The Demon Bird's True Form!

Tao Yaoye asked, "Since the demon bird is looking for Zhang Guanjia, have you tried letting them meet?" The township head gave a long sigh. "There was no need for us to arrange a meeting. A few days ago, the demon bird flew straight into Zhang Guanjia's house, squawked at him, 'Monster! Monster!', and then flew out the window. Heaven knows which household it flew off to next. "We were at our wits' end when you two Immortal Masters arrived." Tao Yaoye pondered for a moment and conjectured, "Could Zhang Guanjia be a demon? Was the demon bird warning you to beware of him?" The demon race did not lack benevolent sorts; some would assume human form, while others revealed their true bodies to warn mortals of impending calamity. For example, the Great Demon King Zhuyan: in folklore, wherever a zhuyan appeared, widespread chaos would follow throughout the world, which was why people viewed it as an ominous demon beast. The immortal sects knew the truth was quite the opposite. It was not that the Zhuyan brought about great turmoil; rather, Zhuyan foresaw the coming disaster ahead of time and specifically traveled from the Demon Domain to the Central Continent to warn humanity, acting out of pure goodwill. Of course, Zhuyan bore some responsibility for this misunderstanding among the populace—it suffered from social anxiety and did not dare speak. A demon of few words coupled with a ferocious appearance made it hard for anyone to believe it was a benevolent beast. Perhaps this demon bird was doing the same, warning the people of Taiping Township that Zhang Guanjia was a great shapeshifting demon. Speaking of this, the township head found himself in an awkward spot. He was reluctant to contradict this lovely fairy from an immortal sect, but neither could he disregard the facts and insist that Zhang Guanjia was of the demon race. "Zhang Guanjia grew up in Taiping Township from childhood; all the elders can attest to it. He also has two younger brothers, Zhang Guanyi and Zhang Guanbing, and the three brothers share a deep bond. Nowadays he runs a private school, teaching the children Confucian classics and cultivation. He is one of the few schoolteachers in Taiping Township. "To say he is a demon, I'm afraid that's..." Tao Yaoye disagreed with the township head's view. "The demon race enjoys long lifespans. Many long-lived species will stay in one place for several decades, letting themselves age slowly so they appear no different from mortals. Once they have taken in all the sights of that place, they fake their deaths to slip away, climb out of the grave, and go to a new place to start anew." The township head opened his mouth, but lacking Tao Yaoye's worldly experience, he did not know what to say. Lu Yang gently shook his head, pointing out the flaw in Tao Yaoye's conjecture. "If Zhang Guanjia were a demon, he would certainly be a great shapeshifting demon. How could a great shapeshifting demon ever tolerate a petty demon bird babbling nonsense? Long before the bird could say a word, Zhang Guanjia would have silenced it permanently." Tao Yao did not dispute it; what Lu Yang said was indeed true. Lu Yang stood up. "Be that as it may, we still ought to meet this Zhang Guanjia." The township head hastily led the way. "This way, Immortal Masters." On the way, Lu Yang corrected the township head's form of address. "We are all cultivators striving toward the goal of becoming immortals. Leaving aside the fact that the two of us are merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, even Body Integration True Monarchs and Tribulation Transcendence Venerables—those almighty cultivators closest to attaining immortality—are not qualified to be addressed as 'Immortal Masters.' "You may simply refer to us as Daoist Masters." The township head offered an appeasing smile, but he dared not treat Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye as ordinary cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage. Among ordinary cultivators, fewer than one in ten could advance from Foundation Establishment to the Golden Core stage. For disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect, however, reaching the Golden Core stage was practically guaranteed, and the heights they might achieve in the future were beyond his imagination. "Well, nobody has ever become an immortal anyway; there are only elusive legends of immortals." Hearing this, Lu Yang merely smiled and said nothing more. Before long, the three arrived at Zhang Guanjia's residence. "Old Zhang, visitors are here. Open up." The wooden door creaked open, and Zhang Guanjia stood behind it with a dull, wooden expression. "Allow me to introduce them: these two are disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect, here to help us get rid of the demon bird." Hearing the words "Dao Seeking Sect," Zhang Guanjia's expression shifted. He said helplessly, "I'm really not a demon! You can't just believe whatever that bird squawks. It also yells, 'Come play, sir!' Why don't you send a few old gentlemen over to play with it?" The township head laughed awkwardly. "We were just taking a stroll and happened to end up at your place." The township head was dedicated and conscientious, universally acknowledged as an upright official. Since he put it that way, Zhang Guanjia could only open the door wide to welcome his guests and let the three of them in. Zhang Guanjia's home was a two-courtyard compound; with him living alone, it felt rather empty. Zhang Guanjia was over forty and had never married. The conversation inevitably gravitated back to the demon bird. Zhang Guanjia grumbled crossly, "I've never even seen that demon bird before! Heaven only knows why it keeps calling my name. "I haven't left Taiping Township my entire life. The farthest I've ever traveled is Quhe Commandery. Where on earth would I have met a demon bird? "Every single day my students ask me, 'Teacher, Teacher, are you a monster?' Some students are so terrified I'll eat them that they finish their schoolwork on time every day! "Even my neighbor came to me, claiming he has an enemy at the Foundation Establishment stage over in Quhe Commandery and asking if I could secretly slaughter the guy for him—promising the price was negotiable!" Zhang Guanjia ground his teeth as he spoke, wishing he could fight the demon bird to the death right then and there to clear his name. He was just an ordinary human. The moment that demon bird opened its beak, he had suddenly become a demon! It was completely outrageous! After the conversation, the three gained no useful information; they merely listened to Zhang Guanjia complain for two hours about the havoc the demon bird was wreaking on his life. Fortunately, Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye promptly gave their assurances that they would slay the evil demon to rid the people of this scourge, eradicate the demon bird, and do Zhang Guanjia justice, which finally satisfied Zhang Guanjia enough to stop complaining. "The demon bird is back!" someone shouted outside the residence, fleeing frantically to put distance between themselves and the demon bird. Hearing the commotion, Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye immediately cast aside their relaxed demeanor, drew their magical treasures, and stepped out of the courtyard to face the demon bird. "Daoist Masters, be careful!" The township head hushed the villagers and told them to stay clear of where the demon bird had appeared. Lu Yang gripped the hilt of his sword. If the demon bird showed the slightest inclination to attack anyone, it would instantly be met with a flash of cold light and cleaved in two. Tao Yaoye brought out her red paper umbrella. This was her natal magical treasure, the Thousand Illusions Umbrella; once unfurled, it would weave dreams and illusions, drowning enemies in phantasms before they even realized it. Lu Yang gave a cautious hand gesture, signaling that he would scout ahead. Tao Yaoye nodded. The demon bird had landed atop a villager's house. Lu Yang moved like a cat, soundless and light on his feet, creeping toward his quarry. Lu Yang was on high alert, his muscles tensed, prepared to draw his sword and strike at a moment's notice. At an optimistic estimate, the demon bird was at the seventh level of Qi Refinement, which would be the best outcome. In the worst-case scenario, the demon bird was a monster at late Foundation Establishment, which would make combat anything but easy and defeating it quite a chore. At last, he laid eyes on the demon bird that had plagued Taiping Township for twenty days. Its dark green feathers were extraordinarily vivid and glossy, with broad patches of red stretching from the corners of its eyes down to its neck. The alternating red and green were striking to behold. Lu Yang recognized the demon bird's origin at a single glance. It hailed from deep within lush jungles, subsisting on figs and berries, and was adept at mimicking human speech. It was a parrot.