Shen He took over the task of caring for Night Senior in a somewhat dumbfounded state.
He had been quite busy over the past few days. He had just finished refining the Emerald Jade Sword that Lin Yu had given him. Next, he needed to refine the White Bone Bell, then quickly comprehend those two Cultivation Methods, and finally head to the Sect Scripture Pavilion to search for materials for the Jade Pendant Master.
Yet Lin Yu had instructed him to look after a spirit beast?
Lin Yu’s expression remained indifferent, but inwardly, he was blooming with joy.
Pei Jiye had an eccentric and neurotic personality, holding grudges relentlessly. If he was unhappy, everyone around him suffered. Being able to divert Pei Jiye’s attention to Shen He made Lin Yu so delighted that he would laugh awake from his dreams.
He held Pei Jiye in great respect and reverence—after all, Pei Jiye had saved his life and helped him advance from an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator all the way to the Nascent Soul stage.
But that didn’t stop Lin Yu from harboring significant grievances against Pei Jiye.
Now that he had the chance to foist Pei Jiye onto this newly emerged Fake Foundation Establishment disciple, Lin Yu was overjoyed.
Shen He was unaware of his cheap master’s scheming thoughts. He carefully examined this Kill Matt Ground Chicken perched on the Crimson Tree Branch.
The bird was only the size of a palm. Its body was covered in black-gray, frizzy feathers, especially the few strands on its head, which puffed out explosively like a Kill Matt hairstyle.
Its wings bore sparse, fluffy feathers, revealing the delicate-patterned skin beneath and the faint blue veins even lower. Its rear had no feathers, but its two legs were thick and sturdy, clearly brimming with power.
One claw was curled up, hiding its size, but the other was splayed open. Sharp talons with barbs gripped the crimson branch tightly. Its overall posture stood ramrod straight, like a green pine standing tall on a mountaintop.
Most importantly, its aura and demeanor.
It slightly hunched its neck, coiling like a balled-up ferocious beast. As if sensing Shen He’s gaze, it lifted its eyelid. The iris around its pupil shifted, and its scarlet eyes fixed on Shen He, seemingly pondering with utmost seriousness how to slice him into stew.
Locked by such a gaze, Shen He couldn’t help but swallow hard.
“…Shizun, what taboos or preferences does Night Senior have? This disciple needs to stabilize his cultivation recently and may enter seclusion. If I neglect this senior…”
Lin Yu said unhurriedly, “Under normal circumstances, you won’t need to do anything, but remember to feed him pills.”
Shen He was stunned. “Feed him pills?”
Lin Yu handed Shen He a small bottle. “One pill per day.”
Shen He had no choice but to accept the crimson wooden stand and the small bottle.
He asked a rather foolish question. “Has Night Senior awakened intelligence?”
Lin Yu sneered. “Didn’t the sect’s major lectures teach this? Demon beasts only gradually develop spiritual intelligence after Core Formation!”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and shooed Shen He out the door.
Standing outside Lin Yu’s Pill Room, Shen He stared at this Kill Matt among birds, feeling somewhat hysterical.
Yet the bird completely ignored Shen He, continuing to stand on one leg with its eyes closed in rest.
Since Shen He had advanced to Foundation Establishment and become Lin Yu’s disciple, he was no longer a mere helper in the Pill Room. He had become an inner sect True Transmission Disciple and had been assigned his own Alchemy Chamber in the Pill Room.
Pang Sanxian seized the opportunity to transfer himself to Shen He’s Pill Room.
On ordinary days, Pang Sanxian could use the spiritual fire in the Alchemy Chamber to temper the impurities in his demonic qi and meridians. He could also use the pill furnace to refine the most basic Qi Gathering Pills, sharing forty percent of the demonic stones from sales with Shen He.
When Shen He returned to his Alchemy Chamber with the gray Kill Matt Bird, Pang Sanxian was in the middle of processing materials.
“What’s this?”
Pang Sanxian eyed the gray Kill Matt Bird.
“It’s a task assigned by Master Lin. He seems to be leaving the sect to search for a special material, so I’m to look after Night Senior in the meantime.”
“Night Senior?”
Pang Sanxian straightened up respectfully upon hearing this. So this bird was a sect bigshot?
But after looking it over, he voiced his doubts. “This bird seems to only be at Foundation Establishment cultivation. What breed is it? Just hatched? Why does it feel so similar to the raw ingredients for roast squab at home?”
The Kill Matt Bird standing on one leg atop the Crimson Tree Branch slowly turned its neck, as if finally noticing Pang Sanxian in the Pill Room. It stared straight at him.
“Quiet. This is a demon beast—be careful he holds a grudge.”
Though he warned Pang Sanxian like this, Shen He had previously worked as a waiter in a restaurant, introducing dishes to customers as one of his basic skills.
He instinctively appraised the Kill Matt Ground Chicken’s quality. “Even for roast squab, Night Senior’s skin is a bit too tough.”
The certain Kill Matt Bird: “…”
Shen He even carefully pointed at the sparse fetal down on the Kill Matt Bird. “See, the fetal down is sparse, the color dull, no underfluff, and the skin has patterns—clearly too old. The kitchen would yell if we sent this back there.”
Pang Sanxian nodded deeply in agreement. “You’re right. Even with special seasonings, an old pigeon is hard to marinate properly…”
The Kill Matt Bird’s gaze grew even icier, as if looking at two dead men.
Pang Sanxian shuddered involuntarily. He tugged at Shen He’s sleeve and whispered, “Can this bird understand human speech?”
