Chapter 511: Nine Feathers

After this ordeal, Yulan was indeed like one reborn, utterly changed from before.

At that moment, Jiuyi interjected, “When I found that small courtyard, I didn’t find you all, but I did find Miss Yulan. She wanted to look for you, saying there was something precious to her entrusted in your care.”

Qingyin was taken aback. “Something precious?”

Yulan’s face showed urgency. “Yin’er. Where is Yin’er? Is she well now?”

Qingyin had brought Yin’er back from the seventeenth consort of the mountain lord and handed her to Yulan. Though days had passed, Yin’er still recognized Yulan and was affectionate toward her. Having embraced Yin’er, Yulan bid farewell to Qingyin. After being bound to a patch of land by her roots for a thousand years, she had long yearned to see the vibrant world. Now, with Yin’er by her side, she would not be alone.

Qingyin had deliberately withheld from Yulan any mention of Motu. There was nothing Yulan could do to help, and being able to take Yin’er away and care for her had already resolved a matter of Qingyin’s heart—a great help indeed.

Watching Yulan’s ethereal figure fade into the distance, Qingyin and Jiuyi returned to the cavern. Jiuyi gathered his focus, carefully examining Motu’s injuries, and spoke in a low voice, “He’s gravely hurt. That fellow’s life hangs by a thread on the edge of a cliff: a step left, there’s a sliver of hope; a step right, there’s no return.”

Qingyin shuddered at these words. “Do you have a way to save him?”

Jiuyi’s eyes flickered and he shook his head. “I know nothing of medicine.”

Seeing even he was helpless, Qingyin’s heart sank, realizing there was no other way. She tugged at Jiuyi’s sleeve and said, “Jiuyi, Motu is so badly wounded, I can’t wake him. Only immortals might save him. I beg you to go to the Immortal Realm, to see that Heavenly Pivot Star Lord.”

Jiuyi was shocked. “See the Heavenly Pivot Star Lord? Are you mad? He’s sending people to hunt me down!”

Qingyin clung to his sleeve. “Don’t be afraid. Just say you know my whereabouts and wish to exchange it for something. He won’t harm you.”

But Jiuyi was far from unafraid, his feathers bristling with terror. “Beauty, what is it you want that you’d trade yourself for it?” He paused, but before she could answer, realization dawned. “You want him to save Motu’s life?”

Qingyin replied, “Exactly.”

Jiuyi eyed her suspiciously for a moment. “You’re not planning some trick to get the immortal remedy and then abscond with Motu, leaving your Jiuyi to be the scapegoat, are you?”

Qingyin said, “How could I possibly? He’s an immortal; how could I outwit him? I have made up my mind to exchange myself, for real. Besides, isn’t the Star Lord hunting you now? This is your chance to prove your innocence—help me and clear your name, two birds with one stone!”

Jiuyi looked at her eager expression and paused. “Do you know what the Heavenly Pivot Star Lord might do to you?”

Qingyin hurriedly waved her hand. “I don’t know, and you mustn’t tell me.” Knowing would only deepen her fear and perhaps make her waver. She could not waver.

Jiuyi watched her in silence for a long time, then suddenly smiled. “Beauty, you’re truly good to Motu. Why? He’s not as handsome as I am, nor as pleasant-tempered. Trading yourself for his life isn’t worth it—you’d be better off with your Jiuyi~…”

Qingyin shoved the clingy fellow away. “Stay away from me. If you refuse, I’ll hide somewhere you’ll never find, ignite the blood feather, and make your heart ache for a lifetime.” Her patience for pleading spent, she resorted to threats.

Jiuyi clutched his chest, drawing in a cold breath. “Beauty, so ruthless! Fine, fine, I’ll do as you ask.”

Relieved at his agreement, Qingyin urged him to set out. Jiuyi looked at her plaintively. “Beauty, I’ve come all this way, hungry and thirsty, and you’re so heartless to your Jiuyi.”

Qingyin had no choice but to fetch him something to eat.

Jiuyi watched her leave, then turned back to the sleeping beast, his eyes tinged with a playful smile. He leaned close, near the beast’s pointed ear, and whispered, “Black fur, no matter how fierce the Star Lord’s whip, it wouldn’t kill you in one stroke. Now she’s willing to give herself to the Star Lord to save your little life. As for you... a step left, what joy is there in living; a step right, what sorrow in dying? You sleep your eternal slumber, but that little beauty... tsk tsk. Left or right, you decide.”

Qingyin hurried back, carrying a red lacquer tray with pastries and tea. She set it on the table and urged Jiuyi, “Come eat, and go quickly afterward.”

Jiuyi slumped at the table, chin resting in the crook of his arm, lips pursed, his crimson eyes filled with plaintive longing as he reached out a hand, wrist bent in a graceful arc, his voice soft as water. “Beauty, come here.”

Qingyin eyed him warily. “What for?”

His red eyes narrowed, light shimmering like water. “Feed me.”

Qingyin drew in a sharp breath. “Red fur, aren’t you being a bit melodramatic?”

Jiuyi pouted. “I came all this way at your summons, my heart aching to exhaustion, and soon I must rush to the Immortal Realm... How can you be so cruel, beauty…” He grumbled and complained, red eyes even welling with tears.

