The cold light emanated from a tall, slender man deep within the alley.
To call him a man was merely a matter of his physique and clothing; his face was a triangular, bluish-black python-like face.
Absolutely ferocious and ugly—a fabricated word flashed through Wei Dong's mind.
The python-headed man moved swiftly, as if carried by a current of air, appearing before Wei Dong and Fang Fei in the blink of an eye.
The two goose-headed figures appeared extremely weak and insignificant in his presence.
Based on past experience, the two chose to remain still, stubbornly refusing to speak, their necks arched to the sky, their faces aloof.
"My surname is Long. May I ask your names?" the python-headed man spoke first, his tone seemingly ingratiating.
Wei Dong could only cup his hands in greeting: "...Our surname is Dongfang."
Fang Fei: "..."
The python-like man smiled, his snake eyes gleaming like poisonous springs: "Mr. Dongfang, Mrs. Dongfang, it's a pleasure to meet you! I apologize for my intrusion, but I have a favor to ask, and I hope you two will grant it."
Wei Dong and Fang Fei were somewhat bewildered by the "Mr. and Mrs." address. Wei Dong had originally wanted to explain that "we are siblings," but he felt that the more he explained, the more confusing it would become, so he simply didn't say anything more. He secretly glanced at Fang Fei, who still had a cold, aloof expression, showing no emotion whatsoever.
"What is it?" Fang Fei asked directly.
The python-like man quickly realized that the Mrs. Dongfang was the one in charge of the Dongfang couple's household, so he smiled at Fang Fei: "The Qin family has a unique advantage in this country now, so finding anything here should be a piece of cake."
Wei Dong took a long time to react: The Qin family? Didn't I tell him our surname is Dongfang? How come there's a Qin family here? Could this snake possess extraordinary abilities, even discerning the nature of my relationship with Qin Ci?
The two goose demons remained impassive, listening intently to what he had to say.
"Our current king is the Golden-Winged Roc, and my dragon race is prey to him. Therefore, I have long desired to leave this country with my family and go to the deep seas where my dragon race belongs." The python-man, seemingly moved, appeared to have some faith in his words.
"How can we help you?" Wei Dong asked.
"All birds are one family. You 'bird' people are well-informed in this country. If you can find a way to reach the higher-ups… my dragon race will repay you tenfold!" The python-man nearly knelt before the two goose demons.
Hearing this, Wei Dong finally understood that the "bird people" the python-man referred to were actually the "bird race."
Now that the king of Lion Camel Kingdom was the Roc, all the birds had benefited, becoming nobles of the kingdom—a classic case of "one bird attains enlightenment, and chickens and ducks ascend to heaven."
"Since you are so afraid of the king, why did you bring your families to this country?" Fang Fei asked.
The python-man, gazing at "Mrs. Oriental Goose," became even more certain that this woman was no ordinary person and quickly got to the heart of the matter. The python-man didn't hide anything, his face showing shame as he said, "Because I heard that demons in this country can freely devour humans… I ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of human flesh, so… Now, thinking back, the desire for food is a great calamity, and must be avoided."
As a human, hearing the python-man's high-sounding reason made one somewhat uncomfortable.
The python-man took out an exquisite treasure box from his robes and quietly opened it for the two to see. Inside was a dazzling pearl. The python-man quickly closed the box again: "After the matter is accomplished, I am willing to offer this thousand-year-old dragon pearl from my ancestors as a reward."
Wei Dong rolled his beady black eyes, typical of geese: "We are newcomers, and although we are birds, we have no connections and it will be difficult to befriend those above us."
Wei Dong was also asking this question for himself, since they both needed to find a way out of the city.
"As long as we find a 'pure human,' we can offer the 'heart of a pure human' to the king. The king will naturally be pleased and willing to stamp it with a golden seal and let our people leave the city," the python-man said carefully.
"What is a 'pure human'?" Fang Fei asked.
"It's a real human."
"You...aren't the subjects of this city enjoying eating people day and night? How come there's a shortage of people here?" Fang Fei asked again.
"Lady Dongfang, you may not know this, but 'pure people' are extremely rare in this world. His Majesty has been seeking a 'pure heart' but has yet to find one," the python-man explained. "Moreover, you and I in this city are all 'not-human,' so we can't possibly be 'pure people.'"
"If even His Majesty can't do it, how can the two of us?" Wei Dong retorted.
The python-man took a step back, made a gesture, and led the two towards a secluded spot.
Wei Dong and Fang Fei kept their distance, one in front of the other, so that if danger arose, they would
n't be "wiped out" by the python. The python-man's face appeared even more sinister in the shadows, his eyes emitting a glowing green light, occasionally flicking out a purplish-red tongue. Wei Dong couldn't help but secretly study its vital spot, preparing to "kill it with a single blow" should it attack.
The python-man, unaware of Wei Dong's hidden thoughts, lowered his voice and said, "I know a method to identify 'pure humans,' a method passed down from my ancestors."
"What method?" Wei Dong asked.
"Using feathers." The python-man seemed to be observing Wei Dong.
Wei Dong blinked his beady eyes: "Feathers? What feathers?"
Was this kid going to pluck my goose feathers?
Thinking this, Wei Dong touched his furry goose face and secretly took a step back.
The python-man coughed awkwardly a few times: "What kind of bird's feather is it... I don't know."
"Huh?! Caw?!"
"Whoosh... I don't know either," the python-man retracted his tongue that he had accidentally spat out, "but as long as I find that feather, I have a way to find a 'pure human' from a large group of 'people,' and then use a special method to refine their heart into a 'pure human heart' to present to the king."
