Chapter 42: Cloudwing Bird

　　“You are too full of yourself. That little brat is brilliant and is definitely someone who will spare no expense to achieve his aims. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch and carelessly overlook things, lest you suffer your downfall at the hands of this little brat.” Suddenly, the voice of a youthful man rang inside Doctor’s Mo’s mind.

　　Doctor Mo’s expression changed in an instant, as though it was covered by frost. He icily replied:

　　“Yu Zhitong, you better not intrude in my business. Do you think you are qualified to tell me what to do? If I can succeed, I naturally won’t forget about my promises towards you. Instead, the question is whether you are scheming behind my back. Are you withholding some crucial parts of the cultivation art you imparted to me and hoping that some accident will befall me?” Doctor Mo’s voice was filled with suspicion as he replied.

　　The youthful man’s voice seemed somewhat terrified of Doctor Mo, and he hurriedly a.s.sured:

　　“How could there be any mistakes? Didn’t you already test it on some animals? Other than the one that pa.s.sed away due to its unfamiliarity with the cultivation art, didn’t the rest survive? The failed experiments shouldn’t hinder your plans, right?”

　　“Hmph! That better be the case. It’s a pity that I can’t cultivate. If that weren’t the case, my chances of succeeding would be increased by a large degree.” As Doctor Mo heard the explanation from that mysterious voice, the last shred of caution in his heart melted away.

　　After finis.h.i.+ng his sentence, that mysterious voice maintained its silence as though it was taught a lesson, leaving Doctor Mo to mumble crazily to himself. This caused the entire room to be filled with an eerie atmosphere.

　　At this moment, Han Li was holed up in an una.s.suming cave. This cave was even more secretive and remote than the meeting place he found with Li Feiyu.

　　The layout of the area revealed that the only path to this cave was obscured by two mountain peaks that formed the shape of a line. The mountain ravines were swamped with shrubs and plants on both sides of the path, making the path impossible to traverse. The only way to arrive at the cave was through a hidden rope that dangled from the top of one of the mountain peaks. Other than that rope, there were no other entryways.

　　(TL: the original Chinese says that the mountains formed the shape “?”)

　　Th.o.r.n.y trees surrounded the area and occupied the majority of the area, only leaving a small piece of land where Han Li could cultivate. At the top of the mountain cave, there were some unknown vines weaved together into a natural canopy, so Han Li had no concerns that he would be accidentally discovered by random prying eyes.

　　Han Li removed the items that he held on his body, placing them below an enormous mountain rock, and returned back to the center of this area. He closed his eyes, falling deep in thought. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, revealing traces of determination in his eyes as he lightly said, ”Let’s start practicing from the Soft Bones Art.” And just like that, Han Li embarked on his path to cultivation.

　　What he didn’t realized was that not far from him was a yellow-coloured bird perched onto a tree branch, constantly monitoring his movements. Because Han Li had no intentions of escaping, the yellow bird did not immediately rush to inform its owner.

　　And within the mountain cave, a single glance could tell that there was no one else inside the cave. The only ones who were there were Han Li and that little yellow bird, which was preening its feathers as if it had forgotten its original mission.

　　Suddenly, a grey-coloured bird flew inside the canopy. It rested on top of a yellow pile of wood before taking off again.

　　In that instant when the yellow-colored bird saw a bird of the same species appear before it, its expression turned somewhat human-like as it became filled with disdain.

　　The little bird that just arrived stood on one leg as it contemplated its surroundings. When it discovered the yellow bird, it flexed its wings, wanting to fly over.

　　Abruptly, something unexpected occurred. A yellow palm appeared out of nowhere, catching hold of the grey coloured bird in a single attempt.