Chapter 308: Chapter 25: All Under Heaven’s Feathers Are One Family
Puliqi City, or “South Wind City” as it’s called in the Feathered Clan’s language, is established at the junction of the Deep Twilight Forest and the Diancang Mountain Range, at the entrance of the Nanlan River.
The ruling Demon Family here is known as “Ruru,” meaning blue in the Feathered Clan’s language, and their true form is that of a bluebird.
Long Long deftly turned the ship’s wheel, steadying the vessel at its berth in the harbor.
The Horned Clan captain then stood up and bellowed,
“I’m stepping out for a bit! All of you stay in the cabin, and anyone who dares to leave the ship without my permission will be scrubbing the deck for a month!”
So, the sailors scurried back below deck in fear.
Knowing the captain was aware that the little demons lacked brains and might cause trouble in the city, Long Long laughed and said,
“Captain, may I go ashore?”
“I’m going to handle the customs procedures,” said the Horned Clan captain concisely. “Once it’s done, I’ll be back, and I won’t wait for anyone.”
“Alright!” Long Long quickly agreed.
The so-called customs procedures involved handling the paperwork for the ship to pass through the next river segment in the city, with the most crucial part being the payment of a toll. Secondly, the harbor officials had to check for any contraband goods, although this step could be skipped if the toll was high enough.
Long Long wasn’t sure about the level of corruption in South Wind City, but he knew the Horned Clan captain was an exceptionally stingy deer demon, who didn’t even provide blood food for the little demons on board, with the excuse that “they can fast.”
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Even for a one percent discount on the tariff, the captain would haggle with the officials until his lips were worn out.
As a result, Long Long tucked the little fox into his sleeve and silently disembarked.
He reached a secluded corner of a building and flicked his sleeve; the eager little fox leaped out, rolled on the ground, and transformed into a charming and cute girl.
“I want to eat something delicious and have some fun!” she demanded, hands on her hips, ordering Long Long, “Take me there now!”
“Who do you think you are, Miss Shi?” Long Long was amused by her attitude.
Miss Shi wouldn’t dare speak to me like that.
“I don’t care, I don’t care!” Long Hu wrapped her arms around his arm, looking pitifully at him, “I’ve been cooped up on the ship for several days, with no roasted chicken or fish, I feel like weeds are growing in my mouth!”
Weeds growing in her mouth? What kind of saying was that?
Unable to resist her pouting, Long Long could only give in:
“Alright, alright, how about we go to a restaurant to eat?”
“Yes!” Long Hu cheerfully raised her hand, “I want to try the local specialties!”
Finding a nearby restaurant, Long Long took Long Hu to the second floor and sat down at a window-side table.
Long Hu picked up the menu impatiently, murmuring under her breath:
“Roasted chicken, roasted chicken, roasted chicken…”
“Long Long!” She suddenly pouted in anger, lifting the menu to declare, “There’s no roasted chicken on this menu?”
“Huh?” Long Long took the menu and examined it closely.
Indeed, there was no chicken or duck dish anywhere on the menu.
Thinking it over, it made some sense; after all, South Wind City was run by avian demons.
“How about we order some steamed fish instead?” Long Long changed the subject and asked, “And a serving of white-cooked vegetable hearts?”
Long Hu slouched over the table, listless and uninterested in talking.
“Stop fixating on your roasted chicken,” Long Long said helplessly, “You’ve been fasting, and now you’re picky about food?”
“Lunch without roasted chicken is soulless,” Long Hu said listlessly.
Long Long smiled without a word, called the waiter over, and ordered a few dishes.
True to the nature of the Feathered Clan’s city, even the waiter was a bird demon, with very large eyes (seemingly of an owl kind), no eyelids, and hair made of a bird’s distinct fine down, typical characteristics of an untransformed figure. He also chirped and chattered as he spoke:
“Guest, just circle what you’d like on the menu, I have a poor memory and am afraid I’ll miss your order…”
Well, it’s normal for a Demonic Beast to be a bit dumb before Core Formation when spiritual wisdom hasn’t yet emerged. It’s truly humble of you to work as a waiter.
