Talk with Ye Chen

Having distanced ourselves from the strange event we had just witnessed, we approached Xia Tao's mansion. 

"Yo, kid" I said, stepping out of the shuttle with the goose by my side. 

"Hello everyone" said the goose and, to our surprise, immediately ran off somewhere. His figure quickly disappeared around the corner, leaving us bewildered.

"Hello, and the goose, of course, never learns" Xia Tao said, laughing. I followed the direction where the goose had run and couldn't help but smile.

"Now, bees won't scare him" I said proudly. The goose and I had acquired a special technique and perfected it during our travels. This technique allows quick movement within a small radius and easy evasion of bees. "He's cool, almost elusive. A very useful technique. If we come to an agreement, we might share it with you. I won it in a dice game!"

Xia Tao looked at me with skepticism, and I felt a twinge of offense. Why does no one believe in our achievements?

"Want to bet?" Lin Qing appeared out of nowhere and spoke in a gentle and sweet voice. I might have been swayed by her charm if I hadn't seen her giving orders to her subordinates and setting up deadly games just five minutes ago.

"What are the terms?" I asked, sensing an internal anxiety growing. I, of course, sense a trick and will likely not accept, but it doesn't hurt to listen to the terms. On the other hand, what do I have to lose? Plus, the goose said this time he would steal whatever the bees were guarding.

"How about this: your technique, and in return, we'll give you an additional Celestium Crystal needed for the book?" Lin Qing proposed, her voice sweet as honey, and her eyes shining with playful intent.

I turned to Xia Tao. "Is she serious?" I asked him, feeling a wave of concern rise at the thought of the crystal's value. It was really expensive, like, really expensive.

"She can speak on behalf of our clan. If she says a Celestium Crystal from our side, then let it be so" he said, curiously glancing in the direction where the goose had run off. There was trust in his voice towards Lin Qing and also a slight skepticism towards our plan.

"If the goose can't reach what the bees are guarding, then the technique is yours. But if he does, you owe us an additional Celestium Crystal. I'll definitely need it" I said with a confident smile.

"Alright, here's why I came" I said, trying to bring the conversation back on track. "The goose suggested we go to the southern mountain of the sect, use Yin to enhance Yang. This should strengthen the cultivation foundation and improve the quality of spiritual power." I had just begun to describe all the benefits, anticipating their approval.

"No" Xia Tao immediately refused, his voice firm and unyielding.

"Uh, and the reason?" My curiosity flared up anew.

"After our last outing, I nearly died, so no, thank you" he replied, his voice reflecting memories of the previous dangerous experience.

Then couple of seconds later

"Well, at least, I need to discuss and think about it. Give me time until tomorrow" Xia Tao said.

"What are you carving there?" I noticed that Xia Tao had been carving something out of wood all this time.

"Oh, I found myself a hobby," he said, showing a wooden bee the size of a sparrow that he was carving.

"Oh wow, not very common hobby" I replied.

After ten minutes of conversation, the goose still hadn't returned, and I began to worry, periodically glancing in the direction he had gone.

"Don't worry about him, he's alive" Lin Qing said, then added more quietly, "probably."

"Let's go check," Xia Tao said, standing up. "Just in case."

We walked a bit and soon heard muffled sounds.

"Mmm... MMMm... mmm" came the noises, and as we approached, we saw an interesting scene: the goose obviously hadn't reached bees goods, was wrapped in a web, and hung on a small tree. Nearby, some giant bees were flying around.

"WTF, what's going on here?" I couldn't hold back.

"Oh, looks like we won the technique" Lin Qing said, laughing. She approached the goose, cut down the web, lifted him, and said, "Shall we go back?" Humming a tune, she dragged the goose back to the mansion.

"Maybe we should roast him? He's already packaged," Lin Qing said, laughing again. The goose started thrashing in panic.

"Hahaha, don't struggle, we would at least pluck you first" she laughed again. Approaching the mansion, she tossed the goose into my arms. "Stop struggling, hahaha, let your savior untangle you."

Drawing my sword and trying to cut the web carefully, I realized it wouldn't cut.

"Huh?" Just as I was about to ask how to do it, Lin Qing waved her hand, and the web simply and neatly cut apart and fell away.

"What the fuck was that? Where did the fucking spiders come from? I will fucking burn them! What are those mutant bees? What the hell kind of web was that? What the hell is going on here?" His panic was overwhelming, eyes bulging, and he wouldn't stop talking.

"Calm down, buddy, it's all over" I soothed the goose, hugging and patting him on the back.

"Well, you lost, and the goose couldn't handle it. You owe us the technique" Lin Qing said with a smirk.

"The goose is weak" she added, mocking him.

"Weak? Me? What are you talking about, woman? If I hadn't been distracted, they wouldn't have caught me! They attacked out of nowhere, I wasn't prepared, I expected an attack from above, but they came from below they cheated! Next time, that won't happen, and besides, those berries were so beautiful, I have to get them. Next time, I'll be ready, and no spiders will stop me! If they weren't spiders I'd fuck their mothers! I will piss on their ash after I burn them!" Judging by how he was talking, his panic had subsided a bit.

"So, I have a question for you, Swiftwing" Xia Tao said.

The goose calmed down and turned to him.

"How long do you plan to be on the southern mountain?" Xia Tao continued.

"I think about a month, give or take. Why, are you agreeing to come with us?"

"I need to discuss it with my people by tomorrow, and then we'll see" Xia Tao replied.