From waterfowl, it began to transform into the Great Sun Golden Crow.

"A small sect with green-tiled walls, a stream flowing in front of the gate under the moonlight."

"My master taught me how to practice immortal arts."

"I'm not afraid of hardship or fatigue."

"Singing to the stars at night, this small sect is my home."

Xiang Wanqing, carrying a bamboo basket on her back, hummed a little tune as she walked up the mountain. Gu Heting swayed violently inside the basket, which also contained medicinal herbs wrapped in clay.

Every now and then, bits of wood ash would get into Gu Heting's mouth.

He was already very troubled, feeling exhausted.

The girl put it in a bamboo basket. Xiang Wanqing was very beautiful, but her voice was very high-pitched. She was tone-deaf when she sang. Most importantly, Xiang Wanqing didn't think she sang badly.

This guy sang the whole way without letting him have a proper rest.

Gu Heting poked his head out of the basket on his back.

His little beak poked Xiang Wanqing's neck: "Do you know how awful your singing is? You talk too much and are just annoying."

The little girl cried out in pain when she was poked.

Already dissatisfied, she pouted and said sullenly, "What are you doing? What's wrong with you? I'm your savior, after all."

The little waterbirds are quite fun, but they're a bit too temperamental.

They have absolutely no sense of responsibility as pets.

"Where is your home, little sparrow?" Xiang Wanqing hefted the bamboo basket. Gu Heting was speechless for a moment.

The wind is gentle and the clouds are light; time flows like water.

A life spanning 28 years, traversing the world. Emerging from the egg, less than a year later. Life experience too bland, as bland as a candle in a candlelight.

Where is home?

His home is in that blessed land of Dongting.

Gu Heting curled up, facing the evening breeze, gazing at the surrounding mountains. After a long silence, he finally uttered softly, "In the depths of winter, parting is like autumn; what home do wild beasts have?"

"what?"

The little girl blinked, finding the little waterbird quite amusing. It understood the logic, and spoke in a way no different from humans. In this respect, she had underestimated the waterbird.

"Why don't you come and visit my sect? My sect is the Xiaoshan Sect."

Gu Heting ignored Xiang Wanqing and stuck his head out to look at the scenery along the way.

The mountains rise in layers, with rugged roads on both sides. Above the moss-covered cliffs lies the Gobi Desert. One even has to cross several muddy embankments.

Finally, the little girl weighed the bamboo basket in her hand.

She turned her head and said to Gu Heting, "I need to speed things up. You stay inside."

There was a vine on the mountainside. Xiang Wanqing grabbed the vine and slid down the right side towards the cliff and the Gobi Desert. With just this one slide, he traversed the misty mountains and sea of ​​clouds.

As the moisture in the mountains gradually weakens.

The sect finally came into view, shrouded in clouds and mist. Upon closer inspection, Gu Heting felt that the sect was too small, resembling a simple mountain stronghold.

The sect's misty vapors blended naturally with the tattered cloth.

This small sect was actually built on top of a waterfall.

The mountains beside the waterfall were actually narrow paths built from countless bamboo poles. The bamboo poles were stacked together to form many stilted houses, the largest of which had a gilded plaque hanging on it.

The three large characters 【小山宗】are particularly eye-catching.

A man and a beast walked along the narrow path, ascending the stairs. Disciples came and went within the Xiaoshan Sect. Gu Heting estimated that the sect was far too small.

With so few houses available, this overcrowding phenomenon has occurred.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Xiang." Several new disciples bowed and greeted Xiang Wanqing. Xiang Wanqing nodded and smiled in response.

Passing through the hall, Gu Heting saw an old alchemy furnace in the main hall.

The furnace was filled with thick black smoke, clearly indicating that it contained too many impurities.

A fat man with a triangular beard was sitting with his clothes open, pounding pills with a pestle. Every now and then, he would throw some medicinal herbs with little spiritual energy into the furnace.

The towering flames carried sparks.

Regardless, Gu Heting knew one thing: the heat from the fire wasn't pure enough. That's why this black smoke was produced. The saying goes, "True gold fears no fire," meaning this alchemist was probably not very skilled.

That alchemist was very old.

His physique was slightly bloated, and he looked somewhat lazy.

His hair was somewhat thinning, and he was quite casual when refining pills. He would occasionally fan the fire with a hand fan.

To be honest, Gu Heting, who had practiced alchemy, felt like cursing.

This fat guy not only wastes medicinal herbs, but also does some other silly things.

"Father, I'm back. I found a talking sparrow." Xiang Wanqing put down his bamboo basket and took the water bird out of it. Gu Heting, held in his hand, suddenly felt as if he were about to die.

"Why are you choking me?" Gu Heting bumped his head against the little girl's wrist.

Feeling some pain, she immediately let go.

"Child, this isn't a sparrow, it's a water bird. This thing isn't good-looking, and it smells terrible. Besides, its lifespan is less than two years..." The somewhat chubby man continued to tossing away the spiritual herbs.

He didn't even glance at it, just squinted and leaned there to rest.

But after a while, something felt off: "Who's talking?"

"Um?"

The overweight man turned around and saw a water bird standing on the ground. The bird stared wide-eyed and opened its mouth, and in a daze, it seemed to utter a human voice: "What's wrong?"

The man shook his head, feeling that his mental state was somewhat poor.

The furnace has been exploding while I'm refining elixirs these past few days, which has affected me somewhat.

"My dear daughter. Your father hasn't been feeling well lately. He needs to rest for a bit..."

"Take a break..." After a short while, the middle-aged man stood up and walked towards the private room behind the alchemy furnace. But he had only taken a few steps when Xiang Wanqing grabbed his hand.

"Father, you always told me that only powerful demons who have gained sentience can speak human language. Father, why is that?"

Although the man wasn't a particularly powerful cultivator, he had been staying at this small mountain sect for nearly a hundred years. While it was said that the small mountain sect was a hidden gem in the city, in reality, it simply meant that the sect's foundation was too shallow.

A sect typically has no more than a hundred members.

Even the strongest among them was only a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Actually, there are quite a few small, secluded sects like his in the Five Continents of the Eastern Region. But even if his sect has a shallow foundation, it has still been passed down for three generations.

The third sect leader had never heard of a talking waterbird.

Perhaps because he hadn't traveled much, he couldn't believe it. He walked up to Gu Heting, rubbed his eyes, and said, "Hello, my name is Xiang Zheng."

"Gu Heting".

Xiang Zheng seemed somewhat embarrassed. He turned his gaze to his daughter, his face showing some confusion.

"Daughter, what kind of monster did you bring back?"

Xiang Wanqing nodded, but didn't say anything; she just kept smiling.

But a moment later, the waterbird at Zheng's feet spoke.

"The northern mountains stretch endlessly, and the Red Forest is shrouded in purple mist. I've heard that only the Miasma-Avoiding Pill can get you through the Red Forest. If you have such a pill, I would be extremely grateful."

Oh My God.

Xiang Zheng was stunned. He spoke fluently and eloquently, knowing his place and how to conduct himself appropriately.

This person's displays of kindness were even greater than those of his mentally challenged daughter.

Is this a bird?