Chapter 8: Owl

Lu Mi merely had a sudden flash of inspiration—he didn’t truly intend to act on it.

Leaving aside that the event happened so many years ago, owls live far shorter lives than humans; the one that flew in at the wizard’s death must have long since rotted to mud, and the sheer number of owls in this mountain range alone made Lu Mi lose all desire to pursue the trail.

Too many!

That owl had no distinctive features… no, the legends never described its appearance, and Na Luo Ka hadn’t mentioned any details either… we still didn’t ask carefully enough… Lu Mi snapped back to attention and smiled at Lei Mengde:

“An owl connected to a wizard might live a hundred years.”

Seeing Lei Mengde grow even more fearful, he reassured him:

“Relax—it’s the last resort. I don’t want to face a monster.”

“Let’s ask other elders. Maybe there are key clues Na Luo Ka overlooked.”

He then spoke in a persuasive tone:

“If I were the wizard, I’d never carry all my treasure with me or keep it at home—I’d hide part of it somewhere, so if the Inquisition suddenly raided and I had to flee at once, I wouldn’t be left with an empty purse.”

One of the Inquisition’s key duties within the Church of the Eternal Sun was to eradicate all wizards and witches, and tales of their “great deeds” were widely spread throughout the countryside.

“That’s right!” Lei Mengde perked up again.

He said with longing:

“Too bad so much time has passed—the Church must have spent all those treasures long ago.”

“Young man, that idea of yours is dangerous,” Lu Mi teased.

The two continued visiting elderly villagers: Old Pierre of the Moris family, Na Fei Li Ya, and others.

Though their answers were much like Na Luo Ka’s, Lu Mi and Lei Mengde, now seasoned by experience, extracted more details.

For instance, the owl was large to medium-sized, typical of its kind: sharp beak, cat-like face, brown feathers speckled with fine dots, pale brown sclera, black pupils…

But its body was a full size larger than similar owls, and its eyes seemed capable of turning, unlike the stiff, vacant gaze of its kin.

In every description, these differences made the owl appear more sinister.

“Looks like we’ve got no useful leads,” Lu Mi said to Lei Mengde on the path to the village square. “We’ll have to focus on other legends.”

“Mm.” Lei Mengde was no longer as discouraged as at first. “Which one?”

This guy’s so eager and hardworking… Lu Mi silently praised him, ready to reward Lei Mengde.

He nodded and said:

“Go home, think carefully, and we’ll decide tomorrow.”

“I’ll teach you combat techniques this afternoon.”

“Great!” Lei Mengde was delighted by this unexpected offer.

Aurora was an excellent fighter—how else could she handle some of the village’s crude, violent men? Her brother probably wasn’t bad either.

After bidding farewell to Lei Mengde Kleig, Lu Mi turned onto the path leading to his home.

After walking a while, he saw several men approaching from the opposite direction.

The leader was in his prime, under 1.7 meters tall, wearing a white robe, with faint black hair on his head.

He carried an air of authority; his features were merely ordinary, his nose slightly upturned, and his blue eyes fixed on Lu Mi with unmasked loathing and malice.

This was Father Gu Yaomu Beni, the parish priest of the Church of the Eternal Sun stationed in Kerdou Village.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Gu Yaomu Beni said in a low voice. “Did you deliberately bring those outsiders to the church?”

“I thought you were sleeping inside,” Lu Mi said, forcing an explanation as he subtly stepped backward.

He recognized the man beside Gu Yaomu Beni as his brother, Peng Si Beni—early thirties, muscular, domineering, fond of bullying villagers.

The others were enforcers who followed him and the parish priest.

Seeing Lu Mi retreat, Gu Yaomu Beni gave Peng Si a glance.

Peng Si Beni grinned wickedly and stepped forward:

“You little bastard, come meet your father, Peng Si!”

Before he finished speaking, he lunged at Lu Mi with increased speed; the other enforcers followed suit.

In a backwater like Kerdou Village, reason couldn’t silence people or earn apologies—only direct, forceful action inspired fear, and Father Gu Yaomu Beni knew this well and always acted accordingly. So the moment he confirmed those outsiders had been brought by Lu Mi, he decided to seize the boy, beat him severely, beat him until he couldn’t get out of bed for a month, and beat him until someone paid him compensation.

Of course, avoid Aurora.

As for the law, a single word to the magistrate and land judge, Bei Aosite, would suffice—the city’s constables wouldn’t bother trekking out to the countryside over a mere brawl.

And Bei Aosite, as an outsider, wouldn’t offend a local-born priest like him unless there was a major conflict of interest.

What made Gu Yaomu Beni feel lucky was that those outsiders hadn’t spread word of his affair with the magistrate’s wife, Pu Alishi. They still didn’t know.

They moved fast—but Lu Mi moved faster. The moment Peng Si opened his mouth, Lu Mi spun around and sprinted away.

He knew the nature and methods of this priest’s gang all too well.

Once, a villager had reported to the Church of the Eternal Sun in the city that Gu Yaomu Beni had multiple mistresses, embezzled offerings to the Eternal Sun, and bullied villagers without restraint—nothing like a proper clergyman. Later that afternoon, the villager inexplicably fell to his death.

