Chapter 346 337: Goosey Also Has a Heart to Protect Wanwan

Song Ciwan inspected the two faint red dots and discovered that one of them was very close to her.

Taking a closer look, she realized the closest red dot was actually inside the Mountain God Temple!

The Mountain God Temple on Celestial Dragon Mountain was by no means just a clay-sculpted temple. Without a doubt, a real Mountain God dwelled within it!

This was precisely why Song Ciwan had passed by the Mountain God Temple without entering.

In Song Ciwan's eyes, the system of Divine Spirits in Great Zhou had always seemed exceptionally mysterious. The only ones she'd had any contact with were the two City Gods of Su Yang City and Pinglan City.

But City Gods were often positions held by the Heroic Spirits of the deceased Human Race.

Certain individuals of outstanding achievement, whose Heroic Spirits did not dissipate after death, would be appointed by the imperial edict of the Emperor of Great Zhou. Drawing upon the nation's fortune, they would then coalesce and become the City God of a region.

These types of City Gods generally possessed a degree of love for their people. Even if they weren't paragons of virtue, with boundless love to shelter every citizen under their jurisdiction, they at least weren't likely to be exceptionally wicked.

In other words, when dealing with a City God, as long as you didn't maliciously provoke, challenge, or offend him, or do anything that clearly violated the Court's laws, or cause trouble for anyone related to the City God…

Under normal circumstances, a City God would always show some leeway to people.

At the very least, they wouldn't just start attacking and killing without reason. After all, a City God was an official figure, who should be orderly and logical.

But Mountain Gods were very different.

Although they were also officially recognized by the Court, Mountain Gods were often local Mountain Spirits.

Another portion, according to rumor, were certain Spirit Monsters who had caused great disasters locally, resulting in countless casualties. The Court sent wave after wave of Demon Extermination Envoys, only for them to be lost. Eventually, the cost of eliminating the monster became too high, so they simply offered it amnesty—

Though these were accounts recorded in certain unofficial histories and anecdotes, and the Court never officially acknowledged such claims, who didn't know the real score?

The territory of the Nine Provinces was simply too vast. It was impossible for the Court to manage every single inch of land in detail.

As long as those Spirit Monsters behaved themselves for the most part after being granted amnesty, then everyone could get along. And that was that, wasn't it?

Song Ciwan dismissed the thought of exploring the Mountain God Temple and looked toward the small red dot that was a bit farther away.

She then discovered that the distant red dot was moving—it was approaching from afar, inching closer at a relatively slow speed!

Song Ciwan quickly understood. This faint red dot must be an item carried by the traveling merchants.

Perhaps the most valuable cargo these merchants were transporting on this trip was the very object represented by this small red dot.

Song Ciwan certainly wouldn't covet something others had worked so hard and risked their lives for. She was just surprised for a moment. 'To think that these Mortal Martial Artists, whose Qi Blood Power is at the Organ Refining Stage at best and not a single one of whom is at the Innate Realm, could travel a thousand miles to trade such a "treasure."'

Song Ciwan guessed that this "treasure," the faint red dot, was likely a Three-star Level Spiritual Object.

A Three-star Level item was nothing special to the current Song Ciwan, which was why she mentally downplayed the word "treasure."

But for Mortal Martial Artists who had not yet entered the Innate Realm, it was almost unattainable.

After her brief surprise, Song Ciwan paid it no more mind. She moved lightly, leading the excited Big White Goose, and followed the Spirit-Seeking Mirror's guidance toward the many "large white dots" nearby.

These thirty-odd large white dots represented the nearby Two-star Level Spiritual Objects.

Song Ciwan couldn't be bothered to collect the One-star Level ones individually, but the Two-star ones were worth gathering.

She could sell them in the city later. As it happened, she had spent almost all her Primordial Pearls. Money was one of those things you only realized you needed when you didn't have any.

