There was a large lake beside a wide main road.
The slanting rays of the setting sun fell upon the surface of this lake, and a faint golden light reflected from it… as if it were a mirror. The soft breeze that often blew across the lake set off sparkling waves on the translucent water surface.
A clatter of horses' hooves was heard far down the main road at this moment.
It was followed by hundreds of horse-riders who galloped over while raising layers of dust. The person at the forefront of this group was a grey-robed man; he had a thin stature.
The man looked at the color of the sky. Then, he stretched out his hand, and pulled the reins.
The people behind him also pulled their reins, and stopped their horses successively when they saw this.
"It's already too late. We will stay here for the night, and we'll forge ahead with our journey in the morning," the grey-robed middle-aged man said.
The group of five-hundred or more people complied loudly. After that, they dismounted their horses, and started to find places to rest.
This grey-robed middle-aged man was none other than Hou Sai Lei who had disguised himself using the Disguising Technique.
Seven or eight days had passed since they had left the Pi City.
The strength of the ancient Xixia country had languished a lot during these days. Also, the number of towns along the roadside seemed to be a lot less than before. These people seemed to be accustomed to outdoor camping in the wild since situations of this kind had emerged a number of times.
Shi Mu turned his body, and jumped off the horse. They had been moving constantly for an entire day. Therefore, the misery of the mixed-breed horse under him couldn't be explained in words. In fact, this horse might've collapsed to the ground owing to exhaustion if Shi Mu hadn't instilled his Real Qi into it from time to time.
Shi Mu pulled the horse to the lakeside so that it could drink water. He also fed it a few things. Then, he found a place and sat down.
"Brother Mu," Shi Mu had barely sat down when a grey-dressed young man walked over to him. There was a green tattoo on his face. It was that man from before — Yu Yi.
Shi Mu nodded to him.
Yu Yi would come over to get into a conversation with Shi Mu whenever Shi Mu got some free time during this journey.
Shi Mu had become aware of Yu Yi's purpose after he had gone through a series of conversations with him. Yu Yi also aspired to get selected for the setrip. And, he wanted to win over some powerful people so that he could get an advantage in the next selection matches.
The rumors that he had shared with Shi Mu suggested that a number of field matches would be conducted once they arrived in Quyang City; they wouldn't be one-on-one matches.
However, Shi Mu had always held a noncommittal approach toward such rumors. So, he hadn't accepted Yu Yi's invitation to join hands with him. However, Yu Yi was a very talkative person, and he would still come looking for Shi Mu to chitchat. And, Shi Mu had always seized this opportunity to inquire about the matters related to the Quyang City.
Quyang City was the national capital city of the ancient Xixia country. It was adjacent to the Gloomy Corpse Mountains where the Main Altar of the Dark Moon Cult was located. Moreover, its western border was near the Yellow Sea. So, it was considered to be a big coastal city.
The ancient Xixia country had been a very prosperous nation in the past. And, the Quyang City had once been considered a time-honored city that could be placed on par with the Heavenly Yu City of the Lu Shan Kingdom. However, the circumstances had greatly changed with the passage of time. The Xixia country's national power had been deteriorating ever since the Dark Moon Cult had suffered a crushing defeat a hundred years ago. So, the Quyang City had also been declining with each passing day.
However, Quyang City was still considered the most prosperous place in the entire Xixia country.
The sun was sliding down gradually, and the horizon was smeared with a hint of the residual glory of the setting sun at this moment.
Shi Mu and Yu Yi had been absorbed in a random conversation when Shi Mu's gaze turned toward the horizon.
The night was approaching, and the cluster of birds had already returned to their nests. However, Shi Mu could still see a few black spots in the high sky.
Shi Mi's brows creased.
"Brother Mu, what happened?" Yu Yi noticed that Shi Mu's expression had abruptly changed.
"Brother Yu, I wonder if you have noticed that there are always a few black birds in the sky these days… as if they have been following us." Shi Mu hesitated for a moment before he said.
Shi Mu had been noticing these black birds in the sky ever since they had set out on this journey from the Pi City. And, they had been constantly following this group while maintaining an acceptable distance from them.
"Brother Mu is talking about those black-winged gryphons," Yu Yi glanced at the black spots in the sky, and said in a casual manner.
