Chapter 202
Chapter 202
Liu Junyan once told me that Cangwu Mountain was the most important mountain to the Phoenix Clan.
In my previous life, it was at the foot of Cangwu Mountain that Liu Junyan and I bade each other a final farewell.
Later, it was most likely on Cangwu Mountain that my Nirvana failed…
That was why Cangwu Mountain held extraordinary significance for both of us.
“I never expected the far side of Cangwu Mountain to connect to this place,” Liu Junyan said. “Xiao Jiu, the land beyond there belongs to the Phoenix Clan.”
No wonder Feng Lishu had appeared here.
I instinctively huddled deeper into Liu Junyan’s arms and tightened my grip on the Soul-Guiding Lantern. “Ah Yan, let’s go back. Hurry!”
Feng Lishu had been rescued. Word that I had appeared here would soon spread throughout the Phoenix Clan.
How could a clan capable of placing a Symbiotic Curse on me possibly let me leave in peace?
I had come here with a mission. I had to take Tang Xun’s Souls back first.
I couldn’t afford to remain here, much less be surrounded and hunted down by the Phoenix Clan.
Perhaps one day, I would fight my way back and demand an explanation from Feng Lishu and the Phoenix Clan — but not now!
Liu Junyan knew what I was worried about. He wrapped an arm around me and turned to leave.
Black Cat had already returned to his shoulder.
But just as we were about to go, a weak girl’s voice came from behind us. “Sister, please save me. Please take me with you…”
The voice sounded strange. It was clearly the young, tender voice of a girl, yet several mournful birdcalls were interspersed throughout that single short plea.
We turned around just in time to see the girl Feng Lishu had pinned to the ground and gnawed on lose the ability to maintain her human form. She transformed into a… Well… how could I describe it?
Her entire body was snow-white, with only three pale blue plumes rising from the crown of her head.
She looked a lot like a white peacock, but she was no more than half the size of a fully grown one.
One of her wings was broken, and the upper half was a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Fresh blood had stained most of her white feathers red.
She looked utterly miserable.
Struggling to raise her head, she pleaded over and over, “Sister, take me with you. I can’t stay here, and I can’t go back to the Phoenix Clan either. I’ll die!”
She repeated herself again and again. At first, her words were fluent, but eventually, no matter how hard she opened her long beak, only birdcalls came out instead of a human voice.
Her injuries were too severe. Feng Lishu had almost destroyed her.
She was also from the Phoenix Clan, and she, too, had been victimized by Feng Lishu. Her situation was very similar to mine.
To be honest, I hesitated.
Should I save her?
Part of me pitied her.
More importantly, however, I knew far too little about the Phoenix Clan. Perhaps I could learn something useful about them through her.
For example… the fiancé who had inexplicably appeared out of nowhere.
While I was still hesitating, Black Cat suddenly dashed over and plunged into the flowers. Before long, he emerged with a small bamboo basket held between his teeth.
The basket was also covered in blood. Inside it were a small hand shovel and a few plant roots and stems.
Black Cat set the basket beside the little white… bird… then fixed his dark green eyes on me.
Clearly, Black Cat wanted me to save her.
“Let’s take her with us,” Liu Junyan said. “She probably snuck over here to gather medicinal herbs, only to catch Feng Lishu’s attention and nearly lose her life.
“This is territory belonging to the Netherworld Realm. It’s dangerous for a member of the Phoenix Clan to remain here.”
She hadn’t lied. Feng Lishu intended to harm her, and she could no longer return to the Phoenix Clan.
The Black Cat showed no hostility toward her. At the very least, that meant she posed no danger for now.
I nodded, walked over, and picked up the Little White Bird. After placing her in the small bamboo basket, I slung it over my back and followed Liu Junyan away.
We retraced our steps.
Once again, the Ghost Soldiers led the way as we followed the white road straight ahead.
Tang Xun’s destined partner was powerful enough that none of the dangers we’d anticipated ever materialized. We made it safely back to the foot of Hushan.
As we left Hushan, I couldn’t help looking back at the mountain.
I didn’t know if it was my imagination, but I thought I saw a tall figure standing halfway up the mountain, watching our car drive away.
The figure quickly disappeared, and the Ghost Soldiers stationed along the mountain road vanished as well. All of Hushan was swallowed by darkness, as though it had evaporated from the mortal world entirely.
Back at the Tang Family residence, I carried the Soul-Guiding Lantern to Tang Xun’s room.
Tang Tang called Uncle Huo and asked him to come take a look at the Little White Bird.
The moment I placed the Soul-Guiding Lantern on the bedside table, Tang Xun’s Souls drifted out. I barely had to do anything — the Souls returned to her physical body on their own.
The instant the Soul Body merged with her physical body, the Ghost King Butterfly resting on Tang Xun’s lips fluttered its wings twice. Its body gradually turned transparent until it disappeared completely.
Only a faint fragrance remained.
Tang Xun didn’t wake up right away. The fusion process was extremely complicated, and she needed time.
Tang Tang came upstairs to look after Tang Xun, then told me to go downstairs because Uncle Huo wanted to speak with me.
Puzzled, I headed downstairs and found that the Little White Bird had already been bandaged.
A thick layer of gauze was wrapped around her snow-white body, leaving her unable to move.
The Little White Bird’s eyes were still closed, and she had yet to wake up.
I walked over and asked, “Uncle Huo, were you looking for me?”
Uncle Huo was visibly excited.
As an heir to the Occult Physician tradition, he had seen countless bizarre and extraordinary things in his lifetime.
Yet the sight of the Little White Bird tonight seemed to excite him as never before.
Pointing at the Little White Bird, he asked, “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, do you know what this is?”
I shook my head. “No. I happened to rescue her.”
“If I’m not mistaken, this should be a Snow Phoenix hatchling,” Uncle Huo said. “When I was young, I read about them in a unique Occult Physician manuscript passed down by my ancestors. I always thought they existed only in legend. I never imagined I’d see a living one in my lifetime!”
Everyone was stunned.
A Snow Phoenix?
In other words, the Little White Bird really was a young Phoenix.
She simply wasn’t the white Phoenix I’d imagined, but a Snow Phoenix.
Uncle Huo rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, I have a presumptuous request. I happen to have business in Wufu Town in a few days, so I’ll inevitably have to impose on the Pawnshop then. I hope you won’t mind.”
Uncle Huo was quite close to Bai Jingmo. If he was going to Wufu Town, shouldn’t he normally be heading to Bai Family Medical Hall?
The fact that he now wanted to visit the Pawnshop made it obvious that he was coming for the Snow Phoenix.
I hesitated. “Uncle Huo, it would be my honor to have you at the Pawnshop. It’s just that this Snow Phoenix is very special, and I’m afraid…”
“I understand, I understand!” Uncle Huo hurriedly assured me. “Snow Phoenixes are already exceedingly rare, and this one is so badly injured. If someone with ill intentions catches wind of her, the consequences would be unthinkable. Don’t worry. I won’t breathe a word of this to anyone — not even my own father!”
He looked ready to swear an oath to the heavens…