Martial God Book 2 - Fame Spreads - Chapter 14 - Xie Family Of Fire Crow Country

“Please have a seat, you two.” He Yiming said with a wave of his hand.
Although this group consisted of a tenth layer, peak Houtian expert, He Yiming neither felt happy nor sad about it. He didn’t care much about it at all.
Relying on his two Xiantian battle skills, even if a fight erupted between the two sides, he definitely wouldn’t be at the bottom end of it.
The middle-aged man’s eyes exuded a strand of strange light, which lingered on He Yiming’s body for a moment. Subsequently, he first started, then blankly stared before assuming his normal appearance and saying with a smile, “Many thanks, little brother.”
After saying these words, he immediately patted his dress, and imitating He Yiming, placed his bottom on the ground without the slightest hesitation.
The youngster at his side and the attendants dumbfoundedly looked at him with expressions of disbelief. Despite following him for so many years, this was the first time they had seen him behaving in such an unbridled and casual manner.
“I am Xie Grace, and this is my son Xie Mingjin. May I ask little brother’s name?” The middle aged man asked with a face beaming with smiles.
The youngster and the attendants were inwardly alarmed. If the man’s previous words had surprised them, then these words simply left them appalled.
They all knew what sort of person this man was. Therefore, when they saw him treating the youngster before them with such respect, going as far as to assuming him as an equal, the astonishment they felt was not small.
He Yiming faintly smiled before speaking without the slightest hesitation, “He Yiming.”
After rushing through the forest for three months, only heavens knew where he’d ended up. In any case, he was certainly not anywhere near the Tai Cang county, and thus, he’d no misgivings about revealing his real name.
Xie Grace’s smile didn’t falter at all but his mind operated at a lightning fast speed. However, he couldn’t recall if he’d heard about this young expert before.
He Yiming pointed at the fox bear on the ground and said, “Everyone, please help yourselves. No need to be courteous.”
Xie Grace heartily laughed and said, “Many thanks for your gracious invitation. Everybody, go on.”
His words were like a command. Two men immediately walked out. Their actions were hundred folds more skillful than He Yiming’s. Holding sharp small knives, they quickly and efficiently skinned the entire fox bear, stringed the meat, sprinkled seasoning, and slowly roasted it over the fire. Just after a few moments, a dense, alluring smell spread around.
He Yiming’s nose slightly shook before he felt quite ashamed inwardly.
Looking at these mens’ actions, they would be considered as professionals, and looking at the half-baked meat slices produced by his own hands which seemed no different than stones again, he could no longer swallow them past his throat.
With a faint smile, Xie Grace extended a bottle gourd towards him, “Little brother, this Xie can’t thank you enough for your kindness. Here is some good wine. If you don’t mind, try it.”
He Yiming eyes brightened. He felt a bit ashamed in replying. He’d heard the fame of a fine liquor. However, the rules of the manor were extremely strict. Before reaching the age of eighteen years, even he wasn’t permitted to drink wine, and he could also be considered as a type of obedient child. Thus, he’d never tried wine before.
With a slight hesitation, He Yiming accepted the bottle gourd from Xie Grace’s hands. As he uncovered it, a fragrant aroma pervaded the air. The tip of his nose faintly twitched two times before he pretentiously said, “Good wine.”
Subsequently, he raised his head high and fiercely took a big gulp.
As the wine entered, he suddenly felt a burning sensation, as if being cut apart by a knife, in his throat. His chest and abdomen further felt as if been set ablaze.
He Yiming blinked his eyes. His only feeling was that of the internal heat inside his body before he almost threw up on the spot.
Fortunately, his Internal Energy was incomparably profound. After it circulated in his body once, the troubling sensation immediately turned a lot better.
He let out a deep sigh. He Yiming had so boldly drunk the wine because he’d the support of his Internal Energy. He couldn’t be unwittingly poisoned. As long as he prepared beforehand, he could always expel out the poison from his stomach.
However, although this feeling felt strange to him, it didn’t feel like that of poisoning at all. Instead, it seemed almost the same as his eldest brother and the rest had described about the feeling one would have after drinking wine for the first time. Thus, he also eased his concerns.
However, this wine was too intense- so much so that he almost couldn’t endure it.
Xie Grace astoundedly observed He Yiming as he took a huge gulp, then forced down his throat and eventually exposed miserable appearance as his face turned a shade of red.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Little brother He, don’t tell me this is your first time drinking wine.”
He Yiming said with a slightly red face, “Hehe, I drink occasionally. However, this wine is a bit too different. Mr. Xie, you can enjoy it yourself.”
Xie Grace heartily laughed as he took the bottle gourd back from He Yiming’s hands.
While Xie Mingjin and the rest simultaneously revealed expressions that contained a bit of contempt.
This bottle gourd wine was an exceedingly reputed wine in Fire Crow country. It’s price was simply that of gold. Just by looking at He Yiming’s appearance, they could tell that the latter had no appreciation of wines and was certainly not a character from a big, powerful family.
However, since they had seen Xie Grace’s amiable behaviour, they would obviously not dare to be presumptuous.
