Chapter 77 His meeting with me must have been a stroke of luck...

At first, the group of evil cultivators would come back in twos and threes to check on the kingfisher, but when they saw that it was indeed lifeless, they had no choice but to give up and leave, giving it a regretful look.

Like water, gentle and formless, Shi Wenzhe tried every possible method to touch the ground, but unfortunately, she had nowhere to put her weight on, and every step she took was extremely difficult. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, her feet finally touched the ground, and the hard ground made her heart finally settle down.

She smiled genuinely, but her face was stiff, making her look rather unattractive.

Shi Wenzhe walked as if he were on water, his heels floating and his toes barely gripping the ground. The copper coins at his waist jingled with each step, the only sound in the world.

Linglong lay on the dry ground, its feathers covered in mottled mud and blood, almost unrecognizable as a bird.

Shi Wenzhe squatted down with difficulty, trying to pick him up, but the kingfisher flew through her palm. She was like an hourglass that couldn't hold back the sand, and her efforts were in vain.

She tried many times, each time failing to grasp the moon's reflection in the water. Finally, exhausted, she lay down and fell asleep next to the kingfisher, like a traveler returning home. Although her home was dilapidated and unlike what it used to be, the moment she returned home was always the most satisfying and relaxing. She smiled and tilted her head to look at it.

Those eyes were gentle and tender, as if they held countless tenderness and pity, quietly watching the kingfisher.

Shi Wenzhe shifted her body slightly, and Ruoshui bounced a few times like jelly. Shi Wenzhe immediately grabbed the soil beneath her. In fact, she couldn't grab anything, but she still wanted to hold on.

She moved her body slowly closer to the kingfisher, her figure overlapping with the bird's. Then she straightened her body, facing the sky and back to the ground, as if she were sleeping, cradling the kingfisher on her chest, as if even in this way, the little bird could receive her warmth and have a good sleep.

Shi Wenzhe fell asleep, her soul gradually weakening, growing weaker day by day. After seeing the evil cultivator break the kingfisher's wings and claws again, she finally closed her eyes.

The kingfisher is getting smaller and smaller.

The grief and anger she felt when she was lucid were still there, stuck in her chest and unable to escape. She wanted to kill the evil spirits and heretics, she wanted to go back a thousand years, let the little bird truly sleep on her body, and finally take Linglong home.

She was awakened by the urgent cry of a deer. The sound was all too familiar to her; it was the little deer she spent every day with, the little deer she had saved, the little deer named Deer Cry.

Shi Wenzhe suddenly opened his eyes and sat up abruptly.

Her heart pounded violently. She looked around and saw a scene of endless war. The once peaceful village was now engulfed in flames. Countless disciples of the immortal sects and demons were locked in fierce battle. Various demon races darted among them, delivering fatal blows to the demons. The screams, roars, and shouts were deafening. Blood was everywhere, and the air was thick with malevolence. The wind rustled through the air.

Shi Wenzhe breathed with relief, as if she had just been pulled from the water. Suddenly, she panicked and looked at her chest, but the kingfisher's image on it had vanished. She could no longer find it in the vast sea of ​​people.

With a clang, the sound of what kind of weapon made it was unknown. Shi Wen looked up in a daze, her eyes widening in disbelief and astonishment. Then, a great joy filled her chest, and she jumped up.

"Zhaohua! Zhaohua!" she called out, and Ruoshui drifted away again. Shi Wenzhe bit her lip tightly, forcing herself to calm down, and then headed towards Zhaohua, who was so dazzling and conspicuous among the demons.

Shi Wenzhe thought excitedly, "Zhaohua has taken human form! He has finally achieved human form! He came down the mountain to save Linglong! I knew it! I knew it! Linglong will definitely not die! Zhaohua..." She chuckled a few times, her eyes, like stars, shining beneath her messy hair.

Zhao Hua stood tall and graceful, so beautiful and composed. Her peach blossom eyes held a murderous intent, but her gaze towards the little bird nestled in her neck was so tender.

Shi Wenzhe finally showed a relieved smile. Her lips were as pale as paper, and her eyes were filled with tears, but her smile was so sincere and her eyes so bright.

Everything is getting better, really everything is getting better.

Qingzhu also arrived. When Suiyuan Fengxue Nanwu Bailian killed their enemies, they were so brave and valiant. They were completely different from the ones Shi Wenzhe remembered. Shi Wenzhe finally felt the reality of their growth. Liumian and Luming were treating their wounded clansmen. Amidst the chaos of war and the clanging of weapons, Shi Wenzhe was not afraid at all. Instead, he found it very lively.

The battle was won beautifully, but Qingzhu still left Danfeng. Her worried expression on the battlefield seemed like an illusion. When Qingzhu left, she was still very resolute and did not look back. It was the first time Shi Wenzhe had seen Danfeng, a model of righteousness, with a sorrowful expression. It was as if the other party had a thousand words that he had not yet spoken.

Shi Wenzhe mocked him a few times, "What's wrong with coaxing a beauty? Time waits for no one, young man. Don't miss out on such a good opportunity, otherwise... it would be such a pity."

When they returned to Peach Blossom Valley, everyone looked sad. Shi Wenzhe didn't know what had happened. Although Linglong had been brought back, he still hadn't woken up as the days went by. Zhaohua took another peach and fed it to the kingfisher.

The little bird is so naughty and disobedient. It won't eat a single bite of the fruit it was fed, even though it used to love and cherish those peaches.

