Logically speaking, even a high-level cultivator who was blind wouldn’t have issues with daily life. But the one who had met with trouble now was her master, and it was all to save her. Of course, Li Yin couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.
When the Azure Luan arrived at the small building, she first carefully helped the Master back to the quiet room to rest and regulate her breathing.
The gentle Master didn’t refuse and obediently followed her lead.
However, after escorting the Master there, the girl didn’t linger. She turned and left.
She had no other thoughts or intentions. She gently closed the door to the quiet room, missing the slight raise of the Master’s eyebrows.
Li Yin then went to pick up the neglected Little Peacock.
After going back and forth, her collar was soaked with the fresh tea fragrance, and her body was filled with the Master’s scent.
Li Yin reached out, but the Little Peacock turned his head away, ignoring her. He flapped his wings with effort a couple of times, refusing to let her hold him.
“What’s got you throwing a tantrum again?” she muttered. In one motion, she scooped the Little Peacock into her arms. “Even when injured, you’re not behaving. Aren’t you afraid your wounds will worsen?”
Her fingers pressed down on his peacock wings, not allowing him to move around anymore. At the same time, she took out a map of the mountains and let him pick a place to stay.
Trapped in her arms, the Little Peacock turned his head away again, refusing to look.
【You pick. Anyway, you just want to send me away. I know you don’t want to take responsibility. Pick the farthest place, then. Toss me there to die, so you won’t have to see me or worry about me…】
Unfortunately, his voice was seductive and mellifluous, with tones that twisted and turned. All that resentment in his words sounded like a captivating melody.
He was so focused on speaking that he had no intention of struggling out of her embrace.
No matter what, this little bird’s temperament wasn’t actually that great.
Li Yin pondered. The previous Feather Clan Young Lord—her predecessor—had been raised under the Feather Clan’s myriad rules, turning him aloof and dignified, speaking as sparingly as gold. In other words, he was extremely taciturn.
She was a bit curious. How exactly had this Little Peacock been raised to develop such a personality?
Those Feather Clan elders were so tedious and rigid. She had experienced it in the save files. And this Peacock branch prided itself on its ancient Phoenix Bloodline, making them even more arrogant.
At least the White Peacock, raised under those doctrines, had inherited all that restraint and nobility. He never smiled casually, never accepted the player’s invitations, and wouldn’t go frolicking in the mountains and wilds with the player.
Li Yin vaguely recalled some fragmented scenes. She stood in front of the building and glanced back. High above, the curtains fluttered in the wind, half-concealing spotless white hair.
Behind the curtains, the youth wore ornate palace robes, heavy and intricate, like a painting carved into wood.
His eyes were like plum blossoms in snow. Pale red plums peered through the curtains, gazing down at her with lowered eyes.
The next moment, someone called out from ahead, inviting the player to go play. So the player turned away, her mood elated as she chased after the figure ahead…
In her memories, there was also a furry tail, orange-red like fire, swishing back and forth in front of her eyes.
Li Yin suddenly realized something. She abruptly remembered one more detail—her playmate at the time—
Seemed to be a red-furred Fox Spirit?
The memory wasn’t clear, so she didn’t dwell on it.
She remembered that after going out with that Red Fox and returning to the Feather Clan’s palace buildings, the player would bring back little souvenirs from the mountains and wilds for her target.
She wasn’t always lucky on every outing. Sometimes she brought back spirit herbs or fruits, other times just a few wildflowers from the roadside.
In any case, they were all trivial things, nothing rare or precious.
The white-haired, red-eyed youth would roll up his sleeves, revealing a section of his fair wrist. He would pinch his fingers to take the gift, placing the player’s offering carefully at his side.
Then, he would cast a spell to summon fragrant and lush dew. He took out a silk handkerchief, dampened it, and lowered his eyes to meticulously wipe the player’s hands.
It was always like this, to the point that Li Yin even remembered his drooping eyelashes—long, dense, shimmering with light, covering those pale pink pupils like white snow…
He was an extremely beautiful White Peacock.