After a few moments, the two attendants had finished roasting the first batch. They respectfully presented it. Xie Grace picked one slice for himself while offering another to He Yiming, “Little brother, this fox bear was killed by you. Would you offer me the courtesy of accepting this borrowed offering?”
He Yiming inwardly praised. This man had previously seen that the meat slice in his hand seemed completely flavourless and had thus deliberately talked in such a manner. Talking to this man was indeed quite comfortable and pleasant.
He accepted the roasted meat while casually expressing his thanks. Not standing on ceremony, he began to eat.
At the first bite, he almost swallowed his tongue inside. Although he’d not been starving for these three months, his diet was no better than a monk’s. Thus, when he suddenly tasted a delicacy, he somewhat couldn’t control himself.
Continuously smiling, Xie Grace patiently waited for He Yiming to finish before offering another slice in a completely natural manner.
He’d already assigned six of the attendants to collect firewood, slice the meat, string the branches, and roast the meat. These six divided themselves accordingly, and like flowing water, continued to bring roasted meat slices.
Father and son ate to their heart’s content together with He Yiming. They actually finished twenty percent of the gigantic fox bear before He Yiming eventually stopped eating after being completely satisfied, following which, the father and son also stopped accordingly.
With a hint from Xie Grace, the six attendants then began to eat. However, two among them separated themselves out to keep watch- being extremely cautious and attentive, giving no chance for the slightest nitpick.
“Brother He, this is a wild, desolate region. I wonder what brings you to such an area?” Xie Grace asked in a casual tone.
He Yiming also didn’t hide, “I heard that this forest has spiritual beasts. Thus, I came to hunt one.”
“Hunt spiritual beast?” Astonishment covered Xie Grace’s face, and Xie Mingjin lost his composure. A glint flickered in his eyes, as if he’d turned somewhat hostile to He Yiming.
However, He Yiming didn’t even glance at him and said in a rather blunt tone, “Correct. However, I have spend a few months in the forest now but have yet to see a single spiritual beast.”
Xie Grace faintly shook his head, “Brother He, entering forest like this…is it not a bit impetuous?”
He Yiming indifferently smiled, “Perhaps a little. However, if I can’t find a spirit beast, it could also be regarded as tempering myself. At the very least, spending these few months in solitude has reaped me abundant gains.”
Xie Grace started and pondered for a bit. He then threw quick glance at Xie Mingjin beside him and nodded as if he’d realized something.
His gaze turned grave as it lingered on He Yiming’s body momentarily, “Brother He, are you from our Fire Crow country?”
“Fire Crow country?” He Yiming astoundedly asked, “I’ve already left Heaven Sieve country?”
Inwardly, he said, ‘No wonder the clothing of these people seemed so strange. So it turns out they are from Fire Crow country. Where is Fire Crow country though?’
Xie Grace faintly smiled and said, “So it turns out you have come from Heaven Sieve country. That’s right, this region is already inside the boundaries of Fire Crow country.”
His voice didn’t seem surprised at all. Evidently, he’d already guessed He Yiming’s origins from his clothes.
He Yiming rather awkwardly smiled and said, “Mister Xie, I’d entered through the mountain ranges of Heaven Sieve country. After continuously moving through the past few months, I accidentally arrived here. I wonder how far this place is from Heaven Sieve country.”
Xie Grace thought for a bit before saying, “Heaven Sieve…if you take the official road, the distance is a thousand li. Even if you walk thirty li a day, you will need a month or two to cover the distance. Moreover, there is Gold Forest country in between as well. However, there are no roads in the mountain forest, and one can move as he pleases. I reckon brother He must have moved around in a few circles to arrive here in three months.”
He Yiming heavily nodded. When he’d entered the forest, he’d no fixed destination in mind, and he’d followed his heart. Arriving here could be said to be as karma.
Sweeping his vision through Xie Grace and the rest’s faces, He Yiming directly said, “Mister Xie, I can see that Xie family is probably a big influential family of Fire Crow country.”
Xie Grace had yet to show any reaction, but faces of Xie Minjin and the attendants turned a little complacent.
“Not a big influential family…but we do have a little fame.” Xie Grace slowly said.
He Yiming brightly said, “Mister Xie is too polite. May I ask mister Xie in return, what brings you to such a desolate, wild region?”
Xie Grace immediately said, “My purpose….is same as your’s- to hunt a spirit beast.”
Xie Mingjin and the rest were looking at Xie Grace, and some of them even shifted their hands to their weapons, seeming as if waiting for the latter’s orders.
He Yiming didn’t pay attention to any of it and calmly waited.
As he’d expected, Xie Grace continued, “This area has been explored by our Xie family several times, and we’ve indeed spotted two long-armed racoons.”
He Yiming’s heart faintly shook as he asked, “How old are these two spiritual beasts?”
Xie Grace bitterly smiled, “We don’t know their specific age. However, from their movements, we’ve deduced their life expectancy to be around two hundred years.
A slight disappointment flickered on He Yiming’s face. As far as he was concerned, a spiritual beast with a life expectancy of two hundred years held no use at all.