Wen Qiwu now lived next door to Lu Qiaoyi, with other elders and disciples of Myriad Elixir Mountain residing further away. This made her current living environment quite peaceful.
In her small courtyard, there was a stone table. Wen Qiwu sat on a stone stool, with the birdcage containing Qing Tuan placed on the table. Beside it was a freshly brewed spiritual tea.
Wen Qiwu leaned on the stone table, appearing rather unhappy.
Her small courtyard also had a kitchen, with wisps of smoke rising. Her senior sister was cooking for her. Looking at the entire Cangwang Realm, only she received such treatment from the Immortal Venerable, because she was the junior sister she had personally raised… that was all.
“Qing Tuan,” Wen Qiwu poked the bird’s small head, her expression filled with melancholy. “Should I have been so greedy?”
The more she cherished something, the more afraid she was of losing it. Wen Qiwu’s feelings were like fine sand she carefully cupped in her hands; she feared that the tighter she held on, the faster it would slip away. Moreover, if Elder Lu’s new medicinal formula failed, she, a dying person, shouldn’t have hoped for too much.
Qing Tuan glanced at her, then inexplicably ruffled its feathers. From its eyes, Wen Qiwu seemed to read the words, “disappointed in your lack of progress.”
“Qing Tuan?”
Qing Tuan suddenly puffed up, as if angered. It tilted its small head and pecked sharply at Wen Qiwu’s fingertip.
“Hiss…” Wen Qiwu instinctively retracted her hand. Although Qing Tuan was only at the Soul Observation stage, it exuded an odd aura. Its peck made Wen Qiwu, a cultivator at the Void Refining stage, feel a sharp pain and numbness in her finger. She even suspected the bird’s beak might be poisoned.
However, before Wen Qiwu could examine the spot, her senior sister’s fair and cool hand gently held her fingertip. Looking up, she saw her senior sister’s lowered eyelashes, and a slight tickle in her heart made her forget the pain in her finger.
Her senior sister looked at the red mark on her fingertip with a serious expression. This careful attention made Wen Qiwu almost believe she had suffered a severe injury.
Her senior sister’s hands were still dusted with flour; she must have come out immediately after hearing the noise, without even having time to wipe her hands.
“Does it still hurt?” Yun Heng gently massaged the reddened spot on Wen Qiwu’s fingertip. Her sleeve had slipped down slightly, revealing the string of fire crystal jade beads on her left wrist. The vibrant red beads made her wrist skin appear even fairer.
This was the only bright color on the Immortal Venerable, and it was a gift Wen Qiwu had spent great effort polishing for her senior sister when she was young.
“It’s okay now, it doesn’t hurt.” Although her senior sister’s hands were cool, Wen Qiwu felt the spot where she was being massaged growing hotter, masking the lingering pain.
“It was my carelessness.” Yun Heng’s gaze immediately became cold as it fell upon the birdcage. Qing Tuan, perhaps sensing it had made a mistake, let out a “chirp” and turned its tail towards them.
Yun Heng picked up the birdcage, her expression as if she were about to stew the little creature.
“Senior Sister!” Wen Qiwu immediately linked arms with Yun Heng, subtly indicating that she did not wish to add bird soup to their dinner.
A hint of helplessness appeared in Yun Heng’s originally indifferent expression.
“I’ll add a spell to the birdcage to restrict its power, so it won’t be so reckless next time.” Restricting Qing Tuan’s power was only one aspect; Yun Heng considered that using this artifact to fight still posed some hidden dangers. It wasn’t safe for her junior sister to hold it, so she needed to modify it.
“This birdcage is fine as it is, no need to modify it. Senior Sister, you still need to be busy with the Solar Eclipse Secret Realm matters…” During this time, everyone from the Sect Master down to the various elders would likely be very busy. Wen Qiwu didn’t want to trouble her senior sister with her minor issues.
“It’s just a minor modification, it’s no trouble.” The matters of the Solar Eclipse Secret Realm could be pushed back. Based on Yun Heng’s past experience, those few sects would likely argue for a while longer, giving her time to perfect this artifact before going to the secret realm.
Her senior sister carried away the birdcage. Although Qing Tuan expressed its protest, it was of no use.
Wen Qiwu couldn’t help but chuckle softly at the dejected Qing Tuan. Then, she unconsciously rubbed her finger, as if the touch of her senior sister’s fingertip still lingered there.
She bit her lip lightly, her complex emotions turning into a sigh.
