Chapter 21: The Spirit Core Takes Human Form Part 2

That look carried unmistakable killing intent.

The Immortal Venerable had always viewed the Yuanchu Clan—who leaned on the “life-saving grace” their Young Clan Master supposedly bestowed—as mere entertainment, as if curious just how laughable those people could get.

And just as he expected, the Yuanchu Clan had crossed his bottom line again and again.

Ming Nan didn’t know how he had so thoroughly offended him, causing him to finally tire of this game.

Ming Nan shook all over. Feeling the Immortal Venerable’s gaze, as if looking upon a dead object, he forced out, “Venerable One…”

Phoenix Fire erupted out of thin air and completely engulfed Ming Nan.

This time, the flames did not merely burn robes or hair—they bored mercilessly into flesh and bone.

Ming Nan shrieked, struggling desperately in the fire, the near-death terror agonizing him. Through the pain, he vaguely saw the Immortal Venerable turn to leave, and his eyes suddenly widened. He shrilled: “You… ah! He… he has been reincarnated!”

The Immortal Venerable’s footsteps stopped. His expression turned terrifying beyond words: “What?”

The Phoenix Fire snuffed out in an instant.

The Immortal Venerable walked back and looked down at him. The mists around them turned pitch black.

“Say it again.”

Ming Nan knew he had bought back his life. After laboring for breath, he said weakly, “The Yuanchu Clan’s Water Mirror foretold that he was reincarnated days ago. If the Venerable One doubts it, you may inquire at the Nether Realm.”

The Immortal Venerable’s pressure bore down like a mountain upon every inch of Ming Nan’s sinews and bones.

His dark gaze fixed on the trembling Yuanchu for a long moment; then, without warning, the pressure withdrew completely.

“Return to the Yuanchu Clan once.” The Immortal Venerable said coldly. “By whatever means necessary, find out where he was reincarnated.”

With that, he swept his sleeves and departed.

Ming Nan heaved a great gasp and collapsed to the ground, his face covered in the cold sweat of one who had narrowly escaped death.

Yun Gui was fast, practically a streak of lightning as she shot to Kunlun Mountain, grabbed the Snow Deer Clan Master, and raced back toward the Nine Heavens.

—The poor Snow Deer Clan Master had no idea what had happened. He was yanked abruptly into the air, trembling, and was nearly frightened out of his wits.

The Snow Deer Clan Master had lived none knew how long; his hair and beard were entirely snow-white.

A demon was a demon, after all. Even growing on Kunlun Mountain, with countless Spirit Cores keeping him alive, he still could not enjoy the deathlessness of a true immortal.

Yun Gui arrived at the Nine Heavens with the Snow Deer Clan Master in no time; by the time they landed, the old deer’s beard had been blown straight up by the wind.

Though the Snow Deer Clan Master looked aged, his figure small and stooped, he walked with vigorous, flying strides.

He coughed a few times, unaccustomed to the dense Spiritual Power of the Nine Heavens, and asked Yun Gui, “Has the Venerable One had another flare-up?”

Yun Gui said nothing, brow furrowed.

She was meant to have left the Nine Heavens tonight, but out of caution—always worried that Yuanchu would cause trouble—she had chosen to hide in the shadows instead.

She had indeed seen the White Sparrow steal the Phoenix Inheritance, but hadn’t stopped him.

The Venerable One treated the White Sparrow far too exceptionally, and Yun Gui vaguely sensed that tonight the Venerable One might have deliberately lured them away.

But she had never imagined Ming Nan would come out and interfere.

Before even entering the great hall of the Nine Heavens, Yun Gui felt threads of Phoenix pressure woven into the surrounding mist.

In all her years in the Nine Heavens, it was the first time she had seen the Immortal Venerable so unable to control himself, unable even to rein in his pressure.

The Snow Deer Clan Master, carrying his little medicine chest, had already entered the sleeping chamber and bowed respectfully: “Greetings, Venerable One.”

The Immortal Venerable’s voice came from the inner chamber: “Come in.”

