 Jade Maiden and Mountain God
As the crowd gathered around, Xiong Ba tried to remove his hand from the square basin.
Although the [Echoing Insect] has some extraordinary qualities, it is still small and weak. Fang Yu is a huge creature to it.
The vessel was opaque, so no movement inside could be seen. However, Wang Zhang, Li Yu, and others could clearly observe that the square vessel was vibrating slightly.
It seems the little bug is hitting a "wall".
Wang Zhang asked Wang Bin to bring a large-bellied, long-necked jade bottle. Xiong Ba carefully scooped up the square bowl and quickly poured the [Echoing Insect] into the jade bottle.
The inside of the jade bottle was smooth, and a tiny insect, about an inch long, crawled up and slid down the bottle wall.
Everyone crowded around to look inside. The little insect seemed to sense something, and its four little claws collapsed, causing it to lie at the bottom of the bottle and pretend to be dead.
The group was able to see the detailed appearance of the [Echo Insect].
This little insect resembles an olm. It has a pair of small red gills behind its head, branching out and translucent, like a pair of tiny dragon horns.
If you don't think about its origin, it actually looks quite cute.
Moreover, its tiny "dragon horns," slender body, and five toes and four claws make it impossible not to associate it with the legendary "dragon."
The [Echoing Insect] is definitely not a dragon, but dragons are inherently lewd and indiscriminate in their consumption of meat and vegetables. It's hard to say whether the mother of this little insect was favored by the dragon clan, which is why this strange species was born.
"The common depiction of a dragon is like a horse's head and a snake's tail..."
"The Yellow Emperor possessed a dragon-like countenance and saintly virtues..."
"Emperor Shun had a dragon-like face, a large mouth, and black hair..."
Wang Zhang enthusiastically recounted the old stories of the "dragon" to everyone, drawing on a wide range of sources and citing classical texts.
No longer bothered by "echoes," he spoke fluently and with great enthusiasm.
Li Yu was also happy because—"[System]: Congratulations to the player for listening to Wang Zhang's storytelling and gaining 20 Intelligence Experience Points."
Yes, that's equivalent to twenty incomplete ancient medical texts.
For a time, both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.
About half an hour later, as the sun was nearing its zenith, the servant came to report: "Breakfast has been prepared; please come and eat."
With Wang Zhang's permission, Li Yu took the [Echoing Insect] for himself. The physician left reluctantly, carrying a package on his shoulder containing a python gall bladder.
After learning that Li Yu had killed the Corpse-Eating Python, the physician volunteered to prepare a good medicine for Li Yu.
After all, high-quality [mysterious] materials are hard to come by, and being able to make significant progress in one's medicine-making skills through this is also a great opportunity.
With Wang Zhang vouching for him, Li Yu had no worries. He picked up the jade bottle and prepared to leave with Xiong Ba.
He was planning to come to the Wang family's house to read books after breakfast in order to "earn" some experience, upgrade his [intelligence], and quickly establish his own village.
But Wang Zhang tried his best to persuade him to stay, saying, "My dear nephew cured my chronic illness, and I have a gift to give you in gratitude."
In the end, Li Yu and Xiong Ba stayed and had a meal with Wang Zhang and his son.
During the banquet, Wang Zhang again mentioned giving a gift, saying he wanted to repay the debt generously. Li Yu declined, which displeased Wang Zhang.
Li Yu could only say, "I dare not refuse such a gift from an elder," and Wang Zhang's anger turned to joy, his goodwill towards Li Yu increasing even more. Turning his head and seeing Wang Bin engrossed in his soup bowl, slurping his food, he immediately felt a surge of anger.
Wang Zhang picked up a bronze ear cup and smashed it, cursing, "You brat, stop singing and yelling!"
Wang Bin didn't even lift his eyelids, turning his head to dodge the cup being thrown at him. He took another sip of soup before looking up. Somewhat displeased, he said to Wang Zhang, "Grandpa, why are you scolding me again?"
Wang Zhang became even angrier, picked up the cup that his servant had just put back on the table, and was about to smash it again.
The family envoy hurriedly tried to mediate, and Wang Bin also softened his stance. Only then did Wang Zhang calm down, leaving behind the words, "From now on, stay away from those thieves and petty scoundrels," and no longer paying attention to his good-for-nothing son.
Wang Bin muttered a few words, "Brother Pan is definitely not a rat or a dog..." but when he saw Wang Zhang glaring at him again, he reluctantly shut up.
Li Yu and Xiong Ba, standing to the side, looked somewhat embarrassed.
At this moment, Wang Zhang said to Li Yu, "Nephew, if you need anything, just ask."
This refers to a thank-you gift.
Li Yu thought for a moment and said, "I usually level up and kill monsters, but I lack a suitable weapon. If you, Lord Boqing, could bestow upon me a sharp blade, I would be extremely grateful."
His original bronze longsword was already dulled; the high-quality replica of the Fish Intestine Sword he borrowed from Xiong Ba when he killed the python had also been returned to its rightful owner. What Li Yu lacked now was indeed a good weapon.