Swish… A faint sound of wings flapping echoed faintly in the air.
Wen Qiwu looked up. A pale purple butterfly fluttered down. It was an exceptionally beautiful butterfly. The Wen Shen Sect had many similar spiritual insects, but Wen Qiwu’s expression changed slightly upon seeing it.
She instinctively grabbed the butterfly and hid it in her sleeve, then took a sip of tea as if to cover it up. She controlled her expression well, but her trembling eyelashes betrayed her guilt.
This was not a true spiritual insect but a type of spell, similar to a paper crane for sending messages. Someone found paper cranes too common and not to their taste, so they transformed them into flashy butterflies.
These message butterflies were meticulously crafted by their owner. There was only one like it in the entire Cangwang Realm. Wen Qiwu recognized it at a glance as belonging to her pen pal – the Saintess of Yu Xi Sect.
They hadn’t exchanged letters in a long time. Why would Zuo Lan send a message now?
Just moments ago, her senior sister had told her not to associate with others, and now, in the blink of an eye, she was secretly receiving a letter from someone. Wen Qiwu, who always considered herself obedient and well-behaved in front of her senior sister, felt a little guilty.
Wen Qiwu and Zuo Lan used the pseudonym “Yun Que” in their correspondence. When communicating with Yun Que, Zuo Lan would restrain herself a bit, appearing at least slightly more proper than usual. Wen Qiwu worried it might be something important, so she quietly returned to her room and took out the message butterfly.
Previously, when she injected spiritual energy into the message butterfly, it would transform into a letter. However, today’s message butterfly remained unchanged.
Could there be something wrong with this message butterfly? Just as Wen Qiwu was about to open it, the butterfly suddenly emitted a sickly sweet voice.
“Fellow Daoist Wen~”
Wen Qiwu’s hand trembled. She almost thought Zuo Lan had discovered that Yun Que was her. However, as she continued to listen to Zuo Lan’s ingratiating words, she realized that this message butterfly was not for Yun Que.
Most of the rumors circulating about the Saintess tended to demonize her. In reality, the only person Zuo Lan would actively pursue was the one from the Qian Yue Sword Sect. Since there was no reason to visit without a purpose, Zuo Lan must have a favor to ask.
As for herself, she was merely a sickly person at the Void Refining stage, always staying within the Wen Shen Sect and never going out. She herself had nothing that Zuo Lan would be concerned about. Therefore, Zuo Lan, or rather, Yu Xi Sect’s goal was her senior sister.
Wen Qiwu breathed a sigh of relief, then threw the message butterfly away without a second thought. This was the first time she had done something her senior sister strictly forbade, and she needed to get rid of this thing quickly. Now, she felt a pang of guilt just looking at the message butterfly.
Wen Qiwu ignored several of the other messages. Then, one day, someone, through the butterfly, inexplicably mentioned if she liked her senior sister.
The other party was too direct; she didn’t even have a chance to throw away the message butterfly.
“Cough, cough, cough!” Wen Qiwu, who was taking medicine, spilled half a bowl of bitter medicinal soup onto the ground. The medicinal ingredients here were extremely rare spiritual herbs. Half a bowl spilled was equivalent to the net worth of several cultivators.
But she couldn’t bother with the unfinished medicine. She directly pinched the message butterfly with one hand and shattered it with spiritual energy.
Zuo Lan’s voice was loud. If her senior sister was nearby, she might have heard it. Wen Qiwu felt her heart pound extremely fast. It took her a long time to realize that her senior sister was still in the main hall, discussing the secret realm matters with the other nine great sects.
Zuo Lan was escorted out of the main hall by her master and elders. Immortal Venerable Yun Heng’s gaze towards her was truly chilling. It seemed she genuinely minded her younger sister’s attempt to get close to her that day. In order to seek cooperation with that Immortal Venerable, her master naturally couldn’t allow her disciple, who displeased the Immortal Venerable, to continue being an eyesore there.
Fine, fine. Zuo Lan hummed an unknown tune and left the main hall. She was a person who could be incredibly petty at times. After being chilled by Yun Heng’s coldness, she wanted to tease her junior sister.
As expected, after the butterfly was sent out, Miss Wen, who had been ignoring her, immediately sent a reply.
Although that Miss Wen tried to act aloof like her senior sister, she unfortunately only managed to imitate the form, not the essence. Not only did it fail to scare away someone with “ulterior motives” like herself, but it made her want to tease her even more.
