Chapter 68: Recruiting the Crow
Little A Yan's big, round eyes glistened with unshed tears as she expressed her displeasure with a series of 'Eee-yah, eee-yah' sounds.
Seeing she was about to cry, Qin Xuan took A Yan from Jing Ni's arms, kissed her chubby little cheek, and held her close to comfort her. Only then did A Yan stop fussing.
For a fleeting moment, Jing Ni thought she saw A Yan, nestled in Qin Xuan's arms, give her a triumphant and smug smile.
Was that just my imagination?
"Aren't you going to try the Vermillion Bird Domain?" Jing Ni asked again.
"That thing is a bit too ostentatious. I'll find another opportunity to try it later," Qin Xuan said. "You also need to quickly familiarize yourself with your new Spirit Abilities."
Jing Ni nodded seriously. The twenty-four abilities from her six 100,000-year Spirit Bones and six 100,000-year spirit rings were all perfectly suited for her. Her Spirit Bone armor possessed incredible defense and granted her a versatile set of skills: control, single-target attack, group attack, and support. Each ability was exceptionally powerful.
She didn't want to become what Qin Xuan called a "battle idiot"—powerful fighters who frequently missed their ultimate moves, hit their own teammates, or were easily outsmarted by their enemies.
[PS: All Titled Douluos of Spirit Hall, come out and take your beating.]
"Tomorrow marks half a month. We should set off to find Elder Ling Yan, otherwise she'll start to worry," Jing Ni reminded him, looking at the rapidly darkening sky.
"No hurry. With our current speed on flying swords, we can catch up in half a day. Before that, there's one more thing to handle."
Under Jing Ni and A Yan's astonished gazes, Qin Xuan took out the Mo Ya recruitment card he had drawn earlier.
In the world of Qin's Moon, outside the capital city of Xinzheng in the Han State, two figures—one black, one white—soared freely like birds in the afterglow of the setting sun. Finally, they landed simultaneously on the treetops of a mountain peak, overlooking the entire city.
"Every time you finish a mission, you get a little sentimental," Mo Ya said, looking sideways at Bai Feng.
Bai Feng held a black feather, identical to the one on Mo Ya, between his fingers. His tone was filled with unwillingness and anger. "We control the lives of others, ending them with our own hands, yet our own fate is not in our control. Don't you find it cruel?"
Mo Ya had a different perspective. "I try not to think about it. Thinking too much is also cruel to myself. What's important is that the dead have found liberation; only the living can truly experience suffering."
Bai Feng remained silent, unable to refute, but his tightly clenched fists revealed the turmoil in his heart.
Caw—
Suddenly, an eagle's cry echoed, accompanied by the rustling of leaves in the wind. The two subconsciously looked up to see a black eagle chasing a small white bird.
"It's the General's most beloved hawk, chasing its prey," Mo Ya said with some surprise.
"In the General's eyes, we are also his hawks, constantly doing the same thing," Bai Feng's emotions began to spiral out of control.
The "General" they spoke of was Grand General Ji Wuye of Han, a corrupt and tyrannical official who wielded immense power. He was cunning, greedy, and evil to the core, and he owned a private assassin organization called 'Nightfall'. The 'White Birds', to which they belonged, was a branch of that organization.
Seeing the situation worsen, Mo Ya was about to suggest 'saving that little bird' to distract Bai Feng when a leisurely voice echoed in his ears.
"Actually, you can choose a different way of living."
As the words fell, a golden rainbow streaked past their eyes. The hawk chasing the small white bird was struck by something and instantly burst into flames. Before it could even cry out or fall to the ground, it turned to ash and scattered in the wind.
"The hawk was—" Both were startled. Mo Ya reacted first, urgently warning, "Get out of the way!"
Almost at the same instant, Bai Feng moved. Mo Ya was a step faster. The two flew to opposite sides of the jungle, then turned back, assuming a defensive stance. Their eyes were full of vigilance as they looked at the spot where they had just been standing.
Someone had appeared there.
He looked to be under twenty, dressed in luxurious fur robes. His long hair cascaded like a waterfall, adorned with a flawless jade crown. His eyes were as black as ebony, his nose high and heroic, and his impeccable features were enough to make any woman lose herself for a moment.
It was Qin Xuan, who had just crossed over using the recruitment card.
"Who are you?" Mo Ya's voice was tense. "Aren't you afraid of offending our General by killing his hawk?" Crows symbolized death, and from Qin Xuan, Mo Ya sensed an extremely dangerous aura. He immediately invoked Ji Wuye's name and winked at Bai Feng, signaling him to find a chance to escape.
"Ji Wuye is a decaying corpse in a tomb, a dying man," Qin Xuan said, extending his right hand. The small white bird seemed to be summoned, flying automatically into his palm. Qin Xuan gently stroked its back, then took out some Blood Coagulation Powder and applied it to a scratch on the bird. Under the shocked gazes of Mo Ya and Bai Feng, the wound healed at a visible speed.
The bird affectionately rubbed against his hand.
"It seems you like me. Then stay by my side from now on," Qin Xuan said, placing it into his Qiankun Bag. He then raised his hand and pointed at Mo Ya. "I came here for you."
As his words fell, the air tore with a faint sound. A white feather shot straight towards Qin Xuan's glabella, but it disintegrated into ash half a meter from his body, just like the hawk before it.
"If you want to touch Mo Ya, you'll have to get past me first!" Bai Feng instantly grew furious, disregarding the vast difference in their strengths as he moved to stand in front of Mo Ya.
But Mo Ya stopped him. He pressed down on Bai Feng's shoulder and asked with narrowed eyes, "Does Your Excellency wish to kill me?"
"With no grievances or enmity between us, I'm not that deranged," Qin Xuan replied. "From your conversation, I heard that you are not willing to work for that idiot Ji Wuye. Mo Ya, I value your abilities greatly. Follow me, and I can help you get rid of him."
"Your Excellency must be joking. What's the difference between following you and following the General?" Mo Ya remained wary. He couldn't trust this person of unknown origin. While he couldn't gauge Qin Xuan's power, Ji Wuye's terrifying reputation was deeply ingrained in the hearts of everyone in Nightfall. He couldn't just abandon everything, especially Bai Feng, based on a single sentence.
Qin Xuan explained, "Of course there's a difference. I'm a leader who values talent. In my hands, your fate, though still not your own, will at least allow you to live like a human being—a person of flesh and blood, with emotions."
"But in Ji Wuye's hands, a hawk is always a hawk, summoned and dismissed at will. Once it loses its value, it can be discarded or even eliminated at any time."
"Alright, I know that no matter what I say, you won't fully believe me. And even if you did, you wouldn't be able to let go of the fledgling beside you."