The Birds Keep Ringing Chapter 15
byChapter 15: A Taste of the Jianghu: Who Smells Better, Me or Senior Brother?
Yun Zhen was stuffed into a bright red cage. The cage was made like a lantern, gilded on the outside and lined with brocade on the inside. The food and water bowls were carved from white jade, holding millet and mountain spring water, respectively.
This was probably the legendary last meal. According to the rules of the jianghu, one should always be polite to those about to embark on their final journey. The lavishness of this meal was often directly proportional to the cruelty of the person’s impending death.
“Little fellow, I apologize for the inconvenience.” Lu Feng held the cage, smiling gently. “Soon, you’ll be able to move into a better place.”
A better place?
Yun Zhen grumbled internally. Wouldn’t it be better? A pill-refining furnace, a one-step process, high-temperature cremation, sending him directly to ascension, even scattering his ashes.
He chirped twice, trying to express his indignation at this forced purchase and sale—no, this forced kidnapping of a civilian bird.
But Lu Feng clearly misunderstood avian body language, taking it as a sign of affection. He reached through the bars and stroked Yun Zhen’s head. “Be good, it will be over soon.”
Soon to be cooked, right!
The only thing he could do now was furiously curse Lu Feng in his heart. He hoped Lu Feng would choke on his food, drown in his water, trip while walking, and suffer from sleep paralysis.
Lu Feng carried him through the winding corridors. The place was built like a labyrinth, with countless twists and turns, making Yun Zhen dizzy. He tried hard to memorize the route. When a protagonist is captured and taken to the villain’s lair, the first priority is to remember the map for future escape.
After passing the seventeenth identical pavilion, he gave up.
A great hero relies on luck and the author’s favor to escape, not memory. Even if he, a bird, memorized the route, could he unlock the cage and fly out? He was meant to become a great hero someday, not a carrier pigeon.
Finally, Lu Feng stopped before a heavy vermilion door. A line of guards stood by the door, backs straight, eyes forward, like a row of wooden stakes. Each looked like a master martial artist, seemingly guarding something important.
The interior, however, did not resemble a place hiding treasures; it was rather desolate.
There was only a single osmanthus tree in the courtyard, its fragrance overwhelming. Unfortunately, Yun Zhen was in no mood to appreciate the scenery. For a bird about to be refined into a pill, even the most beautiful scenery was just decoration for his grave.
“Chirp!”
Yun Zhen sneezed.
He was allergic to osmanthus. This was adding insult to injury—he was about to enter the furnace, and he had to be tormented by pollen before he died.
“Second Uncle,” Lu Feng stopped at the door and called out respectfully.
A deep voice responded from inside: “Come in.”
Yun Zhen’s heart tightened. The person who commanded such respect from Lu Feng must be Lu Ting, the current Martial Arts Alliance Leader and head of the Lu Family.
The interior didn’t look like a room but rather a Daoist temple. In the center stood three tall statues of deities, each about ten feet high, looking down with lowered eyes.
Yun Zhen stared at the three statues, feeling increasingly uneasy. The eyes of the statues were made of gemstones, glowing faintly in the dim room, like the eyes of living people staring at him with a subtle, unnerving smile.
Below the statues, a man sat cross-legged. He was about fifty, with graying hair and an expressionless face, but his eyes were sharp as an eagle’s.
Yun Zhen curiously sized him up, startled.
If Lu Feng and Jiang Zhi shared only a slight resemblance, this man shared four-tenths. His features, especially the chilling aura surrounding him, were like an enhanced version of Jiang Zhi.
A ridiculous and melodramatic thought immediately occupied the bird brain: Could this be Jiang Zhi’s long-lost biological father?
With this level of resemblance, in a storybook, he would be at least a biological uncle, if not the father. Jiang Zhi was actually Lu Ting’s illegitimate son, who had been separated due to some unspeakable reason and picked up by Master. Years later, father and son would reunite, Jiang Zhi would inherit the Lu Family estate, marry a peerless beauty, and reach the pinnacle of life.
Yun Zhen shook his head vigorously. No, that plot was too cliché.
Besides, if Jiang Zhi were truly the Lu Family’s illegitimate son, Master, that old miser, would have long ago clung to the Lu family’s leg and acknowledged the relationship. How could he still be holed up on that broken mountain, constantly scheming for his father’s meager silver?
“Feng’er, is this the bird?” Lu Ting’s voice interrupted Yun Zhen’s wild thoughts.
“Yes,” Lu Feng replied respectfully. “It came uninvited to the Martial Arts Assembly, likely sensing the destiny of our Lu Family. That old man from the Flowing Cloud Sect was sensible and offered it willingly.”
“Flowing Cloud Sect…” Lu Ting repeated. He stood up and walked to the cage, examining Yun Zhen.
Yun Zhen instantly felt a chill run from his claws straight to his brain and quickly huddled into a ball. That gaze was terrifying, even more frightening than Jiang Zhi’s icy face. Jiang Zhi merely kept people at a distance; this man was high above, looking at people as if they were ants.
