674: A Short Meeting

A Short Meeting

"Crow Immortal?"  1

Ming Yue repeated the name to herself whilst the man just took a sip of his tea. 

"Yes, that is the name I am most known by. And I'm sure that you can see why. As for these inquiries of yours, well, it is quite difficult to explain", he told her. 

But the young cultivator wasn't really paying attention, she was still stuck on his name. She furrowed her brows, repeating those two words a few times before her face lit up, staring at him. 

"Immortal... you're not at the Heaven Realm, you're past that. You're an immortal", she muttered. 

The man's face changed for just a moment. The atmosphere around them grew tense with the silence from him. 

But then he put his cup down and answered, 

"Yes, I have reached the realm of Immortals. My life spans tens of thousands of years and I have witnessed many things. The rise and fall of kingdoms and the lives of mortals that feel like a mere flicker of light."

His voice carried some sadness, disappointment, and maybe even a trace of anger.

"This place is certainly my domain but you could also consider it my prison. For me to leave this place would mean that the world is coming to an end. As for these crows, they are my eyes and ears. They provide me with the information I need and answers to the questions I have. So yes, I did find out about your life through them but hearing it from you personally is much more satisfying."

"But why?" she asked, "Why is it that you cannot leave?"

"The reason for that comes from the truth of the world. But you do not have to qualifications to find out just yet, you are not strong enough. Just know that should I leave, then the world would be laid to waste, an endless inferno."

He stopped there, ending with a rather ominous tone., a hint that she should not pry any further. 

Then the Crow Immortal slapped his knee.

"Now, enough of that! There's still time and you don't have to worry about that yet. Rather, you still have your own set of problems awaiting you. That enemy of yours isn't going to take very long to find you, maybe in a few months or a year at best. I'd wager that you should spend that time wisely."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. 

"But I..."

The scenery surrounding Ming Yue shimmered and shifted before she could even finish talking.

"You may have delayed one calamity but there will always be another!"

Those were his last words before she found herself back in her room on the mountain.

It was quiet, her eyes darted around as she looked everywhere.

"I still have so much that I want to ask you."

She sat down, taking a breath and collecting herself. Her heart was still racing from the encounter, and the feeling of excitement was still fresh.

"I can't believe, a real Immortal exists and I just met them."

But at that initial excitement, Ming Yue recounted the conversation, and that feeling was gone. 

"What did he mean? The world will come to an end if he leaves this place?" 

She furrowed her brows, trying to dissect his words but to no avail. 

"He isn't someone evil right? Would he just wreak havoc if he was released, is that what it is? No that can't be it, he would've wanted to be freed then. Why would he seem so melancholic near the end? He doesn't seem like someone who wants the world to end nor does he want to rule over it. Still, what could he mean?" 

In the end, Ming Yue could only click her tongue in frustration. 

"Ah, I should've asked him about cultivation, asked him about the Immortal Realm. Dan it, I'm so stupid!"

Reflecting on herself, she looked up after hearing the flapping of wings by the doorstep. A simple caw followed before a slip of paper passed through underneath. Then the flapping sounds grew quiet as the crow left. 

"What's this?" 

Ming Yue walked up to the door and bent down to grab it. 

It was a slip of paper, folded up neatly in half which she opened and read.

"Claws of Crescent Cloud Wolf, the Bones of a Thunder Roc, the Flesh of a Purple Storm Tiger, the Immortal Siren Flower... Is this a pill recipe?!" 

She read through the list and turned the paper to see if there was something on the back. 

"From what I've gathered, you have quite a collection of treasures that have yet to be used. Just forcefully absorbing all of this will give you that power you need but it will also weaken your foundation with impurities. Thus I've given you this recipe for a pill. It may not provide you with the raw energy but I can guarantee that it will fix your shortcomings."

Ming Yue turned the paper back, looking through the list of what she needed. 

"I have almost all of it but I'm still missing a few things."

She walked back into the cave, looking at the pile of treasures she had yet to consume. Then her eyes laid upon a third pile, much smaller than the previous piles before. But compared to the rest, this small mound had rare and high-quality items. 

And among them was the Immortal Siren Flower as well as the flesh and bone of the various beasts she fought. 

"Just absorbing them would be a waste so I put them aside but I guess I know what to do with some of them now."

She sifted through that pile, taking what the pill recipe called for. 

Including the first few listed items, Ming Yue grabbed a few more things.

"A peach from the Heaven's Peach Tree, the Thunder Roc and the Purple Storm Tiger, the Immortal Siren Flower... I just need Dragon Eye Berries, a slab of Abyssal Ice, and a 10,000-year Penzai*. Where am I going to get those? I don't even know what they are. Where am I going to find a 10,000-year-old herb?" she muttered to herself. 

She put everything away and sighed before looking out at the doorway. 

"I should check on Fei Xian and everyone else, make sure that they're safe first. After that, I suppose I should go back to Heaven's Gate to find out more about these two things. Either Elder Hua knows or the Archive might have some records about it. But then that means that I'll have to leave but I'll be able to see Hongyu and Liang Wei, I wonder how they're faring."

The young cultivator was reluctant about leaving though the thought of seeing that child made it easier for her.

She wanted to stay longer and spend more time with the others but the Crow immortal's words were stuck in her mind. 

"I have to spend this time wisely. I need to get stronger or else it will end as it did."

Thinking this, she stepped out of the little house and went down the mountain, leaving the inn. 

And at the peak, the blind Immortal could be seen sitting by the fire, quietly sipping his tea. He looked up while setting the cup down, smiling as he did. 

"Mm, seems like she's made up her mind, probably went out looking for those remaining pieces to the recipe. Given her temperament and skill, helping her a little bit doesn't hurt."

He spoke loudly, talking to the crows who were all still awake. 

But then the Crow Immortal sighed, looking past the cloth doors with his pitch-black eyes. 

"Truly, I hope that she is prepared for what's to come. I can feel it, the veil between realms is growing weaker. The ninth cycle is reaching its end."

He took another sip of his tea, quietly sitting there, waiting as time passes by.

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