Yi Kong, with purple hair and a gray horn, said, "You brothers share such deep affection—it moves one to the core. It reminds me of several sworn brothers of my own. Alas, while they were still Masters of Nurturing Life and True Immortals, they passed away one after another. The Supernatural Realm is far too cruel."
A wistful look appeared on his face before he continued, "Brother Kong Xuan, stay. Be together with your old friends and brothers—how wonderful. Life would be complete and fulfilled."
"How about this man?" Wang Xuan asked the wolverine in secret. Yi Kong's polite words were beyond reproach; without knowing the man, one truly might have thought he was quite decent.
"He usually handles Black Peacock Mountain's daily affairs. He knows how to speak, works efficiently for Yun Fu Dojo, and has formidable methods," the wolverine told him.
"Has he ever been disrespectful to you?" Wang Xuan asked in secret again.
"He wasn't that direct." The wolverine shook his head. "But every time he made his stance clear, others would swiftly apply pressure."
He urgently transmitted a message: "The moment you entered the mountain, they notified the Anomalous Beings!"
"It's fine!" Wang Xuan reassured him.
The once unruly wolverine had had many of his sharp edges worn smooth by time. Even the brilliant feathers atop his head, representing his three True Fates, no longer stood so proudly erect.
"Still, call me Wang Xuan. That is my true name," Wang Xuan said to Yi Kong.
"Once you return home, you should be called Kong Xuan. This was where you first revealed your brilliance. No one in Black Peacock Mountain, from top to bottom, will ever forget it." Yi Kong smiled and invited them into the mountain, toward the grand hall to talk.
At the same time,