Chapter 59: A Sweet Taste

Wen Qiwu had just returned with the medicine when she heard intense coughing from her senior sister’s room. She hurried inside, only to witness a scene that made her want to burst into laughter despite herself.

Her senior sister leaned against the bed, her originally pale face flushed slightly from the coughing. Her frail form seemed on the verge of collapse, as if she might shatter at the slightest touch. The sickly beauty opened her watery eyes and looked at Wen Qiwu, causing the latter’s heart to skip a beat.

But her senior sister’s posture looked rather odd. She leaned against the bed in an unnatural way, as if frozen in place, afraid to move.

“Senior Sister, what’s…” Wen Qiwu’s voice cut off abruptly. Her eyes widened slightly, her lips trembling with disbelief and excitement.

A little white dumpling perched on her senior sister’s head. In the past, she would have flung it away immediately, but now Yun Heng didn’t dare move, afraid the little white dumpling would fall off.

“Mama?”

No, that wasn’t right.

A trace of sorrow appeared in Wen Qiwu’s expression. Her mama wouldn’t fly onto her senior sister’s head like that. This had to be Qing Tuan.

“A Que…” Yun Heng called out softly, her tone laced with helplessness. Ever since she learned that Qing Tuan was the Phoenix Lord’s manifestation, she wouldn’t dare offend this bird. She feared that one day, when the Phoenix Lord returned and reviewed past memories, her impression in that one’s mind would worsen.

If the Phoenix Lord took A Que away then, she wouldn’t even have a place to cry.

“Could you please ask her to come down?” Yun Heng’s tone carried a hint of caution; she even used the word “please.”

Qing Tuan was probably expressing dissatisfaction about being locked in a cage before.

Wen Qiwu snapped back to her senses. She looked at her senior sister’s predicament and chuckled helplessly. She wiped away the tears sliding down her cheeks, then extended her hand toward Qing Tuan. “Come to my hand, okay? Senior Sister is a patient—don’t bully her.”

Qing Tuan tilted her head and stared at her for a moment. Perhaps due to their bloodline connection, Qing Tuan seemed fierce toward Wen Qiwu, but compared to others, she was already extremely gentle. At least she never truly pecked hard.

Maybe she took pity on Wen Qiwu’s pitiful appearance, for Qing Tuan finally stepped forward with her little claws into her palm.

Yun Heng let out a sigh of relief. She relaxed a bit and leaned against the bed, watching her junior sister cradle Qing Tuan.

Qing Tuan wouldn’t cling to Wen Qiwu like other birds. For her to obediently stand in her hand was already indulgence. Qing Tuan hopped from her hand to her shoulder, then lightly nudged her face with her beak, as if offering comfort.

Wen Qiwu’s eyes grew hot. She reached out to stroke the feathers on Qing Tuan’s wings, and for once, Qing Tuan didn’t peck her. Instead, she stood on her shoulder for a while.

“A Que, the Phoenix Lord couldn’t rest easy leaving you behind. She told me she’d give everything to get out of there for your sake,” Yun Heng said gently as she took Wen Qiwu’s hand and pulled her close. “See? Qing Tuan’s back. It won’t be long before the Phoenix Lord returns too.”

“Just wait a little longer. Your mama is amazing—she always keeps her promises,” Yun Heng added softly, patting her junior sister’s back.

Wen Qiwu hugged her senior sister tightly and choked out an “mm.” Qing Tuan had been left behind by her mama to protect her, so she could only console herself by thinking positively. Qing Tuan’s presence meant her mama was surely still around.

Yun Heng comforted her, coaxing for a long time until the gloom in her eyes began to lift.

Qing Tuan, ever lively and restless, jumped down from her shoulder once she saw Wen Qiwu stop crying.

“Chirp!” Qing Tuan called out to Wen Qiwu, then waddled grandly to the door and bumped it open before flying out.

She meant she was going out for a stroll and would return soon.

After understanding Qing Tuan’s intent, Wen Qiwu could only manage a quick “Be safe!” before the little white dumpling vanished through the door crack.

Behind the door Qing Tuan had bumped open stood the usually solemn Medical Immortal, who couldn’t suppress her smile. She had been waiting at the entrance for a bit, planning to compose her expression before entering, but Qing Tuan’s sudden exit caught her off guard, exposing her completely.

The moment the door flew open, she locked eyes with the two inside. A grin still tugged at her lips—she couldn’t deny it.

Since she’d been caught, the Medical Immortal simply gave in and laughed outright.

Wen Qiwu had urgently sent her a transmission earlier, so the Medical Immortal thought Yun Heng’s condition had relapsed and rushed over, dropping everything.

Who would have thought she’d witness Yun Heng with a bird perched on her head? The lofty Immortal Venerable, stepped on by a bird and not daring to resist, could only softly beg her junior sister to coax it down.

Fortunately, she’d arrived quickly, or she would have missed such an amusing sight.

Pretending she hadn’t noticed Yun Heng’s darkened expression, the Medical Immortal walked in casually. “Good that you’re awake. You really scared your junior sister.”

At the mention of Wen Qiwu, Yun Heng’s expression softened.

“Though the curse has been mostly dispelled, your issues go far beyond that. Now that Fellow Daoist Wen is back, stay in the sect and recuperate properly. Don’t sneak off without a word and worry everyone.” The Medical Immortal didn’t actually worry about her, but saying this made Wen Qiwu withdraw her hand from Yun Heng’s grasp.