“It does possess some spiritual energy,” Lu Ting nodded. “It’s enough for refining pills.”
Enough?! Yun Zhen roared internally: Enough your head! I am a future great hero, a Divine Bird reincarnated!
Lu Feng hesitated. “Nephew is concerned. The various martial arts factions are still at the manor. Starting tonight, will it…”
“What is there to fear?” Lu Ting interrupted him coldly. “Those people are here to flatter us, not to cause trouble. Even if some blind fool tries to make trouble, they’ll have to weigh their own capabilities.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three statues.
“His Majesty is pressing us.”
His Majesty. Yun Zhen pricked up his bird ears, listening carefully.
“His Majesty’s health is failing. The immortal pill must be presented within ten days.”
“Everyone outside is saying…” Lu Feng said cautiously, “that it’s for the Noble Consort’s birthday celebration…”
Lu Ting sneered. “Your aunt’s birthday is in the spring. He is practically dying; he has no mood to celebrate a woman’s birthday.”
Yun Zhen suddenly understood: Oh, the old emperor is about to kick the bucket.
So, they needed to extend the emperor’s life. No wonder the Lu Family was in such a hurry. If the emperor died and a new one took the throne, the Lu Family’s patron would fall. Therefore, they had to refine the pill before the emperor passed away, allowing him to live a few more years and continue protecting them.
Lu Ting looked up at the three statues. In the smoke of the incense, their faces were blurred, but their dark, sunken eyes were exceptionally clear.
Yun Zhen suddenly felt that those were not the eyes of statues.
They were… human eyes.
The moment this thought surfaced, all the feathers on his body stood on end.
“This pill requires the vital essence and soul of a living creature for refinement,” Lu Ting looked at Yun Zhen in the cage. “Moreover, the creature must be conscious during the refining process, not unconscious or dead. Only then can its vital essence fully integrate into the pill, making the resulting elixir effective.”
Conscious?
Did that mean he had to clearly, with his own eyes, watch himself be refined into a pill?
That was too cruel! Couldn’t they just knock him out first, letting him die quickly? Why the perverse requirement that he suffer while conscious!
“Nephew understands,” Lu Feng nodded.
“Tonight at midnight, the night of the full moon, when Yin and Yang converge and spiritual energy is at its peak,” Lu Ting instructed. “The banquet will proceed as usual. Let those people eat and drink well, and don’t let them become suspicious.”
“Yes.”
“Flowing Cloud Sect.”
“Is Second Uncle suggesting…”
“Kill them.”
A chill ran through Yun Zhen’s heart.
Sure enough, they were crossing the river and tearing down the bridge! Killing the donkey after it ground the mill! They were not only going to refine him, the bird, but also wipe out his entire sect.
“That Jiang Zhi…” Lu Ting’s voice grew colder. “Who do you think he resembles?”
Lu Feng remained silent, but Yun Zhen could feel him gripping the cage tightly, even trembling slightly.
“Dare not say?” Lu Ting’s pupils suddenly became vertical, then gradually turned golden. He stared at Lu Feng, and the air around them seemed to solidify. “Or can’t say?”
“Second Uncle,” Lu Feng took a deep breath. “Nephew will handle the arrangements properly.”
“Go.” Lu Ting waved his hand and knelt back on the prayer mat, his expression returning to normal.
Lu Feng bowed respectfully again, picked up the cage, and turned to leave.
As he reached the door, he instructed the guards, “Keep a close watch on the Family Head.”
It wasn’t until they left the area that Yun Zhen dared to breathe deeply.
That man’s eyes actually turned golden! And his pupils were vertical. That was not a human’s eye.
No wonder the jianghu rumors claimed Lu Ting suffered Cultivation Deviation while practicing his skills. It was true, and it seemed he hadn’t just suffered Cultivation Deviation; he had fundamentally transformed into some kind of demonic entity!
Master used to say that hundreds of years ago, people seeking eternal life consumed demon cores. Although they gained powerful strength, they turned into half-human, half-demon monsters. These creatures were neither truly human nor truly demon, living a wretched existence, and none of them came to a good end.
Could Lu Ting be one of them?
Lu Feng handed the cage to the Myriad Spirit Emissary waiting there, instructing him, “Take this bird to the pill room first. Remember, guard it carefully. Do not let it be startled or injured.”
“Yes, Young Master, rest assured.” The Myriad Spirit Emissary took the cage, holding it carefully.
“I’ll go to the banquet first.” Lu Feng straightened his sleeves. “Arrange for a few more people to guard outside the pill room. Report immediately if there is any disturbance.”
The Myriad Spirit Emissary agreed and, without delay, carried the cage down a dark, secluded path. The path was overgrown with dense tree cover, blocking out the moonlight.
Yun Zhen paced anxiously inside the cage.
Master, Senior Brother, Senior Sister, Jiang Zhi… What did Lu Ting and Lu Feng mean by their conversation? What was Jiang Zhi’s relationship with them? Did they know the Lu Family was planning to attack them? Was Master, that old swindler’s, plan reliable at all?
