“Don’t come near me. Once you’re tainted by my aura, they will come after you too!”

It weakly explained to Xu Taiping.

“They?”

Xu Taiping retreated into the courtyard, feeling cautious.

“What exactly happened?”

He asked again.

“The West Wind Pavilion… joined forces with the Peacock King to slaughter my White-Headed Eagle clan. My mother’s life and death are unknown, I’m the only one who escaped.”

Baiyu made an effort to adjust its breathing, then continued:

“Taiping, I came here to ask you to inform my father. The Peacock King joined forces with the West Wind Pavilion and set up an ambush at the Fenglai Valley, trapped my mother, and then plundered the White-Headed Eagle clan. Please… please make sure to avenge them, if… if it’s… if it’s still alive.”

After saying this, its head drooped weakly.

Upon hearing this, Xu Taiping’s confusion was immediately reduced by half.

During this time, he had heard Baiyu complain about the grievances between the White-Headed Eagle and the Peacock King clan, but he never expected the West Wind Pavilion to join forces with the Peacock King clan.

“Xu Taiping, don’t come to save me, don’t get involved, you are not the opponent of the Peacock King…”

At this point, Baiyu, still with its head in the mud, reminded Xu Taiping again.

To save or not to save?

Xu Taiping was caught in a dilemma.

And just as he hesitated, a bird call suddenly came from the sky, even though it was pouring rain at the moment, the sound still echoed through the mountains and forests.

“Taiping, you can put Baiyu into my green gourd.”

Fairy Lingyue reminded Xu Taiping.

“Okay.”

Xu Taiping’s eyes lit up, nodded immediately, and then took off the green gourd from his waist.

If it weren’t for Fairy Lingyue’s reminder, he would have forgotten about this.

After more than two years of nurturing, the space inside the green gourd was already as big as half a courtyard, and it also had the ability to suck in some weaker or unable to resist monsters.

“Absorb!”

Fairy Lingyue recited a mantra, and then a suction force surged out from the green gourd, sucking Baiyu into it.

“Don’t worry, the green gourd can shield the aura of the heavens and earth, Baiyu is very safe inside.”

After saying this, Fairy Lingyue also entered the gourd.

“That Peacock is about to arrive, be careful in dealing with it.”

Fairy Lingyue added from inside the gourd.

Xu Taiping nodded, then got up and returned to the courtyard, closing the courtyard door.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Not long after, the courtyard door of the Green Bamboo Residence was knocked on.

Without a doubt, the one who came at this time should be the Peacock King.

“Who?”

Xu Taiping in the pouring rain did not rush to open the door, but asked.

It was a capital offense for a spirit bird to trespass into a cultivator’s residence, so he was not afraid that the Peacock King would barge in.

“Friend inside, I am the Peacock King of Yunling. I came to capture the traitorous monster, dare to ask if you have seen a severely injured White-Headed Eagle?”

The Peacock King outside the door asked very politely.

Upon hearing this, Xu Taiping took a step forward, opened the courtyard door.

As soon as the door opened, he saw a green peacock much taller than the courtyard door standing at the entrance, with a pair of cold eyes staring at him.

But compared to those cold eyes and the tall figure, its aura, more intense than the pouring rain outside the courtyard, was what truly shocked Xu Taiping.

Just standing in front of it, he felt as if he was being pressed down by a few thousand pounds of weight, very uncomfortable.

“Just now, a White-Headed Eagle passed by here and fell from the sky.”

After adjusting his breath, Xu Taiping calmly pointed to the pit that Baiyu had just smashed in front of the courtyard, then continued, “But it quickly got up and flew away on its own.”

No one else knew about his acquaintance with Baiyu, so he was not afraid that the green peacock would see through his lie.

The green peacock looked at Xu Taiping quietly, then looked around, sniffed, as if to confirm that there was indeed no aura of the White-Headed Eagle in the courtyard, then nodded:

“Sorry to bother you.”