"Black-winged gryphons…?" Shi Mu looked astounded as he asked.
It seemed from Yu Yi's tone that he had also been noticing this for a while.
"They are a kind of birds that is raised by the Heavenly Demon Sect. They use these birds to scout their enemy to gather information," Yu Yi replied.
"The Heavenly Demon Sect? Brother Yu's expression makes… it seem that he isn't surprised to see these birds. Am I right?" Shi Mu asked.
"The Heavenly Demon Sect would often send these black-winged gryphons to infiltrate the territory of Xixia country several decades ago. These birds were considered very strong, and could fly at a good speed even at high altitude. Ordinary people hadn't been able to cope with these birds at that time. So, our Cult had dispatched some elite disciples to kill these birds. However, they also couldn't achieve any remarkable result. In fact, they had yielded negligible results even after spending an entire year. They had succeeded in killing these birds only when an Earth-ranked powerhouse or a few Star-ranked magicians had joined forces. And, it was extremely expensive for the Cult. But then, they had noticed that the Heavenly Demon Sect never made any move after sending these birds. So, this matter had been left unsettled. And, we got accustomed to seeing these birds over the time," Yu Yi explained in a confident manner. His facial expression hadn't revealed any strange look all along.
Shi Mu nodded in a silent manner.
"Brother Mu, you didn't know about this matter?" Yu Yi looked surprised as he asked.
"I have been wandering around for the past few years. I have come to the Xixia country only recently," Shi Mu replied.
"Oh, Brother Mu has been wandering around in another country. I wonder where…" A gleam of curiosity appeared on Yu Yi's face.
"Lu Shan Kingdom," Shi Mu replied after a momentary hesitation.
Yu Yi's eyes moved.
"Lu Shan Kingdom has been driving the Dark Moon Cult's disciples out of its territory owing to the havoc caused by Palace Lord Liu An. Even I couldn't stay there any longer. So, I finally came to Xixia country." Shi Mu continued.
"So, that's how it is," Yu Yi said
Shi Mu was about to say something again when his complexion suddenly changed, and he stood up.
"It's too late. I should now look for a place to rest. I would like to take my leave now," Shi Mu nodded to Yu Yi. Then, he pulled his horse and walked away.
Yu Yi had no option but to stand up and walk back.
The sky had been covered in a curtain of darkness by now. Everyone was tired after the long journey of the whole day. Therefore, some people had already lain down to take a rest. But, there were still some people who had gathered around the raging fire of the high-piled woods. They all seemed to be in high spirits as their cheerful voices and sound of laughter were constantly ringing in the air.
Shi Mu gradually came to the outermost part of this crowd while leading his saddle horse.
He swept his gaze around a few times to make sure that nobody was watching him. Then, his silhouette flashed, and he disappeared into the darkness. He drifted far away in a silent manner.
Shi Mu eventually stopped when he had come a few miles away from the crowd. Then, he extended his arm toward his bosom, and drew out a black parrot. It was none other than Cai.
A layer of red radiance could be seen gleaming on Cai's entire body at the moment. And, that radiance grew brighter with each passing second.
Cai had been very dull and drowsy ever since he had lost his consciousness.
Therefore, Shi Mu was exhilarated to see that the red radiance on Cai's body was becoming increasingly bright.
The red radiance on Cai's body continued to grow brighter for some time. Then, a light "Boom" sound was heard. And, the red radiance turned into a red flame. Then, that flame flared up, and started to peel off the black pigment which had smudged Cai's body.
Shi Mu's face revealed a sorrowful expression as he saw this. He released a stream of Xian Tian Real Qi. It gushed out of his hand, and cradled Cai's body. Simultaneously, he tried to extinguish the scorching flame that had shrouded Cai's entire body.
The black pigmentation on Cai's body got wiped away by the blazing flame. And, the feathers on its body became vibrant and multicolored once again.
Shi Mu got surprised as his gaze fell on top of Cai's head.
The fact was that Shi Mu hadn't noticed that a white feather had sprouted on top of Cai's head. Moreover, it had grown right next to that red feather.
