Chapter 159: Bai Licy is Bai Licy (4000 words, two-in-one)
“Goose?”
Heavenly Black Goose gulped and swallowed the thing whole.
Startled, it suspected that what was fed to it was poison.
Struggling desperately to spit it out, Heavenly Black Goose couldn’t manage. The substance dissolved upon contact, melting like water into its bloodstream.
Heavenly Black Goose felt itself burning up, almost turning into roasted goose.
Then, it felt something inside trying to leave.
Xiao Bai covered her head with her wings, rolling on the ground as if something were bursting from her skull.
Seeing Xiao Bai’s suffering, Ming instinctively moved forward but stopped when Bifang spat a mouthful of fire, forming a fiery barrier around Ming.
“Don’t interfere with Her Highness, Princess,” Bifang said coldly yet anxiously.
Worried about the white goose’s pain, Big Black Dog glanced at Bifang uneasily, “Will our princess be alright? This is so painful! Is the Chancellor’s stuff really safe? If anything happens to the princess, what will we do? Aren’t we going to be historical sinners?”
“Shut up! Don’t jinx us!”
Bifang kicked the dog, keeping his eyes fixed on the Heavenly Black Goose without wavering.
“Don’t worry, it should be fine. That old turtle wouldn’t dare harm the princess since she is…”
Bifang muttered, more to reassure himself than anything else. He stopped mid-sentence, tightly pursing his lips while watching the big white goose worriedly.
Though he claimed it would be fine, Bifang was deeply concerned.
What if the turtle went mad? What if he wanted to eliminate the only bloodline of the Bai kingdom and ally with another force?
It wasn’t impossible.
Fortunately, after ten breaths, the white goose’s cries gradually softened—not because it lacked strength, but because the pain visibly diminished.
Lying on the ground, strange images flashed through the white goose’s mind.
The imperial palace in flames.
Her mother holding her and fleeing.
Imperial guards dying before her eyes.
“Daughter…you must live on…”
“Mother…”
A woman in court robes gently caressed the young girl’s cheek. Her soft fingers touched the little girl’s forehead.
The girl’s body shrank continuously until she could no longer maintain human form.
“I… I am…”
Xiao Bai opened her eyes.
Her figure grew larger, feathers elongated, and her tail spread wide like an empress’s trailing gown!
“Honghu.”
Suddenly, these two words popped into Ming’s mind.
Phoenixes are divided into five types.
As the saying goes, phoenixes come in five kinds: red ones are Feng, blue ones are Luan, yellow ones are Yuan Chu, white ones are Hong Hu, and purple ones are Yuan Zhuo.
Blue phoenixes are called He, red ones are Chun, yellow ones are Yan, white ones are Su, and purple ones are Duan.
All five phoenixes are divine beasts, none superior or inferior.
Ming had seen the paintings of the five phoenixes of this world; they looked similar but differed in color.
Xiao Bai’s appearance bore no resemblance to the Heavenly Black Goose—this was clearly the White Phoenix—Hong Hu.
Relieved to see their princess returning to her former self, Bifang exhaled, filled with joy.
“Min!”
Xiao Bai stood up, her phoenix cry echoing through the heavens. Birds scattered in the forest, flying low and bowing their heads.
“Your subject pays respects to Your Highness, Princess.”
Bifang and the black dog approached again, kneeling before Xiao Bai on one knee.
Memories past and present began merging. Though Xiao Bai’s mind still felt somewhat hazy, it grew clearer.
“My name isn’t Xiao Bai. It’s… Bai Licy.” Xiao Bai lowered her head, speaking human language.
This was the first time Ming heard Xiao Bai speak human words. Her voice was melodious, carrying a touch of ethereal beauty, and had a high-and-mighty chill.
Hearing the princess utter her name, Bifang knew the princess had fully returned.
