Chapter 152: Establish A Contract

Chapter 152: Chapter 152: Establish A Contract

Just as Sui Sui was racking his brains for another way out, a mocking voice suddenly sounded beside him.

"Ha! What an idiot!"

Sui Sui froze and slowly turned his head toward the red bird trapped beside him. For a moment, he wondered if he had heard correctly.

The bird stood with its few remaining feathers sticking out in every direction. Its appearance was so disheveled that it was difficult to take seriously, yet it carried itself with the arrogance of an emperor surveying his own territory. Its little head was held high, its beak tilted upward, and its beady eyes half-lidded with disdain.

There was not the slightest hint of fear on its face. Instead, it looked thoroughly offended that someone had dared to inconvenience a creature of its stature.

"Does that ignorant woman really think this pathetic little formation can trap me?" the bird sneered, its few remaining feathers puffing up "How laughable! Has the world truly declined to the point where any insignificant fool dares to challenge a noble existence like mine? Hmph! She should be grateful that I haven’t taken offense. Otherwise, I would have reduced this entire place to ashes!"

Sui Sui stared at the bird, momentarily forgetting that they were both still trapped beneath the net. He blinked once, then twice, as he tried to process what he had just heard.

Ah?

This bird could actually talk?!

Before he could gather his thoughts, the bird flicked its wings, seemingly disgusted by the very thought of the formation. Noticing Sui Sui’s bewildered stare, it slowly turned its head toward him. Its beady eyes swept over him from head to toe, and the contempt in its expression deepened.

"And you! What are you staring at? Have you never seen a noble being before? Although, judging by your pitiful cultivation, I suppose you wouldn’t have had the opportunity. Tsk, tsk. How unfortunate. Not only are you weak, but you’re also terribly ignorant."

Hearing this, Sui Sui was completely speechless.

He had always thought that most low-level spirit beasts couldn’t speak human language. Some might be more intelligent than ordinary beasts, but the ability to speak was generally reserved for higher-level spirit beasts. Yet this bird could not only talk but also insult people with such confidence, as though it were the most distinguished creature in the world.

Then, wouldn’t that mean his earlier suspicion hadn’t been wrong!? When he had felt that the bird was toying with him during their chase, he hadn’t been imagining things. It really had been playing with him all along!

Sui Sui felt a little complicated. He had spent so much effort trying to catch this bird, only to discover that it had never taken him seriously in the first place. And now, while they were both trapped, it was still finding time to look down on him. It was really a blow to his confidence.

The bird let out an exaggerated sigh, as though being stuck beside Sui Sui were a fate worse than death.

"To think that I, a being of unparalleled nobility, would end up sharing a cage with someone like you! What a disgrace! If you hadn’t been so incompetent, you wouldn’t have dragged me into this mess. You couldn’t even catch a bird properly, yet you somehow managed to get yourself trapped alongside one. Truly, I’ve never seen such a remarkable combination of stupidity and bad luck!"

It paused before continuing with an air of absolute superiority. "And don’t flatter yourself by thinking you caught me earlier. I was merely indulging you. Had I been even slightly serious, you wouldn’t have been able to follow so much as a single feather of mine!"

Not that you have many feathers to begin with, Sui Sui thought, his gaze drifting toward the bird’s rather unfortunate appearance.

However he promptly swallowed the remark before it could escape his mouth. The last time he had commented on the bird’s looks, he had been rewarded with a peck. He had no intention of repeating that experience, especially when they were trapped together with no room to escape each other.

Sui Sui looked at the bird, then glanced at the formation surrounding them. Although the bird had been boasting about its abilities just moments ago, Sui Sui wasn’t sure how much of its words he could actually believe. Its scraggly appearance and arrogant attitude didn’t exactly inspire confidence, and he had no idea what it was capable of beyond flying around and pecking people.

Still, since he was trapped, and the bird was the only one who had claimed it could get them out. After a brief internal struggle, Sui Sui finally swallowed his pride and cautiously asked, "Since you think this formation can’t trap you... can you get us out?"

