Although the medicinal bath was managed, Wen Qiwu had to be carried out of the pool by her senior sister because her legs had gone weak.
Wen Qiwu, Wen Qiwu, you really have no backbone, she berated herself inwardly, cradled in her senior sister’s arms. She had been so bold just moments ago, but a little stimulation left her utterly pathetic.
“Qiwu, are you feeling unwell?” Yun Heng was more concerned about Wen Qiwu’s physical condition that night than her own awkwardness after seeing her junior sister’s drenched state.
Why was she always stumbling when she walked?
“The Spirit Cleansing Hall was open today, so I brought some water from it to add to the bath. Did you feel any impure energy in your body?” The Spirit Cleansing Hall was a place for body refinement trials, filled with a special kind of misty immortal energy. This energy intensely repelled impurities and demonic energy, making it commonly used to detect demonic contamination.
As long as one wasn’t tainted by demonic energy, this immortal energy was beneficial and harmless. It could even help remove some of the body’s filth and impurities, making it a rare treasure. That’s why Yun Heng had brought back a bit of its condensed essence to put in the water.
There was an insider from the demonic realm within the sect. Infusing this essence into the bath might help cleanse any impurities. Yun Heng hadn’t expected her junior sister to be tainted by demonic energy right under her nose, but Wen Qiwu’s reaction after the bath made her jump to conclusions.
“No, no!” Wen Qiwu didn’t dare reveal the real reason for her weak legs and quickly offered an excuse.
“How about those elders in the Golden Immortal and Earth Immortal realms today… were they alright?” She hoped the situation with Elder Zhu wouldn’t repeat itself.
“They were fine; no problems were found.” Yun Heng said, while also thoroughly checking Wen Qiwu’s body again. Only when she was certain Wen Qiwu was unharmed did she relax. She carried her junior sister back to her room. The room was warm and cozy thanks to the fire crystal stones, a temperature that easily made one drowsy.
Wen Qiwu thought she had slept all day and wouldn’t be able to sleep after the night’s excitement. But she didn’t know if it was her carefree nature or something else; as soon as her head hit the pillow, she felt drowsy. She had inexplicably fallen asleep that morning too. Could her illness progress to this point?
The only previous case hadn’t survived to this stage, so she had no reference. She attributed any unanswered questions to her ailment.
Yun Heng didn’t leave immediately, instead sitting by the bed to talk with Wen Qiwu.
Once Wen Qiwu’s breathing grew steady and she fell into a deep sleep, a hint of complex emotion appeared in Yun Heng’s eyes. She reached out to gently stroke her junior sister’s face, her fingertip accidentally brushing against her slightly pale lips. At that moment, she suddenly remembered her junior sister, drenched in the bath. She had seen it clearly: the thin inner garment clinging to Wen Qiwu outlined her delicate form. The garment was so sheer, it was like a veil that couldn’t hide anything once it was wet.
Yun Heng abruptly withdrew her hand, a strange sensation traveling from her fingertips to her heart. Her reaction tonight seemed… unusual.
She feigned a casualness, tucking Wen Qiwu in, and then rose to leave her room, her steps hurried.
The night’s unexpected events had disturbed more than just Wen Qiwu’s heart.
Perhaps because Yun Heng had sat by Wen Qiwu’s bedside for so long, Wen Qiwu seemed to smell her senior sister’s cool fragrance even in her sleep. As expected, she dreamt of Yun Heng again that night.
What you think about by day, you dream about by night. After the day’s events, Wen Qiwu’s dreams were exceptionally intimate, even bolder than the mental trials she faced when breaking through to the Void Refining stage. In her dreams, she and her senior sister didn’t just kiss; they did everything lovers would do.
Wen Qiwu woke up feeling dazed. She sat on the bed, trying to calm her racing heart. But the room was too quiet, and there was nothing to distract her. She couldn’t help but recall the details of her dream, her face growing hotter.
She changed her clothes and decided to go to Cloud Mist Mountain to feel the cool breeze and quell the restlessness in her heart.
When she went out, Wen Qiwu didn’t forget to put on the outer robe woven from Fire Feather Bird feathers that her senior sister had given her. Otherwise, if her senior sister saw her wearing only thin clothes on her way to Cloud Mist Mountain, she might not let her return next time.
With complex, unspoken thoughts, Wen Qiwu arrived at the foot of Cloud Mist Mountain. She didn’t notice a strange woman approaching her. The woman wasn’t wearing the attire of the Wen Shen Sect, nor did she have any symbols of status. Clearly, she wasn’t from the sect.
As Wen Qiwu entered the woman’s line of sight, the woman’s gaze immediately locked onto her, specifically onto the outer robe she wore.
Upon seeing the robe, the woman’s eyes flashed with disgust and hostility. Wen Qiwu was a bit slow to react now, but after being stared at for so long, she couldn’t help but notice.
“…?” Wen Qiwu was certain she didn’t know the woman, but why was her gaze so fierce?
“Hmph.” The woman let out a cold laugh and turned to leave.
“Princess Huaiqing, please wait! You’re going the wrong way! That’s Cloud Mist Mountain, not Mount Wendao!” a young disciple in Wen Shen Sect robes called out, hurrying after her.
Upon seeing Wen Qiwu, the young disciple paused and quickly bowed. “Greetings, Elder Wen.”
Wen Qiwu nodded in acknowledgment. The young disciple then hurried off to catch up with Princess Huaiqing.
So it was the princess from the Qingluan clan. Hearing the name Huaiqing from the young disciple, Wen Qiwu recognized the stranger’s identity.
