After Death, I Became My Shijie’s Palm-Sized Birdie – Chapter 53
by Little PandaThe Truth Revealed
Do you think I don’t know about your physical condition, Shijie?
If not for the True Demon remnant lurking outside, eyeing them with predatory intent, Yu Hengwei—who had snatched the phoenix right in front of them—would likely have been surrounded and pecked to pieces by the birds.
Flames not yet extinguished wreathed Yu Hengwei’s body, while the little phoenix had been tucked inside her robes, hidden beneath the fabric.
Those Feather Tribe Kings who had lived for thousands upon tens of thousands of years puffed out their feathers like fledglings. Aside from Bifang King, the other Kings had never met Yu Hengwei before. Her act of stealing the phoenix had crossed the birds’ bottom line, yet they were even more afraid that Yu Hengwei might harm the phoenix, so they held their ground at a certain distance, not daring to close in.
Yu Hengwei’s expression was somewhat cold. Wen Qiwu, having exhausted her strength, had reverted to her palm-sized form. Yu Hengwei tucked the soft, fluffy little ball deeper into her clothes—until the bundle in her palm gave an indignant peck at her fingertip.
Yu Hengwei’s hand stiffened slightly, a flicker of guilt flashing through her icy demeanor.
The atmosphere outside was growing tense, swords drawn and bows nocked. It was at this moment that Wen Qiwu finally squeezed a small head out from Yu Hengwei’s robes.
The attention of every bird was instantly drawn over. The hostility in the Kings’ eyes vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by gazes so tender they competed with one another in warmth.
Their little phoenix was still so young—how adorable, how beautiful she was.
How had she fallen into the hands of such a wicked human!
Wen Qiwu had barely managed to poke her head out for a breath of air when she noticed several burning gazes fixed upon her. She looked up and saw the expressions of the Feather Tribe Kings, and a clear, crisp chirp escaped her involuntarily.
The Feather Tribe possessed a special method of conveying information. She wanted to tell them that they meant no harm, but who could have expected that upon hearing her rather tender, clear cry, the Kings paused for a moment—then responded with their own calls in unison.
It wasn’t just them. Birds in the distance joined in, and for a time ten thousand birds sang as one, every feathered creature rejoicing at the appearance of their new sovereign.
【This little phoenix’s voice is so strong—she must be a healthy child. We have to find a way to get her back from that human and bring her to Risun Palace. Only there is suited for her growth!】
Risun Palace was the former Demon Emperor’s palace, where the oldest wutong tree in all of Cangwang Realm was planted—the most ideal dwelling for a phoenix.
【You’re not wrong. By the way, Qingluan King, don’t you think this little phoenix looks a great deal like Her Majesty?】
After the previous Phoenix Lord’s death, the Feather Tribe had not been as united as they appeared. Relations between several Kings were especially poor, and without the Phoenix Lord to mediate, the bonds between those clans had grown increasingly distant over the tens of thousands of years.
Today, for the sake of safely bringing the little phoenix back to Risun Palace, even those Kings who had once harbored grudges against each other were willing to set aside old grievances and join forces.
【She does look very similar, but Her Majesty never had any children…】 Qingluan King was equally bewildered, though to say that this little phoenix had no connection to the late Phoenix Lord seemed impossible.
【And the age doesn’t match either.】
This was clearly a young phoenix that had only recently broken out of its shell.
The Feather Tribe Kings exchanged messages through heart-sound, deeply puzzled by the little phoenix’s origins. But puzzled as they were, regardless of her background, nothing could change the fact that she was now the one and only phoenix in all of Cangwang Realm.
These birds were absolutely determined to snatch the little phoenix back.
Bifang King transformed back into human form and reached Yu Hengwei’s side before the other Kings. Meeting Yu Hengwei’s guarded expression, she curved her lips into a warm, amiable smile.
They had crossed paths once before, so her speech wasn’t laced with barbed remarks1.
“Fellow Daoist Yu, I presume the one in your arms is Little Friend Wen?” Bifang King had observed Yu Hengwei’s protectiveness toward Wen Qiwu. That she now protected the little phoenix with the same fervor told Bifang King everything she needed to know about the relationship between the little phoenix and Little Friend Wen.
Yu Hengwei furrowed her brow slightly. For all of Bifang King’s gentle, approachable demeanor, this bird was notorious as a smiling tiger—others could never guess how many schemes Bifang King harbored behind that pleasant exterior.
The other large birds widened their eyes at Bifang King’s question. Bifang King had actually met the little phoenix before? That devious bird! She must have beaten them to it and curried favor in front of the little phoenix!
“Chirp… cough, cough. Bifang King, I apologize for concealing things from you before…” Wen Qiwu couldn’t help letting out another clear chirp the moment she opened her beak. She cleared her throat twice before managing to speak.
“No need, no need—you don’t have to apologize. It’s a good thing that you’re cautious around outsiders. Most of the other demon clans and humans out there are bad news. You absolutely mustn’t trust them lightly.” Bifang King cast a pointed, half-smiling glance at Yu Hengwei.
Bifang King had known Wen Qiwu’s identity was certainly extraordinary—she just hadn’t imagined the other party was a phoenix! As for Yu Hengwei, she had originally held no particular opinion of this human. It was simply that her possessiveness toward the little phoenix ran too deep, which was detrimental to their goal of bringing the little phoenix back. And so Bifang King found this human rather disagreeable.
The corner of Yu Hengwei’s mouth twitched, a cold sneer forming.
It wasn’t until a soft, fluffy sensation nuzzled against her palm that the light in Yu Hengwei’s eyes suddenly turned gentle. She stopped meeting Bifang King’s gaze and instead stealthily rubbed Wen Qiwu’s little cheek.
