The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 39

 Why doesn’t the Immortal Venerable consider my feelings? Don’t you think I’d be heartbroken too? 

Wen Qiwu felt her head spin. Drowning in her Senior Sister’s sudden tenderness, her mind remained blank for a long while. It wasn’t until the persistent chirping of birds outside the window pulled her back to reality that she snapped out of it, standing up abruptly and taking a step back.

Her heel caught on something, and she began to tumble backward. Just as she was about to crack her head against the low cabinet behind her, Yun Heng lunged forward and pulled her back into her arms.

Yun Heng looked even more panicked than the person who had almost fallen. She pulled her Junior Sister into a tight embrace and patted her back gently, exactly as she used to do when Wen Qiwu had nightmares as a child.

A sudden ache tightened Wen Qiwu’s throat, and warm tears traced paths down her cheeks, falling onto the crook of Yun Heng’s neck.

Yun Heng shuddered, her mind in a daze. This warmth felt too real. Was she already dead, or was this still a dream?

“Don’t cry, A-Que… don’t cry…”

Who would have thought that her coaxing would only make the girl in her arms weep harder?

Panic-stricken, Yun Heng hurriedly asked what was wrong.

What else could be wrong? Throughout this period, Wen Qiwu had lived in constant terror. When her Senior Sister’s injuries flared up, she hadn’t slept for days or nights; she had pestered the Physician Immortal so much that the doctor went out of her way to avoid her.

Thinking back to how her sister had promised in the dream to live well only to wake up and perform such a dangerous stunt—Wen Qiwu felt an urge to bite her sister’s shoulder in retaliation. But seeing the faint, lingering scars on Yun Heng’s neck, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. All she could do was cry.

“The Immortal Venerable must be muddled from sleep. Do you even truly recognize me?” Wen Qiwu sat up in her sister’s arms, forcing a stiff, serious expression onto her face.

This incident couldn’t be brushed aside like the ones before. If it happened again, she feared she’d be scared to death.

However, her tear-streaked face looked more endearing than intimidating. She had zero deterrent power; only her words managed to give Yun Heng a start.

Yun Heng froze, a flash of bewildered hurt appearing in the depths of her dark eyes. How could she not recognize A-Que?

Wen Qiwu took her sister’s hand and pressed it against her own cheek. Her sister’s hand was colder than ever; despite Wen Qiwu’s best efforts to warm her over the past few days, the effect had been negligible.

“Immortal Venerable, look at this face. Have you seen it before?”

Looking at her, Yun Heng—brilliant as ever, quickly grasped the underlying meaning. She held her sister’s hand with a touch of agitation, her pale lips trembling as she struggled to find the right words.

Yun Heng had seen this face, but it was in a dream. In that dream, she had not only seen this face but had also promised her sister many things.

When she endured the Heavenly Retribution, she had one foot in the grave. In that near-death state, her life had flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

She saw the day her Master brought her Junior Sister back to the sect a tiny, sickly infant whose cries were so weak it seemed she might never survive.

She saw a slightly older version of her sister stumbling as she learned to walk; after a short distance, she would lunge into Yun Heng’s arms, refusing to take another step. Then, that toddler transformed into a graceful young woman, a girl in the first flush of love expressing her devotion… only to pass away shortly after.

And then…

Just when she had been in utter despair, her sister had returned, albeit in a different form.

It felt like something that happened in a dream, but as the dream mapped onto reality, Yun Heng pinched the wound on her arm. It hurt. This wasn’t a dream.

Her sister was angry… likely because she had failed to keep her promise.

“Or perhaps the Immortal Venerable has seen it somewhere else?” Wen Qiwu’s tone wasn’t harsh, yet Yun Heng felt the pressure in her heart mounting.

If she admitted it, it meant she remembered the dream. She had failed to do what she promised. For a moment, Yun Heng had no idea how to make it up to her.

“A-Que” Yun Heng gently tugged at Wen Qiwu’s sleeve, looking at her with a pitiful, puppy-like gaze. Combined with her pale, sickly complexion, it was impossible to say anything harsh to her. Heaven knows where she learned this trick, but after a few seconds of eye contact, Wen Qiwu was forced to look away.

If she kept looking, she feared her heart would soften so much she’d let her sister off the hook.

No. I cannot be soft-hearted.

Yun Heng’s eyes grew rimmed with red, but she didn’t deny the name “A-Que.”

Wen Qiwu stole another glance, only to see her sister looking down with those reddened eyes. She felt a sharp pang in her chest and instinctively clapped her hand over her heart.

“A-Que! What’s wrong?” Sensing something amiss, Yun Heng nervously pulled her sister back into her embrace, her hand reaching out to pull back Wen Qiwu’s collar.

Before Wen Qiwu could even struggle, Yun Heng saw the gauze wrapped around her heart.

Yun Heng’s breathing hitched. Her hands shook so violently it took her a long time to find her voice. “A-Que… who hurt you?”

A murderous intent flared around her. The signs of her “falling into madness” (inner demon possession) were even more severe than before.

“I did it myself,” Wen Qiwu said softly.

The killing intent in Yun Heng’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a look of utter confusion and heartbreak.

Why?

“Does the Immortal Venerable feel heartbroken?”

Yun Heng didn’t dare move, terrified of bumping her sister’s wound. Of course she was heartbroken.