Pushing aside the wide curtain woven of cloud, the Snow Deer Clan Master looked up respectfully—only to see the Immortal Venerable sitting in disheveled robes at the edge of the couch, cradling a White Sparrow in his hands, pouring Spiritual Power into his body in an unceasing stream.

The Snow Deer Clan Master froze.

The Immortal Venerable’s Spiritual Power was so vast that even after nearly half a shichen of continuous transfer, he showed not a trace of fatigue. Seeing the Snow Deer Clan Master arrive, he said, “Come examine this White Sparrow.”

The Snow Deer Clan Master: “…”

All this frantic urgency—for a White Sparrow?!

Fortunately, long life had brought the Snow Deer Clan Master wide experience, and he didn’t let too much shock show as he respectfully stepped forward.

Just as he reached out to take the White Sparrow, the Immortal Venerable carefully set the Little Snowball down on a soft cloud pillow: “Don’t touch him.”

The Snow Deer Clan Master: “…”

Where did this possessiveness come from?

The Immortal Venerable stood to one side, his gaze never once leaving the dying White Sparrow.

Yun Gui watched, utterly cowed, thinking: thank goodness she’d gone to ask the Venerable One as soon as the sparrow was attacked—otherwise…

“What is his name?” the Immortal Venerable suddenly asked.

Yun Gui: “What?”

“The White Sparrow,” the Immortal Venerable said. “His name.”

Yun Gui silently drew a sharp breath and steadied herself before answering, “The Azure Luan Clan says this White Sparrow couldn’t form a Spirit Core… a useless little glutton of a good-for-nothing. Th-they never gave him a name; they just call him White Sparrow.”

The Immortal Venerable’s expression was unreadable.

Perhaps the Venerable One is displeased to hear that, Yun Gui thought.

“A white sparrow is an auspicious sign, a blessed creature gifted by the Heavenly Dao,” she ventured. “Really, he doesn’t need such worldly trappings as a name.”

At these words, the Immortal Venerable actually smiled. “Indeed. A name is a mere external thing—neither here nor there.”

As long as one stood high enough, those people could never use something as trivial as a name to humiliate him.

Seeing the Immortal Venerable’s distaste for the topic of “names,” Yun Gui dared say no more.

By then, the Snow Deer Clan Master had finished his examination and frowned. “Venerable One, this Little Highness has been poisoned.”

The Immortal Venerable had already sensed the abnormality while transferring Spiritual Power: “What poison?”

“A Fire Poison—cut from the same root as the Water Poison you suffered before,” the Snow Deer Clan Master said without evasion.

The Immortal Venerable showed no anger. “How is it cured?”

“With difficulty,” said the Snow Deer Clan Master. “Either find Ice Pool Marrow, or devour the Fire Poison with an even fiercer fire-attribute Spiritual Power.”

The Immortal Venerable paused and looked down at the White Sparrow, sprawled flat as a white pancake.

Even unconscious, the sparrow still clamped the Phoenix Inheritance tightly in his beak.

Not letting go even in death.

Fu Yuqiu knew nothing of what was happening outside.

When he was young, he had once been bitten by a snake.

The venom had entered his body; two vivid red punctures marked his slender calf, and dense, crawling pain had climbed through his organs.

What he felt now was much like that snake venom—consciousness murky, suspended between dream and waking. He forced his eyes open, but could only see countless overlapping shadows swaying before him.

Sounds seemed muffled behind some illusory Barrier, reaching him in fragments.

“The Fire Poison is devouring his vitality… it will flare far worse at the full moon…”

“…The Phoenix Inheritance… would it be of use?”

“Venerable One… think this through!”

The clamor cut off abruptly.

Fu Yuqiu watched listlessly, vaguely making out a snow-white figure slowly sitting down beside him, its bearing overwhelmingly imposing.

In his daze, a hand reached gently toward him and pinched the Phoenix Inheritance in his beak.

Though utterly dizzy, Fu Yuqiu still remembered the Inheritance must not be lost, and bit down hard, refusing to let it be drawn away.

What strength could a palm-sized White Sparrow have—much less a poisoned one, his body soft as a freshly baked flatbread?

