Beginning with the Ubume Bird

Chapter 240: Chapter 77 Origins

Red walls and black tiles, bright yellow pillars, soaring eaves adorned with stone beasts.

A woman in a fiery red cheongsam looked up at the hanging “Cloud Dragon Scroll”. A pitch-black cauldron, the size of an apricot, was fastened to her waist with a red cord.

After a good while, she removed the small cauldron from her waist. The cauldron stood in mid-air, trembling slightly in the woman’s hands, and then suddenly, with a thunderous noise, it shattered, revealing three spheres of energy.

One was a pale cyan, representing the essence of a hundred years of cultivation by Lady Dan, the Mountain God of Incense Fire Mountain.

Another was a moon disk of the purest black, giving a sense of cleanliness and translucency. This was…

Taishuai!

If Li Yan were here, she could get a hint through the Earth Endurance Vision.

“Inheritance: Taishuai’s Core·Foul Path.”

Lady Dan cradled the three spheres of energy, though her expression was quite gloomy. Before her again appeared the image of the woman in a jacket with a ponytail.

“This object is no longer of use to me, so I’m lending it to you. With this, you can travel among the fruit trees of Yan Fu without being constrained by their fruit, as compensation for taking three hundred years of your incense foundation… Why the glare? Don’t be so stingy. You’ll recover your vital energy in no time with just two or three fruits, following that general of yours.”

“Expand your horizons, little Mountain God. A creature like you, upon gaining inheritance and the potential to ‘leave’, must be cherished more than most; the Da Luo fruits, the endless deities of incense fire, will all see you as a coveted prize.”

It took Lady Dan quite a while to regain her composure and turn her attention to the third energy sphere.

The third sphere of energy, however, was a mix of black and red, at times coalescing into the comical forms of a couple.

“We… we can hardly wait… Without you, we do not know how long we would have to wait… Mountain Spirit, we hope you’ll take us with you, to see what lies beyond the end that Heavenly Mother spoke of. It may cause you some trouble, likely the imprints and memories of an old husband and an old wife. But we ask for your assistance.”

Lady Dan clenched her delicate fist, gathering all three spheres of energy together.

“Yu Shu, what on earth do you intend to do?”

“My Lady~”

Yan Laoda knelt outside the door: “Tianbao is waiting in the living room.”

“Mhm~ I know,” Lady Dan responded, “Zhu, don’t call me that anymore.”

“How could I not?”

Having changed into an indigo dress, Lady Dan waved her hand dismissively at Elder Yan: “There’s nothing wrong with it. Others do the same. Stop calling me Fire Cauldron Lady.”

Having said that, she walked along the corridor toward the front hall.

…

The Cai Clan’s people had all been sent away. Li Yan had two cups of date tea in the front hall and glanced at the entrance, as the woman made her belated arrival.

The steamy tea was poured into a cup and then into two bowls. The woman stilled the kettle. The two locked eyes, speechless for a moment.

Both unexpected and anticipated, Li Yan’s guess was not wrong. It was indeed Lady Dan who had let Cai Qian give up attending the great conference of the Tianbo Division, pretending to be the “Fiery Cauldron Madam.”

Li Yan reached for her tea bowl and asked, “Lady Dan, what is this all about? Could it be that you and Tianbao…”

“It’s a different matter. That sort of situation probably only exists for you people who are innately physical,” Lady Dan said, turning her face away. “It’s the Cai surnamed people who got it wrong, mistaking me for their worshipped Fiery Cauldron Madam.”

“Hey, I’ve seen their clay idol, and even the blindest wouldn’t mistake it. Eh?”

Li Yan sharply realized something was amiss in Lady Dan’s tone. He frowned, craning his neck to see Lady Dan’s face: “What’s the matter? Has something happened?”

“General…”

Her eyes were downcast.

Li Yan’s expression grew solemn. They had first met on the battlefield of Renchen, where Lady Dan only addressed him as ‘General’ in moments of urgency or seriousness.

