Chapter 128: Descending the Mountain

A biting wind swept through the air, bringing with it a flurry of snow. The mountains and rugged cliffs were draped in a silver shroud. Without realizing it, the months of January and February had arrived. This year, the Bashu region saw a rare and heavy snowfall, with drifts three feet deep in the forests. The snow remained unmelted, and as rabbits and pheasants moved through it, they made a rustling sound. Suddenly, a flapping noise erupted from the treetops; the snow on the pine branches tumbled down, creating a vast expanse of white, as a large bird descended from the sky.

It had red, dark-rimmed eyes and feathers of a deep, iridescent green that shimmered with a faint, ghostly light. It was a Azure Bird—a creature of immortal lineage. According to the fragments of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, two hundred and twenty miles to the west lay Mount Sanwei, where three Azure Birds resided, having once served the Queen Mother of the West. Though that account might be slightly exaggerated, it was clear the bird possessed a keen spiritual nature.

In the bleakness of deep winter, food was scarce. Suddenly spotting an apricot on the snow, the Azure Bird chirped with joy and flapped toward it. Halfway there, it halted in mid-air, a flicker of doubt in its avian eyes. Yet, its nature was hard to tame, and, unable to resist the temptation, it finally descended.

Suddenly, a figure darted from the snow. A flash of white light streaked past, clipping off a few green feathers. The spiritual bird let out a terrified screech and spat out a stream of elixir energy—a desperate measure for a minor spirit creature that had not yet formed an internal core. Unexpectedly, the white light swerved, transforming into two sword shadows, evading the attack in an instant. The sword light circled, surrounding the bird completely, revealing hints of a shifting formation. Unable to escape, the Azure Bird was caught by a pair of large hands. Its beak was pried open, and a gourd was held beneath its chin to collect the crystalline saliva dripping down.

"Little bird, hold on a moment longer, almost there..." Zhou Qian stroked its feathers, comforting it. Seeing that he had collected enough saliva, he stuffed the apricot into its beak and tossed it upward. The Azure Bird spread its wings and soared high, chirping back at him occasionally.

Zhou Qian tied the gourd to his waist and let out a long breath. He had now collected the saliva of fifty or sixty types of spiritual birds: immortal falcons, fire-crowned sparrows, mountain eagles, white-feathered elders... Half a year had passed since his duel with the red-haired ape demon. Ever since his senior brother told him that a hundred kinds of bird saliva were needed for sword refining, Zhou Qian had buried himself in the mountains. He found the balance between cultivation and bird-catching far from tedious; in fact, his swordsmanship had improved, allowing him to manifest sword shadows. However, because he had been using the Ape-Lord Sword Technique so frequently to catch birds, his progress with the Qingcheng Sword Technique had lagged. Thinking of his senior brother's words, he could only scratch his head and smile bitterly. How could he easily find the balance between cultivating both?

Having not eaten for three days, his stomach rumbled. Recalling a small lake south of the mountain where he could fish, he set off through the snow.

After walking for about an hour, he found a small, emerald-colored pond nestled amidst the trees. Its surface was covered in a foot of crystal-clear ice. His eyes lit up—perfect, he wouldn't even need a fishing rod.

He broke a small hole in the ice. Due to the lack of air beneath, several carp and silver carp soon rushed up, knocking against the thick ice around the hole with thumping sounds. Zhou Qian easily caught two, scaled and gutted them, and with a flick of his finger, ignited a fire among the dry branches and twigs he had gathered. He skewered the fish and began to roast them.

Before long, the skin turned golden brown and the fragrance wafted out. He nodded with satisfaction, but just as he was about to eat, he heard a chirping sound. It was the little Azure Bird, calling out nearby.

"Oh? It's you, little thing." Zhou Qian smiled and pointed to the fish. "Want some?"

The Azure Bird pecked its head vigorously. Zhou Qian tore off a piece of fish and tossed it over. The bird caught it with its sharp beak and devoured it in a few gulps. Finding it amusing, he tore off a few more pieces; in the end, the bird had eaten more than he had.

Perhaps sensing that Zhou Qian meant no harm, the bird approached step by step and nestled against him. Zhou Qian smiled and smoothed its ruffled green feathers. The little bird squinted in comfort. Immortal birds were sensitive to the spirit; it could clearly feel the Taiqing immortal energy radiating from Zhou Qian. Had he been a practitioner of the demonic path, no amount of gourmet bait would have lured it near.

