Chapter 3

On the second day of arriving at the zoo, Kong Bi visited the zoo completely and finally had a general understanding of it. Generally speaking, there is almost no difference between this place and the zoo in the game. At the beginning, it was almost all cage-style exhibition areas.

The so-called cage-style, as the name describes, is like the animals are locked in cages, with a very small range of activities. For the sake of convenience, the ground is usually concrete, and with iron fences, a standard animal exhibition area is formed. This is a common but backward display method in China. Animal welfare is almost non-existent, and it is very easy to see animals exhibiting stereotyped behaviors, so it is called cage-style.

Generally, only the homes of the “top stars” in the zoo will be specially transformed into places suitable for them to live.

The best exhibition area of the Peacock Mountain Zoo, which has old and backward facilities, is undoubtedly the Peacock Garden, which is an ecological display. Some ecological elements of the peacock habitat have been introduced into the exhibition area.

The peacock garden covers a large area. The clear and flowing mountain stream meanders down and converges into a pond at a low point. Because it has not been taken care of for a long time, some duckweed and other things are floating on it. The wild grass on the ground is lush and green, and sparse trees and shrubs grow in it. If it were not for the pavilion in the middle of the pond, some people would probably think that this is the wild.

This pavilion is clearly a masterpiece designed for the park by an amateur. Kong Bi, who repeatedly received low scores in game design exhibition halls, even causing monsters to leave home, specifically studied after that. Animals do not need such buildings. These structures are entirely to satisfy human needs and do nothing to improve animal welfare.

Unfortunately, these types of structures are quite prevalent in Chinese zoos. Commonly seen examples of this harmful trend include lake pavilions and small bridges within crane enclosures, as well as ‘water curtain caves’ in monkey exhibits, which are inspired by the novel ‘Journey to the West.’

Overall, Kong Bi is satisfied with the design of the peacock garden, but it would be unqualified if it is used to house green peacocks, because the fence is too low, which can easily lead to tourists directly climbing in.

The biggest headache for any zoo is the uncivilized behavior of visitors. Feeding and making loud noises to scare animals are considered relatively mild offenses. There are also those who pluck the tail feathers of peacocks. If it’s a blue peacock, it’s not a big deal since blue peacock breeding technology is quite mature and there’s little risk of accidents. However, green peacocks are a Class I protected animal in China, with only about 500 left in the wild, even rarer than pandas. Therefore, necessary protective measures are indispensable.

But games are not reality. In the game, a green peacock enclosure can be built with just a few clicks. In reality, this is impossible. There are many factors to consider. However, the prerequisite for considering these factors is to have the animals first. The game doesn’t give a specific time frame. Who knows if they will arrive in a day or two, or in a year or two?

Therefore, Kong Bi was in no rush. She transformed into a green peacock and flew around the zoo, only landing when she felt both mentally and physically exhausted.

According to her inherited memories, the cultivation method of a demon king is similar to that of Western dragons. Once the bloodline is activated, cultivation naturally improves with just eating, drinking, and sleeping. That’s why on the first day Kong Bi could only maintain the transformation for a few minutes before tiring, but now she can last for more than ten minutes.

In a sense, this could be considered “living off the old folks,” as all the energy for advancement comes from the legacy of her bloodline. She doesn’t even need to consume rare and precious natural treasures to replenish her energy. The same goes for magical arts. After Kong Bi slept, she naturally acquired several new magical abilities in her memory.

To summarize, these include summoning her clan, the universal language of birds, the intimidation of a demon king, and the ability to command birds.

After resting for a while, Kong Bi transformed again, emitting a melodious cry like an orchid in a secluded valley.

“Meow-aang—”

The green peacock’s call sounds somewhat like a cat’s meow. This has been recorded in ancient times, noting that the green peacock is beautiful but has a rough voice, like a cat calling in spring.