“We’ve searched for you for ten years. Finding you today is a great fortune for our Ten Thousand Beasts Kingdom,” the black dog flattered quickly. “Once we knock these two out, we’ll escort you back to the Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom.”
“How is my mother?” Bai Licy asked, her eyes filled with concern.
“Princess, the Empress is still missing. We continue to search. The Chancellor has stabilized the Imperial Court, awaiting your return,” Bifang respectfully replied.
Bai Licy’s eyes narrowed in deep thought.
“Why insist on killing them?” After a long pause, Bai Licy raised her head and asked.
Black Dog: “Princess, our Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom is preparing a grand sacrifice requiring special constitutions, among which is the Eternal Spiritual Root. Based on my judgment, this person should have it. As for the little girl, she smells of both humans and monsters, arousing my curiosity. I plan to bring her back to our kingdom for further examination.”
“This man cannot be harmed, nor can the little girl.”
Black Dog’s tone became urgent: “But Princess, encountering an Eternal Spiritual Root is incredibly rare. If we let it go…”
“I said they cannot be harmed. Didn’t you hear me?” Bai Licy’s voice carried a scolding tone, and the authority of her bloodline pressed down on the black dog.
Despite the significant difference in cultivation between Bai Licy and the black dog, the pressure from their bloodline disparity made the black dog break out in cold sweat.
“Yes, I obey your command.”
The black dog eventually followed Bai Licy’s order.
Though he valued the grand sacrifice of the Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom, the most important thing now was the princess.
There was only one princess left in the Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom.
Bai Licy coldly shifted her gaze from the black dog.
A gentle breeze passed by, scattering snow-white feathers from the sky.
Bai Licy transformed into human form.
The originally snow-white phoenix feathers turned into a pure white phoenix feather halter dress, trailing on the ground, revealing her fair shoulders, resembling a bride in a white wedding gown.
A cascade of white hair flowed down her shoulders, reaching just below her slim waist.
Turning her head, Bai Licy’s almond-shaped eyes met Ming’s.
Looking into her eyes, Ming felt familiarity but more so a distant estrangement.
Contrary to Ming’s assumptions, Xiao Bai didn’t transform into a muscular powerhouse but instead possessed a very graceful and curvaceous figure, melting like snow water. Beneath her white eyelashes were blue pupils and a delicate nose, giving her an exotic charm.
“Thank you for taking care of me all these years,” Bai Licy slowly spoke to Ming.
Ming stared directly into her eyes: “Are you still that stupid goose?”
Hearing Ming call her stupid, Bai Licy clenched her fists, her brows twitching.
Unlike before, where she’d simply beat him when upset, Bai Licy regained her memories and maintained the dignity of being from the royal family of the Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom: “Remember, my name is Bai Licy, the Crown Princess of the Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom, your mortal enemy.”
“Oh yeah…” Bai Licy smiled slightly, placing her hands together in front of her, “You’ve always been looking forward to my transformation, right? How do you find me now?”
Ming shook his head with a smile: “In my opinion, I still prefer the previous big white goose.”
Ming spoke the truth.
Although Xiao Bai had nobler bloodlines—a Hong Hu “White Phoenix”—and after transforming, became a tall and elegant young lady whose figure and appearance rivaled Qingwan’s, Ming still preferred the former Heavenly Black Goose.
Ming even hoped Xiao Bai would transform into an average-looking muscular powerhouse.
“You don’t know good when you see it,” Bai Licy glared at Ming coldly, “If you return to Wudu, tell Lady Zhao that Xiao Bai won’t be coming back.”
With that, Bai Licy turned and looked at the black dog: “Let’s go back to the Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The black dog took out a broken void stone, opening a twisted portal to the capital of the Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom.
The black dog reluctantly looked at Ming but was slapped on the head by Bifang’s wing, forcing him to begrudgingly follow Bai Licy.
“Do you want to be Xiao Bai or Bai Licy more?”
Just as Bai Licy was about to step into the void portal, Ming asked.
