When Xuekui noticed the spirit in the crane's eyes, he snapped out of his dazed grin and let go. "A bird with intelligence already?"
That made it a poor choice for roasting.
In essence, this crane was already a quasi-adeptus. The only difference between it and Xuekui was whether it could take human form.
Xuekui released it.
He expected it to flee instantly—
But the crane showed no fear, despite nearly being cooked. The moment Xuekui let go, it flapped upward—
And then immediately started pecking the white-haired yaksha's head. Xuekui blinked, utterly baffled.
"Strange little thing…"
He grabbed the crane, lifted it off his head, and saw its anger—and even a touch of grievance. Xuekui's eyes widened.
"Whoa! You can understand me already?"
The crane tossed its head. The longer feathers at the back of its head—changed by the leylines—whipped across Xuekui's face.
Xuekui didn't get mad. He laughed instead. Seeing the crane sulking and turning away, he carefully smoothed its ruffled feathers and lifted it toward the sky, coaxing.
"Alright, alright. Don't be mad. That one was my fault."
He set it down. Then the two resumed their wide-eyed staring contest.
Xuekui wondered if the bird was even younger than he was. It looked like its intelligence had just awakened.
Then Xuekui's head snapped back.
That meant… he was this crane's senior.
His eyes lit up. He patted the crane's head.
"Little one, want to follow me? My village has tons of good food!"
His first attempt at "adoption" was clumsy. The crane's tiny eyes filled with huge confusion.
But when Xuekui took a few steps down the mountain, the crane immediately followed, making him puff up with pride.
From today onward, he was a senior! That sounded mature.
Xuekui didn't actually know what "being a senior" meant, nor what maturity looked like. He just thought it sounded cool.
By the way…
How long had he been in the leylines?
Xuekui looked at the sun, trying to judge how many times it had risen and set.
The crane copied him, staring at the sun—then quickly lowered its head and rubbed its eyes with a wing.
The sun offered no answer.
Maybe Xuekui's gaze simply wasn't devout enough. He gave up.
All he needed was to reach the dragon-beast as soon as possible. Whether three months had passed didn't matter. If it had…
Well. It had.
He couldn't reverse time. And he wasn't the kind to whine about losing.
Having generously decided to forgive reality, Xuekui scooped the crane into his arms and sprinted downhill.
Its shrill cries echoed through the mountains for a long time.
...
A coastal settlement—under Morax's protection.
Beyond it, in the wilds, the Geo Archon floated in the air in dragon-beast form, arms folded, waiting for a certain little troublemaker to show up.
Not far away, animals that looked oddly shaped for their species—deer, cranes, and others—alongside strange-looking humans, all watched their lord.
Intelligence gleamed in their eyes. Like the humans beside them, they were all "adepti"—only these retained their true forms, not taking human shape.
Morax's followers were far more numerous than this. Those present were the ones who held true standing under him.
In other words—
They were all frighteningly strong.
A qilin-like adeptus deer with strange patterns and magnificent antlers held up a small floating mirror, carefully checking its branching horns.
Satisfied that they were still dazzling, it dismissed the mirror and turned to the girl beside it. "Ah Ping. Is that little yaksha truly as strange as you said?"
Ah Ping—who'd guided the lost Xuekui—was polishing the shaft of a brand-new spear.
Unlike a traditional spearhead, hers was long and narrow, sharpened on both sides. It was the weapon she'd obtained after pledging herself to Morax.
"I didn't want to believe myself," she said, "but looking at the way the Lord of Geo waits like this… it's hard to deny my memory."
After joining Morax's faction, she learned the Geo Archon was widely revered. Most called him the Geo Lord—often simply, "Lord."
The deer nodded.
"True. I've never seen the Lord care about someone like this." Then it asked curiously, "How does that child compare to you?"
The others nearby had already sparred with the newcomer and had a sense of her strength. She was no weakling.
"Before?" Ah Ping said. "Of course I was stronger." "Now?"
She hesitated.
"Hard to say."
The surrounding adepti looked baffled.
A black crane with gold feathers hopped out, unable to hold back.
"Then you're stronger, aren't you? Could he really turn the world upside down in less than two months? You've cultivated too—you know how illusory 'sudden explosive growth' really is."
Ah Ping's expression turned helpless.
If she hadn't experienced Xuekui's progress firsthand, she'd agree.
"I can't explain it. If Xuekui really comes… you'll understand when you see him."
Over on the other side stood a group of human-shaped figures led by a towering purple-haired man with four arms, his upper body bare and powerful.
Unlike the beasts' simple curiosity, there was joy and excitement on their faces. "Brother Bosacius—does this mean we're getting a new member?"
A lively girl in a red robe bounced up and down. Her energy was as bright as her crimson hair. A thin red mark on her forehead added just a touch of beauty to her boyish demeanor.
"I don't know," Bosacius said, shaking his head. "The new adeptus said he seems to belong to Lady Guizhong's side."
"Huh? No fair!" the girl wailed. "I heard he's a baby yaksha! Shouldn't we be the ones taking care of him?"
She looked ready to throw herself on the ground and tantrum.
Bosacius sighed. Beside him, a long-haired man in black and gold with a gentle, dignified face spoke up.
"Indarias, don't trouble Brother Bosacius. When you say 'take care,' you just want a child to play with, don't you?"
Caught, Indarias stuck out her tongue and hid behind the last woman.
That woman wore a calm smile. Two horns curved back from her head. A circular marking framed a diamond on her forehead. Her fitted aqua outfit had wide sleeves that covered her hands, and a tail-like piece trailed behind with backward spikes.
She patted Indarias's head and comforted her softly.
"Even if he belongs to Lady Guizhong's side, it doesn't stop us from meeting him."
Indarias's eyes brightened. "Sister Menogias is smarter!"
The four of them looked like they were simply bickering, but in truth they were Morax's sharpest blades—yaksha elites even among their warlike kind.
While Morax's followers discussed Xuekui with curiosity, the seemingly calm Geo Archon… was actually uneasy.
That brat—
He wouldn't ditch the appointment, would he?
Morax reviewed the child's past behavior and abruptly realized: It was extremely possible.