Chapter 66: Invitation

A petite Messenger Paper Crane flew over the Ask God Sect. After hovering around the sect for a moment while flapping its wings, it headed toward Cloud Mist Mountain.

Wen Qiwu seemed to sense something and lifted her head. She extended her hand, allowing the Messenger Paper Crane to land in her palm. There was a mark on its wings resembling a family crest—was it from the Gao Family?

She opened it and saw that it was indeed a letter from Gao Fu.

That day, she had hurriedly brought her senior sister back to find the Medical Immortal. She had only managed to send a quick message to let them know she was safe and had left first. Only after her senior sister’s condition stabilized did she send a letter to Gao Fu. This was the reply.

In the letter, Gao Fu expressed concern for her safety and asked if she had been injured. She also inquired if Wen Qiwu knew where Yu Hengwei had gone. If the deal had been completed, she should have received payment by now, but strangely, she could no longer contact Yu Hengwei. The woman had vanished without a trace.

Far from vanishing, she had simply changed identities.

Wen Qiwu decided she would let her senior sister explain it herself later.

At the end of the letter, Gao Fu invited her to visit the Cang Sea Domain, describing it as a place with beautiful scenery and pleasant climate, perfect for recuperation. Wen Qiwu could bring her sick family member to stay there for an extended period.

Gao Fu remembered that Wen Qiwu had mentioned accompanying her sick family member there before, so this was a good opportunity to have her stay longer.

Most of the Cang Sea Domain consisted of vast expanses of ocean, so its customs and culture differed greatly from the East Zhao Domain. If it was just for a change of scenery to lift spirits, it would certainly be better than having her senior sister cooped up in the sect.

“Encountered some trouble?” Seeing Wen Qiwu stand motionless after receiving the message, the Medical Immortal walked over and asked.

“It’s nothing. A friend invited me to the Cang Sea Domain.” Wen Qiwu put the letter away. “I plan to take my senior sister out for a trip.”

“Changing environments for recovery is a good idea. Just make sure she takes her medicine on time.”

Wen Qiwu agreed, but she knew that a simple outing could only improve her senior sister’s mood at best. It was far from enough to cure the Heart Demon issue at its root.

“Senior Medical Immortal, regarding my senior sister’s Heart Demon… have you found a treatment method?”

The Medical Immortal sighed softly. “Heart Demons are hard to eradicate completely with external aids. They stem from knots in the patient’s heart. If she can’t untie them herself, no amount of effort from others will help.” Even if the knot was resolved, the problems triggered by the Heart Demon might not fully disappear.

“All we can do is stabilize her divine soul and find some calming, mind-focusing medicines for her. The rest depends on her.” The Medical Immortal paused before continuing, “I once knew a cultivator tormented by a Heart Demon for centuries. To root it out, they made a decision that even I found extraordinarily bold.”

“That cultivator chose to Cross Tribulation. After the tribulation, they faced a Heart Realm Trial. With the aid of the Heavenly Dao’s rules, they confronted the Heart Demon head-on, broke through the demonic barrier, and made it vanish completely.”

Wen Qiwu’s eyes, which had brightened momentarily, dimmed again. “Too dangerous.”

The higher the cultivation, the greater the backlash from failure. Her senior sister had already reached the True Immortal Realm, with the Divine Realm next. Risking a Heart Realm Trial during her breakthrough to the Divine Realm…

Wen Qiwu thought it over and still refused to let her senior sister take that risk. She decided against this method.

The Medical Immortal said nothing more. Though she knew of it, she rarely mentioned this to her patients, as the success rate seemed not just low, but negligible.

That cultivator had succeeded because they had already overcome their inner hurdle, making the Heart Demon weaker in their presence. If the Heart Demon was deeply rooted, this method was tantamount to suicide.

However, the Medical Immortal felt Yun Heng’s situation resembled that cultivator’s. She had watched Yun Heng develop the Heart Demon step by step, triggered by Wen Qiwu’s death. Now that the girl was alive and by her side every day, what leverage did the Heart Demon have left against Yun Heng?

Yun Heng’s own willpower was resolute, so the Medical Immortal thought she might have a chance. But as Wen Qiwu worried, her high cultivation level became a hindrance at this stage.

“I’ll go back and research it further. If there’s good news, I’ll let you know. By the way, those two herbs you mentioned are indeed viable. I’ll adjust the prescription when I get back. Take a new batch of medicine with you.” Though the Medical Immortal didn’t know what “punishment” Wen Qiwu meant, it was probably more effective than bitter medicine.

It was almost time for Yun Heng’s medicine anyway, so the Medical Immortal had Wen Qiwu carry a bowl back.

On Cloud Mist Mountain, the bird souls were causing quite a ruckus. After Wen Qiwu left, the little ones refused to stay put. They ran around everywhere, forcing Yun Heng to use soul-binding artifacts to tie them down.

The little ones chirped noisily. Yun Heng told them to quiet down, but it was useless—they only listened to Wen Qiwu. Without the little Phoenix, they threw tantrums.

In the past, Yun Heng would have frozen their mouths shut, but now they were protected by her junior sister, so she couldn’t.