The girl paused briefly, then stepped into the void portal with her skirt-covered legs. As the portal gradually closed, a chilly voice came from behind: “Bai Licy is Bai Licy.”
Her icy voice faded as the void portal disappeared, leaving everything calm as if nothing had happened.
“Cough cough cough…”
Ming, who had been enduring it, coughed up some blood.
Sitting on the ground, weak and pale-faced, Ming realized he survived.
But Xiao Bai had become the princess of the Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom? “Ten Thousand Directions Kingdom” Ming softly repeated the three words.
“Awooo…”
While Ming was lost in thought, the little girl who had been standing beside him suddenly scrambled towards the direction of the Lava Heart Cave.
Ming painfully stood up, walked over, picked up the girl, brushed off the dirt on her clothes, tucked her under his arm, and flew toward the direction of the Lava Heart Cave.
The mountain’s magical array had been completely destroyed, making it easy for Ming to find the Lava Heart Cave with the little girl.
However, the Lava Heart Cave was already severely damaged, with the entire cave collapsed.
“Awooo… Awooo…”
The little girl struggled out of Ming’s arms, digging at the rocks tirelessly, continuing even as her fingers bled and stained the stones and sand with blood.
Ming didn’t stop her. Instead, he handed her a peachwood sword, harder than rock, to help her dig, while he used a flat stone to assist.
Neither Ming nor the little girl knew how long they had been digging.
Ming knew there would be no results. Her mother and the cultivator had completely vanished, leaving nothing behind.
After digging for a long time, the little girl’s movements slowed, sweat dripping continuously from her forehead.
Finally, she uncovered a large piece of dark stone.
She persistently struck it with the peachwood sword given by Ming.
Even though the wood of the peachwood sword was extraordinary, it could only leave slight marks on the dark stone.
The little girl dropped the peachwood sword, grabbed the stone from Ming’s hand, and kept smashing it against the rock foolishly.
“Awooo…”
“Awooo…”
“Awooo… waaaahhhhhh… wuuuuuhhhh…”
When the stone in her hand finally shattered, mixing fragments with her blood, the little girl burst into tears.
Deep down, she knew her mother and Qi Hui were dead, but she didn’t dare to face it.
Ming didn’t understand why the little girl had such a strong fondness for the Black God Sect cultivator, even developing a familial dependence.
Her biological father had been killed by that cultivator!
Yet Ming didn’t want to reveal the truth now, fearing it would further devastate the little girl.
When the girl cried until her voice was hoarse and had no strength left, leaning against the rock, Ming finally approached and squatted in front of her.
The little girl, with her red, swollen eyes, looked at Ming, sniffing incessantly.
Ming looked straight into the little girl’s eyes: “I owe your mother a favor. She asked me to take care of you, and I will take good care of you.”
Ming extended his hand to the little girl: “If you trust me.”
The little girl looked at Ming’s hand, then lifted her head to meet his eyes, remaining silent without uttering a word.
She stared at Ming without moving her gaze.
Ming reciprocated her gaze, not shifting his own.
“Live… Strong.” The little girl’s mouth struggled to produce three words.
Ming slightly hesitated, understanding her meaning, and nodded with a smile: “Yes, survive. Together, we will live well.”
The little girl swallowed hard, tentatively extending her small hand toward Ming’s, but every time her fingers were about to touch his, she retracted them as if electrocuted.
It seemed as if the little girl had returned to the day she first met her mother.
And Ming waited patiently like Zhao Qionman did that day, regardless of how long it took for her to place her hand in his.
Eventually, the little girl placed her tiny hand in Ming’s palm, lifting her head to look at him nervously.
Ming tightened his grip on her small hand: “My name is Ming. What’s yours? Can you say it?”
“Shen… Shen.” The little girl spoke each word carefully, trying to express herself clearly.
Ming: “Hmm?”
“Chen… Chen.”
The little girl struggled to say.
“My… Min… Word.”
