After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Illusion – Shizun’s Little Schemes

Hearing Shizun’s words, Su Lingqing was filled with astonishment.

After regaining her composure, she felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, this was in the spatial artifact. If it had been in the outside world, the red light just now would have illuminated the world, and the resulting anomaly would have inevitably attracted countless attention.

She had understood the principle of “a treasure in the hands of the guilty invites disaster” since she was young.

Shizun’s strength was immense, and she was the leader of the Daoist sects, but when it came to a divine beast, something involving the Immortal Realm, the reactions of outside cultivators were truly unpredictable.

Once the news of a divine beast appearing spread, it would likely not just be cultivators from the Azure Profound Continent but also those from the other three continents who would secretly rush over, seeking ways to seize it.

Thinking of this, a trace of worry surfaced in Su Lingqing’s heart.

“Shizun, what should we do now?”

Ling Yunyue looked at the divine beast circling the girl, staying close, and mused: “Legends say that the Phoenix can be reborn through Nirvana. It’s hard to be certain if this one is a true divine beast cub.”

“Does Shizun mean… it might be a senior who underwent Nirvana with memories intact, having lived for countless years?”

“Indeed. Lingqing, why don’t you try to communicate with it and see if you get a response?”

As her voice fell, before the girl could speak, a clear female voice reached her sea of consciousness, carrying a sense of closeness and calling her “Mother.”

Su Lingqing’s expression froze. She quickly spoke out to correct her: “I am not your mother. Don’t call me that!”

This Phoenix had not acknowledged her as its master like Ruozhu. She didn’t know how the divine thought was transmitted to her sea of consciousness, and she couldn’t reply in the same manner, so she had to speak out directly.

Ling Yunyue heard this and instantly understood.

“Lingqing, it was only with the help of the spiritual spring water that its original vitality was restored. You truly have the grace of a rebirth for it. Moreover, you are the master of this spatial artifact, and it hatched here. It is natural for it to regard you as its mother. However, judging from its current reaction, it is not a reborn being but a true divine beast cub.”

At this moment, within the girl’s sea of consciousness, the Phoenix’s thoughts continuously came through.

“If I don’t call you Mother, what should I call you? Mother saved me. Without Mother’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to hatch.”

These words coincidentally verified Shizun’s statement.

Su Lingqing was both amused and frustrated. She looked at the palm-sized bird and resolutely insisted: “No matter what you call me, you cannot call me Mother. We have no such relationship.”

The little Phoenix felt a little wronged. It blinked its black, beady eyes, thought for a long time, and then hesitated: “Then, is it okay to call you Sister?”

To Su Lingqing, this title was already much better than the word “Mother.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

The sense of grievance in the little Phoenix’s heart completely dissipated at this moment: “Sister, can you give me a name?”

“Let me think…”

Su Lingqing considered herself not good at naming things, so she turned to Shizun for help.

“The Phoenix wants this disciple to name her…”

Ling Yunyue understood and said with a gentle smile: “What do you think of the name Xiwu (Perch on the Wutong Tree)?”

“Phoenix perches on the Wutong. It’s a very nice name.”

Su Lingqing then looked at the little Phoenix and whispered: “How about Xiwu?”

A response quickly came from her sea of consciousness: “Thank you, Sister, for the name.”

Su Lingqing smiled: “The name was chosen by Shizun. I only conveyed it. If you need to thank anyone, you should thank Shizun.”

The little Phoenix blinked its eyes in confusion: “How should Xiwu address Sister’s Shizun? Is it okay to call her A-niang (Maternal Mother)?”

Su Lingqing’s smile froze: “…”

Ling Yunyue noticed the girl’s unusual expression and asked curiously: “Does the Phoenix not like the name Xiwu?”

“No, she likes the name very much, it’s just…”

The girl hesitated, unsure how to speak, her face showing a hint of embarrassment.

“Lingqing, feel free to speak directly. No matter what I hear, I will not be angry.”

“…Just now, Xiwu asked this disciple how to address Shizun, and then she asked if she could call you A-niang…”

Hearing this, Ling Yunyue was stunned and somewhat surprised.

This little Phoenix first called her disciple Lingqing “Mother,” and now she wanted to call her, the Shizun, A-niang?

She couldn’t hear Xiwu‘s thought transmission. Looking at the girl’s gradually reddening cheeks, she lowered her voice and asked: “What does Xiwu call Lingqing now?”

“She calls this disciple ‘Sister.'”

“In that case, do not let her call me A-niang.”

Su Lingqing secretly let out a breath of relief. If Shizun had truly agreed to the title A-niang, she truly wouldn’t have known how to face her.

At that time, Xiwu calling her “Sister” and calling the Shizun she adored A-niang would carry a sense of immorality that was impossible to ignore…

“What address does Shizun think is more suitable?”

“My Dao title is Lingxiao. Addressing me by that is fine.”

Su Lingqing immediately communicated with Xiwu upon hearing this: “Shizun said not to call her A-niang. Shizun’s Dao title is Lingxiao. You can address her directly by her Dao title in the future.”

The little Phoenix tilted its head: “Then Xiwu will call Sister’s Shizun ‘Fairy Lingxiao.'”

Su Lingqing nodded with a smile, then remembered that the Phoenix had just hatched and needed food. She continued: “Xiwu, what do you like to eat?”

The little Phoenix flapped its wings and pointed to the Eight Trigrams Well not far away.

Su Lingqing understood: “Does Xiwu like drinking the spiritual spring water from the well? Other than that, does it like to eat anything else? Although spiritual spring water is good, it cannot supplement all nutrients.”