Li Yin subconsciously glanced at the peacock in her arms. The brilliant azure-blue colors crashed into her view, snapping her back to reality from the memories.
Now she had a little azure-green-blue peacock.
The recollections only lasted an instant. She tapped the map and selected a bamboo hut. “Picked the closest place. That work?”
She deliberately shook the guy in her arms. The Little Peacock’s feathers trembled from the motion, and a young man’s light hum came from him. Surprisingly, he didn’t throw a tantrum or peck at her.
Li Yin settled him in a bamboo hut in the mountains. The bamboo grove was serene, perfect for recuperation.
She made several more trips back and forth, furnishing the empty bamboo hut with some things.
A softer rush cushion, just the right size for a Little Peacock to curl up in—like the perfect bird nest.
Li Yin also placed a bottle of healing pills beside him, along with a few spirit crystals to replenish spiritual power. Finally, remembering, she added a Night-Luminous Pearl for lighting.
Once everything was set, the Little Peacock suddenly fiddled with the Night-Luminous Pearl. Instinctively, he nudged the round bead, burying it under his soft chest feathers.
The round object she had placed in his care felt like an egg handed to him, awakening some inexplicable urge.
The Little Peacock, who had started incubating the “egg” on instinct, froze.
He was still just a juvenile peacock. Why would he be incubating an egg? Where would she even get an egg for him to incubate?
Li Yin also froze. “…Where did you learn that from?”
His thin feathers instantly bristled slightly. Qing Yi was glad he was in his original form right now, not human form—otherwise, his face would probably be flushed red.
But he was still embarrassed and angry. He used his beak to flick it, dislodging the Night-Luminous Pearl from his chest feathers. 【None of your business!】
The Young Master’s heart fluctuated wildly. Like he was fleeing, he immediately dissected the origins of his actions.
Qing Yi quickly shifted the blame. Ever since he could remember, the old ancestor had been endlessly incubating a dead egg all day long.
He had only been influenced by the old ancestor to do this. It wasn’t his own intention at all. He didn’t want to incubate an egg!
Thinking of the old ancestor, the Young Master felt a bit guilty.
The old ancestor treated him well and didn’t restrict him—otherwise, he wouldn’t have developed this willful and spoiled temper.
Moreover, unlike the elders, who always had all those messy demands to mold him into the mold of previous Young Lords—noble and dignified—the old ancestor only required him to advance his cultivation and not disgrace the Peacock branch. She ignored all the other pompous formalities. Even when the elders complained to her directly, it didn’t matter.
Now he had run out and made the old ancestor angry. But if he hadn’t run, the elders would have pushed him into a marriage alliance.
The Little Peacock agonized a little but felt he wasn’t wrong.
In the Cultivation World, strength spoke. Rumor had it that when the old ancestor’s cultivation was still shallow, she had nearly been pushed into a marriage alliance too.
But after the old ancestor’s cultivation advanced repeatedly, no one dared suggest it again. The elders even shut their mouths about the origins of that dead egg.
Qing Yi made up his mind. Once his cultivation advanced, he’d go back. Then the elders would all have to shut up and have no right to interfere in his marriage.
And then…
And then he could…
The Little Peacock suddenly went still, staring fixedly at the Night-Luminous Pearl he had pushed away.
The Night-Luminous Pearl she gave him was round, like she had given him an egg.
Li Yin had no idea what was on his mind. Seeing him suddenly staring blankly at the pearl, she kindly nudged it back toward him.
The round pearl returned along its path, sinking once more into his soft chest feathers.
She meant well, but the Little Peacock’s feathers exploded. He even chirped sharply.
【Get out! Don’t disturb my healing!】
Li Yin didn’t indulge him. As she backed away, she said, “Alright, alright. I’ll go. You stay here and incubate your egg slowly.”
Once she slammed the door and left, her footsteps fading, the peacock’s feathers slowly smoothed down.
