Esoteric Buddhism: To live as king in America

Faced with Mian's words, Carol raised her head, a hint of hesitation on her face, but in the end, she told the truth to the seemingly nice Mr. Mian:

"Because I keep a bird as a pet."

"bird?"

Carol nodded.

"It's not your average little bird, it's a seagull. There are very few apartments that allow pets, let alone my bird. If I lose this apartment, I might never find another place where I can keep it."

Carol bit her lip.

"It's half my life, and I want it to be safe no matter what, so I can't get arrested, I can't offend any gangs, and I can't fall behind on rent..."

Her words were filled with deep affection, clearly indicating that the bird held an extremely important place in her heart.

But as soon as she finished speaking, the expression on her face suddenly froze.

"No, it's been three days already. I haven't been home for three days."

Carroll's voice suddenly rose in pitch.

"It...it hasn't eaten for three days! Oh my god! It's going to starve to death!"

A wave of panic washed over her instantly. Murder, gangs, police—all were forgotten. All that remained was worry for the bird trapped in the dilapidated apartment, its fate unknown.

She sprang to her feet, her body swaying violently from weakness and anxiety, almost collapsing again, but supported by the worry in her heart, she still tried to rush out.

"Wait! Carol!"

Mian quickly caught her swaying body.

"Don't rush, don't rush."

Mian's voice was calm and strong, trying to soothe her emotions which were on the verge of collapse. "We'll go back with you. Ain, you help Miss Carol."

"Yes, my lord!"

Ayn immediately stepped forward and used her small body to support Carol. The little knight's strength far exceeded that of ordinary people. Carol was firmly supported by her and could not break free. She could only gasp for breath, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Zara, how's it going?"

Mi An asked Li Zhaoning, who was dealing with the gang upstairs.

Not long after, Miss Yi Pi peeked her head out from upstairs.

She clapped her hands and said in a rather relaxed tone:

"All done. The basic 'forgetfulness dust' is enough to make them forget the specifics of what happened today, leaving only vague, fragmented memories of being 'beaten in revenge.' As for the one at the door..."

She glanced at the corpse.

"Let them worry about it themselves. Anyway, he doesn't have any wounds caused by supernatural forces, so the Secret Service will never be able to track us down."

As she spoke, she glanced at Carol, then exchanged a look with Mian, and immediately understood what Mian wanted to do.

"It would be good to go and take a look."

Li Zhaoning nodded slightly.

"Anyway, we don't have any more leads right now. Maybe we can get more information at her house."

The three of them took the distraught and anxious Carol away from the gang-held auto repair shop.

Carroll pointed the way almost instinctively, stumbling through several narrower, dirtier back alleys.

The smell of cheap perfume, urine, and some kind of decay in the air was even stronger. In the dim light at the alley entrance, several scantily clad and heavily made-up figures shivered in the cold wind, numbly casting inquiring glances when they saw someone approaching.

This is a corner of the lowest rung of the Highgarden district, where the struggle for survival and despair are laid bare in the sunlight.

Finally, they stopped in front of an apartment building even more dilapidated than Old Scar's. Large patches of plaster had peeled off the walls, exposing exposed brickwork covered in mold. The rusty iron gate at the entrance to the building was ajar and emitted a damp, garbage-like stench.

Carroll trembled as she fumbled for her keys and practically slammed open the door to her room, which was located in a corner on the first floor.

Inside the door was a small, dark, and almost bare room. A worn-out single bed, a wardrobe with a missing corner, a small table, and two chairs were all the furniture. The air was thick with dust, food scraps, and a faint, indescribable smell of birds.

Carole, ignoring her slippers, rushed to the window like a madwoman. There hung a simple birdcage made of wire and sticks, with old newspapers lining the bottom.

The bird, having gone hungry for three days, was on the verge of death, but it still raised its head when it saw its owner arrive.

"I'm sorry, my bird."

Carol's voice was filled with apology, but seeing that her bird had not starved to death, she was overjoyed.

She frantically rummaged under the table and pulled out a crumpled paper bag, poured out some feed that looked like cheap grains mixed with dried fish scraps, scooped some water from a broken bowl, and stuffed it all into the cage's food and water troughs.

Mian, Li Zhaoning, and Ai Yin all focused their attention on the bird in the cage.

This bird is slightly smaller than a seagull, and its feathers are mainly dark brown with some white patches.

There is no doubt that Carroll mistook the bird for the correct species.

The bird in front of you is not a seagull, but a skuas. A marine raptor known for its ferocity, aggressiveness, and even its tendency to steal food from other seabirds.

As a migratory bird and raptor, this bird is usually not suitable as a pet. However, in Carol's presence, this inherently fierce bird showed incredible docility, not only eating obediently but also nuzzling Carol's palm with its head.

Mian keenly noticed that its left wing was drooping at an unnatural angle, clearly broken and unable to fly.

"What happened to its wings?"

Mian asked softly, trying not to disturb the birds that were feeding and the agitated Carol.

Watching the birds wolf down their food, Carol's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly, and tears welled up again. She leaned against the window, her voice hoarse:

"I found it on the beach a year ago. Its wing was already broken. I saw it when I passed by, and its eyes... were just looking at me, as if begging me to save it... For some reason, I brought it back."

She reached out a finger and carefully slipped it through the gap in the cage, gently touching the skuas's feathers. The fierce bird rubbed its beak against her fingertip, appearing unusually docile.

"I didn't have the money to take it to the vet... so I just used some scraps of wood and cloth I found to fix it up myself."

Carol gave a wry smile, looking at Mian with a face full of helplessness due to poverty.

However, upon hearing these words, Mian felt a completely different emotion.

He and Li Zhaoning exchanged a glance.

To ordinary people, a skuas might just be an ordinary bird, but to all those with extraordinary abilities, the word itself symbolizes something else entirely—

The Road of the "Skuas".