To some extent, the jade box can effectively block the Evil Qi. Moreover, the buyer from Yan Country had previously given Zhao Yi some talismans to suppress the Evil Qi, and Li An now attached these to the jade box.

The henchman looked grim, but still stepped forward. Just as he placed the Tribulation Jade into the jade box, he dropped dead on the spot.

"The Chief is invincible!"

The crowd shouted loudly.

Li An accepted the Tribulation Jade, ordered the Ren Tu Stronghold be managed, and then continued on to Vajra Stronghold.

Upon charging into Vajra Stronghold, he encountered some resistance. Surprisingly, Village Chief Song Jigang was not as severely injured as Li Luocha, and it took Li An some effort to kill him.

"Chief, what about these villagers? Should we slaughter them all or take a few good-looking ones back to the stronghold to warm the bed?"

Chen Gui pushed over a group of villagers and said:

"That bastard Song Jigang is quite capable; he captured this entire village and used their blood to absorb the Evil Qi..."

Li An glanced at these villagers, ready to slaughter them all.

The fate of these villagers was already sealed for death; Li An was not about to risk exposure for them. Leaving them without humiliation before death was the greatest mercy.

But suddenly, one of the bound, bright-eyed maidens whistled, and an eagle unexpectedly swooped down from the sky, diving at Chen Gui. Caught off guard, Chen Gui almost had his face clawed, but since he was at the ninth level of Qi Cultivation, he swiftly struck back and split the eagle in two!

"Demoness, I'll cut you down with one stroke..."

Chen Gui roared, about to kill the maiden, but his blade was suddenly halted mid-air, unable to descend.

Li An had intervened to stop him.

"The villagers are innocent, why kill them?"

Li An said coldly.

Chen Gui was instantly puzzled.

Li An continued, "The innocent should not be killed indiscriminately. Go handle the other mountain bandits, I'll talk with them."

Having said this, Li An dismounted and personally went over to untie the villagers, saying, "Fellow villagers, you've suffered. Rest assured, you are now safe."

Li An spoke with a gentle demeanor.

Because earlier, that maiden had caught his attention...

That maiden seemed to have used the Beast Taming Skill?

Yet the key was, she was evidently just a mortal, with no cultivation!

This was quite intriguing...

The villagers, seeing Li An so kind, immediately knelt down one after another, pleading for their lives and bursting into tears.

The maiden skilled in Beast Taming also knelt with everyone else.

Li An lifted them up one by one, ordered someone to give them food, and the villagers were so grateful that they seemed to have met a living bodhisattva, thanking him profusely.

Li An sat down on the spot and began chatting with them, and under his warm and friendly guidance, the villagers started seeing him as a good person and savior, speaking freely.

Li An easily learned everything.

These villagers were from Taining Village at the foot of Four Sceneries Mountain, all just mortals. Song Jigang, having somehow acquired a method to dispel the Evil Qi, had captured them to behead them all, intending to use their fresh blood.

Fortunately, Li An arrived in time.

"What is this young lady's name? She seems to communicate with eagles?" Li An asked with a smile, looking at the maiden.

The maiden was holding a piece of meat, feeling a bit nervous upon hearing this.

"Her name is Lihua, and she's incredible; she's the top hunter in our village, with hunting skills taught by the heavens, and she can understand the speech of beasts..."

An old man spoke with a smile, introducing Lihua's situation.

Upon further inquiry by Li An, it was revealed that Lihua's grandfather was not originally from Taining Village but an outsider.

It was said that when her grandfather arrived, he appeared lost and muddleheaded, as if his soul had been taken, yet he was kind and competent, eventually marrying a widow in the village, thus continuing a bloodline that led to Lihua.

"It seems her grandfather is watching over her. Her grandfather's grave is often visited by various birds and beasts... that's how Lihua learned to communicate with them."

Li An grew more curious, a thought arising in his heart as he stood up: "Elder, let me escort you back to your village—"

He decided to take a look at Taining Village.

Deep within Four Sceneries Mountain, there was a secret site that even major forces of Yan Country coveted, and at the mountain's foot, Taining Village held such peculiarities... Li An began drawing connections.

Li An gave Chen Gui a few instructions, then proceeded to escort the villagers back home, taking many good things for them from the Vajra Stronghold's warehouse.

The villagers were immensely grateful, tears welling up, declaring themselves fortunate to have met such a good person.

Upon reaching the village, Li An swept with his Divine Thought and immediately noticed the grave the village elder had mentioned!

Lihua's grandfather's grave.

Indeed, many little birds gathered there, and Li An, with his Divine Thought, immediately discovered something unusual.

Underneath Lihua's grandfather's tombstone...

There was a bone.

Quite extraordinary!

Li An instantly confirmed that Lihua's grandfather was certainly no ordinary person.

And Lihua, should have awakened some kind of innate ability.

"A Rank Four Spirit Beast's bone, containing Earth Tier Beast Taming Skill."

In the sea of consciousness, Shangguan Xiaoxiao's voice echoed, "It has some background, but isn't of great value."

After being sealed by Li An for more than half a year, she had learned to keep silent, speaking only at critical moments. Thus, Li An had lifted her seal, allowing her to perceive the outside world when permitted by him.

Upon hearing this, Li An's heart skipped a beat.

An Earth Tier cultivation technique...

It's worth noting that in his past life, as a Core Formation powerhouse, he had never obtained a technique of such caliber!

Moreover, this Beast Taming Skill, hidden within a Rank Four Spirit Beast's bone, clearly indicated a significant origin!

A thought flashed through his mind—could this, perhaps, be related to the Beast Taming Jiang family from Qing Province, Yan Country?

From Zhao Yi's memories, he had a rough understanding of Yan Country.

Yan Country's overall strength was much greater than the Great Li Dynasty, and Qing Province, bordering the Great Li Dynasty, was ruled by the Jiang clan, said to be a Nascent Soul Level family!

This seemed highly probable.

Regardless, it now appeared that Lihua was likely the descendant of a Beast Taming master with inherent Beast Taming talent, enabling her to communicate with birds and beasts.

Yet she had not received the inheritance of the location.

"Not of great value? Do you have better Beast Taming Skills?"

Li An asked Shangguan Xiaoxiao.

Shangguan Xiaoxiao paused: "The Demon Sect does not require Beast Taming! The Celestial Demon Skill can directly refine humans and beasts into puppets!"

Li An couldn't help but chuckle. So, in the end, she had nothing!

The inheritance here—he was determined to obtain it!

Additionally, Lihua was worth nurturing. If she indeed had the bloodline of a major family lost in the outside world, through her, perhaps he could solve his own issue of the Rank Three Spirit Vein during Core Formation.

With this in mind, Li An immediately spoke, "Elder, I would like to select two children from the village to follow me and cultivate, how about it?"

"If they succeed in cultivation in the future, they can return to the village and protect everyone."

Upon hearing this, the villagers were overjoyed beyond measure.

"Thank you, Village Chief Zhao!"

"A good man like Village Chief Zhao is willing to take on disciples, this is a tremendous blessing for the village's children!"

Li An glanced around and said with a smile, "Hmm, Lihua, Er Niu, how about you two come with me up the mountain to cultivate?"

He had already observed that Lihua had significant Beast Taming talent, while another somewhat brawny child, Er Niu, also had a passable Spirit Root.

Choosing only Lihua might lead to speculation, so taking the less promising Er Niu too would demonstrate his impartial intentions.

Lihua and Er Niu, both children of the mountains, were naturally delighted to hear this, and after a nudge from the elder, they hastily knelt before Li An...

"Meet our master!"

...

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