Northern Yan Kingdom.
Above Canglan City.
A streak of light flew in from afar, paused briefly overhead, then darted into Canglan City like a swallow returning to the woods.
At the same time, Shen Fu, who was waiting in the city lord's residence, seemed to sense something and hastily looked toward the courtyard, full of wariness.
There stood a cultivator in blue, his features utterly unremarkable, yet with no trace of a Divine Soul presence detectable about him, smiling at him.
Shen Fu's alarm instantly turned to delight:
"Senior Brother!"
"Hehe, Junior Brother."
The newcomer was none other than Wang Ba.
Hearing the commotion, Bu Chan also hurried out.
But before she could speak, a milky-yellow blur flew out ahead of her and landed on Wang Ba's shoulder.
With milky-yellow feathers, a tuft sticking up atop its head, and a round patch of blush on each cheek, it looked utterly adorable.
It was the Second-Tier High Grade spirit bird Wang Ba had previously entrusted to Bu Chan to raise, a parrot resembling a Mysterious Phoenix.
Now it stretched its neck, working its throat and tongue.
"Bo-li-"
Then it cocked its rump and swished its long tail feathers backward. With a splat, a dropping landed on Wang Ba's shoulder.
"Boli!"
Bu Chan could not help glaring at the little yellow bird perched on Wang Ba's shoulder.
Since the little yellow bird always cried, "Boli, Boli," Bu Chan had simply given it that name.
Sensing its mistress's anger, Little Yellow Bird Boli tilted its head to look at Wang Ba, cheekily pecked his ear, then immediately flapped back to Bu Chan's shoulder without hesitation.
Tilting its head, it rubbed against Bu Chan's cheek as though wheedling for affection:
"Bo-li-"
Wang Ba thought nothing of it.
Not long after Boli turned a month