Such descriptions are not intentionally disparaging. Green peacocks have a habit of drawing out their calls, which are loud and resonant but not necessarily pleasant to the ear. Some people think they sound like a child crying, while others think they sound like a female ghost. Their mating calls sound somewhat better, like a more ethereal cat’s meow. However, just as some people dislike it, others find their calls to be like a resonant echo in a secluded valley.

The sound Kong Bi is making now is the call to summon her clan, which is somewhat similar to their mating call but with a longer and louder tail note. Kong Bi doesn’t know if the green peacocks on their way can hear her call, but after opening her throat, she feels a strange sense of exhilaration.

She glided in the air, and as the call sounded, a bunch of birds fell behind her at some point, and they also made clear bird calls.

Kong Bi was a little confused. She infused her magical power into the sound to summon her own clan, right? How did a bunch of other birds come? Did the other birds with accents misunderstand?

After Kong Bi landed and transformed back into human form, the birds that had almost darkened the surrounding sky didn’t leave. Instead, they circled above Kong Bi for a while, as if wondering where the huge peacock had gone. After a while, they left, leaving only two sparrows still circling and reluctant to leave.

The green peacock is a giant among pheasants and one of the largest extant flying birds. Male peacocks usually have a body length of 1.5 to over 2 meters, and the largest can even reach 3 meters. However, a large portion of that is due to their tail, which alone can account for 1.5 to 1.6 meters. When Kong Bi transformed without her covert feathers, her body length directly reached 3 meters, and when her wings spread out to glide, they gave people the illusion of covering the sky.

In Kong Bi’s inherited memories, this size is not the limit, but rather the size of the juvenile stage. The growth of a demon is divided into detailed stages: infant demon – juvenile – growth – adult – prime – old age.

A demon just beginning its cultivation is called an infant demon. Its size is no different from that of a normal member of its species. Apart from being slightly more intelligent, it is no different from an ordinary animal. Without the care of elders, it is very easy to die in this stage due to various natural factors and survival threats.

The next stage is the juvenile stage, where the size is one to two times larger than that of the same species. They can leave their elders and survive independently. After all, even a newly grown demon has a killing power that no ordinary animal can match.

During the growth stage, their size gradually doubles, and the talents and magical arts from their bloodline are gradually utilized and mastered. For example, the tiger’s control of the chang gui (drowned ghost) and the weasel’s request for blessings are both applications of their innate talents.

Following that is the adult stage, where all inherited memories from the bloodline are fully received. Lifespans generally range from two hundred to a thousand years. Even a mayfly, which lives only for a day, can easily live for forty or fifty years.

Next is the prime stage. This stage is specifically distinguished because if demons do not break through their life’s limits during this period and continue to rely on the legacy of their bloodline, they will have no hope of further breakthroughs in their lives and will only enter the old age stage to face death.

It is not so easy to be a monster. Unlike the monsters in novels, most animals will only stay in the infant monster stage and the juvenile stage for their whole life after becoming a spirit. It is difficult to grow up without opportunities. There are many reasons for this.

Every advancement is an increase in the level of life. However, the most animals become spirits do so not through their own efforts, but by coincidentally consuming natural treasures. Their inherent potential and talent are limited, making it naturally difficult to break through on that basis.

The forms that ordinary animals develop over tens of thousands of years of evolution, monster can achieve in a short period of time, breaking the balance and advancing. The difficulty is naturally hellish. Therefore, only self-reliant monster have the potential to go further on the path of monster. However, most monsters are wild and unruly, relying solely on instinct for cultivation, making breakthroughs even more difficult. Thus, according to inherited memories, many monsters in ancient times chose to follow cultivators, using knowledge gained through eavesdropping or apprenticeship to create cultivation methods unique to monsters.

Of course, Kong Bi didn’t have this worry. Demons whose ancestors were great demons could usually live comfortably off their inheritance, thanks to the efforts of their predecessors. Based on the concentration of their bloodline, they could generally smoothly reach the limits of their bloodline as time passed. In simple terms, they lived off their ancestors’ legacy and capital. Only after they had exhausted it would they start to struggle with the problem of breakthroughs. If they had no great ambitions, living like this until their natural lifespan ended wouldn’t be a problem.

