Chapter 258: My Pigeons Are Afraid of Strangers, They Fly Away When They See People

Kunlun Mountain range.

In the cultural history of Huaxia, the Kunlun Mountains held a prominent status as the "Ancestor of All Mountains." The ancients referred to it as the ancestor of Huaxia's dragon veins, a title that clearly illustrated its supreme standing.

Furthermore, in Huaxia mythology, a deity known as the Queen Mother of the West resided in the Kunlun Mountains. She was an orthodox deity of Daoism, overseeing the ascension of men and women who practiced cultivation.

Ning Fei spotted the Kunlun Mountains from afar before he even entered Kuncheng.

If the Qinshan Mountain range appeared lush and verdant, stretching for ten thousand li in a vibrant display of life, then the Kunlun Mountains, in stark contrast, were a blanket of pure white snow. They resembled a snowy wonderland, appearing far more vast and desolate.

"Kunlun, the snowy domain."

Ning Fei gazed into the distance, his eyes lighting up.

Leaving aside the deep historical ties between Kunlun and Huaxia Daoism, Ning Fei had always wanted to visit a true snowy domain.

He wondered what kind of wondrous scenery awaited at the peaks of those snowy mountains.

Following the address Bai Yuanche had sent, Ning Fei drove straight over.

The interior of his car was packed with all sorts of supplies. This included his essential daily necessities, toys and blankets for the little ones, and his outdoor exploration gear.

Naturally, it also included the gifts he had prepared for his master and his master's wife.

In traditional culture, a master was always afforded the utmost respect. This was because a master didn't just raise a disciple from childhood; they also taught them essential skills and the principles of how to conduct themselves in the world.

They were both a teacher and a loving father.

Ning Fei drove all the way in, finally arriving at Bai Yuanche's current residence.

Bai Yuanche lived in a small rural villa that boasted a large courtyard. Fruit trees and crops were planted outside.

Bai Yuanche kept some animals of his own, though his setup was fairly simple. He had a loft housing around thirty pigeons, and a pasture next to the villa where he kept a dozen horses.

Ning Fei pulled his car into the courtyard. The moment he stepped out, Bai Yuanche and a woman walked over to greet him.

"Master," Ning Fei greeted.

It was worth noting that Qingfeng Temple had previously only consisted of the two of them. As a result, Bai Yuanche and Ning Fei had never bothered with overly elaborate formalities or traditional bowing. Their dynamic was much closer to a normal father-and-son relationship in an ordinary rural household.

"Did you bring the Shanyin Pu'er I asked for?" Bai Yuanche asked with a chuckle. He had been drinking that specific tea for years and dearly missed the taste.

"I brought it. There's still plenty left from this year's harvest."

Bai Yuanche was nearing fifty, but thanks to his excellent health regimen, he appeared vigorous and robust, looking like a man merely in his middle age. He possessed a mild, gentle personality that lacked any sort of aggressive edge, making people feel entirely at ease around him.

Beside him stood a beautiful woman. This was none other than his master's wife, Lin Chu, whom Ning Fei had never met before.

It had to be said that even though she was getting on in years, she had retained all of her charm. If anything, her mature grace only made her more alluring.

"Hello, Master's Wife. I brought you some gifts. This is a Lingzhi I picked in the mountains, along with some air-dried Ice Nether Flowers. Both are known for their life-prolonging properties." Ning Fei pulled the items from his car.

Lin Chu accepted them with a warm smile. She kept her eyes fixed on Ning Fei, feeling fonder of him the more she looked.

Truth be told, Ning Fei had the exact kind of disposition that elders adored.

He carried an elegant, scholarly aura, boasted striking looks and a fine build, and was consistently polite and respectful toward his seniors.

Such traits naturally made it easy for people to take a liking to him.

"You must be exhausted after driving all this way. Go rest in the house for now, and I'll call you when dinner is ready," Lin Chu said gently.

She truly possessed an excellent temperament, and her warmth felt completely genuine.

It was said that back in her sect, quite a few disciples had pursued her, but in the end, his master Bai Yuanche had won her heart.

"Alright."

Arriving at his elders' home, the atmosphere immediately felt much more relaxed.

At this time, the little ones began bounding out of the car one by one. They scattered into the courtyard, curiously inspecting their new surroundings.

The rural villa sat in a lovely environment with a sprawling courtyard. Even though it was winter, the ground was still covered in lush green grass, showing that Bai Yuanche had put quite a bit of effort into its upkeep.

"Oh, right, Master, don't you love eating peaches? I specifically bought a massive one just for you."

Remembering this detail, Ning Fei pulled a bag out of the car. Inside rested a huge peach, boasting a vibrant, rosy-pink color.

This peach was none other than the Flat Peach Ning Fei had won from the Diamond Draw.

During his last Diamond Draw, he had obtained a Flat Peach and a Ginseng Fruit. The Ginseng Fruit's appearance was far too bizarre, making it difficult to explain away if he gave it to anyone else, so he had just eaten it himself.

The Flat Peach, however, simply looked like an oversized ordinary peach. Its shape was perfectly normal, making it much easier to present.

Ning Fei figured that since he had already consumed the Body Strengthening Pill and the Ginseng Fruit, the Flat Peach's life-extending benefits wouldn't do much for him anyway. He was much better off giving it to his master to help him live a long and healthy life.

