He then turned to Yang Qi and bowed. "Brother Yang, thank you so much for this. If it weren’t for you, I never would have figured out what was wrong."

"If that blossom-headed parakeet had actually... actually starved to death or plucked itself to death, I’d be in serious trouble! Thank you! I mean it, thank you!"

His fear and gratitude were genuine.

Yang Qi had not only identified the true "patient" but had also quickly figured out the cause and proposed a solution, indirectly helping him avoid a potential workplace incident.

"Of course."

Yang Qi waved his hand. "First, contact the quarantine area and get them ready to take him in. This little guy needs fluids and nutrition."

"Right, right."

The two veterinarians immediately got busy.

Yang Qi went with them to transfer the heavily bullied parakeet to the zoo’s medical quarantine area.

Cheng Yao didn’t follow.

Holding her phone, she was already thinking about how to turn this "parrot bullying incident" and Yang Qi’s miraculous communication and mediation process into material for a heartwarming and educational short video.

Yang Qi was lost in thought as he walked back from the quarantine area.

’It looks like this mission won’t be completed anytime soon.’

’For the bullied parakeet to fully overcome its trauma, it would take some time.’

But Yang Qi wasn’t in a hurry.

’When he had time, he would go and chat with the parakeet. He’d get the reward sooner or later.’

...

「That afternoon.」

Yang Qi took Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard into the mountain behind the zoo once more, heading deep into the forest.

He navigated the woods with practiced ease.

Eventually, he arrived at a hidden clearing where the terrain was relatively flat and surrounded by lush vegetation.

"Bai Wan, Hu Zi, Leopard, you three spread out and keep watch. Alert me immediately if you notice anything unusual."

Yang Qi issued the command via the Basic Spirit Communication Technique.

"Xiaojiu, you watch the high places and the trees nearby."

"WOOF!"

"ARF ARF!"

The three dogs immediately lowered their bodies, their ears perked, and trotted off in three different directions. They blended into the surrounding bushes and shadows, forming a loose security perimeter.

"MEOW~"

Xiaojiu leaped gracefully onto a moss-covered rock, its eyes scanning the surrounding treetops and vines.

With the arrangements made, Yang Qi sat down cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and quickly calmed his mind.

With a thought, his consciousness sank into his Dantian and Qi Sea.

There, besides the slowly spinning Magical Power vortex of the Third Level of Qi Cultivation, floated a "seed" that resembled a miniature sprout, emitting a faint, blue-green light.

The Divine Ability seed, "Every Blade of Grass a Soldier"!

After the initial period of refining, the seed had already shed its original, completely independent, and unyielding "outer shell." It now had a translucent quality, and the life force flowing within it was more closely connected to Yang Qi’s own Magical Power. The refining process was already more than halfway complete.

’Now that my Cultivation has reached the Third Level of Qi Cultivation, the quality and quantity of my Magical Power have both increased. The refining speed really is much faster.’

Yang Qi felt the more solid and active Magical Power in his Qi Sea, and his resolve hardened.

Without hesitation, he mobilized his Magical Power and began to continuously and steadily wash over, permeate, and refine the blue-green Divine Ability seed.

The next moment, an invisible ripple began to quietly spread out from the center of where Yang Qi sat cross-legged.

Within a radius of nearly one hundred fifty meters, all the grass and trees began to move on their own, despite the lack of wind.

The life energy of the plants was drawn out and gathered, circling Yang Qi like stars around the moon, following the rhythm of his breathing and the circulation of his Magical Power.

Contracting and expanding, it formed a vast and profound field of life energy.

Yang Qi’s eyes were closed in concentration, his entire mind immersed in refining the Divine Ability seed.

Time slipped by quietly during his focused cultivation.

The light in the forest gradually shifted from bright to a soft, dusky yellow.

More than two hours later, Yang Qi slowly exhaled a long breath of turbid air and opened his eyes.

Inside his Dantian, more than half of his Magical Power was consumed, but the light from the "Every Blade of Grass a Soldier" Divine Ability seed had become more reserved and solid. Its connection to his Magical Power vortex was also tighter and more secure. The refining process had advanced another step.

Yang Qi estimated.

’Two or three more sessions like this, and I should be able to successfully refine this Divine Ability seed!’

Without getting up immediately, he took two Qi Condensing Pills from his Hundred Pouches Belt and swallowed them.

The pills melted the moment they entered his mouth, rapidly replenishing his consumed Magical Power and easing some of his mental fatigue.

After meditating for about ten minutes, he felt that sixty to seventy percent of his Magical Power had been restored and his spirit was full once more. Only then did Yang Qi stand up and stretch his somewhat stiff limbs.

He looked up at the sky. The afterglow of the sunset was beginning to trim the distant mountains in gold.

’Time to head back...’

With a slight stir of his thoughts, Yang Qi used his connection through the Mother-Child Unity Bell to sense the general location and status of his other two Guardian Beasts, Ta Xue and Qi Zai.

Through his senses, Ta Xue and its mother, Caiyun, seemed to be together. They weren’t too far, probably near a rock wall somewhere deeper in this same forest. Their condition was calm; they seemed to be resting or lying in wait.

As for Qi Zai...

It was circling high in the sky, much closer.

Yang Qi thought for a moment, then put two fingers in his mouth, took a deep breath, and blew two whistles with distinctly different rhythms and pitches.

The first whistle was clear, short, and extremely piercing, echoing through the forest.

The second whistle was lower and more drawn-out, like a contact call between large birds.

The whistles spread through the trees of the mountain valley.

Soon—

"SCREEE~!"

A high-pitched, clear, and piercing cry came from high above, growing closer.

A gray and white figure shot down from the sky like an arrow, piercing through the thin evening mist.

Its speed was immense, but it deftly adjusted its posture as it neared the ground, its wings kicking up a strong wind that stirred the fallen leaves and dust.

It was the Beaked Eagle, Qi Zai! 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

With a beautiful, decelerating glide, it landed precisely on Yang Qi’s outstretched right arm, which he had quickly covered with a bracer.

Its sharp talons gripped the bracer’s padding, making a soft "CLINK" sound.

It then adjusted its position, flapped its wide wings, and moved to perch steadily on the pauldron on Yang Qi’s right shoulder.

It folded its wings, and its sharp, golden eyes glinted with affection as it nuzzled the side of Yang Qi’s ear.

At almost the same moment Qi Zai landed, Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard also returned quickly from their guard posts, gathering around Yang Qi.

However, the instant they saw the majestic Beaked Eagle, radiating the aura of a raptor, perched on Yang Qi’s shoulder, they instinctively went on high alert.

"GRRR—"

Bai Wan crouched low, a deep, warning growl rumbling in its throat.

"WOOF!"

"ARF ARF!"

Hu Zi and Leopard also went into work mode, their bodies tensed. They stared intently at Qi Zai, letting out rapid, intimidating barks.

If Yang Qi hadn’t been there, they probably would have already adopted a posture to drive it away or attack.

"MROW—HISS!"

Even the usually calm Xiaojiu arched its back, its fur standing on end. Its pupils narrowed to slits as it let out a threatening hiss at Qi Zai!