Cultivation: Starting from a Fighting Cock

Chapter 52 The Great Magpie Incident

"Cuck!"

The crow flapped its wings and flew back, landing steadily on the bamboo pole that was stuck diagonally into Old Zhao's head.

It hopped a few times along the bamboo pole and landed on the back of Old Zhao's head.

The old blind man casually pulled out the bamboo pole, and the dog eagerly probed its sharp beak into the bloody brain hole, greedily pecking at the warm brain matter.

"Crow King, Yan Lu thinks he can avoid karma by hiding in the shadows? Haha, how utterly laughable! How can one possibly avoid karma when vying for opportunities?"

The old blind man disdained the actions of Yan Lu, the city lord of Zishui City, so he came to Wuzhen himself.

"Cough cough... Damn Yan Lu!"

Suddenly, the old blind man opened his eyes wide, his hair flew wildly, his veins bulged all over his body, and his killing intent emanated as if it were a tangible substance.

Last time, he possessed a black cat and told Yan Lu about the Zhao family of Wuzhen being descendants of Nascent Soul True Monarch Zhao Chen, but was ultimately shattered by a single palm strike.

His soul failed to separate from the black cat in time, resulting in serious injury. It took several months to fully recover, and now his soul suffers from tearing pain from time to time.

He made a mental note of this debt to Yan Lu, and he would settle the score with him sooner or later.

……

At night, Zhao Mansion.

"What is that?"

Ji Cheng noticed that there was a crow flying around in the night sky, and he told Da Huang not to make any rash moves.

Earlier that afternoon, he had seen the crow fly over the Zhao residence and realized that something was amiss.

The night sky over Wuzhen belonged to Ji Cheng, and suddenly this uninvited guest arrived. Ji Cheng sensed a sense of crisis.

Fortunately, the crow only circled the night sky a few times before disappearing.

"Wang!"

Da Huang called out to Ji Cheng, as if asking what that thing flying in the sky was.

"You can sense that it has an extraordinary aura?"

"Wang!"

Big Yellow nodded.

Ji Cheng's eyes lit up. Da Huang's sense of smell and hearing were far more powerful than he had imagined. It could lock onto the crow's aura even from high above.

"This crow appeared rather abruptly. Let's not go out tonight. Let's lie low for a few days and observe how things develop."

Ji Cheng said that with crows patrolling the sky, any slight movement by the two of them would easily expose their identities as demonic beasts.

Big Yellow barked, "Brother Chicken, whatever you say goes, I'll listen to you."

Nothing happened all night.

the next day.

The crow circled over Wuzhen once more.

Ji Cheng noticed that it even landed on the big poplar tree next to the Zhao residence and had a brief encounter with the magpie.

Then the crow flapped its wings and flew away, never to be seen again.

"Cuckoo!"

Ji Cheng called out twice to Da Huang, signaling it to pay attention to the large magpie in the big poplar tree.

The magpie's two chicks had only hatched a few days ago. At this moment, it held one of the chicks down with its claws and pecked at it a few times with its sharp beak.

scoff!

It tore off half of the fledgling bird's bloody wing, and swallowed it whole.

Then came a few more vicious pecks and tears, and the fledgling was torn apart and eaten by its own mother.

Without hesitation, the magpie followed suit and quickly tore the other chick to pieces and devoured it.

After eating, a hint of anthropomorphic satisfaction appeared in the magpie's eyes.

The big yellow dog tucked its tail between its legs and curled up into a ball. Even tigers don't eat their cubs, has this magpie gone mad?

Ji Cheng was also stunned, not understanding what had happened.

Then, the magpie flapped its wings and gracefully landed on the old persimmon tree in the backyard of the Zhao family mansion.

It stood quietly on the branch, its gaze deep and sharp, silently scanning the entire Zhao family courtyard. Ji Cheng gave Da Huang a look, reminding it to keep quiet and not reveal any weakness; this magpie was no longer the foolish bird it had been before.

The magpie lurked in the Zhao residence from the old persimmon tree for half an hour before flying away.

