The Shang Family

Reality proved that creatures that could talk were not necessarily demon beasts—they could also be parrots. "What kind of demon bird is this?!" Furious, Lu Yang summoned suction into his palm and yanked the parrot straight over. Before it even had a chance to react, it was caught. The township head could have done this as well, but he had assumed the bird was some demon beast at the Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment stage and had not dared to make a move. "Demon beast! There's a demon beast!" the parrot squawked incessantly. Hearing the commotion in the room, Tao Yaoye hurried over to check, her feelings much the same as Lu Yang's. Completing the mission was a good thing, and not having to fight was also a good thing, but the problem was... they had traveled all this way from the Dao Seeking Sect and ridden a flying boat for three days, just to catch a parrot? How were they supposed to write the mission report? People would laugh at them if word got out. The people of Taiping Township were not well-traveled and did not recognize a bird from the depths of the rainforest, but Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye recognized it. At the Dao Seeking Sect, this was the most basic of general knowledge. "As expected of Daoist Masters, capturing the demon bird so effortlessly!" Upon learning that the parrot had been caught, the township head and the bystanders showered Lu Yang with praise, extolling his profound cultivation. Helpless, the two patiently explained to everyone that this was merely an ordinary bird, only uncommon in the northern part of the continent. "This parrot... which is to say, the demon bird you spoke of, is best at mimicking human speech." "Mimic human speech! Mimic human speech!" The parrot kept squawking beside him. Lu Yang pinched its beak shut and continued explaining to the crowd: "When it shouted that Zhang Guanjia was a monster, it didn't do so on its own accord. It had previously heard Tailor Feng shout 'Monster!', so it imitated the word, and upon encountering Zhang Guanjia, it merely happened to repeat it." Zhang Guanjia let out a sigh of relief. As expected of disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect—they had cleared his name the moment they arrived! "By the same token, when it squawked, 'Who are you? Where is Zhang Guanjia?', it was the same thing. It doesn't understand what the sentence means; it just heard it somewhere and repeated it meaninglessly." "Damn this wretched bird! I'm going to butcher it!" Zhang Guanjia fumed with anger at the sight of the parrot. Lu Yang raised a hand to stop him. "This place is half a continent away from the rainforest. There is no way this bird flew here on its own; someone must have brought it. "Aside from someone bored enough to cross half the continent just to bring back a parrot that has no practical use other than being a novelty, only the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce would deliberately do something like this. "Is there a branch of the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce around here?" The township head shook his head. "The chamber wouldn't open a branch in an impoverished, out-of-the-way place like ours. But there is one in Quhe Commandery, situated in the most bustling district with an endless stream of visitors. It's possible someone bought it from the chamber, and then the parrot accidentally escaped." As for the parrot escaping directly from the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce, that was completely out of the question. Lu Yang asked again, "This bird has lingered around Taiping Township for twenty days without going anywhere else. Its owner might very well be here. Does the township head have any ideas?" The township head pondered for a good while before saying, "Everyone in our township knows about the demon bird. If there is anyone who might not know, it would be the Shang family to the east. "The Shang family rarely goes out and is reluctant to converse with others. I heard that Master Shang is also a cultivator who suffered setbacks in his youth; his cultivation plummeted, and having lost the will to cultivate, he secluded himself here. "The Shang family is also quite wealthy—the richest in the area, in fact. If anyone bought this demon bird from the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce, it would certainly make sense for it to be them." "In that case, let's go ask the Shang family." Taiping Township was not large, and the three people and one bird soon arrived at the gates of the Shang residence. After a bout of knocking, someone soon opened the door. It was a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed mustache, looking refined and scholarly in a scholar's robe. "Ah, it's the township head. Might I ask who these two are, so that I may announce them to the master?" the mustachioed man asked. Lu Yang was holding the parrot by its wings like someone carrying a rooster to be slaughtered while visiting relatives for the New Year. "We happened to find this parrot, and after asking around, we thought it might belong to the Shang family, so we came to inquire." The mustachioed man first caught sight of Tao Yaoye and was momentarily stunned; he had never seen a woman as beautiful as her. He then looked at the green parrot, a joyful smile spreading across his face. "So that's it! Many thanks to you two young heroes. This should indeed be our young miss's parrot. Ever since it went missing, she has been depressed all day long, making things very difficult for us servants. "If the young miss learns that the parrot has been found, heaven knows how delighted she will be." The township head leaned closer and whispered, "He is the Shang family's steward, surnamed Zhang. Every time I come to the Shang residence, he's the one who opens the door." Steward Zhang hurried off to report, and soon returned with a reply. "The master invites the three of you inside." Passing through the screen gate, walking past the outer courtyard, and going through the second gate to the corridor and then to the main hall, they finally met Master Shang. Master Shang was stoutly built, with a gloomy look on his face that kept people at arm's length, reluctant to engage in much conversation. Yet upon seeing the township head, one could still tell that he was quite pleased. "Old Brother Huang, it has truly been a long time." The township head's surname was Huang. The two cupped their hands in salute. Master Shang studied the parrot for a moment and nodded. "Mm, no mistake about it. My daughter bought this from the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce in the commandery. At the time, I thought this wretched bird wasn't worth much and the chamber was charging an exorbitant price, but she refused to yield and insisted on buying it, so I had no choice but to indulge her. "Steward Zhang, take the two young heroes to see Xiaoyuan." "Yes, Master." Steward Zhang made a gesture of invitation, then waved over a maidservant to serve tea to Master Shang and Township Head Huang. Along the way, Tao Yaoye asked casually, "How long has Steward Zhang been with the Shang family?" Steward Zhang said respectfully, "The master saved me while on his journey to live in seclusion. Ever since then, I have served by his side. Counting the years, it has been twenty years already; the young miss hadn't even been born yet back then." "In that case, Young Miss Shang must be quite close to you." "To tell the truth to you two young heroes, I watched the young miss grow up. Having no sons or daughters of my own, I treat her like my own flesh and blood. Seeing her so downcast all day long pained my heart as a steward." Lu Yang asked abruptly, "Were you present when the parrot was lost?" Steward Zhang sighed, self-blame palpable in his tone: "I zoned out for a moment back then and didn't notice the parrot flying away. If I had paid a bit more attention, I certainly wouldn't have caused the young miss such grief. It was my dereliction of duty." Lu Yang gave an "Oh" and said nothing more. Steward Zhang tapped lightly three times on the door and said at an unhurried pace, "Miss, your escaped parrot has been found. Two young wandering heroes brought it back." A voice came from inside the room: "Then let them in." "Yes." Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye opened the door. Miss Shang reclined by the window, quietly reading a book. The evening sunlight bathed the tips of her hair, as if time had frozen, carrying a tranquil, picturesque beauty. In Taiping Township, heaven knew how many young men were infatuated with Miss Shang. Lu Yang kindly cautioned, "Reading by sunlight is bad for your eyes, especially the setting sun. Light a lamp—it's not like your father is short on money."