The Birds Keep Ringing Chapter 8
byChapter 8 Divine Bird Descent: What kind of bird? Will you sell it for ten thousand taels?
In Yun Zhen’s view, the Martial Arts Assembly was like setting off firecrackers for the New Year—not because firecrackers could truly scare away the monster called Nian, but because the firecracker sellers needed to clear inventory, and everyone needed an excuse to gather, drink, and gamble legitimately.
The martial arts world was the same. After a long period of peace, those who had practiced martial arts their whole lives needed a place to show off their skills. Otherwise, wouldn’t all that effort be wasted if their abilities rotted away inside them? They couldn’t exactly resort to highway robbery; that made them bandits, not great heroes.
Master slapped the gilded invitation onto the table, his beard trembling with excitement: “Disciples, do you know why the Lu Family sent us an invitation?”
Wen Wan blinked cooperatively: “Why?”
She felt it necessary to give the lonely old man some face, even though she knew that eleven out of ten things Master said next would be nonsense.
Master cleared his throat, put on airs, and looked profoundly mysterious: “Because that Half-Immortal specifically requested to see people from our Flowing Cloud Sect! The moment I descended the mountain, the Lu Family people caught hold of me!”
“Chirp?”
Yun Zhen, who had been pretending to doze on Jiang Zhi’s shoulder, jolted and nearly fell off. Jiang Zhi, without changing his expression, extended two fingers and steadily supported his bird butt, placing him back in his original spot.
“Specifically requested?” Xiao Fengzhi was serious for once. “Master, you didn’t mishear, did you? Could it be a trap?”
Master spoke righteously: “How could we be tricked? It is our honor that the Half-Immortal thinks highly of us! Gold always shines eventually, and this piece of gold, your Master, is finally going to shine!”
Yun Zhen rolled his eyes internally. If Master’s piece of gold could shine, then he, this bird, could lay an egg.
The Half-Immortal wanted to see people from the Flowing Cloud Sect, and he happened to turn into a bird at this exact time. If someone said there was no connection, Yun Zhen would write his name backward.
Could that Half-Immortal be the mastermind who turned him into a bird?
But why? He had no enmity with the Half-Immortal. What did the person want? Did they like his good looks? Or did they want his father’s money? If the Half-Immortal was also good-looking, that would be one thing, but what if it was an old man… Yun Zhen shivered his feathers, not daring to imagine the scene.
Wen Wan was hesitant: “But what if that Half-Immortal really is targeting us? Will it be dangerous?”
“What is there to fear!” Master slapped his thigh. “If we don’t go, how will we make a living in the martial arts world later? There will be so many people at the Martial Arts Assembly. Under the watchful eyes of the public, could that Half-Immortal possibly stew us on the spot? Besides, I heard the Lu Family prepared many good things this time. Even if we just go for the free food and drink, we won’t lose out.”
Yun Zhen thought, this must be Master’s true intention.
Wen Wan was still worried: “But Zhen Zhen went home. What if he comes back and can’t find us?”
“What could happen?” Master waved his hand. “Young people should go out and explore, see the world. When he’s had enough fun, he’ll naturally return.”
Yun Zhen: “…” Listen, is this something a biological Master would say?
Yun Zhen nodded desperately: Yes, yes, yes, once I turn back into a human, I’ll go wander the martial arts world. Please, don’t look for me.
Xiao Fengzhi looked sickly: “Master, I’ve recently encountered some difficulties in comprehending the Daoist Principle of Nature. I fear long-distance travel is unsuitable, and I might suffer a bloody disaster.”
“What Dao? The Dao of Romance?” Wen Wan was sharp and merciless. “Senior Brother, is it your Dantian that’s having trouble? It looks more like your waist is having trouble.”
Xiao Fengzhi coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject: “The Lu Family is in the Northern Lands. Have you calculated the cost of travel, accommodation, and social expenses for a round trip?”
