Chapter 150: The Phantom Wing Pendant
Chapter 150: The Phantom Wing Pendant
Bags of millet, each weighing tons, were being unloaded from the beast carts by the Great Wilderness Giants of the Shan Yue Tribe.
Carried on their shoulders, the grain was being delivered deep into the valley.
This millet would be stored in the tribal warehouse of the village fort, acting as their winter food reserve.
Satisfied, joyful smiles brightened every Giant’s face!
Millet seeds come from grain grass. Yellow in color with a hint of sweetness, it can be steamed and eaten directly or ground into flour for pastries.
Grain grass typically grows in fertile plains. Many tribes of the Great Wilderness excel at planting it, trading the harvested grain through merchant caravans for animal meat, hides, salt, and tools.
Millet is also a staple food for numerous Great Wilderness Giants.
Those living in cities depend completely on millet for all three daily meals.
While the Shan Yue Tribe’s diet relies heavily on meat, millet serves as excellent nutritional support.
Especially during harsh winters when hunting fails—salted dried meat saved from spring and fall simply couldn’t feed hundreds of people.
With the tribe’s population now doubled, much more food was needed!
This shipment of millet Gao Jing acquired from Zhiqi felt like a life-saving gift to Shan Yue Village.
“I nearly made a big mistake,”
Shan Yan remarked gratefully to Gao Jing as he watched bags enter the fort. “Thankfully, you reminded me.”
During the earlier negotiations with Zhiqi, the Elder Shaman had been drawn to the offered terms partly from worries about feeding so many new members soon joining the village.
But he had overlooked the feelings of the Muteng Tribe.
Selling Mu Teng Village off would’ve planted seeds of resentment deep within many Muteng hearts.
That trade-off simply wasn’t worth it.
Besides, long-term, that deal was unwise too.
Now Mu Teng Village stayed put, and the food crisis was perfectly resolved.
His gratitude toward young Gao Jing was beyond words.
Gao Jing smiled mildly. “I had to speak up. I’m one of the Shan Yue Tribe now too.”
“Yes,”
the Elder Shaman nodded. “In that case, possess the Seven-Colored Stone mine cave at Mu Teng Village from this day forward.”
“No need for thanks.”
Gao Jing accepted directly. Truly—politeness would only create distance.
When bargaining with that big merchant Zhiqi, Gao Jing would fight for every copper coin.
Not even 100 yuan less would he accept when selling a 10-yuan bottle of liquor for a million—he took every penny.
Only by doing so
could he win genuine respect from Wuzhi Abyss City merchants.
Making them see him as anything but an ignorant gullible fool.
But toward the Shan Yue Tribe? Gao Jing wouldn’t calculate profits anymore.
Whatever the tribe lacked, he’d provide freely.
Likewise, anything the great Giants offered him, he’d accept without reservation.
Truthfully, for the foreseeable future,
that mine remained sealed in his mind.
Hundreds of tons of raw stones already stockpiled at Ten-Mile Slope awaited him; Mu Teng Village held “waste rock” perhaps thousands-fold greater.
If Seven-Colored Stone truly was jadeite… raw material worries vanished completely!
Woooo—
A horn blast echoed long once more.
It was the Shan Yue Tribe bidding farewell to travelers from afar.
Deal complete, the Qinghe Merchant Caravan packed camp and moved onward toward their next stop.
Winter’s chill approached swiftly—time raced against them.
Gao Jing returned to his home at Ten-Mile Slope.
Time to review his gains.
This time, he’d secured two items from that plump merchant Zhiqi:
The Phantom Wing Pendant and the Savage Bull Armlet.
Like the Weaver’s Wrist, the Savage Bull Armlet could be fastened straight onto his forearm.
Crafted finely as a Witch Artifact, its bull-head totem gleamed vividly.
Lifting two curved horns revealed a Gangpo Stone inside.
According to Zhiqi, this stone trapped the fierce spirit of an abyssal savage ox within; awakened by Totemic Power, it dramatically boosts its wearer’s strength.
Wuzhi Abyss City classified the Savage Bull Armlet as combat-assist gear.
Gao Jing clasped it firmly around his right wrist.
Then he channeled his Totemic Power inward.
Moooo—
A soft glow pulsed from the bronze armlet while a low-pitched roar growled beside his ear.
