Chapter 358: Spiritual Quality Rises Again

On the rack, Dragon Fubo gleamed brilliantly, its blade reflecting sunlight in shifting glimmers, as if coated with fine gun oil.

Liang Qu gripped the long spear, and the feeling of it being an extension of his arm remained unchanged.

Even more so…

"Its spiritual quality has increased."

The entire Dragon Fubo settled into his palm, transforming into an unyielding long dragon, its vitality far surpassing that of the Yuanmu Bow!

"Strange."

Liang Qu walked to the window; tall and long-armed, he bent down and seized the Flying Dragon leaning against the wall.

The entire Flying Dragon stared blankly, devoid of any vitality or spirit, its fluffy chest feathers curled, emitting a pungent smell of burnt fur.

His perception spread, his ear-sense method discerning.

No change at all.

Only faint threads of Redfire Bird qi clung to its body, but that qi was continuously dissipating.

Liang Qu frowned slightly.

The dissipation of qi often signaled death.

Zhang Da's wife rushed out from the kitchen, holding a cleaver; seeing the Flying Dragon in Liang Qu's hand, she let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Master, I thought it had run away! The water was already boiling, and I discovered the chicken was gone! I was terrified—it's all my fault for not tying the rope well enough, giving it a chance to escape. I'll go kill and pluck it right away."

"Wait, don't eat it for now—prepare something else tonight."

Zhang Da's wife had no objection; whether cooking rice or not, it was all just cooking.

Watching the Redfire Bird's qi on the Flying Dragon continue to unravel, Liang Qu mounted Chishan and raced swiftly toward Pingyang County to find Master Lu Gang.

Inside Lu's residence.

Lu Gang listened to Liang Qu's account, picked up Dragon Fubo, then took the Flying Dragon in hand.

Within moments, the Redfire Bird's qi on the flower-tailed hazel chicken had nearly vanished.

Fortunately, Chishan ran fast; otherwise, what Lu Gang received might have been nothing more than a simple, dumb chicken.

After a moment of silence, Lu Gang said uncertainly:

"The Redfire Bird is probably dead?"

"Master, why?"

From the gleaming Dragon Fubo and the dull, vacant Flying Dragon, Liang Qu roughly guessed the outcome of its demise.

Lu Gang had previously said the Redfire Bird within Dragon Fubo might not have perished completely, its spirit still lurking.

But he couldn't fathom how this outcome had come to pass.

Lu Gang's gaze shifted repeatedly between Dragon Fubo and the Flying Dragon, gradually connecting his thoughts.

Previously, the Redfire Bird had fully hidden itself, undetectable by either its master or Dragon Fubo itself, yet through daily nurturing, its life was slowly worn away.

The Redfire Bird, unwilling to die, sensed a nearby feathered insect and, driven by instinct, attempted rebirth—but Dragon Fubo seized the opportunity to devour it.

Once a spirit weapon is formed, though sharing the same root as the medium providing its spirit, it becomes a separate life; the Redfire Bird was no match for it, otherwise it wouldn't have needed to hide.

Thus, Dragon Fubo seized the chance to consume the Redfire Bird's final spiritual essence.

By the time the Redfire Bird broke free and entered the Flying Dragon, it was already spent, even weaker than a wild chicken.

Their consciousnesses mutually eroded, resulting in the current half-dazed, half-stupid flower-tailed hazel chicken.

Had you not gone to Huazhu County, the Redfire Bird might truly have had a chance at rebirth—but over two full months, its own spiritual essence had been greatly depleted, and the effort fell short at the final moment.

Congratulations, younger brother. Dragon Fubo is now fully complete. A great demon with such vibrant vitality as the Redfire Bird is exceedingly rare—truly hard-won."

Liang Qu took back Dragon Fubo, his emotions strangely stirred.

The Redfire Bird, once a great demon, had first battled a toad, forced to shed its feathers and rebirth, submerging in deep water for a full year.

Then it fell into a furnace, forged into a spirit weapon—yet even then, it had not perished completely, lurking within the spirit weapon.

Who could have imagined that the Redfire Bird, surviving countless hardships and clinging to a single thread of life, would meet such a dramatic end?

It died in its final desperate struggle.

Having clarified the cause and confirmed Dragon Fubo was unharmed, Liang Qu took leave of Lu Gang.

In the courtyard, the flower-tailed hazel chicken hopped about, dazed and foolish.

Liang Qu went to the kitchen, grabbed a handful of rice, and scattered it on the ground.

The flower-tailed hazel chicken sidestepped several inches, then bent down to peck at the soil.

The stupid chicken couldn't even peck the rice correctly.

Keep it.

Though unaware of the stupid chicken's use, its ability to face the Redfire Bird proved heaven's mercy for life—killing it for meat would be a waste.