One large white dot, two large white dots, three large white dots…

Song Ciwan strolled through the mountains as if taking a leisurely walk in a courtyard, harvesting one Spirit Grass, two Spirit Grasses, three Spirit Grasses…

The vast majority of ownerless Spiritual Objects on the mountain were Spirit Grasses.

Some Spirit Grasses didn't grow in dangerous or remote locations, but were themselves "unassuming in appearance," blending in with large patches of ordinary grass. Without the Spirit-Seeking Mirror's guidance, they would be very difficult to find using normal search methods.

Other Spirit Grasses specifically chose to grow in all sorts of nooks and crannies or perilous places, such as in the crevices of cliffs, inside the lairs of Demon Beasts, and so on.

Cliffs and the like were no different from flat ground for Song Ciwan, so she often collected from them with ease.

However, she would intentionally avoid the ones inside the lairs of Demon Beasts.

'It's not that I'm afraid of the Demon Beast in the lair,' she thought. 'It's mainly that we have no quarrel. To run into its home for a single Two-star Level Spirit Grass, not only forcibly taking its things but also skinning it, pulling its tendons, and then stewing, stir-frying, or deep-frying it... If I put myself in its shoes, isn't that a bit much?'

Demon Beasts were different from ordinary animals. Once they reached the Spirit Communication Stage, they essentially gained sentience. In a way, they were no different from Humans.

Even the Court hadn't called for the extermination of all Demon Beasts in the world, so Song Ciwan certainly wouldn't be more ruthless than the Court's bottom line.

'I'm not a vegetarian, but I'm not a robber either.'

'Unless a demon provokes me first. Then it won't just be about skinning and pulling tendons—I might even scatter its very soul.'

While gathering herbs on a cliff, she encountered a Snake Demon at the Spirit Communication Stage.

The Snake Demon shot out from the side, striking at Song Ciwan's vital points like a bolt of lightning.

Song Ciwan didn't move, but the Big White Goose beside her shot into the air with a WHOOSH. Its flat beak jabbed forward with a THWACK, and in a single exchange, it accurately struck the Snake Demon's "seven-inch" vital spot.

The Snake Demon's Level was slightly higher than the Big White Goose's. Although its vital spot was hit, it was only injured and did not die immediately.

Not only did it not die, but the Snake Demon's demonic ferocity was provoked. It immediately whipped its Snake Tail, shattering a stretch of rock beside it, and began to fight the Big White Goose to the death with all its might.

The Big White Goose's fighting spirit was also instantly ignited. It raised its head with a series of loud "HONK! HONK!" calls, spread its wings, and with a howl of wind, it lunged forward.

Song Ciwan deliberately did not intervene, allowing the Big White Goose and the Snake Demon to engage in their life-and-death struggle.

The Big White Goose's innate foundation was too ordinary. If it wanted to continuously transform and ascend, it had to break away from its domestic goose origins, experience battle after battle, and forge a path through thorns to find its Spiritual Light in wildness.

Otherwise, even if Song Ciwan provided it with immense resources, piling them on endlessly, its growth would inevitably come to a screeching halt at some point.

In the end, it might only ever be a pet in a Spirit Beast Bag.

It would have to remain dormant whenever Song Ciwan was busy, only to be summoned for companionship when she had leisure time.

'Is this what the Big White Goose wants?'

'Clearly not.'

'Otherwise, it wouldn't actively rush forward every time Song Ciwan was in "trouble."'

'The goose has a heart that wants to protect Wanwan. To be a valiant guard goose is its mission, its original purpose. Since that's the case, why not help it achieve that?'

The Big White Goose and the Snake Demon darted and leaped along the cliff face. The battle between goose and snake sent sand and stones flying and scattered dirt everywhere.

"HONK! HONK! HONK! CA-HONK! CA-HONK! CA-HONK!"

Amidst the continuous cries of the goose, the sun finally set completely.

On the mountain path, the traveling merchants had also finally climbed to a point near the summit.