No, he had to find a way to notify them! But he couldn’t even save himself right now, how could he notify others? Would anyone come to rescue this poor little bird about to be refined into a pill…
Little bird…
Wait.
Yun Zhen smelled a familiar fragrance, a very distinct scent. Where had he smelled it before?
He suddenly lifted his head and looked into the woods.
The Myriad Spirit Emissary also noticed something unusual. He stopped, vigilantly looking into the trees, while shielding the cage behind him.
Tree shadows swayed, and the wind rustled through the leaves. The Myriad Spirit Emissary held his breath, his hand resting on the dagger at his waist.
Suddenly, a black shadow darted out of the woods.
The Myriad Spirit Emissary used the light from the lantern he held to see clearly. It was a fox, pure white with a fluffy tail, tilting its head and looking at them.
The Myriad Spirit Emissary’s eyes lit up. As the Lu Family’s Myriad Spirit Emissary, his duty was to procure various rare Spiritual Beasts for the family. This white fox, clearly a high-grade specimen, was brimming with spiritual energy. It might be even more valuable than the plump bird in the cage.
He immediately set down Yun Zhen’s cage, pulled a large net from his waist, and lunged toward the fox.
The fox was agile, dodging the attack with a quick flash of its body. But the Myriad Spirit Emissary was clearly experienced. He was prepared, and with a flick of his hand, he scattered a handful of medicinal powder.
The fox inhaled the powder, and its movements visibly slowed.
The Myriad Spirit Emissary seized the opportunity, pouncing and grabbing the fox by the scruff of its neck.
The fox struggled a few times, but the medicine took effect, and it gradually weakened.
“Haha, another high-grade Spiritual Beast!” the Myriad Spirit Emissary exclaimed excitedly. “The Young Master will be delighted! This will earn me another mark on the ledger of merits.”
He stuffed the fox into a cloth sack, tied the opening tightly, then picked up the cage again and continued on his way.
Yun Zhen lay on the bottom of the cage, utterly dumbfounded.
The scent on that fox was unmistakably the same scent as on Senior Brother.
It was the night of the full moon. He recalled the blood on Senior Brother’s lip and the fox fur in his hair. Senior Brother always mysteriously disappeared on the night of the full moon, returning the next day looking exhausted.
Could it be…
Could Senior Brother be a fox?
It was absurd enough that he himself had turned into a bird. Now, Senior Brother was a fox. What else in this world was normal? Was Senior Sister actually a rabbit? Was Master a turtle? Was Jiang Zhi… definitely not human, in any case.
If Senior Brother was truly a fox, didn’t his usual dashing and romantic demeanor make him a genuine fox spirit?
No wonder people were so captivated by Senior Brother. No wonder Senior Brother could easily win hearts, fooling people with just a few words. He was a fox spirit! A fox spirit naturally skilled in seduction! Which fox spirit wasn’t peerlessly beautiful and specialized in charming men?
Young Master Xie should not have provoked a fox spirit. Interspecies romance was destined for a bad ending: either the human died, the demon perished, or both died.
The Myriad Spirit Emissary walked quickly, carrying one bird and one fox, and soon arrived at a stone door.
The stone door was tightly shut, secured by a large lock, and covered with talismans on the doorframe.
The Myriad Spirit Emissary took out a key from his pocket, opened the door, and pushed it open. Inside was pitch black, illuminated only by the fire from the central furnace. The fire was not the normal red color but a greenish-blue, flickering and twisting as if alive.
The Myriad Spirit Emissary stopped at the entrance and called out, “Are you ready?”
“Ready,” a hoarse voice replied from inside. “Just waiting for the spiritual creatures.”
“The spiritual creatures are here,” the Myriad Spirit Emissary said. “I even brought an extra one. We can refine them together.”
The person inside poked his head out.
Yun Zhen saw the face and nearly died of fright on the spot.
It was an old man, thin as a bamboo pole, with sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones. His skin was shriveled like dried orange peel. Most terrifying were his eyes—cloudy and lifeless, yet flashing with a greedy light, like a wild dog starved for three days seeing meat.
He took the cage and the cloth sack, examined them carefully, and grinned.
“Good, good. The more materials, the better. The quality of the resulting pill will be higher. This bird looks plump, plenty of oil. This fox also has good spiritual energy. Together, they will surely refine a supreme-grade elixir.”
The old man placed the cage and the cloth sack on the ground. Through the gaps in the cage, Yun Zhen saw the situation inside the room.
In the center of the room was a massive pill furnace. The furnace was pitch black, covered in strange runes that seemed to writhe under the firelight. A wisp of hot air, mixed with a pungent odor, rose from the mouth of the furnace.
This was the pill-refining furnace he was about to enter.
Yun Zhen felt that he might truly die here.
He began to ponder a serious question: Which smelled better, a roasted bird or a roasted fox?
Logically, fox meat should smell better than bird meat because foxes are carnivores, resulting in firmer flesh. He was a bird raised on millet, so his meat was tender and should also taste delicious.
Author’s Note:
I apologize, there are too many dark jokes in this chapter [pity]