The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 18

Despite Lu Qiaoyi’s grand promises that day, as time dragged on, the resident of Reflection Cliff heard no good news. The flickering light of hope in Wen Qiwu’s eyes began to dim, day by day.

Spring faded into autumn, yet the scenery of Reflection Cliff remained unchanged. Perhaps the only thing that did change was the Divine Physician’s expression; with every visit, her face grew more solemn and heavy.

With nothing to do on the cliff, Wen Qiwu spent her hours chanting the scriptures carved into the rock by the sect’s founder, hoping to settle the restless thoughts in her heart. Yet, whenever she drifted back to the small, precious memories of her past, an uncontrollable ache would throb in her chest.

One day, while she was transcribing those scriptures, she suddenly succumbed to an overwhelming exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep. When she finally drifted back toward consciousness, she overheard a hushed, urgent conversation between the Divine Physician and Elder Lu.

“How is it deteriorating this quickly… there was a clear trend of stabilization before,” the Divine Physician’s voice whispered, thick with gravity and confusion.

“Something is wrong. I must have overlooked something. At this rate, she won’t last until Yun Heng returns from the Hualing Secret Realm!”

Is Sister already in the Canghai Domain?

“I’ll find a way,” Elder Lu replied after a pause.

Wen Qiwu opened her eyes. Both healers immediately moved toward her, asking how her body felt. She answered each question honestly, her voice barely a whisper.

The Divine Physician’s brows were knitted so tightly she looked pained. Even though she knew every detail of the patient’s condition by heart, she checked Wen Qiwu’s pulses again and again, searching for any vital clue she might have missed.

Wen Qiwu’s condition had always been better than the previous historical case. Whether it was because her natural constitution was stronger or because she had been nourished by countless celestial treasures since childhood, her soul was more solidified, and the disease’s progress had been slow.

Until recently. Right around the time she was sent to Reflection Cliff, her health had taken a sudden, steep dive. Perhaps the signs had been there earlier, but the Divine Physician hadn’t been at the sect during that window to witness them.

The physician had estimated that Wen Qiwu could hold on for another two or three years. Now, she wasn’t certain she would last the month.

She told Lu Qiaoyi and Yun Heng that they needed to be prepared for the absolute worst at any moment.

Yun Heng had hoped to buy nine years for Wen Qiwu. For immortals of their level, nine years was but a blink of an eye. But for a patient like Wen Qiwu, those nine years would be a gauntlet of life-and-death trials.

The Divine Physician knew that her conventional methods were no longer enough. Wen Qiwu’s only hope lay in her sister’s ability to defy heaven and change fate. Nine years… she would do everything in her power to keep the girl alive for those nine years.

She could only pray that the treasure in the Canghai Domain possessed the miraculous properties Lu Qiaoyi had theorized.

The physician left the room, her face a mask of grim determination. Lu Qiaoyi tucked the blankets around Wen Qiwu and went to brew another bowl of medicine.

The hidden stash of chestnut cakes Wen Qiwu had was long gone. Lu Qiaoyi brought her some small sweets from the mortal world, but they weren’t enough to mask the bitterness in her mouth or the bitterness in her heart.

“Elder…” Wen Qiwu swallowed the last of the sour medicine. The brew had so thoroughly ravaged her taste buds that she could no longer find flavor in anything. She turned her head weakly toward Lu Qiaoyi.

Lu Qiaoyi set the empty bowl aside and sat by her bed. “What is it, dear?”

“Am I… am I dying?” Wen Qiwu forced a small, painful smile.

“Don’t talk nonsense. With the Divine Physician and me here, nothing will happen to you. The Sect Leader has already gone to retrieve the treasure that will cure you. Rest easy. Your sister… her head is just made of wood and she hasn’t figured out how to face you yet, but look at her actions. She still cares for you deeply.” Lu Qiaoyi touched Wen Qiwu’s forehead, which felt feverish. Her own brows twitched for a fraction of a second.

“Are you tired? Go to sleep…”

Wen Qiwu watched Lu Qiaoyi’s lips move, but the sound grew muffled and distant, eventually failing to reach her ears at all.

She had only just woken up. Why was she so exhausted again?

Was there a sedative in the medicine? Today’s brew had been exceptionally sour. That taste felt strangely familiar. had she tasted it somewhere before?

Before she could reach for the memory, Wen Qiwu plummeted into darkness. But this darkness was searing hot. She felt as if she were being roasted alive.

Beside the bed, Lu Qiaoyi stood perfectly still. The gentle, playful expression she usually wore had vanished. She stood there stone-faced, her eyes vacant and distant, though a flicker of internal struggle briefly crossed her gaze.

Finally, she let out a long sigh.

As if she had reached a final decision, she raised a hand to her chest. A pulse of pitch-black energy throbbed over her heart, and she drew out a small object that resembled a seed.

She held the “seed” over Wen Qiwu’s forehead. Fragments of the girl’s dissipating soul began to be sucked into it. Just as Lu Qiaoyi prepared to bury the seed deep within Wen Qiwu’s spirit, the unthinkable happened.

The seed, which had been entering the soul smoothly, was suddenly met with a violent, unprecedented rejection. Even Lu Qiaoyi’s power as a Daoist Master couldn’t suppress the backlash. The seed was blasted away by a surge of heat that felt like a solar flare.

Lu Qiaoyi coughed up a mouthful of blood. She hurriedly recalled the seed, but before she could understand why she had failed, Wen Qiwu’s soul—which had been relatively stable—began to disintegrate at a terrifying speed.

It was a full-blown crisis. Lu Qiaoyi’s face turned deathly pale.

It had only been a few months since the last episode! Little Bird’s body hadn’t recovered; she couldn’t possibly survive another flare-up!

Inside her mind, Wen Qiwu saw those pale flames illuminate the endless void once again.

But this time, they weren’t just sparks. They had become a raging inferno. The flames wrapped around her throat and pierced her body, as if trying to assimilate her into the fire itself.

She had no strength left. After a few weak struggles, she was pinned down by the heat.

A voice within the flames whispered to her again: What do you still have to cling to?

Have you forgotten? She doesn’t want you anymore.

Staying only causes her trouble. Leaving her is the best thing for both of you.

The words struck exactly where Wen Qiwu was most vulnerable. They looped in her mind, fueling her self-doubt. Her will to struggle weakened, and the flames surged forward, preparing to tear her spirit apart.

Perhaps it was the final clarity before the end, but even though she didn’t wake up, Wen Qiwu’s soul began to sense the world outside.

She heard the frantic voices of the Divine Physician and Elder Lu. She felt them trying, over and over, to stabilize her, until the physician finally let out a heartbroken sigh, admitting she was powerless.

Am I really going to die?

At the very last moment, a surge of intense longing flared up within her. Her last meeting with her sister had been so ugly, so full of heartbreak. She desperately wanted to see her one more time to taste the chestnut cakes she made.

Sadly, it seemed she would never get the chance.

A single, warm tear traced a path down her cheek.

Just as Wen Qiwu’s consciousness was about to be burned to nothing by the flames, she vaguely heard Elder Lu cry out, “Sect Leader!”

Then, a heavy scent of blood mixed with the biting chill of snow enveloped her. She was pulled into a cold, firm embrace. Her soul shivered from the “frost,” and her fading mind cleared just a fraction.

A drop of golden celestial essence fell into her consciousness. The raging, pale flames began to quiet down, but Wen Qiwu’s heart was thrown into chaos.

Why is the scent of blood so strong? Who is hurt? Is it… is it Sister?

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