Master glared, ignoring his disappointing disciple. His gaze swept across the table, intensely focusing on the ball of fluff on Jiang Zhi’s body.
Yun Zhen felt a chill under his feathers. He stopped preening and puffed out his chest: “Chirp?” (Why are you looking at me?)
He pointed at Yun Zhen, his expression solemn: “This Spiritual Sparrow was found by your Master after observing the celestial phenomena at night. I discovered an unusual glow near the Emperor Star falling onto this mountain. I tracked it for seven days and endured countless hardships to find it.”
Yun Zhen: “…”
How come he didn’t know about this part? He clearly woke up in his own bed.
“At that time,” Master grew more excited, “Auspicious clouds descended from the sky, golden lotuses sprung from the earth, a hundred birds paid homage to the phoenix, and ten thousand beasts came to congratulate! This is no ordinary bird; it is an Auspice!”
Auspice.
Yun Zhen felt comfortable hearing this word. Although Master was stingy, he had good judgment on matters of great importance.
The word Auspice was well used.
“This bird,” Master cleared his throat, “is the Sect-Protecting Divine Beast of our Flowing Cloud Sect!”
“Divine Beast?” Xiao Fengzhi laughed out loud. “Master, it was almost eaten by a civet cat yesterday.”
“That was undergoing a trial!” Master scolded. “When a Divine Beast descends to the mortal world, its magic power is sealed. Naturally, it must undergo some hardship before it can be reborn through Nirvana! This is called ‘Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility upon this bird!'”
Yun Zhen listened, his blood boiling. He held his head high and surveyed his fellow disciples with an expression that said, “Why aren’t you mortals kneeling before me?”
Master clapped his hands, revealing his true motive: “We are going this time not to fight for fame or profit, but to display our sect’s Auspice to the world! Since the rumored Half-Immortal has appeared and specifically asked to see us, he must have calculated the descent of our sect’s Divine Beast! When that happens, won’t the Lu Family treat us as honored guests? All expenses will naturally be paid by the Lu Family! This is called… this is called…”
Xiao Fengzhi suddenly understood: “Oh, so that’s your plan. This is called ‘getting something for nothing,’ free food, free drink, and free stuff.”
“This is called the Daoist Principle of Nature!” Master roared. “Following the will of Heaven and responding to the times!”
Wen Wan looked at the Divine Bird, then at her charlatan Master. “What if they don’t believe you?”
Master was confident: “Don’t believe me? I have my own ways to make them believe. Second Disciple.”
Jiang Zhi looked up.
“You are responsible for protecting the Divine Beast,” Master said. “Its safety is entrusted to you. If it loses even one feather, I will hold you accountable!”
Jiang Zhi: “…”
Yun Zhen: “Chirp!”
And so, early the next morning, the Flowing Cloud Sect mobilized completely.
“Completely mobilized” meant four people plus one bird.
The road to the Martial Arts Assembly was long. Mainly because Master, to save money, chose to walk instead of renting a carriage.
“Walk?” Senior Brother was incredulous. “Master, it takes three days to ride a horse from here to Luoyang! Are you sure you want to walk?”
“Young people should exercise more. Look at those true experts; which one rides in a carriage? They all travel on foot!”
“But Master,” Wen Wan protested, “we are not experts…”
“That’s why we must walk!” Master argued forcefully. “How else can we become experts? Experts are made by walking! Besides, sitting in a carriage for too long is bad for your health; it can cause hemorrhoids.”
Xiao Fengzhi said mournfully: “Why don’t you just say you want to save those few taels of silver for the carriage fare?”
Master’s old face flushed: “Nonsense! I am doing this for your own good!”
Thus, a bizarre sight appeared on the main road.
A seemingly immortal-like old man, leading three handsome young men and women on foot. The cold-faced one had a plump pearl bird standing on his shoulder. The group was trudging along, traveling by foot.
The scene looked utterly shabby, like a down-and-out opera troupe that had just been kicked out by their employer.
