```
"The master flicked his sleeve robe—what do you think happened? He released the Red Bird! Although it was late, it was also fast. Like a streak of red lightning, the Red Bird swooped toward the Gu Eagle in a flash! In two or three moves, red light filled the sky, and the old vulture's feathers started falling like rain…"
Zhong Minyan was so animated that you'd think he was a professional storyteller. He has always been a great speaker, not just captivating Linglong with his tale but also engrossing Du Minxing. Xuanji was nodding continuously as if she had really witnessed the scene.
Only Yu Sifeng was off to the side, dousing him with cold water without warmth or chill: "More feathers fell from the Red Bird, and moreover, later on, it was pounced upon by the Heavenly Dog and got injured."
"I was getting to that!" Zhong Minyan glared at him, quite displeased with his interrupting habit, "Later… the Red Bird's cultivation wasn't enough, and it was bitten by the Heavenly Dog. However, the master and uncle immediately sprang into action! Suddenly, myriad sword lights flashed, like ten thousand silver dragons biting at the old vulture's vital points…"
"It was the Heavenly Dog, and, not sword lights, but vinegar pots." Yu Sifeng kindly reminded him.
Zhong Minyan continued to glare at him, "It was vinegar pots! Ten million vinegar pots smashing onto the Heavenly Dog's head!"
"Only two of them."
Zhong Minyan sprang up, "Hey, what do you mean! Don't sabotage me like this!"
Yu Sifeng replied indifferently, "I'm merely, speaking the truth."
"You…" Zhong Minyan really felt like hitting someone.
"Oh come on, enough!" Linglong was dying of impatience and kept waving her hands, "Sifeng, say less! Let Xiao Liuzi speak! I want to know how did daddy and the others subdue that Gu Eagle in the end? They didn't bring it back with them!"
Zhong Minyan placed his hands on his hips and laughed loudly: "Hahaha! You are asking the right person! They didn't see it, only I did!"
"Then tell us quickly!"
Zhong Minyan cleared his throat and took a sip of tea before speaking: "That Gu Eagle, badly injured by the master and the others, escaped into a cave. Aiya, that was dangerous! Why do you ask? Because we were all hiding inside the cave! As I saw the old vulture flying in, I immediately grabbed Xuanji onto my back and led Sifeng as we turned to run deeper!"
"It was me, carrying Xuanji. You were dazed."
Ignore him, ignore him!
He continued: "No matter how we ran, we couldn't outpace the old vulture. Just as its iron claws were about to clutch at us, I placed Xuanji into a side tunnel and turned back with a move 'Golden Peng Spread Wings,' cutting off the old vulture's iron claws with my sword…"
"Cutting off, the claws, that was me. You almost, got killed by it."
...
"The old vulture's claws were so hard, its claws broke, and so did my sword. Weaponless, and seeing the situation turn sour, I immediately took the injured Sifeng and hid in a side tunnel. Xuanji was the most useless girl, falling sick with fever at the critical moment, scaring us to death! Fortunately, afterward…!"
He suddenly stopped short, breaking off at the most thrilling part.
"What happened after that? Tell us!" Linglong was almost fuming with urgency. Seeing Zhong Minyan still in a daze, she asked Yu Sifeng, "What exactly happened in the end?"
Yu Sifeng shook his head: "I don't know, I, had fainted."
He looked toward Zhong Minyan, also eager to know what had actually happened later on, why the Gu Eagle disappeared, and why they were all safe and sound.
Zhong Minyan bit his lip, stayed silent for a long time, and looked at Xuanji with a complex expression. She, oblivious to everything, was excitedly waiting for the answer.
His heart trembled. How should he put it, that she killed the Gu Eagle...no, she ate it! That's why she recovered so quickly, having slept for so many days... He would never forget the contented smile she had at that moment, more horrifying than ten thousand nightmares combined.
"Later on...I fainted too," he stammered, "So I also don't know what happened. It must have been the master who arrived and finished it off...When I woke up, I was already in the inn."
"Tsk—"
Everyone expressed their anticlimactic disappointment with a chorus of tisks.
Zhong Minyan hastily said, "Hey, not seeing isn't a crime, right! If I had the master's ability, of course, I could have seen what happened afterward!"
