In the pitch-black night, a gentle breeze whispered through the air. Suddenly, a clear and resonant crane cry pierced the silent, deep sky. Immediately after, a fierce gust of wind slammed toward the golden-eyed girl who was holding Yun Qingxue captive.
The golden-eyed girl swiftly dodged to the side, her instincts sharp.
Another deep, resonant crane cry echoed through the night.
“Ah!” The golden-eyed girl, who had been gripping Yun Qingxue tightly, let out a low cry and abruptly released her hold.
Without the golden-eyed girl’s support, Yun Qingxue’s body plummeted straight toward the ground. In the blink of an eye, she felt herself land on something soft. Looking down, she realized she had been caught by a massive, snow-white bird.
“Flower King, do not fear. The Phoenix King sent me to escort you to safety,” the great bird carrying Yun Qingxue said as it soared through the air.
Yun Qingxue smiled faintly and glanced back toward the golden-eyed girl, only to see her being blocked by a white crane. The golden-eyed girl’s gaze burned with frustration as she watched Yun Qingxue depart.
“Farewell for now!” Yun Qingxue gave the golden-eyed girl a calm smile.
The golden-eyed girl glared at her helplessly, unable to bypass the crane obstructing her path to pursue Yun Qingxue.
The great white bird swiftly turned and flew eastward with Yun Qingxue.
“Qingxue! Qingxue!” A lark fluttered its wings as it caught up, circling around Yun Qingxue cheerfully.
“Liuying, how are your lord and the Dragon King?” Yun Qingxue asked the lark.
In an instant, the lark transformed into human form, sitting gracefully across from Yun Qingxue on the bird’s back. Her voice was light and melodious as she replied, “They’re both fine, don’t worry!”
Yun Qingxue smiled faintly before turning to the great white bird carrying her. “Where are we headed?”
“My lord has commanded me to follow your orders, Flower King. I shall take you wherever you wish to go,” the bird replied respectfully as it flew.
“Qingxue! Qingxue!” Liuying playfully wrapped her arms around Yun Qingxue’s and shook her gently, laughing. “Why not come visit our Feather Clan?”
“Liuying, there are still some matters I need to attend to, so I can’t visit the Feather Clan just yet. Besides, I’ve only just escaped the Beast Clan. If I were to go straight to the Feather Clan and word got out, Cangyan would surely hold a grudge against your people because of me,” Yun Qingxue replied with a soft smile.
Despite Liuying’s consistently warm and friendly demeanor since their first meeting, Yun Qingxue couldn’t bring herself to fully trust her. Every time she faced Liuying, an instinctive wariness rose within her—even though Liuying always appeared so innocent and harmless.
“Hmph! As if our mighty Feather Clan would fear him! He’s nothing but a usurping traitor!” Liuying scoffed disdainfully.
Yun Qingxue chuckled. “It’s not about fear. You’ve already done me a great favor by helping me escape the Beast Clan. If I were to cause trouble for you now, I’d feel guilty.”
“What’s there to feel guilty about?” Liuying pouted, her eyes glistening with a charming innocence. “Qingxue, you’re my friend. Helping you is only natural—no need to be polite! And let me tell you, our Feather Clan is wonderful. If you visit, they’ll treat you with the utmost hospitality. Come with me, won’t you?”
“Flower King!”
The great white bird had been carrying Yun Qingxue and Liuying for some time when a figure suddenly appeared in their path, standing effortlessly in the wind, robes fluttering.
At the sight of him, Yun Qingxue exhaled in quiet relief. Liuying’s relentless insistence on taking her to the Feather Clan had nearly worn her patience thin.
“Flower King, my lord has sent me to escort you,” Shui Liu said, stepping forward as he halted the white bird midair.
Yun Qingxue studied him. This was the same man who had once pursued her on Jin Lin’s orders when she left the Water Clan to seek a master—watching silently as she was ambushed, then later attempting to take A’Dai back to the Water Clan.
Shui Liu was utterly loyal to the Water Clan and to Jin Lin, but…
Yun Qingxue’s long lashes fluttered briefly. Shui Liu had never been particularly friendly toward her. Still, out of deference to Jin Lin, he wouldn’t dare harm her.
Going with Jin Lin’s people was undoubtedly safer than following Feng Zihuang’s. Deep down, Yun Qingxue knew she still trusted Jin Lin more.
“Let me down here. You’ve done enough,” Yun Qingxue said softly to the great bird beneath her.
“No!” Liuying immediately protested, her face twisting with worry. “This is the middle of nowhere! What if something happens to you alone?”
“Hey!” Shui Liu snapped impatiently at Liuying. “Alone? I’m here under orders from my Water Clan lord to escort the Flower King! Do you think I’d let anything happen to her?”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me! I have a name!” Liuying shot back, though her heart ached. No one would lay a finger on the Flower King while she was around—the Flower King belonged to her lord!
But… how she wished she could replace Yun Qingxue in her lord’s heart…
The bitterness welled up, and Liuying could only vent her frustration on Shui Liu.
Shui Liu, however, had no patience for her tantrums. His sole purpose was to bring the Flower King back to the Water Clan. His lord adored this woman—this time, even if he had to drag her, he would deliver her! “Flower King, please come with me.”
“Qingxue won’t go with you!”
Without waiting for Yun Qingxue’s response, Liuying pulled her protectively behind her, glaring defiantly at Shui Liu.
“You’re not the Flower King. How do you know she doesn’t want to leave with me?” Shui Liu retorted coldly, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m Qingxue’s best friend! I won’t stand by and watch her get tricked by some random nobody again!” Liuying fired back without backing down.
“Flower King,” Shui Liu said, his gaze fixed on Yun Qingxue, “you know better than anyone how my lord has treated you. Think carefully about who you choose to follow.”
“Of course Qingxue knows! She’d never go with you!” Liuying cut in, gripping Yun Qingxue’s arm tightly as if afraid she’d vanish.
“Liuying.” Yun Qingxue gently pulled her arm free and smiled faintly. “I do have some business to settle in the Water Clan, so…”
“Qingxue!” Liuying’s voice rose sharply, her brow furrowing. “You just escaped the Beast Clan! Are you really going to throw yourself into the tiger’s den now?”
PS: Thank you to the smiling Jiajia for the fragrant sachet reward, and to all my friends for your comments and recommendations. Sincerely, thank you all—group hugs (≧▽≦)/
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