Other sects attending the Martial Arts Assembly either had a massive, imposing procession or traveled light but rode thousand-mile steeds. Every now and then, a sect’s contingent would gallop past them with a “Giddy up!” stirring up a cloud of dust that coated Master’s face.
Master wiped his face and calmly commented: “See? Impetuous and eager for quick success. They will never achieve greatness in this life.”
After walking for half a day, Yun Zhen felt jostled. He used his claws to scratch Jiang Zhi’s collar, signaling him to walk more steadily.
Jiang Zhi looked down at him.
Yun Zhen glared back with an expression that said, “What’s wrong with you? Don’t you know how to walk?”
Jiang Zhi reached out and grabbed him.
Amidst Yun Zhen’s horrified “chirp chirp” protests, Jiang Zhi lifted him by the scruff of his neck and tucked him inside his front lapel.
“…”
The world instantly went quiet.
Yun Zhen spent most of his time standing on Jiang Zhi’s shoulder, but when he was sleepy, he would burrow into his lapel without a word.
Although Second Senior Brother was still the same cold-faced person, Yun Zhen inexplicably felt very safe here. On one hand, he felt he shouldn’t rely so much on his enemy, but on the other, he couldn’t stop himself from burrowing into the man’s embrace.
Bird instinct. Yes, it must be bird instinct. Birds like warm places.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the sky gradually darkened, and Master decided to find a place to rest. There was a small town not far ahead. They entered the town and found an inn.
The innkeeper looked at their shabby appearance with obvious disdain, but for the sake of the silver fragments Master tossed out, he still arranged a few rooms for them.
“Three rooms,” Master said. “The cheapest ones.”
Just as the innkeeper was about to say the cheapest woodshed was full, Master pulled a few more copper coins from his sleeve, weighed them in his hand, and added: “And they must be clean.”
“Master, only three rooms?” Wen Wan was surprised. “But there are four of us.”
“It’s enough, it’s enough. One for you, one for Second Disciple by himself, and I’ll squeeze in with your Senior Brother,” Master waved his hand. “Save what we can. Prices are high in the city.”
Xiao Fengzhi’s face changed color, as if he had eaten three catties of bitter herbs: “Master, can I share a room with Second Junior Brother? If not, I can sleep on the floor in Junior Sister’s room.”
“No,” Jiang Zhi refused.
“Junior Brother, we are fellow disciples, we must help each other…” Xiao Fengzhi pleaded bitterly.
“No,” Wen Wan also disagreed.
Master grew impatient: “What, you despise this old man!”
Xiao Fengzhi was on the verge of tears: “Master, it’s not that I despise you, but you snore and grind your teeth when you sleep. Last time I slept with you, I didn’t close my eyes all night, and my ears were ringing the next day…”
In the end, Senior Brother’s protest was ineffective because no one was willing to take him in.
Dinner was eaten in the inn’s main hall.
Master ordered a few dishes, all the cheapest kind: tofu, cabbage, and radish. There wasn’t even any meat.
Xiao Fengzhi looked at the dishes on the table and sighed: “Master, we are going to the Martial Arts Assembly. Can we at least be a little more particular? This food is plainer than what a rabbit eats.”
“Particular about what?” Master picked up a piece of tofu. “These dishes are so healthy. Which of those people who eat big fish and meat every day lives long? Look at your Master, I’m over sixty, and my body is still robust!”
Wen Wan muttered softly: “But you don’t usually eat so plainly.”
“Shut up and eat!”
The hall was bustling with people, martial artists of all kinds, their voices rising and falling in discussion.
“Did you hear? They’re going to elect a new Alliance Leader at this Martial Arts Assembly.”
“Elect an Alliance Leader? Isn’t the current one doing fine?”
“Ah, the current Alliance Leader is old and his health is failing. The Lu Family wants to use this assembly to pass the position to a younger person.”
“Who do you think has the best chance?”
