Chapter 34 – Cooperation

To avoid censorship and audio distortion, Yun Xiguang didn’t mention the little spirit bird or the phoenix feather, focusing solely on the Crimson Chi. During Li Zheng’s meeting, interns like Zhao Yu had visited him, and Yun Xiguang had experimented with Wu Ailang to determine which phrases would be censored and which wouldn’t.

Choosing Wu Ailang as the test subject for the content screening was mainly due to Wu Ailang’s indifference to being censored and his firm belief that the little spirit bird was a powerful divine beast, making it suitable for testing more content.

Through testing, Yun Xiguang discovered that as long as he didn’t mention the little spirit bird or the phoenix feather, discussing the Crimson Chi and potent spiritual energy wouldn’t trigger censorship. Thus, he crafted a new story.

He told Li Zheng that the Crimson Chi chose to follow him due to a pact with his mother. He concealed the Crimson Chi’s whereabouts to protect his mother’s spirit beast. As for the Crimson Chi’s illusionary form and the ability to deceive Hai Ruobo, Yun Xiguang attributed these to powerful spiritual energy. He mentioned this energy in a way that could easily be misunderstood, leading Li Zheng to believe it was an intangible spiritual force rather than envisioning it as the phoenix feather, thus avoiding censorship.

“The Crimson Chi is my mother’s spirit beast; it knows her name and was taken away by the Beast Codex after her death. This proves that my parents’ deaths must be related to the Beast Codex. You were also present during that disaster, so you should understand my obsession. I must find the true culprit behind my parents’ deaths, and for that, I need the Crimson Chi’s power,” Yun Xiguang said resolutely.

Li Zheng’s mind was in turmoil, but his first reaction was, “This information is too important. I must report it to my superiors.”

Yun Xiguang had anticipated this response. Li Zheng was an upright man, and precisely because of his integrity, his first choice would be to report crucial information to the state.

However, it wasn’t a problem. Yun Xiguang had already devised a plan to mislead Li Zheng.

He gently tapped the table three times.

This was Yun Xiguang’s agreement with the little spirit bird: no matter where or when, three taps in a pattern of two long and one short indicated his need for the little spirit bird.

Chi Qiong, who hadn’t absorbed the phoenix feather, remained bound by the laws, in a deep sleep. However, he and Yun Xiguang shared a pact strong enough to challenge the laws. Whenever Yun Xiguang signaled, Chi Qiong would awaken from his slumber.

In his dream, Chi Qiong had lived through millions of years, a vast expanse of time that nearly erased Yun Xiguang from his memory.

Yet, these three distinct taps managed to traverse the dreams spanning millions of years, reaching deep into Chi Qiong’s soul.

A little spirit bird, its head feathers slightly disheveled from sleep, popped out from Yun Xiguang’s pocket.

Since obtaining the first phoenix feather, the little spirit bird seemed to have grown a bit.

Its size increased from ten centimeters to twelve, and three golden-red feathers sprouted on its head.

The rest of its downy feathers were less than one centimeter long, while these three feathers were twice that length, standing out prominently.

At this moment, these three head feathers were bent over from Chi Qiong’s haphazard sleep, appearing particularly prominent.

In Yun Xiguang’s eyes, the slightly larger little spirit bird had become even cuter.

But in the eyes of the Golden-Winged Great Peng, it was different.

The newly emerged three head feathers signified that after encountering the first phoenix feather, Chi Qiong had begun attempting to break free from the law’s constraints.

These three head feathers represented his status as the Phoenix Venerable. Without them, he was just a small yellow chick, but with them, he could be called a young phoenix.

The instant Chi Qiong appeared, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, hidden within Li Zheng’s contract space, caught sight of the little spirit bird’s three head feathers, instantly recalling the terror all birds faced before the Phoenix Venerable in ancient times.

Land and sea couldn’t comprehend the true fear Chi Qiong instilled, but the reverence sky beasts held for him was ingrained in their genes, passed down through generations.

For sky beasts, Chi Qiong was the sky itself.

