The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 28

“Little Que, Senior Sister is taking you home.”

Wen Qiwu was trapped in a nightmare. In the dream, she watched her Senior Sister cradle her cold corpse before taking her own life, their warm blood staining the pristine snow of Cloud Mist Mountain a harrowing crimson.

In this vision, Qiwu was paralyzed and mute. She could only watch as the heavy snowfall slowly buried her sister’s body. She wept for what felt like an eternity until she finally struggled awake, finding the downy feathers on her chest soaked with real tears.

The little white fluffball trembled. Though the nightmare had ended, the lingering terror clung to her like a shroud.

Senior Sister… where is she?

Her first instinct upon waking was to search for Yun Heng. Only the sight of her sister could settle her racing heart. She was still in Yun Heng’s room, and her cage had been replenished with an abundance of spiritual fruits and grains, but the mistress of the house was nowhere to be found.

Beside the cage sat a plate of steaming chestnut cakes, clearly a fresh batch. This time, Yun Heng hadn’t just placed them on a heat-retaining fire-crystal tray; she had also covered them with a lid inlaid with tiny fire-crystals to shield them from the biting mountain drafts.

But who were these cakes for?

At the memory of the previous night, Qiwu’s heart throbbed with a sharp, localized pain. Senior Sister had regained her senses at the end, so why did she make these cakes again? Was she truly lucid, or had she slipped back into…

Perhaps it was the lingering exhaustion from offering her heart’s blood without the support of immortal cultivation, but Qiwu felt drained. She dragged her weary body to the cage door and nudged it. It didn’t budge. Opening it from the inside was an impossible task.

After a futile struggle, she had to face reality: this cage was handcrafted by Yun Heng herself. It was an immortal treasure designed to imprison enemies; her sister would never leave a way for a captive to escape. She couldn’t get out on her own.

Helpless, she could only wait. The spiritual fruits nearby wafted a sweet fragrance, but she had no appetite.

As the morning light grew stronger, Qiwu observed the room more closely. It had always been minimalist, but a century ago, it at least held the traces of a life lived. Now, those personal touches were gone. If not for the bedding on the couch, a stranger might think the room was abandoned.

The only splash of color in the entire room sat on the windowsill: a very old, tattered cloth tiger. Qiwu recognized it instantly, it was her favorite childhood toy. She had assumed it was lost ages ago. Had Senior Sister kept it all this time?

Qiwu looked away, glancing down at her left breast. Some blood still matted her feathers. She wondered if the wound had failed to heal, for why else did it hurt so much?

Time ticked away, and the little bird grew increasingly restless. She feared Yun Heng might encounter the same darkness as the night before. The blizzard outside remained fierce; no one would venture out in this weather. If her sister collapsed somewhere on the mountain, no one would ever find her.

Sister… please come back, Qiwu prayed silently.

As if answering her plea, she soon heard stumbling footsteps outside the door.

The door swung open, and Yun Heng entered, trailed by a gust of snow. This time, the chestnut cakes remained undisturbed, but Qiwu caught the faint, metallic scent of blood.

“Cough… cough”

Yun Heng leaned against the door, her strength failing. Her face was as bloodless as parchment. Though she had only been gone a short while, her aura had withered further, now tinged with the faint, grey scent of death.

Her usually iron-straight back was slightly stooped. As she lowered the hand she’d used to cover her mouth, Qiwu fluttered and hopped inside the cage, catching a glimpse of blood flecking her sister’s palm.

Didn’t I give her a drop of Phoenix heart-blood last night? Why is she still coughing up blood?

“Chirp! Chirp!” Qiwu cried out in distress.

The sound drew Yun Heng’s attention. When their eyes met, Yun Heng’s gaze weary and hollow, Qiwu’s vision blurred with fresh tears.

Yun Heng stared at her for a long time, her expression vacant, as if she had forgotten there was a little creature waiting for her.

“Qingtuan,” Yun Heng murmured, her steps unsteady. She managed to avoid the sparse furniture, but her state terrified Qiwu, who instinctively spread her wings to fly to her, only to be stopped by the bars.

“Chirp?” Qiwu tilted her head. Didn’t Sister realize last night that I’m not Qingtuan? Why is she calling that name again?

Yun Heng picked up the cage and whispered, “Qingtuan, I saw A-Que. I’ll be able to bring her home soon. You mustn’t bully her anymore.”

Qiwu froze.

“Chirp.” Her voice trembled. Where did she see me? In a heart-demon’s illusion? Or somewhere else?

Yun Heng was clearly lost in a waking nightmare. Qiwu gently pecked at her sister’s finger, but there was no reaction.

