The Eternal Radiance Divine Sect had enjoyed three whole hours of peace since defeating Young Master Bai.
That was, by their standards, a record.
And so, naturally, chaos returned—this time, in the form of a legal summons.
Su Jian shuffled into the courtyard, holding a golden scroll sealed with red wax and bite marks.
"I found this nailed to the bamboo wall… with claws."
Li Qingyu took the scroll, opened it, and read aloud:
> "To the Eternal Radiance Divine Sect:
This formal complaint is issued by the Spirit Beast Alliance of the Northern Ridge.
You stand accused of:
Unlawful capture of a Rank 3 Goose Spirit,
Feeding it substandard rice,
Assigning it guard duty without proper compensation,
And naming it 'Sir Honksalot' without consent."
A representative will arrive shortly.
Be prepared.
—Signed, The Spirit Beast Council**
Tian Feng blinked. "We're… being sued by geese?"
"No," Yanyu corrected. "A council of beasts led by geese."
Ziyan cracked her knuckles. "I vote violence."
Li Qingyu rubbed his temples. "Let's… hear them out first."
---
Twenty Minutes Later
A procession of spirit beasts arrived at the gates.
At the front: a snow-white goose wearing a tiny red cape, golden anklets, and an expression of bureaucratic disgust.
Behind him: a red panda with glasses, a turtle with a scroll case strapped to its back, and a wolf in a monk's robe.
Daniu whispered, "Do we fight them one at a time or all at once?"
"No fighting," Li Qingyu whispered back. "We're going to settle this like cultivators. With diplomacy and mild threats."
---
The goose flapped onto a boulder and stared down the sect.
"I am Chief Representative Honkzhen, Spirit Beast Barrister, Three-Time Winner of the Mountain Arbitration Trials."
He glared at the disciples.
"You kidnapped one of our members."
Yanyu raised her hand. "We rescued him! He was being chased by demon boars."
"He told us to leave him behind," Su Jian added. "Then he followed us home and took over the food storage."
"You fed him polished rice!" Honkzhen honked. "Do you know how bad that is for his digestion?!"
Li Qingyu bowed slightly. "Our apologies. He was not registered. We offered him sanctuary, but perhaps… misunderstood his intentions."
"He now claims to have been forcibly inducted into sect life," the turtle said in a slow voice.
Daniu tilted his head. "But I made him a little honorary disciple robe…"
"He burns it nightly," the wolf added grimly.
---
Li Qingyu took a breath.
"Very well. We admit there may have been… procedural errors. What is the Council demanding for reparations?"
Honkzhen pulled out a glowing contract from a spatial pouch. It read:
> Resolution Terms:
A formal apology to Sir Honksalot (real name: "Mighty Feathers of Avian Wrath").
A weekly rice offering—unpolished only.
Three sacred worms a month.
A commemorative statue in the Sect Courtyard.
And a letter of friendship signed in qi-infused ink.
Silence.
Then:
Ziyan: "This is extortion."
Su Jian: "This is bureaucracy."
Tian Feng: "This is going to cost… a lot."
Li Qingyu exhaled slowly. "Let us propose… a compromise."
---
An Hour Later
The Council stood beside a small shrine in the corner of the courtyard.
A polished stone statue of a proud goose (with suspiciously muscular wings) stood on a pedestal, engraved:
"To Our Savior, Mighty Feathers of Avian Wrath — May Your Honks Echo Across Realms."
Three sacred worms wiggled in a jade bowl below.
The real goose—Sir Honksalot—stood beside it, smug as a dragon.
He pecked Daniu once.
"I think he forgives us," Daniu said, tearfully.
Honkzhen stamped the contract.
"You are now recognized as Spirit Beast-Friend Level 1. Congratulations. Also… I personally approve of your chaos."
The council departed in a blur of beastly grace.
---
[Ding! Event Completed: "Spirit Beast Lawsuit"]
[Sect Reputation +5 (Among Beast Tribes)]
[New Passive Unlocked: Beast Friend – Wild spirit beasts are 15% less likely to maul you.]
[New Title Unlocked: "Feathered Diplomats"]
---
Later that night, the disciples sat beneath the statue, now glowing faintly from Su Jian's runes.
"Are we… becoming famous?" Yanyu asked.
"More like infamous," Ziyan muttered.
"I don't mind." Daniu gently fed Sir Honksalot a worm. "He's kind of cute when he's not biting."
Li Qingyu looked at the shrine and smiled.
Their sect was growing.
Not always in power, but definitely in legend.
And sometimes, that was scarier.
---