He tucked the bird into his robe and sat cross-legged, five centers facing the sky. As he circulated his internal energy, the Taiqing breath flowed slowly through his body. For the past month, his cultivation had made no progress, a mystery even to him. After half an hour, he opened his eyes and sighed. It seemed he would have to return to Yuxu Peak soon to seek guidance from his senior brother. He looked up; amidst the towering peaks, the five summits of Qingcheng stood like the five giants who once moved mountains, spanning the world.

He stood up, intending to leave, but the Azure Bird blocked his path, chirping incessantly.

"Little Azure Bird, I must go. I still need the saliva of forty or fifty more spiritual birds. We shall meet again if fate allows."

"Chirp! Chirp!" The Azure Bird opened its small beak and flapped its wings repeatedly.

"Do you still want my roasted fish?"

"Chirp! Chirp!" The bird tilted its head, shook it, turned in a circle, gestured to itself, and opened its beak to mimic eating.

"Are you saying you will help me catch birds if I help you roast fish?" Zhou Qian asked hesitantly.

"Chirp! Chirp!" The bird flew in circles around him, clearly having understood.

"You little bird, you truly have spirit!" Zhou Qian had encountered many mountain birds with deeper cultivation than this one, but they were almost all wild and untamable; few could match its intelligence.

"Haha, then lead the way, little pioneer!"

"Chirp! Chirp!" The bird seemed quite dissatisfied with the title.

With the Azure Bird's help, Zhou Qian's progress in collecting saliva accelerated rapidly. With this little spy, he learned the exact nesting and feeding grounds of many spiritual birds. In less than a month, he achieved what would have taken him three months of bitter effort.

A white light shot out, encircling a seven-colored parrot and dragging it down. The parrot could speak human language and squawked in a strange tone, "Spare me! Spare me!"

He pried open its short beak, collected the saliva, and tossed it into the sky. Calculating his progress, he realized he had collected over ninety types. He had reached the boundary of the thirty-six peaks of Qingcheng. Beyond this point, if he encountered some ancient monster of the deep mountains, his shallow cultivation would likely see him swallowed whole. Even within the borders of Qingcheng, relying on his status as a disciple, he had several times narrowly escaped life-threatening situations.

"Chirp, chirp!" The Azure Bird gestured to fly south, but Zhou Qian quickly stopped it. "I am leaving. There is no need to search anymore. Truly, we must part ways for now. See that largest peak? That is where I live. You can come find me when you have time, and I will roast fish for you then. How about that?"

Hearing this, the Azure Bird slumped. Seeing this, Zhou Qian sighed and began walking down the mountain. After a dozen steps, he looked back and saw the bird still hovering, unwilling to leave. A sudden thought occurred to him: "Do you want to come back with me? I can roast fish for you every day."

The bird erupted into a flurry of chirps, fluttering its wings around Zhou Qian, whether from the joy of being with him or the prospect of endless fish, he could not tell.

Half a month later, Zhou Qian finally returned to Yuxu Peak, accompanied by the Azure Bird. His senior brother was sitting on a giant rock by the waterfall, practicing his breathing. His cultivation was deep; with every inhalation and exhalation, a dozen feet of Taiqing immortal energy would manifest and fade, eventually coalescing into the phantom of an infant. Its face resembled Qin Yu, though it lacked eyebrows, and it sank into the crown of his head. Only after an hour did he rise.

"Senior brother, you've had a breakthrough?!" Zhou Qian asked in surprise.

"I am close to the edge of it. But little junior brother, you haven't returned to the White Jade Cave often these past few months. How goes the collection of the hundred bird salivas?"

"Only a few remain to be finished. But senior brother, there are some things about my cultivation I do not understand..." After Zhou Qian finished speaking, Qin Yu pondered for a moment before saying, "Little junior brother, you have been cultivating at Qingcheng for over a year now, have you not?"

"One year and thirty-three days."

"It is time to go down the mountain to accumulate external merit."

"Me? Is it not too soon?" Zhou Qian was stunned. Even his senior brothers were unable to leave the mountain due to insufficient cultivation; surely he was even less prepared.

"It cannot be generalized. You are different from them," Qin Yu shook his head. "You are too deeply entangled in worldly affairs. To advance further, you must enter the world. Only after entering the world can you transcend it. When your heart is free of attachments, your cultivation will naturally progress. Besides, I have a task for you."

"What is it?"

"Deliver a letter to your second and third senior brothers for me."

"Where are they now?"

"Yangzhou."

"Yangzhou..." Zhou Qian whispered. Hu Ge was in Yangzhou, and Yangzhou was close to Luodu. It was time to go back and offer incense for his master and Sister Zhao...