The little bird was very energetic, constantly hopping and jumping around in Qin Chu's room.
After Cultivating until dawn, Qin Chu left his room, and the little bird followed behind him, hopping into the stronghold's main hall.
"Qin Chu, where did you get such a little chick?" Qing Yi asked with a smile, looking at the little bird following Qin Chu.
"This is no ordinary chick." Qin Chu shook his head; he felt that if his guess wasn't wrong, this little bird had a very significant background.
While Qin Chu was speaking, Qing Yi tried to catch the little bird, but it hopped twice, and Qing Yi missed.
"You can really jump, huh?" Qin Chu exerted his cultivation suppression, extended his arm, and reached for the little bird.
After a clear chirp, the little bird spewed flames from its mouth, burning towards Qing Yi's palm.
Qing Yi was startled and quickly retreated.
At this moment, Shang Shuyu and Qin Lingxi, who had arrived in the main hall, were also filled with shock, as this was too incredible.
With a burst of fire, it forced Qing Yi back, and the little bird leaped onto Qin Chu's shoulder.
"Qin Chu, where did you get this little fire chicken?" Qing Yi asked.
Qin Chu looked at Qin Lingxi, "Don't you know I have a Vermilion Bird Stone? The Vermilion Bird Stone is a bird egg. I nurtured it with Vermilion Bird Saint Fire for over a year, and it hatched. This is it!"
Qin Lingxi and Shang Shuyu observed the little bird, but it wouldn't let them touch it. As soon as they tried, the little bird would flap its wings and try to peck them.
"Vermilion Bird Stone, Vermilion Bird... After ancient times, some exotic beasts have long disappeared. We'll check the ancient texts later to see what the situation is, but for it to be able to breathe fire at such a young age, it must be exceptionally gifted." Qin Lingxi said.
"Go play, but you're not allowed to leave the courtyard, or bad people will catch you!" Qin Chu reached out, took the little bird off his shoulder, and placed it on the ground. The little bird hopped out of the main hall.
"Yao Beasts and humans are similar; they can only release energy attacks after the fourth stage. To release elemental attacks, they need to reach the Heavenly Yuan Realm, or even the King Realm. This little bird can breathe fire right after birth, so it's very likely the legendary Vermilion Bird. Qin Chu, you must hide it well." Shang Shuyu said to Qin Chu.
"Hide its origin... just say I picked it up in the mountains!" Qin Chu said.
"Our Vermilion Bird Saint Clan seems to have Beast Taming Bracelets. I'll get one from your grandfather for you later. That way, the little fellow will have its own living space, and it will be more convenient for you to carry." Qin Lingxi said to Qin Chu.
Seeing that Qin Chu didn't understand, Qin Lingxi explained what a Beast Taming Bracelet was to him.
A Beast Taming Bracelet is similar to a Storage Ring. After being recognized by its master, it can house Yao Beasts and some pet beasts inside. It has air and is suitable for Yao Beasts to live in.
In the following days, the Vermilion Bird Saint Clan's stronghold was anything but peaceful. Little Golden Claw was too energetic, making the stronghold a chaotic mess.
Little Golden Claw was the name Qin Chu gave the little bird. Its feathers were fiery red, but it had a pair of golden sharp claws, so Qin Chu called it Little Golden Claw.
As they spent more time together, Little Golden Claw's relationship with Qin Lingxi and Shang Shuyu improved a little, but it still disliked Qing Yi, all because Qing Yi had tried to catch it.
Little Golden Claw didn't eat ordinary food; it either ate Medicinal Pills or Spirit Stones. Qin Chu fed it Spirit Stones.
Spirit Stones are hard, but under Little Golden Claw's sharp beak, they were nothing!
This was because Qin Chu had a deep reserve of Spirit Stones; most people probably couldn't afford to raise it.
Qin Lingxi found ancient texts and records about the ancient Vermilion Bird. Little Golden Claw's features matched the Vermilion Bird, but the color of its claws didn't quite match. Qin Chu and Qin Lingxi and others analyzed it and concluded that there might have been some mutation. There was no doubt that Little Golden Claw was a Vermilion Bird; only a Vermilion Bird could breathe fire right after birth.
Little Golden Claw's growth rate was very fast, and its size continuously increased. Originally, Qin Chu didn't dare to let Little Golden Claw fly freely, fearing it would be caught, but after one of its flights, Qin Lingxi told Qin Chu it was fine. Little Golden Claw's flying speed was faster than hers, and it was impossible for Cultivators to catch Little Golden Claw in flight.
One day, Little Golden Claw returned, clutching a python in its sharp claws, but the python's gall was missing.
"For me?" Qin Chu asked, looking at Little Golden Claw.
Little Golden Claw nodded, meaning it was for Qin Chu.
Qin Chu smiled and had the servants in the stronghold clean it up to make python soup that evening.
After having the servants deal with the python's corpse, Qin Chu remembered the black snake he had killed in the Forbidden Land. He took it out and asked Qin Lingxi, Qing Yi, and Shang Shuyu to identify it.
"This black snake, its entire body is as hard as metal and stone, difficult to harm with swords and knives. I attacked it through its mouth to kill it. Do you recognize it?" Qin Chu pointed at the black snake's corpse and explained the situation.
Qin Lingxi, Qing Yi, and Shang Shuyu didn't recognize it. They had never seen such a black snake. Shang Shuyu took out her longsword and struck the black snake's corpse, but the corpse remained unharmed.
"This is a Black Crystal Snake. Its characteristics are that it's incredibly venomous, and its body is impervious to swords and knives. Its snake gall is a Saint Grade antidote; as for its scales, Artifact Refiners use them to make weapons, such as spear shafts. If a pole-shaped weapon is covered with Black Crystal Snake scales, the weapon's defense increases significantly and becomes very difficult to destroy." Grandma Yu appeared.
"How do I get the snake gall out?" Qin Chu asked, looking at the black snake's corpse.
"Fool! Follow the snake's head, flip its scales over, and clean out its internal organs and flesh. If you keep it like this, the rotting flesh will gradually affect the quality of the scales." Grandma Yu said to Qin Chu.
Then Qing Yi took action, flipping the Black Crystal Snake's corpse inside out from its mouth and processing the corpse.
Just as Qin Chu was about to retrieve the snake gall, Little Golden Claw pounced and snatched the Black Crystal Snake gall.
"Quick, grab it back!" Grandma Yu shouted.
Qin Chu didn't move, "If it likes to eat it, let it have it!"
"What a waste of natural resources, truly a waste of natural resources!" Looking at Qin Chu, Grandma Yu had a look of disappointment.
"Little Golden Claw likes snake gall, so let it eat it. Anyway, I can refine detoxification Medicinal Pills. Uncle Qing Yi, please take this snakeskin and add a layer of defense to your halberd's handle." Qin Chu said to Qing Yi.
"Qin Chu, you keep it! You have a use for it." Qing Yi said.
"I use a longsword and don't need defense for a weapon handle. Uncle Qing Yi should take it." Qin Chu said.
"The Black Crystal Snake's scales fit perfectly onto the halberd's handle, and the snake's head can be made into a gauntlet." Grandma Yu offered a suggestion.
After a moment of hesitation, Qing Yi put away the Black Crystal Snake's scales.
"You even encountered this kind of Black Crystal Snake. I have to say your luck is truly amazing; of course, it's also a crisis. If it were a King Realm Black Crystal Snake, you would be dead for sure. Also, where Black Crystal Snakes are found, there must be a great treasure. What good things did you get?" Grandma Yu looked at Qin Chu, waiting for him to continue.