Red Maple Island

Seeing Owl speak human words, Li Dongping was astonished. Then he thought of a senior at Subduing Tiger Pass who could awaken Demon Beasts and bind spirits to command them. What he cultivated seemed to be one of the clan's spirit-binding Technique Methods.

He remembered clearly that only three days had passed since the lord's last return. The lord had spent that time in secluded cultivation, presumably practicing this Law Technique.

Yet the lord had mastered it in just three days and could even use it in battle at once, easily bringing a spirit beast that had opened its Spirit Aperture under control!

As expected of the lord...

As if sensing something, Li Zhengjun glanced back at him but offered no explanation. He spoke mildly to the Owl perched respectfully on his shoulder:

"Tell me everything you've seen and heard about Ye Xiufan these past few days."

Owl nodded. His beak opened and closed, and at first he stumbled over his words, speaking indistinctly. But after only a moment, he began to speak more and more smoothly.

"My lord, there really is an extremely terrifying presence hidden inside Ye Xiufan. It seems to be a remnant soul. It rarely shows itself directly and usually communicates with Ye Xiufan through divine sense."

"They... they often had me keep an eye on my master's Cultivation Method and make inquiries about the Method Transmission Hall. They also sent me to gather information on Gold-Bearing Mountain. Just now, they were discussing how they would slip away while my master, the Sun Household, and that Ginseng-Cloud Tiger were fighting in Gold-Bearing Mountain, then seize some treasure hidden in the mountain. That old monster called it 'when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits.'"

Li Dongping's expression hardened, and he said in surprise:

"The Cultivation Method was to be expected. That old fellow pried into it every day; if he hadn't come for it, that would have been harder to believe. I didn't expect them to be interested in Gold-Bearing Mountain too, or to claim there was treasure hidden there. No wonder those two have kept imposing on the Li Household without leaving. So they weren't just after the Cultivation Method; they were also after the spirit treasure in the mountain."

Li Zhengjun recalled Li Yuankai's earlier report that a Three Yang spirit treasure might be hidden in Gold-Bearing Mountain.

Considering that alongside Jiang Liuyang's affairs, he had reached a tentative conclusion.

Owl could offer no more information on the subject, so Li Zhengjun said:

"From now on, you must not speak in front of others. Everything you do must be as it was before. You have only one task: continue watching Ye Xiufan and his companion for me. You must not slacken in the slightest."

"Even after flying all this way, you still have some connection to that remnant soul. If I severed it directly, I would certainly alert that old thing. To be safe, I'll seal away your memories of this period for now. Strong as that remnant soul is, it's nowhere near capable of seeing through my methods, so you needn't worry. Once matters here are settled, I'll give you back your freedom and pass a Cultivation Method on to you."

Hearing this, Owl abruptly lowered his body, spreading his wings slightly. He looked for all the world as if he were kowtowing in gratitude.

"My lord, I could never repay your kindness in awakening me in this lifetime! If you also pass a method on to me, I'll follow you for generations, waiting on you hand and foot, with never a disloyal thought!"

Before he had gained intelligence, everything had been simple. He had been a carefree little demon, with no worries.

But once he gained intelligence, learned about cultivation, and understood the importance of a Cultivation Method, he finally realized what a bitter life he had led before!

His every action had been driven by instinct, his cultivation had followed no method, and he had been happy just to fill his belly each day.

But now? He, Owl, wanted to cultivate immortality!

As the saying went: The tide comes rolling up the Qiantang River; only today do I know that I am me!

Li Zhengjun laughed. "You bird, you certainly have a silver tongue. Serve me well. I, Li Zhengjun, cultivate the righteous and honorable path. I will never break my word."

Owl bowed three more times before taking flight. Following Jiang Liuyang's earlier instructions, he resumed his work as a "spy."

"Alas, a double agent caught between two great cultivators. I tread on thin ice in this bird's life of mine."

Li Zhengjun could not help laughing. Owl had gained intelligence less than half a cup of tea ago, yet he had already learned to make fun of himself.

He put away his smile and turned to Li Dongping.

"Dongping, the Frozen Water spirit treasures must be gathered even faster. When I returned to the sect last time, I could see that everyone in the clan attached great importance to the Radiant Bright Blessed Land. The spirit treasures I took back this time have already helped many of the younger generation make progress in their cultivation, and a number of them have entered Qi Ingestion. I'll leave the Ning Kingdom to you. If anything unusual happens, report to me immediately."

Li Dongping nodded firmly, his face full of excitement.

"Rest assured, my lord! I couldn't get away before, so I could only let the brothers under me work on their own. Now that Owl is watching Ye Xiufan, I can free myself up and personally lead a group deep into Jade Wave Pool near Gold-Bearing Mountain to gather the treasures. The water vein there runs extremely deep and has the richest abundance of spirit treasures, but we never dared venture far in because there was no one to oversee things. Now that's settled—I'll go myself!"

