Chapter 20: The Shang Family

Reality proves that those who can speak are not necessarily demon beasts, but could also be parrots.

"What kind of demon bird is this!"

Lu Yang was furious. A suction force appeared in his palm, and he pulled the parrot over at once. The parrot didn't even have a chance to react before it was captured.

The Township Head could also do this, but the Township Head thought it was some Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment demon beast, so he didn't dare to do so.

"Demon beast! There's a demon beast!" The parrot chirped endlessly.

Hearing the movement in the room, Tao Yaoye hurried over to check, and her mood was about the same as Lu Yang's.

It's a good thing the mission is completed, and it's a good thing there's no need to fight, but the problem is that they traveled all the way from the Seeking Dao Sect and took a flying boat for three days just to catch a parrot?

How to write the mission report? It would be a joke if it got out.

The people of Taiping Township had little experience and didn't recognize this bird from the depths of the rainforest, but Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye knew it. This was the most basic knowledge in the Seeking Dao Sect.

"Worthy of being Daoist priests, they easily captured the demon bird!" After the Township Head and others learned that the parrot had been caught, they praised Lu Yang one after another, saying that his cultivation was profound.

The two were helpless and patiently explained to everyone that this was a very ordinary bird, just not common in the north of the continent.

"This parrot... or what you call a demon bird, is best at imitating people speaking."

"Imitating people speaking, imitating people speaking." The parrot kept chirping on the side. Lu Yang pinched the parrot's beak and continued to explain to everyone.

"It shouting 'Zhang Guanjia is a monster' is not what it wanted to shout itself, but it heard Tailor Feng shout 'monster' before, so it followed suit. When it met Zhang Guanjia, it happened to repeat it."

Zhang Guanjia breathed a sigh of relief. Worthy of being a disciple of the Seeking Dao Sect, he cleared his grievances as soon as he arrived.

"Similarly, it shouting 'Who are you, where is Zhang Guanjia?' is the same. It cannot understand the meaning of this sentence, but just heard it from somewhere and repeated it meaninglessly."

"Damn this broken bird, watch me kill it." Zhang Guanjia was furious when he saw the parrot.

Lu Yang raised his hand to stop Zhang Guanjia: "This place is half a continent away from the rainforest. This bird definitely didn't fly here by itself, but was brought here by someone."

"Except for someone who is bored and spares no effort to cross half a continent to bring this parrot, which is useless except for being rare, only the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce would specifically do such a thing."

"Is there a Landing Money Chamber of Commerce here?"

The Township Head shook his head: "The chamber of commerce won't open in our poor and remote place. However, there is one in Quhe County, located in the most prosperous area, with an endless stream of people. It is possible that someone bought the parrot from the chamber of commerce and it accidentally escaped."

As for the parrot escaping directly from the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce, that is absolutely impossible.

Lu Yang asked again: "This bird has been circling Taiping Township for twenty days and hasn't gone anywhere else. Maybe its owner is here. I wonder if the Township Head has any ideas?"

The Township Head thought for a long time before saying: "People in this township all know about the demon bird. If there is anyone who might not know, it is the Shang family in the east."

"The Shang family rarely goes out and is unwilling to talk to people. It is said that it is because the head of the Shang family is also a cultivator who suffered setbacks when he was young, his cultivation plummeted, and since then he has lost the heart to cultivate and lived in seclusion here."

"The Shang family's financial resources are also considerable, and they are the richest in the area. If it is said that they bought the demon bird from the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce, it makes sense."

"In that case, let's go and ask the Shang family."

Taiping Township is not big, and the three people and one bird soon arrived at the entrance of the Shang family.

After a knock on the door, someone soon opened it. It was a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache, and his Confucian robe made him look refined.

"So it's the Township Head. I don't know who these two are, so I can report to the master." The man with the handlebar mustache said.

Lu Yang pinched the parrot's wings, like carrying a rooster waiting to be slaughtered when visiting relatives during the New Year: "We accidentally found this parrot, and after asking around, we felt it might belong to the Shang family, so we came to ask."

The man with the handlebar mustache first saw Tao Yaoye and was surprised. He had never seen a woman as beautiful as Tao Yaoye.

He looked at the green parrot and showed a joyful smile: "So that's how it is. Thank you, two young heroes. This should be our young lady's parrot. Since the parrot was lost, she has been depressed all day, which makes us servants very troubled."

"If the young lady knows that the parrot has been found, I don't know how happy she will be."

The Township Head tilted his head and whispered: "He is the steward of the Shang family, surnamed Zhang. Every time I come to the Shang family, he opens the door."

Steward Zhang ran to report in a hurry and soon got a reply.

"The master invites the three of you in."

Passing through the screen door, passing the outer courtyard, from the second gate to the corridor and then to the main room, only then did they see the head of the Shang family.

The head of the Shang family was plump, and the gloom on his face kept people thousands of miles away, unwilling to talk too much with people. However, seeing the Township Head, it could be seen that he was quite happy.

"Old Brother Huang, it's been a long time."

The Township Head's surname is Huang.

The two bowed to each other.

The head of the Shang family looked at the parrot for a moment and nodded: "Well, it can't be wrong. This is what my daughter bought from the Landing Money Chamber of Commerce in the county. At that time, I thought this broken bird was not worth much money, and the chamber of commerce asked for an exorbitant price. My daughter didn't agree and insisted on buying it, so I had to follow her wishes."

"Steward Zhang, you take the two young heroes to see Xiaoyuan."

"Yes, master."

Steward Zhang made a gesture of invitation and beckoned a maid to serve tea and water for the head of the Shang family and Township Head Huang.

On the way, Tao Yaoye asked casually: "How long has Steward Zhang been in the Shang family?"

Steward Zhang said respectfully: "The master saved me on the way to seclusion, and since then I have served the master. Calculating the time, it has been twenty years. At that time, the young lady had not yet been born."

"So speaking, the relationship between Miss Shang and you should be quite good."

"To tell you two young heroes, the young lady grew up watching me. I have no children, so I treat the young lady as my own daughter. The young lady is depressed all day, and I, as a steward, feel sorry for her."

Lu Yang suddenly asked: "Were you there when the parrot was lost?"

Steward Zhang sighed, and one could feel the self-blame in his tone: "I was distracted at the time and didn't notice the parrot flying away. If I had paid more attention at that time, I would definitely not have let the young lady be so sad. This is my dereliction of duty."

Lu Yang said "Oh" and didn't say anything more.

Steward Zhang knocked three times and said unhurriedly: "Young lady, your escaped parrot has been found. It's two young heroes wandering the rivers and lakes who brought the parrot here."

A voice came from the room: "Then let them in."

"Yes."

Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye opened the door. Miss Shang was leaning against the window, reading quietly. The evening sunlight shone on her hair, as if time had frozen, with a kind of static beauty.

In Taiping Township, there were countless young men who were infatuated with Miss Shang.

Lu Yang kindly reminded: "Reading in the sun is not good for your eyes, especially at sunset. Light a lamp, your father is not short of money." ===== CHAPTER 21 =====