After Death, I Became My Shijie’s Palm-Sized Birdie – Chapter 18
by Little PandaEvents of the Past, Part 17
Relapse
Though Lu Qiaoyi had made grand promises that day, as the days passed, the person at the Cliff of Reflection still heard no good news, and the light of hope in her eyes gradually dimmed.
Spring turned to autumn. The scenery at the Cliff of Reflection hardly changed at all — perhaps the only thing that did change was the Medical Immortal’s expression each time she visited, growing heavier with every visit.
Wen Qiwu had nothing to do at the Cliff of Reflection. She could only recite, over and over, the scriptures the founding ancestor had carved into the cliff wall, seeking to quiet the restless thoughts in her heart.
Yet occasionally, when memories of the past surfaced — fragment by fragment — her heart would still twinge with pain beyond her control.
Until one day, while copying the scriptures, she suddenly drifted into a deep sleep. When she next woke, she hazily heard the Medical Immortal and Elder Lu speaking.
“How could it deteriorate so fast… There was clearly a trend of slowing before.” The Medical Immortal’s grave and bewildered voice reached her ears.
“Something isn’t right. I must have missed something. At this rate, she won’t last until Immortal Venerable Yun Heng returns from the Huanling Secret Realm!”
Her shijie had already gone to Canghai Domain?
“Let me think of something,” Elder Lu said after a moment.
Wen Qiwu opened her eyes. Both healers leaned in at once, asking how she felt. She answered each question truthfully.
The Medical Immortal’s brows knitted together, looking utterly troubled. Even though she knew the patient’s condition by heart, she still examined Wen Qiwu over and over, searching for anything she might have missed.
Wen Qiwu’s condition had always been better than the previous patient who had suffered from Spirit-Dispersing Syndrome — whether because her constitution was stronger than most, or because she had been fed all manner of heavenly treasures since childhood, making her soul more solid and slowing the disease’s progression.
That was, until recently — around the time the girl had been confined to the Cliff of Reflection — when her condition took a sharp turn for the worse. There may have been early signs before then, but the Medical Immortal had not been at Wenshen Sect during that period, so she could not be certain.
The Medical Immortal had originally estimated that Wen Qiwu could hold on for at least two or three more years, but now she no longer dared to be so certain.
She had told both Lu Qiaoyi and Yun Heng to be prepared for the worst at all times.
Yun Heng hoped to buy Wen Qiwu nine years. For immortals at their level, nine years was but a snap of the fingers — but for a patient like Wen Qiwu, surviving those nine years would mean weathering an unknown number of brushes with death.
The Medical Immortal knew that her own methods could no longer save this patient. Wen Qiwu’s hope could only rest on her shijie’s heaven-defying fate alteration — nine years… she would do everything in her power to keep the patient alive for those nine years.
She could only hope that the treasure in Canghai Domain had the efficacy Lu Qiaoyi had speculated.
The Medical Immortal left the room, her face full of grave concern. Lu Qiaoyi tucked the blanket around Wen Qiwu, then went to brew another bowl of medicine.
The pastries Wen Qiwu had hidden away were already gone. Lu Qiaoyi had brought her some sweet little treats from the mortal world, but alas, they could not suppress the bitterness in her mouth and in her heart.
“Elder.” Wen Qiwu swallowed the last mouthful of the sour medicine. It had wrecked her taste buds so thoroughly that nothing had any flavor anymore. Barely able to muster her strength, she turned her head and called weakly to Lu Qiaoyi.
Lu Qiaoyi took the empty bowl, set it aside, and sat down beside her, asking what was wrong.
“Is my situation very serious right now?” A strained, ugly smile tugged at the corner of Wen Qiwu’s mouth.
“Don’t let your imagination run wild. With the Medical Immortal and me here, you’ll be fine. The Sect Master has already gone to retrieve the secret treasure that can treat you. Set your mind at ease — your shijie may be thick-headed and slow to come around, but look, she still cares about you.” Lu Qiaoyi touched her slightly feverish forehead, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.
“Are you sleepy? Sleep…”
Wen Qiwu watched Lu Qiaoyi’s lips moving, but the sound gradually blurred until it could no longer reach her ears.
She had only just woken up — why was she still so drowsy?
Was there something sedating added to the medicine? Today’s brew seemed unusually sour. That sourness felt oddly familiar — had she tasted it before?
Wen Qiwu plummeted into darkness before she could remember, except this darkness was searingly hot — as if she were being roasted over an open flame.
Beside her bed, Lu Qiaoyi stood motionless. The gentle or playful expressions from before had vanished entirely from her face. She stood there expressionless, her gaze unfocused, a flicker of conflict passing through her dark eyes.
After a long moment, she sighed.
As though finally making up her mind, she raised a hand to cover her heart. A wisp of dark power pulsed at her chest, and from there, Lu Qiaoyi drew out something that resembled a seed.
She placed the “seed” above Wen Qiwu’s forehead. Scattered fragments of soul were drawn toward it, adhering to its surface. But just as Lu Qiaoyi prepared to plant the “seed” into Wen Qiwu’s soul, the unexpected happened!
The “seed” that had smoothly entered Wen Qiwu’s soul was suddenly met with unprecedented violent rejection. Even Lu Qiaoyi’s Earth Immortal-level power could not suppress it — the “seed” was flung away by a force as scorching as fire.
Lu Qiaoyi coughed up a mouthful of blood on the spot. She hastily retrieved the “seed,” but before she could figure out why it had failed, Wen Qiwu’s previously stable soul began to disperse rapidly!
This was the onset of an episode! Lu Qiaoyi’s face went ghastly pale.
It had only been a few months. Xiao Que’er’s body had not yet recovered — how could she withstand another episode!
This time, Wen Qiwu saw the pale flames again, illuminating the boundless darkness.
But this time, the flames were no longer mere flickers. They had become a roaring inferno. The fire wrapped around her throat, pierced through her body, as though trying to assimilate her very being!
She could not muster any strength. After a brief struggle, she was trapped by the flames.
Wen Qiwu heard the voices within the flames asking her once more: [What is it that you still cannot let go of?]
[Have you forgotten? She doesn’t want you anymore.]
[Staying will only burden her. Distance between you would be better for you both.]
These voices struck with unerring precision at Wen Qiwu’s deepest wounds. They repeated in her ears over and over. Already weak-willed, she began to doubt herself. Her “strength” to struggle gradually faded, and the flames surged forward as if to tear her apart completely.
Perhaps it was the last flicker of consciousness before the end. Though Wen Qiwu had not opened her eyes, her soul gradually regained some awareness of the outside world.
She heard the Medical Immortal’s and Elder Lu’s urgent voices, heard them trying to save her again and again. Then the Medical Immortal sighed, saying there was nothing more she could do.
Was she really going to die?
Yet at the final juncture, a fierce reluctance suddenly surged through Wen Qiwu. Her last meeting with her shijie had been so wretched. She wanted so badly to see her shijie one more time, to taste the chestnut cake she made.
Alas, she would have no chance.
A single warm tear slid from the corner of her eye.
Just as Wen Qiwu’s consciousness was about to be completely consumed by the flames, she faintly heard Elder Lu cry out “Sect Master!” Then a heavy scent of blood, mingled with the chill of ice and snow, enveloped her in an embrace — so that her soul gave a shiver from being “frozen,” and her hazy consciousness cleared slightly.
A drop of golden immortal liquid fell into her consciousness. The pale flames that had been raging so aggressively gradually quieted down — but Wen Qiwu’s heart was thrown into turmoil.
Why was there such a heavy scent of blood? Was someone injured? Was it her shijie?!
0 Comments