Chapter 2

2: 2

2

I knew that Qionqi, being an ancient ferocious beast, had his own pride and his own temper.

So I gave him my solemn word that I would never, under any circumstances, betray him.

But by the next morning, that promise nearly went up in smoke.

Christopher Henson came looking for me in high spirits, wanting me to sneak Qionqi out.

I clamped a hand over the Cosmic Pouch at once and quickly asked him why.

He pulled out a fistful of Bonemelt Powder, pleased with his own cleverness, and said,

"I heard the Goddess subdued that Qionqi and sealed him inside the Cosmic Pouch."

"When you let him out, throw down a handful of Bonemelt Powder first, and he'll go limp for sure."

"Now that I've got Nyxphoenix, taming that beast will be easy."

"Once word gets out that I defeated Qionqi, the Goddess is bound to take me as her disciple. She might even want to marry me..."

Before I could get a word out, a sinister, cold laugh came from inside the Cosmic Pouch.

Qionqi was almost mad with rage in there.

"Come on, stuff a few more handfuls of that Bonemelt Powder in my mouth first."

"If I don't crush this little beast the second I get out, then I've lived all these years for nothing!"

My expression turned grave too, and I warned him that Qionqi was an ancient ferocious beast, his true form immortal and undying.

A mere handful of Bonemelt Powder wouldn't subdue him. It would only get Christopher killed for nothing.

But Christopher's face darkened, certain now that I simply looked down on him.

I met his eyes plainly and tried to reason with him.

"You are Tinglan's second brother. I would never bring you harm."

"Dozens of high-ranking immortals once fought Qionqi for three days and three nights, and every one of them still died at his hands."

"And you have not yet forged your immortal bones. Against Qionqi, it can only end in your death."

The mention of immortal bones only made Christopher angrier.

Back when I split off a millennium of cultivation and gave it to his eldest sister, Valerie Henson, to help her forge her immortal bones, he had burned with envy the whole time.

He'd come to me in private again and again to demand the same, and I had refused him every time.

Not out of stinginess. It was that even if he received the cultivation, he could never forge immortal bones at all.

That was why I had agreed to give him Nyxphoenix, as compensation.

What I had not expected was that this time he'd come up with an entirely different idea.

Christopher produced the Bone Whistle I had given him and summoned Nyxphoenix.

"This is a mount the Goddess raised with care for years. Its spirit power has to be considerable."

"And after all these days, the Goddess hasn't come looking for Nyxphoenix. She clearly doesn't care about one measly beast."

"So why not take Nyxphoenix's spirit power for myself, use it to forge my immortal bones? I'll be stronger than my sister for sure!"

I shook my head and rejected the idea again.

"These dark cultivation arts might work on someone else. But on you, of all people, they won't."

Humiliated and enraged, Christopher whipped out his lash and left a red welt across my face in an instant.

"You're nothing but a lowly celestial servant. You think a stint waiting on the Goddess gives you the right to run your mouth at me?"

"I haven't even tried yet. How would you know I can't do it?"

My fingertips brushed lightly across my cheek, and the welt vanished wherever they passed.

I hadn't wanted to tell him the truth at first for fear of driving a wedge between him and his mother.

But now that he insisted on getting to the bottom of it, I no longer cared to hide it.

So, holding down the displeasure in my eyes, I told him plainly,

"Because from the moment you were born, your roots were fated to be feeble. You have no talent for immortality."

"Forcibly absorbing Nyxphoenix's spirit power will only make your body burst, and you will die."

The whip slipped quietly from Christopher's hand, and his face crumpled in defeat.

"How is that possible? I've cultivated for nearly a hundred years, and no one has ever told me this."

"And my little sister's roots are worse than mine, yet she gets to be the Goddess's disciple."

"My eldest sister too. She took just a thousand years of your cultivation and grew immortal bones. So why is it that with me, it's this can't and that can't..."

I laid out the reasons one by one.

When his mother gave birth to Valerie Henson, she had not yet committed her great crime and suffered heaven's punishment.

So Valerie needed only to cultivate diligently, and immortal bones would come.

As for Tinglan, I could hardly tell him the real reason. I had feared she would push herself too hard in her cultivation just to see me.

I was afraid she would die in front of me before she ever succeeded, and that was the only reason I had reluctantly taken her as my disciple.

Once he understood it all, Christopher's eyes went red with fury, and he moved to take it out on me again.

But Nyxphoenix instinctively moved to protect me and pecked out one of his eyes.

When the sound of Christopher hitting the ground, screaming and begging for mercy, reached the pouch,

Qionqi laughed with unusual delight.

"Cranemoor, who'd have guessed your bird has more backbone than you do."

"Cooped up all this time, and I finally get to hold my head up for once!"