Chapter 2 The Morning Sun
The next morning, the sun was bright.
Lin Zhan, carrying two jars of tiger bone wine, followed Lin Shanhe and his wife. The family of four came to the academy. Lin Shanhe presented his identification and led his family towards the spirit herb garden behind the academy's mountain.
A beautiful valley behind the academy's mountain, with a small stream flowing through it, hundreds of cranes singing, and abundant spiritual energy filling the air, was covered with spiritual herbs and spiritual trees of various ages.
An old man was tending to a few acres of spirit rice in the spiritual field. He straightened up, took his wine gourd from his waist, and took a hearty sip. "These spirit rice are almost ripe. The harvest this year is good. It can allow the children in the school to eat more and awaken their bloodlines faster." This old farmer-looking old man was the dean of the Capital's First Martial Arts Academy, Li Zhenshan, also known as the stingy Old Man Li by Lin Zhan.
"Oh, what day is it today? Why has your whole family come?" Old Man Li said to Lin Shanhe.
"I'm afraid the wine will go bad and be wasted, so it's better to give it to you," Lin Shanhe teased.
"How can you talk to Teacher Li like that? Can't you just speak properly?" Ouyang Xinlan pinched her husband.
It turned out that Li Zhenshan was a renowned expert in the army. Later, while recuperating from an injury, he was invited by Lin Zhan's maternal grandfather, Ouyang Chengshan, to teach the Ouyang siblings martial arts. At that time, Lin Shanhe secretly met Ouyang Xinlan for dates and was often disciplined by Old Man Li.
"What? You brat, dare to have a tantrum?" Li Zhenshan said, reaching out to hug Lin Ya'er. "Little dumpling, my precious granddaughter, did you miss Grandpa Li? There's a peach ripe, Grandpa will go pick peaches for you." Li Zhenshan had no children and was a lonely man. After being injured in battle and unable to advance his martial arts to the Diamond level, he retired from the army and became the dean of the First Martial Arts Academy. For over twenty years, he had trained countless heroes. It could be said that Li Zhenshan had dedicated his life to the human race. He treated Ouyang Xinlan as his own daughter and, by extension, was particularly fond of the Lin siblings.
"Ya'er missed Grandpa long ago. Grandpa spoils Ya'er the most," the little dumpling said, hugging a bright red large peach, her mouth as sweet as honey, making Old Man Li laugh heartily.
"Teacher, you just spoil this girl. I haven't seen Linglong for a long time. Her cub should have hatched by now, right?" Ouyang Xinlan continued.
"Zhan'er, put the wine in the room. Let's go see Linglong by the ancient tree." With that, Old Man Li led everyone to the center of the valley. There stood a towering ancient tree, so thick that ten people could barely encircle it.
"Linglong, look who's here!" As soon as Old Man Li finished speaking, a golden python, over 30 meters long and with a diameter of over a meter, descended from the treetop.
The giant python spoke human words, "Teacher Li, Sister Ouyang, and Brother Lin. Oh, Little Dumpling and Zhan'er are here too."
"Auntie Long, hello Auntie Long," Lin Zhan and his sister quickly responded.
"Quickly call the child over to let Sister see," the Golden Dragon Python said when she heard Ouyang Xinlan's words and hissed at the big tree. A small dragon python, 2 meters long and entirely golden, quickly swam over.
"Sister, this child's bloodline seems to be even higher than yours. Hmm, this child's bloodline seems to be that of Jin Jiao." Lin Shanhe, after all, was a peak Diamond expert, and his eyesight was extraordinary.
Linglong said generously, "The child's father is Jin Jiao. We've known each other for decades, and he's the only one of my kind with the same bloodline around me."
"I see Zhan'er has broken through to Bronze, and wants to form a contract with my son, right?"
"Yes, Auntie Long, I want to form a contract with Xiao Jin, and support each other to grow together in the future," Lin Zhan said quickly.
"Xiao Jin already has intelligence, no less than a human teenager. Jin Jiao and I have no objections. Whether it's our friendship or the character of your Lin family, we are assured. Speaking of which, the beast core I used to break through to Platinum was brought by Brother Lin. You discuss it with Xiao Jin. If it agrees, this matter will be settled." The Golden Dragon Python handed the choice to its child.
Hearing this, Lin Zhan looked at the small dragon python and said, "Brother, let's chat aside. The firm friendship of the older generation must be passed down to us brothers." Saying this, he opened the box containing five Dragon Blood Orchid flowers.
The small dragon python's eyes lit up when it saw the Dragon Blood Orchids, and it coiled around Lin Zhan with a flick of its tail. It looked like a close buddy and swayed towards the side.
"Brother, listen to me. Let's work together to do something big. I can't say for sure about these Dragon Blood Orchids, but it's no problem for my second uncle to get you another hundred or eighty. Let's not sign any equality contracts or master-servant contracts. Big Brother will get you a more advanced bloodline soul contract. What? You don't know, then let your brother tell you. This bloodline soul contract is very advanced. We can not only complement each other's bloodline but also share divine abilities. If you level up, I can level up with you. If I level up, you can also level up. This will save us a lot of trouble in cultivation. Not to mention anything else, let's get heavenly treasures and beast cores. My old man still has three Taotie cores at the peak Diamond level. Taotie originally had a trace of dragon bloodline, so it's perfect for you. This will be enough resources for you to reach the peak Diamond. With a little effort, you can even reach the Lord level. At that time, Big Brother can also level up with you. I also have a mental cultivation technique, and when Big Brother practices it well, we'll recruit some more brothers. The world is in chaos now, and there are fights everywhere. Then, our group of fierce men and fierce beasts. If anyone provokes us and refuses to obey, we'll crush them. Don't be like my grandfather and father who dared to charge forward with a knife regardless of how many people were on the other side. How foolish can one be to do that? We brothers can't take this risk. We must always remember that safety comes first. As long as we live longer than our enemies, we can dance on their graves and they have to endure it. Brothers, don't you think so?"
"Hiss, hiss, hiss," Xiao Jin hissed.
"Brother, you're right. When we form a contract with brothers, we need to contract someone who can live. If not, let's get a thousand-year-old turtle and a ten-thousand-year-old tortoise."
"Hiss, hiss, hiss."
"Yes, our logistics must be guaranteed. We need to eat well and drink well. I dare not say anything else, but if you follow Big Brother, I guarantee you will have nine meals in three days. (⊙o⊙)... No, it's wrong: if you follow Big Brother, you will have nine meals a day."
"Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss."
"Brother, slow down. Big Brother is just learning snake language. If you talk too much, Big Brother won't understand."
"Hiss."
"So, Brother, you agree, right? Don't worry, Brother. If I have something to eat, I will never let you drink thin broth."
It's unclear how this person and snake understood each other, but under Lin Dashao's persuasion and empty promises, our Xiao Jin classmate joined the team.
Lin family couple...: My son will surely live a long and healthy life.
Linglong...: Why does something feel wrong? Should I have let my son hang out with Lin Zhan?
Li Zhenshan...: This kid is a talent!
Little Dumpling: Mmm, mmm... The peach is really sweet!