Chapter 325: A Flash of Insight That Might Not See the Light of Day

Fengyu Street is one of the busiest streets in Lingnan City. On both sides, there are numerous shops, with over 90% of them being pharmacies, and only occasionally can one find a small restaurant or two.
The street is bustling with noise; even in the afternoon, it remains extremely lively. Unlike the shops on either side, the street vendors sell similar items—not medicinal herbs, but various strange and exotic small animals.
Fengyu Street is the gathering place for spiritual beasts and materials in Lingnan City.
Walking from the end of the street, Lin Dong and Yun Lan leisurely made their way through the crowd. All around, iron cages of various sizes could be seen; inside them were either gentle little spiritual beasts the size of fists or fierce, large ones with gleaming fangs.
It was only when they reached the center of the street that Lin Dong stopped in front of a huge iron cage.
The cage was about three meters high and four meters long. Inside, a spiritual bird resembling an eagle but six to seven times larger, with claws more like animal paws than sharp talons, sat with its head lowered. Two thick iron chains tied its abdomen to its wings, leaving it with almost no room to move. There were also faint bloodstains on its head, indicating it had been captured after being injured.
Such a large spiritual bird was rare on Fengyu Street. Thus, despite the abundance of strange spiritual beasts throughout the street, many people stopped to take a look at the cage. But after talking with the cage owner, a tall man in black combat attire, they all shook their heads and left.
The price was too high.
Although it was afternoon, the man in black wasn’t in a hurry. Whenever someone asked about the price or the bird’s characteristics, he answered in detail. If they weren’t interested, he wouldn’t try to persuade them of its merits.
If he couldn’t sell it today, he could still sell it within ten days or so. He had sold this kind of bird many times before and already had regular customers, so he wasn’t worried about selling it.
“It’s an Eagle Beast Bird,” Yun Lan explained as Lin Dong stopped in front of the cage. “This Eagle Beast Bird has a violent temperament and feeds on various lower-tier spiritual beasts. It belongs to the fifth-tier spiritual birds.”
“What about its speed and carrying capacity?” Lin Dong asked.
“Its speed is above average among fifth-tier spiritual birds. As for its carrying capacity…” Yun Lan hesitated. “It’s quite strong, but I’ve never heard of its carrying capacity before.”
Lin Dong pressed further, “Is it easy to capture?”

“It’s very difficult. Mainly because the Eagle Beast Birds are extremely alert; if they sense something’s off, they definitely won’t land,” Yun Lan explained. “Moreover, they prefer to live on the middle parts of cliffs, where they have a wide view, making it hard to approach them. To catch one, you need to place small animals in one place over time to lure it, then gradually introduce more elements—like setting up a stick or a scarecrow—to help it get used to people being nearby, so it can be lured down even when someone is present.”
The difficulty is almost insurmountable!
Lin Dong clicked his tongue and stepped closer to the iron cage, looking at the man in black beside it. “Boss, how much is this Eagle Beast Bird?”
The man in black’s eyes lit up. Knowing the name of the Eagle Beast Bird and asking for its price meant he wasn’t just here to join in the fun like others.
A smile instantly appeared on his face. Since he found Lin Dong somewhat unfamiliar, the smile grew even warmer.
If this deal went through, he might gain another regular customer.
“Since you know about the Eagle Beast Bird, you must also know that it’s a fifth-tier spirit bird with delicious meat that can greatly relieve headaches,” the man in black said with a laugh. “This one weighs 213 pounds. It’s priced at 1,000 taels of silver. After I kill it, I’ll send someone to deliver it to your residence.”
“Including the inner core?” Lin Dong asked.
“You really know how to joke,” the man in black shook his head. “What fifth-tier spirit beast’s inner core is less than 2,000 taels of silver?”
“Without the inner core, 1,000 taels?” Lin Dong was stunned. “That price seems a bit too high, doesn’t it?”
“Well, this is a fifth-tier spirit bird, and it’s adult. Its size is also larger than ordinary Eagle Beast Birds. If not for its medicinal meat, it wouldn’t be worth even 1,000 taels,” the man in black said with a laugh. “Since you seem to be an expert, I’ll go down to 900 taels. Anything less is impossible. I’m hoping you’ll come back often.”
“How much for the inner core?” Lin Dong asked. “In other words, I want the whole live Eagle Beast Bird.”
“Live?” The man in black sighed. “To be honest, its head has already been pierced by a crossbow. Based on my experience, it probably won’t live more than a month.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Lin Dong shook his head.
The man in black breathed a sigh of relief. If it didn’t matter, then the deal could still go through.
After thinking for a moment, he said with a determined look, “4,000 taels of silver. I’ll send someone to deliver it right away.”
“Isn’t that too expensive?” Lin Dong remained indifferent.