In an instant, the Little Peacock on the rush cushion transformed into human form. Somewhat dazed and hesitant, he picked up the pearl.
His clothes were still disheveled, exposing half of his snowy-white shoulder and neck. The flush on his cheeks wouldn’t fade, spreading to his neck as well.
His fingertip first poked the pearl—cold and hard—then stroked it again.
In comparison, this pearl’s size was indeed about the same as a peacock egg.
“Idiot, who would help you incubate an egg…” His face reddened even more fiercely. His eyelashes trembled lightly, but his tone was disdainful as he muttered, “I won’t help you incubate an egg.”
Speckled light and shadows from the bamboo grove fell on the bamboo hut’s window. When the bamboo shadows swayed again, the youth in the hut vanished. Only a Little Peacock remained, curled on the rush cushion.
He carefully tried a few incubating positions. In the end, he was so embarrassed that he felt stupid. In a fit of temper, he flicked the Night-Luminous Pearl away hard.
The round pearl rolled far away with a clatter. The Little Peacock then began pretending to be dignified, as if nothing had happened. He shook out his feathers nobly.
A moment later, he quietly lowered his head again, preening the down feathers messed up by the pearl. Once everything was tidy, he entered meditation to heal.
–
After Li Yin left the bamboo grove, with the Little Peacock healing and Master Yaoguang also recuperating, Illuminating Water Peak fell utterly quiet. There wasn’t even anyone to talk to.
Fortunately, she remembered there was still that bad-tempered, pretty Little Fish in the Celestial Pool.
The Player found her direction again.
She mixed up a jar of Scar-Removing Ointment. Along the way, she sent a peace report to Senior Sister Xia. Finally, she boarded a flying magic artifact and headed to the Celestial Pool to feed the fish.
On the road, Li Yin checked the messaging mirror a couple of times and sent a spirit message to her master in the Demon Domain.
The Player explained the cauldron matter to her master. Because a Dao Sect elder had shown up midway, full of hatred for demons, she hadn’t revealed herself to provide support.
A message from the Jade Joy Palace Lord came quickly: “No worries. You did well. Always prioritize protecting yourself first. When the time comes, they will contact you naturally.”
Li Yin hesitated again and also mentioned encountering a demonic cultivator in the Cultivation World: “…Mole at the corner of his eye, Tribulation Transcendence cultivation, strikes with wind, calls himself Demon Lord. Probably Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivation.”
Although she knew that Demon Lord’s name, it came from cheating via the game panel, so Li Yin didn’t mention it. She only described his intel verbally.
The messaging mirror flashed: “Probably someone from Calamity Birth Mansion.”
“Calamity Birth Mansion?”
A laughing voice message came through the mirror. The female cultivator said, “In the Demon Domain’s Three Sects and Nine Cities, all bow to the Demon Venerable. Shamefully, after all these years of effort, your master hasn’t become the Demon Venerable, nor elevated Jade Ecstasy Palace to the top of the Three Sects.”
“Above my Jade Ecstasy Palace, aside from the Demon Venerable, there’s also Calamity Birth Mansion pressing down.”
Even through the mirror, the Player nodded like a chick pecking at rice, indicating she had heard.
If she remembered correctly, her beautiful, powerful, and tragic half-demon ex was a city lord.
Her master in the Demon Domain continued, “Calamity Birth Mansion has a pair of twins. The older brother is called Li Fuxue, the younger Li Chengfeng.”
The woman’s voice was enchanting. She suddenly chuckled lightly.
“This pair of twins is the most exquisite. Unfortunately, their shared sense ability is such a lewd trick. To think my Jade Ecstasy Palace lost out to others.”
“Rumor has it that if one feels it, the other experiences it fully too. Though it’s that old mansion lord’s method of controlling people, their future dao companions are in luck. They’ll enjoy the blessings of a crowd—serving two husbands together. Dual cultivation would have to change to a threesome…”
Ignoring her master’s increasingly lewd topic, Li Yin was dumbfounded.
Didn’t that mean she had indirectly supplemented two people at once?