If Extra 1
Older Ancestor Top x Scheming Crane Bottom
The weather had just turned to spring, and it was still somewhat chilly. Cold lake water splashed onto Shen Yu’s half-mask. She squinted slightly to keep the water droplets from getting into her eyes, indifferently watching the blood-tinged lake gradually return to calm. At this moment, she was holding a spirit core exuding a crimson aura in her right hand, radiating a thick, ominous energy.
With a clench of her fingers, the spirit core suddenly emitted a man’s scream. However, the scream abruptly stopped in the next moment. The spirit core instantly turned into a pile of dust and fell from her fingers as she opened her hand. A gust of wind blew, scattering all the ashes from her palm.
Shen Yu casually glanced at the dust falling on the lake’s surface. For someone who committed such heinous acts, even being reduced to ashes was not an excessive punishment.
Those who had participated in the siege with her saw that the matter was settled and did not linger. After exchanging farewells, they turned and left.
After everyone had gone, Shen Yu’s expression suddenly changed, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
She clutched her chest, feeling a turbulent surge of blood and energy within her. Blood continuously spilled from her lips, staining most of her chin red, resembling the blooming, yet decaying beauty of a Bianhua (red spider lily).
Struggling to suppress the turmoil within her body, Shen Yu felt a severe pain all over. The price she had paid to kill that evil spirit early was significant.
After ensuring she could walk, Shen Yu dragged her heavy steps away from Chilian Lake, thinking about the little cub at home waiting to be fed. She needed to get back as soon as possible.
However, her urgent mood was thwarted by a black snake spirit blocking her path. Shen Yu’s eyes finally showed intense emotion, filled with weariness and disgust. She couldn’t understand why some spirits sought power by harming others. Ultimately, power not gained through one’s own cultivation would never truly be theirs.
During the fight with the black snake, Shen Yu adopted a desperate strategy, abandoning all defense and focusing solely on attack. This reckless approach terrified the black snake. Realizing he couldn’t defeat the panda spirit, the black snake decisively fled, fearing she might go for mutual destruction if pushed too far!
“Cough, cough!”
After the black snake left, Shen Yu spat out several more mouthfuls of blood, staining her fur red.
She transformed back into her human form, frowned at her disheveled appearance, and decided she couldn’t return home like this. The little cub at home would be scared seeing her in such a state.
Fortunately, the rest of the journey was relatively smooth. After recovering some strength, she used teleportation to get home. She cleaned herself up thoroughly before daring to push open the bedroom door. Seeing the little cub pretending to sleep on the bed, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
As the door opened, the little cub on the bed instantly became alert, looking at Shen Yu excitedly. Flapping her small wings, she tried to move towards Shen Yu, but couldn’t manage to fly and fell off the bed…
Shen Yu hurried forward to catch her. Looking at the fluffy little creature in her hands, a gentle softness appeared in her eyes revealed under her mask. She softly said, “It’s only been a few days, and you’re already this excited to see me?”
The little cub rubbed against her hand, making some indistinct noises.
Seeing the clingy little cub, Shen Yu’s smile grew softer. The long years of loneliness seemed to have been completely dispelled by her arrival.
Now, Shen Yu wanted to live, live well, to provide the little cub with better conditions and watch her grow up slowly.
The little cub nuzzled her head against Shen Yu’s hand, seeming particularly content. She closed her eyes, exposing her little belly, and fell asleep peacefully.
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Seeing the little cub fall asleep so quickly, Shen Yu felt she probably hadn’t rested well during the days she was away, almost stubbornly waiting for her return.
Shen Yu placed the little cub back on the bed and lay down beside her, gently stroking the cub’s fluffy wings. She whispered, “Where I found you, I saw a woman there. She might be your birth mother, right?”
The little cub turned over comfortably, making some soft purring sounds, not sure if she understood Shen Yu’s words.
Seeing her so adorable, Shen Yu couldn’t help but smile lightly. “It doesn’t matter if she is or not. You’re mine now.”
Having chosen to take her in and raise her, the little cub was hers from now on.
At worst, Shen Yu could tell the woman, out of spiritual principle, that she was raising the child and would treat her well, so she need not worry.
Moreover, since the woman chose to abandon her child, Shen Yu, having picked her up, had the right not to return her!
Thinking this, Shen Yu felt at ease. She hugged the little cub and fell asleep together.
When she woke up, the sky outside was already darkening. The little cub was curled up in her neck, sleeping soundly, with soft little purring sounds coming from her mouth.
Shen Yu gently touched the cub’s head, feeling the warmth from the little creature nestled in her neck.
She carefully placed the cub back on the bed and went out to make some millet porridge. In her long life, this was the only thing she could make, but being proficient in one dish wasn’t bad. At least the porridge tasted good.
Placing the little cub on her lap, Shen Yu slowly fed her spoonfuls of porridge. Seeing the cub squint with satisfaction, a sense of hidden accomplishment filled her heart.
It seemed her cooking skills were indeed not bad!
The bowl of millet porridge was quickly finished, and the little cub seemed much more energetic, stretching lazily on her lap.
Shen Yu set the bowl aside and gently touched the cub’s wings, wondering aloud when she would be able to fly.
If she could fly, she could take her for a ride in the sky, Shen Yu mused.
Although this idea couldn’t be realized now, it planted a seed in her heart. Every time she saw the cub’s wings, she envisioned them soaring through the skies together, with her riding on the cub’s back.
