Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Then the damned fat bird erupted again!

An angry voice rang out in both Wang Dachun’s mind and mine.

“Bastard! Die!”

Roundy broke free of my hands and hurled itself straight at Wang Dachun.

Poor Dachun still had a smile on his face when a round, furry, immensely powerful “cannonball” slammed hard into his stomach.

“Owww!”

Wang Dachun cried out in pain and dropped onto his backside.

Roundy was not finished. Flapping its short, thick wings, it circled Wang Dachun without pause and occasionally pecked his shoulder, arm, and other places, making him howl.

Naturally, the damned fat bird knew how far it could go.

Although it was throwing a tantrum, it was really only playing around.

After all, it was a raptor-type demon. If it truly tried to kill him, even ten Wang Dachuns together probably would not be enough!

Wang Dachun wailed on the floor.

“Oww, Boss! Boss, save me! What kind of chicken is this? Is it a hen demon that’s gained intelligence? Fine, we won’t eat it! Boss…”

The fellow still did not seem to understand what was happening.

“Chicken, my ass! I’m a Jade-Talon Gyrfalcon! You know what a gyrfalcon is? King of ten thousand eagles, overlord of the sky!”

Roundy cursed furiously.

I hurriedly reached out to catch it, but it flapped into the air and landed on the huge crystal chandelier in the living room, still huffing with anger.

I helped Wang Dachun up and pulled back his sleeves to look. His arms and shoulders were slightly red, as if someone had punched him several times.

Of course, it was nothing serious.

The fellow got into plenty of fights normally anyway…

“Dachun, now you know how trouble comes from careless words, right? In the future, don’t talk so much before you understand what’s going on.”

“Boss, you don’t sympathize with me and you’re even mocking me. Do you have any humanity? Besides, how was I supposed to know it was a gyrfalcon?”

He wore a miserable, aggrieved expression.

I looked up at Roundy on the chandelier and had to admit he had a point.

Who could know something that fat was an eagle?

“What happened? I thought I heard Brother Chun screaming.”

Zeng Jin came out of the kitchen.

Yao Nan followed with a bowl of washed fruit, looking puzzled.

I told them what had just happened, pointed at Roundy on the crystal chandelier, and explained that it was the household familiar I had mentioned before…

“Wow! It’s adorable! How can any bird be this cute? So fluffy, so round, so white, so big–so adorable!”

Yao Nan clasped both hands beneath her chin, little stars practically sparkling in her eyes.

Uh…

Sure enough, girls all liked things that looked fluffy and cute on the outside, even when it was merely the stupid bird’s disguise.

Roundy immediately cheered up when it heard her.

It planted both wings on its waist and gave a string of happy coos. Its sleazy voice rang out in our minds again.

“Wakakaka! You three fools, take a look. This beauty is the clever one. She knows just how handsome this lord is.”

It fluttered down from the chandelier and landed beside Yao Nan.

“Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Hai Baiyuan. You can call me Roundy.”

“Hello, Roundy. I’m Yao Nan.”

Yao Nan greeted it while gently stroking the feathers on its head. Roundy narrowed its eyes in pleasure.

Watching this harmonious scene, Wang Dachun nearly wept.

“What’s going on? Why does Yao Nan get special treatment while I get beaten up?”

Ha ha ha ha!

Zeng Jin and I could not help bursting into laughter.

I patted him on the shoulder.

“Maybe similar creatures repel each other. I think your personality is a lot like this big fat bird’s. You’re both sleazy and obnoxious. Trading blows when you meet just means you’ve made friends through fighting.”

Wang Dachun looked aggrieved again.

“Boss! How am I sleazy and obnoxious? Besides… how was that trading blows? I was clearly the only one getting beaten!”

“All right, all right. Think about it. About a year ago, a single Dry Immortal nearly took your life. Tiny spirits and minor evil creatures like a Dry Immortal are nothing but snacks to this damned fat bird. It catches a few to eat whenever it feels like it.”

Wang Dachun looked at Roundy in shock.

Then he scratched his head.

“Put that way, I suddenly feel pretty good about myself!”

…

The hot-pot ingredients were soon ready.

An induction cooker sat on the dining table.

The pot on top already held a packaged hot-pot base, its spicy red-oil broth bubbling away.

Plates of prepared ingredients covered the table.

There were fish slices, chicken, thick pork slices, pork kidneys, beef tripe, pork aorta, duck intestines, duck blood, beef rolls… and much more!

Naturally, the country-cured pork I had brought had also been sliced and plated.

It was a lavish spread!

To be honest, although hot pot was a specialty of Sichuan and Chongqing, people in towns and cities ate it more often. As a country child, this was truly my first time having it.

It was not complicated, though. You simply swished the ingredients in the broth until they were cooked, then ate them.

As Zeng Jin picked up a thick pork slice with his chopsticks and put it into the hot pot, he said,

“Brother Wu, Yao Nan cut many of the ingredients here herself!”

Oh?

I looked at her in surprise.

“I never knew my deskmate was not only beautiful, from a good family, and an excellent student, but also a pretty good cook.”

“Zeng Jin cut a lot too. And we’re having hot pot. All we did was slice ingredients. It doesn’t take any cooking skill.”
Yao Nan answered with a smile, somewhat embarrassed by my praise.