To his surprise, the moment Bai Yuanche laid eyes on the fruit, he blurted out in shock, "A Flat Peach?"

A hint of astonishment flashed across Ning Fei's face.

'Master actually recognizes a Flat Peach?'

Bai Yuanche quickly realized his slip of the tongue and corrected himself. "Don't you think this peach is so massive that it looks just like the Flat Peaches from Journey to the West?"

Ning Fei nodded. "It really does. I thought this peach was pretty unique myself, which is why I bought it."

Bai Yuanche accepted the fruit. "I've had a peach this big before. The flavor isn't bad at all."

"I'll save this for Yiyi. She loves peaches."

Bai Yuanche remarked casually.

"Yiyi?"

"Oh, my daughter. Your younger sister. You can call her your junior sister too, whichever you prefer," Bai Yuanche said with a smile.

"Junior sister?"

Truthfully, in the modern era, hearing such a term felt slightly out of place.

Even within organizations like the Deyun Society, they usually only referred to each other as senior and junior brothers; the term "junior sister" was practically unheard of.

"What junior sister? Has Yiyi joined your Qingfeng Temple?" Lin Chu shot Bai Yuanche an exasperated look. "Feifei, don't listen to him. Just call her your sister." Bai Yuanche merely shrugged, offering no rebuttal.

Ning Fei offered an awkward smile.

It wasn't his place to interrupt the elders' bickering, so he could only stand by and listen.

Furthermore, his nickname wasn't actually Feifei; Bai Yuanche and Ning Fei had always just addressed each other by their full names. Even so, hearing his master's wife call him that gave Ning Fei a warm, affectionate feeling.

After that, Lin Chu went off to cook, while Ning Fei and Bai Yuanche headed to his assigned room to unpack.

"Feel free to wander around the area. If you see anything you like, just let me know," Bai Yuanche said, clearly in a good mood.

"Master, is that fifty million real?"

"It's real."

"And the courtyard house in Jingdu City?"

"Uh, there are actually two of those. I use one of them to store the antiques I collected in my youth."

"What else?"

"When I went out to sea back in the day, I bought a seaside villa over in Qingdao. I don't need it anymore, so I'm leaving that to you as well."

Ning Fei sighed helplessly. "So, you've secretly been loaded this whole time?"

Bai Yuanche coughed awkwardly. "Ahem, Qingfeng Temple has its rules. Newly accepted disciples must be raised in poverty for twenty years. You have to understand."

"You finish unpacking. I'm going out to take a look."

With that, Bai Yuanche turned and quickly slipped away.

Ning Fei didn't press the issue. Truthfully, he had been perfectly content with his past life; he was simply curious about the revelation that his master was secretly wealthy.

After all, he had just been trying to figure out how he was going to support his master in his old age.

As it turned out, his master was likely far wealthier than he could have ever imagined.

Ning Fei retrieved the pet beds he had bought for the little ones from the car. They looked like miniature sofas—fluffy, lined with cotton pads, and incredibly comfortable to sleep on.

Little Fox and the Three Black Chirps shared a bed. Little Dog and Little Fei, being the best of friends, slept together as well. As for Little falcon and Xiao Feng, they each received their own dedicated birdhouse perched on the table.

Using the small bottles he had prepared, Ning Fei carefully fed the three Xiao Heijiu kittens their milk before heading back out to the courtyard.

Little Dog and Little Fei trailed behind him, wildly curious about every little thing.

Little falcon, unable to wait any longer, launched straight into the clouds, eager to soar through the skies of the snowy domain.

"Little falcon, be careful! Don't hurt Master's pigeons!"

Ning Fei called out right before the falcon vanished.

Bai Yuanche loved pigeons, so he had built a sizable loft for them.

Whenever he had a moment of free time, he would come out to feed them.

Stepping out into the yard, Ning Fei went straight to the pigeon loft to take a look. He had always held a deep fascination for birds.

Bai Yuanche happened to be there feeding the flock. Seeing Ning Fei approach, he warned, "Keep your movements slow. My pigeons are afraid of strangers; they usually scatter the moment they see a new face."

Ning Fei merely shrugged.

Yet, right at that moment, a scene completely beyond Bai Yuanche's expectations unfolded.

The pigeons that had just been pecking at breadcrumbs on the ground abruptly took off and swarmed toward Ning Fei.

Ning Fei spread his arms wide. The pigeons landed along his shoulders and trailed all the way down his outstretched arms, lining up in neat, orderly rows.

Looking at their behavior, the flock was behaving incredibly affectionately toward him.

Bai Yuanche's jaw dropped in absolute shock.

"Good heavens, what in the world is going on?"

Standing there with his arms outstretched like a pair of wings, completely covered in pigeons, Ning Fei chuckled.

"Master, it doesn't seem like your pigeons are afraid of strangers at all."

Ning Fei was wearing the Phoenix jade pendant around his neck, an artifact that naturally boosted his affinity with all bird species. The pigeons obviously couldn't resist the intense goodwill it radiated.

Bai Yuanche was utterly speechless.

He had spent months feeding these pigeons every day, yet Ning Fei had been here for less than half an hour, and the entire flock had immediately defected to him?

And to think, he had constantly bragged to Lin Chu that the pigeons he raised recognized only him and no one else—boasting that it was proof of his profound Daoist aura.

Staring down at the bread in his hand, Bai Yuanche could only laugh in defeat.

This precious disciple of his really was something else.