Long Long circled the dishes on the menu and handed it to the waiter when suddenly, he heard a shrill voice from downstairs:
“Routine inspection, you don’t sell poultry meat in this tavern, do you?”
“Ah, honored officials, please come in!” The waiter’s voice quickly responded, “Our establishment has fish, pork, and beef and lamb, but absolutely no poultry. All of the Feathered Clan are one family.”
“Good to know,” the shrill voice said, “We’re going to check upstairs.”
Soon, two Cultivators from the Demon Race came up the stairs.
From where Long Long sat, it was clear that both were transformed members of the Feathered Clan, adorned in colorful garments, seeming to be…
Phoenix?
“They are not Phoenixes,” the Kunlun Mirror said in his mind, “but part of the bird species with Phoenix Bloodline. In terms of Bloodline Rank, their purity isn’t even as high as your Junior Sister Xu’s.”
The two bird Cultivators scanned the second floor, and their gaze suddenly fell on Long Long’s table.
It was a simple reason: while the other tables were occupied by members of the Feathered Clan, only Long Long and Long Hu sat at their table, without a single feather on them, conspicuously different in the flock of birds.
“What species are you two?” one of the Cultivators asked as he approached, his tone fairly gentle, but his gaze was as cold as a hawk’s.
Long Hu shifted toward the window sill, showing a trace of timidity, while Long Long lifted his cup with a smile and said:
“Honored officials, we neither break the law nor cause trouble. Are you interrogating us for some reason?”
The other bird Cultivator replied with a forced smile:
“Just a routine inspection. Now that South State and Central State have fully engaged in war, we must thoroughly check all guests traveling through the city to prevent spies from the Qilin side from infiltrating.”
“If either of you have a Horned Clan bloodline, such as deer, cattle, or sheep, please cooperate and come with us for further investigation.”
“If you hide it and we find out, we have the right to execute you on the spot. It’s best not to rely on luck and just come clean.”
“I see,” Long Long said slowly, “I’m from the Serpent Clan, and she’s from the Fox Clan; neither of us belongs to the Horned Clan.”
“Please show your True Bodies to prove it,” insisted the Cultivator, unwilling to leave just yet.
Long Long cast a glance at Long Hu and, after a moment of hesitation, placed his hand on the table, slightly invoking the Transformation Secret Technique.
Suddenly, the back of his hand revealed countless fine scales—distinctly those of a Water Viper.
“Indeed, from the Scaled Clan without a doubt,” nodded the two bird Cultivators, their demeanor relaxing slightly as they turned their attention to Long Hu across the table.
Long Hu bit her lip and, from under the hem of her skirt, a fluffy fox tail emerged suddenly.
“Since that is the case, we won’t bother you any further.” Having verified the identities of the two, the bird Cultivators exchanged glances and finally turned to leave.
Seeing the Cultivators descend the stairs, Long Hu visibly relaxed, only to hear Long Long say:
“We’re leaving.”
“Huh?” Long Hu asked in confusion, “But our food hasn’t arrived yet!”
“No time, we have to go now!” Long Long swiftly grabbed her hand and made his way to the stairwell in two steps; seeing that the bird Cultivators had entered the kitchen, he quickly pulled Long Hu downstairs with him.
No sooner had they burst out of the tavern than they saw shadows scurrying rapidly across the ground.
Looking up, they saw more than ten giant birds soaring in the sky, their wings spread wide for miles, almost covering the sun as they connected across the sky.
Just the sight of them made Long Long and Long Hu feel a visceral wariness, as if they were facing natural predators.
Those were… Golden-Winged Rocs!
The archenemies of the Dragon Clan!
Surrounding the Golden-Winged Rocs were countless avian warriors from the Demon Race, circling protectively as they flew toward the north in a grand procession.