"T... that sh...ould teach you..." Yang Qing coldly muttered between breaths as his triumphant gaze fell on the celestial nesting weaver, who lay sprawled on the ground like an old, overstuffed pillow that had been through one too many battles. Its feathers, usually gleaming with celestial brilliance, now stuck out in odd directions as if it had survived a fierce storm.
"J...ust you wait, Yang Qing.." the celestial nesting weaver said as it paused to take a labored breath.
"Next ti, I will be the victor... When I digest my unlocked abilities, that will be the day our hierarchy changes," the celestial nesting weaver said bitterly and slowly, trying to muster whatever strength it had left as it attempted to hit Yang Qing with a pressurized wad of phlegm.
Due to its beaten state, the phlegm only managed to land on one of its wings.
"I think you have more things to work on," Yang Qing said, glancing mockingly at the bird, where its spit was now slowly cascading down its feathers.
Yang Qing walked over to the celestial nesting weaver, taking slow deliberate steps.
"You b...idiot, what are you trying to do?" the celestial nesting weaver stamred, trying to scramble backward. But, with how exhausted it was, the best it could manage was a clumsy wobble.
"Yang Qing, don't co closer! I swear if you do..."
"You'll do what? A bird that can barely spit is here throwing threats..." Yang Qing taunted as he ca to a stop next to the wobbling body of the celestial nesting weaver. Its feathers flickered with an ominous violet glow that radiated with an ancient power.
"If you try anything, I will risk it. Then, we can both get injured. At least with , I can afford the cost of injury. I don't have any responsibilities hanging over . But what about you?" the celestial nesting weaver said with a rare air of solemnity.
"Yang Qing, let's both take a step back. You have your duties as a judge to think about. Trading injury for injury might seem satisfying in the mont, but don't get muddle-headed, chasing temporary pleasure.
We both know the Order is black-hearted enough not to accept excuses for shirking your responsibilities, not even a serious injury.
And with your history..." the celestial nesting weaver narrowed its eyes.
"They're more likely to believe it's so sche of yours and might even punish you. So let's both step back. I'm even willing to apologize for my words. Breaking through left muddle-headed and drunk on power, and I spoke out of turn. For that, I apologize," added the celestial nesting weaver, attempting to bow its head. With its round body, coupled with the exhaustion, it barely managed to lower its beak.
"That's not enough," Yang Qing said, arms crossed, eyeing the celestial nesting weaver like a butcher eyeing his next slaughter.
"What do you want? And don't get excessive, or I will truly risk it, and we'll both lose," the celestial nesting weaver said coldly.
Yang Qing had intended to be excessive, but upon seeing the seriousness in the bird's eyes, he tempered his greed and desire for vengeance.
His victory had been narrow, a razor-thin edge courtesy of his physique's regenerative abilities. While he hadn't fought seriously, using only basic moves, neither had the celestial nesting weaver.
Despite its appearance and roguish behavior, the celestial nesting weaver was still a mythical creature, standing on par with dragons, phoenixes, and other legendary beasts capable of triggering storms simply by appearing.
The celestial nesting weaver lacked the majestic aura of those creatures, resembling a puffy, obese weaver instead. However, Yang Qing knew from personal experience how dangerous it was.
It may not have the noble deanor of its legendary peers, but its powers were just as real. If they both went all out, Yang Qing was certain the weaver could make good on its threat. Abandoning caution could result in a heavy price, one Yang Qing wasn't willing to pay simply for petty revenge, no matter how appealing it seed at the mont.
"Fine, I want two things from you," Yang Qing finally said.
"Na them."
"The first is a feather. I want one of your feathers," Yang Qing said.
"That's easy," the celestial nesting weaver replied, reaching for its tail.
"Not that one. I want one from your heaven's span," Yang Qing specified, causing the weaver to pause and look at him seriously.
"As far as I can tell, you don't need it. By your own admission, the purple bamboo isn't lacking compared to my feathers... for now," the celestial nesting weaver muttered.
"Knowing you, you wouldn't change your mind that easily or ask for sothing you didn't need. As greedy as you are, you're not wasteful. So why do you want it when clearly you don't need it?" the celestial nesting weaver asked, eyes curious.
With a sigh, Yang Qing answered, "It's not for ... It's for Ma Yuan."
With what he was asking for, Yang Qing knew he had to be direct. He was requesting sothing precious, almost a favor rather than a demand.
As a mythical creature, every part of the celestial nesting weaver was valuable, even its spit. Yang Qing had no doubt that if he auctioned it off, buyers would line up, and it would fetch an extraordinary price.
