After Death, I Became My Shijie’s Palm-Sized Birdie – Chapter 48

Suspicions

Does Fellow Daoist Yu Also Have Heart Demons?

After traveling deeper into the Endless Tree Sea, something resembling miasma began to permeate the forest. It blocked the light from outside and interfered with pathfinding artifacts; even an immortal’s divine sense could not chart a clear path.

            

Yu Hengwei walked ahead of Wen Qiwu, urging her to follow carefully.

Wen Qiwu had passed through this area when she first emerged from the Endless Tree Sea. She had nearly gotten lost then, ambushed by demon beasts and monsters lurking in the dense mist.

“Fellow Daoist Yu, be careful. There are many demon beasts and monsters that spawn alongside the mist here. They excel at concealment.”

            

“Mm, I will be careful.” Yu Hengwei nodded, then quietly reached back and took hold of Wen Qiwu’s sleeve. “The mist is thick here. Let us not get separated.”

Wen Qiwu’s visibility was indeed limited, so she did not refuse the gesture. She glanced around, feeling that the area was eerily calm compared to her last visit. What she did not know was that beyond her field of vision, countless corpses had piled high—some pierced through by ice blades, others with nothing but a needle-thin hole in the center of their foreheads, just like that bear from earlier. None of the bodies bled, and so Wen Qiwu never caught the scent of blood.

Meanwhile, the person holding her sleeve and guiding her forward had a faint crimson glow rising in the depths of her eyes—more ominous than anything those monsters could evoke.

            

She had killed so many that the corpses formed mountains. The monsters gradually grew terrified, hesitating, no longer daring to advance. Wen Qiwu could only smell the thick, foul stench in the air, yet not a single creature showed itself.

Strange. Since when were the monsters here this patient?

The mist belt of the Endless Tree Sea sat on the boundary between the outer region and the center. Once they crossed through this layer of fog, they would enter the most dangerous part of the Endless Tree Sea.

            

“The north side of the Endless Tree Sea is a Dapeng bird’s territory. If we can reach the Phoenix Lord Tomb from that direction, we should take that route. I have some history with that Dapeng bird.” Wen Qiwu’s voice was gentle as it drifted through the mist. The Dapeng bird was well-disposed toward her, and going through its territory would save them a great deal of trouble.

Her gentle voice rang out in the fog, and the person who had been on the verge of killing until her eyes ran red heard it—the blood color miraculously receded from her gaze.

“Alright.” Yu Hengwei nodded. She had already planned for this; the path ahead led directly to the Dapeng bird’s territory. No change of course was needed.

            

Yu Hengwei’s crisp, matter-of-fact reply made Wen Qiwu realize she was more familiar with this place than expected—she must have visited many times before. “Fellow Daoist Yu, Ah Fu mentioned you once stumbled into the Phoenix Lord Tomb by mistake. Did you see what it looks like inside?”

Yu Hengwei froze for a moment. Memories of that agonizing past surfaced, and her fingers tightened involuntarily around Wen Qiwu’s sleeve.

“That place refused to let me enter, so I only managed a single glance… The Phoenix Lord Tomb is filled with endless flames as far as the eye can see, and nothing else.” The Phoenix Lord Tomb rejected all outsiders. Her so-called accidental entry had been nothing more than forcing her way in.

            

It was just that despite her considerable strength, she still fell short of the God Realm powerhouse from ten thousand years ago.

“Still-burning flames…” That sounded troublesome. Wen Qiwu had no idea where she should begin searching for the Immortal Artifact she needed. Lost in thought, she was already guided out of the mist layer by Yu Hengwei.

Seeing the sun again, Wen Qiwu narrowed her eyes slightly. Before them lay a lake, its surface shimmering beautifully. The place was extraordinarily quiet, with nothing but the sound of wind brushing through leaves.

            

Wen Qiwu recognized this place. This lake was where the Dapeng bird came to eat and drink. Back then, the Dapeng bird had caught a particularly plump giant fish from this lake and offered it to her as a gift. She had politely declined, and it had been dejected for a long time—until she finally put the fish into her storage ring, at which point it perked up immediately.

But she had been standing here for a while now, and the Dapeng bird still had not appeared. When she had first hatched, it was the first among the powerful Feather Tribe beasts of the Endless Tree Sea’s central region to arrive, which was how it had managed to carry her away before the others showed up.

Given the Dapeng bird’s decisive and swift temperament, it would have appeared before her already if it were here. Could it have abandoned its territory due to the recent upheaval?

            

“The water has gone bad.” Yu Hengwei crouched by the lake and scooped up a handful of water. She used her immortal power to extract the impurities—and who would have thought that such clear lake water could contain so much black Demonic Qi?

Wen Qiwu hurried to her side and examined the contaminated substance separated in her hand. “Is that Demonic Qi?”

“Yes.” Yu Hengwei said, “And it is not ordinary Demonic Qi. This kind is better at concealment and far more corrosive.”

            

“No wonder the Dapeng bird is not here anymore.” With its feeding and drinking grounds contaminated, the Dapeng bird had no choice but to relocate.

Bang!

Just as they were speaking, a creature burst from beneath the lake surface without any warning—half fish tail, half monster on top. Its ability to conceal its aura was impressive; Wen Qiwu had not detected it at all before it revealed itself.