After confirming that there was no aura of the White-Headed Eagle in the courtyard, it spread its wings and took off into the pouring rain.

As the Peacock King took off, Xu Taiping carefully observed and found that this peacock, like a human cultivator, could use its spiritual power to repel raindrops.

“Sister Lingyue, what level of cultivation does a spirit bird need to be able to use spiritual power like a cultivator?”

Watching the Peacock King fly away, he asked Fairy Lingyue in his heart.

“This requires talent. Even the king-level spirit birds may not be able to do this. White Rainbow, who has a good relationship with you, may be able to do it.”

Fairy Lingyue’s tone was unusually serious.

“There’s no need to provoke this peacock if it’s not necessary.”

She added.

“I know.”

Xu Taiping nodded.

“By the way, Sister Lingyue, how is Baiyu’s injury?”

He asked again.

“I need a cup of Dragon’s Gall Wine.”

Fairy Lingyue said.

“Okay.”

Xu Taiping nodded without hesitation.

In fact, he hadn’t drunk much in the past two years, only about three pots a year. According to Fairy Lingyue, the real need for Dragon’s Gall Wine would be during the Xuanqi period, so he still had a lot left.

Of course, even if it was just one pot, he would not hesitate to take it out, after all, Baiyu was his only friend on this mountain.

…

The next day.

The backyard of the Green Bamboo Residence.

“I’m still alive?”

Baiyu in the courtyard looked at Xu Taiping, who was practicing boxing, with a curious look on its face.

“Xu Taiping, did you do something to keep me alive?”

It asked again.

“Can you make your body smaller?”

After finishing a set of Green Bull Fist, Xu Taiping put away his posture and turned to look at Baiyu in the courtyard.

Baiyu nodded, and then its body flashed gray, suddenly shrinking to the size of a sparrow.

“You brought me back, but the Peacock King didn’t find out?”

Baiyu jumped onto the stone table, continuing to ask.”I have a gourd that can contain spirit beasts.”

Xu Taiping patted the green gourd at his waist.

He naturally wouldn’t tell Bai Yu about the existence of Sister Lingyue, but there was no harm in mentioning the gourd—after all, who doesn’t have a few life-saving magical treasures?

“Could it be the Demon-Refining Pot?”

Bai Yu’s eyes widened in alarm, and he took a few cautious steps back.

In fact, what it said wasn’t wrong. According to Fairy Lingyue, at the current stage, this green gourd could indeed hold spirit beasts and spirit birds, so calling it a Demon-Refining Pot wasn’t entirely incorrect.

However, the difference was that the Demon-Refining Pot was used for refining demons, while this green gourd could nurture them, a fundamental distinction between the two.

“If this were a Demon-Refining Pot, you would have already turned into a puddle of blood inside the gourd. How could you still be chirping away like now?”

Xu Taiping shook his head.

“That’s true…”

Bai Yu nodded, its expression visibly relaxing.

“This is my secret; you must not tell anyone else.”

Xu Taiping then reminded Bai Yu.

“Do I look like that kind of person?”

Bai Yu regained its proud demeanor.

“Chirp chirp!”

Just then, the little monkey Ping’an came out of the kitchen carrying a large plate of meat, happily leaping onto the table.

“Bai Yu, eat, I cooked it.”

The little monkey picked up a rib, munching on it while pushing the plate towards Bai Yu.

Over the past two years, it had grown quite familiar with Bai Yu, and since both were spirit beasts, they were very close to each other.

“Mm.”

Although Bai Yu wasn’t in the mood to eat, it didn’t want to refuse the little monkey’s kindness and still took a piece to swallow.

“Bai Yu, what exactly happened in Wind Valley last night?”

Xu Taiping also sat down at the table, took a piece of meat, and curiously asked Bai Yu.

Even though he had saved Bai Yu, he still needed to understand the current situation, as it was important for both him and Bai Yu.