Who Let Him Cultivate？

Chapter 20: The Shang Family

Reality, as it turned out, was profoundly disappointing. A creature capable of human speech was not necessarily a terrifying Demon Beast. Sometimes, it was just a parrot.

“What kind of demonic fowl is this?!”

Lu Yang flared with sudden, indignant rage. A vortex of spiritual suction erupted from his palm. The parrot didn’t even have time to squawk before it was yanked through the air and firmly immobilized in his iron grip.

Mayor Huang could have easily executed the same maneuver, but he had been operating under the terrifying assumption that this was a Foundation Establishment Demon Beast. Naturally, he hadn’t dared to provoke it.

“Demon Beast! Demon Beast!” the parrot shrieked incessantly, thrashing in Lu Yang’s grasp.

Hearing the commotion, Tao Yaoye rushed into the room. Upon seeing the captive bird, her expression mirrored Lu Yang’s profound disillusionment.

Completing a mission without shedding blood was a blessing, and avoiding a life-or-death struggle was always preferable. But the sheer absurdity of the situation weighed heavily upon them. They had traveled all the way from the Dao Seeking Sect, enduring three grueling days on a Flying Boat, just to apprehend a parrot?

How were they supposed to write the mission report? They would be the laughingstock of the entire sect.

The isolated residents of Taiping Township lacked the worldly experience to recognize a bird native to the deep southern rainforests. To Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye, however, identifying such fauna was the most rudimentary of Dao Seeking Sect trivia.

“Truly worthy of the title of Daoist! To capture the demonic bird so effortlessly!” Upon learning the beast had been subdued, Mayor Huang and the gathered villagers heaped praise upon Lu Yang, marveling at his profound cultivation.

The two disciples exchanged helpless glances before patiently explaining that this was a remarkably ordinary bird, merely a rare sight in the northern reaches of the continent.

“This parrot—the creature you’ve been calling a Demon Beast—is simply adept at mimicking human speech,” Lu Yang said.

“Mimicking human speech! Mimicking human speech!” the parrot squawked in immediate demonstration.

Lu Yang calmly pinched the bird’s beak shut and continued his lecture.

“When it called Zhang Guanjia a monster, it wasn’t a conscious accusation. It had previously heard Tailor Feng screaming the word, memorized it, and coincidentally regurgitated it when it crossed paths with Zhang Guanjia.”

Zhang Guanjia sagged with relief. The Dao Seeking Sect disciples truly lived up to their reputation, clearing his name within hours of their arrival.

“By the same logic, its demands of ‘Who are you, where is Zhang Guanjia?’ are equally hollow,” Lu Yang continued. “It lacks the cognitive capacity to comprehend the sentence. It merely heard the phrase elsewhere and repeated it like a mindless echo.”

“Damn this wretched fowl! I’ll wring its neck!” Zhang Guanjia snarled, his fear entirely replaced by furious indignation at the green bird.

Lu Yang raised a hand, halting the man’s advance. “We are half a continent away from the rainforest. This bird did not migrate here on its own wings. It was brought here.”

He scanned the crowd. “Unless some profoundly bored eccentric decided to cross half the world just to transport a bird whose only value is its novelty, there is only one organization that deals in such frivolous exoticism: the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce. Is there a branch nearby?”

Mayor Huang shook his head. “The Chamber wouldn’t bother opening a branch in a remote backwater like ours. There is one in Quhe County, however, situated in the most prosperous district. It sees endless foot traffic. It’s highly probable someone purchased the bird there, and it subsequently escaped.”

The possibility of the parrot escaping directly from the Chamber’s heavily guarded vaults was, of course, absolutely zero.

Lu Yang pressed further. “This bird has been circling Taiping Township for twenty days without straying. This suggests its owner resides locally. Does Mayor Huang have any suspects in mind?”

Mayor Huang stroked his chin, pondering for a long moment. “Everyone in the township knows about the ‘Demon Beast’ panic. If there is a single household oblivious to the rumors, it would be the Shang family to the east.”

