Chapter 144

Qing Zhouxue looked at the little bird, which hadn't eaten for days, and feared it barely had the strength to open its beak, so she thoughtfully offered food right at its beak.

The little white chirp, the moment it saw the insect, trembled all over with agitation, its eyes suddenly sharp and bright.

She was gratified, seeing she hadn't fed it wrong.

"Don't worry, these are all yours."

Hearing this, the little dumpling trembled even harder, for some reason.

Just as it was at the point of no return, it steeled itself and pecked hard at the pale hand, breaking the skin at once.

Qing Zhouxue had no choice but to let go, watching the small white ball fly to the wall and press tightly against it, letting out a crisp "slap."

She rubbed the sore spot on her hand in confusion, the wound healing in an instant as if it had never been.

"If you don't eat, you'll get sick from hunger."

Qing Zhouxue grew more worried, carrying the plate toward it.

If it had no strength to deliver messages, how could she contact her master?

The little dumpling went from a puffed-up ball to a flattened pancake, stuck to the wall corner, as if one more step forward would make the little thing end itself on the spot.

She was momentarily stunned, then realized belatedly...

It seemed afraid of insects.

*

North of the nine provinces lies Beiyuan Mountain, covered in snow all year round.

If one crossed these mountains, they would arrive at the place where the earth's fire burned most fiercely.

That was the Demon Realm, where cultivators never set foot.

There were few plants here, and since it was gloomy and lacked light year-round, the stems and leaves were thin and tender, unsuitable for forging materials.

On this land where the Nüxi clan had thrived for generations, houses were commonly built of metal and stone, with hollowed-out relief carvings being the usual style, quite ornate.

In one residence, Fan Yin was chatting with Yun Shuchen about some observations she'd made at Jialuo Palace over the past few months. As she spoke, she felt her aunt's expression stiffen.

"...What's wrong?"

Yun Shuchen tried to forget the plate of wild game Qing Zhouxue had brought out in her sea of consciousness, rubbing her brow to suppress the churning in her stomach.

Ever since Qing Zhouxue set foot on Liuyun Sect's territory, she'd been uneasy at heart, so she transformed a small sparrow as a clone to see what she was doing.

And what did she get? Cruel persecution by her disciple.

Treacherous disciple.

"Nothing. Continue."

Fan Yin hummed in acknowledgment, taking a careful glance at Yun Shuchen's expression, her palms slightly sweating for a moment.

This woman's thoughts were unfathomable; she couldn't figure her out at all.

She was grateful they were on the same side, and grateful... her own bloodline still had a bit of use.

Fan Yin lowered her eyes. "Over the past few years, she's trusted me somewhat. Because I'm alone, with no ties and no faction behind me."

"What about Yu Li?"

"She serves whoever sits on the throne. Always has."

Not surprising.

Yun Shuchen raised an eyebrow noncommittally; she'd seen through that long ago.

"So, if you can replace Tang Wuyue, she'll work for you. At least that's not too bad."

Fan Yin asked in a low voice, "I was born so much later than her. Aunt, can I really—"

Yun Shuchen smiled lightly. "It's a stretch for you to replace her now. Better to steadily, gradually replace Yu Li. In any case, it's not just her trust—it's the trust of everyone in Jialuo Palace."

"It will become a smooth path eventually," Yun Shuchen said. "Perhaps... not too far off now."

*

"Your bird doesn't eat meat or insects."

Ruan Mingzhu had been a bit down these past few days, but when Qing Zhouxue asked, she still replied, "Try small fruits or something like that."

"Can big fruits work?" Qing Zhouxue asked seriously.

"If you cut big fruits into slices, aren't they just small fruits?"

"How is that the same? They're different types."

"..." Ruan Mingzhu grabbed her head in frustration and flopped onto the table. "Go away, go away. I'm not a bird. I only know how to feed eagles!"

"No can do," Qing Zhouxue said, sitting across from her and taking a calm sip of tea. "Elder Lin said you seem down lately, probably upset about Guan Qianqian. Elder Bai said with these symptoms, talking with someone would help."

"Are you done with today's training?"

"Mm."

"Then go practice. Good luck!"

"Done training."

"...Qing Zhouxue, then why don't you go soak in the spirit pool?"

"My master said it's improper to bathe with others."

"You must be sent by those two to torment me." Ruan Mingzhu collapsed fully on the table.

"Although Guan Qianqian has been giving me strange glares whenever she sees me lately, that matter's already passed," Qing Zhouxue said after a moment's thought. "What else is bothering you?"

"I used to think that with high cultivation, I wouldn't fear anyone, wouldn't be threatened, and everything would go by my will," Ruan Mingzhu said in a muffled voice. "But Lin Xunzhen's words do carry some truth."

"The higher you climb, the more favors you receive, but the more constraints you have instead." She let out a world-weary sigh. "I do have to consider the sect and my peers. I have to think about consequences before acting, even if it's unjust... If I were a rogue cultivator with no sect ties, I'd beat that girl until even her father wouldn't recognize her. Even if it meant skipping the Immortal Ascension Assembly entirely."

Qing Zhouxue coughed lightly; even she hadn't expected Junior Sister Ruan's straightforward thinking to twist into a knot in just a few days.