Ah Que gave an indignant peck at her hand. She was discussing serious business—how could she just rub her face?
Yu Hengwei immediately didn’t dare move, though her softened expression lingered on Wen Qiwu.
The birds shot over furious, jealous looks. This insolent human! How dare she rub the little phoenix’s face? They hadn’t even gotten to rub it!
Bifang King’s smile grew even gentler upon seeing Wen Qiwu peck Yu Hengwei’s finger. “The few of us have just discussed it—we’d like to bring you back to Risun Palace. What do you think?”
“Risun Palace was the former Phoenix Lord’s residence. Over the years we’ve guarded it and prevented other demon clans from entering and damaging it, so everything is intact. Beneath it lies the Chaos Origin Fire, above it are hot springs, and the mountainside is planted full of wutong trees—including the oldest tree in the world. It’s perfectly suited for a young phoenix to grow.” Bifang King’s words contained no exaggeration. Risun Palace truly was the most ideal place for Wen Qiwu to live.
But…
Without even lifting her head, Wen Qiwu could feel a lonely gaze watching her in silence.
Yu Hengwei had heard of Risun Palace, so she knew the other party spoke truth. For Wen Qiwu’s sake, she shouldn’t intervene. Yet the dense, aching throb in her heart made her bite down on her lower lip, making her look utterly pitiful.
The little bird bundle in her palm tilted its head up and glanced at her, taking in every detail of Yu Hengwei’s expression. Wen Qiwu sighed. How could she possibly rest easy?
Wen Qiwu thanked Bifang King for her kindness and said, “I still have some matters to attend to, so I won’t be going for now.”
She had to at least stay with the patient until both body and mind were healed before she could leave with peace of mind.
The dim light in Yu Hengwei’s eyes suddenly blazed bright again. She wanted to rub the little bird’s head, but the fluffy bundle turned its head away and dodged her fingers.
“Wen… Fellow Daoist?” Yu Hengwei keenly sensed that Wen Qiwu was in a bad mood, which was why she wasn’t allowing herself to pet her.
The little bundle turned its body and shot her a sidelong glance. Though she said nothing, Yu Hengwei felt a distinct sense of having done something wrong.
Being allowed to pet the fluff was a reward. Those who had done wrong had no right to touch it.
“Then where are you staying now? We must send someone to protect your safety!” As the sole surviving member of the Phoenix Clan, Wen Qiwu’s safety tugged at the heart of every single Feather Tribe bird. Bifang King pressed urgently.
“I’m staying at—” Before Wen Qiwu could decide whether to let these Feather Tribe Kings know her identity, a sudden boom erupted from the sky, followed by blood-red light tearing through heaven and earth.
Roar! The True Demon remnant seemed to have activated some kind of spell. A gash split open across its body, the fissure seething crimson, with blood mist continuously pouring forth from within.
The barrier jointly constructed by the Feather Tribe Kings was shredded by a single swipe of its claws. The blood mist was spreading toward them at an unimaginable speed.
The remnant’s power surged once more. The Feather Tribe Kings could no longer gauge how far the opponent’s strength had climbed. Only Yu Hengwei knew—its power had reached the True Immortal Realm.
The space here had been sealed. Though Yu Hengwei detested these birds, Wen Qiwu couldn’t abandon them, so she had originally planned to use a spatial traversal technique to transport all the birds away at once. But that path was now impossible.
Yu Hengwei noticed several Golden Immortal Realm demon beasts that inhabited the central region of the Endless Tree Sea hovering outside. The divine light in their eyes had already extinguished, yet their bodies were rising again under the influence of the blood mist.
The True Demon remnant condensed a pair of arms and plunged them into its own body. Its claws swept forth, and Yu Hengwei immediately cradled Wen Qiwu and dodged to the side. The other birds reacted just as swiftly, scattering out of the way.
But the True Demon’s destructive power had multiplied severalfold. Compared to its current attack, its previous strikes had been like child’s play.
The Golden Immortal birds were soon all wounded. With the situation growing dire, two of the eldest Kings volunteered to stay behind as rearguard so the little phoenix and the young ones of the various clans could escape this dangerous place.
“Qingluan King.” At this moment, Yu Hengwei suddenly called out to Qingluan King, who had decided to stay behind.
Though time was pressing, Qingluan King urged her to speak quickly. Yet she never expected that the human who had nearly come to blows with them rather than release the little phoenix would suddenly, with visible reluctance, place the little bundle into her hands.
“I’ll go deal with that demon. Please look after her for me.” Yu Hengwei was naturally reluctant to let go even for a moment, but that demon was extremely dangerous—she couldn’t bring Wen Qiwu along.
And the reason she chose Qingluan King was because this one was an honest bird. She had saved these Feather Tribe birds’ lives, so when she returned, the honest bird would return Wen Qiwu to her. But if it were someone like Bifang King, she feared she would never see Qiwu again after coming back.
The little bird bundle’s eyes went wide. “With your body… don’t push yourself!”
Yu Hengwei revealed a gentle smile. She softly reassured Wen Qiwu, “Don’t worry, my body is fine. It’s just a remnant to dispose of.”
If she were only “Yu Hengwei,” and Wen Qiwu didn’t know her physical condition, she might truly have believed her words. But she happened to know the other identity behind “Yu Hengwei.”
Wen Qiwu’s feathers puffed up in outrage, her body appearing to swell a size. Seeing Yu Hengwei turn to leave, she snapped, “Do you think I don’t know what condition your body is in?”
“Shijie!”
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