After Death, I Became My Shijie’s Palm-Sized Birdie – Chapter 39
by Little PandaBe Good
Why won’t the Immortal Venerable think of me? Am I not hurting too?
Wen Qiwu only felt a bit dizzy. She had been lost in her Shijie’s tenderness, her mind blank for a long time, until the chirping of birds outside the room called her back to her senses. She suddenly stood up and took a step back.
But her foot caught on something, and she fell backward. Just as Wen Qiwu was about to hit the low cabinet behind her, Yun Heng swiftly pulled her back.
Yun Heng looked even more nervous than the person who had nearly fallen. She held her Shimei in her arms and gently patted her back, just like when Wen Qiwu had nightmares as a child.
Wen Qiwu inexplicably felt her eyes sting. Warm tears slid down her cheeks and fell onto Yun Heng’s neck.
Yun Heng trembled, her mind in a daze. This warm sensation was too real—was she already dead, or was she dreaming?
“Don’t cry. Ah Que, don’t cry…”
Who would have thought that her attempts to soothe her only made things worse—the more she coaxed, the harder the person in her arms cried.
Yun Heng panicked and hurriedly asked her what was wrong.
What else could it be? Wen Qiwu had been terrified all this time. When her Shijie’s condition kept relapsing, she hadn’t been able to sleep day or night. Even the Medical Immortal had grown so annoyed with her that she wanted to walk the other way whenever she saw her coming.
Whenever she thought about how her Shijie had promised her in the dream that she would live well, only to do something so dangerous the moment she woke up, Wen Qiwu wanted to bite down on her Shijie’s shoulder. But when she saw the faint wounds peeking out from her Shijie’s neck and shoulders, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. So all she could do was cry.
“The Immortal Venerable must still be muddled from sleep. Do you truly recognize me?” Wen Qiwu sat up from her Shijie’s embrace, trying hard to keep her face stern.
She absolutely couldn’t let this slide like before. If it happened again, she might literally die of fright.
It was just that her appearance—pear blossoms bathed in rain1—looked so endearingly pitiful, with not the slightest bit of intimidation. Only her words could give Yun Heng a fright.
Yun Heng froze for a moment, a trace of bewildered grievance flickering in the depths of her dark eyes. How could she not recognize Ah Que?
Wen Qiwu pulled her Shijie’s hand and pressed it against her own cheek. Her Shijie’s hand was colder than ever before. She had tried so hard to warm it these past few days, but with little effect.
“Immortal Venerable, look at this face of mine. Have you seen it before?”
Yun Heng gazed at that face. As intelligent as she was, she quickly understood the implication behind her Shimei’s words. She gripped her Shimei’s hand with some unease, her pale lips moving slightly, yet unable to form any words.
Yun Heng had seen this face before—but that was in a dream. In the dream, not only had she seen this face, she had also made many promises to her Shimei.
When enduring the heavenly punishment, she had half-stepped through the gates of death. At the brink of dying, she had seen many scenes flash before her eyes like a revolving lantern2.
She saw the day her master brought her Shimei back to the sect—the tiny, sickly infant in her arms could only manage a thin, weak cry, as though she couldn’t possibly survive.
Then she saw her Shimei a little older, toddling as she learned to walk. After completing a short stretch, she would throw herself into her arms and refuse to take another step. And that stumbling toddler, in the blink of an eye, became a graceful young woman whose heart had awakened to love, confessing her feelings to her—only to pass away not long after.
And then…
Just when she had already given up all hope, her Shimei came back—only in a different form.
Those seemed like things that had happened in a dream. But when the dream reflected into reality, Yun Heng pinched the wound on her arm hard—it hurt. This was no dream.
Her Shimei was angry… probably because she had failed to keep the promises she made to her.
“Or has the Immortal Venerable seen me somewhere else?” Wen Qiwu’s tone wasn’t exactly stern, yet it made Yun Heng feel the pressure in her heart growing heavier and heavier.
If she admitted it, that would mean she remembered what happened in the dream—and that she had failed to keep her promises to her Shimei. For a moment, Yun Heng didn’t know how to coax her Shimei out of her anger.
