The Little Peacock Raises a Snake (GL) Chapter 67

For a moment, Qu Linyan was silent and did not know how to answer.
In truth, Yun Su did not need her answer. She already knew what was in Qu Linyan’s heart.
No matter what Qu Linyan promised her right now, no matter how she promised to give her a peaceful life in the future, she would never ignore Chu Yuebai’s safety.
Once her wounds healed, Qu Linyan would definitely break into the devil realm again.
Yun Su said, “You do not need to say it. I know your nature.”
Qu Linyan lowered her lashes. After thinking for a long time, she said, “This is the last time. I promise you… As long as I save her, from then on, there will be no flood dragon clan in my heart, and no devil clan either. You will be the only one for the rest of my life.”
“She is my friend too.” After saying this, Yun Su thought for a long time before continuing, “If you want to save her, I will go with you.”
Qu Linyan frowned. “The devil realm is dangerous. You…”
Yun Su cut off Qu Linyan’s unfinished words. “You just promised me that from now on, we will face everything together.”
Qu Linyan froze.
Yun Su said seriously, “She saved your life. This debt must be repaid. But it cannot be repaid by you alone!”
Her words left no room for argument.
“Before, I was useless. No matter what happened, I could only watch as all of you shielded me from wind and rain.” Yun Su’s hands clenched into fists. “That feeling of being unable to do anything, of only waiting silently, is too hopeless.”
Yun Su said, “I never know when I will lose something… I do not want to be that passive ever again.”
Qu Linyan had never imagined that the one who had always been cared for and protected would also have such a bottomless sense of powerlessness in her heart.
So-called selfless giving, many times, was also another kind of selfishness.
“I promise you.” This time, Qu Linyan finally stopped insisting on going alone.
From now on, she would advance and retreat together with Yun Su.
Yun Su’s brows curved happily. “Then rest a little more.”
“Can you stay with me?” Qu Linyan shifted inward on the bed and left Yun Su a warmed space. Her gaze was tender as water. “Just lie down together for a while. I will not do anything else.”
Yun Su pressed her lips together, turned to the table, picked up the pestle, and lightly ground the medicine a few times.
“No?” Qu Linyan asked pitifully.
Yun Su turned back to look at her and shook the medicine in her hand. “Apply the medicine first.”
Qu Linyan very consciously pulled open her collar.
…
Ciyin returned to the heavenly realm to report to Zhiming that everyone was safe, then deliberately wandered around for a while.
After proving she had not gone missing, she bounced back before Zhiming and begged him to send her down to the lower realm again.
When Zhiming heard this, he could not help advising, “Ciyin, since Yun Su and the black flood dragon have been found, and you have confirmed they are safe now, you should settle your heart. Immortals who privately descend to the lower realm face no light punishment if discovered.”
Ciyin bit her lower lip and looked down, fiddling with her fingers for a long while.
She knew that if not for the plan to deceive heaven with a fake death, Zhiming would never have allowed her to go down in secret.
That body double had been created by Fu Zhuochen from part of her true body. Her true form was the Snow Jade Vine flower. No matter how much was taken, it could slowly grow back. At most, she would lose some cultivation. That was also why her primordial spirit could move between the two realms. If it were anyone else, it would not be so easy.
In truth, as long as she had enough magic power, she could move freely between her true body and the body double. Unfortunately, her cultivation was not enough. She could return from the body double, but could not leave from her true body.
If she wanted to return to the lower realm, she still needed Zhiming to send her.
“Susu and the black flood dragon are both injured. I want to care for them a little more… And Brother Fu. His wounds are not light either.” She stepped closer to Zhiming, widened her innocent almond eyes, and begged softly, “Divine Lord, there are three wounded people in Wuyou Valley right now. I feel I am very important! Besides, with Divine Lord guarding here, how could I be discovered?”
Zhiming said, “Ciyin, stop making trouble.”
“I will never use magic casually in front of others. If there are earth immortals nearby, I will hide. I absolutely will not be discovered!” Ciyin blinked at Zhiming.
For a moment, Zhiming had no words.
Ciyin said, “Divine Lord! I promise, once everyone is healed, I will come back.”
Zhiming spoke very bluntly. “Fu Zhuochen understands medicine. The lower realm truly has no need for you.”
“Spiritual medicine still needs me to grow it. Mortal herbs heal so slowly! Besides, even if I truly am not needed, I still want to go… Susu will not come back. After this parting, who knows what year, month, or situation it will be before I see her again?”
As Ciyin spoke, she grabbed Zhiming’s sleeve and tugged it side to side. Her eyes reddened as she acted spoiled. “Divine Lord… Divine Lord, just let me stay with her a little longer… I promise, this is the last time. After this, I will destroy that lower-realm body double!”
