The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#198 - Someone's bad taste

Lu Jing and the others were still somewhat doubtful that the maddeningly awful screech from before had actually come from this drab little nightingale.

But then, the next moment, they saw the bird open its beak again, emitting that bizarre noise that sounded like fingernails scratching a blackboard.

Hearing this noise, not only did Hongdou near the nest lower its head, but even Chicken Leg began to struggle violently in Xia Huai's hand, craning its neck and flapping its wings, trying to fly towards the source of the sound.

The girl was worried about hurting her messenger, so she had no choice but to release her grip.

Regaining its freedom, Chicken Leg immediately took flight, unhesitatingly darting towards the bird's nest.

Seeing this scene, the three were all surprised.

They wondered just what kind of background that drab little nightingale had, that it could make the exceptionally proud Hongdou and the unruly Chicken Leg so docile.

But now was not the time to be thinking about such things; the most urgent task was to call back the two birds as quickly as possible.

However, both Yang Tao and Xia Huai were first-time messenger owners and had no experience with messengers going out of control and being lured away. They stood in front of the cave, calling out to Hongdou and Chicken Leg for a long time, but the two birds, who had previously been in sync with them and quite tacit, showed no reaction at all.

So Lu Jing suggested, "I'll go up and take a look. That bird has taken two hostages up there; it probably wants us to come."

"Does a nightingale really have that much cunning?" Xia Huai widened her eyes, seeming somewhat disbelieving, and then worriedly said, "But beyond here is the other world."

"Since that bird can build a nest at the cave entrance, the other world shouldn't affect this place. As long as we don't go too deep inside, there shouldn't be any danger," Lu Jing calmly analyzed.

"Then we'll go together," Yang Tao said.

"No, although I estimate that going ten zhang inside is still safe, an estimate is still just an estimate. I'll go first, and the two of you wait outside the cave. If anything really happens, someone can call for help from the professors at the academy in time."

"Then I should go. My lightness skill is more suitable for moving between the rock walls," Xia Huai volunteered.

"No, it's all because I didn't keep a good eye on my messenger, allowing it to fly up there, that everyone had to come here," Yang Tao hurriedly said, "So it's only right that I go."

Lu Jing shook his head, "Don't argue, my martial arts are the highest, so naturally, it's most appropriate for me to go. And don't forget the purpose of our coming to this valley."

Xia Huai was stunned upon hearing this, "You want that gray nightingale above to be your messenger?"

"I've fed quite a few nightingales along the way, but still, no nightingale is willing to eat my pill. And now, I have very few golden beetle jerky left. Since it's just taking a chance anyway, I might as well try it here rather than wasting it on the way back," Lu Jing said.

Hearing him say this, Xia Huai and Yang Tao couldn't refute him, and they could only urge him to be careful.

Lu Jing cautiously walked into the cave. He first tried lifting his foot and taking half a step inside, seeing that there were no strange changes in the dark and gloomy cave, and everything around was as usual.

Feeling slightly reassured, he took another half step, waiting for a moment, and seeing that there were still no changes, he then slightly quickened his pace and came to the bottom of the bird's nest.

Then, he tossed the meteorite staff in his hand to Yang Tao outside the cave for safekeeping, found a rock wall with the most uneven surface, and climbed up.

He circulated the Lesser Vajra Strength in reverse to his palms, forming suction, and with the Fire Scale Armor that had been cultivated to the third level, his fingers were as strong as steel, able to easily penetrate the soil.

Lu Jing didn't exert much effort, and he steadily climbed to the edge of the bird's nest, which was fully forty zhang above the ground.

The gray nightingale, seeing Lu Jing begin to climb towards it, immediately stopped chirping, as if afraid of disturbing Lu Jing.

This made Lu Jing even more certain that the bird was trying to attract them over.

Then, Lu Jing looked up into its nest, and besides Chicken Leg and Hongdou, he also saw two chicks, both recently hatched. This was probably why the gray nightingale had not left the nest.

However, upon closer inspection, Lu Jing discovered that there were actually three broken eggshells in the nest, which meant that one chick was missing, and another male bird was also missing.

He didn't know if it had gone out to hunt for food or if it had flown into the cave to look for the missing chick.

The female nightingale remaining in the nest chirped twice when Lu Jing approached, its voice quite anxious.

Lu Jing could understand its anxiety. After all, newly hatched chicks are generally weak in their legs and feet, and they don't have many feathers on their bodies. They have no ability to live independently. Once they leave the nest, their lives enter a countdown, and they won't live for long.

Therefore, every minute that passed reduced the hope of its child returning.

Lu Jing had originally been thinking about whether to go back and find an instructor to solve the problem, but now it seemed like it might be too late.

With his current skills, he could already walk unhindered in the martial world, with almost no natural enemies.

However, facing the unpredictable Eight Scenes of the academy, and the most mysterious and ancient of the Eight Scenes, Lu Jing also felt somewhat uncertain.

Just then, the gray nightingale suddenly spread its wings and flew out of its nest, then used its beak to peck open the small cloth bag tied to Lu Jing's waist.

It dumped the contents of the small cloth bag into Lu Jing's empty hand, used its foot to push aside the remaining two pieces of golden beetle jerky, picked out the pill from among them, and then called out to the darkness at the other end of the cave, as if urging Lu Jing to set off.

"Are you saying that as long as I help you find your missing child, you'll let it be my messenger?" Although Lu Jing didn't think the gray nightingale in front of him could understand his words, he couldn't help but ask.

Then, the gray nightingale actually nodded, and then it raised its tail.

Lu Jing saw a red bloodstain on its butt!

Because a long, long time ago, there was also a young man who came to the valley with such a bag, wanting it to be his messenger.

"That senior... must have been an eccentric person who enjoyed life," Lu Jing said after staring at the mischievous fingerprint on the gray nightingale's butt for a long time.