Mu Zhe had only meant to scare him, but seeing that he actually behaved, he suddenly tilted his head and chuckled.
Because no one was around, his laughter didn't fade quickly; a smile lingered at the corners of his eyes, making even the birthmark on his face seem more pleasing.
Mu Zhe was in a good mood. He used a pestle to grind the rice that Wen Li had asked for into tiny pieces, and then prepared some water, placing it next to Shen Gurong.
Shen Gurong, having just caused a fuss, was actually feeling a bit hungry despite his abstinence. He looked disdainfully at the crushed rice, then hopped to the porcelain cup of water and pecked at it a few times.
Mu Zhe: "Aren't you going to eat this? This is spirit rice."
Shen Gurong: "Chirp."
He wasn't a real bird; he'd rather starve than eat this kind of rice.
Exhausted, Shen Gurong pecked at the water a few times, then hopped back into the small box, stretched out his claws to cover himself with a small blanket, intending to continue playing dead.
Too embarrassing.
Shen Gurong had never been so humiliated in his life.
He didn't even consider how to get back to the main courtyard of Fanjiang Residence; he was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.
That night, Shen Gurong had several nightmares, his claws kicking and thrashing about.
The next morning, the bell rang. Mu Zhe got up early, washed up, and looked at his desk, but couldn't find the red ball of fur.
Mu Zhe searched the whole house.
The windows and doors were closed; Shen Gurong couldn't have flown out.
After searching for a long time, Mu Zhe finally found Shen Gurong sleeping on top of a tall bookshelf, claws in the air.
Mu Zhe hesitated for a moment, then stepped on a stool and lifted him down.
Shen Gurong's wings were injured and he couldn't move; he didn't know how he had climbed up the bookshelf.
The sound of the morning bell, combined with being woken by Mu Zhe, made the still-sleepy Shen Gurong start fussing again.
"Gurong, get up." "I don't want to get up, I don't want to get up."
Mu Zhe heard a series of soft chirps from the little bird in his palm. Looking down, he found Shen Gurong yawning, his pink tongue sticking out.
Placing yesterday's millet beside the box, Mu Zhe patted his head: "I'm going to my morning lesson. Don't forget to eat something if you're hungry."
Shen Gurong, who had been yawning, immediately woke up upon hearing this. He jumped out and grabbed Mu Zhe's sleeve, chirping urgently twice.
If he remembered correctly, today's morning lesson was Xi Guxing's meditation class.
Help, Sect Leader!
Mu Zhe didn't understand his little scheme. Seeing him stop him, he assumed it was because he was reluctant to part with him, and his usually cold face softened.
"You want to come with me?"
Shen Gurong nodded frantically.
A rare smile appeared on Mu Zhe's young face. He cradled Shen Gurong in his arms and said, "Okay."
With that, he tucked Shen Gurong into his robe, leaving only his head exposed for air.
Shen Gurong looked up at him, thinking that his disciple was indeed gentle, even showing such patience towards a spirit beast.
Mu Zhe took his book, closed the door, and called Yu Xinghe to get up for his morning lessons.
The rain had stopped, and a flock of sparrows chirped and flew across the clear blue sky. Mu Zhe glanced up at them.
Before Mu Zhe entered Liren Peak, he lived in a half-collapsed mud house in a remote village. Whenever it rained, he would get soaked before the walls.
From as far back as he can remember, he was hated by everyone and lived under the roof of others, struggling with all his might just to survive.
In those almost numb days, a little sparrow frantically bumped into him in the rain, shivering and seeking shelter under his knees.
Little Mu Zhe had never received such a feeling of being needed. He stood there stunned for a long time before gently opening his arms to shield the sparrow from the wind and rain.
Mu Zhe looked down at the chubby little bird dozing beside his clothes and suddenly smiled.
Yu Xinghe woke up late and was woken up by Mu Zhe. He screamed as he got dressed and washed up. Mu Zhe was too lazy to wait for him, so he told him and left first.
On the way to Changying Mountain, Shen Gurong was comfortably nestled in Mu Zhe's clothes, taking a nap, but an inexplicable instinct arose within him. After a short while, he suddenly hooked his claws and climbed onto Mu Zhe's shoulder.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe looked at him strangely, but didn't stop him. He was even worried the bird might lose its grip and fall, so he caught it with his hands below.
Shen Gu Rong, still half asleep, climbed onto Mu Zhe's shoulder. After finding a spot to settle in, he finally realized what was happening and chirped in confusion.
Mu Zhe had read quite a few tales of spirit beasts yesterday and knew that most bird-like spirit beasts instinctively climb high, feeling safer at higher places. He figured this little bird was probably the same; otherwise, he wouldn't have found him on the bookshelf this morning.