The bird lifted its head proudly. "Of course I can!"

Its confidence made Sui Sui feel a little hopeful. Perhaps this scraggly bird really did have some impressive ability hidden beneath its ridiculous appearance.

"I am a noble bird, after all. A trifling formation like this is hardly worth mentioning."

Sui Sui glanced at its sparse feathers, Noble?! but wisely kept his thoughts to himself.

Since the bird seemed so confident in its abilities, Sui Sui decided not to provoke it and was just about to ask it if it could get them out when the bird suddenly gave him a disdainful look.

"Still, why should I help you for free? You were the one who tried to catch me earlier. If you hadn’t been so persistent, I wouldn’t have ended up in this mess with you."

That was... technically true. Although the bird had deliberately teased him throughout their chase, Sui Sui had indeed been the one who tried to catch it first. He couldn’t exactly argue his way out of that, so he would have to find another way to persuade the bird to help him.

After thinking for a moment, Sui Sui suddenly had an idea. His eyes brightened a little as he turned toward the bird and proposed, "What if we make a deal? If you help me get out of here safely, I’ll give you something in return."

The bird snorted, looking at Sui Sui as though he had just told the most ridiculous joke. "What could you possibly have that I would want?"

Sui Sui didn’t bother arguing. Instead, he reached into his spirit pouch and took out a small bottle of spiritual liquid, holding it up where the bird could see it.

At first, the bird still looked unimpressed. But the moment it caught the faint scent escaping from the bottle, its expression changed. Its head tilted, and its beady eyes fixed on the little bottle in Sui Sui’s hand. It even leaned forward, stretching as far as the net would allow, as though getting a closer look might help it figure out what was inside.

"What is that?" it asked, its tone suddenly far less dismissive.

"Spiritual liquid," Sui Sui replied, not bothering to elaborate more

"Give it to me!"

The bird’s sudden outburst startled Sui Sui so much that he instinctively pulled the bottle closer to his chest. Just a moment ago, the bird had acted as though nothing he owned was worth a second glance. Now, it was practically lunging toward the bottle, its earlier arrogance momentarily forgotten. Sui Sui couldn’t help tightening his hold on the spiritual liquid. It seemed he had finally found something that could catch this bird’s attention.

"Not yet," Sui Sui said firmly, pulling the bottle away when the bird leaned toward it. "I’ll give it to you, but only if you promise to get me out of here safe and sound. And you won’t receive the spiritual liquid until we’re both safely out of this formation."

The bird’s expression darkened. "You want me to work first and get paid afterward?"

"That’s right." Sui Sui nodded. He wasn’t foolish enough to hand over the spiritual liquid before the bird fulfilled its promise. What if it took the reward and abandoned him afterward?

"Humph! And how do I know you won’t go back on your word?" the bird demanded. "What if you refuse to give it to me once we’re out?"

Sui Sui paused. That was a reasonable concern, even if he didn’t appreciate being suspected of breaking his promise before he’d done anything wrong.

"Then how about we establish a temporary contract?" Sui Sui suggested. "That way, neither of us can go back on our word. You promise to get me out of here safely, and I promise to give you the spiritual liquid once we’re both out of the formation."

The bird considered this, its gaze lingering on the bottle. "And you’ll keep your promise?"

"Of course! As long as you keep yours."

The bird considered the offer carefully, its gaze shifting between Sui Sui and the bottle of spiritual liquid in his hand. The temptation was almost unbearable. It had been stuck in this godforsaken place for several days and had yet to find anything worthwhile. If circumstances hadn’t forced its hand, a noble being like itself would never have willingly come to such a miserable place in the first place.

Worse still, the longer it remained here, the more time it wasted recovering its strength. The spiritual liquid would help it regain its power much faster, making it far more valuable, Besides, spiritual liquid was a staple of its kind’s daily consumption. After weighing the offer for a moment, the bird finally gave in.

"Fine, I agree!"

With both parties agreeing to the terms, Sui Sui and the bird established a temporary contract. A faint glow appeared between them as the agreement took effect, marking the beginning of their rather unusual partnership.