Shi Wenzhe didn't know how many peaches Zhao Hua had left, but he figured there weren't many. He was the mountain god of Peach Blossom Valley, and only one fruit would ripen every thousand years. Before Linglong came, he usually fed them to the dying demons. After Linglong found out, Zhao Hua basically gave them all to him. He was quite puzzled when he learned about this.

He didn't know what the departure of life meant for the living, and kept repeating that life and death are predestined and shouldn't be forced to stay.

I often heard him nodding with a furrowed brow.

But Zhaohua always said that those he met were destined to meet him, and that their lives were not meant to end.

Shi Wen paused for a moment, then relaxed his brows and nodded.

Linglong could only sigh in the end.

This peach now looks much smaller than any of the previous ones, and it's bright red, as if it's been soaked in blood. Shi Wenzhe suddenly felt uneasy and apprehensive.

Linglong still hadn't woken up, while Zhaohua grew weaker day by day. Shi Wenzhe didn't know what was wrong, but all the little demons in the valley looked worriedly at the towering tree and the person and bird under it.

Finally, one day, Qingzhu spoke. The sorrow in her eyes was like snow that never melts, only this time the snow was heavier. She squatted down in front of Zhaohua and whispered, "Zhaohua, why don't we... let him rest in peace?"

Zhao Hua ignored him and said to herself, "I used peaches to keep him alive. He should have survived by meeting me."

Shi Wenzhe felt a tug at her heartstrings, as if pricked by needles, so dense that she could hardly breathe.

Qingzhu sighed deeply, and Bai Lian suddenly choked up, followed by soft sobs that echoed under the tree.

"Brother Zhaohua, Brother Xiaohua is really dead, please let him go." Bai Lian cried until her face was covered in tears.

Zhao Hua lowered his head and remained silent.

Shi Wenzhe squatted beside Zhao Hua. When he heard the words "Little Flower Brother", distant memories flooded his mind. The Little Flower Brother that Lu Ming kept mentioning that day was actually Linglong. If it was true, then who else could save these little demons but him?

A few months later, a violent earthquake struck Peach Blossom Valley. Rocks fell, jagged cracks appeared in the ground, withered tree roots were uprooted, and dust covered the ground.

Peach Blossom Valley, which had been thriving, began to decline after the earthquake, as if its last breath had been cut off.

Even the soil on the ground was a pale gray.

Zhao Hua suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Liu Mian rushed forward in a panic, and his right hand, which was holding Zhao Hua's pulse, suddenly trembled. He trembled and said in disbelief, "How can he be in the state of exhaustion? He just took human form."

He held it twice more, his spiritual energy flowing through Zhaohua's meridians. He gripped it tightly, but Zhaohua gently released it in the end. His fingers twitched for a moment, and his eyes reddened when he looked at the few little demons rushing over.

"Liu Mian, what's wrong?" Feng Xue asked.

His ears were ringing. He opened his mouth, but he didn't know what he said. In the end, all he could see in his eyes were the incredulous faces of the people.

Zhao Hua drove them back to the cave. Bai Lian cried so hard that she could barely stand and was carried back by Feng Xue, whose eyes were red. The dazed little demons were enveloped by the tangible sadness and did not notice Nan Wu's bright, almost burning eyes beside them. She seemed to have made a decision, feeling somewhat relieved, somewhat sad, but mostly resolute.

Zhao Hua began to sleep soundly for days on end, and Zhe would often squat beside him and smile bitterly. She knew that Zhao Hua was on the verge of death, and that one day he might not wake up again.

Then Peach Blossom Valley descended into chaos, as if the mountain that had been supporting them had finally collapsed.

But the little demons eventually grew up and became capable of standing on their own in the tribe, holding their own in the world.

Qingzhu went out for a while and then rushed back. Shi Wenzhe watched as she fed Linglong a bowl of emerald green water. She didn't know what it was, but the emerald green in the white jade bowl was so vibrant that it seemed to be something other than ordinary. As Linglong finished drinking it all, Shi Wenzhe pursed her lips, and a faint sense of anticipation began to rise in her heart.

But as the days passed, Linglong still did not wake up. Zhaohua would occasionally wake up, dragging his heavy body to stay by the kingfisher's side. He sat under the peach tree, looking at the human world and all living beings with a sorrowful and helpless look in his eyes.

His body was so fragile that when the wind blew, it seemed as if he would be blown away along with the peach blossoms.

Another month has passed.

Shi Wenzhe gradually got used to the lifeless atmosphere in the tribe. Without Linglong's protection, the little demons became the guardians of others, and they did a good job. Shi Wenzhe was somewhat gratified and rarely showed a smile.

In reality, this was just a dream that happened in the past for her, something that couldn't be changed.

This dream was cruel and violent. She couldn't change the ending, but before the end came, Shi Wenzhe still held onto hope, wishing that everyone she saw would be better off.

But things didn't go as planned.

The passage of time was insignificant to her over thousands of years; she never looked forward to the future, but instead lingered in the past.

The resolute look in Nanwu's eyes that day has finally found its answer today.

She was a quiet girl, aloof and powerful in spirit, but steady and never made a mistake. Most of the little demons admired her, perhaps with a little fear, so few would speak to her. She always stood quietly around them, acting as a silent guardian, with little presence, but everyone knew that Nanwu would never leave.

She will be behind everyone, protecting their backs.

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Author's Note: Nanwu Baby