After buying the gifts, Jiang Lin used the remaining points to exchange for Yin Qi Pills.
Since being promoted to the Ghost King realm, he received 500 points for each daily task completed.
It was said that leveling up was easier on the battlefield, firstly due to the state of mind and the survival instincts at the brink of life and death.
Another reason was that the battlefield was rich in Yin Qi and Ghost Qi, making it a natural cultivation ground.
The mighty general of the West Hall was said to have broken through to the Ghost King realm in a single go on the battlefield.
Jiang Lin didn't know what others gained from the battlefield, but he had accumulated a lot of Ghost Qi and points during the previous Ghost Shopkeeper incident.
Moreover, whether it was his illusion or not, he felt that the system was exceptionally generous during that final major battle.
The announcements for completing daily tasks were also exceptionally enthusiastic and swift.
Therefore, in the intermediate cultivation room this time, Jiang Lin smoothly advanced to the mid-stage Ghost King realm.
It was as if it was a natural progression, breaking through when the time was right.
The Ghost Qi in his body had also doubled.
Upon opening his eyes, Jiang Lin's first action was to look around.
Yes, the cultivation room was intact.
It seemed choosing the intermediate cultivation room was the right decision.
Looking at the remaining time in the cultivation room, Jiang Lin was about to cultivate for a while longer.
Suddenly, he froze, and familiar scenes began to appear in his mind.
It was like when he reached the Ghost King realm, a long-sealed memory box had been opened.
However,
As he watched, Jiang Lin suddenly felt something was amiss.
Looking down, he saw soil; looking up, he saw a giant tree.
Even the grass blades around him were several times taller than him.
In this environment, he appeared so tiny.
A fluttering sound echoed, and his vision gradually rose, his feet landing on a tree branch.
The air carried the fragrance of soil, and the chirping of birds could be heard all around.
Jiang Lin realized that this time, he was a bird?
But based on his previous memories, he was clearly human in his past life... King Jian An could attest to this.
Why had he turned into a bird?
With a sense of confusion, Jiang Lin continued to watch.
Jiji~
Jiji~
On the tree branch, several birds hopped about joyfully, as if welcoming the arrival of spring.
Through the gaps in the leaves, a small wooden house with a yard could be seen ahead.
The yard was enclosed by a wooden fence and divided into two areas.
One was the vegetable patch, where tender green seedlings had already sprouted.
The other area was for raising chickens.
There were several black and yellowish-brown chickens.
Large hens walked leisurely in front, followed by chicks of various colors – black and yellowish-brown, like tender yellow eggs slowly turning golden brown – trotting behind their mothers in a line.
One of the chicks stumbled as it ran.
Jiji~
A bird next to Jiang Lin chirped, sounding somewhat joyful.
The meaning was different from the sounds humans made when seeing something amusing.
Jiang Lin glanced over and saw a pair of swallows, male and female, flying in the air, calling to each other as they flew.
Jiji~
At that moment, Jiang Lin instinctively knew they were courting.
On one occasion, when Jiang Lin flew over a body of water, he had seen his reflection.
His feathers were mainly black and white, with his head, back, and tail being almost entirely black, while the down on his chest and abdomen was primarily white.
His wings were long and pointed, his beak was somewhat short, and his tail resembled a split pair of scissors.
His eyes were round and dark.
He looked just like the two birds courting beside him.
Jiang Lin: "..."
He hopped onto a nearby tree and continued to watch the small wooden house.
After a while.
The sound of a door opening came from the front, along with human conversation.
"Dad, Mom, I'll go check on the chicks first. They must be hungry!"
"Look how eager you are, go ahead."
"Don't overfeed them—"
"I know, Mom!"
Following that, there was the sound of footsteps.
Creak—
The back door opened.
A little girl with a round face and a shiny forehead ran out, holding a basin, and headed towards the chicken coop.
"Cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck~ Dinner time~"
The little girl, mimicking the chickens' sounds, scattered the food from the basin.
"Cluck cluck~ Come and eat everyone~"
"Cluck cluck~"
The chickens rushed over, flapping their wings, and scrambled to eat.
The chicks squeezed through the gaps between the adult chickens, struggling to get food.
"Oh, leave some for the chicks!"
The little girl who was feeding them became anxious and simply scattered some food in another empty area.
"Xiao Hua, Niu Niu, hurry and eat..."
Clearly, the little girl had even given names to the chicks.
Was she raising pets, or was she waiting to have more sentimental feelings when it was time to eat them?
Jiang Lin thought this as he watched the memory playback.
...
The life of a bird is simple: eating, drinking, sleeping, and the mating and reproduction that all animals value greatly.
As a bird, Jiang Lin's life was no different.
However, compared to other birds, he seemed to have another mission.
After fanning away a female bird that tried to court him, Jiang Lin adjusted his position, his round, dark eyes once again fixed on the small wooden house ahead.
During the warm season, Jiang Lin spent most of his time watching that small yard.
At other times, like other birds, he foraged and built nests.
After some time, Jiang Lin learned that this was a small village on the border of two countries.
The little girl was named Chu Xi, nicknamed Nian Nian.
She lived there with her parents, making a living by farming and hunting.
Every two to five days, they would go to the market to process the game they hunted and to replenish their daily necessities.
Every time they returned from the market, Chu's father would buy the little girl some small snacks.
This family was well-liked in the village; they rarely heard them quarreling with anyone.
During this period, several of Jiang Lin's kind found places in the village and built nests under the eaves of houses.
Many of these nests gave birth to chicks, which were fed by both the male and female birds.
These chicks grew day by day.
Chirping incessantly.
When autumn arrived, the weather gradually turned cold, and food became scarce.
Jiang Lin migrated with the main flock to a warmer place and returned the following spring.
...
When he returned the following spring, Jiang Lin still settled in the same small village.
However, this time, he realized that he should perhaps build a sturdy enough nest.
He flew to the eaves of the wooden house with the small yard he had previously observed.
It took him two days to find a spot with suitable light and angle, and he began to build his nest.
He went out to find suitable mud and grass stalks, binding them together with saliva.
Inside, he lined it with soft grass, feathers, scraps of cloth, and other items.
The completed bird's nest looked like a bowl that was only half-finished, stuck under the eaves.
"Cluck cluck~ Xiao Hua, Niu Niu, dinner is served—"
Chu Xi, who had grown a bit taller, came out from the back door with a basin and headed towards the chicken coop.
The chicks from before had now grown into adult roosters and hens, and upon hearing the sound, they rushed over quickly.
"Eat more, and lay more eggs after you're full."
Chu Xi smiled as she looked at the fat chickens in the fence.
After feeding the chickens, Chu Xi went to the chicken shed next door and picked up three to five eggs.
Just as she was about to enter the house, she happened to look up and saw the new bird's nest under the eaves.
A bird's head poked out of the nest, its round, dark eyes fixed on her below.
Chu Xi's face lit up, and she excitedly ran into the house.
As she ran, she shouted, "Mom, another swallow is nesting at our house! And it's a big one!"
From inside the house, Chu's mother's voice replied, "That's a good thing, don't scare it away."
"Mhm mhm!" Chu Xi nodded. "Mom, will we see little swallows in there after a while?"
"Probably," Chu's mother replied. "By the way, go see if your dad is back."
"Okay, I'll go to the village entrance to look."
...