Zhiming was silent for a long time. His sleeve was almost torn by the little girl before he finally answered helplessly, “Truly the last time.”
Ciyin nodded again and again. “Absolutely the last time!”
As soon as her words fell, an array rose around her. She closed her eyes, then opened them again, only to find herself covered under layers of cold, white snow.
Her flower body was buried deep beneath the snow. Ciyin used quite a bit of strength before she stretched out a human form and crawled from the snow in a sorry state.
The human world’s sky was already dark, and wind and snow continued.
Perhaps while she had been gone, several more layers of snow had fallen in the courtyard and buried her.
She spat snow from her mouth while shaking snow from her body.
But had she not returned to the heavenly realm from inside the house? Why was the room now bright with candlelight, the doors and windows all closed, while she had been thrown outside?
Small head, great confusion.
Fu Zhuochen, who had been away for several days, happened to return. He was about to go to the study to rest when he saw Ciyin standing in a huge snow pit, covered in snow, shaking herself and patting snow from her body. His gaze filled with confusion.
“What are you doing?”
“Brother Fu, you are back.” Ciyin turned her head and awkwardly smoothed her snow-covered hair with her fingers. “I went back to the heavenly realm. I just came down and found myself buried in snow…”
“Why did you not return inside the house?”
“I remember I did go back from inside the house, but when I returned, I was here… So strange.” Ciyin muttered softly, stomped in the snow pit beneath her feet, and kept patting snow from herself.
The body double was not as nimble as her true body to begin with. Now that she had been buried in snow for a while, she was rather stiff, and her movements looked much clumsier.
Fu Zhuochen had not planned to care, but after one more glance, he truly could not keep watching. He lifted his hand and pushed a ball of fire toward Ciyin.
“Ah!”
After a startled cry, the flames that had swept over her body vanished.
Ciyin stood frozen in place, still shaken. There was not a single wound on her body, and she was no longer stiff or cold, but she could not stop trembling from fright.
Inside the house, the two people sleeping in each other’s arms were woken by the noise outside.
Yun Su sat up, put on her outer robe, and poked Qu Linyan’s arm with a terrible expression. Breathing the words rather than speaking them, she said, “This is bad. I forgot A-Yin outside!”
Qu Linyan quickly covered Yun Su’s mouth. “Do not speak. I will handle it.”
As she spoke, she put on clothes, rose, walked to the door, and pushed it open. Seeing Ciyin trembling beneath the bamboo steps, guilt rose in her.
“Little Flower God, are you cold?” Qu Linyan asked guiltily.
Ciyin shook her head. “N-no…”
She was a plant. Being swept all over by fire had almost scared her soul out of her body.
Qu Linyan thought Ciyin was trying to be strong, so she quickly formed an outer robe and draped it over her. “In the afternoon, the wind was strong. Xiaoba and I closed the doors and windows. I truly did not notice you had been blown outside. Sorry…”
“It is fine, it is fine… I am truly not cold.” As Ciyin spoke, she looked back at Fu Zhuochen, then looked up at Yun Su leaning at the door, desperately sending signals with her eyes.
Yun Su froze where she stood, staring blankly at Fu Zhuochen below the steps. She did not even have the courage to take one step forward.
She wanted to apologize, but did not know how to begin.
Three hundred years ago, she had carried resentment toward him and chosen to forget everything. Three hundred years later, when she remembered the past, she had carved that same resentment deep into her eyes again.
Fu Zhuochen had no blood relation to her, yet he had silently done so much for her. Not only could she not repay him, she had faced him again and again with the coldest attitude.
Now that she knew the whole truth, she found that she no longer had the face to beg for his forgiveness.
Yun Su remembered that Fu Zhuochen had once said his younger sister was Fu Xiaoba. If she ascended and became an upper god, naturally he would no longer call her his younger sister.
“Susu!” Ciyin called softly in worry.
Thinking of it now, it was true.
From the moment she returned to the heavenly realm, the way Fu Zhuochen looked at her had changed.
Had he once resented, too, that Yun Su’s appearance made Fu Xiaoba vanish from this world?
Yun Su frowned slightly. Her hands clenched into fists without her noticing, and her eyes were full of struggle.
Fu Zhuochen waited several seconds. Seeing that Yun Su was unwilling to speak, he stopped waiting and silently turned toward the study.
“Brother Fu!” Ciyin quickly chased after him and said anxiously, “Susu has something to say to you!”
“There is nothing to say.” Fu Zhuochen did not stop walking.
Ciyin turned and shouted at Yun Su, “No, wait… Can you two not sit down and talk properly?”
