The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 40

She couldn’t bear to be away from Wen Qiwu for even a single moment now.

“Fellow cultivator, I’d like to have a word with you regarding the Infinite Tree Sea.” After packing her medicine chest, the Medical Immortal thought it over and decided to give the girl a warning. Whether the girl would listen was beyond her control.

Wen Qiwu understood the subtext: the healer wanted to speak in private. She tucked the quilt around her Senior Sister and rose to leave.

However, the moment she stood up, her sleeve was caught. Wen Qiwu looked down to find Yun Heng staring at her with eyes full of profound insecurity.

“A-Que… where are you going?” Yun Heng was currently unable to endure a single moment without her.

Hearing those words, the Medical Immortal’s heart sank. She grew even more certain of her theory: this girl was being treated as a mere substitute for the late Wen Qiwu.

“I’ll be right back. I’ll just be standing at the door, not far,” Wen Qiwu promised, patting the back of her hand to soothe her.

Yun Heng’s gaze toward her sister was tender, but the Medical Immortal didn’t receive the same treatment. In those few seconds, the healer felt as though she had been sliced into pieces by Yun Heng’s sharp glare, as if she were a villain trying to kidnap the girl.

…Fine, the healer thought. I won’t argue with a patient possessed by an Inner Demon! Especially one as powerful as this—you can’t reason with them, and you certainly can’t beat them in a fight.

She pushed the door open and stepped out. Her face was calm, but her pace was hurried.

Creak… As the door opened, the Medical Immortal found herself under the gaze of dozens of Winged Tribe members. There were birds perched under the eaves, in the distant trees everywhere.

The ones further away were blurry, but she saw the birds under the eaves clearly. When she stepped out, they looked at her in unison, their expressions shifting to collective disdain.

The healer didn’t know how she could read “disdain” on those feathered faces, but her mouth twitched as she walked past them.

When Wen Qiwu stepped out, however, the birds chirped in a chorus of pure, melodic joy. The Medical Immortal glanced back; the difference in treatment was staggering.

Wen Qiwu nodded a greeting to them, and the birds looked ready to take a victory lap in the air. She waved her hand, signaling them to leave, and the nearby flock obediently cleared the area.

“Please don’t take it personally, Senior. She’s just… worried about me,” Wen Qiwu apologized, having noticed her sister’s petty behavior.

“It’s fine. Her Inner Demon is deep; there are things she can’t control. I won’t hold it against her.” For such patients, the Medical Immortal always offered a bit more grace.

But Wen Qiwu’s words made her pause. Worried about her? Was Yun Heng really worried about this girl, or just the familiar shadow she cast?

“Inner Demon…” Wen Qiwu murmured. It wasn’t just her sister’s demon; it was her own heart’s ache as well.

“Immortal Venerable Yun Heng’s Inner Demon has reached a critical stage,” the healer warned. “Her emotions, feelings, and perceptions are all distorted. She might not even see your actual face, but rather the person she longs for most.”

She felt she had been clear enough. Even the most oblivious person would understand the implication.

“Does the Inner Demon distort her feelings?” A flash of sorrow crossed Wen Qiwu’s eyes. “Senior, do you think someone with an Inner Demon could mistake guilt for love?”

“Hard to say. It has happened before, resulting in a couple bound by mutual resentment. But Inner Demons are unique to the individual; I can’t speak in absolutes,” the healer replied.

A couple bound by resentment.

Wen Qiwu bit her lip, her face turning pale. The Medical Immortal felt a pang of pity and added, “The Sect Leader had a junior sister who died a hundred years ago. Her death is the source of the trauma. And you… You resemble her.”

“She seems to have mistaken you for her. Fortunately, because of this, she is finally willing to accept treatment instead of seeking death day after day. For now, we must play along. It may be difficult for you, but it’s the only way to stabilize her.” If this girl left, Yun Heng might actually succeed in taking her own life next time.

Play the part, the healer thought, but don’t fall for her. I don’t want to end up treating two patients for the same obsession.

“I realized I haven’t asked for your name yet,” the healer added.

Wen Qiwu was lost in thought and didn’t hear her until the second call.

“My surname is Wen… my given name is Qiwu.”

