Han Zhao was about to give an order to the rooster when a bone-chilling aura surged into his body.
At this moment, the rooster in his palm suddenly pecked the back of his hand.
"Ah!" Han Zhao cried out in pain. He loosened his grip and threw the rooster away.
The rooster fluttered and landed on his bed.
"You feathered beast, how dare you…" Han Zhao looked at the back of his bleeding hand and raised his hand to teach this chicken a lesson.
However, when he shifted his gaze to the bed, he was stunned.
A petite girl was hugging the cloth tightly to cover her naked body. She was curled up on his bed and looking at him with tears in her eyes.
The girl looked ordinary. Her skin was slightly dark, and she had a thin figure. She looked like a malnourished farm girl.
Noticing Han Zhao's gaze, the girl said with fear, "No…"
Han Zhao widened her eyes and stopped in her tracks. "You're a chicken? No! I mean, you're the bird just now? You're a demon?"
The young girl hid her body completely in the cloth, revealing only her small head. She said with tears in her eyes, "I… I'm called Yu Niang. I don't know either… Why did I become a bird… Boohoo…"
Through the blood connection, Han Zhao realized that the other party was not lying.
If it weren't for the fact that the girl's private parts were covered by feathers, he would have believed that she was human.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person. I won't bully you." A gentle smile appeared on Han Zhao's face. He was filled with interest in Yu Niang.
"Don't come over!" Yu Niang looked afraid. Although Han Zhao was better looking than all the opposite sexes she had seen in the past, she was still afraid.
"How about this? If you're afraid, you can change back to your bird form, okay?" Han Zhao tried his best to comfort her.
"I'll try," Yu Niang said timidly. After a while, she cried, "No, I'm hungry and don't have the strength to transform back."
"I see. I'll go buy you some food and two sets of girls' clothes. Can you wait for me at home?" Han Zhao said.
"Yes…" Yu Niang nodded.
Han Zhao put on his coat and pointed at the Essence Soul Bead on the bed. "I want to take this. I won't touch you."
Yu Niang shrank back against the wall.
Han Zhao stuffed the Essence Soul Bead into his pocket, took the money, and walked out the door.
Just as he reached the door, he stopped in his tracks and looked at Yu Niang on the bed to remind her, "It's quite chaotic here. Don't run around naked. Otherwise, your life will be in danger if you're captured by bad people, understand?"
Yu Niang nodded heavily and said in a tender voice, "Got it."
Han Zhao smiled. "I'll lock the door."
He closed the door and locked it from the outside.
Through the connection with Yu Niang, the other party could not escape, but it was better to be careful.
After Han Zhao left home, he bought two sets of female clothing from the ready-to-wear shop in Xinqiao District. He didn't know Yu Niang's figure, so it was inappropriate and wasteful to buy too many.
Then, he bought two catties of pig head meat, five roasted chickens, twenty meat buns, and a small pot of rice wine.
...
Han Zhao returned home and opened the door.
Yu Niang, who was curled up on the bed, looked up.
Although her eyes were still filled with tears, Han Zhao could clearly feel that her emotions had stabilized.
Han Zhao placed the food on the table and threw the two sets of clothes onto the bed.
"Try and see if they fit."
With that, Han Zhao walked out of the room, closed the door, and looked up at the sky.
At first, there was no movement in the room, but after a while, there was the rustling of clothes.
"It's… it's done." Yu Niang's voice came from the room.
Squeak~
Han Zhao pushed the door open and entered. He saw Yu Niang sitting on the bed in a slightly loose green cloth gown.
She looked too small.
Han Zhao walked to the cabinet and took out a pair of cloth shoes. He placed them in front of her. "These shoes are new. I haven't worn them yet. Make do with them first. I'll buy you a new pair tomorrow."
After saying that, Han Zhao brought her a basin of water. "Go wash up. Your face is full of…"
"Yes…" Yu Niang carefully put on her shoes and walked towards the wooden shelf with her head lowered.
"Hiss…" She reached her hand into the basin. Her hand trembled from the cold water, but she still lowered her head to wash her face. At the same time, she secretly sized up Han Zhao.
Han Zhao sat at the table and opened the oil paper bags containing the food one by one. Yu Niang's voice came from behind.
"Young… Young Master, I'm done."
"I'm not Old Master or Young Master. My name is Han Zhao. Call me by my name," Han Zhao said with a smile.
"Han… Han Zhao," Yu Niang muttered.
Han Zhao waved at Yu Niang. "Eat first. We'll talk about you after you're full."
