He immediately realized what had happened. “Oh no—someone took them!”
Yu Bei’s expression shifted. Surging spiritual power burst forth, and the massive phantom wings of a legendary bird appeared behind him.
The snow beneath their feet was whipped up by the fierce wind, making it hard to stand steady. Ye Yang quickly shielded Wu Rong as they retreated behind Yu Bei. When he finally managed to open his eyes, the scene before him had completely changed.
Translucent blue spiritual power and fiery red spiritual power were intertwined, stretching far to the south and forming a massive vortex of spiritual energy in the sky. The violent forces clashed wildly. If they weren’t in such a remote location, other demon tribes would have surely taken notice by now.
Looking more closely, he saw that Yu Bei’s spiritual power had struck decisively, pulling back the red energy that had tried to flee south. The three captured cubs were wrapped inside that red spiritual power.
Yet, despite the situation, the three cubs remained completely calm… Were they in shock?
Yu Bei let out a cold snort. The illusory wings behind him solidified slightly—just for an instant—but that was enough to break the spiritual tug-of-war. The red energy surrounding the three cubs was instantly devoured.
Realizing they were outmatched and unwilling to prolong the fight, the attacker tossed the three cubs back toward Yu Bei and vanished the moment his attention was diverted.
Ye Yang stared blankly at Yu Bei’s back as he caught the three cubs steadily. He opened his mouth to speak, but all he got was a mouthful of icy wind.
Yu Bei had been a preschool teacher for so long that it was easy to forget his true identity—the last remaining Kunpeng in the world, a creature whose wings could blot out the sun.
Wait. Red spiritual power?
Ye Yang snapped back to reality. Hadn’t Qin Zhi mentioned that the spiritual power he sensed during his tribulation was red as well?
Red spiritual power was common, but one as pure and vivid as this was rare.
“Check them for injuries,” Yu Bei said quickly, more concerned about his students than giving chase. He hurriedly brought the cubs to Wu Rong.
Fortunately, he had acted in time. The cubs only had minor external injuries.
To avoid any further complications, Yu Bei personally reset the teleportation array. The group returned to headquarters, finally able to relax a little.
Wu Rong examined them more thoroughly and found that, while nothing serious, their wounds were slow to heal due to residual spiritual energy blocking the natural process. It took considerable effort for her to resolve the issue.
After reminding them to return for a follow-up the next day, Wu Rong finally let them go. But even after they left, she couldn’t stop thinking about the spiritual energy she had found in the wounds. “What was that? I’ve never seen spiritual energy like that before.”
“I have seen it before,” Yu Bei said gravely. “The residual spiritual energy at the scene of the Niŭyáng Mountain case was exactly the same.”
“I’ve seen it too!” Ye Yang’s mind lit up. Finally, he remembered why it had felt so familiar. “The wound on Little Crow’s that never healed—it was also caused by this kind of spiritual energy!”
Yu Bei recalled it as well. Ye Yang had come to him for help back then.
Wait a minute—if that was the case, the attack today, the Niŭyáng Mountain case a while back, and the mysterious assault on Little Crow last year… all of them might have been committed by the same perpetrator.
“These cases may be more serious than we originally thought.”
“What’s his motive? There’s no common thread among the three attacks.”
Yu Bei suddenly asked, “Ye Yang, can you take me to see Little Crow?”
“Sure. Do you think that’ll help find the culprit?”
“I can’t say for sure yet. I’ll need to see him first.”
·
By the time Ye Yang brought Yu Bei home, it was already late. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, the door across the hall opened first.
“You’re back?” Shen Ming had been about to step out, but when he saw there was someone else with Ye Yang, he paused and only opened the door halfway.
Ye Yang nodded. “I’m back, Professor Shen. I’ve got something to take care of. I’ll come find you in a bit.”
Shen Ming said nothing and gently closed the door.
Yu Bei raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t help but feel that Ye Yang and Shen Ming had formed an exclusive little bubble—he felt like a third wheel even from a distance.
Once inside, Little Crow flapped his wings and flew over. Ye Yang had come home late, and even aside from Shen Ming, Little Crow had been worried about him.
But after confirming Ye Yang was fine, Little Crow immediately turned around and headed back to his nest.
“Caw!!”
Just as he turned away, an invisible force suddenly seized him like a pair of hands.
Not only that, but before Little Crow could even react, several invisible fingers swiftly but gently examined him all over, leaving no spot untouched.
Though his wound hadn’t fully healed, it no longer affected his daily life. The moment the invisible hands let go, Little Crow immediately whipped around and bit down—unfortunately, he caught nothing.
Ye Yang quickly pulled the startled Little Crow into his arms and soothed him with his antennae. Professor Yu had acted far too fast—no warning, straight to business. Even Ye Yang had been startled, let alone Little Crow.
But Yu Bei couldn’t care less about that now. Lost in thought, he compared the situation with the records in his memory and reached a conclusion. “Just as I suspected. The one behind this red spiritual power follows a pattern.”
“Every time they strike, their target is spiritually attuned cubs.”
“But that doesn’t add up,” Ye Yang said, confused. “At Niŭyáng Mountain, thousands of creatures died at once. Were they all cubs? And besides, Little Crow is already an adult.”
