Chapter Twelve: By the Book?

Yu Zhong’s expression remained unchanged as he prepared to leave with the great white bird, but just then, Zhuge Yi, who had come to check on Zhang Ning’s cultivation, was startled. Zhuge Yi pulled Zhang Ning into a secluded corner and, both secretly and solemnly, tried to coax him: “You’re still young, there are many fun things ahead of you. Now isn’t the time to let your mind wander in the wrong direction.”

Zhang Ning, weary and exhausted, tried to process this. Wait, that couldn’t be right. His third senior brother couldn’t possibly be advising him to eat less, lest he grow into a plump child. Recalling how Yu Zhong had referred to the great white bird earlier, it was as if a lightning bolt flashed through his mind.

After a bout of confused, cross-purpose conversation with Zhuge Yi, Zhang Ning finally pieced together the truth. Someone had attached their spirit to the three-plumed bird in an attempt to spy on him. Normally, if such a person was caught—even if their entire family was implicated—it wouldn’t be considered excessive, and Zhuge Yi would never have intervened.

However, this spirit attachment came with a side effect: it dulled the invader’s stronger senses while amplifying the most minute sensations, a side effect designed for combat. If the three-plumed bird were burned, stabbed, or even fried, it might not compare in intensity to the licking and chewing sensations the invader would experience when Zhang Ning eventually ate it.

Zhuge Yi stopped Zhang Ning because, in this world, cultivation was everything, and such a twisted punishment could easily become addictive. Especially since Zhuge Yi had quietly checked Zhang Ning’s bone age earlier—he was only eight! Zhang Ning, half amused and half exasperated, obeyed Zhuge Yi’s advice. He knew from experience that such situations were impossible to explain clearly. At worst, he’d be thought precocious—a reputation he could live with. So, he sincerely admitted his mistake and assured Zhuge Yi he wouldn’t develop any peculiar tendencies. Zhuge Yi, reassured, resolved to guide Zhang Ning’s growth properly in the future.

Finally at ease, Zhuge Yi asked, “Junior brother, should we deal with her family according to the rules?”

Zhang Ning only then learned that after Tang Dao caught the three-plumed bird, everyone in the sect immediately understood what had happened. United in outrage, they launched a thorough investigation. They identified the circle of people capable of taming such a bird and interrogated everyone on the list, not at all discreetly.

Though the exact methods were unclear, it was eventually discovered that the Lingxiao clan had experienced a minor disturbance that day. Although it was quickly suppressed, they uncovered that it was the Lingxiao clan leader’s beloved daughter, Ling Xiaohua, who had orchestrated the incident. That very day, her own father broke her legs in punishment, leaving her mindless and feeble in a side room, claiming to outsiders that she had suffered a cultivation mishap. Clearly, the Lingxiao patriarch was a decisive man. Were this merely a slight against a lone strongman, such punishment might have sufficed. But for a holy land sect like the Grand Free Demon Sect, this was far from enough.

Zhang Ning was still puzzled. According to the usual script, shouldn’t this beautiful and willful young lady be sent to him as a servant to atone for her sins? She would, no doubt, be of the proud, passionate type. Then, reluctantly but inevitably, she would fall for his charm over the course of many comedic misadventures, and then...

Zhuge Yi, unaware of Zhang Ning’s daydreams, called softly, “Junior brother? Junior brother?” His elegant and refined features were filled with concern.

Zhang Ning thought, “This is the third time they’ve asked me how to deal with them. No wonder they insist on my decision—they’re giving too much deference to an eight-year-old child! So this isn’t just about a bird!” He paced unconsciously. “Third brother, what’s the usual rule for something like this?”

Zhuge Yi’s face grew as cold and pale as snow. “Such audacity deserves erasure from this world—their family name should be wiped from existence!”

One must understand: if a prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, a peer holy land, had been plotted against in this way, even exterminating nine generations would be lenient—they’d wiped out ten before! And Zhang Ning’s status far surpassed those princes.

Zhang Ning’s throat tightened. This fellow always appeared harmless, but he was just as ruthless as their infamous fourth senior brother!

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Ning said, “Very well, let’s follow the rules: erase their name from the world. Strip their family name and merge them into my retinue—I do happen to be shorthanded.” The endless talk of slaughter made him uncomfortable.

He expected Zhuge Yi to object or show disappointment, but instead Zhuge Yi simply nodded. “They offended you, junior brother. It’s your right to decide their fate.”

Evening. Aboard the Great-Bellied Boat. Outside Zhang Ning’s room.

“What’s this about resources?” Zhang Ning asked, as he reviewed the day’s events before bed—a nightly habit.

Yu Zhong immediately knelt on one knee, gently slipped a ring onto Zhang Ning’s finger, and the ring promptly adjusted its size, fitting snugly. Yu Zhong’s large eyes and thick brows radiated solemnity.

Yu Zhong began, “This is a storage ring—”

But Zhang Ning interrupted, “Wait! Wait, wait! This is too much, too much! Let’s do it over!”

He quickly called over one of his direct subordinates, a young woman from the Winged Clan named Xia, if memory served—gentle in appearance, with a pair of large, pure, and powerful wings on her back. Zhang Ning said, “Here, you do it! You put it on me!”

Xia glanced at Zhang Ning’s hand, which had touched her wings, and despite all her elite training, couldn’t hide her flustered expression. Blushing deeply, she knelt and put the ring on Zhang Ning’s finger.

Relieved, Zhang Ning mentally replaced the previous scene with this one. As for why this act, which held no special meaning in the Azure World, made the young woman blush—that was a question for the “ask later” section of Zhang Ning’s mental notebook.

He composed himself. “Go on.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Yu Zhong replied.

Zhang Ning listened closely. First, he marked the storage ring with a cloud symbol conjured in his mind, then peered inside.

He wiped his face, marveling at the Grand Free Demon Sect’s extravagance—there was always something more impressive. This storage ring was equipped with a set of five top-grade artifacts, prepared specifically for those of “prince” rank in the sect. Not many, but each was of the highest quality and had the potential to evolve further.

But the ring itself was most astonishing: it contained two nested spaces—one for storage, and another that could hold other storage spaces. Normally, storage items could not contain other storage items of the same level, as this would cause a host of spatial conflicts. But this ring was truly extraordinary.