The Medical Immortal felt like she was watching a sulky little bird dumpling.

Yun Heng, on the other hand, panicked visibly.

As the Medical Immortal wondered how this Immortal Venerable would explain herself, Yun Heng’s face paled further. She clutched her heart, her body trembling slightly—a truly pitiable sight for a sickly beauty. If this weren’t the most willful patient she’d encountered in a thousand years of practice, even the Medical Immortal might have softened.

Wen Qiwu, who was already soft-hearted, hurriedly pulled her senior sister into her arms and anxiously asked the Medical Immortal, “Senior Medical Immortal! Please check what’s wrong with my senior sister?”

Wen Qiwu knew some medicine, but Yun Heng’s injuries were far too complex for ordinary healers.

The Medical Immortal twitched her lips. Her gaze fell on Yun Heng in Wen Qiwu’s embrace, who leaned weakly against her junior sister, avoiding eye contact. If that wasn’t guilt, what was?

“Let me take a look.” The Medical Immortal checked again. Yun Heng’s heart meridians did have injuries—some old wounds and some from the Revival Secret Art she’d sacrificed for recently. They sounded alarming, but compared to soul damage, they were minor. Besides, she’d already healed most of them.

If Yun Heng had clutched her head instead, it would have been more believable.

“It seems her heart meridian injuries haven’t fully healed. I’ll add some Vulture Ear Flower and Bitter Spirit Grass to her medicine when I get back,” the Medical Immortal said without exposing her. Yun Heng’s heart meridians were indeed injured, and given Wen Qiwu’s favoritism, the Medical Immortal didn’t want her skills questioned.

The Medical Immortal arched a brow. She’d make Yun Heng learn the cost of offending a physician—one bitter enough to bring tears.

“Vulture Ear Flower and Bitter Spirit Grass?” Wen Qiwu’s voice held hesitation. She knew these spiritual herbs; they were top healing aids, but their taste… it was notoriously awful, ranking second and third among bitter spiritual medicines. Healers usually substituted them.

“These two pair perfectly for her injuries. They’re a bit bitter, but they’ll help her recover better. The Immortal Venerable endured such severe wounds—how could she fear this little bitterness?” The Medical Immortal had little so-called conscience. Many called her eccentric, but in her view, disobedient patients deserved extra bitterness.

If it was for better recovery… Wen Qiwu hesitated. Yun Heng met the Medical Immortal’s gaze, then silently looked away.

The new prescription was set. Because of Qing Tuan, the medicine Wen Qiwu had brought earlier sat untouched nearby. The Medical Immortal told her not to drink it and switched to the new one.

The Medical Immortal went to the pharmacy herself, brewed a bowl of eye-wateringly bitter medicine, and handed it to Wen Qiwu, insisting she watch Yun Heng finish it.

[The Immortal Venerable has dumped medicine on the sly before. Be vigilant— she absolutely can’t miss doses in her condition,] the Medical Immortal transmitted to Wen Qiwu.

Wen Qiwu sobered instantly and promised to watch her senior sister drink every drop.

The Medical Immortal left contentedly under Yun Heng’s near-threatening glare, pondering how many more days of heart meridian tonic the Immortal Venerable would endure.

Though Wen Qiwu agreed readily, smelling the medicine reminded her of her own childhood steeped in drug vats. She’d drunk medicine like meals from a young age but never adapted to the bitterness. This brew, bitter enough to sting her eyes, would be even harder for her senior sister, already weakened by illness.

She had to find spiritual items to replace those two herbs.

Yun Heng eyed the bowl with dismay. She knew they were bitter, but not this bitter. She sighed inwardly—whatever the reason she’d invented, she had to see it through.

“Senior Sister, do you have any candy?” Wen Qiwu rummaged in her storage pouch but found none to ease the bitterness.

“I forgot to make some, but I have Chestnut Cake in my Mustard Seed Space. Want some?” Yun Heng promptly produced a plate of steaming Chestnut Cake and placed it before Wen Qiwu. She had a small Mustard Seed Space where time stagnated, perfect for keeping pastries warm.

Even in illness, she’d secretly made some, just so her junior sister could have them anytime.

“I wanted candy for you, Senior Sister. This medicine is so bitter—if you don’t eat something sweet, your mouth will taste bitter all day.” Wen Qiwu knew all too well, but…

She hadn’t had her senior sister’s Chestnut Cake in ages. Under Yun Heng’s expectant gaze, Wen Qiwu picked up a piece and took a bite.

As delicious as ever. Wen Qiwu’s lips curved into a smile, sweeter than the cake itself.

Yun Heng relaxed contentedly. Good—her skills hadn’t slipped; her junior sister still loved it.

With a hint of joy, she took a sip of the medicine. The soul-assaulting bitterness nearly made her spit it out.

“Eat some cake quick!” Wen Qiwu shoved Chestnut Cake to her lips, but sadly, one piece couldn’t overpower that domineering bitterness.

She was about to ask the bird outside for sweet flower nectar when Yun Heng’s soft lips, carrying the scents of medicine and cake sweetness, captured hers. Wen Qiwu froze, forgetting to refuse, and in a daze, her body went limp from the kiss.