Yu Lian thought that an old man in a floral shirt and beach shorts would look more harmonious if he were bald and wore sunglasses. But the old gentleman had tied up his head of gray-and-white hair, fastening it into a Daoist topknot at the back of his head.
Well, that was quite a fusion of East and West, inside and out!
The old man seemed completely absorbed in his ground-doodling art, unable to tear himself away. At least, when Little Xuanwu showed up with Feifei and Yu Lian, he acted as though he hadn't noticed them at all. He kept lying on the ground, diligently drawing, while humming a cheerful tune.
On a rock beside the old man, however, a large bird was standing on one leg. It turned its nimble neck and fixed Yu Lian and Feifei with a sharp gaze. The bird stood over two meters tall. At a glance, it looked like an oversized white crane, but its feathers were more silver than white, and nearly every inch of them gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen.
Well, a master with a turtle and a crane by his side—that was a classic pairing if ever there was one.
Of course, Yu Lian knew that silver-feathered cranes were rare spirit beasts, renowned for their intelligence and strength. They could also fly across the Sea of the Void.
The silver crane examined the two of them, then turned its head away and tucked it back among its feathers to doze.
Yu Lian guessed that the silver-feathered bird was also known as the Xiezhi Bird, and was said to be able to discern good from evil with a single glance. It had probably seen my righteous aura by now, hadn't it?
Yu Lian took another step closer, and the old