“Ah Que…” Yun Heng gently tugged at Wen Qiwu’s sleeve, looking at her with pitiful eyes. Coupled with that pale, sickly face, it made one even more reluctant to say anything harsh. Who knew where she had learned this trick—after meeting her gaze for a few breaths, Wen Qiwu averted her eyes.
If she kept looking, she feared she would soften and let her Shijie off entirely.
Mm. She couldn’t go soft.
Yun Heng’s eyes grew slightly red. She hadn’t denied the name “Ah Que.”
Wen Qiwu stole another glance. This time, she saw her Shijie with her eyes cast down, the rims slightly red.
She felt a pang in her heart and instinctively raised a hand to cover her left chest.
“Ah Que! What’s wrong?” Yun Heng noticed Wen Qiwu’s abnormality and anxiously pulled her Shimei into her arms, using one hand to pull open Wen Qiwu’s collar.
Before Wen Qiwu could even struggle, Yun Heng had already seen the bandages wrapped around her chest.
Yun Heng’s breathing went ragged. Her hands trembled violently, and it took her a long while to speak. “Ah Que… who hurt you?”
Killing intent manifested around her, and the signs of her descending into demonic madness were even more severe than before.
“I did this myself,” Wen Qiwu said softly.
The killing intent in Yun Heng’s eyes vanished entirely, replaced by a gaze full of deep affection, confusion, and heartache.
Why?
“Does the Immortal Venerable’s heart ache?”
Yun Heng didn’t dare move, afraid of touching her Shimei’s wound. Of course her heart ached.
“Then the Immortal Venerable might consider how I feel. When I saw you disregard your own body like that, my heart hurt far more than this!” Wen Qiwu now had to feed her Shijie some Heart Blood3 every three days. The wound on her chest was freshly cut, and because she had used a special blade to ensure the medicine’s efficacy, the wound healed rather slowly—which was why it needed to be bandaged.
As she spoke, her voice grew choked with sobs.
“Ah Que, your Shijie was wrong. Don’t be angry—and don’t pull at your wound.” Yun Heng raised her hand and gently patted Wen Qiwu’s trembling back as she cried. She caught the faint scent of blood on her Shimei.
Right—her Shimei had seemed to feed her something just now. Even now, she could still taste blood in her mouth.
“Ah Que…” Yun Heng’s voice trembled after seeing the wound on Wen Qiwu’s chest. “What did you just feed me?”
Under her repeated questioning, Wen Qiwu finally answered hesitantly with the truth: “It’s my Heart Blood.”
Yun Heng’s breath caught. The pain in her heart spread through every fiber of her being.
“My Heart Blood is a rare medicine in this world. If the Immortal Venerable doesn’t take proper care of her body, take her medicine, and get treated, then I will draw my blood again for the Immortal Venerable.”
“I will definitely take my medicine and rest properly. You are not allowed to draw blood anymore! No more…” Yun Heng had her fatal weakness thoroughly seized by her Shimei, repeatedly promising that she would listen to the Medical Immortal.
When the Medical Immortal arrived, she witnessed this extraordinary sight: the Immortal Venerable, who used to listen to no one and had the foulest temper, was now lying obediently in bed, while that strange young woman sat at her bedside.
After examining Yun Heng’s condition and giving her medical instructions, the Medical Immortal found that the Immortal Venerable was actually listening with extraordinary attentiveness—a stark contrast to her formerly absent-minded demeanor!
What a… strange turn of events.
Had that bolt of heavenly lightning actually scared some sense into her?
The Medical Immortal felt it probably wasn’t that simple. The root of Yun Heng’s illness stemmed from her heart. As a healer, she thought it might be necessary to understand the reason behind Yun Heng’s transformation.
Chirping sounds came from outside. The Medical Immortal glanced out the window. There were certainly plenty of strange things today—and the outside was no exception. When she had just arrived, she had even plucked a feather off herself. Where was the desolate, lifeless scene that Yunwu Mountain had been before? All sorts of birds had come to make their homes here. At a glance, she thought she had wandered into the territory of the Feather Tribe. Several birds perched on every single tree outside, and she had been scrutinized by countless birds on her way up.
