Jason Brooks's eyelid twitched. As expected, Emily Martin was unbelievably thick-skinned, and her ability to climb the social ladder was truly impressive.

Just then—

"Plop! Plop!"

Some of the smaller locust sparrows could no longer withstand the effects of the [Bewildering Mist Powder]. Their bodies went limp and they collapsed onto the drying yard.

"Chirp chirp!"

Only now did the locust sparrow leader suddenly realize it had fallen into a trap. It hurriedly flapped its wings, trying to soar into the sky.

But it didn't feel anything until it tried to fly—its wings felt weak and powerless, its whole body as if the bones had been removed, unable to support itself.

Still, it was a seasoned old bird with considerable strength. Forcing itself to stay alert, it flapped desperately to escape, drawing a crooked, wobbly flight path through the air.

It hadn't flown more than a few miles—

When a young man and woman, each riding a flying artifact, blocked the locust sparrow leader's path.

"Run, go on, keep running." Emily Martin sat atop a paper kite, smiling as she eyed the locust sparrow leader. "Weren't you acting all arrogant just now? Why aren't you so cocky anymore? How do you like my Bewildering Mist Powder?"

"Chirp!~~Chirp chirp~~Chirp chirp chirp~"

The locust sparrow leader screeched in fury, as if condemning the humans' despicable cunning. But its head was still scorched black, and without that tuft of majestic red feathers, its aura was somewhat lacking.

"Why are you wasting words on a bird?"

Jason Brooks raised his palm, and with a dazzling flash of golden light, knocked the locust sparrow leader unconscious.

When the locust sparrow leader woke up again, the moon was already hanging above the willow branches. It twisted its round, plump body and found that the numbness had faded, though its head was still groggy. Both wings were tied together at the base, sticking up at an angle and unable to close.

If its subordinates saw it in this position, wouldn't it lose all dignity as the Sparrow King?

Wait, where were its subordinates?

Where was its second-in-command, third-in-command, fourth-in-command?

Wait!

What was that smell?

The locust sparrow leader tilted its head to look, and when it saw what was happening, it froze on the spot, its soul nearly leaving its body.

Not far away, a bonfire was burning. Several humans were gathered around it, chatting and laughing as they ate barbecue.

The roasted birds skewered on the branches—judging by their size, they were clearly...

The third-in-command!

Old Third, you died so miserably.

I must avenge you! I’ll risk it all!

"Smack!"

Emily Martin slapped the locust sparrow leader to the ground, swallowed, and said, "Young Master Brooks, why are you keeping this big fat bird? It's a rare first-rank fierce bird—eating it would be a great tonic."

Chapter 11: Taming the Spirit Sparrow

"Chirp chirp!"

The locust sparrow leader was sent rolling on the ground by the slap, shaking its head and shivering as it snapped back to its senses. Realizing its life was in someone else's hands, how could it even think of avenging the third-in-command?

Immediately, it shrank its neck and rubbed up against Emily Martin's leg, trying to curry favor and beg for mercy.

"Get lost." Emily Martin kicked it away in disgust. "You filthy wretched bird, if Young Master Jason hadn't insisted on keeping you, you'd already be in my belly."

The locust sparrow leader was indeed very clever and instantly understood who was really in charge.

Its round, plump body quickly rolled over to Jason Brooks's side and started rubbing against his leg to please him.

"Locust sparrow, are you willing to become my spirit pet?" Jason Brooks asked kindly.

"?"

The locust sparrow leader tilted its head, looking blank, as if it hadn't fully understood.

"Young Master Jason, do you really think it understands everything you say?" Emily Martin strode forward, grabbed the locust sparrow leader's thick neck, and said, "These first-rank fierce birds are quite intelligent, but they're still far from truly understanding human speech. You'll have to train it slowly over time."

"You need to use facial expressions, gestures, and a stronger tone to get your meaning across. Only then will it roughly understand."

As she spoke, Emily Martin gestured and made exaggerated faces, helping the locust sparrow leader roughly grasp what Jason Brooks meant.

"Chirp chirp!!!!"

The locust sparrow leader immediately protested, letting out a string of indignant chirps, as if to say, What kind of bird do you think I am?

You want me to submit to you? Hmph! I’d rather die than be humiliated.

"I told you, these wild fierce birds aren't easy to tame." Emily Martin showed a malicious expression, smacking her lips. "No need to waste time on it. Why not just eat it and nourish ourselves?"

As she spoke, she added plenty of expressive gestures and facial cues.

"Very well, since it refuses to submit, at least we'll save a lot of spirit grain." Jason Brooks said readily, "Miss Emily, I'll leave the locust sparrow leader to you."

"Thank you, Young Master Jason." Emily Martin was overjoyed. She pulled out a sharp little knife and made a few gestures at the locust sparrow leader's neck, then took out a clay pot to boil water, humming a tune as she prepared the seasonings. "This bird is so plump—just roasting it would be too crude. First, drain its blood, pluck it clean, then stew it with all kinds of spirit herbs. That's when it tastes the best."

Emily Martin's performance was vivid and lifelike, and the locust sparrow leader understood about seventy to eighty percent of her meaning.