As her voice fell, a response sounded in her sea of consciousness: “In Xiwu‘s inherited memory, the clan only drinks immortal spring water and doesn’t consume other things. The quality of this spiritual spring in Sister’s space is already close to immortal spring water and can completely meet Xiwu‘s needs.”

Su Lingqing was initially surprised, but upon careful thought, divine beasts inherently belonged to the Immortal Realm, the place pursued by all cultivators throughout their lives. The Immortal Realm was mysterious and ethereal, and existing common sense did not apply to such unknown territories.

“Does Xiwu plan to stay in the spatial artifact in the future, or go outside?”

“Wherever Sister goes, Xiwu will follow.”

Su Lingqing was a little hesitant.

Her current strength was still low. If the little Phoenix followed her, and if its identity was recognized by malicious cultivators, she was not confident she could protect it.

In her subconscious, although the little Phoenix was a divine beast, it had just hatched and was in need of protection.

“Shizun, is there any way to conceal Xiwu‘s identity as a divine beast?”

Ling Yunyue replied with a smile: “I only need to cast an illusion to change Xiwu‘s appearance.”

“After the illusion is cast, will it be seen through?”

“If I cast it, it should be fine, unless someone’s strength surpasses mine in the future, or Xiwu actively reveals its innate divine abilities.”

“During the casting of the illusion, will it affect Shizun?”

“As long as Xiwu is willing and does not resist with divine power, there will be no problem.”

As Ling Yunyue’s voice fell, the little Phoenix’s divine thought came from the girl’s sea of consciousness.

“As long as I can always stay by Sister’s side, no matter what I become, Xiwu is willing.”

Su Lingqing conveyed the little Phoenix’s meaning to Shizun. After hearing it, Ling Yunyue pursed her lips. For some reason, the smile on her face faded slightly.

At that moment, the girl’s attention was on Xiwu and she didn’t notice in time.

The casting process was quick, taking less than ten breaths.

The originally entirely crimson Phoenix instantly turned pitch black, no longer showing any hint of a divine beast’s splendor.

Su Lingqing looked at this scene, held it in, and then held it in again, but finally couldn’t suppress it, bursting into laughter.

Xiwu was a little confused by her sister’s reaction. It fluttered its wings and flew to the edge of the spiritual spring well. Using the clear, mirror-like spring water, it saw its own appearance clearly.

The little Phoenix seemed unable to accept this look. Its body tilted, and it rapidly fell downward.

Su Lingqing was quick. She reached out and caught Xiwu before it fell into the spring water.

The little Phoenix took a while to recover. It jumped up from the girl’s palm, stared at the aloof and ethereal culprit not far away with its black, beady eyes filled with accusation. While letting out a slightly mournful cry, it quickly transmitted a complaint to the girl.

“Sister, look at your Shizun! She cast an illusion and made me so ugly…”

Su Lingqing lightly coughed, trying to find a way to explain for Shizun: “Xiwu‘s identity is special. If you go outside and are recognized, it will cause a lot of trouble. This appearance makes it less likely to attract attention.”

“Wuwuwu~ Sister, but I can’t stand looking like this. Can you please beg Fairy Lingxiao to make me a little more beautiful?”

Faced with the little Phoenix’s pleading gaze, Su Lingqing’s heart softened.

“Alright, I’ll try my best.”

With these words, the girl walked slowly towards the cold, fairy-like person. After agonizing for a moment, she cautiously spoke: “Shizun, can you recast the spell and make Xiwu a little more beautiful?”

“No.” Faced with her disciple’s plea, Ling Yunyue refused without hesitation for the first time.

“Lingqing, don’t forget, when you conveyed Xiwu‘s meaning earlier, she mentioned that as long as she could follow you, she was willing to become anything.”

“Xiwu did say that, it’s just…”

“Just what? Her current appearance is the least likely to attract attention. You ask her: does she want to look beautiful, or does she want safety? If she wants the former, then she should not follow you.”

The little Phoenix, hearing these words, instantly bristled.

Although she had just hatched and hadn’t experienced the world, she still had the most basic inherited memories of the Phoenix clan.

In the cultivation world, there were countless types of spiritual beasts, many of which were beautiful and abundant. Transforming her into one of them would attract even less attention.

As a divine beast, Xiwu‘s intelligence was extremely high. By now, she had figured out that her Sister’s Shizun had done this on purpose.

As for the reason, it was likely because she didn’t want Xiwu clinging to her Sister. She was determined not to let the other party have her way.

Never mind her current appearance; even if she looked worse, she would not leave her Sister… When she transforms into a human shape in the future and no longer needs an illusion to conceal her identity, she must become more beautiful than this cold woman!

With a goal to strive for, Xiwu gradually stopped agonizing over her current appearance…

If Su Lingqing had to choose between Shizun and the little Phoenix, she would choose the former without hesitation. Therefore, after hearing Shizun’s refusal, she did not plead again but instead cast a look full of apology towards Xiwu.

Although she had decided to accept it, seeing her Sister give up on her so easily, the little Phoenix still felt a little heartbroken.

Her Sister had the grace of rebirth for her, so she naturally wouldn’t complain about her Sister because of this. It was just that her resentment towards Fairy Lingxiao grew stronger.

Her inherited memory told her that if one person had a strong possessiveness towards another, they must like that person.

Her Sister also cared deeply for her Shizun. Logically, they should have been together long ago, but judging from their current interactions, it didn’t seem quite like that…

A flicker of doubt crossed the little Phoenix’s black, beady eyes. Since she couldn’t figure it out for the moment, she attributed all the problems to Ling Yunyue.

In her eyes, her Sister could do no wrong.

If her Sister and her Shizun ever had a conflict in the future, she would definitely stand on her Sister’s side and fiercely beat up that cold woman…