Of course, he wouldn't ask for an exorbitant price. He didn't need a [Mysterious Grade] or [Yellow Grade] divine weapon; something comparable to, or even slightly inferior to, the [High-Quality Imitation Fish Intestine Sword] would be enough for him.
Wang Zhang's father was a high-ranking official who served as "General of the Five Offices" with a rank equivalent to two thousand piculs of grain. The Wang family could be considered a powerful and influential clan. Li Yu only wanted a handy weapon, which was not a high request, was it?
Li Yu thought to himself.
However, to his surprise, Wang Zhang looked troubled.
Seeing this, Li Yu changed his mind and said, "Armor is also acceptable."
"To be honest, my dear nephew," Wang Zhang said with a wry smile, "if you're after money, I wouldn't dare say a thousand taels of gold, but a hundred would be a small matter. If you're seeking a career in government, I have a very good relationship with Magistrate Liang, so that shouldn't be difficult either. But as for weapons and armor..."
His family was steeped in classical studies and valued literature over military prowess. They did possess weapons and armor, but they were all of the lowest quality and hardly presentable.
Upon hearing this, Li Yu no longer asked for weapons and armor, saying only, "Ten taels of gold from you, Lord Boqing, is enough."
At the end of the Han Dynasty, one gold coin was worth approximately seven thousand to fifteen thousand coins.
Ten gold coins are enough to buy a medium-sized house in Gandan City, or ten hundred-refined steel knives, or a fine horse, and five or six beautiful maids and strong servants.
Quite a lot!
Li Yu was satisfied.
Wang Zhang felt very guilty. When he was suffering from ventriloquism, he would have given up thousands of gold coins if it could cure his illness, let alone hundreds or thousands. But "Nephew Li" could not get weapons or armor, so he finally asked for "ten gold coins".
Being reasonable is truly commendable!
Unlike that unfilial son...
Huh?
Wang Zhang suddenly thought of something.
A few days ago, that good-for-nothing Wang Bin boasted to him that he had acquired a [yellow grade] sword.
"Zijun," Wang Zhang called out to his son in a kind tone.
Wang Bin felt a little uncomfortable and frowned, asking, "Grandpa, what is it?"
"Bring me your newly acquired sword so I can take a look," Wang Zhang said.
Wang Bin nodded subconsciously, then suddenly realized what he meant and frowned: "Grandpa, that [jade-fitted sword] was a gift from a close friend; I would never give it to an outsider!"
Wang Zhang flew into a rage: "You brat, how can your nephew be an outsider?"
"He's not an outsider, I'm the outsider!" Wang Bin angrily left his seat and walked away.
"You little brat!"
Wang Zhang stammered, his speech was incoherent, as if his "ventriloquism" had relapsed.
The family was startled and quickly came over to pat their chest and catch their breath.
Li Yu and Xiong Ba also came over to persuade him, and it took a while for Wang Zhang to calm down a bit.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, my dear nephew," Wang Zhang said with a wry smile.
"A gentleman does not take what belongs to others," Li Yu shook his head and said, "That precious sword was originally a gift from Brother Zijun's close friend, how can it be given to me?"
Wang Zhang shook his head, then suddenly remembered something: "I still have something in my house, not armor, but not bad either. Nephew, please wait a moment, I'll go and fetch it."
After saying that, he walked away.
After a short while, Wang Zhang returned, holding a scroll in his hand.
The painting depicts mountains, temples, pythons, and women.
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[Building Blueprints - Jade Maiden Mountain Temple]
[Rank] Mysterious
[Required for construction] Mystic-grade snake bone, Mystic-grade mountain stone.
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Li Yu took the blueprints and looked at them, while Wang Zhang recounted an old story.
In his early years, Wang Zhang traveled to various prefectures and encountered a strange incident in Wuyang County, a county in the southwestern Yi region.
In Wuyang County, there is a salt well, and next to the well is a [Jade Maiden Shrine]. Inside the shrine is a solitary statue of a jade maiden, without husband or companion.
Every year, Wuyang County must send a young man into the well to be married to the beautiful woman. If they don't, the well will dry up, and the people will die.
At that time, there was a giant python in the western mountains of Shu County that ate people. There was a shrine on the mountain called the [Western Mountain Shrine].
Every year, the people of Xishan would dress up a young girl in her finest clothes and send her to the Xishan Shrine to be fed to snakes. If they didn't send her, the snakes would harm people indiscriminately.
At this point, Wang Zhang paused slightly, a smug look appearing on his face.
Li Yu smiled and said, "Was it Lord Boqing who stepped in and resolved these two troubles?"
Wang Zhang laughed and said, "Some children were killed by that Jade Maiden and the Mountain God, and they harbored resentment. So I ordered them to dig up the Jade Maiden statue and throw it into the python's den."
"From that time on, the mountain god became the husband and the jade maiden the wife."
"The Jade Maiden and the Mountain God will no longer harm people."
"And that's how I got this blueprint."