Wei Dong, with a stern face, was deep in thought: "So, you mean you want the two of us to find the feather for you? And we don't even know what kind of bird's feather it is, you have to try them one by one, right?"
Perhaps Wei Dong had hit the nail on the head, the python-man bowed and said: "I am ashamed."
Fang Fei, who was standing not far away, also understood. All the talk about how birds had a high status in their country was nonsense. To put it bluntly, it was just that birds were easier to talk to each other and it was easier to collect various feathers.
Fang Fei was pondering how to handle the situation when she heard Wei Dong say to the python-man, "What benefit do we have from the dragon pearls you mentioned?"
The python-man replied, "Swallowing them will greatly increase demonic power."
"That's incredibly precious,"
the python-man chuckled. "Unfortunately, even if I had hundreds or thousands of dragon pearls, they wouldn't be enough to counter the King's single absorption... We have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure."
Wei Dong seemed lost in thought, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "What we can do is collect a large number of feathers for you, then you can identify the truly useful bird feathers, and then use those feathers to find 'pure humans,' refine 'pure human hearts,' and present them to the King. If the King is pleased, he will allow your people to leave the Lion Camel Kingdom. Is that the correct order?"
"Mr. Dongfang's wisdom is extraordinary; I admire him," the python-man said, bowing again.
"Alright, I agree," Wei Dong said after exchanging glances with Fang Fei.
Just as the python-man was about to bow deeply in gratitude to Wei Dong and Fang Fei, Wei Dong said, "Mr. Long probably persuaded us to do this because we're newcomers and easier to talk to."
The python-man paused, then laughed, "You two figured that out."
...
After the python-man took his leave, Wei Dong and Fang Fei continued wandering the city streets.
"Beep—"
Four hours passed, but they still hadn't found anything.
Wei Dong weighed the gold and silver treasures the python-man had prepaid; the man would deliver the precious dragon pearl after the deal was done.
"The treasures and the dragon pearl are useless to us. Our goal is the same as its—to leave the city," Wei Dong muttered.
"We have some money; it'll be more convenient in this city," Fang Fei said, not knowing when she had picked up this tone.
Wei Dong thought for a moment, "Then our next step is to find our own kind and ask them for feathers?"
"That sounds easy, but it's actually quite difficult." Fang Fei had now gotten used to viewing the city from a goose's perspective. She tilted her goose neck, able to see things to her side and behind without turning her head, which was quite convenient.
Gathering all kinds of birds and getting them to agree to pluck feathers was really not an easy task.
"Chickens, ducks, and geese are fine, but do you think eagles and the like will listen to us?" Wei Dong said, pouting. "All kinds of birds, does that include the Roc? If we could just get close to the Roc, we could just ask it to stamp the golden seal on us, why go through all this trouble!"
"The most important thing is that we don't have much time left," Fang Fei calculated how to make the most of the remaining nine hours. "Our ultimate goal is to find the fragment, not to leave the city. That wooden fragment is very likely hidden in the city of Lion Camel Kingdom."
"Huh? Fafa!" Wei Dong stretched his neck and exclaimed twice. "I almost forgot about finding the fragment! This place is almost as bad as Heart City!"
"It's not that you forgot, it's that the python has the power of bewitching. If it stares at you for a long time, it will make you follow its train of thought." After realizing this, Fang Fei subconsciously stopped looking into the python's eyes.
Wei Dong suddenly realized, "You mean, why does that python always call itself a dragon?"
"I happen to know a little about that. Actually, in Indian Buddhism, the dragon refers to a python, not the dragon in the traditional Chinese sense," Fang Fei said.
"Wow." Wei Dong didn't expect Fang Fei to know this.
Fang Fei said, "I found this information when I was reading martial arts novels. It seems like no book is ever read in vain."
"What book are you talking about?"
"Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," Fang Fei rarely told people that she had been a martial arts fan since childhood, having read many martial arts novels, which led her to often consider herself a female knight-errant as a child. "The title of this book comes from Buddhist scriptures. There are eight heavenly dragons in Buddhist scriptures, including the Golden-Winged Roc and the Great Python God."
"Since they all belong to the eight heavenly dragons, why is the python so afraid of the Roc, even calling it its natural enemy?"
"Indeed, the Roc especially likes to eat dragons and is also good at it. It is said that the Roc can part the sea with a flap of its wings and directly grab dragons from the underwater dragon palace. It only needs to suck the dragon into its mouth, just like a person eating noodles..." As Fang Fei spoke, she realized that she had never shared the books she had read with anyone like this before, and felt a little awkward, so she stopped talking.
"And then?" Wei Dong felt his eyes were opened, not expecting the Roc to be so powerful.
"That's it, anyway, it can eat dragons." Fang Fei resumed her previous brief narrative style.
Wei Dong suddenly slapped his forehead: "I have an idea! I've found a place to find feathers!"
"Where?" Fang Fei asked.
Chicken farm?
Wei Dong said: "Find a bustard!"
"Who is Da Bao?"
"Well, a kind of bird," Wei Dong had to explain further, "You know that there were madams in ancient brothels, right? That's the character."
"Would finding it be useful?"
"This kind of bird has some bad habits by nature," Wei Dong scratched the bun on his head, "Look, the character '鸨' (bustard) can be broken down into '七七十鸟' (seventy birds), which means that this kind of bird has to mate with at least seventy kinds of birds in its lifetime."
"…"