“Is this still expensive?” The man in black looked shocked. “Sir, just look at the size of this Eagle Beast Bird’s inner core—it’s at least as big as a water bag.”
“What’s the use of being big?” Lin Dong said dismissively. “There aren’t many types of spirit medicines that can be made from it, and if the effects of such medicines aren’t common, then this Eagle Beast Bird’s inner core is essentially worthless. Otherwise, the major sects wouldn’t allow you to hunt them. For a fifth-tier spirit beast, if its inner core really had significant value, it would definitely not be available on the market. In a place like Lingnan City, unless you meet an idiot, if you claim any family is willing to pay a thousand taels of silver for its inner core, I guarantee I’ll bid double that amount.”
The man in black was speechless; it was the first time in years he had encountered an expert.
“I guess you just throw these Eagle Beast Bird inner cores straight to the pharmacies, right?” Lin Dong laughed. “If a pharmacy is willing to pay five hundred taels of silver for them, that’s already a good price.”
The man in black remained silent. Five hundred taels weren’t necessary—four hundred would suffice.
“What about two thousand taels per head?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.
“Huh?” The man in black stared at Lin Dong in confusion. Nine hundred plus five hundred should be a total of 1,400 taels. Still negotiating? He’d sell it for 1,300 taels.
“On the condition that you can get a few more for me,” Lin Dong said casually.
“More? Sure, no problem.” The man in black was overjoyed. He had encountered a big customer who was also generous enough—knowing it could be bought for just over a thousand taels, he still offered two thousand.
“How many days until they arrive?” Lin Dong asked.
“Ten days!” the man in black replied without hesitation. “I kept two aside in case I couldn’t sell them quickly.”
“That’s too long,” Lin Dong shook his head. “What’s your strength level?”
“I’m at the sixth stage of the Lingdong Phase, and I have five companions, all between the fourth and seventh stages of the Lingdong Phase,” the man in black explained.
“That means most of the time is wasted on transporting them by carriage after catching them?” Lin Dong asked.
The man in black nodded slowly.
“In that case, I’ll send two people with you. The price remains two thousand taels per head, paid in advance. They can also help you catch the Eagle Beast Birds, reducing their injuries. After catching them, they’ll transport them, which should speed things up by a few days. That way, you can save on transportation costs too.”

“This…” The man in black hesitated. Eagle-beast birds were their main source of income. Two thousand silver taels per bird was a hefty price, but revealing the method to catch them would be a loss in return.

Lin Dong clearly saw the man’s concerns and said nonchalantly, “To catch eagle-beast birds, just release a few small animals along their daily feeding routes at regular intervals. Start with sticks, then scarecrows and real people, gradually luring them to come down and feed even when there are real people present.”

The man in black stared in astonishment.

“Brother, you don’t think I can’t find out where the eagle-beast birds live, do you?” Lin Dong laughed.

The man in black slowly shook his head. Knowing the capture method and location, it would be easy to find out by asking a hunter.

“Then what’s your concern?” Lin Dong asked.

“Nothing… nothing…” The man in black shook his head repeatedly. After some thought, he nodded firmly. “Alright, I’ll gather my companions to take your people there right away.”

“My men will come here to find you later,” Lin Dong said. He took out two silver bills from the mobile counter and handed them to the man in black. “This is one bill per bird. Check it. For the rest, payment before delivery.”

“Agreed!” After checking the authenticity of the bills, the man in black nodded firmly.

