Chapter 209: You Must Learn to Control Your Talent

That bird, shaped like a wild duck, was plump, its feathers seemingly hiding a wealth of fat; it circled leisurely in the air, completely unaware of the impending danger.

The corner of the Sunflower Emperor's mouth curled into a cold, sharp smile; the Butcher Knife glinted with a chilling light under the sunset's afterglow, and accompanied by the sound of tearing through the air, it drew a silver arc, piercing accurately and unerringly toward the bird's heart.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment; only a subtle yet lethal "puchi" sound was heard as the Butcher Knife pierced the bird's chest, blood spraying everywhere.

The impact force generated by the thrown Butcher Knife sent the bird hurtling high into the air; it let out a shrill, mournful cry, then fell powerlessly, finally lying quietly on the ground, its feathers stained with spots of blood.

The Sunflower Emperor's gaze was cold and stern; it slowly retracted the Butcher Knife with swift and decisive movements, blood gushing out from the wound.

Its hands held another Butcher Knife, working back and forth.

Feathers flew everywhere, and blood dripped onto the ground, forming small puddles.

Before long, a plucked "duck" appeared.

Ye Bai weighed the processed duck with satisfaction; it was about ten-plus jin in weight.

"I'll say this beforehand, I'm very clumsy, and every time I cook, accidents happen."

"And the food I make can poison people to death."

Yun Luo hurriedly followed Ye Bai to explain.

"You don't need to handle it; the Sunflower Emperor will naturally take action."

"The Secret Realm is at dusk right now, so we must find a place to shelter for the night."

"One of the rules of the Secret Realm is that you must find a safe place to hide when night falls."

At this moment, the sun was gradually sinking.

The sun's lingering glow scattered in mid-air, dyeing the entire sky red.

The light in the woods gradually dimmed.

Ye Bai carefully observed the Beast Path on the ground.

A Beast Path is the trail left by an Exotic Beast passing by; an experienced Pet Beast Master can judge whether a powerful Exotic Beast has passed through by the Beast Path, and roughly how many days ago it passed.

Ever since he gained the Insight Eye, he possessed the ability of night vision.

There were very few traces of Exotic Beasts nearby, and the surrounding tree trunks showed no signs of being broken.

This proved there were no powerful Exotic Beasts in the vicinity.

At the same time, Ye Bai also lay on the ground, listening carefully to see if there was any sound of water nearby.

A rule of survival in the wild is to try not to choose a place close to a water source.

Nocturnal Exotic Beasts will approach water sources at night to replenish the water in their bodies.

"Very good, this place is quite nice."

"Myriad-Change Silkworm, pick up some branches; let's start a fire and cook."

"Sunflower Emperor, wash this wild duck; we'll eat it tonight."

"Little Charcoal Dog, light the campfire in a moment."

The Myriad-Change Silkworm opened its mouth, and countless silk threads sprayed out from it.

The silk threads adhered to some dry branches, and with a tug, the Myriad-Change Silkworm pulled the branches over.

Before long, a small mountain of dry branches appeared on the ground.

The Sunflower Emperor had already selected thumb-thick branches from the pile, and the sharpened ends of the branches pierced through the wild duck.

At this time, the sky had completely darkened, and stars began to dot the sky.

Night fell, and the surroundings were shrouded in a faint mist; one could only hear the occasional chirping of insects from afar, and faintly, there seemed to be miserable cries, not knowing which unlucky soul had run into something.

After the sun set, the temperature in the Secret Realm dropped significantly.

Borrowing the light of the stars, one could even see the white mist exhaled from one's mouth.

The Little Charcoal Dog opened its pitch-black mouth, and Mars sprayed out; the bottom of the pile of dry wood suddenly flickered with a faint firelight.

The firelight spread rapidly among the firewood, and the gradually growing flames devoured the dry branches.

Immediately after, a wisp of light smoke rose, carrying a woody fragrance, slowly drifting into the air.

The fire grew larger and larger, and the heat of the campfire began to dispel the surrounding chill; occasionally, branches in the campfire crackled as they burned, and Mars jumped out, quietly landing on the ground.

The Little Charcoal Dog used its Zhua to push round stones one by one, surrounding the campfire.

The Sunflower Emperor found two more thick branches and simply built a rack.

The wild duck was placed on the rack and rotated.

The flames licked the skin of the wild duck, and streaks of golden fat emerged under the scorching heat of the fire.

The fat emitted a rich fragrance in the air, and locusts, each carrying liquid on their backs, hopped over, following the firelight.

"Ahhhhh, bugs, such big bugs."

Yun Luo let out a deafening scream.

Ye Bai smiled after seeing the Soy Sauce Locusts.