“It must be the Lu Family’s eldest son, Lu Feng. He is skilled in both martial arts and literature, and he’s handsome. I heard the girls who like him can line up from the Lu Family gate all the way to the city gate. The line is long enough to build the Great Wall.”
Yun Zhen pricked up his ears. This Lu Feng sounded very impressive. He wondered how he compared to Jiang Zhi.
He secretly glanced at Jiang Zhi.
Jiang Zhi was drinking water, his expression indifferent.
“The Xie Family’s young master is not bad either. The Xie Family certainly won’t give up easily this time. The two families have been fighting for so many years; they’ll probably settle the score at the Martial Arts Assembly.”
Hearing “Young Master Xie,” Yun Zhen subconsciously looked at Senior Brother. Senior Brother immediately sat up straight, concentrating on the plate of cabbage.
Just then, a burst of hoofbeats sounded outside the inn.
“Make way, make way!”
A group of people walked in, led by a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a blue tight-fitting outfit, with a fine jade pendant hanging from his waist. He had an extraordinary demeanor. Behind him were seven or eight similarly dressed attendants; clearly, they were not ordinary people.
The discussions in the hall instantly quieted down.
“Isn’t that the Myriad Spirit Emissary?” People turned their heads to look.
“What is a Myriad Spirit Emissary?” Yun Zhen poked his head out of Jiang Zhi’s collar and pecked his chin.
Jiang Zhi ignored him, but someone at the next table explained: “You don’t know this? The Lu Family’s eldest son has no other hobbies in life; he just loves raising rare and exotic beasts. These Myriad Spirit Emissaries are people specially hired to search the world for spiritual pets for him.”
The Myriad Spirit Emissary nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then walked to the counter: “Innkeeper, do you have any superior rooms left?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” The innkeeper hurried over, bowing and scraping. “Young Master, please wait a moment. I’ll arrange it right away!”
The man turned to go upstairs but suddenly stopped. His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on the bird head poking out of Jiang Zhi’s collar, his eyes narrowing.
“This hero,” he walked up to Jiang Zhi. “Could I speak with you privately?”
The man’s gaze lingered on Yun Zhen for a moment, then he smiled: “I am tasked with finding Spiritual Creatures for my young master. I am very interested in this bird. Would you consider parting with it?”
Yun Zhen: “!!!”
“No,” Jiang Zhi replied coldly.
The man clearly didn’t expect such a blunt refusal. He smiled: “Don’t rush to refuse. The price is negotiable.”
“One thousand taels.”
“No sale.”
“Ten thousand taels.”
Ten thousand taels?!
Yun Zhen was dumbfounded. He knew he was valuable, but he didn’t realize he was this valuable! Ten thousand taels was enough to buy a huge piece of land in Jiangnan!
Master’s eyes instantly lit up. He even unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Jiang Zhi didn’t speak, instead gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.
The Myriad Spirit Emissary’s expression darkened. He sized up Jiang Zhi: “It seems the hero truly likes this bird. I never force anyone. If that’s the case, then forget it.”
He took a jade pendant from his sleeve and placed it on the table: “This is my token. If the hero changes his mind, you can take it and find me at the Lu Family anytime. By the way,” he paused, “may I ask the hero’s esteemed name?”
“Jiang.”
“Brother Jiang,” the man cupped his hands. “See you at the Martial Arts Assembly. I bid you farewell. Please enjoy your meal.”
Watching the man’s retreating figure heading upstairs, Master leaned over, heartbroken: “Second Disciple, are you crazy? Ten thousand taels!”
Xiao Fengzhi said mournfully: “Master, didn’t you just say this bird is the Sect-Protecting Divine Beast?”
“I was just saying that!” Master was grief-stricken. “If I had known it could sell for ten thousand taels, I… I…”
“You what?” Wen Wan asked.
Master deflated: “I still wouldn’t sell it.”