“Then why don’t you think of me? When I see you disregarding your own body like that, my heart hurts far more than this does!” Wen Qiwu had been feeding her sister her heart’s blood every three days. The wound was fresh; because it had been made with a special blade to ensure the blood’s efficacy, it healed slowly and needed to be wrapped.

As she spoke, her voice began to choke with sobs.

“A-Que, it’s my fault. Don’t be angry, don’t strain the wound.” Yun Heng raised a hand to gently stroke Wen Qiwu’s back, which was shaking from her crying. She caught the faint scent of blood on her sister.

Right… her sister had just fed her something. Even now, the taste of blood lingered in her mouth.

“A-Que” Yun Heng’s voice trembled after seeing the wound. “What did you just feed me?”

Under her persistent questioning, Wen Qiwu finally admitted hesitantly, “It was my heart’s blood.”

Yun Heng’s breath stalled. A wave of pain radiated through her entire being.

“My heart’s blood is a rare medicine. If the Immortal Venerable continues to ignore her health and refuses to take her medicine properly, then I will simply keep drawing blood for you.”

“I will take my medicine. I will rest. You are not allowed to draw any more! You cannot…” Yun Heng had been struck in her “deadly weakness.” She promised repeatedly that she would listen to the Physician Immortal.

When the Physician Immortal arrived, she was greeted by a bizarre sight: the once-unruly Immortal Venerable, who listened to no one and had a temper like a jagged rock, was lying obediently in bed while that strange girl sat by her side.

After checking Yun Heng’s condition and giving her instructions, the Immortal Venerable actually listened with rapt attention a stark contrast to her previous dismissive attitude.

What a… miracle.

Did that lightning strike actually knock some sense into her?

The Physician Immortal suspected it wasn’t that simple. The root of Yun Heng’s illness was her heart. As a healer, she felt it necessary to understand the cause of this transformation.

A chorus of chirping drifted in from outside. The doctor glanced out the window. Today was full of oddities. Even the mountain itself had changed; when she arrived, she had found a feather on her sleeve. Cloud Mist Mountain, once a “dead zone” where no living thing dared tread, was now teeming with life. Every tree was packed with birds. It felt like she had stumbled into the territory of the Feather Clan. On her way up, she had been subjected to the scrutiny of countless avian eyes.

Aside from ordinary birds, she noticed many powerful demons hidden in the forest. Had she made any suspicious moves, she likely wouldn’t have reached the summit alive.

Was it because of that Phoenix phantom during the Heavenly Retribution?

Is that girl… the legendary Phoenix? Is that why her heart’s blood is so effective?

The Physician Immortal retracted her gaze, suppressing her theories. She was a doctor; healing came first. She turned her focus back to her patient.

She soon noticed some “abnormal” signs. The Sect Master, who usually looked like she was carrying a death wish, had changed. One could see a desire to live in her eyes. Furthermore, Yun Heng kept stealing glances at the girl beside her, her expression full of caution and warmth. The doctor almost thought she had been transported back a hundred years.

But this girl wasn’t Wen Qiwu. Had the Sect Master finally gone senile?

“Physician Immortal, she has a wound on her chest. Please, help her look at it,” Yun Heng urged, grabbing the doctor’s sleeve as soon as the instructions were finished.

A wound on her chest? Ah, right. Yun Heng had only woken up so quickly because of the heart’s blood this girl had provided every three days.

The doctor checked Wen Qiwu’s body. She had been strict about the blood-drawing protocol. While there was some depletion, it wasn’t severe.

“She is fine. Since Sect Master Yun is awake, this fellow Daoist no longer needs to draw blood. Just continue taking the pills I gave you, and you’ll recover in a month.” This girl was much easier to manage than Yun Heng, very much like the Wen Qiwu of old.

Wait… this girl…

The Physician Immortal suddenly scrutinized Wen Qiwu. Looking closely, the girl’s features, expression, and posture were strikingly similar to Wen Qiwu’s. If she had a different face, she would be a carbon copy!

The doctor gasped. Could it be… Yun Heng has mistaken this girl for Wen Qiwu?

She was confident in her skills; the Wen Qiwu who suffered from that specific illness was definitely dead, with no possibility of reincarnation. Therefore, the girl before her couldn’t possibly be a reborn Wen Qiwu.

The doctor was lost in thought, staring at Wen Qiwu a bit too long. It wasn’t until a cold, chilling power crawled up her spine that she snapped out of it with a shiver.

Seeing the icy glare from the woman on the bed, she instinctively took a half-step back.

She had forgotten. Even if this person looked “normal” now, she was still a True Immortal-level cultivator riddled with inner demons. Her staring had likely been misinterpreted as “lusting” after the person the Sect Master held dearest. And you couldn’t argue with someone possessed by an inner demon, they were beyond reason.

The Physician Immortal silently moved away, putting distance between herself and Wen Qiwu.

The girl seemed to notice Yun Heng’s intense gaze. She frowned slightly and patted the Sect Master’s hand. Yun Heng immediately softened, holding her hand back with a fawning, gentle expression. The way she looked at the girl vs. the doctor made them seem like two different people.

This confirmed the doctor’s suspicions: Yun Heng had indeed replaced Wen Qiwu with this girl. Is Yun Heng truly sane? She sighed inwardly, casting a look of pity toward Wen Qiwu.

If this poor girl fell for the affection Yun Heng was actually giving to a ghost… she would be quite pitiable.

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