12 Cold Birds Feed to Signal the "Green Light"
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Qing Xuance, Xiao Yan, and Le Fei’s gazes were fixed intently on Yun Zhao, stunned by her spatial ability.
“You all…” Yun Zhao felt uneasy under three scorching stares. “I usually don’t sneak things away from you.”
Xiao Yan choked on his words, thinking to himself, who would care about someone as ugly and dark as her before?
But on second thought, this fierce woman always seemed to pull things out of thin air, like that sedative, or the various herbs she used when preparing medicine for Wen Lang—many of which weren't from these snowy mountains.
Besides, she had gathered so many herbs that surely she stored them in her space. After all, only a few were left in the room, along with some matsutake mushrooms. They couldn’t possibly finish such a large amount, yet nothing remained visible. It must have been hidden away in her spatial pocket.
Le Fei was filled with curiosity. “What exactly is this spatial ability? How big is it?” Leaning forward, his golden eyes gleamed with eagerness.
Yun Zhao explained, “It’s like having a room inside your mind.”
“When I was first level one, that room was tiny—barely two square meters—couldn’t hold much.”
“Now that I’ve broken through to level three, the space has expanded to two hundred square meters. Storing a small mountain of supplies is no problem.”
“Two hundred square meters…” Le Fei inhaled sharply, imagining a vast space filled with weapons, herbs, and food. He envied her deeply. “Can food stored inside stay fresh?”
“Of course.” Suddenly, a large chunk of fresh wild boar meat appeared beside Yun Zhao.
Qing Xuance looked at it, somewhat familiar. “Isn’t this the black boar Wen Lang hunted on his first day in the mountains?”
Yun Zhao nodded. “I saw you all leave straight away that day. Didn’t want to waste it, so I stashed it away.”
Le Fei touched the meat. It was as fresh as if it had just been slaughtered. His eyes sparkled. “So from now on, you can cook extra food, store it in your space, and just take it out whenever you want?”
Yun Zhao nodded.
“Then you’re basically our mobile supply depot,” Le Fei said with a smile.
“Sure.” Yun Zhao smiled, finally feeling accepted. Although only Le Fei had welcomed her so far, it was a good start.
After Ye Chonglou’s reminder, Yun Zhao thought of a way to deal with the cold birds and stopped frowning. She returned inside to continue working with the herbs.
Ye Chonglou approached Qing Xuance, puzzled. “This fierce woman has both healing and spatial abilities. Such a valuable resource is sticking with us—could there be some trick?”
Qing Xuance looked at him. “Spatial ability, healing ability—either alone would cause a sensation. A talent like her, don’t you think we should seriously consider how to bring her onto our side?”
Ye Chonglou looked surprised, glancing up. But Qing Xuance had already left.
He stroked his chin, pondering Qing Xuance’s words.
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The next day, Yun Zhao politely declined Le Fei and the others’ offer to accompany her and went alone to the edge of the dense forest.
Out of concern, Qing Xuance and the others followed from a distance. Seeing that the cold bird flock showed no signs of activity, they quietly observed Yun Zhao’s every move.
Yun Zhao took out the translucent crystal grains and tried to negotiate with the cold birds: “I only want to enter to collect herbs. I promise not to touch anything else in the forest. These crystal grains are for trade.” Her voice was soft, earnest, echoing in the silent woods.
Yet the cold birds remained silent, only the occasional flutter of wings, as if coldly rejecting her offer.
Xiao Yan scoffed, “Her idea is just to bribe them with food? If it were that simple, Wen Lang wouldn’t have had to use the mermaid’s song to confuse them.”
Could it be that the birds weren’t interested in the grains? Yun Zhao thought for a moment, then took out delicacies she had brought from the imperial city.
The exquisite pastries and dishes emitted an enticing aroma.
Xiao Yan sneered, “I knew it wouldn’t…” And then, suddenly, the silence shattered.
The cold bird flock stirred restlessly. Sharp cries pierced the air as they surged like a dark cloud.
In an instant, two level-two cold birds shot forward like arrows.
Their sharp beaks pecked precisely at the crystal grains, then eagerly sampled the delicacies.
As if tasting, they only ate a little before flapping back into the forest.
Was this one not to their liking either? Yun Zhao felt uneasy.
Just as she thought her trade had failed and felt disappointed, a low call came from deep within the forest.
Five level-five cold birds slowly spread their enormous wings and flew forward.
Their massive forms stretched wide, blocking the sky. Their feathers shimmered with a chilling glow, and each wingbeat stirred a fierce gust that tossed Yun Zhao’s hair.
The five level-five birds landed before the food, “elegantly” feeding like royalty.
Le Fei stared in disbelief. Five level-five cold birds! He remembered advising Yun Zhao to have Qing Xuance transform into his true form to frighten them. If that had really happened, it would have been a death sentence, just as Xiao Yan had said.
Le Fei shuddered.
Xiao Yan asked in surprise, “What’s going on? First two, then five?”
Le Fei guessed, “The two level-twos were probably sent by the five to test the waters. The five are the real leaders.”
Yun Zhao was momentarily stunned by the scene, then smiled happily. “The trade worked?”
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“So I can go pick herbs now?” She said as she stepped toward the forest, glancing back to see if the level-five cold birds would attack.
The birds remained still. Until her figure vanished into the woods, they quietly continued feeding.
Xiao Yan was amazed. “She went in? The cold birds didn’t stop her?”
Le Fei said, “Looks like bribing them with food was the right bet.”
Xiao Yan was speechless. This didn’t seem to make much sense.
The five cold birds finished the food Yun Zhao had brought before letting out satisfied calls and returning to the forest.
After waiting most of the day, Yun Zhao emerged from the woods empty-handed.
Qing Xuance and the others naturally knew she had placed everything into her spatial pocket.
Yun Zhao climbed over a hill and, seeing Qing Xuance and the others, was surprised. She ran over excitedly, “Why are you here?”
Le Fei yawned, “We’ve been following you since morning, waiting all this time. We’re starving.”
Yun Zhao was delighted, her eyes sparkling. “Come on, I’ll cook something delicious for you.”
The group headed back. Le Fei wondered what food Yun Zhao had used to win over the cold birds.
Yun Zhao replied, “Delicacies brought from the imperial city.”
“What? You had such good stuff? Why didn’t you bring it out sooner?”
“I thought you didn’t like it. Wild boar meat with matsutake mushrooms is delicious.”
“Is there more?” Le Fei asked eagerly.
“No, all given to the cold birds.”
Le Fei was speechless. Who wouldn’t like that? Only you didn’t, he thought with a hint of resentment.
Xiao Yan felt the same way—like he had missed out on the whole world.
Le Fei and Xiao Yan exchanged looks. Had they known it was this simple, why did they have to recklessly provoke the birds and get pecked so badly before? Their faces still hurt.
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