Yun Zhen was glaring at his Master with an expression that said, “Try to sell me and see what happens.” He looked fierce, but because his feathers were fluffy, he looked somewhat cute instead of intimidating.
He was a living creature, not merchandise!
Yun Zhen rubbed his head against Jiang Zhi’s neck. Although this poker face was usually despicable, at the critical moment, he actually didn’t sell him. This deeply moved Yun Zhen, who decided to temporarily forgive him for throwing him in a water vat to bathe and stealing his first kiss in a dream.
For the next ten-plus days, they traveled north, finally arriving at Luoyang City, where the Lu Family was located, the day before the Martial Arts Assembly opened.
The city was indeed magnificent, with wide streets and countless shops. The crowds were filled with martial artists of all kinds. The air was filled with the aroma of various foods: sesame cakes, roast duck, candied hawthorns…
Yun Zhen’s stomach rumbled shamelessly.
Jiang Zhi took out a small bag of millet prepared that morning from his embrace, poured it into his palm, and offered it to Yun Zhen.
Yun Zhen pecked at it twice, finding the millet quite fragrant too.
The Lu Family manor was built at the foot of a mountain in the city. The entire mountain belonged to the Lu Family, rumored to be their spiritual vein. Whether it was spiritual or not, the scenery was certainly good.
The two large stone lions at the entrance were carved lifelike. The vermilion gate was bustling with traffic, filled with magnificent horses.
Looking at their own group—four people, eight legs, plus one bird—standing there, they looked like refugees, only missing a broken bowl in front of them.
Master handed over the wrinkled invitation.
The guard at the gate glanced at the invitation, his eyes full of confusion, probably wondering if the threshold for the Martial Arts Assembly was too low this year, allowing any cat or dog to attend. But he still respectfully said: “So it is the esteemed guests of the Flowing Cloud Sect. Please come in!”
The group followed the guard inside, and Master’s eyes widened. Pavilions, terraces, carved beams, and painted rafters. Even the servants wore clothes made of the finest materials.
Yun Zhen felt a little uneasy. He had always thought his family was very wealthy since childhood. His father was a rich merchant in Jiangnan; they had everything they wanted. But now, compared to these aristocratic families, his family was, at best, nouveau riche.
No wonder his father always wanted him to find a good Master and learn some real skills.
They were arranged in a guest courtyard. Although it was called a guest courtyard, it was more magnificent than the main hall of the Flowing Cloud Sect.
“This, this, this…” Master was incoherent. “How much does this cost for one night?”
Wen Wan said: “Master, they don’t charge money.”
“They don’t charge money?” Master was even more excited. “Then can we stay for a few extra days?”
“…”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door outside.
“May I ask if the esteemed members of the Flowing Cloud Sect are present?”
Master opened the door. Standing outside was a man who looked like a steward, followed by several servants carrying various pastries and tea.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Master said with a forced smile. “What can I do for you?”
“My Young Master requests your presence,” the steward said. “Please, Young Master Jiang, if you would follow me.”
Jiang Zhi?
Yun Zhen was stunned.
“Which Young Master?” Master asked.
“The Eldest Young Master,” the steward replied.
Master looked at Jiang Zhi, who nodded expressionlessly.
“By the way,” the steward added, “The Eldest Young Master said, please bring the bird along as well.”
Upon hearing this, Master immediately thrust his face toward the steward: “I am the Sect Leader of the Flowing Cloud Sect. Don’t you think I should…”
The steward smiled politely, interrupting him: “Sect Leader, please make yourself comfortable. Young Master Jiang, please follow me.”
Author’s Note:
———————-
If you were Yun Zhen, and you heard you were worth ten thousand taels, would you choose:
A. Fly away immediately and wander the martial arts world freely.
B. Endure the humiliation, follow along for now, and find a chance to escape later.
C. Who cares, I’ll go with whoever has more money.
D. Cling tightly to Second Senior Brother’s thigh (no, neck) and refuse to let go.