As evening approached, Xiao Dong and Xiao Xi had prepared the meal, and the group gathered to eat and drink, with only Gao Lao’er missing.
Gao Lao’er had gone out to gather information and still had not returned. No one knew when he would be back, so they did not wait for him and started eating.
Xiao Hei, holding a bowl of spirit rice, wore an innocent expression but found the food tasteless. From time to time, he looked up at the canopy of the peach tree beyond the wall.
The place where everyone ate was in the courtyard where the two one-eyed men lived, which now also served as Baili Xin’s courtyard.
After eating, the group relaxed in the courtyard, walking, sitting, or drinking tea. Xiao Hei sat on a step, resting his chin on his hands, foolishly staring at the peach tree opposite.
The two one-eyed men were lighting the lanterns under the eaves everywhere, including those outside the main gate.
Yu Qing stood with his hands behind his back on the small bridge over the flowing water in the garden. He looked up at the darkening sky visible through the cavern above, then at the magical sight of glowing fireflies flying in the underground world, and finally at the pavilions and towers in the courtyard.
Every time he looked at this property, it gave him a sense of achievement. Among those mingling in the cultivation world, not many could afford to acquire such an estate in Youjiao Port.
Of course, many capable people did not necessarily need to set up a shop in Youjiao Port.
Suddenly, the sound of a door opening and closing came from the front. Gao Lao’er had returned, carrying a cloth-covered object that might have been a box.
No one knew what he had brought, but he looked excited. He carried the item as he walked, waving to everyone along the way.
Not understanding what was going on, the group followed him in a scattered manner into his small courtyard.
Xiao Hei remained oblivious to what was happening around him. His eyes were fixed only on the immortal peach tree, and he stayed seated without moving.
The room was a bit dark, so the lamps were lit. Gao Lao’er placed the black cloth-covered object on the table. He first glanced at the crowd gathered around the table, then yanked off the cloth to reveal a cage forged from fine steel. Inside lay a bird, resting on its side with its head drooping.
Why was the bird lying down? Everyone was taken aback for a moment before noticing the anomaly. This bird had three legs.
If not for this special feature, one would have thought it was poultry. In fact, its size and shape looked quite like a domestic chicken, just slightly thinner and smaller.
Having noticed the anomaly, everyone naturally took a closer look. Its pitch-black feathers gleamed with a cyan light under the lamps. Its sharp beak had the lustre of black jade. Three crest feathers slanted backwards from the top of its head. Its closed eyelids were golden, and its three curled, sharp claws gleamed with a brilliant golden light in the lamplight.
Nan Zhu tried asking, “Second Brother, is this a Three-Legged Crow?”
Gao Lao’er countered, “What else would it be?”
Yu Qing’s heart pounded as he said, “You did not spend a million on this thing, did you?”
Gao Lao’er held up one finger, looking as though he had gotten a bargain. “Just ten thousand taels, including the cage.”
“How could it be so much cheaper all of a sudden?” Nan Zhu asked in surprise, his gaze flickering over the Three-Legged Crow as he realised something. “You did not buy a dead one, did you?”
Gao Lao’er stroked his beard and said, “More or less. It is not completely dead yet, but it is probably about to breathe its last.”
Nan Zhu glared and said, “Ten thousand taels for a dead bird? Second Brother, you really have stayed in Youjiao Port too long and gotten used to spending lavishly. What is the use of buying a dead bird? Is there any difference between one about to die and a dead one? You did not buy it to eat, did you?”
Gao Lao’er immediately shot him a cold stare, clearly looking offended.
Nan Zhu immediately shut his mouth meekly, showing a reaction to being reprimanded. The Second Senior Brother’s long-standing prestige was still there.
Only then did Gao Lao’er slowly explain, “Were you not all pondering over it? I figured that saying a thousand words is not as good as letting you see the real thing, so I bought it at a dirt-cheap price.”
Yu Qing reached out, opened the cage, and pulled out the bird that felt as if it were already dead. He flicked its drooping head, but there was absolutely no reaction. Only by casting a spell to probe could one detect a faint trace of life force. Its body had already gone cold, and it truly could not survive. He casually tossed it onto the top of the cage.
Spending ten thousand taels on such a thing genuinely made him a bit unhappy. He was already considering whether it was appropriate to leave the ten million taels in the other party’s hands.
Chong’er, squeezed next to Yu Qing, reached out a hand and poked the Three-Legged Crow a few times. Seeing no reaction, he pulled his hand back.
Wu Hei also grabbed it to take a look. Yu Qing asked him, “Do you think this is a Three-Legged Crow or a Blue Bird?”
Wu Hei replied, “How would I know? This is my first time seeing one too.”
Noticing that everyone seemed to have little interest in appraising the item he had bought, Gao Lao’er turned to Nan Zhu and said, “Seventh Brother, it is the same as the one on your token, right?”
“It should be,” Nan Zhu said, reaching into his robes to pull out the token. The item was not large, making it easy to carry around, which was safer than hiding it in a room.
Holding the token, he compared the carved pattern with the Three-Legged Crow in Wu Hei’s hands. He looked at it and said, “It has three legs, and three tufts of feathers on its head. The colour of the feet is wrong, but the token is all one colour overall. The pattern should match the real thing, right?”
Gao Lao’er asked, “If it matches, why would that Demon King carve a Three-Legged Crow on his personal waist token?”
The very moment his words fell, the seemingly dead Three-Legged Crow suddenly trembled. Its drooping head tried to move but could not lift. Surprisingly, it slowly opened its eyes.
Everyone was stunned, staring blankly at its movements.
The Three-Legged Crow’s gaze seemed to lock onto the token in Nan Zhu’s hand.
