The Birds Keep Ringing Chapter 13
byChapter 13: The Bird Wields Human Authority
Yun Zhen fluttered his wings, changing location and landing on top of his Senior Brother’s head. This was purely a tactical decision; Senior Brother was tall, and the view from up here was the best.
He just didn’t know what Senior Brother had put in his hair; a strong, rich fragrance made Yun Zhen dizzy. At the same time, he keenly noticed a few dark red strands stuck in Senior Brother’s hair.
Yun Zhen tilted his head, examining them closely.
These hairs… why did they look familiar?
The red fox that was locked in the cage last night, baring its teeth and looking eager to bite, had fur of this exact color.
Why would there be fox fur on Senior Brother’s head?
A bold guess surfaced in Yun Zhen’s mind: Could Senior Brother have gone to seduce that fox?
Yun Zhen shook his head vigorously. No, that was a fox—four legs, covered in fur, a completely different species. Although Senior Brother had always been rather unprincipled in his private life, he wouldn’t be so desperate as to stoop to this level… would he?
But then again, there was no logic left in this world. He himself, a living person, could fall asleep and wake up as a bird. If a person could turn into a bird, why couldn’t a fox turn into a human?
Isn’t that how it was written in the storybooks? Some thousand-year-old fox spirit, having achieved cultivation success, transforms into an unparalleled beauty, and then engages in indescribable activities with a scholar in a ruined temple.
Yun Zhen felt that his entire bird self was not doing well. He felt that the complexity of this world had far exceeded his comprehension.
Xiao Fengzhi was staring intently at the arena, completely unaware that the divine beast on his head was gossiping about him.
Jiang Zhi stepped onto the stage.
Immediately after, Xie Xiaoming walked up, his face dark.
There were dark circles under his eyes, and his face, which was originally quite handsome, was now gloomy. Yun Zhen suspected that he might have also gone to meet a fox spirit last night, only for Senior Brother to steal the lead, resulting in the two fighting three hundred rounds over the ownership of the beauty, ending in mutual defeat.
The two stood facing each other, separated by ten feet.
Xie Xiaoming sneered, “It’s you again.”
Jiang Zhi remained silent, cold and distant.
Xie Xiaoming’s face grew darker. He turned to the old man presiding over the event and said, word by word, “Someone rigged the draw.”
Accusing the organizers of cheating in front of all the heroes of the world was no joke; it was tantamount to slapping the Lu Family’s face.
The old man frowned, stroking his beard. “What do you mean by that, Young Master Xie?”
“Who was responsible for the draw?”
A middle-aged man stepped forward. “That would be me. All the lots were in the box and drawn publicly by representatives of each sect. Does Young Master Xie believe I would engage in favoritism?”
“I’m not talking about you.” Xie Xiaoming glanced coldly in Yun Zhen’s direction, his gaze stabbing like a knife. “I’m talking about certain people who are accustomed to using despicable methods. Yesterday it was a sneak attack, and today it’s manipulating the draw. A crooked beam makes a crooked house!”
These words were just short of naming and shaming them.
Yun Zhen secretly peeked at Master. To be honest, they were indeed a crooked beam making a crooked house.
Wen Wan whispered, “Senior Brother… what did you do to provoke him this time?”
“Shh—” Xiao Fengzhi quickly made a silencing gesture.
Jiang Zhi lifted his eyelids and asked him, “What are you trying to say?”
“I won’t fight you,” Xie Xiaoming said.
Xie Xiaoming turned to Lu Feng, who was seated in the Alliance Leader’s position, and said, word by word, “Young Master Lu, you are the champion. I have the right to challenge you directly, don’t I?”
At this, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.
Lu Feng smiled. “Brother Xie, according to the rules, you must first pass the hurdle of Brother Jiang.”
“Rules are dead; people are alive,” Xie Xiaoming said righteously. “I can’t beat him.”
He was surprisingly candid.
“Rather than making a fool of myself, I might as well admit defeat directly,” Xie Xiaoming said. “I came here today specifically to seek guidance from Young Master Lu.”
The crowd began to whisper.
“Young Master Xie’s martial arts are among the best of the younger generation. Even he publicly admits he can’t win. What is the background of this Flowing Cloud Sect?”
“Have you heard of the Flowing Cloud Sect?”
“No, probably some small sect that popped up from a remote corner.”
“Could a small sect produce such a master?”
Listening to these discussions, Yun Zhen felt delighted, puffing out his little chest.
That’s right, that’s his Second Senior Brother! Their Flowing Cloud Sect is full of hidden talents! What small sect? Just wait, later you’ll see what true hidden mastery looks like!
On the stage, since the words had been spoken, Lu Feng could no longer refuse. He pondered for a moment, then finally nodded slightly. “Since Brother Xie has such an interest, I would be rude to decline. Rules are meant to serve people, and the purpose of the Martial Arts Assembly is to exchange skills through martial arts. Since Brother Xie intends to spar, I shall certainly oblige.”