Suddenly, Cai's body which had been curled-up in a blazing fire inflated to twice its original size. Then, it slowly opened its eyes, and a streak of white light emerged in its pupils.
Shi Mu's complexion changed. He couldn't understand why a slight chill had emerged in his heart. In addition, he was struck by a strange sensation… as if his innermost feelings were being seen through.
A streak of white light flashed in Cai's eyes at this moment, and then it disappeared without a trace. After that, his eyes returned to their original state.
"Shi Tou!" The raging flame on Cai's body dissipated at a fast speed. It then spread its wings, flew up, and landed on Shi Mu's shoulder. Then, it rubbed its furry head twice against Shi Mu's cheek.
"So, you've finally awaken?" Shi Mu pushed aside Cai's furry head and said… as if he was in a foul mood.
"Have I been asleep for a long time?" Cai asked.
"Hmm, you have been in deep slumber for over a month," Shi Mu replied.
"I slept for more than a month?!" Cai rolled his eyeballs as if he was surprised to hear Shi Mu's words.
Shi Mu looked at Cai, and sensed an intense aura around his body. This was a lot stronger than before.
"Is this a common phenomenon in your Gossiping Parrot Race? Does everyone in your race remain in a drowsy mode for a long time, and then undergo a transformation if they gobble-up a lot of spirit stones?" Shi Mu pondered for a moment. Then, he asked.
"Of course it's not a common thing. Only the Gossiping Parrots that possess the purest bloodline can undergo this transformation," Cai replied in a tone that was tainted with a hint of complacency.
Shi Mu's eyes flickered as if he was about to speak something.
"Shi Tou, be careful. Someone is coming!" Cai said as he looked in a particular direction.
Shi Mu was startled. He then also looked in that direction. Simultaneously, he assigned his spirit sense to scout around.
But, he couldn't see anything strange even though he had unique eyesight. This was due to the presence of a large dense forest in that direction. In addition, he didn't find any abnormalities within the exploration range of his spirit sense.
Shi Mu's eyebrows creased as an idea popped into his mind. He connected his eyes with Cai's vision.
The next moment, Shi Mu's body received a powerful jolt since a strange picture had appeared in his mind.
The sky, the trees, and the ground appeared very clear. In fact, everything that was before his eyes appeared much clearer than before. In addition, he could also clearly see the situation within the radius of few miles now.
The trees that had blocked his field of vision before seemed to have changed into a translucent grey color now. And, it seemed as if he could see through them…
Shi Mu was at the edge of the lake at the moment. However, the lake's water seemed like it had never existed in his field of vision since everything in the lake was clearly visible to him now.
Suddenly, the silhouette of a grey-robed middle-aged man appeared in Shi Mu's field of vision. That person was passing through the forest when he looked around and started to walk toward them.
"This person is Hou Sai Lei. He has turned into someone else with the help of the Disguising Technique," Shi Mu explained.
Cai patted his chest with his wings as he heard these words… It seemed as if he was relieved.
"Let's come to the point. Cai, how did your eyesight..." Shi Mu's gaze turned to see Cai as he asked.
"This... I'm not very clear about it either. I experienced a cool soothing feeling in my eyes when I woke up, and my eyesight had substantially enhanced. I can now see things that are a long distance from me very clearly. What do you think about it… isn't it awesome?!" Cai said.
Then, a thought crossed Shi Mu's mind. He gazed at the white feathers on Cai's head as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
But then, they heard the rustling sound of footsteps that was gradually approaching them. Simultaneously, the silhouette of Hou Sai Lei in disguise of the grey-robed middle-aged man appeared in Shi Mu's line of sight.
Hou Sai Lei revealed a delighted look as his eyes fell on Shi Mu, and he quickened his pace.
He had barely walked two steps when his eyes drew toward Cai on Shi Mu's shoulder, and he was left startled.
"Cai finally woke up?" Hou Sai Lei arrived in front of Shi Mu, and asked in a surprised manner.
"Well, he has just regained consciousness." Shi Mu nodded.
"Hey, why have you come?" Cai shot a glance at Hou Sai Lei and asked.
"Senior Mu, there is a thing that I need to discuss with you." Hou Sai Lei didn't care about Cai. His complexion became solemn, and he fished out the black jade from his bosom.