Reality proves that not all talking creatures are monsters; sometimes, they can be parrots. "What kind of monster bird is this!"
Lu Yang was furious. He used a pulling force from his palm and quickly grabbed the parrot, leaving it no chance to react.
Xiang Zheng could do the same, but he thought this was some kind of monster from the Qi Refining or Foundation Building stage, so he didn't dare to act like that.
"Monster! There’s a monster!" the parrot squawked incessantly.
Tao Yao Ye heard the commotion from the room and hurried over to check, feeling just as frustrated as Lu Yang.
It was good to complete the task without fighting, but the problem was that they traveled all the way from the Wandao Sect for three days on a flying boat just to catch a parrot?
How were they supposed to write the task report? It would be a laughingstock.
The people of Taiping Village had little experience and didn’t recognize this bird from the deep rainforest, but Lu Yang and Tao Yao Ye did; this was basic knowledge at the Wandao Sect.
"Truly impressive, Daoist, you easily captured the monster bird!" After hearing that the parrot was caught, Xiang Zheng and others praised Lu Yang, saying he had profound skills.
The two were helpless and patiently explained that this was just a very ordinary bird, not commonly seen in the northern continent.
"This parrot... the monster bird you mentioned, is best at mimicking human speech."
"Mimicking human speech, mimicking human speech," the parrot kept repeating. Lu Yang pinched its beak and continued explaining to everyone.
"When it called Zhang Guanjia a monster, it wasn’t because it wanted to; it just heard Feng the tailor say 'monster' and learned to repeat it. When it met Zhang Guanjia, it just happened to say it again."
Zhang Guanjia sighed in relief. It was good to know that as a disciple of the Wandao Sect, his name was cleared.
"Similarly, when it asks 'Who are you? Where is Zhang Guanjia?' it doesn’t understand the meaning; it just heard it somewhere and is repeating it without any significance."
"Damn this bird, I’ll kill it," Zhang Guanjia said, furious at the sight of the parrot.
Lu Yang raised his hand to stop Zhang Guanjia. "This place is half a continent away from the rainforest. This bird definitely didn’t fly here by itself; it must have been brought here by someone."
"Unless someone was bored enough to cross half a continent to bring this useless parrot, the only ones who would do something like that are the Landing Money Merchant Association."
"Is there a Landing Money Merchant Association here?"
Xiang Zheng shook his head. "The association wouldn’t open in our poor little village, but there is one in Quhe County, located in the busiest area, always bustling. It’s possible someone bought the parrot from the association, and it accidentally escaped."
As for the parrot escaping directly from the Landing Money Merchant Association, that was impossible.
Lu Yang then asked, "This bird has been circling Taiping Village for twenty days without going anywhere else. Its owner might be nearby. What do you think, Xiang Zheng?"
Xiang Zheng thought for a while and finally said, "Everyone in the village knows about the monster bird. If someone might not know, it would be the Shang family to the east."
"The Shang family rarely goes out and doesn’t like to talk to people. I heard the head of the Shang family is also a cultivator. After facing setbacks in his youth, his skills fell drastically, and he lost his desire to cultivate, choosing to live in seclusion here."
"The Shang family is quite wealthy; they are the richest in the area. If they bought the monster bird from the Landing Money Merchant Association, it wouldn’t be surprising."
"In that case, let’s go ask the Shang family."
Taiping Village wasn’t large, and soon the three people and one bird arrived at the Shang family’s door.
After a knock, someone quickly opened the door. It was a middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in a scholar's robe, looking refined.
"Oh, it’s Xiang Zheng. May I ask who these two are, so I can report to the master?" the man with the mustache said.
Lu Yang held the parrot by its wings, like someone bringing a chicken to a family visit during the New Year. "We happened to find this parrot and thought it might belong to the Shang family, so we came to ask."
The man first glanced at Tao Yao Ye and was taken aback; he had never seen a woman as beautiful as her.
Then he looked at the green parrot and smiled with joy. "I see! Thank you, young heroes. This should be my young lady's parrot. Ever since it went missing, she has been gloomy, which has been difficult for us servants."
"If the young lady knows the parrot has been found, she will surely be very happy."
Xiang Zheng leaned in and whispered, "He is the steward of the Shang family, surnamed Zhang. He opens the door every time I come here."
Steward Zhang hurried off to report and soon got a response.
"The master invites the three of you in."
They passed through the screen door, walked through the outer courtyard, and finally saw the head of the Shang family.
The head of the Shang family was stout, with a gloomy expression that kept people at a distance. He didn’t want to talk much, but when he saw Xiang Zheng, he looked quite happy.
"Brother Huang, it’s been a long time."
Xiang Zheng’s surname was Huang.
The two exchanged respectful greetings.
The head of the Shang family looked at the parrot for a moment and nodded. "Yes, it’s definitely the one my daughter bought from the Landing Money Merchant Association in the county. At that time, I thought this useless bird wasn’t worth much, but the association was asking for a high price. My daughter insisted on buying it, so I had to agree."
"Steward Zhang, take these two young heroes to see Xiao Yuan."
"Yes, master."
Steward Zhang gestured for them to follow and called a maid to bring tea for the head of the Shang family and Xiang Zheng.
On the way, Tao Yao Ye casually asked, "How long have you been with the Shang family, Steward Zhang?"
Steward Zhang replied respectfully, "The master saved me during his time of seclusion. Since then, I have served him. It’s been twenty years now; at that time, the young lady wasn’t even born."
"That means you must have a good relationship with Miss Shang."
"To be honest, the young lady grew up under my care. I have no children of my own, so I treat her like my own daughter. Seeing her so downcast every day, it pains me as her steward."
Lu Yang suddenly asked, "Were you present when the parrot went missing?"
Steward Zhang sighed, sounding regretful. "At that time, I lost focus and didn’t notice the parrot flying away. If I had paid more attention, the young lady wouldn’t have been so sad. This is my fault."
Lu Yang acknowledged with an "Oh" and didn’t say more.
Steward Zhang lightly knocked three times and said slowly, "Miss, the parrot you lost has been found. These two young heroes brought it back."
A voice came from inside, "Let them in."
"Yes."
Lu Yang and Tao Yao Ye entered. Miss Shang was leaning against the window, quietly reading. The evening sunlight shone on her hair, creating a moment where time seemed to stand still, giving her a serene beauty.
Countless young men in Taiping Village were infatuated with Miss Shang.
Lu Yang kindly reminded her, "Reading in the sunlight isn’t good for your eyes, especially during sunset. You should light a lamp; your father isn’t short on money."
(End of Chapter)