Chapter 19: The Demon Bird's True Body

"Since the demon bird is searching for Zhang Guanjia, have you attempted to arrange a meeting between them?" Peach Blossom asked.

The village chief let out a long, heavy sigh. "There was no need for us to do so; a few days ago, the creature flew directly into Zhang Guanjia's home. It shrieked 'Monster! Monster!' right at his face before darting out the window, vanishing toward who knows whose house next."

"We were utterly at our wits' end when you two immortal masters arrived."

Peach Blossom fell into deep thought, murmuring a conjecture. "Could Zhang Guanjia truly be a monster? Was the bird trying to warn you all to be wary of him?"

Among the demon race, there was no shortage of benevolent souls who, either assuming human guise or revealing their true forms, came to warn humanity of impending calamities.

Take the Great Demon King Zhu Yan, for instance; in folklore, his appearance heralded chaos across the realm, causing him to be branded an ill-omened beast.

Yet the immortal sects knew the truth was quite the opposite; it was not that Zhu Yan brought the chaos, but rather that he foresaw the coming strife and journeyed from the demon realm to the Central Continent purely out of goodwill to warn the human race.

Of course, Zhu Yan himself bore some responsibility for this popular misconception—he suffered from social anxiety and simply feared to speak.

A taciturn demon, combined with a ferocious countenance, made it exceedingly difficult for people to believe he was a creature of virtue.

Perhaps this demon bird was of the same sort, arriving to warn the people of Taiping Village that Zhang Guanjia was a great demon in human form.

Speaking of this, the village chief looked rather conflicted; he was reluctant to contradict the beautiful lady from the immortal sect, yet he could not disregard the facts and baselessly declare Zhang Guanjia a demon.

"Zhang Guanjia has grown up in Taiping Village since infancy, as all the elders can attest. He has two younger brothers, Zhang Guanyi and Zhang Guanbing, and the three brothers share a profound affection. He currently runs a private school, teaching the children Confucianism and cultivation; he is one of the few educated teachers in our village."

"To claim he is a monster, I fear..."

Peach Blossom disagreed with the chief's reasoning. "The demon race enjoys great longevity. Many long-lived species will dwell in a single place for decades, letting themselves age gradually to appear no different from mortals. Once they have seen all there is to see, they feign death to escape, rising from their graves to journey to a new place and begin anew."

The village chief opened his mouth but found himself lacking Peach Blossom's breadth of knowledge, at a loss for words.

Lu Yang shook his head gently, pointing out the flaw in her hypothesis. "If Zhang Guanjia were a demon, he would bound to be a great shape-shifting demon. How could such a powerful being tolerate the nonsensical babble of a mere fledgling bird? I suspect before the creature could even utter a word, it would have been obliterated by him."

Peach Blossom did not argue; what Lu Yang said was indeed the reality of the matter.

Lu Yang stood up. "Be that as it may, we still ought to meet this Zhang Guanjia."

The village chief hurriedly led the way. "This way, please, immortal masters."

Along the path, Lu Yang corrected the chief's manner of address. "We are all fellow cultivators, striving toward the same goal of immortality. Leaving aside the fact that the two of us are merely in the Foundation Establishment stage, even the Integration True Monarchs or the Tribulation Transcendence Venerables—those supreme cultivators closest to ascension—are scarcely entitled to be called 'immortal masters' by others."

"You may simply address us as Daoists."

The village chief smiled obsequiously, far from daring to treat them as ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators; among ordinary cultivators, fewer than one in ten could advance to the Golden Core stage, but disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect were guaranteed to reach it, and their future heights were beyond his imagination.

"Is it not because no one has truly become an immortal? All we have are catching-at-shadow legends of immortals."

Hearing this, Lu Yang merely smiled and spoke no further.

Before long, the three arrived at Zhang Guanjia's residence.

"Old Zhang, visitors are here, open the door."

The wooden door creaked open, revealing Zhang Guanjia standing behind it with a wooden expression.

"Allow me to introduce them; these two are disciples from the Dao Seeking Sect, here to help us rid ourselves of the demon bird."

Upon hearing the words "Dao Seeking Sect," Zhang Guanjia's expression shifted, and he said helplessly, "I truly am no monster. You cannot just believe whatever that wretched bird squawks. It also shouts 'Come play, sir!' so why don't you send a few gentlemen to play with it instead?"

The village chief laughed awkwardly. "We were just taking a stroll and happened to end up at your place."

The village chief was diligent and conscientious, widely regarded as a good official; since he put it that way, Zhang Guanjia could only open his doors to welcome his guests and invite the three inside.

Zhang Guanjia's home was a two-courtyard residence, which felt rather desolate with only one person living there.

He was past forty and had not yet married.

The conversation inevitably turned to the demon bird, and Zhang Guanjia remarked testily, "I have never seen that demon bird in my life; heaven only knows why it keeps calling my name."

"I have never left Taiping Village in all my days, the furthest I've been is Quhe County. Where on earth would I have crossed paths with such a bird?"

"Every day my students ask me, 'Teacher, teacher, are you a monster?' Some are even so terrified of being eaten by me that they complete their homework precisely on time every day!"

"Even a neighbor approached me, claiming he has an enemy in the Foundation Establishment stage residing in Quhe County, and asked if I could secretly strike and slaughter the man, promising that the price is highly negotiable!" Zhang Guanjia spoke through gritted teeth, wishing nothing more than to fight the bird to the death to restore his innocence.

He was a mere ordinary man, yet with one open beak, the bird had branded him a demon; there was simply no justice under heaven!

After a brief conversation, the three gained no useful intelligence, only listening to Zhang Guanjia complain for two hours about how severely the bird had disrupted his life.

Fortunately, Lu Yang and Peach Blossom quickly voiced their resolve, vowing to slay the demon and eliminate the peril to grant him justice, which finally satisfied Zhang Guanjia enough to cease his grievances.

"The demon bird is here again!" someone shouted frantically outside the residence, fleeing to get away from the creature.

Hearing the commotion, Lu Yang and Peach Blossom instantly cast aside their leisurely demeanor, took up their dharma treasures, and left the courtyard to confront the bird.

"Take care, fellow Daoists!" The village chief silenced the villagers, urging them to stay far from where the bird had appeared.

Lu Yang gripped his sword hilt; the moment the bird showed the slightest intent to attack anyone, it would face a sudden flash of cold steel and be severed cleanly in two.

Peach Blossom drew her red paper umbrella—this was her natal dharma treasure, the Thousand Illusion Umbrella. Once opened, it would weave a dreamlike realm where enemies would drown in illusions without ever realizing it.

Lu Yang carefully gestured with his hand, signaling that he would scout ahead, and Peach Blossom nodded in assent.

The demon bird had perched atop a civilian house. Moving like a cat, Lu Yang walked soundlessly, creeping forward on tiptoe to stealthily close in on his prey.

He maintained absolute vigilance, his muscles taut, prepared to draw his sword and do battle at any second.

Optimistically, the bird was at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation, which would be the best outcome; at worst, it was a demon of the late Foundation Establishment stage, making a battle arduous and its defeat a matter of considerable effort.

Finally, he caught sight of the demon bird that had plagued Taiping Village for twenty days.

Its deep green feathers were incredibly vibrant and lustrous, with a broad swath of crimson extending from the corners of its eyes down to its neck; the interlocking red and green were exceptionally striking.

With a single glance, Lu Yang recognized the creature's origins; it hailed from the depths of dense jungles, fed on figs and berries, and excelled at mimicking human speech.

It was a parrot.