Desperate, Qiwu’s eyes filled with tears. When a crystalline drop rolled off her fluff and landed on Yun Heng’s cold fingertip, the woman trapped in the illusion finally focused on her.

Yun Heng’s memory seemed fractured. She appeared to have forgotten the events of the previous night, even believing that Qingtuan had never left the Wenshen Sect.

She gently wiped the tear from the bird’s feathers, her voice so tender it made Qiwu shudder. “Don’t cry. A-Que will be back soon.”

Sister, please don’t be like this…

Qiwu’s tears fell uncontrollably. What exactly was her sister’s heart-demon? Was it a tragedy like those told by storytellers, or was it born entirely from Qiwu’s own death?

Choking back a sob, she nipped at Yun Heng’s finger and tried to pull her hand toward the cage door, but Yun Heng only pulled away, thinking the bird was playing.

“I have things to do. Stay home and be good. Don’t go wandering off, or A-Que won’t be able to find you again,” Yun Heng instructed. Her words carried an eerie, disjointed quality.

Where is she going to look for me? Qiwu couldn’t speak, and Yun Heng couldn’t understand her frantic chirping.

The cage was placed back on the table. Despite the bird’s frantic attempts to communicate, Yun Heng only muttered more nonsense about what they would do once “A-Que” returned. Eventually, she sat down to meditate and heal.

The little white bird finally went still. Sister finally knows how to heal herself! Qiwu breathed a sigh of relief. She stayed quiet, hoping that if Yun Heng used the heart-blood properly, her injuries might finally mend.

Silence returned to the room. The little bird watched her sister with a mix of tenderness and dread.

She needed to be free. She needed to find a way.

As she plotted her escape, Qiwu didn’t stop to consider what it meant for her sister, who usually neglected herself, to suddenly be so focused on healing.

Yun Heng meditated for three days. During that time, Qiwu didn’t dare close her eyes, fearing another episode. Fortunately, the process seemed stable.

“Chirp!” Qiwu chirped, trying to ask if she felt better.

But the figure shrouded in the shadows gave no reply. She sat there in a daze, making Qiwu’s heart ache once more.

Tap, tap, tap.

A sound came from the window. It sounded like a messenger paper crane.

Yun Heng looked up as if finally returning to her body. With a flick of immortal energy, she opened the window. A paper crane flew in.

“Lin Shu of the Qianyue Sword Sect requests an audience,” an Elder’s voice echoed from the crane. “She hopes the Sect Leader will hand over the items left at our sect by Zuo Lan of the Yuxi Sect. Sect Leader, I recall the Yuxi Saintess’s belongings are in your keeping. Shall we grant the request?”

Qiwu was bewildered. What did Zuo Lan leave at the Wenshen Sect? And what does that have to do with Immortal Lin Shu?

Yun Heng recorded her reply on the crane.

“Those items were gifts from the Yuxi Saintess to my Junior Sister. I have no authority to dispose of them. If Lin Shu truly wishes to claim the Saintess’s relics, tell her to speak with Qiwu herself.”

When dealing with outsiders, Yun Heng’s voice was devoid of emotion. The Elders knew Wen Qiwu’s soul had been extinguished, but they didn’t know the Sect Leader was plotting her resurrection. To an outsider, Yun Heng’s words sounded like she was telling Lin Shu to go to hell.

Thump!

A small sound came from the table. As Yun Heng released the crane, she turned toward the cage. The little bird inside had collapsed.

Qiwu felt a cool breeze of immortal energy lift her up, but even her sister’s touch couldn’t calm her. She rushed to the bars, chirping hysterically.

Did I hear that right? What word did she use? Relics?! Qiwu’s eyes went wide.

How can that be!

She desperately hoped she had misheard. But when she saw the legendary, cold-hearted Immortal Lin Shu appear on Cloud Mist Mountain, the last of her hope vanished.

What had happened in these hundred years? Qiwu slumped against the cage, feeling utterly drained. She remembered her last contact with Zuo Lan was right before her friend left for the Border Battlefield. How could she wake up to find her old friend gone?

Yun Heng frowned; she clearly didn’t welcome this intruder, but she didn’t want to be harassed repeatedly. She stood and walked out of the room.

She didn’t return for two days.

In her desperation, Qiwu began to dig through her newly acquired ancestral memories. The Phoenix clan was among the most ancient beings in existence; their heritage contained many lost, secret methods. Perhaps she could find a way to break her current plight.

On the night of the third day, Yun Heng returned, looking travel worn. For the first time in a century, a smile touched her lips, but it was a smile tinged with madness.

She was close to success.

A-Que, just endure a little longer. Senior Sister is taking you home soon.

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