Yun Heng sighed. Why hadn’t her junior sister returned yet?

Was the Medical Immortal badmouthing her again? How much had she said? Would it anger her junior sister?

Though Wen Qiwu had only been gone a short while, Yun Heng felt it was unbearably long.

“Cheep cheep!” The bird souls suddenly grew excited, and Yun Heng knew her junior sister was back.

“A Que…” Yun Heng immediately stood to greet her. Her junior sister held a bowl of medicine, and a bitter scent wafted out—but it smelled a bit different this time.

Had the Medical Immortal come up with some new torment? Yun Heng kept her expression neutral and took the bowl from her junior sister.

Wen Qiwu coaxed the bird souls to stay obediently aside, then looked up at her senior sister.

“Senior Sister, this is a new formula the Medical Immortal Senior and I came up with. Drink it while it’s hot.” Wen Qiwu’s eyes curved in a sweet smile. “It’s not bitter.”

Was it really not bitter? Yun Heng felt her junior sister’s expression wasn’t that straightforward. She gazed solemnly at the bowl. If drinking it would appease her junior sister, so be it.

She obediently held the bowl and took a sip. Yun Heng had braced for it to be even more bitter than before, but she was slightly surprised after tasting it.

Though there was still some bitterness, it wasn’t intense. Compared to the previous medicine, this was downright palatable.

After she finished, Wen Qiwu placed a small piece of candy in her senior sister’s mouth.

“Not bitter now, right?” Her junior sister’s soft, obedient smile melted Yun Heng’s heart.

“Not bitter.” Yun Heng replied without guard.

“Good.” Wen Qiwu placed her pouch of candies in her senior sister’s hand. “Then Senior Sister, you have to take your medicine obediently from now on. If it’s still a bit bitter, just eat a piece of candy.”

How clever was Yun Heng? She understood Wen Qiwu’s implication the moment she finished speaking.

Her expression changed. This wasn’t non-bitter medicine at all—it was “more bitter”! Before, the bitterness was only on her tongue, but now it pierced straight to her heart.

“Junior Sister, I know I was wrong…”

Her senior sister’s pitiful appearance tugged at the heartstrings, her softened tone carrying a slight tremble. If not for how badly her senior sister had scared her during that outing, Wen Qiwu might have let it go.

“Senior Sister, you’re all grown up—still want me to feed you candy?” Wen Qiwu blinked innocently, though she knew the answer.

“I…” Yun Heng stammered, her earlobes faintly reddening.

“It’s not impossible if you want me to feed you.” Her senior sister’s eyes lit up, and Wen Qiwu’s lips curved unconsciously. “If Senior Sister is obedient enough from now on…”

She whispered a few words in her senior sister’s ear. Though she appeared composed, the faint blush on Wen Qiwu’s cheeks betrayed her shyness.

Yun Heng’s tense expression finally eased a little. She promised to be good, though she wondered how long this “candy-eating sentence” would last.

Yun Heng’s gaze fell on her junior sister’s lips, then she quietly looked away. If only she had realized a century earlier—perhaps her junior sister would already be her Dao companion by now.

No use regretting now. She gently pulled her junior sister into her arms, softly coaxing A Que, hoping to shorten her “sentence.”

But Wen Qiwu spoke first. “Senior Sister, I just received a letter from Gao Fu. The Leap Dragon Gate Ceremony in the Cang Sea Domain is about to begin.”

At the mention of Gao Fu, the warmth in Yun Heng’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by icy vigilance.

“You coaxed her into that deal before—remember to tell her about it. She thinks you went missing.” Wen Qiwu felt her senior sister grip her hand a bit tighter and patted it gently. “A Fu invited me to the Leap Dragon Gate Ceremony. Will Senior Sister come with me?”

Yun Heng didn’t hesitate. “We must go!”

How could they not? Unlike the birds, who were drawn by bloodline instinct to the Phoenix, Gao Fu likely harbored feelings similar to her own—just not realized yet, like Yun Heng back then.

So Yun Heng absolutely wouldn’t let her junior sister go to the Cang Sea Domain alone.

“The Gao Family of the Cang Sea Domain… they’re in Dragon Lion City, which is some distance from the sea. The scenery is average. If you want views, Merfolk Moon City is best. It’s also where the Leap Dragon Gate Ceremony starts and ends—much livelier than Dragon Lion City.” Yun Heng analyzed earnestly why Dragon Lion City was inferior to Merfolk Moon City.

“How does Senior Sister know Dragon Lion City so well? I didn’t even know A Fu’s family was there.” Amusement filled Wen Qiwu’s eyes.

Of course, because when Yun Heng learned of her, she had investigated her background thoroughly. Holding her junior sister, Yun Heng whispered, “Her origins were unclear. I feared she might harm you, so I checked.”

“A Que, let’s go to Merfolk Moon City instead.”

The usually aloof beauty softened her voice in plea, eroding Wen Qiwu’s already shaky resolve. When her senior sister looked up with that mix of tenderness and nervousness, Wen Qiwu was utterly defeated.

Merfolk Moon City it was. She was accompanying her senior sister to relax anyway—whatever Senior Sister liked mattered most.