Wulong dashed out of the kitchen with a meat slice in its mouth; upon seeing the stupid chicken, its ears twitched.

Moments later.

The stupid chicken flapped its wings; Wulong leapt and chased after it.

A chicken and a dog raced wildly around the courtyard.

Liang Qu gripped Dragon Fubo, his mind calm as still water, practicing the Azure Dragon Seven Killings with the fully awakened Dragon Fubo.

The long spear swung like a furious dragon's tail, carving out streaks of sharp golden light.

Perfectly in harmony, utterly exhilarating!

During practice, last night's dream and today's reality overlapped, propelling him upward.

The previously unfamiliar fourth and fifth forms gradually transformed from awkwardness into familiarity.

Especially the first three forms, long mastered—now the spear blade's combinations stirred gale-force winds, as if countless azure dragons bloomed, endlessly shifting.

The more he practiced, the more Liang Qu sensed Dragon Fubo's astonishing spiritual quality, growing utterly enamored.

Every thrust aligned perfectly with his intent, each motion crisp and agile—the sensation of cutting through all things, severing all barriers, was truly addictive!

All because of a tiny Flying Dragon.

Fate and timing!

Such opportunities are rare.

For the next two days, Liang Qu stayed entirely at home, using the old clam to absorb water essence and cultivate his martial arts.

With Erlang's enhancement, his progress was remarkable, improving daily.

Fat Catfish carried his basket around daily, trying to lure out the two Dragon People from the Great Marsh.

The two had taken a basket of crabs and vanished without a trace—no clues whatsoever.

Meanwhile, people from Huazhu County had been returning one by one.

Including Liang Qu's subordinates, the River God and the two River Masters.

The three returned and immediately came to report, then received two tasks.

First, patrol all three towns and eight villages nearby, checking for any incidents or need for water infrastructure repairs.

Second, summon the shopkeeper of Langyun Tower and check whether Xiang Fang Su and others touring Jiangling County had returned.

When you have subordinates, you assign them work.

The pond's crabs had multiplied, yet no food had been given; after too long without feeding, they began consuming their own energy and would grow thin.

That afternoon.

The shopkeeper of Langyun Tower arrived by carriage from the county seat.

Yang Dong's entire sect, since the days when Pingyang was still a town, had always been a loyal customer of Langyun Tower—naturally, he dared not be negligent.

Liang Qu did not mince words; he instructed the shopkeeper to prepare chefs and staff in advance.

He did not intend to host the event at Langyun Tower, but staff had to be borrowed—the crab roe buns, crab rice, and crab-stuffed oranges all required chefs, not merely steaming them on a pot.

It was equivalent to assigning Langyun Tower's chefs to work off-site, arranged ahead of time to avoid chaos later.

"Young Master Liang, rest assured—over the past two days, we've had ample staff, all master chefs. We'll handle everything properly for you."

"Good. Prepare twenty sets of crab-disassembling tools…"

As Liang Qu gave a few more instructions to the Langyun Tower shopkeeper, he suddenly heard an unusual noise from the adjacent pond—loud and chaotic.

He asked Fan Xing to see off the Langyun shopkeeper, then curiosity led him to the pond, where he saw several familiar figures.

The scar-faced otter in the yellow robe!

After several days, the scar-faced River Otter's bearing had grown even more solemn; the water stains on its body clearly indicated it had traveled in and out of underground rivers.

At the scar-faced River Otter's arrival, the entire pond erupted into chaos—all otters formed a large circle, shouting and cheering.

Fists climbed out of its burrow to watch the spectacle, even the one who normally couldn't move had unusually skipped its afternoon nap.

Only a few beavers had changed their usual behavior, trembling and huddling inside their wooden huts.

Two of the smaller ones were frantically gnawing at wooden stakes to relieve their stress.

Previously caught in the otter battle, their noses swollen and faces bruised, their homes destroyed—they still trembled with lingering fear, unable to help being terrified.

The large beaver spotted Liang Qu and quickly shifted its broad body to make space.

It waved its paws, tapping the ground, signaling Liang Qu to join it inside the wooden hut for safety.

Otters fight—no mercy for kin!

Liang Qu politely declined the large beaver's offer.

Within the circle formed by all the otters, Otter Kai had assumed a monkey fist stance, facing off against the scar-faced River Otter.

After being completed and trained in monkey fist, Otter Kai's combat spirit was high, determined to avenge past humiliations.

The scar-faced River Otter, draped in yellow robes, revealed half its furry shoulder, one hand clasped in prayer; now that it had attained sudden enlightenment, it had no desire to quarrel with Otter Kai—but Otter Kai refused to relent, leaping left and right.

The scar-faced River Otter, still new to the Buddhist path, could not contain its anger; in a fit of rage, it suddenly tore off its yellow robe, letting it flutter and hang from a tree branch.

Too much bullying!