The Immortal’s "White Moonlight" Reborn - Chapter 45

“Wen Qiwu was acting like a total Playboy phoenix.”

A while back, strange disturbances began shaking the Boundless Sea of Trees. Those staying nearby often felt the earth tremble beneath their feet. Then, one night, a pillar of fire suddenly erupted from the heart of the forest, soaring into the sky. It wasn’t an ordinary flame; anyone who dared get close was nearly scorched to a crisp.

The light didn’t last long. Soon, the depths of the Sea of Trees returned to their usual nocturnal darkness. Many suspected a treasure had been born, leading to a frantic influx of treasure hunters into the deep woods, though all returned empty-handed.

It would have been fine if it were just a missing treasure, but since that day, the spatial tunnels connecting the Wansen Domain to the outside world have begun to fail. Fissures appeared in the passages a clear sign they were about to collapse. An immortal had performed a divination and predicted that the Wansen Domain would likely close its gates a month or two earlier than usual.

This was why Gao Fu had been so desperate to reach her. If there was business to be done, it had to be done now. If she missed this window, there was no telling how many years it would be before the path opened again.

It took Wen Qiwu several days of traveling at maximum speed to reach the edge of the Sea of Trees. The streets here were as bustling as ever, crowded with cultivators selling wares they’d scavenged from the forest. Most of it was junk; finding a true gem required equal parts luck and a sharp eye.

Wen Qiwu, however, was in no mood for window shopping. She had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t even waited for her Senior Sister to wake up. Although she had entrusted Yun Heng’s recovery to the Medical Immortal, she couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of anxiety as long as she wasn’t by her side.

Some things simply couldn’t be replaced. Her mind drifted to the image of Yun Heng’s frail body, unable to find rest. It had taken Wen Qiwu a long time to coax her into sleep. If the Medical Immortal tried to do the same… she couldn’t even imagine it. Her Senior Sister would likely blast the doctor right out of the room.

I have to make this quick, she resolved. Find the Pure Flame Pearl first. As for my heritage… I’ll leave that to fate. There’s no rush for that.

With her mind made up, Wen Qiwu wove through the crowds. Gao Fu had arranged to meet her at the same teahouse where they had last parted. After a quick scan of the street, she locked onto the building’s location.

Along the way, she noticed a significant number of Yao cultivators among the throng. As the Medical Immortal had warned, the bird-folk were gathering in droves near the Sea of Trees. She took extra care to suppress her aura, wanting to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

“Your Highness? Princess!”

A maid was busy picking out interesting trinkets to bring back for her friends, only to realize she’d been chatting to thin air. Her mistress had stopped in her tracks several paces back, standing frozen in the middle of the street.

The little Princess of the Qingluan Clan only snapped out of it after her maid hurried back and called her name several times.

“Your Highness, what are you looking at?” The maid asked, worried. The Princess had looked as though she’d lost her soul for a moment.

“I was… looking at a person.” But the woman had moved fast, vanishing in the blink of an eye. She was clearly cautious; by the time the little Qingluan tried to track her, the stranger’s aura had completely dissipated.

“A person? Someone you know?” The maid stood on her tiptoes, peering into the crowd, but saw no one special.

“No… I don’t know her.”

“Forget it, she’s gone.” The Princess sounded profoundly disappointed. The maid’s eyes lit up was her little mistress was finally growing up and noticing people?

“Get those trashy romance novels out of your head!” The Princess snapped, seeing her expression. To prevent any weird rumors from reaching the clan, she explained, “I just felt she looked familiar.”

More accurately, the stranger exerted a magnetic pull on her. The little Qingluan didn’t understand it herself, but she had nearly followed the woman instinctively. The only other person who had ever made her feel that way was that Fellow Daoist Wen, who had died in battle a hundred years ago. It wasn’t love at first sight; it was something else entirely. It was strange…

But the person was gone. The Princess sighed. She hoped she’d run into that cultivator again; she desperately wanted to know why she’d reacted that way.

“Your Highness…” The maid’s expression suddenly turned solemn. After listening to a transmission from the Qingluan King, she whispered, “His Majesty requires you to return. They are preparing to set out immediately.”

Because of the phoenix cry heard recently, the entire avian race was in an uproar. The Kings of various tribes had been in constant deliberation, trying to locate the source of the cry while increasing the number of participants for the trials to ensure nothing had gone wrong with the Phoenix Lord’s resting place.

“Understood.” The little Princess took one last look in the direction Wen Qiwu had vanished before returning to the Qingluan base.

She wasn’t the only one. Many other bird-folk along the street had felt a similar tug at their hearts. They stood staring at Wen Qiwu’s retreating back, reluctant to look away.

Meanwhile, Wen Qiwu was acting like a total “playboy phoenix” tugging at the heartstrings of a dozen different birds and then walking away without a single backward glance.

Completely oblivious, Wen Qiwu found the “Peony Room” in the teahouse. The moment she pushed the door open, a figure lunged at her.

“Qiwu! Where have you been? Were you bullied? Did someone hurt you?” Gao Fu’s eyes were red. She had been living in fear for days. The Sea of Trees was full of opportunity, but it also attracted desperate, dangerous outlaws. When Wen Qiwu had vanished without a word, Gao Fu had feared the worst. Seeing her standing there in one piece made her almost weep with relief.

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” Wen Qiwu said, patting her shoulder gently. “I’m fine. I just… wasn’t in a position to send a message. That’s why I’m so late.”

“You couldn’t send a message? What happened?”

“It’s a long story. I was mistaken for an ordinary bird and ‘captured’ by someone from the Wushen Sect. I only managed to clear up the misunderstanding recently.” Wen Qiwu gave a helpless shrug.

“That…” Gao Fu blinked, her tears receding in surprise. It sounded like an absurd coincidence. Regardless, she gave Wen Qiwu another tight squeeze. “As long as you’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

CRACK!

In that moment, someone in the adjacent room seemed to have accidentally dropped a teacup.

The teahouse was noisy even without a storyteller present, but both Wen Qiwu and Gao Fu were skilled enough to notice the sharp sound of breaking porcelain nearby.

The sound reminded Gao Fu of her guest. She slapped her forehead. “Look at my memory! I got so excited seeing you that I almost forgot. Didn’t you mention in your letter that you wanted to find the Phoenix Lord’s Tomb? I did some digging and found the person in the next room.”

“She accidentally stumbled into a spatial rift leading to the tomb not long ago. I’ve asked her to come and act as your guide.”

Wen Qiwu beamed with delight. “Thank you so much!”

“What’s there to thank between us?” Gao Fu looked at her tenderly. Wen Qiwu, caught up in the excitement of her quest, didn’t notice that Gao Fu’s gaze was beginning to cross a boundary that was more than just friendly.

Creak…

The door to the neighboring room opened. Footsteps approached, stopping right outside their door.

Knock, knock.

The person outside the door rapped softly.

Support