Yun Su’s eyes wavered. “I…”
“Hey!” Qu Linyan watched from the side, anxious. She could not help breaking the strange mood. “That, turkey…”
Fu Zhuochen’s steps clearly paused. The space between his brows twitched.
Yun Su’s face changed. She hurried forward and grabbed Qu Linyan, scolding softly, “Little Black!”
Ciyin pointed with one hand on her hip in shock. “You demon, how can you have no manners at all!”
Qu Linyan’s face did not change. “I am someone who dislikes owing favors most. Since you have shown me kindness, if you need anything later, just say it.”
“No need,” Fu Zhuochen answered coldly.
That tone made Yun Su lower her head. She stood foolishly beside Qu Linyan, her gaze like a child who had done wrong.
“I will remember it anyway. The days ahead are long.” As Qu Linyan spoke, a sly look flashed in her eyes, but her tone was especially serious. “Now that we are borrowing your home to heal, we have truly troubled you. Once my injuries improve, I will take my wife back to the earth realm.”
Hearing this, Fu Zhuochen frowned. “You still dare go back to the earth realm?”
Qu Linyan said, “Why would I not? Not only will I go back to the earth realm, I will go to Yuntian City and rescue my friend from that dead pervert Chi Heng.”
“You…” Fu Zhuochen turned back and glared at Qu Linyan. Seeing her look like she had no idea of the height of heaven or the depth of earth, he was so blocked with anger that it took him a long time to squeeze out, “Would you die if you behaved yourself?”
“That is hard to say.” Qu Linyan narrowed her eyes and smiled. “In hundreds and thousands of years, when have I ever behaved myself?”
Fu Zhuochen endured his anger and advised, “Qu Linyan, even if you think your own life is too long, you should consider Yun Su.”
Qu Linyan forced an “Mm?” out through her nose and said in a strange tone, “Turkey, get this clear. This is between me and my wife. It is not the place of an outsider to speak.” Her eyes were extremely arrogant.
“You!” Fu Zhuochen was choked with anger.
Ciyin burned with anger at the side and was about to step forward to curse when she saw Yun Su, unable to endure it, press her hand on Qu Linyan’s shoulder. Fire seemed to burn in her eyes.
Qu Linyan looked back at Yun Su. The arrogance in her eyes instantly vanished, and she instinctively stepped back half a step.
Yun Su said, “Qu Linyan!”
Qu Linyan said, “Here!”
Yun Su said angrily, “Outsider? Who are you talking to? Why are you going mad? Do not go too far!”
Qu Linyan quickly turned, walked a few steps to Fu Zhuochen, and bowed with clasped hands.
Fu Zhuochen instinctively stepped back half a step. Before he could react to what was happening, he heard Qu Linyan lift her head and shout at him.
“Brother! I am sorry!”
Ciyin was startled by that shout and shivered.
In the next second, Qu Linyan completely changed her earlier attitude and continued in a pleasant voice, “I did not understand clearly. Returning to Yuntian City is a major matter. No matter what, I should discuss it with you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Qu Linyan gestured toward the room as if inviting him in, not treating herself as an outsider at all.
The change in atmosphere was so sudden that Fu Zhuochen could not keep up. He stood stiffly, like carved wood and clay, blank and at a loss.
Only then did Yun Su realize Qu Linyan was giving her a way down. She quickly picked up the words. “Brother, the wind outside is strong. Why do we not go inside and talk?”
Ciyin frowned. “Talk about what? What is there to talk about? Susu, you cannot follow this person to your death. She does not care about her life, but everyone…”
Before she finished, Qu Linyan grabbed her and turned to lead her inside.
“Little Flower God, calm down. Come inside and warm yourself by the fire.”
“Black flood dragon, you!” Ciyin was about to explode when she saw Qu Linyan frantically making eye signals at her. She opened her mouth, then suddenly understood and blinked.
“You can do it like this?” Ciyin whispered by Qu Linyan’s ear in amazement.
Qu Linyan said proudly, “This is something you do not understand. When proud birds like peacocks become awkward, smoothing their feathers is useless. You have to ruffle them up before they are willing to reason with you… This is all what I learned from coaxing Xiaoba lately.”
“Susu is a Blue Luan,” Ciyin corrected.
“She was a peacock in her last life!” Qu Linyan pressed her lips together. “Besides, they are all birds. No difference.”
“Oh, right!” Ciyin nodded as if she understood and gave Qu Linyan a thumbs-up. “I am starting to admire you a little!”
Before, she had always felt that a demon with such a bad record was not worthy of Yun Su. Looking at it now, she had misunderstood Qu Linyan quite deeply.
Qu Linyan curved her brows and smiled, not mentioning at all that she had thrown Ciyin outside during the day.