A small plot of land in a mountain village

It was really strange that the sun was rising in the west. This big blue bird appeared out of nowhere, and the two of them stared at it blankly.

"What are you two doing here? What good thing is going on?" Liang Shan walked over with a smile. He had noticed the two of them standing outside the courtyard early in the morning, not knowing what they were doing.

Shh! ! !

"Don't shout so loudly, or you'll scare that guy in the tree," the fat man said softly, clearly afraid of waking the giant blue bird in the tree, and he even pointed towards the tree with his hand.

The fat man's actions were mysterious. Liang Shan followed his gaze and saw his mouth gape open as if he had just eaten a duck egg. There was a giant bird occupying half of the tree.

If Fatty hadn't reminded him to keep his voice down, Liang Shan probably would have screamed. It's unbelievable how a giant bird from the mountains could end up here.

Strange birds and strange things often come from deep mountains, something Liangshan knows all too well. But this guy in front of him, he really doesn't know how to describe him.

"When did you guys spot that thing in the tree?" he whispered to the fat guy and his friends.

The fat man's eyes were now fixed on the giant blue bird in the tree, and he casually said, "It's morning! I was startled myself."

After listening to what the fat man said, I finally understood a little bit about what was going on. Looking at the cherry tree, could it be that this fragrant cherry tree was the cause? If so, this fragrant cherry tree is too amazing!

The few fragrant cherry trees in the courtyard have a purer aroma compared to those in the orchards outside, as everyone knows. There are still a few sparse cherries hanging on the trees.

A large flock of mountain sparrows flew by, and the giant blue bird chirped once. The sparrows, who had just been fluttering their small wings, all landed and perched on the courtyard wall.

"Ah, the sound of birds can call down mountain sparrows, that's quite a feat," Chairman Zhang murmured to himself.

A mountain sparrow perched on the wall. It stayed there quietly, not in a hurry at all, gazing at the giant bird in front of it, as if it were worshipping it from a distance.

Do sparrows also have a hobby of following celebrities, just like humans?

The fat man was very suspicious. How else could this scene be explained? There were at least a hundred sparrows perched on the wall alone.

These sparrows were intimidated by the bluebird. Why not go up and catch a few dozen to satisfy my appetite? If Chairman Zhang and Liang Shan knew, they would probably laugh their heads off. How could I possibly be thinking about tasting mountain sparrows?

I'm afraid only the fat man in the room had such a thought in his mind!

Chairman Zhang, however, began to ponder the matter. Judging from appearances alone, he could still discern quite a few clues, since he occasionally consulted classical Chinese texts when handling affairs.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas records many strange tales of mountain gods, who can subdue flocks of birds, much like the phoenix of ancient times, which seems to possess this ability.

But looking at this giant bird from all angles, it was impossible to see any resemblance to a phoenix whatsoever; they were worlds apart.

He chuckled, realizing he was thinking too far ahead. There are no phoenixes like that nowadays; they're just something occasionally mentioned in ancient texts from that distant time.

This is just a personal opinion and shouldn't be taken too seriously. Human thinking is very complex, and it's normal to think of all sorts of random things when you see something.

This is what Chairman Zhang is like right now.

The auspicious creature in the tree stared at the people below with its sharp eyes, then glanced coldly at the sparrows on the wall. It seemed that this creature was of high rank, its noble lineage looking down on lower creatures.

"Fatty, do you think this could be a phoenix?" Liang Shan said, pointing to the bluebird on the tree.

"Ha, ha, ha!" The fat man clutched his stomach and laughed heartily. Brother Liangshan's words were really funny. Seeing a giant blue bird meant it was a phoenix?

"Liang Shan, are you still half asleep? There's a phoenix in the tree! I'm laughing so hard I'm about to lose my teeth," he said, patting his stomach.

I'm genuinely curious why Liangshan would say that.

Liang Shan smiled sheepishly, "This is just something that popped into my head, don't take it seriously. I just saw a bluebird in a tree that could subdue sparrows, which made me think it was a bit like a phoenix."

Villagers often say that a golden phoenix will fly out of the mountains, but this is just something to think about and can't be taken seriously.

"It's alright, this is just a thought, not a serious one. Besides, if a real phoenix were in front of us, no one would recognize it, let alone this giant blue bird."

The fat man laughed for a while before stopping. "Don't mention the phoenix. Don't you know that the phoenix only dwells on the parasol tree, and only lands in precious places? You should know that!"

The fat man was absolutely right. It seems that's what the book said: "Only the parasol tree or a precious land will it be planted." This Happy Cottage, how could it be considered a precious land?

If you're looking for a paradise, you should be looking for a secluded, blessed place. Why would you end up in this remote mountain valley?

It seems everyone's mind is wandering, or rather, daydreaming.

"Alright, everyone, let's move back a bit. The bluebird in the tree isn't attacking us. I guess it's just curious and will probably fly away in a bit. Everyone should just go about their business." That was all Chairman Zhang could say. Could he possibly keep staring at it forever?

Since Chairman Zhang said so, we really can't stay here watching the giant blue bird forever. Everyone's stomachs are rumbling, and we can't just look at the giant blue bird to fill our stomachs.

