485: Chapter 485 Xuanheng's Message

Su Ming's voice was steady, neither servile nor overbearing: "This Disciple opened up a small patch of spiritual field behind Star Gazing Cliff and planted a few silver-spotted heart-clearing orchids."

"Yesterday and today, the white crane from the Sect Leader Peak brought a colored-feather white crane from Spirit Beast Peak, intruding into this Disciple's spiritual field twice in a row, pecking at the Spiritual Plants and trampling the medicinal field."

"Now that patch of spiritual field has been ruined, almost completely destroyed."

As his voice fell, the great hall went quiet for a moment.

True Person Yun Miao was clearly stunned for a moment.

"My white crane?"

"Indeed."

"And it brought that one from Spirit Beast Peak?"

"Yes."

True Person Yun Miao looked at Su Ming, as if confirming whether he was joking.

But Su Ming's expression was calm and serious, and the little black bird on his shoulder was glaring with a pair of golden eyes, looking just like the attendant of an aggrieved victim; no matter how one looked at it, it did not seem like a joke.

The next instant—

"Hahahaha!"

True Person Yun Miao actually laughed out loud.

The laughter echoed throughout the spacious great hall, and even the burner of calming incense beside the desk seemed to sway slightly.

"That wretch!"

True Person Yun Miao shook his head, smiling with quite a bit of helplessness, "Last time it stole and ate that seven-colored spiritual ganoderma from Danding Peak and was punished with three days of no food; I thought it had learned its lesson."

"I didn't expect it to turn around and run to your place to wreak havoc on the Spiritual Plants, and it even knew to bring an accomplice along..."

Speaking of this, he seemed to remember something, and his smile deepened.

"No wonder when I saw it return this morning, its belly was round, and it was walking half a beat slower; so it was because it went to your place and ate until it was stuffed."

Su Ming stood in place, still maintaining his cupped-hand salute.

True Person Yun Miao laughed for a while before finally composing himself somewhat, raising his hand to press his brow, his tone still carrying an irrepressible sense of amusement.

"This matter is its fault. Rest assured, I will definitely discipline it severely later."

He looked at Su Ming again and said, "How much was the loss to your spiritual field? Report a number later, and I will deduct it from my monthly allowance to compensate you with Spirit Stones."

Upon hearing this, Su Ming waved his hands quickly: "Sect Head, you speak too seriously; this Disciple dare not ask for compensation."

True Person Yun Miao smiled, yet not quite smiling: "What, are you afraid I cannot afford to pay?"

"That is not this Disciple's intention," Su Ming said. "It is just that those silver-spotted heart-clearing orchids are not ordinary Spiritual Plants sold on the market. They are a mutated variety that this Disciple induced using Star Power; they cannot be bought outside."

"If they are just converted into Spirit Stones, it is actually difficult to calculate. This Disciple came today not to seek compensation, but simply because I feel pained for those few Spiritual Plants, and I am also afraid that those two white cranes will come again in the future."

These words were spoken very steadily.

He neither gave the Sect Head trouble nor failed to state his demands clearly.

After hearing this, True Person Yun Miao nodded.

"So that is how it is."

He leaned against the back of his chair, his gaze sweeping over the Shadow on Su Ming's shoulder. Seeing that little thing puffing out its chest and holding its head high, looking like it was following its Revered Master to lodge a complaint, he couldn't help but smile again.

"This Mystic Shadow Crow of yours is the one that was bullied by them, right?"

Shadow immediately let out a cry, very spirited. It was as if it were saying: It was them.

"Fine, I understand."

True Person Yun Miao pondered slightly and then made a decision: "How about this, from today on, that wretch is not allowed to step a single step out of the Sect Leader Peak for three months."

"I will watch it myself, which counts as grounding it. As for the one from Spirit Beast Peak, I will send a communication talisman to Second Senior Brother Qin Yi and have him keep a closer eye on his crane."

Three months without being allowed to step out of the Sect Leader Peak.

Although this punishment was not heavy, it was clear enough. At least for these three months, those two feathered ancestors would not be able to come.

Su Ming felt relieved and immediately bowed: "Many thanks, Sect Head."

In the Sea of Consciousness, Lin Yu grumbled with dissatisfaction: "Three months of grounding? Too light. In my opinion, it should at least be punished with a year of no food—"

Su Ming almost couldn't hold back his laughter.

His lips twitched, but he quickly lowered his head to hide it, taking the opportunity to cup his hands again, and only then managed to suppress that bit of amusement.

