"It's that Water Mimic Bird... Brother Yu Dao, you must help me this time!"
Upon hearing Bao Guang's brief explanation, Yu Ci had an epiphany. The young Taoist had received a Merit Points message yesterday, tasking him to capture a Water Mimic Bird that resided in the Broken Realm Mountain Range. The reward was a hefty hundred merits, a sum so generous that even among the Group of Outer Disciples, it was considered quite substantial.
Although Yu Ci had earned three hundred Merit Points with a single Fish-Dragon, this was due to the rarity of the Fish-Dragon and the urgent need for it. In the Merit system established by the Lichen Sect, examples like the Fish-Dragon Task were few, with the total from both the levy and distribution columns unlikely to exceed ten. The vast majority of Merit Points rewards were single digits, with two or three merits being the norm.
For instance, Fish Dragon Grass, for which the entire White Sun Mansion would muster its collective strength to offer about ten stalks a year, constituted nearly all of the Lichen Sect's incoming merit in recent years. Yet, such a resource, listed in the Object Column, would only exchange for five merits per stalk.
Rewards reaching a hundred merits were not unheard of, but high returns invariably signified high difficulty.
The Water Mimic Bird was a very peculiar species. It was said that this bird had no fixed form, choosing randomly each year a migrating flock to mimic, blending in, stealing and eating their chicks - a truly detestable creature. Though it sounded bizarre, in reality, this bird merely possessed a certain Illusion Technique Ability. Such living beings were not uncommon in the Cultivation World. The Ghost Beasts of the Sky Rift Valley, for instance, were a classic example.
While not a predatory bird, its illusion skills were a real headache. Especially since this thief bird blended into large flocks of migratory birds, making it virtually indistinguishable from normal birds. If it couldn't be found, there was no question of capturing it.
"No problem helping, but from what you're saying, have you already found the Water Mimic Bird?"
The most crucial part of this task was finding traces of the Water Mimic Bird. If the task steps and rewards were broken down, the bird-seeking phase would probably account for ninety-nine merits!
Faced with Yu Ci's question, the young Taoist looked frustrated but mostly anxious, "Brother Yu Dao, Brother Yu, you must help me this time. We can talk about the rest on the way. I just missed a strike and scared the bird. If we're any later, it might fly away."
As he spoke, Bao Guang was about to pull Yu Ci onto the "Ghost Yarn Cloud" that had already landed in the courtyard. The cloud-like gauze fabric occupied most of the courtyard, and it felt as light as yarn and mist, almost without substance.
Seeing this, Yu Ci laughed, "Last time I wanted to play with it, you weren't pleased. Now you're generous."
Bao Guang blushed and was at a loss for words. Seeing this, Yu Ci stopped teasing him, shook his robe, and landed steadily beside him. Unable to contain his impatience, Bao Guang quickly recited the driving spell chant. The "Ghost Yarn Cloud" gently trembled, began to float upwards, and only stopped when it reached nearly a hundred feet in the air.
"What a treasure indeed."
Yu Ci patted the gossamer fabric beside him, expressing his genuine admiration. Perhaps in the Cultivation World, there were countless Magical Treasures and Instruments capable of flight. However, these needed to be refined over a long period by a Cultivator, and their control was closely related to the user's Cultivation Level. Typically, only a Golden Elixir Cultivator or above could command such instruments to fly.
Under such circumstances, if there was an object that, upon leaving the hands of an Artisan Master, could be controlled to fly without needing the Cultivation Level of "Separate Consciousness & Thoughts", and possessed decent maneuverability, it would be considered extremely rare, even if it were just an Artisan Tool.
Bao Guang had heard such praise countless times. With a chuckle, he changed his spell chant. The moisture in the high air converged toward him, soaking into the gossamer fabric. When the moisture accumulated to a certain degree, it gave birth to clusters of fog that wrapped around the gossamer. Sitting atop it, one would not realize it was merely gossamer, such was its wondrous nature.
At this moment, the gossamer cloud began to move. It started slowly but gained speed, drawing in the surrounding moisture under the control of the Rune Array within the gossamer, transforming it into propelling force, which was then focused and thrown backward, leaving a clear trail in the clear sky.
The "Ghost Yarn Cloud" could travel four hundred miles in an hour, roughly the same speed as a Nature-Connecting Cultivator running at full strength, but without the need to expend one's energy. Therefore, despite its slow start, the rough transitions between deceleration and acceleration, its fear of fire, and inability to fly in thunderstorms, it was still a precious treasure.
This object was a spoil of war acquired by Old Daoist Yu Zhou in his early years, after defeating a Heretical Cult that deceived the common people. The creator of the object was unknown. The people in the Heretical Cult used it to impersonate gods and deceive ordinary people. Yu Zhou, appreciating its ingenious design, collected it and later gave it to Bao Guang. Despite its sole use as a means of transportation, it was unique in the entire Lichen Sect.
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The "Ghost Yarn Cloud" traveled at full speed, and in less than half an hour, the two arrived above Nanfrost Lake. During this time, Bao Guang had already explained his previous embarrassment.
The young Taoist was usually quite lucky. Two days ago, he went to Nanfrost Lake to gather herbs and, by chance, witnessed a Water Mimic Bird changing its shape and mingling with a flock of wild ducks that had just migrated. Back at the observatory, he saw a new message in the One Mind Hall requesting the capture of a Water Mimic Bird.
