Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I seemed to understand why the Phoenix Queen had sent me to the Purple Origin Palace.

His Highness the Eldest Prince was injured.

Fenglin Continent in the Western Yi was known as such because it was surrounded by the Weak Waters, a treacherous place. Even if a Phoenix Divine Bird attempted to cross it, they would be wounded by the waters, their feathers and scales falling away.

I didn’t know why His Highness the Eldest Prince had flown there. Legend had it that the area was filled with mountains, rivers, and marshes where rare divine herbs grew.

Despite his calm and composed demeanor, the chest and back beneath His Highness the Eldest Prince’s robes were covered in shocking, jagged lacerations.

In my shock, I looked up at him, only to meet his deep, dark eyes.

I understood then. The Phoenix Queen wanted me to clean his wounds.

The saliva of us crows possessed a miraculous ability to promote healing.

There were so many Crow Slaves in the Cloud Soaring Divine Palace, yet the Phoenix Queen had chosen me. It was clear she trusted me immensely.

Since arriving here, I had learned that their Phoenix Clan was different from our Crow Clan. In our tribe, there was only one Old Chieftain, and everyone listened to him.

The Phoenix Divine Bird Tribe, however, had the Five Great Elders and the Ten Directions Divine Lords in addition to the Phoenix Emperor and the Phoenix Queen.

Not all phoenixes could undergo nirvana to become a Fire Phoenix.

And not all Fire Phoenixes could be called a Divine Lord; that was a status earned through slaughter and combat prowess.

His Highness the Eldest Prince was very powerful. He was the son of the Phoenix Emperor and the youngest Divine Lord of the Penglai Phoenix Tribe.

Because of this, his injury could not be publicized.

Although the Phoenix Clan was led by the Phoenix Emperor, it was actually divided into several major factions, making it quite complex.

I didn’t understand much of that at the time. I was simply thrilled by the Phoenix Queen’s trust. With bright, dark eyes, I leaned in, kneeling in the embrace of His Highness the Eldest Prince, and used my tongue to lick his wounds.

His Highness the Eldest Prince let out a muffled groan.

Startled, I immediately looked up at him.

We were very close. His chin was right above my head, and he happened to look down at me as well. We were almost face-to-face, our noses nearly touching. I could clearly see his deep, amber eyes beneath thick lashes that fanned out like cattail leaves.

His Highness the Eldest Prince was truly beautiful. His black hair cascaded down, his face was as flawless as fine jade, and his thin lips were as pale as water.

He smelled of agarwood, a scent so pleasant it made my heart tremble. With his hair loose and his robes slightly open, he looked incredibly bewitching, possessing an inexplicably wicked charm.

“Does it hurt?” I asked timidly, feeling a bit afraid.

He stared at me, his pupils contracting as he took a sharp breath. Then, he pressed his lips together slightly and said in a low voice, “No.”

His slender fingers lightly held my head, drawing me back into his embrace.

“Hurry. I’m afraid of hurting you.”

I was a bit dazed, not understanding what he meant by hurting me. Could cleaning his wounds be life-threatening?

But I didn’t have the capacity to think too much. I had always been an obedient crow.

A few days later, the wounds of His Highness the Eldest Prince were already showing signs of healing.

He remained cold and distant, and I remained well-behaved and timid. We rarely spoke.

However, when he read silk scrolls in the hall, I was there by his side, quietly and dutifully staring at the incense burner in a daze, my mind already drifting far beyond the clouds.

For some reason, Sister Chaowei hadn’t come during those few days either.

Presumably, the Phoenix Queen wanted His Highness the Eldest Prince to recover in peace and had instructed her not to visit.

Being in the Purple Origin Palace certainly had its perks; I could see the Star Tree every day.

Aside from serving His Highness the Eldest Prince, I spent almost all my remaining time with it.

I pressed my face against its trunk, giggling as I tickled it, unable to stop myself from asking, “Why are you still so bald?”

“When will you grow fruit? Let me have a taste first, okay?”

Days passed like this until Sister Chaowei and Princess Canyang arrived.

They only stayed for a short while before leaving because His Highness the Eldest Prince wasn’t there; he had gone to see his uncle, Divine Lord Yuan Qu.

As Princess Canyang was leaving, she gave me a vicious lash with her whip.

This wasn’t the first time she had hit me.

I still remembered the last time. She was throwing a tantrum at Sister Chaowei but didn’t dare hit her. Her gaze caught sight of me standing aside, and her golden whip suddenly swung over-

“What are you doing here?! Get out!”

That time, although she hit hard, it was on my body.

This time, she hit me in the face.

“You idiot, you think you’re worthy of being in the Purple Origin Palace!”

Princess Canyang always hit people on a whim, without reason, especially a Crow Slave.

Because of her, I had always been very afraid of the Golden Eagle Clan and the Eagle Tribe.

Sister Chaowei argued with her angrily for a few moments, and they eventually parted on bad terms.

That whip was truly powerful. I was sweating from the pain, my hands shaking as I pressed down to stop the bleeding. By the time His Highness the Eldest Prince returned, it was still a gaping wound.

It snaked from the top of my ear down to my jaw. Blood was smeared stickily across my face and had stained my neck.

It was very uncomfortable.

Thus, when His Highness the Eldest Prince returned, I didn’t dare approach him. I kept my head down, bowed outside the hall, and tried to leave quietly.

However, he called out from inside the hall-

“Come here.”

His voice was as cold as ever, and as irresistible as ever.

I stepped forward with my head bowed and knelt before him, still looking down.

He spoke again: “Lift your head.”

I obeyed and looked up, meeting his eyes, but quickly lowered my head again, filled with anxiety.

My face must have been a gruesome sight. My eyes were very red, and my forehead was covered in sweat that had soaked my hair.

My body was still trembling slightly.

A whip to the face really, really hurt.

His Highness the Eldest Prince reached out and lifted my chin. In an instant, his eyes filled with fury. “Who hit you?”

I shook my head in terror, indicating it was fine. “It doesn’t hurt.”

“I asked who hit you!”

“I can’t say.”

Everyone knew Princess Canyang was extremely vengeful. Being whipped once was a small matter, but being held in her grudge was a grave one.

His Highness the Eldest Prince let out a cold laugh. “Even if you don’t say it, I know.”

With that, he actually moved to get up and leave. I grabbed his foot. “Where is Your Highness going?”

“Get up.”

“It’s my fault, it’s all my fault, waah…”

I was a stupid crow, a spineless crow, and above all, a crow that was afraid of trouble.

No wonder His Highness the Eldest Prince didn’t like Crow Slaves; we truly were too lowly.

But even if I was lowly, I was now one of his people in the Purple Origin Palace. Presumably, this lash to my face had made him lose face.

I cried loudly, terrified that he would go find Princess Canyang. “Don’t, waah… it’s all my fault, I deserved to be hit, it has nothing to do with Princess Canyang.”

“…Let go. I won’t go looking for her.”