Shang Household

Reality proved that not everyone who could talk was a demon beast. It could also be a parrot.

"What kind of demonic bird is this?!"

Lu Yang flew into a rage. Suction appeared in his palm, and he yanked the parrot over in one swift motion. It didn't even have a chance to react before he caught it.

The village head could have done the same, but he'd thought this was some kind of Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment Realm demon beast and hadn't dared.

"Demon beast! There's a demon beast!" the parrot squawked incessantly.

Hearing the commotion, Tao Yaoye hurried over to see what was going on. Her mood was much the same as Lu Yang's.

Completing the mission was good, and not having to fight was good too. But they had traveled all this way from Ask Dao Sect, spent three days aboard a flying boat, all to catch a parrot?

How were they supposed to write this up in their mission report? They'd be laughed at if word got out.

The people of Taiping Township were ignorant of the world and didn't recognize this bird from the depths of the rainforest. But Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye knew it; it was basic knowledge at Ask Dao Sect.

"As expected of the Daoist! You captured the demon bird with ease!" When the village head and the others learned that the parrot had been caught, they showered Lu Yang with praise, saying his cultivation was profound.

The two had no choice but to patiently explain to everyone that this was an ordinary bird, just one rarely seen in the north of the continent.

"This parrot... this 'demon bird,' as you call it, is best at imitating human speech."

"Imitating human speech, imitating human speech," the parrot kept squawking beside them. Lu Yang pinched its beak shut and continued explaining.

"It called Zhang Guanjia a monster not because it wanted to. It had heard Tailor Feng shout 'Monster!' earlier and copied him. Then, when it ran into Zhang Guanjia, it happened to repeat the phrase."

Zhang Guanjia let out a sigh of relief. As expected of a disciple of Ask Dao Sect—they'd cleared his name as soon as they arrived.

"Likewise, when it said, 'Who are you? Where is Zhang Guanjia?' it didn't understand what the words meant. It had simply heard them somewhere and repeated them without meaning."

"Damn this stupid bird! I'll kill it!" Zhang Guanjia saw the parrot and flew into a rage.

Lu Yang raised a hand to stop him. "This place is half a continent away from the rainforest. The bird certainly didn't fly here on its own. Someone must have brought it."

"Besides someone being bored enough to haul a parrot—an unusual bird with no other use—across half a continent, the only likely explanation is that the Falling Gold Coin Merchant Guild went out of its way to bring one here."

"Is there a Falling Gold Coin Merchant Guild around here?"

The village head shook his head. "The merchant guild wouldn't open a branch in a poor, remote place like ours. There is one in Qu River Commandery, in the busiest part of town, always crowded. Someone might have bought the parrot there, and then it accidentally escaped."

As for the parrot escaping directly from the Falling Gold Coin Merchant Guild, that was utterly impossible.

Lu Yang asked again, "The bird has been circling Taiping Township for twenty days without going anywhere else. Perhaps its owner is here. Village head, do you have any thoughts?"

The village head pondered for a long while before saying, "Everyone in the township knows about the demon bird. If there's anyone who might not, it would be the Shang Household to the east."

"The Shang family rarely leaves home and doesn't like talking to people. I've heard the head of the family is also a cultivator. He suffered a setback when he was young, and his cultivation fell drastically. After that, he lost his desire to cultivate and withdrew from the world here."

"The Shang family is quite wealthy too—the richest in the area. It wouldn't be surprising if they'd bought a demon bird from the Falling Gold Coin Merchant Guild."

"In that case, let's ask the Shang family."

Taiping Township was small. The three of them and the bird soon arrived at the Shang family's gate.

After a knock, someone quickly opened the door. He was a middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in a scholar's robe that gave him a refined air.

"Ah, it's the village head. May I ask who these two are? I'll inform my master," the mustached man said.

Lu Yang held the parrot by its wing, as if carrying a rooster to be slaughtered while making New Year's visits. "We happened upon this parrot. After asking around, we thought it might belong to the Shang family, so we came to inquire."

The mustached man first noticed Tao Yaoye and stared in surprise. He had never seen a woman as beautiful as her.

Then he saw the green parrot and smiled with delight. "I see. Thank you, young heroes. This must be my young miss's parrot. Ever since it went missing, she's been gloomy all day. It's been quite a trial for us servants."

"Our young miss will be overjoyed to hear the parrot has been found."

The village head leaned over and whispered, "He's the Shang family's steward, Steward Zhang. He's the one who opens the door whenever I visit."

Steward Zhang hurried off to report, and soon returned with an answer.

"My master invites the three of you inside."

They passed through the screen gate, crossed the outer courtyard, went from the second gate to the corridor, and finally reached the main room, where they met the head of the Shang family.

The head of the Shang family was stout, and the gloom on his face kept people at arm's length. He wasn't one for conversation, though he seemed genuinely pleased to see the village head.

"Brother Huang, it's been so long."

The village head's surname was Huang.

The two men clasped their hands in greeting.

The Shang family head studied the parrot for a moment, then nodded. "Mm, there's no mistake. This is the one my daughter bought at the Falling Gold Coin Merchant Guild in the commandery. At the time, I thought the stupid bird wasn't worth much, and the guild was asking an outrageous price. My daughter wouldn't listen and insisted on buying it, so I had to let her have her way."

"Steward Zhang, take the two young heroes to see Xiao Yuan."

"Yes, master."

Steward Zhang gestured for them to follow, then called over a maid and asked her to bring tea and water for the Shang family head and Village Head Huang.

On the way, Tao Yaoye casually asked, "How long have you been with the Shang family, Steward Zhang?"

"Master rescued me while he was withdrawing from the world," Steward Zhang replied respectfully. "I've served by his side ever since. It's been twenty years now. The young miss hadn't been born yet back then."

"In that case, you and Miss Shang must be very close."

"To be honest, young heroes, I watched the young miss grow up. I have no children of my own, so I treat her as my daughter. She's been downcast all day, and it pains me to see it."

Lu Yang suddenly asked, "Were you there when the parrot went missing?"

Steward Zhang sighed, his regret plain in his voice. "I let my attention wander for a moment and didn't notice the parrot fly away. If I'd been more careful, I wouldn't have let the young miss suffer so much. I failed in my duty."

Lu Yang gave a quiet "Oh" and said nothing more.

Steward Zhang tapped three times, neither hastily nor slowly, and said, "Miss, we found your runaway parrot. Two wandering young heroes brought it here."

A voice came from inside the room. "Then let them in."

"Yes."

Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye opened the door. The young miss of the Shang family was leaning against the window, quietly reading. The evening sunlight fell across the ends of her hair, as if time had stopped, creating a still kind of beauty.

Who knew how many young men in Taiping Township were enamored with Miss Shang?

Lu Yang kindly reminded her, "Reading in sunlight is bad for your eyes, especially in the setting sun. Light a lamp. Your father isn't short on money."