“Want to know how to take your relationship with your senior sister a step further?” Discussing cooperation was for her master and elders. Zuo Lan had other purposes for being here, but what she wanted to do had to be done secretly. Otherwise, if that Immortal Venerable found out, she would probably become the biggest spectacle in the Cangwang Realm.
“I can teach you~”
After this butterfly flew away, Zuo Lan did not receive a reply promptly, but she was not in a hurry, as she was sure that Miss Wen would come to find her proactively.
She stopped halfway. She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Her intuition screamed danger, just like when she was almost sneak-attacked from behind by a man-eating demonic beast.
When Zuo Lan turned around, her hand had already drawn her life-bound weapon. However, she did not expect that the person standing behind her would be that girl who looked somewhat sickly.
Although she appeared delicate and her cultivation was a whole major realm lower than hers, she inexplicably gave Zuo Lan a sense of life threat.
…As expected of Immortal Venerable Yun Heng’s junior sister, one really cannot be careless.
“Fellow Daoist Wen, have you considered it?” Zuo Lan blinked, with a hint of playfulness.
Wen Qiwu’s expression was solemn. After a long while, her red lips parted, and she said something that surprised Zuo Lan: “I have no such intention, and I hope fellow Daoist does not make wild guesses.”
“Is that so? But I have over a dozen letters written by someone for her senior sister back then…” Zuo Lan reached into her storage bag, making as if to actually pull out those letters.
Wen Qiwu was startled. It was only when she met Zuo Lan’s probing gaze that she realized the other party was just testing her. However, her reaction had already betrayed her.
“It really is you, Miss Yun Que~” Zuo Lan’s face lit up with joy. Before meeting, she had suspected whether that mysterious Miss Yun Que was Immortal Venerable Yun Heng’s junior sister. She did not expect her guess to be correct.
“Oh dear, Yun Que, Yun Que… You even use your senior sister’s surname as your pseudonym outside, and you still insist you have no such intentions.” Zuo Lan mimicked Wen Qiwu’s low tone when saying the last four characters. If she was asking for a beating, then she deserved it.
Wen Qiwu’s face flushed red. She endured for a long time before restraining herself from taking out her Nine Tribulations Falling World Bow, a legendary divine weapon that delivered quite a painful blow. She sighed.
“I request that fellow Daoist Zuo pretend not to know about this matter.” Wen Qiwu no longer denied it. She lowered her gaze, masking a trace of dejection from her expression, told Zuo Lan she had something to do, and prepared to leave.
“You’re leaving just like that? Aren’t you afraid I’ll accidentally let it slip?” Zuo Lan was slightly surprised. The words in those dozen letters conveyed fervent emotions in every syllable, but Wen Qiwu’s current reaction was somewhat unexpected.
Wen Qiwu looked back at her. Her clear eyes held sincerity as she said, “I believe in fellow Daoist Zuo’s character.”
If it were a threat lacking substance, Zuo Lan might have been inclined to tease her. But the girl’s straightforward expression of trust made Zuo Lan feel a little embarrassed.
“Ahem, I won’t tell anyone, but was what you said earlier true? About you and your senior sister…”
Wen Qiwu did not answer Zuo Lan; perhaps she herself didn’t know the answer.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about this for now.” Zuo Lan saw her dejectedness and thoughtfully changed the subject.
“Do you want to go out and meet a friend with me? Don’t stay cooped up in your room all day; you’ll get sick even if you’re not ill.” Zuo Lan knew Wen Qiwu was unwell, but she didn’t know it was a terminal illness.
After a moment of silence, Wen Qiwu still refused her kind offer with some difficulty.
“I’m sorry…”
“It’s because of Immortal Venerable Yun Heng, isn’t it?” Thinking of the cold air she had just endured, Zuo Lan understood. She then pretended to wipe away non-existent tears and complained to Wen Qiwu, “She even scolded me in the main hall just now.”
Wen Qiwu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her imposing aura weakened. Thinking of the misunderstandings surrounding Zuo Lan, she softened her tone, as if comforting her, “Senior Sister just has some misunderstandings about you…”
Zuo Lan’s eyes filled with affection upon being comforted. What a good child. No wonder Immortal Venerable Yun Heng kept such a close watch. She suddenly felt an even greater urge to snatch her away! The Immortal Venerable’s expression would surely be interesting then!
Don’t make a grave for yourself, girl
Nice chapter