Nan Zhu paused for a moment, then quickly brought the token closer for it to see.
“Huh…”
The Three-Legged Crow opened its mouth slightly and emitted a faint, short, and strange tone.
Everyone was shocked. Was it not said that it was very hard to make it make a sound? However, this sound did not seem to have any connection to heavenly music.
What surprised them even more was that their eardrums seemed to be simultaneously struck by an inexplicable force, creating a buzzing sensation.
Several pairs of eyes simultaneously fixed on the token in Nan Zhu’s hand. They saw two faint, shimmering silvery-white waves seeping out from the token, feeling like two unfolded wings. Nan Zhu felt an inexplicable force rising from the token in his hand. It seemed as though the token was about to fly out of his grasp, so he quickly gripped it tightly.
The wing-like forms did not last long. They appeared suddenly and disappeared just as abruptly, suddenly retracting into the token and vanishing without a trace.
The unsettling force in Nan Zhu’s palm also vanished abruptly.
Everything seemed to return to normal.
Utterly shocked, the crowd finally moved their gaze away from the token and stared collectively at the Three-Legged Crow. They saw that it had closed its eyes again. Surprisingly, there were tears in the corners of its eyes. No one knew why it was crying, but the teardrops were crystal clear under the lamplight.
Wu Hei, who was holding it, slowly looked up and said to everyone, “It was just too weak and could not hold on. This time it is truly dead. It has stopped breathing.”
The few of them immediately became frantic. One by one, they only now thought of performing emergency resuscitation on the Three-Legged Crow.
The reason was simple. There must be some connection between the Three-Legged Crow and this token. The anomaly that just occurred had explained everything.
It also proved that the pattern carved on the token was indeed the Three-Legged Crow.
To unravel the secret of this token, this Three-Legged Crow needed to be alive.
However, dead was dead. These cultivators did not have the ability to bring the dead back to life. Some stamped their feet in regret, while others sighed and wrung their hands.
Nan Zhu could not help but complain to Gao Lao’er, “You went to gather information, so why did it take so long? If you had bought it earlier, we might have been able to save it. It clearly had a will to live when it saw this token. Even if we could not save it, we could have prolonged its life a bit longer, and maybe we could have figured out exactly what this token is about.”
Gao Lao’er raised an eyebrow and said, “You are blaming me? Did you not just say ten thousand was too expensive? When it could still squat in the cage earlier, do you think anyone would have sold it for ten thousand?”
Nan Zhu curled his lip, not daring to argue with him. He turned his head and directly scolded Ninth Brother Mu. “Ninth Brother, you were lying outside every day before. What were your eyes for? This Three-Legged Crow being so weak means it was on sale for more than a day. Were you just lying there with your eyes open but seeing nothing?”
Mu Aotie also felt regret over the situation but did not think he was at fault. He countered, “So what if I saw it in advance? Are you sure you could have coughed up a million taels to buy this?”
Nan Zhu was instantly rendered speechless.
Everyone else looked at each other. It was true. Even if there had been a live Three-Legged Crow before, they would not have been willing to spend a million taels to buy it.
Afterwards, the token was passed around again for everyone to examine. Each of them cast spells and studied it thoroughly, but it was useless. No one had any clues.
Nan Zhu suddenly blurted out, “The Bee King should know the inside story of this token. How about…”
Everyone stared at him in unison, probably understanding the meaning behind his words. They knew the way in and out of the Mirror Flower Immortal Garden, and the key was in their hands.
Yu Qing sneered, “You stole someone’s things, and now you want to go ask how to use them? If you are looking for death, do not drag us into it.”
Nan Zhu scratched his face and gave a dry laugh, realising that he had indeed accidentally taken things too far. Even if they could enter the Fairy of a Hundred Flowers’ cave dwelling, they would not dare to go in again, otherwise they would definitely end up very miserably.
The next day, Gao Lao’er went to You Cliff again and put up a firefly notice, offering a high price to purchase a Three-Legged Crow.
The one million taels they were reluctant to spend before, they were now honestly and willingly ready to pay. It was estimated that even if someone asked for two million per bird, they would have to buy it.
However, some things truly depend on fate. In the days that followed, a lot of money was spent on the firefly notices, but they never saw the shadow of a Three-Legged Crow again.
After enduring for about a month, the group, having gained nothing, thought of trying another large trading market, or rather, asking a certain person for help.
Yu Qing wrote a letter and sent it to Qing Ya, the local boss of Hai City, asking him to help keep an eye out.
Whether Qing Ya remembered some old affection or not, he had someone bring along a verbal message. It was just one sentence. Understood!
Just like that, another month or so passed, and Qing Ya’s side still had nothing to show for it. After receiving an inquiry letter, he replied with a letter of his own, informing them that urging him was useless. The Three-Legged Crow was rare, and there was no pattern to when it appeared. Sometimes it would show up again after a few months, and sometimes it would only appear once every few years. There was nothing he could do.
Of course, in his letter, he could not help but ask what on earth they wanted that thing for.
Yu Qing replied, telling him it was to be used as a medicinal ingredient to manufacture a healing potion for sale in Youjiao Port.
To this end, he specifically asked Nan Zhu for some honey brought out from the Immortal Manor, filled a small bottle, and sent it along to Qing Ya so he could test its efficacy.
This move was purely to cover things up and fool him. After all, it was not the first or second time he had fooled Qing Ya.
Because Qing Ya had many information channels, the letter also asked him to help find out where the Three-Legged Crow usually appeared.
Since they had to rely on luck to see one, they could not just sit and wait. They had to consider whether to go looking for it themselves, which might also save some money.