He walked onto the stage and smiled slightly at Jiang Zhi. “Brother Jiang, why don’t you step down and rest for a moment and watch the match between Brother Xie and me?”
Jiang Zhi ignored him, sheathed his sword, turned, and stepped off the stage.
“This Jiang Zhi is too arrogant! Young Master Lu was so polite, and he didn’t even offer a word of thanks?”
“I think he lacks manners. He’s from a small sect, after all, and has limited experience.”
“Tsk tsk, young and arrogant, looking down on everyone. He’s bound to suffer losses sooner or later.”
“Young Master Lu is so cultured. But look at him, wearing a sour face as if the whole world owes him something. If I were Young Master Lu, I’d teach him a good lesson.”
Yun Zhen was so angry his feathers bristled. What do you mean, inexperienced? Second Senior Brother is just too lazy to bother with you mortals! Do you understand what masterly demeanor is? A master is sparing with his words.
He wished he could fly over immediately and peck out the eyes of these gossips.
On the stage, Xie Xiaoming and Lu Feng had already taken their stances.
In storybooks, the duels between masters are usually described in thousands of words, with phrases like “Sword energy spans thirty thousand miles,” “One sword brings frost to nineteen provinces,” and “The sword emerges like a dragon, swift as thunder.” They are written in flowery language that makes the reader’s blood boil.
But Yun Zhen now felt that the people who wrote those books had definitely never actually watched a fight.
In reality, it was quite boring to watch.
It was just two people holding swords, testing each other. You stab, I block, then both retreat two steps, strike a pose, and charge again. The only visual appeal was that both men were reasonably good-looking, and their sword dance was certainly better to watch than Wang Ergou and Li Sanpang fighting in the village square.
If it were two burly men grunting and groaning up there, Yun Zhen estimated he would have already fallen asleep.
The audience below, however, watched with gusto, occasionally letting out cheers, as if afraid others wouldn’t know how much they understood martial arts.
After another dozen moves, sweat began to bead on Xie Xiaoming’s forehead. In contrast, Lu Feng remained calm and composed, his breathing steady. Forget sweat, not a single strand of his hair was out of place.
Yun Zhen shook his head. Young Master Xie’s stamina was lacking. He definitely overindulged last night; his lower body stance was unstable.
Just as he was idly speculating, the situation on the field suddenly changed.
Lu Feng suddenly accelerated his hand, conjuring three sword shadows that stabbed straight at Xie Xiaoming. Xie Xiaoming hastily retreated, but somehow stumbled, nearly falling. In the instant he lost his balance, Lu Feng’s sword flashed and was pressed against his heart.
The speed was astonishing. Many people below the stage didn’t even see what happened, only that Xie Xiaoming was immobilized.
Lu Feng sheathed his sword and smiled. “Thank you for the concession.”
Yun Zhen saw it clearly.
He was a bird now, capable of seeing many details invisible to ordinary people.
Just before Xie Xiaoming stumbled, Lu Feng’s other hand moved—a very subtle action, almost imperceptible. The next second, something seemed to fly out of his sleeve and instantly retract.
It was a silver thread, thin as hair.
The silver thread flashed in the sunlight, wrapped around Xie Xiaoming’s ankle, gave a gentle tug, and was instantly pulled back.
This man cheated!
Lu Feng used such despicable methods behind the scenes! Yun Zhen trembled with anger, wishing he could fly over and peck out his eyes right then and there.
But Xie Xiaoming seemed completely unaware. He just stood there, his face ashen, and finally bowed gracefully to Lu Feng. “Brother Lu’s swordsmanship is superb. I admit my inferiority.”
Yun Zhen felt a strange sense of pity for him. Young Master Xie was quite miserable. First, he was deceived emotionally by Senior Brother, and today he was ambushed by Lu Feng using underhanded tactics. Truly bad luck.
“As expected of the Lu Family’s Eldest Young Master!”
“The position of Alliance Leader belongs to Young Master Lu!”
These people were such sycophants. If Lu Feng farted, they would probably praise it extravagantly, saying something like, “As expected of Young Master Lu, even his flatulence is so imposing.”
Yun Zhen rolled his eyes internally and pondered. Lu Feng was clearly dominating the fight, so why use a dirty trick? He must have wanted to end the battle in the fastest and safest way possible, preserving his strength while also saving face for the Xie Family.
Jiang Zhi’s first opponent was a burly man who, upon stepping onto the stage, clenched his fists, making his bones crackle. He looked very intimidating. He roared, “I love teaching lessons to arrogant pretty boys like you!”
With that, he swung his massive, sandbag-sized fist at Jiang Zhi. However, before his fist arrived, Jiang Zhi’s sword was already pressed against his neck.
The big man’s smile froze on his face. He stood there rigid, not daring to breathe heavily.
