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Chu Qingzhi bent down to pick up some soil, rolling it between her fingers. The soil was somewhat sticky, but it didn’t meet the requirements for brick-making.

She dusted off her hands, getting rid of the soil, and scanned her surroundings, her divine sense extending outward…

After a moment, she headed towards the forest.

The forest nearby was just at the foot of a mountain, not deep enough to be considered real woodland. It was usually home to wild chickens and rabbits, without any large predators.

She stopped about twenty meters into the forest, surrounded by poplar and banyan trees, which thrive in sticky soil.

“This is the place,” Chu Qingzhi determined after inspecting the area.

The entrance was flat, with a small hill on the right—perfect for digging kiln caves—and flat land on the left for building houses. The location was quite suitable.

She had tentatively chosen this spot for the brick kiln.

Just as Chu Qingzhi was about to head home, a few bird calls caught her attention. She looked up to see a chameleon parrot perched on a branch, and she smiled, “I was looking for you, and here you appear on your own.”

The chameleon parrot, a species among parrots, has the intelligence of a five- year-old child after reaching adulthood. It has a strong ability to learn and mimic sounds, and it’s adept at camouflaging itself.

It can change its feathers to blend in, like a chameleon. If it perches on a rooftop, its feathers can match the color of the tiles, making it hard to spot with the naked eye.

Using this bird for intelligence gathering couldn’t be more perfect.

With a flick of her finger, a bamboo leaf appeared in her hand, which she blew into, producing a strange melody. The chameleon parrot flew towards her.

Chu Qingzhi caught the parrot in her hand and asked, “Are there any ownerless parrot eggs nearby?”

The chameleon parrot opened its mouth, “Eggs, eggs.”

“Lead the way.” With a gesture from Chu Qingzhi, the parrot flew ahead, guiding her.

After some time, the parrot stopped on a tree trunk near a nest, below which were scattered some bloodstains and feathers, suggesting that the bird mother had been killed.

Chu Qingzhi touched the eggs. They were cold and indeed ownerless. She collected all four eggs and put them in her bag.

Continuing their search…

Together, the girl and bird found 35 bird eggs in the forest.

“That’s enough.” Chu Qingzhi headed out of the mountains, planning to return home, with the chameleon parrot, now bribed with corn and wheat, following her.

The parrot perched on her shoulder, curiously observing its surroundings. Initially, it flapped its wings nervously, almost falling off, but it soon realized that no one meant it harm, and it became more confident.

Chu Qingzhi reassured, “The villagers won’t hurt you. Don’t worry. Also, you’ll stay at my place from now on. I’ll prepare a luxurious big nest for you later.” The chameleon parrot jumped up, clearly pleased, “Thank you, thank you.” Looking at the little guy on her shoulder, Chu Qingzhi mercilessly exposed its disguise, “You can even say thank you, must have been sneaking into the village to steal food, huh?”

The parrot turned its head away, acting haughty and ignoring Chu Qingzhi. Chu Qingzhi chuckled and walked through the gate with the parrot.

Chu Qingyan rushed over excitedly upon seeing Chu Qingzhi with a parrot, “Fifth Sister, this bird is so beautiful. Where did you find it?”

The chameleon parrot on Chu Qingzhi’s shoulder, now matching the green and white of her dress to “coordinate” with her, made a charming sight.

Chu Qingzhi placed the eggs in a basket, “I found it at the foot of the mountain, homeless, so I brought it back.”

Hearing this, the chameleon parrot quickly retorted, “I have a home, I have a home…”

Chu Qingyan widened her eyes in curiosity and said with an exaggerated expression, “Wow, Fifth Sister, it can speak.”

“It’s a parrot. It can change color and speak.” Chu Qingzhi placed the color-changing parrot in Chu Qingyan’s hand. In a short while, the parrot turned into a flesh color and looked very magical.

Chu Qingyan held the bird carefully, her eyes shining with delight. “Fifth Sister, it’s so adorable.”

Chu Qingzhi patted her on the head, a gentle smile on her face. “If you like it, you can play with it for a while.”

Chu Qingyan beamed at her with gratitude, “Thank you, Fifth Sister.

Chu Qingzhi set to work on making a nest for the bird. After some thought, she decided to use a basket. She lined the basket with a layer of soft, dry grass and placed all the bird eggs into it, then carried it back to her room.

She cast a spell on the basket to maintain its temperature, then hung it under the eaves outside the window. Now, all that was left was to wait for the parrots to hatch.

She then prepared another, smaller basket in the same way for the parrot to live in.

In the capital, at the General’s Mansion.

A shadow guard presented Tang Jinghong with several papers. “General, the matter concerning Bai Tingyan has been thoroughly investigated.”

Tang Jinghong took the papers and, after reviewing them, understood the whole story.

Bai Tingyan was the cousin of Fang Mingyi’s friend. After Fang Mingyi sent the music scores to his friend, Bai Tingyan happened to see them, copied a set, and submitted them to the school’s dean.

He hadn’t expected that the scores had been altered by Chu Qingzhi, nor could he have imagined that Tang Jinghong would ask Chu Qingzhi to help select the music scores. It was fate indeed.

If Chu Qingzhi hadn’t discovered this, and the scores had been selected, Bai Tingyan would have received the emperor’s reward. Even if it was later discovered that he had plagiarized, nobody would dare speak up, as it would be tantamount to criticizing the emperor. Who would dare to do such a thing?

Tang Jinghong’s expression turned icy as he wrote to the dean of Yunfei School about the matter, returning the music scores.

How to deal with it was left to the dean, as it was a matter for the school.

The sky was like a black canvas, dotted with stars that twinkled brightly.

These past few days, Ge Lihua hadn’t gone to the county town, which Chu Xujin found very unusual. After dinner, he insisted on taking a walk with her.

Ge Lihua agreed.

Together, they arrived at the riverbank. A breeze, cool and refreshing, brushed against their faces.

Suddenly, Chu Xujin stopped. “Lihua, I’ll pick a lotus flower for you.”

In a corner of the riverbank, the water’s surface was covered with vibrant green lotus leaves, among which stood many seed pods, and a few late-blooming lotus flowers.

“Don’t go!” Ge Lihua stopped him. “The lotus needs to bloom to form seed pods. If you pick it, it will wither in a few days, and then there will be nothing left.”

Not wanting to upset Ge Lihua, Chu Xujin said, “Then I’ll pick some lotus pods instead, and later I’ll peel the seeds for you to eat.”

Without waiting for a response, he jumped into the river to pick the mature pods.

A soft smile appeared on Ge Lihua¹ s cool face as she stood on the bank, watching Chu Xujin gather lotus pods.

Chu Xujin picked more than a dozen pods and, cradling them, swam back to shore. “Let’s go. I’ll peel them for you at home.”

Ge Lihua responded, “Let’s peel them together.”