Yu Niang sat diagonally opposite Han Zhao and looked at the steaming food. She subconsciously swallowed.
"Gulp~" She seemed to feel that the sound was too loud. She raised her head slightly and secretly looked at Han Zhao.
"You're welcome. Eat whatever you want." Han Zhao smiled and pulled off a drumstick and placed it in Yu Niang's bowl.
Through the blood connection, Han Zhao realized that Yu Niang's mood was much better.
At this moment, Han Zhao suddenly noticed some data below the martial arts column on the system interface.
—Name: Yu Niang (Ice Whisper Bird - Half-Demon)
—Cultivation Method: None
Han Zhao shifted his gaze to Yu Niang. After sensing her emotional fluctuations, he retracted his gaze.
He picked up a bun and finished it in two bites. Then, he picked up a large piece of pig head meat, poured himself a glass of rice wine, and drank it in one gulp.
Seeing that Han Zhao was eating so happily, Yu Niang couldn't help but pick up the drumstick and eat it in small bites.
After a while, her speed gradually increased.
During this period, there was only the sound of chewing and swallowing. The two of them did not speak and focused on eating.
After dinner, Han Zhao boiled hot water and poured a cup of hot tea for Yu Niang. Then, he smiled and said, "Can you tell me about your situation now?"
Yu Niang nodded and lowered her head. "I remember that my family is in a small mountain village in Chu. The village is very poor and can only barely survive by relying on the barren land and hunting to sell mountain goods. Father has an irritable personality and often scolds me…"
At this point, Yu Niang looked at Han Zhao timidly.
Seeing this, Han Zhao smiled. "Don't worry. Other than protecting myself and facing the enemy, I won't use violence on anyone."
"Later… later, a group of officials came to the village. They snatched money and food, and everyone fled! In order to protect Mother and me, Father was killed by the officials! Later, Mother died too. I… I… can't remember! Why did I become a bird? I'm not… I'm not a demon!" Yu Niang covered her head, her curled-up body trembling non-stop.
Through the blood connection, Han Zhao knew that Yu Niang was telling the truth.
Sensing the fear and sadness in Yu Niang's heart, he could not help but sigh.
Sometimes, bandits and soldiers were nothing different.
This was the truth of the ancient world.
"If you can't remember, don't think about it." Han Zhao walked to Yu Niang's side and gently stroked her head.
Yu Niang looked up, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
She was very afraid of people, but for some reason, she felt close to the young man in front of her from the bottom of her heart. It was as if she was facing her family.
"You can stay with me for now. If you don't want to become a bird, continue to look like this." Han Zhao comforted her gently.
Yu Niang nodded and whispered, "I won't live for free. I know how to cook and can do many things. Mother taught me."
Han Zhao was stunned for a moment before a look of joy appeared on his face. He said with certainty, "That's great!"
Ever since his financial situation became not so tight, Han Zhao basically ate outside.
Although he knew how to cook, it was not delicious.
It was not easy to do housework like washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning the room. It was very tiring and time-consuming.
Not to mention that he could not afford to raise a maid, and even if he could, having more people around him would easily expose his secrets.
Yu Niang's appearance solved this problem.
"Yes, I'll do it well." After receiving Han Zhao's affirmation, Yu Niang's expression relaxed.
"Now that you're full, can you turn back into a bird?" Han Zhao changed the topic and said, "As you can see, my family isn't very rich, so I have to go out often to earn money. If you can change between humans and birds at will, you can help me a lot."
"I'll give it a try," Yu Niang said uncertainly.
Yu Niang closed her eyes and frowned.
Flash!
An ice-blue shimmer flashed past, and the inside of her clothes suddenly became empty before falling.
A palm-sized bird covered in gorgeous feathers crawled out and flapped its wings as it circled the room.
"I can change back." Yu Niang's slightly happy voice sounded and landed in Han Zhao's palm.
Previously, she was still afraid of becoming a bird for no reason. Now, she was happy to be able to help Han Zhao.
"Very good." Han Zhao placed Yu Niang on the table and picked up the clothes that had fallen on the stool. "I'll go out. You can change back."
With that, Han Zhao placed the clothes on the bed and walked out of the room.
Sometimes, a person's life was quite lonely. Unfortunately, he had too many secrets. Just the Essence Soul Bead could not be exposed.
Now that he had Yu Niang, who was under his control, accompanying him, it seemed pretty good.
Unfortunately, she was not an alluring monster girl.
Hearing the sound of clothes being put on in the room, Yu Niang's dark and thin figure appeared in Han Zhao's mind. He couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "How can she be a monster girl? I'm thinking too much."