She wasn't good at comforting people, so she remained silent for a long while. "It's fine. If you face her again in the competition, you can both join the Immortal Ascension Assembly and fulfill your wish."

She'd said it casually, in a dry tone, but somehow it struck a chord deep in Ruan Mingzhu's heart. The listless girl suddenly perked up her ears, eyes brightening.

The table was slapped hard, and Ruan Mingzhu gritted her teeth. "That's right!"

Before Qing Zhouxue could react, a deep crack shot straight to her teacup, shattering it to powder.

"..."

Perhaps because this incident fully ignited her fighting spirit, determined to compete with Liuyun Sect, after Ruan Mingzhu recovered, her murderous aura seemed to infect Lin Xunzhen and Bai Su as well. Every day, they pushed themselves to the highest standards.

Through a exchange with Gu Ruoshui, Qing Zhouxue inadvertently learned that three of their opponents were spell cultivators.

"Specializing in spells and techniques, and bringing three of them likely means they'll form a formation," Lin Xunzhen said with a frown. "Gu Ruoshui—her spirit root is special, so she's likely the core."

"We'll stick to the strategy from the third trial. Ruan Mingzhu at the front, Qing Zhouxue in the middle, with Bai Su and me behind—one to disrupt support, one to act as healer."

"Senior Sister," Qing Zhouxue said. "Focus on watching Ruan Mingzhu. For my injuries—just pretend to treat me."

"Mm."

Qing Zhouxue's constitution was too special. Bai Su knew, after watching the master research her for so many years and striking her often in training, that her healing rate far exceeded normal people and had reached a rather terrifying level now.

After months of hard work, they'd regained their previous synergy. With their cultivation greatly improved, they were much more refined in many ways. Qing Zhouxue even had no time to train in the ice cave; she spent nearly every day within the formation left in the landscape painting.

Today was the Moon Lantern Festival in Taichu Sect. Though sad not to see the myriad scattered lights of ten thousand homes, they couldn't skip the festival.

So they rested for a day.

Qing Zhouxue finally found time to visit the cave again, training for a day without hearing any voice.

"'Though it is extinction, it is not extinction.' What does this mean?"

She hesitated for a long time, but an inexplicable thirst for knowledge pulled her to ask the question.

In Taichu Sect, Qing Zhouxue had seen many cultivation methods—strange, varied, even the union path secretly hidden in dusty corners of the library. This method, originating from the demon race, was always looked down upon by cultivators.

This showed that Taichu Sect was fairly tolerant of such unorthodox methods, as long as they didn't kill or cripple, they'd generally include them.

But she'd never heard of this kind—entering the Dao through emotion.

"You'll understand in time."

The voice replied, and the echo bounced around again, repeating and fading with each iteration, like a hypnotic whisper.

Qing Zhouxue started, as though a bell had been placed over her head and gently tapped, buzzing loudly.

Her eyes opened wide. This time, she didn't take her leave politely but hurried out of the ice cave, stumbling a few steps, her heart pounding like a drum.

It felt like it might leap out of her chest.

She leaned against the rock wall at the cave entrance and suddenly found the stone a bit slippery. When she raised her hand, she saw she was drenched in cold sweat.

...What was that?

Standing at the entrance, as the warm wind washed over her body, her breathing gradually steadied.

Qing Zhouxue returned to her quarters with a troubled heart, unable to explain why she'd felt such a strong sense of crisis in that moment, yet nothing happened after all.

Maybe she was too tired from training these days, and her mind wasn't at ease.

When her gaze fell on the birdcage on the table, her attention shifted.

The little silver sparrow was perched on a branch inside, eyes closed, motionless, as if dozing. The pieces of fruit beneath it seemed to have slightly reduced.

So it was vegetarian.

Qing Zhouxue let out a sigh of relief. She opened the cage, lifted the little thing off the branch, and stroked the downy little ball, gradually casting aside her earlier unease.

This little thing really was healing to the heart.

Like holding it in both hands, pressing her thumbs into its chest feathers, then kneading with a gentle circular motion.

Gripping its soft, boneless wing root, she fondled it for ages, and in that moment could feel the ball's ease and docility.

Occasionally it let out a chirp.

Qing Zhouxue rubbed it with her cool palm, feeling it puff up a bit—maybe it had just eaten.

The silver sparrow opened its eyes and tilted its head to look at her.

"Your expression... resembles her a little."

Qing Zhouxue touched its head with a fingertip, then gave a faint smile. "The way you're afraid of insects is also a bit like her. Strange, that such a creature exists."

The little sparrow suddenly stiffened, unmoving.

It let Qing Zhouxue place it into a crevice in the bedding. After the lamp was extinguished, the woman standing by the bed removed her clothes, sat cross-legged, and kneaded it more until satisfied, then lay down peacefully.

"Just looking at you every day leaves my heart feeling empty."

Qing Zhouxue lay on her side, placing the small white ball at the center of her vision, and slowly closed her eyes. "I first felt this sensation the year she went out to visit friends. Is this what longing is?"

She murmured to herself again, "I really do miss her. Even a bird looks pretty to me now."