Chapter 45: The Guide

A while ago, unusual activity had occurred in the Endless Tree Sea. Those staying nearby often felt the ground tremble, and one night, a soaring flame suddenly erupted from the center of the Endless Tree Sea. It was no ordinary fire—anyone who got too close nearly got scorched.

However, the blaze didn’t last long. Soon, the depths of the Endless Tree Sea were once again shrouded in darkness. Some suspected that a treasure had emerged, triggering the phenomenon from natural enemies, so many rushed to the depths of the Endless Tree Sea. Unfortunately, they found nothing.

If it had only been about failing to find the treasure, that would have been fine. But afterward, the passage connecting the Myriad Forest Domain to the outside world developed problems. Cracks appeared in the spatial channel, a sign that it was about to close. An immortal had divined it and said that the Myriad Forest Domain’s channel would likely shut a month or two earlier than expected.

That was why Gao Fu had urgently told her about it. If there was anything to handle, she needed to do it quickly. Missing this chance meant not knowing when the next one would come—perhaps years from now.

Wen Qiwu had rushed to the edge of the Endless Tree Sea in just a few days, using the fastest speed possible. The streets here were still bustling, with more and more cultivators who had emerged from the Endless Tree Sea setting up stalls to sell their wares. Most were ordinary goods; finding any leaks depended on one’s own luck and discernment.

But Wen Qiwu had no leisure to browse. She had come in too much of a hurry and hadn’t even waited for her Senior Sister to wake up. Although she had entrusted her master’s injuries to the Medical Immortal before leaving, as long as she wasn’t by her master’s side, her heart couldn’t help but feel suspended in worry.

Moreover, some things couldn’t be substituted. An image of her master’s frail body unable to sleep peacefully surfaced in her mind. She had coaxed her for a long time before finally lulling her to sleep. If she let the Medical Immortal help… well, she couldn’t even imagine it.

She resolved to go quickly and return quickly. First, find the Pure Flame Pearl. As for her own background… it would depend on fate. No need to rush.

With her mind made up, Wen Qiwu hurried through the crowd. Gao Fu had arranged to meet her at the teahouse where they had parted before. After searching the street, Wen Qiwu located the teahouse.

Along the way, she noticed many demon cultivators among the noisy crowd—just as the Medical Immortal had said, a lot of demon cultivators had gathered near the Endless Tree Sea during this time.

She restrained her power even more carefully to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“Your Highness, Your Highness? Princess!” The servant girl was helping her princess pick out some interesting trinkets, which the princess planned to bring back as gifts for friends.

But she hadn’t expected her to charge ahead relentlessly, only to suddenly stop and stand there staring blankly into the distance.

It wasn’t until the servant girl hurried over and called out several more times that the little princess of the Azure Luan Clan snapped out of it.

“Your Highness, what are you looking at?” Her Highness’s gaze had seemed soulless just now, which looked a bit off.

“I’m… looking at a person.” But that person walked very fast and vanished in the blink of an eye. Moreover, her vigilance was high; by the time the little Azure Luan wanted to chase, the other’s aura had already disappeared.

“Oh? A person? Someone you know from before?” The servant girl curiously tiptoed to look, but the crowd over there was thick, and none seemed to match.

“No, I don’t know her.”

“Don’t bother looking; she’s already gone.” Regret laced the Qing Luan Princess’s tone, and the servant girl’s eyes lit up. Could it be that the little princess was finally growing up?

“Get those messy romance novels out of your head!” The Qing Luan Princess knew exactly what she was thinking from her expression. To prevent strange misunderstandings from spreading back to the clan, she explained, “I just felt that the young lady looked a bit familiar.”

To be precise, it wasn’t just familiarity—it was an extraordinary attraction. The little Azure Luan didn’t know what had come over her; she had nearly followed without thinking.

The last time she felt this way was with that Daoist friend Wen who had died in battle a hundred years ago. This definitely wasn’t love at first sight. How strange…

But the person was gone, so there was no point dwelling on it. The Qing Luan Princess sighed. If she could meet that Daoist friend again next time, that would be good. She really wanted to know why she had such a reaction.

“Your Highness…” The servant girl’s expression suddenly turned respectful. After listening to the Azure Luan King’s voice transmission, she said to the princess, “Her Majesty wants you to return. We’re about to set off.”

Because of that phoenix cry from before, the entire Feather Race had been stirred up. It was said that the kings of various clans had gathered to discuss it at length. While investigating the source of the phoenix’s cry, they had also increased the number of Feather Race demons participating in the trial to check if there were any issues at the Phoenix Lord’s long resting place.

“Got it.” The little princess regretfully glanced in the direction where Wen Qiwu had disappeared, then returned to the Azure Luan Clan’s camp.

At the same time, many from the Feather Race on this street had similar feelings. These birds gazed at Wen Qiwu’s retreating figure, reluctant to leave for a long time.

Meanwhile, Wen Qiwu, completely oblivious—like a heartless phoenix who had strummed the heartstrings of a flock of birds and left without looking back—found the peony room in the teahouse. As soon as she pushed the door open, a figure pounced toward her.

“Qiwu! Where have you been these past days? Were you bullied…?” Gao Fu’s eyes were slightly red. She had been worried sick lately. The Endless Tree Sea held many opportunities but also attracted desperate outlaws. With Qiwu vanishing inexplicably, she had prepared for the worst. Now, seeing Wen Qiwu standing perfectly fine before her, she nearly burst into tears of joy.

“Sorry for making you worry.” Wen Qiwu gently patted her shoulder. “I’m fine. It was just that I couldn’t send messages out during that time, so it got delayed until now.”

“Couldn’t send messages? What happened?”

“It’s a long story. I was caught by people from the Ask God Sect who mistook me for an ordinary bird. I only cleared up the misunderstanding recently.” Wen Qiwu looked somewhat helpless.

“This…” Gao Fu blinked, her tears unknowingly receding. That was too coincidental, but…

Gao Fu hugged her tightly. “As long as you’re okay, as long as you’re okay…”

“Crack!” At that moment, it seemed someone next door accidentally broke a teacup.

Although the storyteller was gone, the teahouse was still lively. If not for Wen Qiwu and Gao Fu’s considerable strength, they might not have noticed the sound of the teacup shattering.

Realizing there was someone next door, Gao Fu suddenly slapped her forehead as if remembering. “Look at me, I was so happy to see you that I forgot everything. Didn’t you say in your letter that you wanted to go to the Phoenix Lord Tomb? I helped inquire around and found the Daoist friend next door.”

“She stumbled into a rift space of the Phoenix Lord Tomb not long ago. I invited her over to guide you.”

Wen Qiwu said, full of pleasant surprise, “Thank you.”

“What do you mean ‘thank you’ between us?” Gao Fu gazed at her tenderly. Wen Qiwu, immersed in her joy, didn’t notice that her expression seemed on the verge of crossing a certain line.

“Creeeak…” The door to the next room opened, and footsteps approached, finally stopping outside their door.

“Knock knock.” The person outside knocked on the door.