Chapter 101 - 97: The Sparrow Catcher

Early morning at the East Wharf of Qinghe County.

A cool breeze blew as a fine, misty rain fell from the sky. An old man wearing a bamboo hat and a straw cloak sat contentedly on the bank, fishing.

A bamboo fishing rod, a line twisted from fine hemp, a pigeon feather for a float...

The weather was warm this year, and several days of light rain had driven the earthworms to the surface for air—bait was readily available.

"Got one!"

With a flick of his wrist, the old man sent a half-foot-long white fish flying out of the water. It landed on the ground with a FLAP, FLAP.

The fish had only just flopped a few times before a withered hand snatched it up and tossed it unerringly into a basket.

Unseen by anyone, a few silver lights rose from above the basket moments later, coalescing into the shape of an earthworm.

The silver light lasted only for a few breaths before dissipating into the air.

’Looks like regenerative abilities aren’t so easy to obtain. After all, I don’t have five hearts like an earthworm, nor is my body a simple cavity.’

Zhao Lin thought as he walked past the old fisherman, giving him a quick glance.

Perhaps it was because their bodily structures were too different, but the Spirit Beast Scroll seemed to have an easier time extracting Essence Souls from animals.

When it came to insects, he could only see their Essence Souls; he hadn’t found any he could absorb yet.

Zhao Lin was now a Constable Captain, so he could just assign patrol duties to the constables under him. However, he found it stifling to stay in the yamen all day and would occasionally go out on patrol himself to experience the sights and sounds of the county.

"I hit it! I hit it!"

A joyful cry came from up ahead. A chubby boy, not quite a man, held a slingshot and ran toward a sparrow that had fallen to the ground.

Grain boats often docked at the wharf, so sparrows gathered nearby to steal fallen grain.

"You’re amazing, big brother! Is the little bird alive? I want to take it home and raise it," a little girl said, clapping her hands.

"Let me see!" The chubby boy picked the sparrow up from the ground.

Seeing the sparrow’s Essence Soul rise, Zhao Lin thought, ’They’re probably going to be disappointed.’

"Aww, it’s dead again."

Just as he expected, the chubby boy cried out in disappointment.

Zhao Lin shook his head, amused. He was about to leave when he suddenly noticed that the Spirit Beast Scroll in his mind—had moved!

He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but when he looked closer, the Spirit Beast Scroll was trembling violently. The meaning was crystal clear: the sparrow’s Essence Soul could be absorbed!

’What’s going on?’

Zhao Lin was stunned. He had tried killing birds before and had seen other Hunters do the same, but without exception, the Spirit Beast Scroll had never reacted.

’What’s different about today?’

He stopped in his tracks, suspicious. It felt as if his entire understanding had just been overturned.

’I don’t have wings, so how can I absorb a sparrow’s Essence Soul?’

’Could it be that sparrows have some other special ability?’

’Impossible! Sparrows are the most common of birds. Not to mention, their flying ability is among the weakest.’

’Or maybe... this sparrow was different from the rest?’

He looked at the dusty gray sparrow in the chubby boy’s hand. There was nothing special about it, which only confused him more.

’Why did the Spirit Beast Scroll suddenly change?’

’What would happen if I absorbed the sparrow’s Essence Soul?’

Zhao Lin spent the entire morning pondering this, with no mind for anything else.

The Spirit Beast Scroll was largely responsible for how far he had come, so he took this matter very seriously.

"Brother Zhao... Constable Captain Zhao."

Zhao Lin was so preoccupied with the sparrow that he didn’t notice Liang Song, Tao Erleng, and two other constables walking over from across the street.

After becoming Constable Captain, he had promoted Liang Song to squad leader, putting him in charge of security for two streets.

"It’s nothing..."

Zhao Lin was about to brush him off when he suddenly remembered that Liang Song came from a Hunter family. "You know how to catch sparrows, right?" he said. "Help me catch a few. They need to be alive!"

