Chapter 945: For Now

Phoenix Forest of the Green Mountain, third day of the Lunar New Year, early morning.

The forest, a crown jewel of Li City's tourism, sat halfway up the Green Mountain. More than three hundred rare avian species called it home—tens of thousands of birds divided between the flying zone and free range area.

Within the free zone, a serene lake reflected the morning sky, embraced by quaint corridors. Vivid murals of birds adorned the pillars and roofs, almost indistinguishable from their living counterparts.

Despite the winter chill keeping most birds in their habitats, the lake remained alive with movement. Elegant swans glided past leisurely geese, while paired mandarin ducks shared space with wild ducks that couldn’t be easily named.

The corridor wound toward an artificial waterfall, opening onto a small plaza. At its heart stood a massive marble screen bearing a priceless painting, porraying hundreds of birds bowing before a phoenix.

The early morning saw wisps of fog shrouding the mountain. The air was clear. Pleasant chirps interrupted the silence in the forest every now and then.

Two young tourists in gray down jackets, wool hats, sunglasses, and masks made their way along the empty corridor. They stopped before the marble screen, their attention seemingly casual.

"Here?" asked the shorter, chubbier one.

"Here," the tall, slim one confirmed.

"But... this doesn't look like the Nine Scions' base. Are you sure about this, Sister One Stone?"

"Positive." One Stone drew a Black Gold hairpin from her pocket. "The other hairpin was nearby."

She'd acquired Tracking shortly after the Qingyang Bridge battle, a secret she'd kept close. When Wandering Tune was still en route to Dr. Jia's laboratory, the talent had already warned her of trouble on Sir Jiang's end. Then the Ocean River Union had collected their dead and Qilin’s puppets, retreating to base. Within hours, Qilin and Surnamed Li had decided to go underground, abandoning their headquarters.

Before leaving, Qilin had set a trap for the inevitable arrival of Gao Yang, using White Rabbit's incomplete body. He'd tasked Rain River, newly blessed with Hunter, to arrange it.

That moment had shattered One Stone's illusions about Qilin—or perhaps the man he’d appeared to be had always been an illusion, and she was only now seeing clearly.

Elder Vermilion Bird would have never permitted such use of the fallen. While puppeting a companion's body might be interpreted as honoring their desire to fight on, using White Rabbit's incomplete form for mere psychological warfare, not even striking a fatal blow on their enemies? That was pure vindictiveness.

That was the last straw for One Stone. She would not follow the derailed train into the abyss.

She would jump off.

And the jumping part wasn’t a problem; sticking the landing was.

It wouldn’t be difficult to leave the Ocean River Union, but where should she go? One Stone had three options: go unaffiliated, go to the Nine Scions, or go to the Godbearer Cult.

The third option was never a real option to begin with. After careful consideration, One Stone chose option two.

Her reasons were twofold: first, despite Surnamed Li's claims about Gao Yang being the Malediction, One Stone harbored doubts. She wasn't alone in questioning Surnamed Li's prophecies; after all, the old fox had betrayed even Chen Ying, who was like a daughter to her.

More crucially, the Nine Scions' written challenge had mentioned Elder Vermilion Bird was in their care. Though potentially a lie, One Stone would risk everything to verify it.

If she were to pledge herself to anyone, it wouldn't be Qilin or Gao Yang, but Vermilion Bird.

To join the Nine Scions, she had to first contact them.

She didn’t have a foolproof plan. After debating it, she seized her only chance.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

She'd marked two Black Gold hairpins with Tracking and slipped into the morgue. Carefully avoiding the trap, she'd placed one hairpin in White Rabbit's hair.

Her gamble rested on someone from the Nine Scions or Twelve Zodiac Signs being clever enough to recognize that the hairpin couldn't be part of the trap. Black Gold could hold an energy brand far longer than ordinary materials, creating a resonance. In theory, One Stone could track one hairpin through the other for up to ten days.

Indeed, the fourth day the Ocean River Union moved into the Third Hospital, One Stone activated Tracking and sensed the other hairpin. She realized to her pleasant surprise that it had moved!

It had traveled from Nanji District to Shangqing District. While she couldn't pinpoint its exact location without getting closer, the movement confirmed her hopes: the Nine Scions had seen through the trap with White Rabbit's body and taken the hairpin.

It was now or never. On Lunar New Year's Eve, One Stone left the Third Hospital, taking Ting Ting at the last moment.

They took a bath and made their official break.

Using Air Man to cover their tracks, they moved between hiding spots daily. After three days, One Stone felt certain they'd shed any pursuit.

But the Black Gold hairpins' energy was fading. With time running out, One Stone woke Ting Ting at four in the morning on the third day of the New Year. Under the cover of darkness, they left their temporary shelter in an abandoned factory.

Fast forward two hours to the present. The two of them arrived at the Phoenix Forest. Tracking told One Stone that the other hairpin was here, no more than thirty meters from One Stone.

“Look around. It must be near.”

“Ah!” Ting Ting realized. “Did they hide the hairpin to draw us here on purpose?!”

“Of course they did.” One Stone smiled wryly. "After Starcatching Pavilion, do you think the Nine Scions would let us track them to their actual base?"

"Then this is... a trap?!" Ting Ting paled, stepping back as she reached for Air Man.

"Stop!" One Stone grabbed her arm.

Ting Ting trembled beneath her grip.

"Don't use any Talent, and show no hostility," One Stone whispered urgently.

She believed the Nine Scions wouldn’t kill everyone on sight under blind vengeance; otherwise, Liao Liao would have shared Sir Jiang's fate rather than merely disappearing.

Whoosh.

The lake erupted as birds took flight, water droplets sparkling in their wake. Every bird in the forest rose as one, forming living clouds of color above the lake and corridor.

Their wing beats and calls built like a crashing wave. Then, as one, they descended, coating the lake, corridor, marble screen, and plaza like spilled paint. They showed neither aggression nor fear, simply forming a living circle around the two women.

Ting Ting shook even harder, imagining the terrible ends she could meet.

One Stone assured her, “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”

The birds parted like a curtain. A peacock in shimmering blue and green strode onto the plaza, its magnificent tail of green, purple, and blue feathers trailing like an emperor's robe. It halted before them, chest proud, and unfurled its tail into a mesmerizing fan of emerald and amethyst eyes.

Ting Ting had never seen a peacock display its plumage before. Wonder momentarily displaced her fear.

Then her eyes caught something else. "Sister One Stone, look at its beak!"

One Stone spotted it immediately—the other Black Gold hairpin, held delicately in the peacock's beak.

"So it is a setup!" Relief flooded Ting Ting's voice. This didn't feel like a trap meant to harm them.

"Yeah." One Stone started to speak, but a cool breeze swept through her mind.

[If you want to live, be honest with me.]

[Okay.]

[Did you leave the hairpin?]

[I did.]

[What for?]

[To defect to you. May I ask you a question, Nine Frost?]

[Go ahead.]

[Is Elder Vermilion Bird really alive?]

[For now, yes.]