Li Zhengjun nodded and gave him a few more instructions before returning to the capital with him.

He did not return to his quiet chamber. Instead, he went straight to the side hall where the Sun Household cultivators were being held and found the Reed-Hidden Sandpiper he had brought back with them that day.

The Reed-Hidden Sandpiper was far quieter than Owl. It spent all day curled up in a corner, seemingly resigned to its fate.

With their beast tamer captured, they too would find it hard to escape death.

Li Zhengjun repeated the process, circulating the "Profound Terrace Spirit-Suppressing and Soul-Binding Instruction" once more.

Before long, he had completely taken the bird as his spirit pet and awakened its intelligence.

The whole process went even more smoothly than it had with Owl. The Sun Household had already refined the Reed-Hidden Sandpiper with a beast-taming Secret Method. Though its sea of consciousness was still muddled, it had a little more order than that of a wild Demon Beast, making it well suited to the Spirit-Binding Method.

The Reed-Hidden Sandpiper flapped its wings and raised its head, looking at Li Zhengjun with surprise. Then it submitted.

Unlike Owl, it was not glib. It merely lowered its head slightly and said in a deep voice:

"Greetings, my lord."

Li Zhengjun nodded and told it to reveal what it knew about the Sun Household.

After a long while, he had a preliminary account of the Sun Household.

Li Zhengjun went over the information in his mind, then stroked the bird's forehead. He sealed away all its memories from after it and Sun Xing's pair had been captured, then casually fabricated a memory of the two dying in the Ginseng-Cloud Tiger's jaws and implanted it in its sea of consciousness.

Only after he had finished did he speak slowly.

"All right. Return to Red Maple Island and continue serving as the Sun Household's spirit beast. From now on, I want to know about the slightest stir on Red Maple Island."

The Reed-Hidden Sandpiper gave a quiet acknowledgment, spread its wings with a flutter, and flew toward Red Maple Island.

"Those two Sun Household cultivators vanished into thin air. Sooner or later, the Sun Household will grow suspicious. Rather than let them investigate and come knocking, I might as well give them an answer myself. If they believe the two died in the Ginseng-Cloud Tiger's jaws, the Reed-Hidden Sandpiper can remain with the Sun Household and serve as my eyes, just like Owl."

With everything arranged, Li Zhengjun vanished from where he stood and returned to the Yuyu Realm.

Red Maple Island.

Amid the vast expanse of blue waves, the crimson island looked like a piece of the sunset clouds cut from the horizon.

A closer look revealed a considerable abundance of spiritual essence on the island, and spirit beasts often ran through its maple groves.

But the place where spiritual essence was most abundant was a complex of blue-gray buildings built along the mountainside.

Its upturned eaves and interlocking brackets rose in overlapping tiers, stretching from halfway up the mountain all the way to its foot.

At that moment, the mountain gate stood wide open, and dozens of cultivators in varied attire had gathered before the hall.

They clustered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves, their faces showing discontent and helplessness.

"Why did the annual tribute suddenly go up another thirty percent this year? The year has barely begun, and they didn't even give us a reason. They just raised it on a whim. Who knows whether the Sun Household increased it on their own or the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect ordered it from above?"

An old man beside him stroked his beard and shook his head.

"Who knows? In the past, it went up once every three or five years, and we could grit our teeth and get through it. But these past two years, it's risen every year. This year is worse still—a full thirty percent at once. If this goes on, how are we on the various islands supposed to live?"

Over the past decade and more, they had already doubled the annual tribute. Under such conditions, the islands governed by the Sun Household were suffering bitterly.

Another, younger cultivator took up the conversation, his face full of indignation.

"How much was the annual tribute a dozen or so years ago? And now? It's more than doubled! The Sun Household relies on its position as a vassal of the Ten Thousand Spirits Sect and its Foundation Establishment Cultivation Method to crack the bones and suck the marrow of the surrounding islands."

As soon as he said this, the faces of several people nearby changed. Someone hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, warning him to watch his words.

The young cultivator knew he had spoken out of turn. His lips moved several times, but in the end he dared say no more.

Yet those few complaints had struck a chord with everyone present. Who dared provoke the Sun Household?

Sun Chengfeng, the Sun Household's patriarch, was at Qi Refinement Great Perfection, and he had two Late Qi Refining spirit pets at his command as his left and right hands.

Any one of those Demon Beasts was beyond what minor clans like theirs could handle. Unless they were tired of living, who dared incur the Sun Household's wrath? They could only swallow their grievances.

Just then, a hearty laugh rang out from the horizon.

"Hahaha! I have good news for you all: my Sun Household has wiped out every last Devil Cultivator on Jade Wave Island!"