However tightly Fu Yuqiu bit, the Phoenix Plume was drawn away bit by bit. Terribly frightened, he threw all his strength into holding on, and helpless, dying-sounding whimpers escaped his throat.

“Chirp… no…”

The one pulling the Phoenix Plume seemed to soften, and quickly eased off.

Fu Yuqiu hurriedly struggled to clamp the plume tight again, like a cub guarding its food.

A faint sigh sounded by his ear, and a warm hand gently stroked the White Sparrow’s little head.

Someone soothed him softly: “Don’t be afraid. It’s all right.”

Fu Yuqiu forced his eyes open, and through the haze saw only a pair of beautiful golden eyes.

His mind could no longer think. He gave a muffled cough, opened his mouth as if to cry “it hurts,” but what came out was a single, faint, hoarse, mosquito-whine of a “Chirp.”

Those golden eyes were terribly gentle; a fingertip lightly pressed the red plume on the sparrow’s brow, pouring in vast, warm Spiritual Power.

Fu Yuqiu finally felt a little better and gave a sickly call.

“Chirp?”

The Immortal Venerable: “What?”

Fu Yuqiu’s brain simply wasn’t working. Listlessly he said, “Phoenix Inheritance…”

The Immortal Venerable quietly watched him, silent for a long while, then reached out to stroke the sparrow’s soft plumes again, his sleeve embroidered with golden leaf-veins brushing Fu Yuqiu’s pointed beak.

“Very well. You stole it, so it is yours.”

Fu Yuqiu asked, bewildered, “You won’t take it?”

The Immortal Venerable: “I won’t take it.”

Fu Yuqiu was gullible by nature, to say nothing of being feverish out of his mind. He immediately believed this “won’t take it.”

He had been clamping his beak shut all this while; it had gone numb. The moment he received that assurance, he relaxed slightly—and the Phoenix Plume drifted lightly to the ground.

Sick and listless, Fu Yuqiu hadn’t even had time to feel relieved before he watched, wide-eyed, as a hateful hand picked up the plume.

Fu Yuqiu: “!!!”

Fury surged; he nearly fainted from sheer indignation.

The Immortal Venerable’s Spiritual Power flowing into him gave Fu Yuqiu a bit of strength. Head swimming, he struggled forward to snatch the Phoenix Plume back, worthless tears streaming down.

He had been tricked again.

It seemed anyone could toy with him, cheat him, bully him as they pleased.

In his trance, a tidal wave of grievance suddenly surged through Fu Yuqiu’s heart.

He wanted to go back to the Secluded Sound Valley, back to his carefree life at the beginning—not to be a White Sparrow regarded as a plaything, trapped in a Golden Cage without freedom.

The White Sparrow flung himself against the slender fingers that hadn’t managed to withdraw in time, and his strength gave out.

He had been sniffling weakly against the palm, but soon that grievous sobbing caught fire like a blaze doused in oil, erupting into uncontrollable, howling wails.

“Chirp…!”

The little White Sparrow’s whole body trembled as he wept, like a blade of grass battered this way and that by wind and rain, wretched beyond measure.

The Immortal Venerable’s hand stiffened. For a long moment, he was nearly at a loss, wanting to return the Phoenix Plume.

He hadn’t meant to make the White Sparrow cry.

But Fu Yuqiu’s eyes were too blurred with tears to see the plume drifting back before him.

So the Immortal Venerable tried tucking the Phoenix Plume into Fu Yuqiu’s slightly parted beak.

Fu Yuqiu, muddle-headed, took it in, and realizing it was the familiar plume, hurriedly sniffled and clamped down tight, fluttered down from the warm palm, and—thoroughly aggrieved—stopped crying.

At least he has some conscience, Fu Yuqiu thought with a sniffle.

Seeing him look as though he had suffered the gravest injustice in the world, the Immortal Venerable reached out and slowly poured endless Spiritual Power into the White Sparrow’s body again, clearing the Fire Poison from his meridians inch by inch.

Fu Yuqiu hummed in comfort.

He didn’t notice that the Phoenix Golden Plume in his beak was releasing Golden-Red Spiritual Power in an unending stream, following the pull of the Immortal Venerable’s power into the sparrow’s meridians.