“Ding! Congratulations, player! You have obtained one ‘Summoned Beast Evolution Potion’!”
As the gold coins in Jiang Fei’s wallet decreased from 4,414 to 3,364 (a deduction of 1,050 coins), a small vial appeared in his inventory. With a thought, the bottle materialized in his palm.
Wincing at the cost, Jiang Fei uncorked the vial and held it to the goshawk’s beak. “This cost me over a thousand gold coins—enough to buy plenty of good stuff! You’d better not let me down. Evolve successfully and carry me to the skies!”
The goshawk seemed to understand Jiang Fei’s intent and sensed the potion’s value. Its three-centimeter beak slid effortlessly into the bottle, gulping down the liquid.
“Gulp!”
Less than a minute after consuming the potion, the once-energetic goshawk—freshly freed from its cage—began swaying drowsily, its eyelids heavy. It perched unsteadily on Jiang Fei’s arm, fighting sleep.
The Summoned Beast Evolution Potion was taking effect.
Jiang Fei wasn’t alarmed; he was thrilled. The same thing had happened to Simba, his Tibetan Mastiff, who’d slept for hours before evolving.
Instead of caging the goshawk, Jiang Fei carried it outside his villa and gently placed it on a tree branch, where it gripped the wood and dozed off. Unlike ground animals, birds could sleep soundly perched on branches or wires—much like the fictional Xiaolongnu napping on a rope, immune to falls.
As he watched the goshawk’s eyes close completely, Jiang Fei’s heart swelled with anticipation.
Most eagles were smaller than condors, and even the largest real-world eagles couldn’t carry humans. The white condors from The Legend of the Condor Heroes that ferried Guo Jing were pure fantasy. But Jiang Fei dared to hope.
This goshawk, gifted by Dunzhu, was already a prime specimen—its wingspan exceeded a meter. Coupled with the evolution potion (a sci-fi-esque marvel beyond even wuxia novels’ elixirs), breakthroughs seemed possible.
Simba had become a spiritual beast after consuming the potion. Though still growing, it already dwarfed adult Tibetan Mastiffs. At full maturity, it’d be a true titan.
If the goshawk’s size doubled, its body could exceed one meter long with a two-to-three-meter wingspan—enough to lift 50+ kg. Jiang Fei’s weight exceeded that, but his mastery of qinggong (and future neigong training) defied physics, reducing the burden.
Two hours slipped by in eager anticipation.
The goshawk stirred on its branch, eyelids fluttering open.
“Screeeech—!”
Its piercing cry echoed like a highland clarion call. Jiang Fei, idly pruning fruit trees, snapped his gaze skyward. The orchard around his villa thrived lush and green; many trees would bear fruit next year.
“Already evolved? That was fast!” Jiang Fei mused.
This evolution took half the time Simba’s had. Likely because the goshawk, unlike the near-death Simba, was healthy—just fatigued from Dunzhu’s “training.”
“No system notification… so it didn’t become a spiritual beast,” Jiang Fei realized, faintly disappointed. A spiritual beast evolution would’ve rewarded 300 EXP, as with Simba.
Yet watching the goshawk soar, his regret faded. Even without spiritual status, it was now extraordinary.
The bird flew too high for details, so Jiang Fei whistled. The goshawk descended gracefully, landing on his forearm.
“Definitely heavier!” Jiang Fei grinned, his arm dipping under the new weight. The evolution potion’s magic defied logic—how could a tiny vial add mass without additional energy input?
He inspected the changes:
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Body length: Increased from 60cm to ~70cm (now matching smaller condors).
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Wingspan: Proportionally expanded.
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Future growth: Further increases possible—perhaps up to 1m, rivaling the Andean Condor (1.3m body, 3m wingspan).
Though not a spiritual beast, the goshawk’s intelligence and bond with Jiang Fei had clearly deepened. Its eyes gleamed with newfound understanding.
“With you hunting, rabbits and pheasants won’t stand a chance!” Jiang Fei laughed, shaking his arm. The goshawk took off, wings beating so fiercely they stirred a gust. A line of poetry came to mind: “The roc ascends on winds divine, soaring ninety thousand li in one climb!”
Watching it climb, Jiang Fei felt invincible.
But rice village’s hills were child’s play—he yearned for real wilderness: grasslands, Changbai Mountains. With Simba and the goshawk, he’d outclass any rifle-toting hunter.
“I heard Sichuan has a high-end hunting club near Chengdu—wild boars included. Requires military connections though… Maybe Ye Yuanyuan can help.” He smirked.
For now, duty called. The Eastern-Western Medical Exchange awaited in two weeks, with Dugu Nine Swords as the reward. He couldn’t slack.
After two days of hunting in rice village, Jiang Fei returned to Chengdu, determined to grind his Level 7 Medical Skills at Jiang Clinic. If he didn’t reach Level 8 soon, the exchange might end in failure.
He even postponed trips with Xia Xiaozhi and Xu Jing, promising August instead. Meanwhile, pop star Qiao Yiyi bid him a tender farewell post-Chengdu work. Their “scandal” had faded—the internet’s attention span was fleeting.
But Jiang Fei hoped their bond wouldn’t fade. Their week together in rice village’s paradise lingered in memory…