Later in the evening, Shen Yu transformed back into her true form, placing the cub on her belly to protect her while she slept, as she closed her eyes to heal her previous injuries.
The time spent healing passed quickly. When she woke up again, the spring sun was already streaming through the window, casting lively shadows on the floor and furniture, bringing a vibrant spring atmosphere.
Seeing the good weather, Shen Yu didn’t let the cub continue sleeping. Instead, she took her out to the courtyard, lay on a recliner with the cub on her stomach, and enjoyed the sun together.
She intended to let the cub experience the spring atmosphere, but found herself getting drowsy in the warm sunlight, let alone the little cub who spent most of her time sleeping.
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Shen Yu gently woke the little cub on her belly and said, “In such good weather, humans usually fly kites. Shall we fly one too?”
The little cub looked at her with confused eyes, not understanding what she was saying.
Shen Yu picked her up, searched the house for a kite but couldn’t find one. Then, she accidentally glanced at the cub’s wings.
Shen Yu: “…”
Humans usually flew swallow-shaped kites, right? In that case, flying a crane shouldn’t be a problem.
With this thought, Shen Yu found some string in the house. Holding the little cub, she went to a spacious meadow. The gentle breeze blew away the lethargy and brought a sense of springtime playfulness.
She placed the little cub on her knee and tied the string to her claw, telling the bewildered cub, “When I let you fly later, remember to spread your wings and try not to fall.”
Her eyes were filled with a clear smile, devoid of the indifference she usually showed outside. Her gaze at the little cub was full of warmth.
The little cub looked at the string on her claw, tilted her head towards Shen Yu, still not fully understanding what flying a kite meant, but she understood to spread her wings as instructed.
Seeing her so obedient, Shen Yu patted her little head, then used her spiritual power to lift her into the air. As the little cub rose higher and higher, Shen Yu sat on the grass, tugging on the red string now and then, mimicking human kite-flying techniques. She looked up at the little cub in the sky, who diligently kept her wings spread but appeared to be wobbling.
As she ascended, the wind grew stronger, ruffling her feathers and causing her to sway uncontrollably. Without the support of the spiritual power underneath, she would undoubtedly have fallen.
The little cub looked down at the red string tied to her claw, which connected to the figure below. Dressed in flowing white, with a bamboo green belt around her waist adding a splash of color to her otherwise plain attire, her long black hair cascaded down her back. When the wind blew, it lifted her hair, giving her an ethereal, drifting quality.
The little cub reflected for a moment. Despite her cold appearance, this person never showed any aloofness when facing her, always blending softness with a touch of casualness.
She struggled to flap her wings, searching for the instinct to fly amidst the wind. But in the end, even though her wings were exhausted, she still couldn’t control her body freely in the air. She knew that if the spiritual power were withdrawn, she would immediately plummet.
When Shen Yu finally had enough of flying the “kite” and brought her back, she lay limp on Shen Yu’s lap, staring blankly at the grass, her wings too tired to move.
Seeing her in such an exhausted state, Shen Yu was puzzled. Didn’t she use spiritual power to support her? Why was she so tired?
Could it be that she had too little exercise normally, and a little movement wore her out? In that case, it might be necessary to bring her out for more exercise in the future. A white crane with such little stamina wouldn’t be able to fly far in the future.
After returning home and feeding the little cub another bowl of millet porridge, Shen Yu let her play around the house while she went to a mountain forest. This place had a favorable location with excellent feng shui, which she had chosen as her resting place. However, she hadn’t found a suitable burial spot yet and ended up finding the little cub instead. Seeing the little cub snuggling in her hand, she abandoned the idea of dying and decided to live well to raise the little cub.
Returning to the place where she had found the little cub, she didn’t see the woman again. She hid in a concealed spot nearby and waited until dusk, when the sun was setting and the shadows were growing long. Finally, she saw the woman who often came here.
The woman was quite beautiful, but for some reason, she seemed to lack vitality, exuding an aura of fatigue and weariness. Her gaze was dull, as if her spirit had died and her body could barely sustain itself.
The woman stood at the spot where Shen Yu had found the little cub, staring blankly. She stood there for a long time until the sun completely set, and darkness began to creep in. She sighed softly and turned to leave.
“Wait.” Shen Yu slowly stepped out of the shadows, lifting her eyes to look at the woman. The closer she got, the more she could see the exhaustion on the woman’s face, as if she hadn’t had a good rest for a long time.
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The woman was startled to see her, then frowned lightly, not understanding why she had been called.
Shen Yu pointed to a spot on the left and said, “You abandoned a young cub here, didn’t you?”
The woman’s face turned pale. She looked at Shen Yu and asked in a deep voice, “Did you pick up the child?”
Shen Yu nodded calmly and said, “Yes, I found her. But don’t worry, I won’t give her back. Since you abandoned her and I found her, she is mine now.”
“Once something is mine, no one can easily take it from me!” Shen Yu’s expression grew serious, but seeing the woman’s pale face, she added, “But don’t worry, I will treat her well. She will grow up happy.”
The woman’s expression became complicated after hearing her words. It was the first time she had heard such reasoning: finding something meant it was hers? But what she found wasn’t an inanimate object; it was a living being!
“She is living well now. I came to tell you this out of a sense of spiritual duty to ease your guilt.”
A faintly cold smile appeared on Shen Yu’s lips. This woman had abandoned her child here but often came to check on her. Wasn’t it just to ease her guilt?