Linglong faced him, continually scolding him, "Shameless! Bragging earlier on! Just admit you didn't see it!"
"I...!" He wanted to argue, but then shrank back and pursed his lips, not saying another word.
```
Everyone chatted leisurely for a while, and as the sky began to darken, Du Minxing said, "It's time for dinner. Let's all go to Mei Ting Courtyard on the back mountain together. Sect Leader's wife mentioned earlier that we'd dine there tonight."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Yu Sifeng and added with a smile, "Si Feng, come join us. No one from Lize Palace has arrived yet, so they are likely to arrive tomorrow."
Yu Sifeng was stunned; his master and the others hadn't arrived yet! He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
Linglong tugged at Zhong Minyan's hair, pestering him insistently, "Xiao Liuzi, guess what delicious dishes mother had the kitchen prepare to treat you all tonight?"
Zhong Minyan was in a bad mood, but he didn't want to disappoint Linglong, so he forced a smile and guessed, "Is it eight-treasure duck? Or perhaps emerald fish boat? Hmm, could it be rainbow beef fillet?"
Linglong teased his face, giggling and shaking her head repeatedly, urging him to guess again.
Suddenly, Xuanji had an inspiration, "Could it be Peach Seed Chicken Cubes?"
She remembered that during previous meals together, both she and Zhong Minyan were particularly fond of this dish, often polished off in no time. Knowing their tastes, their mother would certainly have it made.
Linglong tugged at her pigtail, saying, "You're really clever, managing to guess it right away! But today's dish was personally cooked by mother, huh, if there's even a little left over, you know..."
She glared at Yu Sifeng, always feeling that this person from the Central Plains who didn't speak well liked to contradict others.
Yu Sifeng had no choice but to lower his head and touch his nose, reminding himself that a good man does not quarrel with women.
Right away, the group made their way to Mei Ting Courtyard on the back mountain, encountering other disciples along the road. They laughed and talked about their demon-hunting experiences, each one envious of the special treatment Zhong Minyan received.
Amidst the laughter, Zhong Minyan's spirits finally lifted slightly and, caught up in the excitement, he began to storytell.
They spoke all the way to Mei Ting Courtyard, with Xuanji the most eager of all, rushing through the doors as soon as they arrived, to find He Danping sitting in a chair, her face full of anxious anticipation.
She called out with a loud voice, "Mother!"
And then, she threw herself into her arms, refusing to let go for a long time.
There's no place like home, she thought to herself.
Seeing her beloved daughter safe and sound, He Danping's face was already aglow with joy. She hugged her and carefully examined her head, neck, hands, and feet, softly saying, "This morning, your father and I were just talking about your absence. Finally, you have come home tonight. I heard you fell ill; are you better now?"
Xuanji nodded eagerly, "I've been well for a while now. Aunt Hong said I slept for three days, but I didn't feel it at all."
He Danping patted her head and sighed softly, "You always make me worry."
"But I'm fine now," she said with a smile, suddenly remembering something and hastily turned to pull Zhong Minyan and Yu Sifeng over.
"Mother, on the way, I was blessed to have Sixth Brother and Si Feng taking care of me. Si Feng is from Lize Palace, he knows a lot of things, and I really admire him," she said in praise, which caused Yu Sifeng's face to nearly burst with blush. He could only bow awkwardly and respectfully to He Danping, "I've met, Sect Leader, madam."
He Danping regarded him kindly and said gently, "Don't be formal, and thank you for taking care of Xuanji on the journey. Come, have a seat. Si Feng, make yourself at home, no need to be reserved."
Zhong Minyan smirked, "He won't be reserved. He's the one who always likes to disagree with people."
Yu Sifeng glared at him.
He Danping looked at Zhong Minyan with a smile and spoke softly, "Min Yan has grown up a lot too, no longer the little boy he was. It seems that this demon hunting has been a good experience. It's good for young people to go out and see more of the world."
As she continued to talk to her disciples, Linglong grew impatient and exclaimed, "Mother, stop talking so much! Serve the food! We're starving!"
He Danping was in a delightful mood with her daughter safely home and had personally cooked several small stir-fries, leaving everyone almost drooling with anticipation.
The previously suspected contrarian, Yu Sifeng, ended up eating more than anyone else and was completely stuffed.