Lady Dan’s fist trembled: “Tell me honestly, do you really have no clue about Yu Shu’s plans?”

Li Yan blinked his eyes, and in a trance, realized that it has been half a year since they first met…

He picked up the date tea, drank it in one gulp, and put the tea bowl down with a thud, “It’s settled! I told Yu Shu that I’d help her escape with her life, but afterwards, she must send a wife my way, so she tied you up and brought you here.”

Lady Dan glared at Li Yan irritably.

Li Yan grinned without saying a word, just staring blankly at Lady Dan.

With his demeanor, Lady Dan couldn’t bring herself to burst out in anger, her face blushing from her neck to behind her ears.

Li Yan pursed his lips, and then started again, “About your situation, I’m willing to listen if you want to talk, but if you don’t want to tell, I won’t ask.”

The woman furrowed her brows and after a while, said, “Actually, there’s not much to it. I don’t mind talking, it’s just that my mind is a bit chaotic.”

She organized her thoughts and briefly relayed what Yu Shu had originally given her, the “Core of Taishuai,” as well as the Fiery Cauldron Couple’s earnest request.

“You mean, the Fiery Cauldron Couple willingly let you take them with you…”

“They asked me to take them, but only one can exist, either the body or the consciousness.”

Lady Dan answered, looking down.

“Does that affect you?”

Li Yan inquired, frowning and getting straight to the point.

“My mind is a bit chaotic, there are many images that aren’t mine, but it’s much better now.”

“Then… you…” Li Yan carefully chose his tone, “are you staying here?”

Lady Dan gave him a strange look, “Why would I stay here?”

“Oh, no, I mean, your clothes are pretty nice. They said you, wearing a Red Flag robe, I saw it and was just asking, just wondering.”

Li Yan babbled inconsistently.

“Oh, that one, I think it’s a bit too bright.”

Li Yan scratched his head, and his thoughts drifted to Cai Qian.

“Lady Dan, what do you plan to do about the Cai Clan’s people?”

Lady Dan smiled, “I think young Cai isn’t as happy as he looks. He will feel much more relieved when I leave…”

Since her inception, the Mountain Spirit rarely met outsiders, yet Lady Dan’s insight was exceptionally keen.

The Sect Leader, mostly, does not believe in the faith…

“Cai Qian~” Li Yan mused. If not for Lady Dan’s intervention, he might not have been able to smoothly secure Xiu’er the position of Alliance Hierarch.

It must be said, the power of the Tianbo Division and the personal capabilities of Cai Qian had indeed taken Li Yan by surprise, exceeding his expectations.

Rich as a nation, with connections among officials, red-haired pirates, and schemers at every turn. Each of the nine underlings at least ranks with the Ten Cities, while Cai Qian himself is a hidden powerhouse.

Zhang He’s threat level was purple-red (comparable to the limit), which is just “Nine Luminaries.” However, when Cai Qian made a move, he possessed a faint black threat level, that of “Nine Luminaries Peak.”

Thinking this, Li Yan brought up, “Lady Dan, these days, to what extent do you think you can reach?”

Lady Dan blinked, pondered for a moment, then said, “If that man Feng Yi comes again, I’m confident I can protect you thoroughly.”

Li Yan didn’t say anything. He felt somewhat stifled.

“The secret techniques of the Fiery Cauldron used by young Cai are extremely costly, each move requiring tens of thousands of Patterned Silver, so you needn’t worry. Besides, with me here…” Lady Dan paused, then suddenly changed her words, “Moreover, the Red Flag Gang’s power is immense, the issue of the Alliance Hierarch has already been decided, and if Tianbo Division goes against you, it will only result in mutual destruction.”

Li Yan laughed heartily, “Just speak your mind, I’m not that petty. Besides, I truly have no reason to confront Cai Qian.”

His eyes hardened, “If we cooperate, it’s mutually beneficial, and I still have Mage Island to conquer after all…”