Chapter 24 (Part 1)

Jiang Lanyi knew Song Yuanxi was cultivating and did not dare go over to disturb him. One day, she happened to hear Du Tianyu mention that he had already finished cultivating, so she went to Wanhai Peak to visit him.

The moment she pushed open the door, she did not see Song Yuanxi himself. Instead, she saw a little yellow chick lying on the stone table and eating.

The little yellow chick was facing her. Its entire fluffy body trembled and bounced with the joy of eating, and the loose down all over it fluttered in the wind.

Junior Brother Song is raising chickens?

Jiang Lanyi recognized that the little yellow chick before her was a first-rank demon beast, a yellow brocade chicken. She only thought Song Yuanxi’s foodie nature had exploded and that he had already reached his claws into the demon beast world.

“Senior Sister Jiang, why did you come over?” Song Yuanxi walked out and was pleasantly surprised to see who had arrived.

Jiang Lanyi’s gaze, however, fell to his hand. Song Yuanxi lowered his head to look, shook the jar of plump white worms in his hand, and said helplessly, “It’s all because Little Yellow loves eating them. I had the menial disciples catch them from the spirit herb fields.”

These plump white worms loved eating spirit herbs and spirit plants, so the disciples who tended the Spirit Herb Garden had to catch and remove them every few days. In the past, they had simply disposed of them however they pleased. Now, Song Yuanxi collected them specially to feed his chicken.

And the little yellow chick especially loved eating these plump white worms too, finding them exceptionally delicious.

“Daddy~ Big worms!” The little yellow chick was unwilling to eat spirit grain anymore. How could grain be as tasty as worms?

“Here you go, you little glutton.” Song Yuanxi poured a jar of plump white worms onto the tabletop.

Jiang Lanyi watched her junior brother feed the chicken with a loving expression on his face. It was truly difficult to imagine that this low-rank demon beast had been raised to be eaten.

“Junior Brother Song, this yellow brocade chicken is?”

“Oh, this is my contract beast. It hatched from the demon beast egg you gave me, Senior Sister.”

This was the demon beast egg she had given him? A demon beast egg had hatched a yellow brocade chicken?

Jiang Lanyi could hardly believe it. After coming back to herself, she felt extremely guilty. If she had known it would turn out like this, she never would have given it to Junior Brother Song no matter what.

“Junior Brother Song, I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“It’s fine. I’ll just treat it as raising a pet. I think it’s pretty good. This little guy is clever as anything and makes me happy every day.” Seeing that Jiang Lanyi still blamed herself, Song Yuanxi added, “Anyway, cultivators can have at least two contract beasts. My mother will prepare another one for me.”

The little yellow chick, which had originally been happily eating worms, suddenly raised its head and showed a fierce expression. “No! Eat it!”

It thought it was very fierce, but in reality it was soft and milky. Especially that babyish little voice, which practically came with its own tender softness as it rippled through his sea of consciousness.

Song Yuanxi nearly died laughing. This crappy little thing was not high in rank, but it sure had a big temper. Its feathers had not even grown in fully, and it already wanted to eat other demon beasts?

“You weak chicken. Be careful someone else doesn’t stew you instead,” he could not help laughing and cursing in his sea of consciousness.

Jiang Lanyi could not hear any of this. She only saw the bright smile that came from the bottom of Song Yuanxi’s heart. From time to time, he poked the little yellow chick with his finger. The little yellow chick angrily went “cheep cheep” and pecked at him with its beak, only to be slapped away by Song Yuanxi.

The little yellow chick fell flat on its face, but the more it fought, the braver it became. It flapped its short little stub of a wing, wanting to fly up and fight.

Song Yuanxi burst into laughter. “Look, Senior Sister. It’s so silly, and it still wants to fly.”

“Junior Brother, you really like it?” Jiang Lanyi was still somewhat hesitant.

Song Yuanxi nodded. “Really. I like it quite a lot. Little Yellow, call out to your Auntie Lanyi. I’ll add something extra to your meal tonight.”

The little yellow chick was unwilling to pay attention to an outsider, but the words “extra to your meal” moved it. Unwillingly, it gave two “cheep cheeps” at Jiang Lanyi.

Jiang Lanyi stayed in Song Yuanxi’s courtyard for the entire afternoon. Watching the person and the chicken play together with great delight, her heart finally settled.

As long as he liked it, that was good. At least this demon beast had some use. In the future, she should give her junior brother other things instead. She did not dare take the risk with this kind of unknown gift again.

“Senior Sister Jiang, I heard from Senior Brother Du that you’ll be going to a secret realm in a while?” Song Yuanxi casually inserted the question into their idle chat.

Jiang Lanyi nodded. “The Tushan Secret Realm is about to open. The sect will select three thousand suitable Qi Condensation disciples to go. In two more days, they’ll also hold the annual outer sect grand competition. They’ll probably use this chance to filter the candidates and take the top three thousand.”