True Person Yun Miao saw his momentary strangeness and thought he had finally heaved a sigh of relief, so he waved his hand with a smile.

"Alright, this matter counts as my lack of strict discipline. You go back. If the spiritual field still needs restoration, you may go to the Logistics Hall to draw a portion of spiritual soil and root-nourishing liquid under the name of Formation Peak, and put it on my account."

Su Ming bowed again: "This Disciple has noted it."

"Go."

After taking his leave, Su Ming walked slowly out of the great hall.

Not until he walked out of the hall gate and was blown by the mountain wind on his face did he completely let out the breath in his chest.

Shadow stood on his shoulder, its tail feathers cocked a few degrees higher than when they arrived, and it opened its mouth to let out a clear "chirp."

In that cry, there was actually a bright, unabashed sense of pride.

Su Ming raised his hand and flicked its forehead lightly.

"Don't get cocky."

Shadow was unconvinced and let out another cry.

Lin Yu coldly snorted in the ring: "What does it have to be proud of? It was treated like a shuttlecock and batted around twice, yet it acts like it won."

"But never mind, at least for these three months, those two feathered beasts won't dare to come and steal food again. Let's hurry and enter the Secret Realm, and let them stare blankly outside."

Su Ming gave a grunt of acknowledgment and walked down the stone steps.

The Sect Leader Peak was thick with clouds and mist, and the mountain path was winding.

Having walked halfway down, a streak of pale purple spiritual light suddenly broke through the air from the mist ahead. It was extremely fast, yet it stopped steadily when it approached in front of Su Ming. It was a communication talisman.

The talisman paper hung in mid-air, with fine Array Patterns flowing along its edges; one could tell at a glance that it was the handiwork of Formation Peak. Su Ming reached out to take it and probed it with his Divine Sense.

The next instant, the deep and steady voice of Immortal Master Master Xuan Heng slowly sounded in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Come to Star Pivot Hall. It is time to brief you on the matters regarding the Secret Realm."

Su Ming's footsteps paused slightly.

The Secret Realm.

Although he had long possessed the access token, Master Xuan Heng had never spoken in detail about the Formation Peak Secret Realm. He only said to go when he was prepared.

Now, it had finally arrived.

The mountain wind rolled up from the end of the stone steps, blowing his sleeves until they rustled loudly. Su Ming looked up toward the distant direction of Formation Peak, his gaze slightly condensed.

After the relaxation, the string in his heart slowly tightened again.

He turned around and followed another mountain path toward Formation Peak.

The mountain path of Formation Peak was different from the Sect Leader Peak.

The Sect Leader Peak was high and open, with clouds and mist like light gauze draped over the mountain body; Formation Peak was calmer, with stone walls, ancient trees, corridors, and cliff platforms scattered among each other. When the mountain wind blew, it would always bring out the faint humming of Array Patterns from somewhere, like a huge, incomparable machine mountain that was always operating in a low whisper.

Su Ming walked up the familiar stone steps.

Earlier, when he was lodging the complaint at the Sect Leader Peak, the subtle emotion born from the absurdity had already dissipated with the mountain wind. But that sentence in the communication talisman remained heavy in his heart.

"It is time to brief you on the matters regarding the Secret Realm."

This sounded calm, but the calmer it was, the more it made one take it to heart.

Master Xuan Heng never liked to waste words; since he specifically summoned him over, it meant this trip was definitely not as simple as "going in to seclude for half a year."

Shadow stood on Su Ming's shoulder, and whether it was because it sensed his emotional change, it was rarely much more well-behaved. It no longer moved around, only occasionally turning its neck to look at the stone lamps with flowing Array Patterns along the road, and then looking at the silent pavilions high up.

"Scared?"

Lin Yu's voice slowly sounded in the Sea of Consciousness.

"Scared? Not really." Su Ming looked straight ahead, "It's just that the more solemn Revered Master is, the more I feel that this Secret Realm is probably not a place simply for tempering one's cultivation."

"It never was." Lin Yu said, "For a place like Formation Peak, if it were truly just a secluded cave with denser Spiritual Qi, Master Xuan Heng wouldn't have dragged it out until today to tell you. The most troublesome point about Array cultivators is that many things aren't necessarily fierce, but they are more torturous than being fierce."

Su Ming was silent for a moment and asked: "Master, have you seen similar Secret Realms before?"

"I've seen some incomplete ones, but never one so orthodox." Lin Yu paused and added another sentence, "But don't think too much. The road is walked out step by step, not thought out while standing outside the door."

Su Ming nodded lightly.