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Chapter 16: The Form of the Vermilion Bird
Lin Chuyu stood frozen in place, not daring to breathe, unsure of how to respond. Li Tang scrutinized Lin Chuyu and said, "You don't have to hide it from me; I can tell just by looking at your complexion."
Lin Chuyu bit her lip and replied, "Since you've already figured it out, why are you still asking me?"
Li Tang looked at Lin Chuyu with a puzzled expression. "I am also a Vermilion Bird. Unlike those humans outside, I won't harm you. Why are you so guarded? Have those people outside hurt you?"
Lin Chuyu shook her head. "No. No one has harmed me." After a moment, she added, "Actually, I've lost my memory and can't remember anything from before. But since I started to recall things, everyone has been very kind to me."
Li Tang thought back to Ji Zichen from their last encounter. "The person who came with you last time treated you well too?"
Lin Chuyu nodded eagerly. "Brother Ji has been very good to me."
Li Tang then asked, "Why didn't he come in with you this time?"
Lin Chuyu explained, "Brother Ji went off to take care of something else."
Suddenly, Li Tang asked, "Are you dead?"
The question startled Lin Chuyu! "No! This is my dream; how could a dead person dream!"
Li Tang also found it hard to believe but was intrigued. "If you're not dead, how did you end up in my body?"
Lin Chuyu was equally confused. "I don't know; it just happened when I fell asleep."
Li Tang frowned and said, "It just happened when you fell asleep? Then why haven't I seen you before?"
Lin Chuyu stood in silence for a moment before replying, "It's only been like this recently."
"Only recently? That's quite strange," Li Tang murmured to herself, falling into deep thought.
Although Lin Chuyu had lost her memory, she had never felt that this loss had any negative impact on her. Yet now, she was desperately trying to recall those memories that seemed so distant.
Li Tang asked, "How did the person you came with last time attach themselves to me?"
Lin Chuyu sensed that Li Tang meant her no harm and could only respond, "Brother Ji has the ring of Kai Zhou Shen."
Li Tang exclaimed in surprise, "Kai Zhou Shen? You know someone from the divine clan?"
Lin Chuyu nodded and then shook her head. "Not really; I've only met them once."
Just as Li Tang was about to speak again, she noticed a golden Vermilion Bird flying toward them from the distance. Li Tang smiled and said, "Xiang Bi is here."
Xiang Bi originally approached in Vermilion Bird form, but upon getting closer and seeing Li Tang transform into human form, Xiang Bi began to change as well. The bird's tail gradually morphed into two full legs, its wings transformed into delicate hands, and its body reshaped until Xiang Bi took on a human form, draped in a white robe that replaced its feathers.
Xiang Bi was tall and slender, with large round eyes and a sharp nose, giving off an aura of simplicity and elegance.
"Li Tang, why have you turned back into human form again?" Xiang Bi asked with a slight frown.
Li Tang smiled at Xiang Bi. "Didn't you say we need to practice more? The more we practice, the better we can conceal ourselves."
Xiang Bi couldn't help but laugh at Li Tang's words. Pretending to be annoyed, Xiang Bi shot a glance at Li Tang. "It's not early anymore; are you really going to Sparse Pavilion now?"
Li Tang said, "I'm not going to the Sparse Pavilion today; I'm bringing her to have a look."
Xiang Bi looked at Lin Chuyu and felt quite unfamiliar. "Who is she? I've never seen her before."
Li Tang appeared mysterious as he replied, "Xiang Bi, do you remember the last outsider we encountered?"
Xiang Bi widened her eyes, staring at Lin Chuyu in surprise. "But the last one was a man!"
"Yes," Li Tang acknowledged, "but there was another person whose presence we didn't sense. She was attached to me at that time."
"Ah...!" Xiang Bi looked at Lin Chuyu with astonishment. "You are the Vermilion Bird!"
At that moment, Lin Chuyu no longer hesitated and nodded.
Xiang Bi asked, "Which tribe are you from? Why are you possessing Li Tang's body alongside a human?"
"I'm from Qingyang City," Lin Chuyu replied.
"Qingyang City? What kind of place is that?" Xiang Bi had never heard of it.
Li Tang added, "Xiang Bi, I believe they mean no harm; they just unintentionally entered Zhuque Chenjing."
Xiang Bi's expression gradually darkened. "Unintentionally? Zhuque Chenjing is not a place one can enter by mere chance!"
At this point, the questions that had been bubbling up inside Lin Chuyu finally burst forth. "I don't even know how I got here! I just found myself here after a dream. I didn't want to come here. If you have any way to prevent me from having such dreams, please let me know."
Xiang Bi's expression showed surprise for the first time. "Dreaming? You enter Zhuque Chenjing just by dreaming?"
Lin Chuyu nodded vigorously. "Yes, I find this very strange too. Do you have any way to get me out?"
Xiang Bi replied, "We can't go to the entrance of the Zhuque Realm; if we do, we'll be punished. If you want to leave, you'll have to fly out yourself. No matter where you come from, the Vermilion Bird King has rules that prohibit tribes from visiting each other unless it's a matter of great importance. Li Tang, hurry and get her out; it would be bad if someone sees her."
Lin Chuyu frowned. She certainly wanted to leave. "Fly out? But I can't fly!"
