“An interspatial disorder?” Ou Yangming looked at him in shock, then he turned to look at the little red bird on his shoulder.
The little red bird blinked its lively eyes to scan Hong Feiyu before some time, then he communicated with Ou Yangming through its conception. “He’s not lying; I can sense it. That said, given that he survived the interspatial disorder… He’s incredibly lucky!”
After getting along with each other for some time, Ou Yangming and the little red bird told each other everything.
Therefore, the young fellow also knew the little red bird was also unlucky to have come to this realm due to the interspatial disorder.
In spite of that, the little bird belonged to one of the greatest races, which was the Phoenixes.
Though it had not grown into an adult yet, the Phoenixes were born with interspatial abilities. As such, while it could not break free from the interspatial disorder, it would not be in danger too.
On the other hand, other living beings would unquestionably be doomed if they were stuck in the turbulence.
The fact that Hong Feiyu managed to survive in that situation was similar to putting an ordinary person on a battlefield with thousands of soldiers and horses. By the end of the war, even as corpses were seen everywhere and there was a river of blood, that person would still survive and was unharmed.
It was worth noting that the chances of that happening were exceptionally low, which was why the little red bird could not help but lament because the scholar was unbelievably lucky.
“How did you survive the interspatial disorder?” Ou Yangming stared at Hong Feiyu as he asked. He knew the scholar would not be able to answer the question, but he would not be content unless he asked.
At this point, even the little red bird stopped fooling around and became serious.
“Honestly, I have no idea what happened either.” Hong Feiyu smiled bitterly and added after a pause, “I thought I was going to die for sure, but I ended up surviving and wasn’t injured at all. Thinking back, I do feel that it was quite absurd.”
A horrified look could be seen in his eyes.
“What do you think if I send you back into the turbulence again?” Ou Yangming asked after some thought.
Hong Feiyu’s face changed, and he begged the young fellow, “Brother, please don’t! If you plan to do that, you might as well just kill me. That feeling… I really don’t want to experience it again!”
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. “Okay, let’s talk about the Tree of Splendour now. Where exactly did the plant go?”
The scholar was dumbfounded. He stared at Ou Yangming for some time before a bitter look was seen on his face.
He had already become a prisoner, thus there was no need for Ou Yangming to lie to him at all. Hence, he was certain that the young fellow did not steal the Tree of Splendour.
In actuality, Hong Feiyu guessed it when Ou Yangming and Big Yellow defeated him effortlessly. ‘Since he’s so powerful, he could’ve gone to the residence to openly snatch it away. Why would he have to secretly steal it, which is an arduous and fruitless job?
The scholar and Ou Yangming never interfered with one another at all, but the former went to find the latter because of the Tree of Splendour.
He was simply courting death!
Hong Feiyu was utterly regretful.
“Brother, I dare not hide anything from you, but the Tree of Splendour really went missing in the residence, which was why I came to find it and ended up causing these misunderstandings.” He forced a smile. “I was reckless, so please forgive me for offending you.”
Ou Yangming curled his lips in disdain. “Perhaps it was a misunderstanding when you first came, but what were you thinking after you saw the ladies? I suppose I don’t need to elaborate any further.”
Hong Feiyu was struck dumb, but he could not justify his actions.
He initially came because he wanted to find the Tree of Splendour and intended to punish the thief. However, after seeing Ni Yinghong and Jiang Jiumei’s interspatial bags and magic skill tools, and after getting to know Ni Yinghong’s identity as a caster, his thoughts changed drastically.
They were all treasures and were cultivation resources, so Hong Feiyu planned to take forcible possession of them.
Ou Yangming noted, “You’re captured by me now because you’re inferior, but if we were inferior to you instead, I’m afraid that they’ll be in utter misery by now.”
Hong Feiyu quivered because he could sense a deep enmity in the young fellow’s words.
Though Ou Yangming was saying the truth, the scholar dared not admit it at all.
“Brother, you’re overthinking. I’m willing to pass you my learnings without any reservations to exchange my life.” Hong Feiyu immediately offered.
The little red bird flapped its wings indifferently on Ou Yangming’s shoulder. Given how mighty the Phoenixes were, one with their bloodline inheritance would be taught any kind of technique, so why would one need any treasure from this fellow, who would be best kept under the table?
Ou Yangming nodded and looked at Hong Feiyu as he wondered what he should do with him.
It would not be too much to kill him considering how he coveted Ni Yinghong and Jiang Jiumei earlier, but it seemed quite wasteful to kill a supreme powerhouse as potent as a spirit beast.
All of a sudden, Ou Yangming’s ears twitched. He turned and said, “Big Yellow, come in.”
Big Yellow flashed and jumped inside.
“How did your inspection go? Did you find any clues of the thief?”
The big yellow dog was about to shake its head when its furs tensed up.
For some reason, the little red bird widened its eyes at it.
Feeling guilty, Big Yellow dared not lie anymore, so it widened its mouth and spat out the Tree of Splendour in one piece.
Ou Yangming was surprised yet overjoyed. “You found it?”
“Woof!” Big Yellow barked, but it looked somewhat bashful.