He lowered his voice slightly. “The Shang family rarely ventures outdoors and shuns social interaction. Rumor has it that Patriarch Shang was once a cultivator himself. He suffered a severe setback in his youth, causing his cultivation to plummet. His Dao heart was shattered, and he has lived in seclusion here ever since.”

“The Shang family is also exceedingly wealthy, the richest in the area. If they purchased the bird from the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce, it would be perfectly logical.”

“In that case, we should go ask the Shang family,” Lu Yang decided.

Taiping Township was small, so the trio—Lu Yang, Tao Yaoye, and Mayor Huang, with the parrot in tow—arrived at the Shang family’s gate in short order.

After a few knocks, the door was opened by a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed mustache, dressed in a scholarly robe that gave him an air of refinement.

“Ah, Mayor Huang. And who might these two be? I shall inform the master,” the mustached man said.

Lu Yang held the parrot by its wings, looking as if he were carrying a chicken for a New Year’s feast. “We happened to find this parrot. After making inquiries, we thought it might belong to the Shang family, so we came to ask.”

The mustached man first glanced at Tao Yaoye, his eyes widening slightly in surprise—he had never seen a woman as beautiful as her. Then he looked at the green parrot and broke into a delighted smile. “Ah, I see! Thank you, young heroes. This should be my young mistress’s parrot. She has been despondent ever since it went missing, which has been quite distressing for us servants.”

“When the young mistress learns her parrot has been found, she will be overjoyed.”

Mayor Huang leaned over and whispered, “This is Steward Zhang of the Shang family. He’s always the one who answers the door when I visit.”

Steward Zhang hurried off to deliver the news and soon returned with a reply.

“The master invites the three of you inside.”

They passed through the screen gate, crossed the outer courtyard, went through the second gate, walked along a corridor, and finally reached the main hall, where they met Patriarch Shang.

Patriarch Shang had a portly build, and the gloom on his face seemed to push people away from a thousand li. He was clearly disinclined to engage in conversation, but upon seeing Mayor Huang, a flicker of genuine pleasure crossed his features.

“Brother Huang, it has been far too long.”

Mayor Huang’s surname was Huang.

The two men exchanged respectful bows.

Patriarch Shang examined the parrot for a moment and nodded. “Yes, that’s the one. My daughter bought it from the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce in the county. At the time, I thought this wretched bird wasn’t worth a few coins, but the Chamber demanded an exorbitant price. My daughter insisted, so I had to indulge her.”

“Steward Zhang, take these two young heroes to see Xiao Yuan.”

“Yes, master.”

Steward Zhang gestured for them to follow and summoned a maid to serve tea to Patriarch Shang and Mayor Huang.

As they walked, Tao Yaoye asked casually, “How long have you served the Shang family, Steward Zhang?”

Steward Zhang replied respectfully, “The master saved my life during his journey into seclusion. I have served by his side ever since. It has been twenty years now—the young mistress wasn’t even born then.”

“So you must be very close to Miss Shang.”

“To be honest with you, young heroes, I watched the young mistress grow up. I have no children of my own, so I treat her as my own daughter. Seeing her so despondent pains this old steward’s heart.”

Lu Yang suddenly asked, “Were you present when the parrot went missing?”

Steward Zhang sighed, his tone filled with self-reproach. “I was distracted for a moment and didn’t notice it fly away. If I had been more attentive, I would never have allowed the young mistress to suffer so. It was my failure.”

Lu Yang made a noncommittal sound and said nothing more.

Steward Zhang knocked on a door three times, his rhythm unhurried. “Young Mistress, your escaped parrot has been found. Two young heroes traveling the jianghu have brought it back.”

A voice came from within the room. “Then let them in.”

“Yes.”

Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye opened the door. Miss Shang was reclining by the window, quietly reading a book. The evening sunlight caught the tips of her hair, as if time had frozen, creating a static, picturesque beauty.

Countless young men in Taiping Township were infatuated with Miss Shang.

Lu Yang offered a well-meaning reminder. “Reading by sunlight is bad for your eyes, especially the setting sun. Light a lamp—your father isn’t short on money.”