I could sometimes be rather aloof toward outsiders, and I did not say much to them.

But around friends I accepted, I talked a great deal and often praised them.

Oh, except for obnoxious fellows like Wang Dachun and Roundy…

And sure enough!

After I praised Yao Nan a few times, Wang Dachun began hooting from the side.

“Of course! Otherwise, how could she be worthy of you, Boss, and become my sister-in-law? Right, Little Jin?”

“Wang Dachun!!!”

Yao Nan ground her teeth, her pretty face bright red. Whether from embarrassment or the steaming hot pot, I could not tell.

I coughed lightly and glared at him.

“Keep talking nonsense and we’ll cook you in the hot pot!”

Standing beside Yao Nan at the table, Roundy said,

“Little Nan, want me to teach him a lesson for you?”

“Yes!”

The white furry cannonball slammed into Wang Dachun once again.

Human and bird instantly began scuffling, sending the room into chaos.

The other three of us laughed as we put ingredients into the hot pot. By the time the food was cooked, those two had just finished fighting and returned to eat with eager eyes…

Naturally, this was Roundy’s first time eating hot pot too.

As it ate, it cooed and cried excitedly.

Yao Nan even prepared a dish of oil-based dipping sauce specially for it, set it down in front of it, and kept picking up food for it.

All in all, we had an extremely happy hot-pot gathering at home.

Heat and delicious aromas filled the air as good friends laughed and clamored together.

…

Besides eating hot pot, I also tried home karaoke and video games for the first time.

They felt quite novel!

We kept having fun until after nine that night before finally stopping.

Together, we cleaned the dining table and living room, which were strewn with dirty plates and cups, then prepared to go home.

We still had to rise early for school the next morning, so we could not play too late.

Of course, since it was unsafe for a girl to walk alone at night, I escorted Yao Nan home.

Only after I watched her enter the gate of her residential compound and turn back to wave at me with a smile did I leave with Roundy.

Burp…

Roundy, perched on my shoulder, actually belched.

The damned fat bird had eaten more hot pot than anyone!

“Wu boy, are we going back to Old Cao’s coffin shop?”

“Let’s go to Fallen Flood Dragon Slope outside town first. I have two more friends to introduce you to.”

“Oh? The rabbit demon and fox demon you told me about before?”

“That’s right!”

I planned to take Roundy to Bai Su’s cave to meet her and Huihui.

It was late at night. Even the main street and other busy parts of town had few pedestrians left.

Outside town, it was pitch-dark.

There was no need to conceal myself anymore. I directly employed the Eight Steps to Catch a Cicada movement art from Bagua Palm and sped toward Fallen Flood Dragon Slope…

It would get me there faster while also serving as practice.

Naturally, so-called “lightness arts” could not let a person fly like in television dramas or novels!

Simply put, real lightness arts in internal martial arts were a method of controlling the leg muscles and coordinating the body’s exertion. By adjusting the breath to match the release of strength, a person could greatly increase both speed and agility.

Like Sealing the Pores and stance training, they were both fundamental and essential parts of internal martial arts!

I crossed hills and ridges with the Eight Steps to Catch a Cicada while Roundy naturally flew through the sky.

The damned fat bird kept babbling as it flew.

“Oh! You’re pretty fast, Wu boy. But compared with your big brother’s flying speed, you’re still far too slow. Look, one dive and your big brother leaves you far behind.”

I ignored it and continued racing over the slopes.

Most internal martial arts techniques required adjusting the breath to coordinate the release of strength.

If I spoke aloud, my breathing rhythm would be disrupted, and I could not maintain the technique.

Even replying through our mental connection would distract me, throw off my breathing and the strength released through my legs, and slow me down.

After all, my martial arts level was still not high. Although I had developed overt force–the level described as “Even a thousand pieces of gold cannot buy one perfect crack”–I had not even reached its peak.

Only after breaking through overt force and reaching hidden force could I divide my attention and communicate mentally while using martial movements.

As for speaking normally while fighting or traveling with lightness arts without affecting my performance, I would probably have to reach transformative force–the level commonly known in martial arts circles as a grandmaster!

Before long, we reached Fallen Flood Dragon Slope and entered the cave in the cliff.

“Miss Bai, Huihui, are you asleep? I’ve come to visit.”

I spoke into the darkness.

Fox squeaks immediately sounded inside the cave, while Huihui’s voice simultaneously rang out in my mind.

“Brother Wu, you’re here! Huihui missed you so much.”

The next moment, a ball of green flame lit up deep in the cave and floated toward the stone wall, igniting the two torches set there.

By their light,

I saw Huihui bound joyfully toward me and leap into my arms. Bai Su followed slowly behind with her customary gentle grace.

“Oh? Demonic energy made tangible and demonic flame igniting objects. Rabbit-demon lady, your cultivation is quite respectable! Not bad, not bad. You’re qualified to become this lord’s friend. Aren’t you delighted?”

The damned fat bird Roundy planted both wings on its waist and raised its head with an arrogant, overbearing air.

Smack, smack, smack!

The only welcome it received was three rapid slaps from me on the head…

“No one will mistake you for a mute bird if you keep that mouth shut once in a while.”