Liang Song was taken aback, not expecting such a strange request from Zhao Lin.

But on second thought, he remembered catching sparrows to eat back when food was scarce. ’Maybe Zhao Lin wants to reminisce about the old flavors.’ He didn’t ask for a reason and simply smiled. "Sparrows are pretty cunning, but catching them isn’t too hard."

"Then let’s go."

Zhao Lin sent Tao Erleng and the other two constables away, then pulled Liang Song toward the riverbank.

"Hold on, we need to prepare a few tools first," Liang Song said, somewhat amused.

With that, he led Zhao Lin to the market and bought two large bamboo trays and a bamboo cage.

"Simple, right?" Liang Song asked, taking out a rope from his waist and dangling it.

Seeing these tools, Zhao Lin couldn’t help but chuckle.

He had learned this method of catching birds in a textbook before, in an essay by Xun.

"When it snowed, I would sweep a patch of ground clear, prop up a large bamboo tray with a short stick, and scatter some husks underneath. When I saw the birds come to eat, I would pull the string tied to the stick from a distance, and the birds would be trapped under the tray."

The two went to the riverbank, propped up a bamboo tray with an iron ruler in a spot frequented by sparrows, and waited at a distance, holding the string.

There were plenty of sparrows by the riverbank, and there were always a few heedless ones that wandered over. In less than two hours, they had caught seven or eight sparrows.

"That’s enough, that’s enough."

Zhao Lin smiled as he picked up the bamboo cage full of sparrows and patted his stomach. "Let’s find a place to eat first."

In their haste to catch birds, the two had forgotten to even eat lunch.

"Constable sir, can you give me a sparrow?"

The chubby boy who had been hunting sparrows with a slingshot earlier came over. Seeing their official uniforms, he asked timidly.

"No need for the ’sir.’ Here, take it!"

Zhao Lin took a sparrow from the cage and handed it to him with a smile.

"Thank you, Constable sir."

The chubby boy carefully took the sparrow, said his thanks, and ran to the little girl, boasting loudly, "Look, I got one!"

Liang Song watched the chubby boy’s retreating back and shook his head. "Sparrows are the proudest creatures. Once captured, they refuse to eat or drink. I doubt it will last two days before it dies of stress."

Then he said to Zhao Lin, "There isn’t much meat on a sparrow. You’re best off frying them with some salt and pepper. They’re delicious that way."

...

「Liuhe Sect, the rear study.」

"What? The Moisturizing Pill has been taken?"

The white-robed elder’s eyes widened in astonishment as he stared at Zhu Huaishan, his face a mask of disbelief. "Junior Brother Zhu, don’t joke with me. If one hasn’t completed the Power Realm, taking it is useless."

"Senior Brother Pan, why would I joke about something like this?"

Zhu Huaishan wore a faint smile, feeling secretly pleased.

He’d long been worried about this. The ingredients for the Moisturizing Pill were hard to find; even with the Xingyun Sect’s vast resources, they could only refine a few each year.

It would be stranger if no one coveted such a precious item.

’Thankfully, I gave it to Zhao Lin yesterday. If I had waited even one more day, there might have been complications.’

The white-robed elder couldn’t hide his disappointment, his expression darkening. "I heard your disciple, Zhao Lin, only recently finished tempering his bones. How could he be tempering his tendons already? You didn’t give the pill to another disciple, did you?"

Zhu Huaishan shook his head. "Senior Brother Pan, you’re certainly well-informed. To be honest, Zhao Lin has already perfected his Power Realm."

A glint appeared in the white-robed elder’s eyes. "Is that true?"

"Absolutely!"

The white-robed elder suddenly smiled. "Zhao Lin is only sixteen, isn’t he? If what you say is true, tempering his tendons at sixteen... he would be considered a top talent even in the Xingyun Sect."

"Such a fine disciple... I would like to meet him."