About an hour later, it returned and once again guarded the old persimmon tree, taking in the entire scene of the Zhao residence.

The Zhao family members were talking about how the Snake Gang had hired a retainer, a blind old Taoist priest who was said to be a member of the immortal family.

"The Snake Clan has gained another cultivator. Will Fairy Su still be able to keep them in check?"

"I wonder what level of cultivation this blind Taoist is at, and what miraculous methods he possesses?"

"Is Zhou Mu going to attack our Zhao family again?"

The Zhao family was immediately thrown into a panic. The addition of a cultivator to the Xiangshe Gang was enough to disrupt the balance of power between the Zhou and Su families.

How long can the Zhao family, which has only found temporary peace thanks to Fairy Su and the Green Bamboo Gang, continue to rely on them?

Ji Cheng noticed that when the magpie landed on the old persimmon tree, its eyes and body movements were subtly different from usual, as if it had suddenly gained intelligence.

No, even if intelligence is awakened, it wouldn't become so agile all at once. After thinking about it carefully, Ji Cheng felt that it was more like someone was occupying the magpie's body.

Hmm, the more Ji Cheng thought about this idea, the more it seemed to make sense – there was a pair of eyes spying on the Zhao residence through a magpie.

According to the Zhao family, a blind Taoist priest came to Wuzhen and joined the Xiangshe Gang as a retainer.

Ji Cheng immediately connected the three clues: the crow, the magpie, and the blind Taoist priest.

It must be that blind Taoist priest casting a spell to cause trouble.

"Wang!"

Dahuang asked Jicheng what to do, "There's a big magpie watching us. Does that mean we can't do anything and can only be obedient dogs?"
Ji Cheng ignored him, his mind racing with calculations.

He discovered that the magpie hadn't been monitoring the Zhao residence the whole time; when it flew away, it must have broken free of control.

He speculated whether this meant that the blind Taoist could enter the magpie's body at any time, control its movements, and gain the magpie's vision.

Based on the interaction between the crow and the magpie, he deduced that the blind Taoist priest had established some kind of connection with the magpie through this interaction.

But the blind Taoist couldn't stay inside the magpie for all twelve hours of the day. He had his own things to do, and he would only possess the magpie when he was free.

"Our identities, as well as Da Huang's, haven't been exposed yet, and that's our biggest advantage..."

After a moment's thought, Ji Cheng realized that since the other party had exposed themselves first, the initiative was now in his hands.

We have to kill this magpie, otherwise, with Da Huang under constant surveillance, it will be inconvenient for us to do anything.

"If we kill this magpie while the blind Taoist is controlling it, will the blind Taoist suffer a backlash?"

Ji Cheng could have easily killed the magpie while the blind Taoist was away, thus preventing the blind Taoist from possessing it.

But then he had another idea: could he take this opportunity to severely injure the blind Taoist priest?

This is just a guess, but he thinks it's worth a try, since it doesn't cost anything.

Having made up his mind, he decided to take action that very night.

……

Night falls, and all is quiet.

The lights in the Zhao residence gradually went out, and the family slept peacefully.

The old blind man believed there was no need for surveillance at night, so his spirit withdrew from the magpie's body and returned to its original form.

The magpie regained control of its body and wondered why it was there.
It flapped its wings a few times, let out a soft cry, and flew back to its nest in the big poplar tree.

An hour has passed, and the night is deep.

"As expected, there's nothing unusual..."

The magpie suddenly spoke in human language, muttering to itself. It turned out that the old blind man hadn't left yet; he had just been putting on an act to see if he could catch something.

After waiting for an hour without any unusual activity at the Zhao residence, the old blind man felt he had been cheated and realized he had indeed been overthinking things.

He chuckled inwardly, and only then did he truly detach himself from the magpie and return to his original form.

However, Ji Cheng and Da Huang remained motionless in the Zhao family courtyard.

He waited patiently until late into the night, and when he was sure the blind Taoist had left, he barked twice at the big yellow dog.

Prepare to freeze your hands, prepare to freeze your hands!
(End of this chapter)