"Yun Luo, stop screaming; natural seasoning has arrived."

"This guy is called a Soy Sauce Locust; what it's brewing on its back is top-tier soy sauce that can make your tongue fall off from the freshness."

"It usually feeds on matsutake mushrooms; where there are Soy Sauce Locusts, there is a large pile of matsutake mushrooms."

"Matsutake mushrooms generally grow under pine trees, and the fragrance emitted from this duck carries a thick pine scent."

"This proves that this guy grew up eating pine nuts."

"Sunflower Emperor, weave a tree basket and go pick some matsutake mushrooms."

"Bring back some soy sauce from the Soy Sauce Locusts while you're at it."

"Pay attention, just gently squeeze the soy sauce on the Soy Sauce Locust's back; there's no need to take its life."

"It will continue to brew soy sauce."

"You can pick more matsutake mushrooms; placed in the tree basket, they should be able to keep for three days."

Ye Bai gave a few words of instruction.

The Emperor Sunflower nimbly wove a tree-basket and walked into the jungle with the basket on its back.

It looked exactly like a little girl picking mushrooms.

"Ye Bai, your Pet Beast looks like it doesn't have the strength to truss a chicken; what if something dangerous happens when it goes deep into the woods?"

No sooner had Yun Luo finished speaking than Ye Bai's sharp, dagger-like gaze flew over.

She seemed to realize something and hurriedly covered her mouth.

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it."

Just at this moment, the ground suddenly trembled heavily.

The sound of trees collapsing came from within.

A flash of guilt crossed Yun Luo's eyes; she could have kicked herself.

If an accident happened to the Emperor Sunflower, she reckoned she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life.

"Rest assured, the Emperor Sunflower's strength is not weak."

"There won't be any problems."

"It's just that you need to learn to control your talent."

"If your talent is used well, it can be called nuclear-bomb level."

"But you seem to have not developed your talent at all."

"Perhaps it is because this talent makes you feel weary, and you even hate yourself."

"Although you appear carefree on the surface, in reality, your heart is more sensitive than anyone else's."

Ye Bai's words were like a sharp blade, piercing straight into Yun Luo's heart.

Yun Luo's head hung low, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

Ye Bai felt that his words might have been a bit too harsh, but his approach was correct.

Yanchu Fashui is a rule that only gods can wield.

In this world where the true forms of gods cannot descend, Yun Luo, who has deeply developed this talent, is the Zhengshen of this world.

"Sorry, I spoke a bit too harshly."

Ye Bai apologized to Yun Luo.

Yun Luo raised her head, her stubborn gaze fixed on Ye Bai.

"What do you know?"

"Whoever wants this kind of talent can have it."

"Have you ever tried the despair of choking even when drinking water, that suffocating pain?"

"Have you ever tried the despair of tripping while walking continuously for a day, until your hands and feet were broken?"

"Have you ever tried the despair of having all sorts of accidents no matter how hard you try? Have you ever tried the despair of your master, who raised you, suddenly passing away?"

Yun Luo shouted loudly, her voice even becoming hoarse from shouting too hard.

"My original name was Yun Xiaocao, because my master wanted me to learn the tenacious vitality of a blade of grass."

"Whether burned by fire, blown by wind, beaten by rain, or struck by lightning, on the scarred earth, before long, there will always be new sprouts of grass."

"Living is already very, very difficult for me."

"My master exhausted all his strength to find the Fate Crow to help me suppress my bad luck."

"But he still met with an accident; yet before he left, he still held my hand and said he didn't blame me, that his fate had reached its end."

"I truly hate my talent to the core; why must fate torture me like this?"

"I would rather my talent be ordinary, to be an ordinary girl, happily accompanying my master as he grew old."

"You accompany me as I grow up, I accompany you as you grow old."

"It's a pity that when I grew up, my master was already gone, gone."

"He died on the road protecting me."

Bean-sized teardrops flowed from Yun Luo's eye sockets and dripped onto the ground.

She covered her face and squatted on the ground, crying loudly.

Tears fell from between her fingers.

Ye Bai felt a bit sad listening to Yun Luo's sobbing.

He could feel the regret of the child wanting to provide for their parents, but the parents being gone.

At this moment, Yun Luo smelled a thick floral fragrance coming from behind her.

She looked up and saw the Emperor Sunflower, covered in mud, walking toward her holding a handful of soil.

On the yellow soil, there was also a small, emerald-green, upright blade of grass.

The Emperor Sunflower was emitting a pale green light.

The small blade of grass emitted a faint green glow.

A pure white flower emerged from the small blade of grass.

The Emperor Sunflower wore a faint smile as it tucked the flower into Yun Luo's thick, silk-like black hair.

Yun Luo had just cried out all the grievances she had been holding in.