The next few matches made Yun Zhen almost fall asleep. The opponents were all mediocre characters, and he didn’t need to worry at all. One came up, one went down. The process was so monotonous it was soporific.
Bored, Yun Zhen started preening his feathers, and he suddenly realized something.
Jiang Zhi was actually quite malicious.
Sometimes he could clearly finish the fight in one move, but he preferred to play with his opponent for a while, forcing out all their moves and revealing their hidden cards, before delivering the decisive blow.
It was like a cat that could kill its prey instantly but chooses to play with it first before striking.
Killing the person and punishing the heart.
Finally, after an afternoon of duels, the champions of the Heaven Group and Earth Group were determined.
The Heaven Group champion was Jiang Zhi.
The Earth Group champion was a fierce-looking man who wielded twin sabers. His saber technique was decent, and he cut his way through the competition without encountering a real challenge. His opponents were likely intimidated by his ferocious appearance, losing three parts of the fight before it even began.
The man was named Tie Shan, around thirty years old, with small but fierce eyes. As soon as he stepped onto the stage, he raised his twin sabers and started hacking without a word.
His saber technique was overbearing, wide-open, and heavy-handed. This was the legendary power creates miracles; he didn’t bother with technique, he just hacked with brute force. Hacking was all that mattered.
The choice of weapon often revealed a person’s character.
Although the sword was elegant and agile, it was actually used by relatively few people. Firstly, swords were expensive, and secondly, the difficulty of mastering them far exceeded that of sabers or spears. While the upper limit was high, the lower limit was extremely low, making the difference between a fire poker and a divine weapon depending on the user.
The two major families in the martial arts world currently used swords. The Sword Forging Manor could forge its own, and the Lu Family had the money to buy them. Only these two families could practice the sword to its extreme.
Master once suggested Yun Zhen learn the whip or twin short sabers, but he refused, thinking that hacking with a saber was unseemly, let alone two. As for the whip, that was mostly for girls to dance with. He eventually chose the sword, primarily because he thought wielding a sword was cool, and secondarily because it gave him a reason to cling to Second Senior Brother.
Looking at the burly man, Yun Zhen thought, if only I had learned twin sabers, maybe I would be a top master by now.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
Sabers and sword clashed, sparks flying.
But Jiang Zhi hadn’t even drawn his sword, using only the scabbard to block.
Tie Shan hacked faster and faster, growing more frantic and disorganized, yet he couldn’t even touch the hem of Jiang Zhi’s clothes. His face grew redder, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
Finally, the man tired himself out, leaning on his sabers on the stage, panting heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat.
“I quit, I quit!” he gasped. “I’ve been hacking for ages, and you won’t even draw your sword! That’s too much bullying!”
With that, he dragged his sabers off the stage, staggering slightly as he walked, clearly exhausted.
Yun Zhen felt honored and excitedly hopped on Xiao Fengzhi’s head. See that? That’s my Second Senior Brother!
“Cheep cheep cheep!”
Senior Brother said helplessly, “My little ancestor, you are a divine beast. Can you try to act like one? Stop being so jumpy and be more composed.”
Yun Zhen: “Cheep!” (Mind your own business!)
He was just a happy little bird, free to hop and jump as he pleased.
Finally, it was time for the last match.
Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the arena.
This was the main event of the day.
One was the Eldest Young Master of the Lu Family, the heir of a martial arts dynasty, a favored son of heaven, and the popular choice for the next Alliance Leader.
The other was a dark horse who emerged from an obscure small sect, yet swept through the competition, invincible, with even Xie Xiaoming publicly admitting defeat and refusing to fight him.
Yun Zhen felt a little nervous. Lu Feng was insidious and cunning, capable of using any despicable trick. Moreover, Jiang Zhi still had an injury on his arm. Although not serious, it was still a hidden danger.
He recalled Master’s words, his heart pounding. According to the plan, Jiang Zhi was supposed to lose, but what if Lu Feng took the opportunity to strike ruthlessly? What if Jiang Zhi was seriously injured? What if Lu Feng went straight for the kill?
“Brother Jiang’s sword strike yesterday is still fresh in my memory,” Lu Feng smiled. “I wonder if I have the honor today to experience it again?”
The incense in the giant cauldron had burned down. There was no wind; a wisp of blue smoke rose straight up, and the banners of the surrounding sects were still.
Though the two had not moved, the air around them was already clashing. Yun Zhen didn’t sense fighting spirit, only chilling killing intent. He suddenly had an ominous premonition. It seemed that Jiang Zhi and Lu Feng truly held some kind of deep-seated blood feud.
Yun Zhen unconsciously tightened his claws, gripping too hard, making Senior Brother grimace in pain.
“Easy, easy!” Xiao Fengzhi wailed softly. “If you pluck me bald, how will I ever face people again?”
Suddenly, a withered yellow ginkgo leaf spun in the air and drifted down gently.
Everyone’s pupils involuntarily trembled slightly, following the leaf.
The leaf landed.