Overjoyed, Bao Guang rushed over the next day, only to find that the cunning of the Water Mimic Bird far exceeded his expectations. He failed to catch the bird and was instead fooled by its illusion, suffering a loss and startling the flock of ducks. Such vigilant birds might change their habitat, and the Water Mimic Bird would undoubtedly follow. Faced with the prospect of all his efforts being in vain, the young Taoist could not accept it and hurried back to seek reinforcements.
"Pah, that Damn Beast must have flown over from the Six Barbarian Mountain," Bao Guang grumbled under his breath, to which Yu Ci responded with a chuckle.
The Six Barbarian Mountain, as it was known, was a famous mountain range located countless miles south of the Broken Realm Mountain. It was rumored to be the largest gathering area for demons and monsters in this realm. Bao Guang’s comment was a dig at the Water Mimic Bird, implying it had turned into a spirit.
The two of them stood atop the Ghost Yarn Cloud, looking down. Nestled within a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, Nanfrost Lake was serene and tranquil. This year, the reeds bloomed late, leaving a blanket of white that spread around the lake, a sight to behold from high above.
Yet, Bao Guang was uninterested in this spectacle. His attention was solely on the Water Mimic Bird. His gaze flitted among the birds taking off and landing by the lake, suddenly he exclaimed joyfully, "There, there, Brother Yu, look, it hasn't flown away yet."
Yu Ci had spotted it even before Bao Guang, indeed, a flock of grey-black wild ducks had emerged from the reeds, their presence conspicuous on the mirror-like clear lake surface. The question was, which one was the Water Mimic Bird?
Bao Guang stuttered, struggling to find his words, "It should be, it should be... The marker I made fell off!"
An awkward silence ensued on the Ghost Yarn Cloud.
Yu Ci looked at the hundred or so wild ducks frolicking on the lake, momentarily speechless. These birds were not only extremely vigilant but also fast flyers. Once startled, the hundred or so ducks would scatter, making it impossible for two people to catch a bird that had no obvious marker, was skilled in illusion, and was almost a spirit!
After a while, Yu Ci finally managed a bitter smile, "Are we sure we need it alive? Wouldn't a dead one do?"
He was considering using the Five-Thunder Talismans, a thunderous blast would wipe out all the wild ducks and the Water Mimic Bird, though it would ruin their appearance.
Bao Guang shook his head decisively, refusing to agree.
Yu Ci also shook his head, falling silent. He did have another method: deliberately scatter the flock of wild ducks and lock them in place for an extended period using the Divine Map, eventually, the Water Mimic Bird's weakness would be revealed, and they could capture it... But he was reluctant to expose the Divine Map for such a trivial matter, his relationship with Bao Guang was not that deep yet.
"Is there really no other way?"
Bao Guang hung his head in defeat, "If only we had Brother Li from Sect's Mountain Gate's 'Thousand Knot Yin Thunder Net', with its range of one mile, a single shake would prevent any bird from escaping."
The young Taoist spoke without intent, yet Yu Ci listened with interest. He did not care about Bao Guang's unintentional slip of the tongue, but was rather intrigued by the other piece of information revealed in the conversation.
"A net... wait, let me think."
Yu Ci stood at the edge of Ghost Yarn Cloud, lost in thought as he gazed at the lake. Bao Guang, on the other hand, scratched his head, "A net? A fishing net? I think it's far-fetched. These birds are very cunning, a regular net will absolutely not be able to catch them."
Yu Ci did not respond. After a long ponder, he simply sat down cross-legged, his fingers unconsciously sketching in the air. Seeing him like this, Bao Guang felt the atmosphere heavy and dared not to interrupt, only watching closely, until Yu Ci took out a scroll of silk from his Storage Ring.
Unable to contain his curiosity, the young Taoist leaned in.
What Yu Ci took out was the only cultivation scripture he had, the "Shangqing Star Secret Talisman Book", which he had taken from the Purple Thunder Immortal's sleeping chamber along with the Divine Bronze Mirror. For a long time, this Talisman Book was his only guide on the path of cultivation.
In another place and time, Yu Ci might not have openly taken it out. But these days, he had been staying at the Still Heart Temple, exchanging ideas with the Taoists there. He came to understand more clearly how enormous an entity the Lichen Sect was. With a heritage spanning tens of thousands of years, they had all kinds of miraculous skills, magical treasures, and rare items. To him, this Talisman Book was precious, but to the Lichen Sect, it probably wasn't even up to standard.
Therefore, he didn't need to hold on to it as if it were a treasure, and took it out generously for reference.
This Talisman Book was not in the form of a Jade Slip commonly used in the Cultivation World, nor was it ordinary paper. It was woven from a type of extremely tough silkworm silk, with tens of thousands of words and thousands of rune decorations stitched onto it. It's hard to imagine how much effort was put into making it.
Being made of silk, the book had no pages. It was usually rolled up and spread out when needed. Yu Ci slowly unfolded the silk, and the words and patterns flowed past his eyes like water.
Bao Guang at his side let out a "wow", making Yu Ci feel that the boy was easily surprised. Without looking up, he just made a quiet gesture, then continued to unfold and search for the Rune Patterns he remembered. Soon, he found what he was looking for.
"This is it... Yin Capital Black Law Binding Ghost Curse."
Bao Guang at his side also saw the Rune Patterns on it. But after a quick glance, his eyes nearly twisted from the complex patterns, and he couldn't help but gasp, "What is this for!"
"To make a net!"
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