“Ah, Fellow Cultivator Wen. You are a demon cultivator, correct? I—” The Medical Immortal’s voice suddenly seized. Her eyes widened. She had never been so undignified, but the name made her stumble back two steps.

“Who did you say you were?”

“Senior Medical Immortal…” Wen Qiwu managed a wry smile. “I almost forgot to mention. It’s been a hundred years; I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me.”

The healer stood in stunned silence for a long time. Once she snapped out of it, she lunged forward, grabbing Wen Qiwu’s wrist and sending a pulse of gentle power into her body to probe her soul.

Ever since a demon spy had infiltrated the sect years ago, everyone had become hyper-vigilant. If this girl were a spy, letting her near Yun Heng was catastrophic—not just for Yun Heng, but for all innocent life in the world. If the demons controlled a maddened Immortal Venerable, the world would fall.

The Medical Immortal had treated Wen Qiwu for decades; she knew her soul better than anyone. One look was all it took.

The result: this soul was healthier and more vibrant, but the essence was identical to the child she once knew.

“You… how are you alive?” she hissed, her voice full of disbelief. Only when she felt a freezing glare from the window behind her did she realize she was gripping Wen Qiwu’s shoulders too hard and let go.

“I’m not entirely sure myself. Perhaps… I didn’t have that illness to begin with.” As she regained more of her ancestral memories, Wen Qiwu suspected her soul never belonged in that first body, but she couldn’t prove it yet.

“Senior, let’s set my circumstances aside for now. Let’s talk about the Infinite Tree Sea. The passage is closing; I have to hurry.”

As a healer of thousands of years, the Medical Immortal’s first instinct was to kidnap her for research. Unfortunately, the person watching from the room wouldn’t allow it.

“Very well. Time is indeed pressing…” She began explaining the Grave of the Phoenix Lord.

When the Demon Emperor once slew the Great Demon, the dying monster released a horrific curse. The Emperor burned her own soul to incinerate the curse using a pearl called the Net-Flame Pearl (Jìngyàn Zhū). To erase a curse placed by the Heavens, only that pearl would suffice.

“The area around the Grave is extremely dangerous. Even Golden Immortals fear to tread there. Your status as a Phoenix might help, but you must be careful.”

The healer looked at the girl. This child had “died” and returned as a Phoenix. No new Phoenixes had been born in ages; everyone assumed the bloodline of the Ancestral Phoenix had ended.

A Phoenix has descended. The empty throne of the Primordial Spirit Domain might finally have a ruler. But the other tribes have grown wild; there will be trouble.

“I will” Wen Qiwu started to say, but the bedroom door was flung open.

Yun Heng, wearing only a thin outer robe, stumbled out. She was pale as paper, her gaunt frame barely filling the garment. Wen Qiwu rushed to support her.

“Where are you going? I’m coming with you,” Yun Heng panted. She gripped Wen Qiwu’s hand, refusing to let go, terrified that she would vanish again. The fear from a century ago was etched into her eyes.

“I’m going to the Infinite Tree Sea to find something. I lived there before; I know the place. Don’t worry about me. Stay here and recover.”

Yun Heng’s lips parted. How could she let her go alone to such a dangerous place?

Seeing that her sister was about to give her that “pathetic look” that always made her soft-hearted, Wen Qiwu acted quickly, covering Yun Heng’s eyes with her palm.

“Be good. This time, stay at the sect and heal. I’ll go get the Net-Flame Pearl.” Wen Qiwu felt her palm being brushed repeatedly by her sister’s long, fluttering eyelashes.

“And… while I’m gone, think about how you’re going to answer my previous question when I get back.” Wen Qiwu intentionally left her with a “difficult problem.”

Yun Heng’s lashes fluttered one last time. The person who had been insisting on following went silent, her entire aura draped in a cloak of perceived “wronged” sadness.

She still won’t call me ‘Senior Sister’, Yun Heng thought. She must still be angry.

But the Infinite Tree Sea… the Grave of the Phoenix Lord… The Medical Immortal certainly chose a difficult location. The Demon Lord and the Great Demon had both died there; their lingering obsessions still haunted the grave. How could she let A-Que go alone?

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