“Consider the iron cage a gift for me. If you want it, you can pick it up at Lin’s Inn.” Lin Dong smiled as he grabbed the iron ring at the bottom of the cage and used a hint of spiritual energy to lift the entire cage.

The man in black was impressed. The eagle-beast bird plus the cage weighed at least four hundred pounds. He thought he could lift it easily, but gripping the ring required far more strength than lifting the cage with both hands.

Just in terms of strength, Lin Dong was clearly superior.

“Let’s go!” Lin Dong looked at Yun Lan.

Yun Lan nodded and followed Lin Dong toward the end of the street. Along the way, she couldn’t help asking, “Why are you buying these eagle-beast birds?”

“To distribute flyers!” Lin Dong explained. “Lingnan City has a large population and is much larger than Qiufeng City. Distributing them street by street by carriage is too slow. Distributing them from the air is faster, easier, and more impactful. The only downside is it costs a few thousand more silver taels.”

Yun Lan nodded. It was a pretty good idea.

Actually, Lin Dong knew of another flaw: it could easily arouse public resentment. With countless flyers falling from the sky, in the old world, sanitation officials would surely show up. Fortunately, in this world, there were no penalties for environmental pollution. As for disturbing the public, having flyers everywhere—on streets, in yards, on rooftops—was more beneficial than harmful to the people, after all, they wouldn’t have to worry about running out of toilet paper. At most, it might annoy some wealthy individuals with high demands for toilet paper, but compared to the content on the flyers, this annoyance was negligible.

“By the way, are there any spiritual birds that are large in size, extremely fast, incredibly strong, and have low requirements for food and living conditions?” Lin Dong suddenly asked.

“There are quite a few spiritual birds that are large in size, extremely fast, and incredibly strong,” Yun Lan pondered. “At least a hundred species, but if we include those with low requirements for food and living conditions… there’s only the Tianpeng Bird.”

“The Tianpeng Bird?”

“Yes!” Yun Lan nodded. “The Tianpeng Bird is a ninth-tier spiritual bird. When its wings are spread, they’re over twenty meters long. Normally, higher-tier spiritual beasts have extremely high demands for food and living conditions, but the Tianpeng Bird is an exception. Whether it’s meat or plants, anything that can be eaten can serve as food. It also has no strict requirements for its living environment—almost anywhere will do, as long as it’s not covered in ice and snow.”

“What about its carrying capacity or claw strength?” Lin Dong pressed on.

“I’m not sure about its carrying capacity, but with its wings spread and tens of thousands of pounds of iron balls tied to them, it should not significantly affect its flight. After all, it’s a ninth-tier spiritual bird,” Yun Lan explained. “As for its claw strength, tearing a powerful person to pieces in an instant isn’t difficult at all.”

Lin Dong couldn’t help but swallow hard. The Tianpeng Bird was absolutely perfect for Lin’s Inn.

If it could tear a powerful person to pieces, its claw strength would surely allow it to lift hundreds of thousands of pounds without difficulty. Even its carrying capacity, based on the minimum requirements of a ninth-tier spiritual bird, would be sufficient for Lin’s Inn’s needs.

With some modifications, the Tianpeng Bird could function like an airplane!

If they could buy large plots of land around Lingnan City and in the city center as landing sites, using the Tianpeng Bird as a means to transport wealthy and ultra-wealthy clients, their geographical disadvantage could be completely overcome as long as safety was ensured. Moreover, having a ninth-tier spiritual bird as a mount could even become one of the inn’s selling points.

“Where can I find the Tianpeng Bird? Are there many of them?” Lin Dong looked at Yun Lan anxiously. He still remembered that high-tier spiritual beasts were extremely difficult to find, with ninth-tier spiritual beasts being so rare that there might only be one in the entire Great Han Kingdom. Even with the divine senses of peak experts, it wasn’t certain they could locate them even if they knew the general area.

“The last time it was seen was forty years ago in Tianwei Prefecture. The previous occurrence dates back a hundred years, when it appeared in the capital city,” Yun Lan said helplessly. “As for their numbers… well, you can imagine.”

Lin Dong’s expression immediately fell. So, the beast-shaped plane was a lost cause?

It was a rare idea that had popped into his mind! Moreover, it could greatly boost the inn’s business.