Beyond the ordinary birds, she also noticed many demons hidden in the mountain forest. If she made any suspicious move, she might not have been able to reach the mountaintop at all.
Was it because of that phoenix apparition during the heavenly punishment?
Was that young woman… a phoenix from legend? Was that why her Heart Blood had such miraculous effects?
The Medical Immortal withdrew her gaze and suppressed the various conjectures in her heart. She was a healer—treating and saving lives was more important. So she turned her attention back to observing her patients.
Soon she noticed something rather unusual. The Immortal Venerable, who had always worn a deathly pallor, had changed. She could see the desire to live in those eyes. Moreover, Yun Heng kept glancing at the young woman beside her, her expression revealing a cautious tenderness. The Medical Immortal almost thought she had gone back a hundred years.
But this young woman wasn’t Wen Qiwu. Had the Immortal Venerable finally lost her mind?
“Medical Immortal, she has a wound on her chest. Please examine her,” Yun Heng said, urgently pulling the Medical Immortal aside after she finished giving her instructions.
A wound on her chest? Oh, right—Yun Heng had been able to wake up so quickly all because of this young woman’s Heart Blood, given every three days.
The Medical Immortal also examined Wen Qiwu while she was at it. She had drawn blood strictly following medical instructions. Although there was inevitably some depletion, it wasn’t too severe.
“Her condition is fine. Since Sect Master Yun has awakened, this Fellow Daoist no longer needs to continue drawing blood. As long as this Fellow Daoist keeps taking the pills I prescribed, she will recover in a month.” This young woman was far less trouble than Yun Heng—just like the Wen Qiwu of back then.
Wait. This young woman…
The Medical Immortal suddenly scrutinized Wen Qiwu. Looking more carefully, this young woman’s appearance actually did resemble Wen Qiwu somewhat—and that wasn’t even mentioning her expressions and mannerisms. If she changed her face, she would be exactly like Wen Qiwu!
The Medical Immortal suddenly gasped. Could it be… that Yun Heng had mistaken this young woman for Wen Qiwu?
She was quite confident in her medical skills. She was certain that Wen Qiwu, having contracted that illness, was beyond saving—with absolutely no possibility of reincarnation. Therefore, this young woman before her could not possibly be Wen Qiwu’s reincarnation.
The Medical Immortal stared at Wen Qiwu and lost herself in thought, not noticing how long she had been looking—until a cold, sinister power crept up behind her, making her shudder and snap back to her senses.
She saw someone on the bed casting a dark, chilling gaze, and instinctively stepped back half a pace.
She had forgotten—even if the person before her looked normal, she was still a True Immortal Realm cultivator plagued by a heart demon. Her recent actions could easily have been misinterpreted as coveting the person this woman held dearest to her heart. And she couldn’t reason with her, because someone afflicted by a heart demon was beyond reason.
The Medical Immortal could only silently shuffle a few steps to the side, putting distance between herself and Wen Qiwu.
That young woman seemed to sense Yun Heng’s gaze. She frowned slightly and gave the Immortal Venerable’s hand a gentle pat. The Immortal Venerable immediately grasped her hand in a fawning manner, her expression so gentle and soft that it was like looking at a completely different person from the one who had glared at the Medical Immortal!
Now the Medical Immortal was even more certain that Yun Heng had mistaken this young woman for Wen Qiwu. Was Yun Heng truly lucid right now? She sighed inwardly, her gaze toward Wen Qiwu tinged with pity.
If this young woman became lost in feelings that Yun Heng was giving to someone else… that would be rather pitiful.
Footnotes
- 'Pear blossoms bathed in rain' (梨花带雨) is a classical Chinese idiom describing a tearful, beautiful face, evoking the image of delicate pear blossoms heavy with raindrops.
- 'Revolving lantern' (走马灯) refers to a traditional Chinese lantern with rotating shadow figures inside; as an idiom, it describes scenes rapidly flashing through one's mind, especially near death.
- 'Heart Blood' (心头血) is the pure essence blood extracted directly from a cultivator's heart. A phoenix's heart blood is the highest-grade restorative medicine, capable of reviving severely wounded immortal cultivators.
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