When Chi Qiong spread his wings, there was no sun or moon in the sky, only the ancient and unparalleled Sovereign of the Heavens.

Without the Sovereign’s permission, sky beasts couldn’t fly.

Just seeing those three head feathers made the Golden-Winged Great Peng feel its wing bones soften, as if it could never take flight again.

Then it saw a human extending a finger to gently stroke the head feathers of the Sovereign of the Heavens.

The Sovereign of the Heavens even initiated contact with the human’s hand, chirping contentedly.

How… how envious! This was the envy flashing through the Golden-Winged Great Peng’s mind.

In ancient times, even the most powerful Kunpeng or the strongest tribes didn’t have the privilege to groom the Sovereign of the Heavens’ head feathers. Yet now, this ordinary human could scratch the head of the Sovereign!

As a subordinate of the Sovereign, this human was too strong, ranking above all others except for the bird itself. His nobility compelled the Golden-Winged Great Peng to worship him!

The Golden-Winged Great Peng felt that action spoke louder than words. At this point, it should immediately emerge from the contract space and perform the sacrificial dance passed down through generations of Peng birds for this human and the Sovereign of the Heavens, then emit a melodious cry, expressing submission and singing praises to the greatness of the Sovereign. Although its voice was coarse, it didn’t matter as long as the intention was there.

Just as the Golden-Winged Great Peng was about to leap out of the contract space, it heard its spirit master frantically shaking his head at the esteemed human. “No, this matter must be reported to my superiors. You can’t keep walking alone. You must trust the higher-ups. I absolutely disagree with hiding this.”

Estimating that the Golden-Winged Great Peng had seen the little spirit bird, Yun Xiguang bluffed, “Are you saying no to me, to ‘us’?”

Golden-Winged Great Peng: “!!!”

What? Its spirit master dared to say “no” to the Sovereign of the Heavens? How dare he be so presumptuous? Did he not want to fly anymore?!

Li Zheng, seeing Yun Xiguang suddenly adopt a haughty and arrogant demeanor, was somewhat taken aback. He patiently advised, “I’m telling you what’s right… Mmph!”

Before he could finish speaking, a massive wing covered his mouth. The Golden-Winged Great Peng voluntarily exited the contract space, bowing deeply before Yun Xiguang and Chi Qiong.

Unfortunately, it was simply too tall. Even with its head bowed, it still towered over a meter above Yun Xiguang.

But it didn’t matter; it had its spirit master. Its relationship with its spirit master was great, and the spirit master could represent it!

Thus, the Golden-Winged Great Peng pressed Li Zheng onto the ground with one claw, stepping on his back. Struggling to open its hooked beak in a grin that appeared menacing yet was actually fawning, it let out an unpleasant cry towards Yun Xiguang.

Yun Xiguang only heard the cry, but Li Zheng, bonded to the Golden-Winged Great Peng, understood its words.

He heard his own spirit beast speak in an extremely fawning falsetto, “My spirit master doesn’t know better. Please forgive him, Lord bleep and Lord bleep. If you have any requests, Lord bleep, please don’t hesitate to ask. My spirit master and I will fulfill your wishes and Lord bleep’s requirements.”

Li Zheng: “…”

What nonsense was the Golden-Winged Great Peng spouting?! Why was it always bleeping?

Even without understanding the Golden-Winged Great Peng’s words, Yun Xiguang could guess what it was saying.

Naturally, he lifted the little spirit bird out of his pocket, placing it on his shoulder, before saying, “I only hope Uncle Li can help me hide one thing and assist me in exposing many illegal activities within the Yun family.”

The Golden-Winged Great Peng replied, “Such a trivial matter isn’t a problem at all. Hiding one thing? Rest assured, Lord bleep. If Li Zheng has any thoughts of revealing it, I’ll silence him. What did they say online? Oh, right, if the mouth isn’t needed, it can be donated to someone who needs it. I’ll donate it for him.”

Unable to hold back, Li Zheng pushed against the ground with his palms, managing to resist the pressure from the Golden-Winged Great Peng and stand up.