The young fellow’s eyelids flickered, and his mouth twitched. “You… You were the one that stole it?!”
“Woof!”
Ou Yangming was speechless. “…”
Hong Feiyu’s face was covered with tears. “…”
Chapter 501 - Erase One’s Memory
The atmosphere in the small woodshed became awkward.
Ou Yangming twitched his mouth. He initially thought he was purely the victim, and that Hong Feiyu was simply being unreasonable for finding trouble. Who knew, the thief that stole the Tree of Splendour was indeed from his side.
Although Big Yellow was not a human and was a spirit beast, Ou Yangming regarded him as family. In fact, he considered it a family member closer to him than Multi-armed King Kong and the goshawk were.
No matter what it did, he would also be responsible.
Ou Yangming sighed and uttered helplessly, “Big Yellow, you… Ah…”
The little bird flapped its wings and channeled its thought through its conception. “Big Yellow did very well, so why are you displeased?”
“The theft…” Ou Yangming shook his head.
“It’s not theft,” the little red bird replied to him without any hesitation, “The Tree of Splendour is the universe’s treasure, and it can only be possessed by a worthy being. It was brought into this world by this fella, but he stole it too!”
Ou Yangming was stunned. From another perspective, the little red bird was right.
At the end of the day, the weak would be prey to the strong in this world. Even among the Humans, where there was a relatively balanced order, the law of the jungle remained the same but in a slightly different form.
Nonetheless, the more powerful the strong, the frailer the weak. It had always been like that.
Since Hong Feiyu could steal the Tree of Splendour from the spirit beast in the upper realm, why could Big Yellow not steal it away from him?
Nevertheless, this theory deviated very much from Old Craftsman’s teachings, so whi
le Ou Yangming could understand it, he might not be able to accept it.
Back when the young fellow was still an orphan, he had acted against his will to feed himself from starving to death, but he learned much more when he stayed by Old Craftsman’s side for 2 years.
No matter what, he could not ignore the matter.
Seeing as Ou Yangming’s expression was ever-changing, Hong Feiyu was appalled. He suddenly shouted, “Brother, the Tree of Splendour doesn’t have an owner. Since it ended up with you, it belongs to you now. I dare not try to lay my hands on it anymore! Besides, I’m willing to obey you and serve you for a century!”
Hong Feiyu was furious after he found out that Big Yellow was the thief, but he knew very well how he would end if he continued to pursue the matter. Moreover, if the scholar was in Ou Yangming’s shoes, he did not think that he would let the offender go too.
Under the circumstances, the best way to solve the problem was to kill the offender.
Hong Feiyu was ready to risk everything to survive. While there was life, there was hope, hence he must stay alive first no matter what.
Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows and responded, “Recuperate from your injuries first, and we’ll discuss this again once you recover.”
He turned around to push the door open and left. Big Yellow glared hatefully at Hong Feiyu before he picked up the Tree of Splendour and left the room too.
Hong Feiyu finally sighed a breath of relief after they left.
Earlier on, he was really afraid that Ou Yangming would suddenly lose it and kill him right away.
※※※※
Back in his room, Ou Yangming did not know to cry or to laugh when he looked at Big Yellow wagging its tail to flatter him while holding the Tree of Splendour in its mouth.
“That fella has ill intentions, and he’ll only be a curse if you let him stay. You’re not really planning to let him stay, are you?” The little red bird remarked.
“Big Yellow stole his treasure, and he bears a grudge against us now, so it’ll be too dangerous to let him stay.” Ou Yangming smiled bitterly.
“Easy—burn him,” the little red bird suggested casually.
Ou Yangming shook his head. “It’ll be fine to kill him if Big Yellow didn’t steal the Tree of Splendour, but now… Besides, he fought the Aquatics’ spirit beast and protected Canghai City, so he at least deserves credits for his effort. If we kill him just like that, God knows how the people in the city will think about us.”
“Will we be affected by how the common folks think about us?” The little bird was indifferent.
“You won’t be affected, but it’s different for me.” Ou Yangming sighed.
The little red bird tilted its head but no matter how it pondered, it could not understand why Ou Yangming would care about what the other people would think.
Being a noble being from the Phoenixes, it had never looked at problems from an ant’s perspective.
Therefore, the little red bird felt that Ou Yangming was being too foolishly sentimental. Having said that, it was rare that it was able to find a comrade in this world. Since the young fellow liked it this way, the little bird was going to let him be.
Ou Yangming questioned after some thought, “Lil’ Red, do you have a way to erase one’s memories?”
The little bird answered loudly, “Of course! There are a few among the Phoenixes’ secret techniques!”
The Phoenixes’ secret techniques were broad and profound. Ou Yangming could only begin learning and cultivate the smallest magic arts for the time being. As for bigger tricks such as a technique to erase one’s memories, they were out of his reach for now.
“Lil’ Red, do you know how to do it?”
“Of course.” The little red bird stuck out its chest proudly.
“Okay, use it on him once he recovers. Everything will be fine if his memories of Big Yellow and the ones related to the Tree of Splendour are erased,” Ou Yangming expressed in a deep voice, “If not…”
He did not finish his sentence, but the little red bird and Big Yellow understood him right away.