Thud-thud-thud!

Lu Mi ran so fast he stirred up a gust of wind.

“Wait for your father!” Peng Si shouted as he chased, his pace surprisingly swift.

The enforcers followed close behind.

Bursting out of the narrow path, Lu Mi didn’t flee along the main road—he dashed straight into the nearest house.

The household was preparing lunch in their kitchen, which doubled as a living room, when suddenly this man burst in.

Whoosh—Lu Mi dodged past them and leapt out the window at the back of the kitchen.

By the time Peng Si and the others entered, the homeowner had recovered his wits, stood up to block them, and demanded:

“What’s going on?”

“What are you doing?”

“Old man, get out of the way!” Peng Si shoved the male homeowner aside harshly—but it cost him precious time.

By the time they reached the window and climbed out, Lu Mi had already vanished down another narrow path.

After chasing further, they lost Lu Mi’s trail completely.

“Damn dog!” Peng Si spat a greenish wad of phlegm onto the roadside.

…………

Outside the semi-subterranean two-story building.

Lu Mi steadied his breathing, then opened the door as if nothing had happened.

“One-two-three-four, two-two-three-four…” A rhythmic chant reached his ears.

Lu Mi glanced toward the open space beside the kitchen and saw Aurora, her golden hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a linen shirt and snug white trousers, dark brown suede short boots, jumping and hopping, drenched in sweat.

—In Kerdou Village, the custom was that most of the first floor served as the kitchen—the heart of the home, where cooking, eating, and socializing all took place.

Again, working out… Lu Mi was already familiar with this scene and wasn’t surprised.

Aurora often did strange things and never explained why.

At least exercising was good—and quite pleasing to watch… Lu Mi moved closer and watched in silence.

After a while, Aurora stopped exercising, bent down, and turned off the black battery-powered tape recorder.

She took the white towel Lu Mi offered, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and instructed:

“Remember to learn combat this afternoon.”

“I’ve got to study and learn combat—do you expect too much from me?” Lu Mi complained offhandedly.

Aurora glanced at him and smiled sweetly:

“Remember, our goal is comprehensive development: morality, intellect, physical strength, aesthetic appreciation, and labor ability!”

The more she spoke, the happier she became, as if recalling some wonderful memory or amusing incident.

Morality? I’ve already failed that… Lu Mi muttered silently.

He changed the subject:

“What kind of combat?”

One thing he never understood was how someone as delicate as Aurora could be a combat master, wielding techniques from many schools and always overpowering him effortlessly.

Aurora thought carefully, leaned slightly forward, tilted her face up, and looked directly into Lu Mi’s eyes.

Then she chuckled loudly:

“Rape prevention techniques!”

“Huh?” Lu Mi blinked. “Isn’t that for girls?”

Aurora straightened up, her face serious, and said solemnly:

“Boys need to protect themselves too when they’re out.”

“Who says boys can’t be targeted by predators?”

The smile curling at her lips could no longer be hidden.

Unsure whether his sister was joking or serious, Lu Mi stayed silent, took back the white towel, and headed for the stairs.

Suddenly, his foot caught on something—he stumbled forward violently.

Mid-air, Lu Mi tightened his abdominal muscles, thrust out his arm, pressed against a nearby chair, twisted his body, and barely landed safely.

Aurora retracted her foot and chuckled:

“One key principle of combat is constant awareness of your surroundings—no room for carelessness.”

“Got it, my rookie brother?”

Just then, her right hand had already gripped the back of Lu Mi’s shirt—but seeing he regained control, she pulled back.

“That’s because I trust you too much…” Lu Mi muttered.

He thought it over, then realized such trust was meaningless—he’d suffered countless similar humiliations before Aurora.

Aurora coughed softly and smoothed her expression:

“How did your conversation with that woman go?”

Lu Mi recounted the dialogue briefly, then added:

“I plan to wait for your friends’ replies before considering exploring the dreams.”

“Wise choice,” Aurora nodded in satisfaction.

Lu Mi changed the subject:

“What are we having for lunch?”

“There’s some toast left from morning—I’ll roast four lamb chops for you,” Aurora said after thinking.

“What about you?” Lu Mi pressed.

Aurora said casually:

“I’ll have a truffle and bamboo chicken thread, then add a cheese and onion soup—I tried it last time and found it quite…”

Before she could finish, her body suddenly stiffened.

The next instant, she raised her hands to cover her ears, her facial muscles twisting.

This made her beauty appear almost monstrous.

Lu Mi watched silently, his eyes filled with concern and worry.

After a while, Aurora exhaled deeply and returned to normal.

Her forehead was again slick with sweat.

“What happened?” Lu Mi asked.

Aurora smiled:

“My tinnitus flared up again—you know I’ve had this old problem.”

Lu Mi did not press further, instead saying:

“Alright, I’ll make lunch—you rest well.”

Every time this happened, his desire to obtain transcendent power grew more urgent and resolute.

(End of Chapter)