However, as tempting as that was, he would never do it. Not because it was beneath him—he had seen far lesser creatures' saliva auctioned for absurd amounts—but because of the weaver's insufferable nature. It would never let him live it down.
It already mocked him endlessly for using its nest, even though he provided all the resources, including the green fla tree it nested in.
The thought of the weaver's mockery, if he dared sell its spit, made Yang Qing's face flush with both anger and sha.
"What's wrong with you?" the celestial nesting weaver asked, raising an eyebrow at his odd expression.
"Nothing. So, do you agree to my first term?" Yang Qing said, forcing himself to calm down.
"Fine, but you can only have one of the feathers from the edge. The rest are off-limits. Even if I agreed, with his strength, it would only invite disaster if he possessed sothing like that."
"I understand. I was already planning to ask for an edge feather. If not for his circumstances, I would have asked for the heavenly plu instead," Yang Qing said.
The celestial nesting weaver had six grades of feathers. Each was a treasure, but they varied in quality.
Ranking at the bottom were the starlight plus, covering most of the bird's body except for its head, chest, and tail. Despite being ranked the lowest, each feather was equivalent to a monarch-grade treasure or weapon whose quality would continue improving along with the celestial nesting weaver's strength.
Next were the tail feathers, known as the heaven's plu. These feathers, though still at monarch grade, contained so of the weaver's origin power, giving them passive attributes absent in the starlight plus, which only carried a faint aura of the celestial nesting weaver.
After that ca the heaven's span feathers on its wings. These were infused with a significantly greater degree of origin energy. Yang Qing wanted one for Ma Yuan because of the feather's innate attribute, drawn from the celestial nesting weaver's ability to create hallowed cultivation grounds.
This environnt, imbued with heavenly secrets, magnified spiritual qi, and the voice of the grand dao, was why Yang Qing continued to tolerate the bird's insufferable personality and the resources it consud. The environnt it created was what had helped him break through to the palace realm with ease and a short amount of ti at that, in addition to his prodigious talent.
Though a single heaven's span feather wouldn't be able to completely replicate how it was in the celestial nesting weaver's nest as those wings still needed other components to create such a hallowed place, it would still subtly improve the cultivation environnt for Ma Yuan.
While Ma Yuan was crippled and couldn't fully benefit, he could still take advantage of the ditative properties of the feather, which could deepen one's understanding of techniques and arts by drawing in the power of various Daos.
Yang Qing's true reason, though, was Ma Ling. The stronger she beca, the less Ma Yuan would worry. Though the worry of a parent never stops, Ma Ling becoming strong would grant him so asure of peace.
After the heaven's span, the next two grades of feathers were almost equal in quality. They were the heartfla quills and the crown of the eternal sky.
The weaver had shared little about them beyond their nas, but Yang Qing knew these feathers contained about 60% of the creature's power, especially the crown of the eternal sky—three ribbon-like feathers atop its head, shimring with purple, violet, gold, and black.
Whenever he looked at them, Yang Qing felt a stirring in his heart, as though so obscure power was hidden within.
"What's the second thing?" the celestial nesting weaver wearily asked as it handed over the feather.
Yang Qing's smile widened.
"Call Big Brother Qing."
The bird let out a horrified squawk. "Absolutely not!"
Yang Qing's grin widened. "I think it's only fair, given the circumstances."
The bird puffed up indignantly. "I would rather eat my own feathers!"
"Well, you owe , after all, you managed to embarrass in front of Mao Mao. You understand the repercussions of embarrassing soone in front of their mate, right? Or maybe you don't. You're still a young chic after all, despite your size and vulgar mouth," Yang Qing teased.
"I am old enough. Besides, even if that were not the case I still have mories from my ancestors to borrow from unlike a certain novice," quipped the celestial nesting weaver as it threw a look of disdain Yang Qing's way.
Yang Qing ignoring its clear provocation, still wore the sa smile on his face as he asked,
"Do you agree or not? Besides, it's not that bad. Just one ti."
The celestial nesting weaver glared at him, a low growl rumbling from its chest. But seeing no other choice, it relented. "Fine... Big Brother Qing."
Yang Qing let out a burst of laughter, the sound echoing across the abode. The celestial nesting weaver glared at him as one of its tail feathers released a violet light that covered its body like fog which then lifted it up the green fla tree to its nest, where it sought much-needed refuge.
"Yang Qing, you bastard! I won't forget this!" the celestial nesting weaver yelled as it entered its nest.
"Neither will I, little brother, neither will I," Yang Qing answered as he amusedly played with a glittering talisman in his hands, chuckling in glee as playfully interchanged its position within his fingers.
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