Qingyin’s teeth ground audibly, chills running through her. She strode forward, grabbed a pastry, and stuffed it into his beak, gritting her teeth. “Shut up…”

“Mmm, beauty, slower, softer, be gentle, mm…” Jiuyi responded to her rough feeding with every manner of seductive charm, making the simple act of eating a pastry an affair of springtime passion, his tongue even brushing her fingertips.

Qingyin gasped, withdrew her hand, and scrubbed it furiously against her clothes, not hiding her revulsion.

Jiuyi ignored her attitude, pouting again. “Beauty, I want more.”

Qingyin used all her strength to restrain the urge to flatten his face.

As Jiuyi performed his amorous routine with the pastries, his gaze occasionally swept the great cat lying on the beast hide. A pointed ear twitched imperceptibly, and Jiuyi did not miss it.

A fleeting smile flashed in the depths of his crimson eyes. Rising, he said to Qingyin, “I’ll go see the Heavenly Pivot Star Lord now; I’ll be back within two days. Before sunset tomorrow, if the Star Lord agrees to your terms, I’ll return as promised.”

Qingyin hesitated. “The Star Lord won’t go back on his word, take me and not save Motu, will he?”

Jiuyi replied, “You needn’t worry. The Star Lord is an immortal; his word is law. Besides…” He glanced at the beast on the floor. “A Xie cat’s life means nothing to him.” His red eyes narrowed, and he winked flirtatiously at Qingyin. “Beauty, wait for me~”

With that, he turned and left in a whirl.

The Immortal Realm of the Nine Heavens, the Pivot Palace of the Heavenly Pivot Star Lord among the Seven Stars of the Big Dipper.

The Star Lord sat on a throne carved from golden crystal, holding a crimson scale in his hand. With a flick of his finger, the scale fell into the censer beside his seat.

The scale met the fire and dissolved with a hiss, sending up a small plume of reddish smoke that hovered in the air like a blood-tinged cloud. The Star Lord gently blew at the red mist, which expanded into a ring of ethereal smoke. Within the center of the ring, a mirage-like image began to appear.

A forest. The silhouette of a silver-haired figure. It was the Star Lord himself. The image shifted oddly, as if viewed from the perspective of someone swiftly moving.

In truth, it was the view once seen by the crimson giant serpent.

The same serpent that had burst in to disrupt his capture of the immortal fungus, only to be struck in two by his whip.

The immortal attendants dispatched to investigate the serpent had returned with nothing of value. A serpent cultivated for hundreds of years should have been noticed by the immortal realm. If it followed the proper path, it would be left alone; if it harmed living beings, it would be subdued.

But the attendants searched hundreds of miles and found not a trace of the serpent, as if it had sprung from the void.

This was strange.

So, the Star Lord took a scale from the serpent’s corpse, performed a minor spell, and replayed the images seen by the serpent before its death.

This spell was called “Eye-Reversal.” Though it could only show what the serpent had seen within the last day, it was akin to browsing its memory. A day’s journey should be enough to trace its origins.

The vision replayed the Star Lord striking and killing the serpent, but in reverse, as if time flowed backward. The forest sped away, rapidly drawing the image toward the serpent’s starting point.

It seemed to have traveled far—mountains, rivers, and plains flashed by, likely a thousand miles away.

The Star Lord focused intently, cold light flickering in his eyes. At this rate, he would soon see the destination. His fingers tapped the armrest unconsciously, confidence evident.

Suddenly, the clear image blurred, as though a fog shrouded the serpent’s vision.

The Star Lord’s gaze sharpened. He blew at the image, hoping to clear the mist, but it was useless.

The fog thickened, becoming a mass of darkness; nothing could be seen.

The Star Lord’s expression darkened. With a wave of his hand, the smoke dispersed and vanished.

“How can this be?” he muttered, heavy with doubt. “What can block the Eye-Reversal spell? Could it be…” A chilly smile curled his lips.

He rose and moved toward the rear of the hall, his steps light and flowing, the edges of his robe trailing wisps of cloud.

He crossed the cloud steps and moonlit floor, passed the celestial pill platform, and entered a fairy garden where a jade pool lay. In the pool, a few white lotuses bloomed. The Star Lord did not stop, but stepped lightly across the rippling waves, walking to the center of the jade pool. Suddenly his body sank, and he submerged into the water.

Though the surface seemed small, the jade pool was a thousand feet deep. The Star Lord dove deeper, and the further he went, the dimmer the light became, until darkness like night surrounded him. His silver hair floated, his robes billowed, as if he drifted through the night sky.

At the pitch-black bottom, a faint blue glow appeared. Drawing nearer, he saw it was a massive pale blue ice crystal. Deep within the crystal, a streak of fiery color gleamed.

The Star Lord moved closer, his usually frosty gaze softening as he gently touched the cold ice wall.

The crystal was so clear that one could see the naked woman sealed within, her fiery red hair curling to her knees, half hiding and half revealing her graceful figure and snow-white skin.

Her eyes were tightly shut, red lashes closed, as if slumbering eternally within the crystal. That flaming hair seemed so vivid, as if it might melt the ice and burst forth at any moment.

Yet the fire was frozen too, creating a stunning tableau of ice and flame.

“Chisha,” he murmured the name. “Soon. Though another immortal fungus slipped from my grasp, I feel them very near. I will have them soon. Don’t worry, be patient.”

Author’s note: Stuck on the writing lately, updates are slow, sorry…

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