Li Tang chuckled, thinking Lin Chuyu was joking. "How could you not fly? Vermilion Birds can fly naturally."
Lin Chuyu suddenly reacted strongly. "I really can't fly! How about I sit on your back, and you take me near the entrance? Then I can try to get out myself."
Seeing that Lin Chuyu's expression seemed sincere, Xiang Bi incredulously said, "How is that possible? Flying is as innate to Vermilion Birds as breathing is to humans."
Li Tang suddenly exclaimed, "Ah! I remember now; she has amnesia!"
Xiang Bi was surprised. "Amnesia? Even with amnesia, one wouldn't forget how to fly. Have you ever heard of someone forgetting how to breathe?"
Lin Chuyu insisted, "I have to leave. If that's the case, can you teach me?"
Although Xiang Bi didn't know Lin Chuyu well, she didn't want her to be caught and punished. "Teach you? No need for that; just get on my back." Suddenly, Xiang Bi transformed into a Vermilion Bird, and Lin Chuyu climbed on.
"Hold on tight; I can't take you too far," Xiang Bi said.
With that, Xiang Bi soared high into the sky. Lin Chuyu felt quite comfortable sitting on Xiang Bi's back, as the feathers were incredibly soft.
Xiang Bi flew with Lin Chuyu over the Stone Peaks, arriving above a vast ocean that Lin Chuyu had never seen before. Suspended in the air, Xiang Bi asked, "Do you see that halo ahead?"
Lin Chuyu looked out towards the horizon of the sea and noticed a palm-sized circular glow in the distance.
"I see it," Lin Chuyu replied.
"Then what are you waiting for? Jump down from my back," Xiang Bi urged.
Lin Chuyu gazed at the azure waves below and exclaimed, "You want me to jump down! What if I can't fly? I'll drown!"
It seemed that Xiang Bi could not linger above the water any longer. With a sudden shake, Xiang Bi tossed Lin Chuyu downward. As Lin Chuyu plummeted through the air, she screamed sharply. During her descent, she felt her body undergoing a transformation, as if it was instinctively protecting itself. Regardless of whether Lin Chuyu had any memories of flying, her body's survival instincts triggered a change.
Feathers began to sprout from Lin Chuyu's arms, growing one by one and extending along her torso in various directions. At that moment, she appeared both frightened and exhilarated.
Seeing the feathers sprouting from Lin Chuyu, Xiang Bi smiled slightly. "See? Not bad, right? When you encounter danger, the body of the Vermilion Bird will instinctively guide you on how to fly."
Lin Chuyu felt something unusual at her shoulder blades as a pair of large, broad wings unfurled. Instinctively, she flapped her wings and found them incredibly responsive, as if they were a natural part of her.
Just before Lin Chuyu was about to crash into the ocean's surface, her wings flapped vigorously, lifting her back into the air. "I... I...!" she stammered in disbelief.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and go! Follow that halo to get out," Xiang Bi urged.
---
Meanwhile, as Ji Zichen led the fragmented team back to the city, Zhang City Soldiers' Left Flank Unit encountered the Hall of Malevolence Cult once again. After holding their ground for a while, the disciples of the Hall of Malevolence retreated back to Fierce Death Valley.
The battle intensified as the second half unfolded, continuing throughout the night, with both sides once again locked in a stalemate.
Wei Ye could no longer tolerate the recurring deadlock, so he summoned his subordinate general. "The magical artifact seems to be the key to victory!" he said, directing his words at Ji Zichen. "Do you have a plan?"
Ji Zichen pondered for a moment before responding, "There is one tactic that might succeed, but I will need the soldiers' full cooperation for it to work. However, it may also harm our own people."
Man Chengwen had come to trust Ji Zichen immensely. "Whatever you wish to do, I will lend you my support," he said with a slight smile at Ji Zichen.
Ji Zichen maintained a calm demeanor, hoping to keep his composure and not dwell too much on the possibility of victory. He believed that focusing on this would not lead him astray.
"I will defeat them as quickly as possible," Ji Zichen told Man Chengwen as they made their way to the Guard Post. "I want to test it out first to avoid any chaos later."
"Is it very complicated?" Man Chengwen asked, looking at Ji Zichen with concern.
"It might be somewhat complex for you all, but I'm quite familiar with it," Ji Zichen replied, patting Man Chengwen on the shoulder. "I may need a few hours, but we will succeed."
Man Chengwen smiled and said, "I believe in you."
Once again, trust blossomed in Man Chengwen's heart for Ji Zichen. No matter what Ji Zichen asked him to do, he would comply without hesitation. Man Chengwen had never encountered someone so adept at using magical artifacts; he found Ji Zichen to be incredibly mysterious and had already begun to see him as a pillar of strength after just their first meeting.
Man Chengwen trusted him, and Ji Zichen also placed his faith in Man Chengwen. Through their reconnaissance efforts, an unspoken bond of brotherhood began to form between them. Yet deep down, Man Chengwen felt a twinge of fear towards Ji Zichen —not so much towards him as towards the Five Elements Pearl.
For some reason, Man Chengwen sensed that the Five Elements Pearl possessed unpredictable power, a gem that only special individuals could wield. Regardless of everything, he was grateful that Ji Zichen was not their enemy.
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