After becoming spirits, monsters rarely engage in combat, even those species that were mortal enemies before. This is because monsters are exceedingly rare, occurring at a probability of one in trillions. This makes it difficult for them to focus on petty hatreds. The vast majority are single-minded in their pursuit of cultivation and evolution. Even those who know their evolution is hopeless would rather see another monster emerge from their own kind than exterminate a species that preys on their own (provided that species also has protectors).

The birth of monsters cannot rely solely on blood. Even if they are born by monsters themselves, most of them are just ordinary beast, which are just more spiritual than ordinary animals. Only a few will have their blood awakened.

In Kong Bi’s blood inheritance, although monsters will not recognize their original race after becoming spirits, they also have a clear concept in their hearts that only monsters can talk to them on an equal footing. If there are no monsters in a tribe, it is a luxury for them to even gain a foothold in this world.

In the history that Kong Bi learned, animals became extinct mostly because of environmental influences, disease influences and human influences, but the inherited memory told her that those animals that would become extinct were simply because there were no monsters in the tribe.

There is nothing wrong with this. Under the crisis of tribe extinction, the blood hidden in the descendants of monsters will be spontaneously activated, prompting them to become smarter and stronger. If it is not a great crisis that destroys the world, this struggle may allow them to escape the crisis.

Kong Bi went to the garden to see three times in the morning, noon and evening, and saw that the green peacock had not come yet, so she had to return disappointed. She couldn’t help but wonder if the green peacock did not fly here by itself, but was sent here?

For example, as written in the novel, it was given by foreign countries, rescued and donated?

But if this is the case, she should be notified by phone.

She didn’t dwell on this matter too much. Since she knew that inherited memory was digested through sleep, Kong Bi decided to go to bed on time at ten o’clock every night, even giving up her favorite game.

After all, the abilities depicted in the memories, such as flying into space, summoning wind and rain, and ascending to the heavens and plunging into the earth, were truly too desirable.

Which Chinese person hasn’t fantasized about things like cultivating immortality?

In Kong Bi’s view, some of the magic of monsters is no different from cultivating immortals. Anyway, they can call the wind and rain and attract people to worship.

After a good night’s sleep, Kong Bi opened her eyes and immediately had a feeling.

Here it comes!

The blood flowing quietly in her body seemed to silently tell her that her kind had arrived.

That kind of anticipation and longing seemed to surge from the depths of her heart. Kong Bi quickly got out of bed, put on her clothes, and excitedly ran towards the peacock garden.

One minute,

Five minutes,

One hour…

“Where are the peacocks???”

Kong Bi couldn’t help but roar towards the sky. Didn’t they say they were coming? Even her roommate in college, who had procrastination issues, wasn’t this unreliable!

She sat cross-legged on the ground, lifelessly picking up her phone to check. The game didn’t show them arriving yet, but her bloodline told her they were close, very close.

Just as Kong Bi was getting impatient, a clear and melodious cry rang out.

Under the clear blue sky, their feathers shimmered with a greenish-golden iridescence, like divine birds descending from the heavens, flying towards Kong Bi. In an instant, they let out a cry of excitement.

“Du hu (Great King!)—”

They began to fly around Kong Bi, led by a female green peacock, circling her. The tail feathers of an albino green peacock brushed against Kong Bi’s arm, the soft feathers bringing a slight tickle.

They quickly landed on the ground in unison, chirping at Kong Bi.

“Du hu (Dance!)—”

The smile on Kong Bi’s face suddenly froze.

Dance???

How could she forget that birds dance and sing during courtship? This habit of singing and dancing hadn’t been abandoned after they became demons. Subordinates would dance when praised, the demon king would dance when accepting a new tribe, they would dance when faced with threats, and they would still dance when facing the death of their companions.

In short, most bird inheritances have such a ritual, either singing or dancing, with very few exceptions.