Immediately, a raw, immense energy erupted from the artifact,
streaming ceaselessly into his veins.
That foreign surge instantly awakened his muscles—strength flooded through him, fierce and abundant!
Fascinating.
Gao Jing clenched his fist; the bicep beneath plumped robustly,
stretching thick and powerful.
Bull’s strength indeed!
With this artifact active, his power surged at least twenty percent—
fantastically practical.
Crucially, it stacked perfectly with his Titan Totem for double augmentation.
But testing that dual effect could wait.
He withdrew Totemic Power, removed the armlet, and examined its Gangpo Stone.
No surprise—
this stone was yet another low-grade reject jammed with impurities.
Maybe it’d crumble after just a few uses!
Master Zhiqi had pitched more Gangpo Stones mid-negotiation.
And again, Gao Jing flat-out refused him.
Unless they offered a high-quality Gangpo Stone at a reasonable trade value.
Like swapping one 10-carat Steel Soul Stone for ten bottles of 10-yuan Hongxing Erguotou liquor.
Then he would seriously consider it.
But for now…
Gao Jing selected an Arkansas rough stone from his Storage Space to replace the crummy original Stone.
The Savage Bull Armlet, now sporting the new diamond, definitely felt more powerful!
Gao Jing recalled what the Elder Shaman had once told him.
“Ling” (Spiritual Energy affinity) was the Bloodline Essence essential for becoming a Shaman, while “Ling energy” permeated all things.
Yet its forms and energy levels varied immensely.
For the same rainbow stone, its value was determined by the amount of Ling energy it held.
Therefore, Gao Jing guessed that Gangpo Stones contained a special type of Ling energy.
They were the energy cores of Witch Artifacts.
And this Ling energy required an extremely long time to accumulate naturally.
That’s why the diamonds he dug up in the park were functional, and purchased rough stones or Royal Assam diamonds worked too.
But artificially made diamonds were completely useless.
No Ling energy existed within them!
Whether this guess was correct needed more testing and research.
Gao Jing wasn’t in a rush to solve the mystery right away.
He replaced the Gangpo Stone in his other Witch Artifact – the Phantom Wing Pendant.
The Phantom Wing Pendant was about the size of a baby’s palm, and its craftsmanship surpassed the Savage Bull Armlet.
It was shaped like a flying squirrel with black feathered wings.
The squirrel looked incredibly lifelike, every feather on its wings clearly defined!
When Gao Jing channeled Totemic Power into this artifact.
A pair of near-translucent black wings silently unfurled behind him.
The wings, seemingly formed of Ling energy, stretched fully over five meters across tip to tip!
Though he couldn’t fly freely like a bird using them.
He distinctly felt his body become light and airy, as if a strong gust might lift him skyward.
After a moment’s thought, Gao Jing suddenly leaped into the air.
Whoosh!
A silvery strand of spider silk shot from his left wrist, sticking fast to a high ceiling beam.
Using the pull from the silk, Gao Jing soared up over twenty meters.
Then he dissipated the thread.
His body immediately began to fall.
Yet he descended slowly.
Because the black wings at his back spread wide, providing strong lift.
Gao Jing adjusted his posture, gliding a distance through the air before landing gently.
This was much more fun than the Savage Bull Armlet!
Gao Jing became like a big kid with a new toy, leaping up to glide again and again.
He was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Through repeated practice, he quickly mastered using the Phantom Wing Pendant.
His control over the wings improved significantly, allowing him to glide and stay aloft much longer.
Soon, Gao Jing tired of playing only in the small wooden house.
He went outside.
He climbed the thousand-meter-high cliff face, then leaped out from the ledge overlooking the Great Waterfall!
Wind roared past his ears, the thunder of crashing water echoing around him. Mist and clouds brushed past as he soared. The feeling of unfettered flight was intoxicating.
He constantly adjusted the angle of his wings, sensing the surrounding air currents.
This allowed him to float and glide above the valley for long periods.
Until he spotted Shan Tai.
The Shan Yue Giant looked deeply dejected. He walked to the Mountain Stream and slumped onto a giant boulder.
Staring blankly up at the sky.
He looked utterly heartbroken!
Gao Jing was puzzled.
Filled with questions, he angled the wings downward in a dive, gliding to land beside him.