After crossing the rope bridge, Shen Gurong had already climbed onto Mu Zhe's head, grabbing his hair and finally securing his bun with both claws, looking down at the surrounding mountains.
Mu Zhe wasn't angry about his hair being messed up; he let the bird play around on his head.
Shen Gurong thought his little disciple had a really good temper, and as a reward, he lowered his head and pecked his forehead.
Once Mu Zhe crossed the rope bridge, Shen Gurong had already buried his entire body in Mu Zhe's loose hair, only his dark eyes vaguely visible, playing hide-and-seek.
Before Mu Zhe even reached Zhibai Hall, he heard someone calling him from not far away.
"Mu Zhe."
Mu Zhe looked up and saw Li Suo in casual clothes, smiling at him while fanning himself.
Mu Zhe hurriedly ran over: "Senior Brother Li Suo."
Li Suo expertly patted his head: "Why didn't Xinghe come with us? Today, your senior brother is taking you down the mountain..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly felt a strange touch in his palm, startling Li Suo, who immediately withdrew his hand.
Shen Gurong peeked out from Mu Zhe's dark hair, chirping in confusion.
Li Suo breathed a sigh of relief: "What's this?"
Mu Zhe carefully picked up Shen Gurong and showed it to Li Suo: "I was just about to ask you what kind of spirit beast this is, Senior Brother? I checked the Spirit Beast Chronicles the other day, but I couldn't find anything like it."
Li Suo examined the bright red ball of fur, hesitatingly saying, "It looks like a fire spirit beast, but fire spirit beasts are generally larger, and... not this fat."
Shen Gurong: "..."
You're the fat one!
Shen Gurong glared at him angrily.
Li Suo: "Hey! That's strange, it's glaring at me? Has it already developed sentience at such a young age?"
Mu Zhe thought for a moment, then nodded hesitantly: "It seems so."
Seemingly, even Li Suo didn't recognize it, so Mu Zhe didn't ask any more questions, and tucked the furball, which was angrily flapping its wings and trying to peck at Li Suo, into his clothes.
"What did you say, Senior Brother? Going down the mountain today? Aren't we having morning lessons?"
Li Suo smiled, closing his fan. "That's right. The Holy Lord is in seclusion today, and Master seems to have important matters to attend to. It just so happens that the Flower Festival starts down the mountain today, so Senior Brother will take you to broaden your horizons."
Mu Zhe was slightly taken aback. "Master... is in seclusion again?"
Li Suo looked at him strangely, wondering if this junior brother had been driven crazy by Shen Feng Xue's torment. Why did he seem disappointed that the Holy Lord wasn't bothering him during seclusion?
"Don't overthink it." Li Suo gently patted Mu Zhe's head and said softly, "It's rare for you to come down the mountain, so Senior Brother will take you to have some fun—go on, change your clothes, and call Xinghe to come along."
Mu Zhe smiled slightly, nodded slightly, and turned to call Yu Xinghe.
Shen Gurong watched from the side, feeling a pang of jealousy.
Mu Zhe had never smiled like this in front of him before. Even after saving him so many times, he'd only ever received a polite thank you; he'd never even shown a bit of playful affection.
Shen Gurong snorted at him, then jumped onto his head and started pulling his hair with his paws in a spoiled manner.
Mu Zhe: "..."
Mu Zhe didn't know what had gotten into him this time, but since it didn't hurt, he let him jump around.
Shen Gurong pulled at his hair like he was pulling weeds for a while before his not-so-large brain suddenly realized.
—There were no morning classes today, which meant… he wouldn't see Xi Guxing.
Shen Gurong's paws froze, and his whole body rolled straight down, caught by Mu Zhe with lightning speed.
Seeing Shen Gurong's eyes glaze over again, as if he were daydreaming and pretending to be dead, Mu Zhe sighed, tucked him into his clothes, and went to find Yu Xinghe.
A moment later, Yu Xinghe came running towards him in a hurry.
He got up too late and didn't even tie his long hair up. He ran over like a little madman, his hair disheveled and hanging over his face, a hairband dangling from his mouth as he ran.
“We’re going to be late!” Yu Xinghe rushed over, tears welling in his eyes. “Master must think Xinghe is a bad kid…”
He ran across the suspension bridge, only to be grabbed by the arm by Mu Zhe, who was waiting nearby.
Yu Xinghe looked at him in alarm: “Mu Zhe, has morning class started?”
Mu Zhe answered succinctly: “Master is in seclusion; there’s no morning class today. Senior Brother Li Suo is planning to take us down the mountain to play.”