"I'll go back to the kitchen and talk about it later. Maybe it really will fly away soon." Liang Shan turned and walked towards the kitchen.

This time, unlike with the fat man, he didn't keep his eyes fixed on the fat man.

Seeing that Liang Shan had left safely, and that nothing had happened, Chairman Zhang started to walk, preparing to do his morning exercise. The bluebird in the tree had only brought some unexpected trouble.

The fat man was unaware that the bluebird had been watching him the whole time. Seeing that the two of them had left peacefully, he began to prepare to take a step.

As soon as he took a step, a bird song followed, and a gentle breeze blew past him.

The fat man naturally sensed the strange thing behind him. This little breeze was clearly caused by the flapping of a bluebird's wings. Damn! Did he do something to offend this guy?

He pondered this in his mind. It didn't make sense. How come Chairman Zhang was fine, but the bird started chirping as soon as he left? If it were any other bird, the fat man would have disappeared long ago.

He wouldn't just stand there like that, but that bluebird in the tree, with its size, could easily grab the fat man.

For safety's sake, the fat man decided not to run anymore, lest he anger this guy and end up with nothing to eat, which would be terrible.

Turning around, I saw the big red birds on the treetops chirping and chattering at the bluebird. Could they be complaining about my bad behavior?

Could this bluebird be the backer of these guys? My goodness, this is not easy to deal with. I can only look at it pitifully, hoping to gain some sympathy.

"Fatty, why aren't you leaving? What are you doing standing there?" Chairman Zhang called out to Fatty as he walked away.

It's not that the fat man doesn't want to leave, but that he's afraid to. The bluebird in the tree keeps watching him with sharp eyes.

No wonder I felt something was watching me from behind. I don't need to guess, it must have been that sharp gaze.

I've really had terrible luck; I'm truly pathetic. Looking at the three creatures in the tree, I should have eaten them all in one go back then; otherwise, I wouldn't have called for help now.

He smiled wryly at Chairman Zhang and said, "It's not that I don't want to leave, but didn't you see the bluebird in the tree staring at me? I took just one small step and its voice reminded me. Do you think I've had the worst luck in eight lifetimes?"

If it weren't for Fatty's comment, Chairman Zhang wouldn't have known; he would have thought he was still standing there, not having seen enough birds.

Looking up at the tree, three red figures surrounded the bluebird. Those were the three eagles and pigeons that were always going against the fat man. No wonder.

Chairman Zhang had heard that the three eagles and pigeons didn't get along, and it seems that he was right today. What's puzzling is why the bluebird would help a bird smaller than itself.

Looking at the sparrows on the wall, they are treated in a completely different way, which is puzzling.

It's best to stay away and not get involved in any trouble. This guy's had his share of bad experiences, and now look what's happened! The boss is coming after you, so you should worry about yourself.

I was worried about the fat man.

Doing too many bad things makes you afraid of being haunted.

Amitabha Buddha, I should eat less birds in the future, especially those plump ones, like mountain sparrows, but I'll still eat them anyway.

Zhang Niu opened the wooden door and saw the fat man standing outside the wall. He was a little curious as to why this guy was standing outside the wall so early in the morning, with beads of cold sweat on his forehead.

"Fatty, are you standing outside the wall this early in the morning, ready to sunbathe?" I looked up at the sunlight; it seemed the temperature was too high.

Seeing Zhang Niu come out of the door, the fat man was overjoyed. It seemed there was hope. He asked Zhang Niu to discuss it with the hawks and pigeons, and he figured everything should be fine.

"Why did you take so long to come out? It's not that I didn't want to leave, it's that I was afraid to. Come out and see what's standing in the tree." He said nervously.

"Hey, what happened to get you like this? I came over to see." He walked over with a smile and stood next to the fat man.

Pointing to the bluebird in the tree, he smiled and said, "You mean the bluebird in the tree?"

The fat man was puzzled. Why didn't this guy show the slightest bit of joy? His expression seemed to suggest he already knew. Could it be...?

"Yes, this bluebird has been watching me since early morning, and that's why it's been standing there, not daring to move."

Zhang Niu patted the fat man on the shoulder and said, "It's nothing. I forgot to tell you guys before. This guy ran off to the mountains for more than half a year and didn't come back. He only came back last night, and I haven't had a chance to tell you yet."

"Ah! You recognize this bluebird?" the fat man asked in surprise.

Zhang Niu nodded and continued, "This fellow is called Jixiang. It's a kind of giant bird, and it's still like a child! It often runs out to play, and that's why it landed on the tree at night."

The fat man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "You should have said so earlier. This guy scared me half to death this morning."

Zhang Niu chuckled inwardly. He had planned this all last night. Since they had just returned from the mountains and didn't have much of a place to search, he didn't have to worry about being exposed.

"Jixiang, come down." He waved to Jixiang in the tree.

A sudden gust of wind arose, and the fallen leaves drifted down from the trees. Light and agile, they seemed unburdened by their previously heavy bodies. (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please log in and read the official version!)