Cloud-Winged Bird

"You're getting carried away. This kid is extremely shrewd, not someone to take lightly. Don't let all your efforts come to nothing when success is in sight and fall into his hands." Suddenly, another young man's voice rang out in Doctor Mo's mind.

Doctor Mo's expression changed, and his face seemed coated in frost as he rebuked the voice coldly:

"Yu Zitong, stay out of my affairs. I don't need you lecturing me. If I succeed, you'll naturally get your share of the benefits. But there seems to be something wrong with the cultivation method you gave me. You're hoping something will go wrong for me, aren't you?" The suspicion in Doctor Mo's words was plain for all to see.

The voice seemed very afraid of Doctor Mo. After hearing his threat, it hurried to explain:

"How could there be anything wrong? Didn't you test it on animals? As for the one that died, that was only because you weren't practiced enough in the method. Besides, that one dying shouldn't interfere with your plan."

"Hmph! It had better be so. It's a pity I can't practice any more, or I'd have a better chance of success." After listening to the voice and thinking again about his last test of the method, Doctor Mo's final trace of doubt vanished.

After he spoke, the voice seemed to have learned its lesson and said no more. Doctor Mo alone remained, muttering to himself like a man possessed, and the atmosphere in the room grew particularly eerie.

At that moment, Han Li was in an unremarkable mountain ravine, even more secluded and hidden than the place where he had met Li Feiyu.

The terrain was long and narrow, squeezed into the shape of the character "一" between two steep little peaks. Dense shrubs blocked both ends of the ravine, making them completely impassable. Apart from a rope secretly lowered from the top of the shorter peak, there was no other way out.

A dense thicket of thorn bushes also grew there, covering most of the ground and leaving only a small clearing where Han Li could set foot. Countless unidentified vines were woven together overhead, forming a natural green canopy, so Han Li did not have to worry about someone passing by overhead and accidentally spotting him below.

Han Li placed his belongings beneath a huge boulder, then returned to the center of the clearing. He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then opened them, a resolute look on his face, and said softly, "I'll start with the Bone-Softening Art, the hardest one to practice."

And so Han Li began his solitary path of cultivation.

He did not know that, not far away, a little yellow bird perched on a branch, watching him day and night. Only because it saw no sign of him trying to escape did it refrain from flying back to report to its master.

Time flew, and half of the four months passed in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, the ravine appeared empty at a glance. Han Li, who had been there before, was nowhere to be seen. Only the little yellow bird remained where it was, calmly preening its feathers with its beak. It paid no attention to the disappearance of the person it was watching, seemingly having cast its task beyond the ninth heaven.

Suddenly, another little bird, a gray one, flew through the green vines overhead and into the ravine. After circling a few times, it landed on a yellow wooden stump at the edge of the clearing, apparently planning to rest before flying off again.

The little yellow bird turned its head and gave the newcomer an arrogant look. Then a humanlike expression of mockery appeared on its face, as though it held the gray bird in contempt.

The newcomer stood on one leg and looked around, finally spotting the other bird. It spread its wings, as though intending to fly over.

All at once, something unexpected happened. A withered yellow hand descended from the sky and seized the bewildered gray bird.

The sudden turn of events terrified it. It struggled with all its might, but could not break free of the hand's grasp.

Only then did the little bird discover that the wooden stump beneath its feet had somehow become a youth dressed in yellow. His skin was dark, and his looks were ordinary, with thick eyebrows and large eyes. Apart from his somewhat clear gaze, there was nothing else about him to draw the eye.

The youth smiled as he watched the little bird struggle in his hand. Only when it was almost completely exhausted did he loosen his grip and say gently:

"Go on. Don't be so silly next time! Take a good look at where you're landing."

Suddenly free, the little bird had no time to spare for the other bird. It beat its wings in a panic and flew out of the ravine without looking back.

After watching the bird fly away, the youth stood motionless for quite a while before slowly murmuring to himself:

"It seems I've achieved a certain level of mastery in both the Breath-Concealing Art and the Disguise and Concealment Technique. Next, I should practice the Secret Room Assassination Skill."

With that, Han Li moved toward the newly built wooden hut nearby. As he passed the little yellow bird's tree, he could not help looking up at it.

Han Li had noticed this strangely behaving bird more than half a month ago. It had stayed on a nearby branch, watching him at all times, and seemed remarkably intelligent.

The moment Han Li first saw it, he was captivated by its intelligence and grew extremely fond of the little yellow bird.

He had tried to lure it away, but no matter what he tried-tricking it, enticing it, or setting traps-nothing worked. The little bird showed no intention of falling for any of it, and from time to time it even gave him a disdainful look as though he were a fool, leaving Han Li not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Later, he grew angry and tried to use force, but before he could get close, it immediately spread its wings and flew into the sky. As soon as Han Li moved away, it flew straight back and landed in the same spot, leaving him standing there helplessly, glaring at it.

At the thought, Han Li turned his head back with some annoyance and ignored it. In truth, he had already begun to sense that the little bird's origins were probably closely connected to Doctor Mo, and that it was very likely a spy sent by him to keep watch.

But Han Li did not care. As long as Doctor Mo was not watching him in person, what could a little bird tell him in any detail? Besides, Han Li was genuinely fond of the clever little creature and could not bear to use other, ruthless means against it.

Meanwhile, Doctor Mo was in a stone chamber, using powdered beast bones to draw a strange formation. As he worked, he discussed something with the other person in his mind, completely unaware that Han Li had already seen through his means of surveillance.