Rustle...
The night wind blew past, making the bamboo leaves here whisper and rustle.
The following day, at dusk.
Dawn Ancient Welfare Institute,
where the residences of the institute's successive presidents stood, steeped entirely in ancient charm,
within the old courtyard,
the afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the branches and leaves of ancient trees, casting mottled patterns of light and shadow across the small yard.
A gentle breeze swept through, and the leaves rustled as well. Several little birds hopped along the branches, chirping noisily.
Tan Lin stood beneath that ancient tree, head tilted back as he looked at a bird's nest nestled among the branches.
The nest had been built at the junction of three branches, woven from dead grass and thin twigs. It looked crude, yet sturdy.
Inside the nest, three chicks opened their tender yellow beaks, letting out faint cries as they waited for their mother to return from foraging.
Without realizing it, Tan Lin had become engrossed in watching them.
He had been awake for nearly half a day.
After the old president, Zhongli Wo, had told him about a few matters and the arrangements to follow, he had gone off to handle official business, leaving Tan Lin alone in the courtyard to recuperate.
Tan Lin had intended to take advantage of this time to properly feel out the changes in his body.
The Evolution Fluid had worked even better than he had imagined, not only greatly strengthening his physical body,
but also stabilizing the Sea of Consciousness within his head, laying a foundation in advance for the day he fully opened up his Immortal Platform.
Yet he had barely stood in the courtyard for a while before the bird's nest in the tree captured his attention.
The three chicks were fluffy and