After a good cry, her mood was much better.

"Sorry, I was too emotional just now."

Then Yun Luo squatted down and, disregarding the mud all over the Emperor Sunflower, picked it up.

"Thank you, Emperor Sunflower; you made me realize that even a blade of grass can bloom into a beautiful flower."

The Emperor Sunflower revealed an embarrassed expression.

It looked at the mud covering Yun Luo's blue Daoist robe.

Suddenly, a yellow talisman appeared in Yun Luo's hand, and in less than the blink of an eye, her clothes were brand new.

Ye Bai noticed that this yellow talisman was another piece of equipment-type Exotic Beast.

This proved that Yun Luo was not just a mere Tier 3 as she appeared on the surface.

A Pet Beast Master possessing four Pet Beasts has basically reached Tier 4.

At this moment, a rich fragrance drifted over from nearby.

That fragrance, as refreshing as a spring breeze, wound around Yun Luo's nostrils like a fishhook.

Before she knew it, the roast duck was ready, and a thick, savory soy sauce aroma wafted toward her.

Beside the campfire, circles of pine mushrooms were also skewered.

Each pine mushroom had been drizzled with Soy Sauce Locust sauce.

It smelled absolutely delicious.

"Time to eat."

The Sunflower Emperor took two large bowls of rice out from its space.

At the same time, it brandished the Butcher Knife in its hand, the blade slicing across the skin of the roast duck and making a *crack, crack* sound.

A sealed, rich fragrance emerged from the broken skin of the roast duck.

Yun Luo felt as if she saw a Buddha from the Nine Heavens, who couldn't wait to descend and dance around the roast duck.

"Please, help yourself."

Flashes of cold light flickered, and the meat of the roast duck was carved off and arranged neatly on a woven plate.

A circle of roasted pine mushrooms was also placed on the plate.

Yun Luo couldn't wait to pick up a piece of crispy, roasted duck meat.

The duck meat melted in her mouth, and the rich, pine-scented fat echoed between her lips and teeth.

She felt her body burning, as if a handsome man with a duck head and a human body were waltzing with her at a ball.

A sense of satisfaction that made her feel she could die without regrets traveled from the tip of Yun Luo's tongue to her brain.

Her small face flushed red, and tears of emotion welled up in her eyes once again.

She shoveled a mouthful of rice; this rice was also extraordinary.

It was rice cooked using Dragon Tooth Rice and spring water from Qingliang Mountain, simmered over a low charcoal fire.

Each grain of rice was like a crystal-clear dragon tooth.

Ever since Ye Bai awakened his dual talents with the help of the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Jade, he had to eat good things to replenish his own energy consumption.

As for why Yun Luo had always been so unlucky, it was likely because she hadn't eaten enough when she was a child.

Her talent was too heaven-defying, and the energy it required was massive; if she had been born into a wealthy family, she would have already mastered her talent by now.

Unlike now, where her talent was sometimes good and sometimes bad.

Yun Luo ate almost all of the roast duck and rice, and even the pine mushrooms were all sent into her mouth without a single one left behind.

It was the first time she had ever felt the sensation of being full.

"Full now? Once you're full, we'll talk about serious business."

"In the Secret Realm, I want you to be able to control your talent."

"By practicing your talent non-stop, you will achieve the goal of becoming familiar with and mastering your talent."

"Your talent is very strong; it is that kind of existence."

Ye Bai pointed at the starry sky above, which left Yun Luo completely dumbfounded.

Was her talent really that perverse?

Why was she still living like this?

Ye Bai was overestimating her too much!

Yun Luo could not figure this out no matter how she thought about it.

"You are lacking energy, which is why your talent is in a semi-awakened state."

"The talent you tested for initially was 'Crow's Mouth', right?"

"That is only a small part of your talent."

"If you can dig deep into your talent, perhaps you could become an existence like the Twelve Pillars of the Nation."

Yun Luo was left dizzy by Ye Bai's words.

She only understood one thing: that her talent was incredibly awesome.

It was only because of insufficient energy that it manifested as the ability of a Crow's Mouth.

"Then how should I practice my talent?"

Yun Luo asked with great interest.

"What you need to learn is the technique of speaking."

"For example, say to it, 'You are not doing well'."

Yun Luo looked at a duck similar to the one from before and said directly, "You are finished."

At this moment, Yun Luo felt an inexplicable energy being drawn out from her body.

That duck was flying in mid-air when a collapsing tree branch smashed its head flat.

This was a free duck, just like that.

Yun Luo felt slightly hungrier; this should be the normal reaction of her body after using her talent.

Silently asking for votes. I got home too late today. Starting tomorrow until the end of July, four chapters every day.

(End of this chapter)