Yu Bei shook his head. “The Lushu deer at Niǔyáng Mountain are almost all elderly now—nearly all the underage ones were killed. And as for your little crow, it’s understandable that you didn’t notice. He’s very special.”
Yu Bei explained to Ye Yang that Little Crow was no ordinary crow. He looked common, but had actually been on the verge of gaining spiritual awareness for a long time—only he had never quite crossed that threshold to become a demon.
“There are two possibilities for this kind of situation. One: he has been exposed to other spiritual beings, but the exposure was too brief. Two: there are demons somewhere in his lineage, but the blood relation is very distant.” This kind of obscure demon knowledge was something only someone as ancient as Yu Bei, who also came from a prestigious family of demon masters, would know—even Xíng Tiān might not be aware of it.
“Think back. Doesn’t this little crow sometimes display intelligence beyond that of an ordinary crow, yet still fall short of demon standards?”
Ye Yang suddenly understood. “He really does…”
“This condition is rare and hard to identify. I didn’t consider it at first, so I missed it. Coming here today with the answer in mind allowed me to see clearly.”
“So that means these three cases can now be consolidated,” Yu Bei said, thinking for a moment. “By the way, how much do you remember about how the little crow got injured?”
Ye Yang looked ashamed. “I didn’t think much of it at the time. Little Crow can’t talk, so I never asked.”
“Oh—but Professor Shen might know something!”
·
When Shen Ming heard the knock on the door, he was in the kitchen. The cookies had one minute left, so he didn’t move—Ye Yang had a key anyway. Sure enough, the knocking stopped after just three rings.
But when he came out with the freshly baked cookies, he saw both Ye Yang and Yu Bei sitting in the dining room. Little Crow was perched on Ye Yang’s shoulder.
“Smells wonderful. You can bake?” Yu Bei teased.
Shen Ming frowned, set the cookies down, and asked, “What are you doing here?” The look of disgust on his face was unmistakable.
“They taste great. Did you really make these?” Yu Bei grabbed a cookie first, then finally got down to business as the tension in the room dropped even lower.
Ye Yang looked back and forth between them. “…” What was going on? Why was the atmosphere so weird? Were they enemies?
Yu Bei explained why he had come. Shen Ming simply pulled out a spirit stone, infused it with his divine power, and told them, “This power you’re talking about—it’s likely the same as the one I’ve been tracking. My divine power reacts to it. Take this and use it. That’s all I know.”
“How generous? I won’t say no, then.” Yu Bei immediately pocketed the spirit stone.
Shen Ming couldn’t be bothered with him. He suddenly reached out, pressed a hand on Ye Yang’s shoulder, while his other hand hovered near Ye Yang’s neck. Then a chain rose from Ye Yang’s body, and the scale on it blazed with light.
Ye Yang had no idea what Shen Ming was doing and just stood there dumbly, letting himself be handled.
When it was over, Shen Ming said to Ye Yang, “I put some of my divine power into this, too.”
Yu Bei: “…” Now it was his turn to be speechless. He had thought Shen Ming was suddenly being generous with him, but no—he was still stingy. Compared to the divine power he had given Ye Yang, what he’d given Yu Bei was less than a drop in the bucket!
If he wasn’t mistaken, that was one of Shen Ming’s scales, wasn’t it? Something so private—given away.
He had already thought the atmosphere between those two was strange, and now it was even stranger—downright intimate. Were they together?
No. Impossible.
Yu Bei glanced at Ye Yang’s innocent, round little face. His prized student showed no signs of having had a romantic awakening.
Wait, could it be that Shen Ming was the one seducing his little sea hare?
Yu Bei suddenly became alert, his gaze toward Shen Ming turning razor-sharp.
The nerve of that old fossil! How old was he?!
Shen Ming had no idea why Yu Bei was staring at him like that, and he wanted even less to see his face. He turned around and started shooing him out. “It’s late. Shouldn’t you be going? We need to rest, too.”
See, see. The way he phrased that—anyone would think he and Ye Yang shared a bed.
Unfortunately, Yu Bei really couldn’t win a fight against Shen Ming. Fuming, he left. Fine, he’d deal with the important matter first. Once this case was solved, he’d definitely come back to have a proper talk with Shen Ming!
…
After leaving, Yu Bei didn’t return to Dreamless Sea. Instead, he went back to the YCG headquarters.
His light mood had been only temporary. His worries hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
Back when Ye Yang had brought the injured Little Crow to him, Yu Bei had already felt some concern. But he had investigated for a long time and found no leads. The red-furred fox he had suspected was nowhere to be found—not a single trace.
For a long time after that, the Eastern Continent remained peaceful, and he gradually forgot about it.
But the recent cases had cast a dark shadow all over again.
Especially the Niǔyáng Mountain case. He hadn’t shown it clearly, but his anxiety had only grown. He hadn’t slept in a long time.
Because Yu Bei, the master of Dreamless Sea, wasn’t resting, the other creatures there were suffering too—plagued by nightmares every night.
And he wasn’t the only one. Ye Yang and Shen Ming, who had been following the Niǔyáng Mountain case closely, hadn’t rested either.
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