Chapter 62

Zhang Tianyuan and Xu Gang followed the old woman into a courtyard. The structure of the courtyard was more like that of the northern style, but upon closer reflection, it made sense, as the Shen Luo Kingdom was originally established by people who had fled from the north to Yunnan.

Inside the courtyard were stone tables and stone stools, with teapots and teacups placed on them. It was clear that these were very carefully crafted works of art, and they had been fired a long time ago, likely several hundred years.

Zhang Tianyuan was now almost certain that the people in this village were descendants of the Shen Luo Kingdom, but he did not ask any questions, trying to keep his emotions calm. He wanted to first understand what the so-called sacrificial offering was all about.

"Old lady, Daoism also values the virtue of life. I wonder why such a small eagle would be used as a sacrificial offering? And who are you worshipping?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

The old woman sighed and said, "We worship the Golden-Winged Great Peng Demon King. If we do not offer him sacrifices, there will be wind disasters here. We have no choice but to do this."

"Oh..."

"Actually, it wasn't always like this. Originally, we had two golden eagles guarding us. Unfortunately, a few years ago, those two eagles were destroyed by outsiders. Since then, we have had to use live animals as sacrifices. We don't want to submit to the demon king, but with the golden eagles destroyed, we lost our protection. For the sake of our descendants' peace, we have no choice but to use live animals."

Hearing about the outsiders, Zhang Tianyuan's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to ask more but suppressed his curiosity and said, "Old lady, I am quite skilled in repair techniques. Perhaps I can take a look at the golden eagles and see if I can fix them."

"Is that true?" The old woman asked, her face lighting up.

A little girl beside her interjected, "Hmph, they are all outsiders. They must be greedy for the golden eagles and want to steal them. Repairing them is just a lie. Grandma, we've been tricked many times. Can't you be more cautious?"

The old woman shook her head slightly, clearly confused.

Seeing this, Zhang Tianyuan suddenly picked up a teacup from the table and smashed it on the ground.

This action startled Xu Gang and the villagers who were watching from outside the door. A few men even rushed in with sticks.

Zhang Tianyuan raised his hand and shouted, "Hold on, I have no ill intentions. I just want to show the old lady that my repair skills are not a lie."

The old woman, hearing this, gently pressed her hand down and said, "Don't panic, there's nothing to be afraid of."

The villagers stopped, but they still watched Zhang Tianyuan warily, fearing he might harm the old woman.

Xu Gang, who had almost drawn his gun, quickly put it away and listened to Zhang Tianyuan continue.

Zhang Tianyuan said, "You all saw the teacup, which is now shattered. But I can restore it completely in a short time."

"Impossible!" the girl beside the old woman said.

Zhang Tianyuan smiled and ignored her, turning to the old woman and saying, "Would you be willing to trust me once? After all, you have nothing to lose."

The old woman nodded and said, "That's fine, but you can't leave this courtyard. Is that acceptable?"

"Of course!" Zhang Tianyuan readily agreed. He then instructed Xu Gang to help set up a simple tent in the courtyard. He did not want others to know about his ability to manipulate earth qi, so he asked for some materials that looked like they were for repairing the teacup, but they were just a ruse.

After Zhang Tianyuan entered the tent, Xu Gang felt a bit uneasy. However, he suddenly remembered the time in Xifeng City when Zhang Tianyuan had repaired the "Shangyangtai" scroll. At the time, he hadn't delved into it, but upon reflection, there was a lot to it. Zhang Tianyuan's repair skills were unparalleled, but Xu Gang still couldn't figure out how he did it.

But not understanding it was fine. Thinking about it, Xu Gang felt more confident and sat down to drink tea.

Seeing his relaxed demeanor, the villagers began to believe Zhang Tianyuan's words, and they no longer caused trouble, waiting quietly. They didn't like using live animals for sacrifices; it was too cruel. If the golden eagles could be restored, it would be a great benefit for everyone, especially those who raised eagles.

About ten minutes later, Zhang Tianyuan came out of the tent, holding the teacup, which was almost perfectly restored, and placed it on the stone table.

"This must be fake!" a villager shouted, finding it hard to believe that Zhang Tianyuan could restore the shattered teacup in such a short time. They thought it was a trick.

"No, it's real," the old woman said. "Other things can be faked, but the tea aroma on this cup is genuine. Besides, I've used this cup for so many years. Do you think I would be mistaken?"

The old woman clearly had high prestige in the village. Her words silenced the villagers, who trusted her.

The little girl beside her picked up the cup and examined it closely, then exclaimed, "It's real, it's real! It hasn't changed at all! There are the marks I carved on it."

"Yes, I thought about restoring those marks, but then I realized they might have special significance to you, so I left them as they were," Zhang Tianyuan explained.

No one doubted him anymore. The little girl even said to Zhang Tianyuan, "You're not a liar. You're different from others. I'll take you to see the two golden eagles."

"Danfeng, since you know the guest's skills, prepare some food and let the guest have a good meal first. We can fix the golden eagles afterward," the old woman said to the little girl.

The little girl's name was Zhao Danfeng, which was quite interesting, as the surname Zhao was the imperial surname during the Song Dynasty.

"No need, old lady. I've taken your sacrificial offering, so I should fix the golden eagles as soon as possible so everyone can have a peaceful gathering," Zhang Tianyuan smiled and said.

"Right, right, the big brother is right. Grandma, don't interfere. Just tell the villagers to prepare a feast. After the golden eagles are fixed, we can all celebrate together," Zhao Danfeng said with a smile.

"Little girl, you're so forward, calling him big brother so quickly?" the old woman sighed.

"What's wrong with that? He's older than me, so it's fine to call him big brother," Zhao Danfeng said with a smile, looking at Zhang Tianyuan. "Big brother, what's your name?"

"My name is Xu Gang!" Xu Gang quickly answered.

"I didn't ask you!" Zhao Danfeng glared at Xu Gang.

"Danfeng, this is also a friend. You shouldn't be so rude," the old woman said.

"Hmph, I don't care. I only call skilled people big brother. He doesn't count," Zhao Danfeng said, looking back at Zhang Tianyuan.

Zhang Tianyuan shook his head and smiled bitterly. "I am Zhang Tianyuan. The one beside me is my friend, my best friend!"

"Ah—! Could you be that!" Zhao Danfeng covered her mouth in surprise.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Meaning you have a special relationship, like lovers!" Zhao Danfeng explained.

Zhang Tianyuan and Xu Gang both had black lines on their foreheads. This girl's imagination was a bit too wild.

"Absolutely not!" they both said firmly and in unison.