It only appeared once every few decades—who knew when it would appear next? Thirty years? Forty years later? By then, it would be too late. And since it was already hard to find even every few decades, breeding them in large numbers would require at least five or six of them to succeed. It was uncertain whether the entire Great Han Kingdom had that many.

Relying on the beast-shaped plane was less promising than hoping that Peng Qiao’s research skills would improve further—spirit stone fans, spirit stone heaters, spirit stone air conditioners, spirit stone guns, spirit stone vehicles… Gradually increasing the difficulty, if nothing went wrong, she might even develop a spirit stone plane. This possibility was much more reliable than searching for the Tianpeng Bird. At the very least, as long as Peng Qiao continued to research diligently and had a growing research team to assist her, Lin Dong believed that within thirty to fifty years, the chances of developing a spirit stone plane could reach at least 80-90%.

Helplessly, Lin Dong asked, clinging to a glimmer of hope, “Are there no other spiritual birds similar to the Tianpeng Bird, in sufficient numbers? It doesn’t matter if their speed and strength are slightly reduced.”

“Only those below fifth tier,” Yun Lan replied after thinking for a moment, shaking her head. “Among the large-sized high-tier spiritual birds, only the Tianpeng Bird has no strict requirements regarding its living environment or food.”

Lin Dong fell silent. Originally, the breeding pens in the inn’s system could simulate the optimal growing environment for spiritual beasts, compensating for their requirements in terms of habitat and food. As for the size of the beast-shaped plane, although expanding the breeding pens would take up a lot of space in the backyard—adding some trouble—it wasn’t insurmountable.

But the prerequisite was that the beast-shaped plane had to stay in the breeding pens all the time.

Lin Dong had once tested it on small animals by starving them for a few days and then putting them in a breeding pen. The animals’ hunger would disappear, but once taken out of the pen, they would hunger again. In other words, the breeding pen could only ensure that the spiritual beasts inside didn’t need to eat, but it couldn’t fill them up after they were taken out.

Given the opening and closing times of the inn, the beast-shaped planes spent at least half of the time outside. This meant they also needed to eat, though only half as much as under normal conditions, which was still a significant amount.

Perhaps due to the food chain, ninth-tier spiritual beasts had extremely high demands on their environment and food, mostly being high-tier spiritual beasts of fifth tier or above. Considering the size of the beast-shaped planes, four of them together could consume thousands of pounds of high-tier spiritual beasts in a day.

The cost was absurdly high—equivalent to spending tens of thousands of silver taels in a single day. Even if Lin’s Inn dominated 50% of the business in Lingnan City, its monthly profits were likely to be no more than hundred thousand silver taels, which wasn’t even enough to cover the expenses of the beast-shaped planes for a few days—definitely a huge loss.

“I’ve made considerable progress in integrating spiritual arrays with spiritual artifacts. I was planning to send someone to the Tianjian Sect to have the elders send over some materials,” Yun Lan said upon seeing Lin Dong’s distress. “It’s a good opportunity to instruct the elders in the letter to ask the sect’s disciples traveling outside to look for traces of the Tianpeng Birds—there might be unexpected gains.”

“Won’t this be a bit of abusing authority for personal gain?” Lin Dong hesitated.

“A little!” Yun Lan replied leisurely. “Then just bring a few Tianpeng Birds as a reward later. If we can’t find them, we can just say this deal with small profits and high risks failed.”

“Alright, let’s do it that way.”

Lin Dong made a quick decision. With the help of the Tianjian Sect, the chances of finding the Tianpeng Birds were still low, but it was better than waiting for news from somewhere else.

Carrying the large iron cage while chatting, they left Wind and Rain Street. As Lin Dong’s extraordinary actions drew more and more curious onlookers, he felt somewhat uneasy but managed to stay calm, continuing to chat casually with Yun Lan.

After returning to the inn, they passed by the kitchen, where Lin Dong called out Cheng Bao and Qiao Tianhao, who were working on new recipes. He instructed them to go to Wind and Rain Street to meet the man in black and settle matters related to the Eagle Beast Birds as soon as possible. Then, flanked by Yun Lan, he stepped into the backyard.