Ou Yangming would certainly try to keep the scholar alive if he could but if nothing could be done, he would not be pedantic and would not let an enemy stay by his side.
Even though the little red bird still felt that it was too troublesome, it agreed to it without any hesitation.
‘The magic art to erase one’s memories… I might not be very familiar with it already since I haven’t used it for a while, but it’s okay, I’ll treat it as a game.’
It casually wondered.
If Hong Feiyu knew his fate was in the hands of such an unreliable little red bird, he would probably be so shocked that he would turn into a fool.
The next day, Hong Feiyu had indeed recovered a bit after he consumed a spiritual pill given by Ou Yangming.
His injuries had not fully recovered but at the very least, he had no trouble walking. Despite that, the scholar dared not think about escaping at all because he could sense two incredibly strong conceptions in this residence constantly keeping an eye on him.
If he came up with an unrealistic idea and decided to act on it, he would only be given one chance, and the consequence would be unbearable if he failed.
Hong Feiyu’s condition became better after 3 days, and he was no longer in a severe state.
Throughout the process, Ou Yangming also used up some precious pills that he had in store.
It was not that Ou Yangming did not care about the pills at all, but because Hong Feiyu was a supreme powerhouse, thus ordinary medicine would not be effective for him. As such, the young fellow was forced to go to some expense so that the scholar could recover as soon as possible. That said, the pills that he gave away were nothing much if he compared them to the number of treasures he received from the imperial family in the past.
Even when Hong Feiyu was already fully recovered, he did not plan to flee at all. When Ou Yangming visited him in the woodshed again, he looked at him differently.
The young fellow did not mean well when he left Hong Feiyu hanging for several days on purpose. In particular, the goshawk had been ordered to be ready outside the city, so the scholar’s fate was already fixed if he decided to escape. However, since Hong Feiyu ended up staying obediently in the residence, Ou Yangming could not kill him openly.
Hong Feiyu uttered with respect as soon as he saw Ou Yangming, “Brother, thanks for the medicine. I’m eternally grateful.”
“We were the ones that injured you, so it’s not a big deal for us to treat you.” Ou Yangming waved his hand gently. “What do you plan to do next, Brother Hong?”
“I told you I’m willing to follow you and serve you for a century, so please allow me to, brother,” Hong Feiyu answered without any delay. This was his second time saying the same thing, but he sounded more sincere this time.
“Brother Hong, why do you want to do this?” Ou Yangming chuckled.
‘I likely can’t survive if I don’t do this,’ Hong Feiyu thought, but he explained with an eager look on his face, “I’d like to return to my hometown while I’m still alive, but I can only achieve that goal by relying on you, brother.”
Ou Yangming was dumbfounded. The scholar made sense, but he did not change his mind. “Brother Hong, it’s fine if you’d like to stay, but I have a few questions for you.”
‘It’s coming indeed,’ Hong Feiyu thought as he tensed up. He knew the following conversation would decide his fate, hence he dared not make any mistakes. “Brother, please ask away.”
Ou Yangming nodded but did not direct any questions at the scholar; he only stared at the man with bright eyes.
Hong Feiyu was extremely anxious. He dared not relax at all because he was too nervous from facing Ou Yangming, but he became so focused on the young fellow that he neglected everything else.
A flash of light was suddenly seen in the little red bird’s eyes. Those eyes seemed to contain indescribable magic, which entered Hong Feiyu’s
eyes in a split second. The powerhouse could not help but shiver a little and seemed to have noticed what was happening, but he could not react in time.
He was quite unlucky because he put most of his attention on speculating Ou Yangming’s thoughts. Needless to say, he was also quite wary against Big Yellow, which previously exchanged blows with him and displayed notable combat power. As for the birdcage in the young fellow’s hand… How much should one rack one’s brain to be able to tell that the real boss was hiding inside?
Almost without the ability to resist at all, Hong Feiyu fell into a spiritual world created by the little red bird. He instantly looked dazed as if he became an idiot, and he also seemed lifeless.
Ou Yangming sighed. ‘The little red bird is certainly extraordinary in certain aspects, and I’m truly fascinated by it. The power used to construct such a spiritual world is truly beyond my reach.’
Nevertheless, since he had an expert by his side, he decided that he would learn from it as much as possible to pick up the ability!
Chapter 502 - The Promise Of A Century
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The air in the woodshed was not very good, but Ou Yangming and Big Yellow would not complain. They comprehended something as well when they sensed the unique power that overflowed as the little red bird released its spiritual world.
In actuality, based on Ou Yangming’s relationship with the little red bird, he could enter the spiritual world at any time. Nonetheless, training and actual combat were two different things. The little bird was unquestionably carrying out actual combat at the moment and while the young fellow and the big yellow dog could not enter the world to observe it, they gained something due to the surges of energy change outside.
After an hour, the little bird suddenly flapped its wings and shouted, “I finally completed it. I’m exhausted from the meticulous work!”
It would not have acted like that in front of someone else, but it had no restrictions in front of Ou Yangming, hence it did not mind showing its ungraceful side at all.
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