Weren't thieves supposed to have guilty consciences?Why did this drunkard walking out boldly from the wall cabinet show no guilt or fear, instead drinking while staring at him."Are you here to steal things too?""Of course not!" Bensheng denied loudly."Oh." The drunkard sighed deeply, tilted his head back, and gulped down the wine in his bag. "What a pity!"He looked at Bensheng, "If you hadn't come in, how good that would be. I could leave unnoticed, not considered a thief. But now I've met you, doesn't that confirm my status as a thief?"Bensheng was stunned for a moment before replying, "This... is my fault?"
"I don't want to be a thief who secretly entered the King's underground palace, targeted by the Royal Enforcement Department. They have practitioners and warriors under their command; once they pursue, it's endless. And you're not my accomplice, so I'm going to..." He threw away the wine bag, reached into his collar, rummaged around, and pulled out several yellowed talisman papers. "...make you die.""What if I am an accomplice?"The drunkard smiled creepily, "Die a little faster."Bensheng was terrified and ran, "Ananda---"In the darkness, Ananda suddenly shivered.From the moment Bensheng stepped into the underground palace, the eternal lamp dimmed. It completely lost its vision, everything was pitch black with no sense of direction, couldn't fly out. Even when it tried to land, it couldn't touch the bottom.Ananda immediately grew tense. Was there something strange about this passage? But everything was normal when it was with Bensheng just now? Not daring to delay, it started flying upwards desperately, also unable to touch the top, but it could gradually smell the fragrance of trees from the mountain forest.In a daze, light appeared in its vision. It was the full moon in the night sky. It had unknowingly flown to the mountaintop."Could it be that only humans can enter the King's underground palace, not beasts?"Ananda took a deep breath and used its Clairvoyance supernatural power. Its gaze quickly penetrated the back mountain's layers of rock and soil, reaching below.In the splendid underground palace, Bensheng was maintaining a strange half-squatting posture among scattered scrolls, seemingly defecating...Wait, no, looking more carefully, Bensheng's limbs were wrapped in iron chains! The chains extended from talisman papers in five positions on the ground, firmly binding Bensheng. The person performing all this was clearly the slovenly man sitting cross-legged on the ground.Ananda was tremendously shocked. It quickly turned around and flew towards Zhouku Academy.It had to find someone to save Bensheng!By now it was evening, and the dormitories were filled with young disciples who had just finished a day of study. They lined up to fetch water, about to bathe. Seeing Ananda flying in, they couldn't help
showing off the knowledge they learned in Philology that afternoon."Crows are auspicious birds with prophetic meaning! In 'Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals: Things of the Same Kind Activate Each Other,' quoting 'Transmission of the Book of Documents': 'When the Zhou was about to rise, a large red crow carrying grains in its beak gathered on the king's roof. King Wu was happy, all the ministers were happy.'""What divine bird? Crows clearly portend bad omens. 'Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang' says: 'When crows cry on the ground, it's not a good sound. When people are about to travel, if crows cry and they go forward, mostly joyful.' This is not recorded in old divinations."Ananda ignored them, flapping its wings to fly away, but suddenly a noble young voice sounded behind it."'Compendium of Materia Medica: Birds: Kind Crow' calls it: 'This crow, when first born, the mother feeds it for sixty days; when grown, it feeds back for sixty days - can be called kind and filial.' In folk tradition, crows are often called 'filial birds.' This crow looks very similar to those kept in my home."The young disciples excitedly gathered around, "Brother Lucang!"Ananda was startled and looked up to fly away. But its claw suddenly hurt, hooked by a thin rope. After spinning through the air, a slender, dexterous hand caught it.A young disciple picked up its fallen black feather and presented it to Lucang, who had just entered the dormitory, as if seeking credit."Brother Lucang, look! It's a crow's feather!"Six years later, Lucang had grown into a jade-like young master, dressed in spotless white, very elegant. Several youths of similar stature followed him. One had shoulder-length short hair, retracting the rope with one hand while holding Ananda with the other.The youths laughed, "Ruoqiao, your bird-catching skills are getting more proficient.""This is called hunting prey, taught in Arts and Crafts. Using tools for hunting yields twice the result with half the effort." Ruoqiao said this while putting away the rope, handing Ananda to Lucang."What for?"Lucang looked at him indifferently.Ruoqiao was stunned, "Didn't you say it looks like the crows in your home...""Looks similar means it's my family's crow?" Lucang waved his folding fan. "The crows in my home never fly around randomly; they're
the most obedient."Ruoqiao suddenly looked at the youths, seeing them covering their faces, chuckling, not responding. Immediately knew he'd been tricked. They told him Lucang couldn't stand the crow Bensheng carried. So he specially observed for a long time and made this rope with a hook. But never expected...His hand felt empty; Lucang still reached out and took Ananda. Ananda tightly closed its eyes, motionless.Lucang weighed it in his palm, casually saying, "I just think it resembles my younger brother.""Younger brother?!""Brother Lucang, how could you be a crow's older brother?"Not just the young disciples, even the youths were stunned."Young master, we've never heard of this. Aren't you an only child?""That was a long time ago. My younger brother was punished by the gods for not being filial to our mother, turned into a lowly crow. He must undergo three thousand hardships before he can return to his original form. I don't know where my brother flew off to. I heard he went to Chaoyun Country." Lucang raised an eyebrow and looked at Ruoqiao. "Ruoqiao, when you were still in Chaoyun Country, did you ever see a crow?"Ruoqiao's whole body stiffened.The young disciples couldn't help whispering, "This older brother is from Chaoyun Country? Then he's also from the beast clan? He doesn't look like Bensheng with that curly hair - he has the capital's popular child hairstyle!"Hearing Bensheng's name, Ananda—who had been playing dead with its eyes shut—was jolted by the memory of his life-and-death crisis. It began a frantic, flapping struggle, but its meagre strength was no match for Lucang's grip. Just as it was overcome with despair and fury, a chorus of insects and birdsong reached its ears, accompanied by the scent of grass and trees, as if all living things were suddenly celebrating life together. The young disciples rushed toward the newcomer, their cheers rising into a cheerful uproar even more delighted and louder than before: "Sister Yeluo!"