            

A ferocious grin spread across its face, as though its prey were already within its grasp. Its sharp claws nearly reached Yu Hengwei’s eyes. Yu Hengwei remained expressionless. The monster assumed its prey had frozen in terror—but in the next instant, its smile locked in place. It found itself unable to move forward even a fraction of an inch!

In Yu Hengwei’s eyes, the monster saw its own shattered body being consumed by fire and crumbling to ash.

Wen Qiwu let out a breath of relief. The attack had been so sudden that a thin layer of cold sweat had formed on the hand gripping her bow.

            

“Fellow Daoist Yu, are you all right?” Wen Qiwu took out a handkerchief and wiped the monster blood that had accidentally splattered onto Yu Hengwei’s face.

“I am fine, but trouble is coming.” Yu Hengwei pulled Wen Qiwu behind her.

The monster that had just ambushed her was merely a sounding stone. After it died, the stillness in the air was shattered. Yu Hengwei sensed a dark current surging through space itself.

            

The previously undisturbed space began to ripple as monsters that had nearly fused with the very space around them revealed their forms. From the lake, a dense thicket of heads broke the surface—all the same type of creature as before.

The paradise-like setting was instantly consumed by churning Demonic Qi. This was the place’s true face.

Wen Qiwu had brought her Nine Tribulations Bow when she set out. This time, without the burden of a fractured soul, her cultivation had reached the Earth Immortal Realm, and the power she could unleash was even greater.

            

What she did not notice was that when she drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and called down thunder, Yu Hengwei’s pupils contracted sharply. Her face went deathly pale as though she had been struck with terror. She averted her gaze and could not recover for a long while.

There were many monsters. These were all creatures originally suppressed by the Phoenix Lord; for ten thousand years, this place had been at peace. The recent upheaval must have broken the seals and let the monsters loose.

Whenever Yu Hengwei saw the monsters and the sky full of thunder and heavenly fire, she was transported back to that nightmare. For a fleeting moment, she thought she had never woken from it at all, and a scarlet light of profound grief rose in her eyes.

            

At some point, the sun had been swallowed by dark clouds. A thin, persistent rain of scarlet fell from the sky—cold and crimson. Wherever the rain touched down, vast sheets of solid ice formed.

The monsters that excelled at concealment had nowhere to hide from this rain. They shattered into chunk after chunk of frozen debris, and when those chunks crashed to the ground, they broke further into countless shards of ice.

Wen Qiwu’s attacks were not weak, but against monsters hiding within the fabric of space itself, some inevitably slipped through. Once this cold rain fell, however, the monsters truly had nowhere left to run.

            

Only—was it Wen Qiwu’s imagination, or did this spell feel somewhat sinister?

“The monsters here should be cleaned up now. Fellow Daoist—Fellow Daoist Yu!” When Wen Qiwu turned back to look at Yu Hengwei, her expression changed sharply. She rushed forward to support the swaying woman, and when Yu Hengwei raised her head, the scarlet in her eyes struck Wen Qiwu with an eerie, overwhelming sense of familiarity.

Was this a sign of succumbing to demonic state? Did she… have heart demons too?

            

Seeing those eyes, Wen Qiwu could not help but think of someone.

Yu Hengwei stared blankly at Wen Qiwu for a long moment. She raised a trembling hand as if wanting to touch something—but as the crimson in her eyes faded slightly and a measure of reason returned, she immediately lowered her hand and looked away. She was afraid of frightening Wen Qiwu in her current state.

“Fellow Daoist Yu, are you all right? If you are feeling unwell, let us rest a while before setting off again.” Wen Qiwu’s expression was full of concern, with nothing else visible beneath it.

            

“It is nothing.” Though Yu Hengwei said she was fine, Wen Qiwu still insisted on finding a clean spot for her to rest.

“Fellow Daoist Yu, I know a bit of medicine. Shall I take a look for you?” Wen Qiwu gently patted Yu Hengwei on the shoulder.

She felt the person beneath her palm flinch faintly.

            

“Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Wen, but I have already sought out a renowned physician and had medicine prepared.” Yu Hengwei’s face was taut as she spoke.

“Then make sure you take your medicine. I will go scout the path ahead. You rest here for now.” Wen Qiwu did not press the matter.

“I will come with you.” This place was dangerous, and Yu Hengwei was not comfortable letting Wen Qiwu wander off alone.

            

“Do not worry. I will just have a look around where you can still see me. I will not go far.”

Only after Wen Qiwu said this did Yu Hengwei agree.

Wen Qiwu walked a circuit around the area. She could feel Yu Hengwei’s gaze resting on her the entire time. The sensation was not unpleasant—on the contrary, it carried a sense of reassurance.

            

Wen Qiwu took out a communication stone. This was the medium through which she contacted the Medical Immortal, so that she could stay informed about shijie’s condition in real time. And if shijie did anything against medical orders, the Medical Immortal could come straight to her to file a complaint.

【Senior Medical Immortal, has shijie been taking her medicine on time?】

Before long, the Medical Immortal’s reply came through.

            

【She has taken all her medicine on time and is following medical advice to rest properly. This is the first time in all these years that I have seen her so obedient. Finally, someone can keep her in line!】 Over the past century, Yun Heng had nearly driven the Medical Immortal out of whatever patience she had left, so the mere fact that she was following medical orders was enough to make the Medical Immortal practically giddy.

Wen Qiwu read the Medical Immortal’s message, a trace of doubt lingering in her heart. Was she really just overthinking things?

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