Yu Xinghe was panting, stunned for a long time before finally letting out a sigh of relief. He patted his chest and muttered softly, “That scared me to death…”
Mu Zhe, too lazy to watch his foolishness, pulled him back to put down his books, changed into casual clothes, and followed Li Suo down the mountain to play.
At Lotus Lake, a white crane was perched on the water's surface, pecking at fish.
He pecked and pecked for ages, but couldn't catch a single fish. Undeterred, however, he persevered, relentlessly searching.
Just as he finally caught a small fish, no bigger than his palm, a faint sound reached his ears, like pearls falling onto a jade plate.
The white crane jolted, the fish falling directly into the water. He froze for a moment, his expression grim, even his crane-like face revealing his displeasure.
The white crane, its face grim, swiftly spread its wings and flew towards Bai Shang Mountain, transforming into human form upon landing at Lou Bugui's residence.
Xi Guxing was speaking to Lou Bugui, looking somewhat exasperated.
"He can't even speak. If he were assimilated into a phoenix, he'd probably be a tiny little thing, easily carried off by a mouse!"
"Senior brother... Senior brother, calm down... Senior brother, your sword sheath poked me."
"How can I calm down!? If anything happens to him, Master will never let us off! I've searched the entire Liren Peak, but I haven't found him anywhere. If he had left Liren Peak, the Boundary Spirit Tablet would have reacted, and things wouldn't have come to this..."
"Senior brother, senior brother, senior brother..."
Xi Guxing was furious and helpless. Hearing Lou Bugui only call him that, he said irritably, "What? Speak."
Lou Bugui said dryly, "The Boundary Spirit Tablet seems to have reacted."
Xi Guxing: "..."
Xi Guxing stared wide-eyed at the faintly glowing azure jade on the table, almost unable to recover.
Lou Bugui tilted his head, reminding him, "Eleventh Shidi wouldn't have left Liren Peak on his own. He must have been forcibly taken away after transforming into a phoenix and being unable to use his spiritual power. We just need to check who went down the mountain today to find out."
Xi Guxing frowned, raising his hand and quickly drawing an intricate rune in the air. The rune instantly transformed into a streak of ink, flying into the void.
Soon, a streak of ink returned to the void.
Li Suo's disciple, Qi, flew back, his respectful voice ringing out, "Yes, Mu Zhe has brought a fiery red spirit beast; we have already gone down the mountain."
Xi Guxing: "..."
He dispersed the ink streak, his expression somewhat serious.
Lou Bugui was about to speak when he suddenly seemed to sense something. His previously dull gaze suddenly turned fierce, and he looked menacingly into the distance.
The white crane, dressed in white, his eyes filled with coldness, took a deep breath and bowed slightly to the two.
Xi Guxing frowned at him. "What is it?"
The white crane nodded respectfully. "Sect Leader Xi, the Holy Lord has left Liren Peak."
After speaking, he slightly raised his head, his narrow eyes fixed on Xi Guxing. "Shouldn't you... set off to bring the Holy Lord back?"
Xi Guxing, who had been impatient, looked at him with disgust. He coldly said, "Since when has it been the demon race's place to interfere in the affairs of Liren Peak?"
The white crane's usual gentle respect was gone. He was expressionless, his voice icy. "Our demon lord has made a hundred-year pact with Nan Yangjun. The Holy Lord will not leave Liren Peak until he hands over the divine artifact. And now, before half the hundred-year pact has passed, he has brazenly descended the mountain. I believe that within three days, everyone in the Three Realms will know..."
Before he could finish, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck, then everything went black. He was being choked and slammed against a thick tree trunk.
Xi Guxing's face was filled with murderous intent, his aura chilling. He coldly said, "Shen Feng Xue is my Holy Lord of Liren Peak. He can do as he pleases; it's none of anyone else's business! My master and the Demon Lord did have an agreement forbidding Shen Feng Xue from descending the mountain, but I did not."
The white crane was choked so hard he couldn't even utter a sound.
"Now, I, Xi Guxing, am the leader of Liren Peak. What I say goes." Xi Guxing's eyes were as cold as the snow on a mountain peak. "If the demon race wants to interfere with Holy Lord Shen's freedom, then let the Demon Lord come and talk to me personally."
Even though Xi Guxing uttered such treasonous words, Lou Bugui didn't try to stop him. He simply stood there quietly, looking down at a poisonous weed at his feet, lost in thought.
Xi Guxing didn't intend to kill the white crane. After saying his piece, he simply pushed him away.
The white crane coughed violently, his arm slowly transforming into white feathers due to unstable spiritual energy.
Xi Guxing looked down at him, his killing intent undiminished: "I'll let you off this time for the sake of Fifth Junior Brother. But if there's a next time, think twice before you come looking for me."
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