“Does Junior Brother Song also want to go to the secret realm?” Jiang Lanyi looked back at him.

Song Yuanxi shook his head decisively. “I’m not going. I’ve heard about that Tushan Secret Realm. It’s most suitable for late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators to gain experience. What kind of fun would a third-level Qi Condensation cultivator like me be blindly joining in on?”

What was more, in the original book, the Tushan Secret Realm had been described as having many famous scenes. Each one was more exciting than the last. As a cannon fodder character, how could Song Yuanxi wade into those muddy waters?

He had already made up his mind. He would not leave the sect until he reached Foundation Establishment.

The world was so big, and I want to see it, but the prerequisite is staying alive!

“Mm, I also think it wouldn’t be appropriate. Junior Brother Song might as well wait until the next time a secret realm opens. By then, you should be qualified.”

“Senior Sister Jiang will be participating in the outer sect grand competition, right?”

“Mm. I’m already at the sixth level of Qi Condensation. I wouldn’t dare dream of taking first place in the outer sect grand competition, but I can still try for the top three thousand.”

The conditions for entering the inner sect from the outer sect were clear: successfully reach Foundation Establishment and automatically enter the inner sect, or take first place in the annual outer sect grand competition, in which case one could enter the inner sect whether one had reached Foundation Establishment or not. Jiang Lanyi was already at Redcloud Peak, so her desire for the outer sect grand competition had lessened a great deal. She wanted to take the path of natural Foundation Establishment.

Song Yuanxi nodded. “Senior Sister Jiang, you can definitely do it. Speaking of which, Senior Brother Du and a lot of the others are all going to participate in the outer sect grand competition. I’ll come cheer you on when the time comes.”

The Xuantian Sect’s outer sect grand competition was also a somewhat significant event within the sect.

Song Yuanxi was not planning to participate, but his desire to watch the show and eat melons was very strong. However, he was wary of the plot in the book and was afraid he might be accidentally injured during the outer sect grand competition, so he was completely unwilling to stay among the disciples.

Thus, he shamelessly went to find a Golden Core elder of Redcloud Peak, wanting to request the best viewing position.

“Daoist Master Yunhua, please I’m begging you Please, please~” Song Yuanxi found the easiest person to talk to, Daoist Master Yunhua Xiao Yun, who was also his father’s usual chess friend.

Daoist Master Yunhua liked Song Yuanxi, this junior, very much. It was only arranging a seat. How could he not agree to such a small thing?

“No problem. When the time comes, just follow by my side. I guarantee you’ll have the best view in the whole venue.”

For the outer sect grand competition, the sect master would only appear at the opening and closing. The peak masters of each peak would not show themselves either. Usually, the Golden Core elders from the sect’s peaks presided over it.

This year, Redcloud Peak’s turn had fallen to Daoist Master Yunhua, which just happened to make things convenient.

“Many thanks, Daoist Master Yunhua. Yuanxi has a pot of good wine for you.” As he spoke, he took out a pot of Evergreen.

The fragrance of wine spread everywhere. Daoist Master Yunhua knew as soon as he smelled it that it was Daoist Master Yunxi’s handiwork. Unexpectedly, Song Yuanxi said, “This is Evergreen that my master improved. It’s even better than the kind my father has.”

“Oh? So it is Daoist Master Fanjian’s work. Then I really must taste it properly.”

Daoist Master Yunhua had just twisted open the lid when he heard a “cheep” sound. A little yellow chick shot out from inside Song Yuanxi’s sleeve. The little yellow chick was very nimble. It locked onto its target and drilled straight toward the wine pot.

“Little Yellow!”

Song Yuanxi froze stupidly. Wasn’t this crappy little thing sleeping inside the spirit beast pouch? How had it run out?

Daoist Master Yunhua put away the wine pot. With a casual sweep of clear wind, the little yellow chick was easily caught in his grip.

“Yuanxi, why did you catch a yellow brocade chicken to play with? This little demon beast…” Daoist Master Yunhua originally wanted to tease him, but once he clearly saw the little yellow chick’s specific appearance, his smile faded. “Where did you get this demon beast?”

“Daoist Master Yunhua, I…” Song Yuanxi did not know how to explain.

Daoist Master Yunhua realized that he had been too serious, so he softened his tone. “Don’t be afraid. I’m just asking casually. This demon beast of yours isn’t simple. Has it touched any karma?”

Daoist Master Yunhua was afraid that this demon beast had been snatched by Song Yuanxi.

Song Yuanxi hurriedly shook his head. “No, no! This is my contract beast.”

“Contract beast? Was it prepared for you by Daoist Master Shuanghua?”

“No. I hatched it myself.”

Song Yuanxi became extremely awkward. Saying out loud that he had hatched a little yellow chick was really a little embarrassing.