After standing, he scolded the Golden-Winged Great Peng, “What are you doing? Why have you been bleeping in our telepathic communication? What does bleep mean?”

“It’s the sound of censorship, a secret that cannot be revealed under any circumstances,” Yun Xiguang’s voice was cold, sending chills down the listener’s spine.

Li Zheng looked at Yun Xiguang, surprised. “There’s a force capable of comprehensively shielding a secret, preventing those in the know from leaking it? No one can learn of this matter? What kind of existence possesses such power? Hasn’t this exceeded the realm of spirit beasts?

“…Bai Ze! After making a prophecy, Bai Ze spat blood and fell into a coma, never waking since. Could its coma be related to this power?”

Yun Xiguang wasn’t aware of the content of Bai Ze’s prophecy, but he could roughly guess that Bai Ze must have glimpsed some heavenly secrets, resulting in a backlash, so he nodded.

Li Zheng said, “Bai Ze stated that the first spiritual energy would destroy human civilization, and each of the nine spiritual energies is a harbinger of destruction. This is a force capable of destroying the world, beyond human resistance, correct? Are you guarding such a secret?”

Yun Xiguang was hearing Bai Ze’s prophecy for the first time and was momentarily stunned.

Fortunately, when dealing with the bookworms, they had imagined the possibility of countless bookworms devouring all the words in the world, preventing the inheritance of all civilizations.

And the laws had imbued the phoenix feather with destructive power.

In other words, the laws intended to utilize the little spirit bird’s strength, using the hands of spirit beasts to destroy the world.

This revelation was far more shocking than the connection between his parents’ deaths and the Beast Codex.

Yun Xiguang merely paused for a moment before quickly regaining his composure and nodding at Li Zheng, acknowledging the matter.

Despite the shocking news, Yun Xiguang wasn’t panicked.

He was determined to help the little spirit bird reclaim the nine Phoenix Feathers and was resolved to battle the laws. He had long prepared himself for a confrontation against heaven and earth. Now, this simply provided another reason for his purpose, the outcome remained unchanged, so there was no need for excessive alarm.

His calm attitude made Li Zheng suspect that Yun Xiguang had known about this matter long ago, bearing the terrible burden and trudging forward under immense pressure.

Li Zheng’s expression softened as he looked at Yun Xiguang affectionately. “You’ve been hiding such a profound secret since you were eight years old?”

Yun Xiguang: “?”

Yun Xiguang didn’t know what Li Zheng had conjured up in his imagination. He turned to look out the window at the sky, revealing a bright yet melancholic expression in the sunlight, sighing softly. “No wonder when I saw you again, you had lost your happiness and brightness, leaving only solitude and ruthlessness.”

Yun Xiguang: “…Yeah, something like that.”

Although unsure what Li Zheng was thinking, …anyway, the information Li Zheng knew was already a jumbled mess. Let it remain chaotic.

As long as Li Zheng was willing to cooperate with his actions, that was all that mattered.

Li Zheng took a deep breath, his expression determined as if he had made a significant decision. However, his eyes were filled with pain, as if grieving over his upcoming concealment from his superiors.

“Fine, I agree. I’m willing to collaborate with you.” Li Zheng declared firmly.

Yun Xiguang: “…Thank you.”

Forget it, as long as the goal was achieved. Although he still relied on the Golden-Winged Great Peng, this method was better than using coercion and manipulation to trample on Li Zheng’s beliefs.

Li Zheng continued, “I understand that you’re taking advantage of this opportunity to target the Yun family for a specific purpose, right? Is it related to this monumental secret?”

With the conversation reaching this point, Yun Xiguang had no choice but to go along with Li Zheng’s words. “…Yes, that’s right. The Yun family might be linked to the destruction of the world.”

“In other words, the Yun family may be hiding one or even multiple spiritual energies, correct?” Li Zheng said solemnly. “I see. I’ll choose elite members of the Special Affairs Bureau for this operation.”

Yun Xiguang: “…”

Don’t talk like that. What if the Yun family doesn’t have spiritual energy? Where am I supposed to find spiritual energy for you?