The Cangwang Realm had six domains. Among them, the Primordial Spirit Domain was the territory of the demon race. Tens of thousands of years ago, it was ruled by the Demon Emperor. However, after the Demon Emperor’s death, he left no heir, and the Ancestral Phoenix bloodline was broken. The position of the Primordial Spirit Domain Lord remained vacant.
The remaining demon races couldn’t agree with each other, and no demon could firmly claim the position of Demon Emperor. Thus, after the Demon Emperor’s death, the demons immediately plunged into civil war. The Primordial Spirit Domain was divided into various factions by the different tribes, and the imperial throne remained empty.
The Qingluan clan was a favored clan of the former Demon Emperor. Offspring of such high-level spirit beasts were always rare. The Qingluan Queen only had this only daughter when she was already tens of thousands of years old.
During the Solar Eclipse Secret Realm, this princess had almost lost her life. Fortunately, Yun Heng passed by and saved her and the daughter of the leader of the Qian Yue Sword Sect. Otherwise, the Qingluan Queen’s only child would have perished in that secret realm.
Guided by the disciple who caught up, Princess Huaiqing found the correct direction to Mount Wendao. A short while later, she saw her mother waiting for her at the mountain gate.
The Qingluan Queen thanked the young disciple and then said to her daughter with a slight smile, “Who has upset our little princess now?”
“No one.” Princess Huaiqing’s face was solemn, clearly indicating that someone had upset her.
The Qingluan Queen felt the same. Princess Huaiqing couldn’t refuse her mother and explained everything. “I just saw someone wearing a robe woven from Fire Feather Bird feathers. The Fire Feather Bird tribe has always been proud and never gives its feathers to outsiders. Who knows how much Feather tribe blood stained that robe of hers.”
“So that’s how it is.” The Qingluan Queen tenderly stroked her daughter’s head. The Qingluan and the Fire Feather Birds were both favored clans of the Phoenix Lord and had always maintained good relations. She hadn’t expected to encounter such a situation at the Wen Shen Sect.
“Not only that, but she also…” Princess Huaiqing’s somber expression held a hint of awkwardness.
“Also what?” the Qingluan Queen asked.
“…” Although that human had harmed the Feather tribe, she inexplicably felt a strange sense of closeness to that woman.
It must be that I bumped my head in the Solar Eclipse Secret Realm, which is why I’m reacting like this! Princess Huaiqing felt embarrassed to say it and decided not to tell her mother.
“It’s nothing.”
The Qingluan Queen sensed her daughter had a little secret, but her daughter was growing up and didn’t want to share everything with her.
However, mentioning the Fire Feather Birds reminded the Qingluan Queen of an old matter.
“Actually, the Fire Feather Bird tribe does give their feathers to outsiders,” the Qingluan Queen’s eyes held a hint of a lingering grievance.
“Really?” Princess Huaiqing remembered an incident when she was little, accidentally taking someone’s feather and being chased.
“When the Phoenix Lord was still around, those despicable Fire Feather Birds offered the most beautiful feathers from their tribe to that Majesty. His Majesty used those feathers to weave a sachet and wore it every day…”
“Those annoying creatures flaunted it to me for thousands of years! What’s so good about those short, red feathers? Our Qingluan clan’s feathers are much more beautiful and suited for His Majesty! It’s a shame those annoying creatures got there first!” The Phoenix Lord had been gone for tens of thousands of years, but the Qingluan Queen’s resentment had not faded.
Princess Huaiqing dared not speak. Her mother’s resentment was too strong, and she grumbled all the way to the mountaintop.
When she met Yun Heng, the Qingluan Queen regained her elegant and dignified demeanor.
The Qingluan Queen had come to deliver a gift of gratitude. Now, thinking of her daughter’s ordeal in the secret realm, she was still filled with lingering fear. Fortunately, Yun Heng had intervened, so she came personally to express her thanks.
The Qingluan Queen was generous with her gifts, presenting only the rarest treasures in the world.
However, Yun Heng appeared indifferent; she never lacked such things.
Among the gifts, the Qingluan Queen picked out a jar of wine. She had added it to the gifts just then after encountering Lu Qiaoyi at the foot of the mountain.
“I met Elder Lu of your honored sect at the foot of the mountain earlier. She mentioned that your Immortal Venerable junior sister’s birthday is in a few days. This wine is our Qingluan clan’s finest brew, Drunken Phoenix. It takes a hundred years to produce a single jar and has a miraculous effect on nourishing the primal spirit. Moreover, it’s not very strong, and people don’t get drunk easily. It’s perfect for a birthday celebration, considered my birthday gift.”
Upon hearing the Qingluan Queen’s introduction, Yun Heng’s expression finally showed a slight fluctuation. Whether it was the Qingluan Queen’s illusion or not, she felt the Immortal Venerable’s expression had softened slightly.
Yun Heng thanked her and placed the jar of wine into her storage pouch.
The Qingluan Queen inwardly lamented that, as Elder Lu had said, giving Immortal Venerable Yun Heng many gifts was not as effective as preparing something suitable for her junior sister.
Later, the Qingluan Queen added a caution. “However, Immortal Venerable, please don’t let the Feather tribe drink too much of this. This wine doesn’t intoxicate any tribe other than the Feather tribe, but if we taste even a little, we get drunk. Even the former Demon Emperor was no exception, hence the name Drunken Phoenix. If weaker birds were to drink it, they might remain drunk for years.”
Nice work 👏