Daoist Master Yunhua’s expression became rather complicated. A Qi Condensation disciple had actually hatched the cub of a great demon. This Song family junior’s fortune was truly good.

Then he thought of the Song family’s other heavenly genius. Looking at Song Yuanxi again, that fortune instantly seemed just so-so. Compared to his younger brother, it was worlds apart.

“Daoist Master Yunhua, this is a yellow brocade chicken. I hatched it for fun. A beast has no sense. If it offended you, I apologize on its behalf.” The little yellow chick was his pet. If it did something wrong, he had to come out and apologize.

Daoist Master Yunhua held the little chick and laughed. “Yuanxi, this is no yellow brocade chicken. Child, your opportunity is not bad. This is the phoenix’s chick, Dàfeng.”

“Dàfeng?”

“The dragon has nine sons, and the phoenix raises nine chicks. The youngest child of the phoenix is Dàfeng. Its attribute is wind. After adulthood, it is red with blue; its head resembles a dog’s, its beak has teeth, it has four wings and eight tails, and its length reaches one hundred zhang. It can travel one thousand li in a day without tiring. Dàfeng lives in the sky and seldom lands. It is very rare in the Canglan Realm.” [1]

Daoist Master Yunhua returned the little yellow chick to Song Yuanxi and then said, “Dàfeng is also called Zhaofeng. In anger, it can transform into ten thousand zhang of black clouds that cover the sky and block out the sun. Wild winds howl, thunder roars, and not a blade of grass grows wherever it passes. It is one of the great demons.” [2]

Daoist Master Yunhua was afraid that Song Yuanxi would be unable to suppress Dàfeng after it grew up, so he instructed him to make sure to tell his parents about this. “Let Daoist Master Yunxi or Daoist Master Shuanghua look it over and think of some way to press down this demon beast. Then it will be easier for you to command it in the future.”

Song Yuanxi, however, froze on the spot. He looked down dazedly at the little yellow chick in his arms. It was truly difficult to connect such a tiny thing with the great demon Dàfeng.

This crappy little thing was the youngest child of the phoenix? This was obviously a gluttonous little chick that loved to eat and sleep!

Wait, hold on!

Dàfeng… one hundred zhang long, travels one thousand li a day, not a blade of grass grows…

Song Yuanxi’s heart trembled. Wasn’t this thing the contract demon beast of the vicious female supporting character in the book?

“This demon beast egg was found by Senior Sister Jiang after she sensed it in her heart. It was fated with Senior Sister Jiang. If she hadn’t insisted on giving it to me, then Senior Sister Jiang should have been the one to hatch it… So Senior Sister Jiang is the vicious female supporting character from the book, the one who kept entangling herself with the male lead, then finally betrayed the sect and entered the demonic path, becoming someone everyone had the right to execute—Fairy Qingli?”

Song Yuanxi said goodbye to Daoist Master Yunhua and returned to Wanhai Peak in a daze. He sat in the little courtyard, dispirited and lost.

Senior Sister Jiang was so kind. She was so good to him. She single-mindedly pursued the Dao and studied alchemy, and she was determined to become the sect’s alchemy master. How could she possibly be the vicious female supporting character?

Besides, she loved the sect so much. How could she possibly betray the sect and even enter the demonic path…

“Enter the demonic path!”

The string in Song Yuanxi’s mind suddenly pulled taut. Some forgotten plot from the book came back to him. If Jiang Lanyi really was the future Fairy Qingli, then the trigger for her entering the demonic path should be her first secret realm trial outside the sect.

In the secret realm, she mistakenly entered a field of ten thousand flowers and was possessed by half the soul of a lust demon hidden inside. And the male lead also happened to be in the secret realm. He entered the field of ten thousand flowers and was affected by Joyous Union Powder. She was driven by instinct and tried to force herself on the male lead, but unexpectedly, the male lead’s Dao heart was firm. He would rather damage his own cultivation than yield.

This scene was seen by the disciples of the major sects who happened to come over to rescue them. The Fairy Qingli of those days failed to harm anyone and instead humiliated herself. Although afterward she was only punished by the sect with three years of confinement, she had completely lost face.

And what made Fairy Qingli even more pained was that the lust demon’s half-soul possessed her intermittently. She did not remember at all what she had done.

“I clearly didn’t do it. Why do they all insist on framing me? I never did anything like that…” This was Fairy Qingli’s most unwilling thought while she was confined back then.

Because of this incident, she was delayed a full thirty years before reaching Foundation Establishment, and even then, she relied on pills to assist her. After Foundation Establishment, because she had offended the Song family behind Song Yuanruo, she had no Golden Core master willing to accept her as a disciple. Every step she took within the sect was difficult. In the end, her mind and spirit were damaged, and she was tempted by the lust demon…

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