Chapter 54: Human, This Bird Will Protect You
Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Human, This Bird Will Protect You
"CHIRP!"
Once the last bird had finished eating, the little one chirped again.
Only this time, its voice carried a hint of impatience.
Hearing this, the flock of birds took flight but began to circle endlessly in the air, unwilling to leave.
"CHIRP!"
It was unclear what the flock chirped back, but the little one grew furious. It shot into the air, opened its beak, and spat out a jet of golden-red flame.
The moment the flame appeared, the surrounding temperature skyrocketed.
"CRACK!"
The Ice Attribute Spirit Stone on Lu Wu’s stall exploded.
Lu Wu’s expression cracked, too.
She was heartbroken, but she didn’t dare make a sound.
She was afraid that elegant yet terrifying flame would burn her to ashes, leaving not even a speck behind.
’This Secret Realm is too terrifying.’
’Oh, Qin Zhan... Lou Xiaotian... Boss Lu misses you all so much.’
However, threatened by the little one, the flock of birds no longer dared to linger and fled in disarray.
The area in front of her stall was suddenly empty, leaving only the little creature hopping cheerfully on Lu Wu’s shoulder.
"Little one, do you have a name?"
"Oh, you’re saying your name is Huohuo!"
Lu Wu asked and answered herself.
Chirp?
The little one tilted its head.
The bird had lived in this Secret Realm since birth. It had no name and had never encountered a human.
It had been sleeping before, when it groggily sensed something cool and refreshing appear in the Secret Realm.
This Secret Realm was filled with fire everywhere.
Ice and water could not last long here, yet the coolness the bird felt was potent enough to contend with the Secret Realm’s intense heat.
The bird decided to come and see.
In truth, the bird had arrived much earlier and had seen this human eating something from a small bowl.
It was crystal clear, smelled fruity, and seemed to have a pleasant texture.
Having never eaten human food before, she—the bird—wanted to try it right then and there.
Who knew that after just one bite, the bird would fall in love with it.
It was so tender and smooth.
But more than the sweet fruit humans called "mango," she preferred the food made from Sour Spirit Fruit. Its tartness was a perfect match for the bird’s palate.
The one with crisp peaches was good, too.
This was so much tastier than the fruits in the Secret Realm.
Her belly was round and full.
The bird couldn’t speak human words, but the bird was happy from eating, so the bird had to let its little brothers taste this delicious food.
Her little brothers’ bodies weren’t as strong as hers, constantly scorched by the Secret Realm’s high temperatures.
Even though their bodies had mutated to a certain degree, leaning toward the Fire Attribute, the fire poison that remained inside still caused them pain.
This icy-cool treat could neutralize the fire poison.
As the big sister, the bird definitely had to take care of her little brothers.
Now that her little brothers’ bodies were better, the bird had to find a way to make this human continue making delicious food for the bird to eat.
To get the human to agree, the bird could accept this name, Huohuo.
"Huohuo, when do you think someone will come here?"
Her stall hours for the day were over, and Lu Wu didn’t know how to pass the rest of the afternoon.
Humans?
Here, the only other place the bird had encountered humans, besides this sweet-smelling one right in front of her, was...
"CHIRP!"
So Huohuo chirped, flying ahead. Seeing the human didn’t react, it called out a few more times.
"You want me to follow you."
This time, Lu Wu understood. She followed and saw Huohuo fly to the top of the stone monument.
"You want me to go inside?"
Lu Wu asked tentatively. When she saw Huohuo nod, she hesitated.
’The environment I saw when I touched the monument before didn’t seem very suitable for me to explore.’
"Chirp."
Human, the bird is here. The bird will protect you.
Huohuo lifted its little head, its beautiful crest shimmering under the sun.
The pretty little bird’s charm was enough to tempt Lu Wu into agreeing.
"Alright, I’ll give it a try."
Just in case, she checked the items Uncle Li had given her and then ate another bowl of ice powder.
A coolness spread through her body, making Lu Wu feel right at home even in this environment.
Her palm touched the stone monument. This time, she answered its call.
The sensation was very similar to when she first entered the Secret Realm. Lu Wu was sucked in again, and Huohuo vanished along with her.
The teleportation was quick this time. When she opened her eyes, Lu Wu found herself standing in the middle of a fire.
She was surrounded by burning flames.
The flickering flames all had a faint golden tinge, much like Huohuo’s fire.
And there on her shoulder stood Huohuo.
The flames didn’t seem to dare approach, forming a small vacuum around Lu Wu.
Combined with the bone-chilling effect of the ice powder, Lu Wu found she could walk about freely.
This realization made Lu Wu much bolder.
She walked toward the cave mansion ahead.
Anyone who had read cultivation novels had fantasized about entering some Immortal Cave Mansion and receiving a powerful inheritance.
Lu Wu felt her lucky day had finally arrived.
The ancient, unadorned gate of the structure was made of a grayish-white stone. On it, Lu Wu could see the traces of a flowing Array.
’That’s not something I can undo.’
WHOOSH!
A burst of flame shot out from over her head—it was Huohuo, putting in the effort.
When the flame landed on the gate, the stone door was like a lock that had found its perfect key, and it rumbled open.
It was unbelievably simple.
Lu Wu tentatively stepped inside and found herself in a grand hall.
Several stone pillars stood tall within the spacious hall.
At the highest point sat a chair, and on the chair leaned a Bai Gu.
The bones, despite the untold years they had weathered, remained as white as jade. Their gentle, lustrous texture told Lu Wu that these bones themselves had become a kind of treasure.
If taken out, they could be used as high-grade refining materials.
’Should I take them, or not?’
After some thought, Lu Wu averted her gaze.
’I’m already here to look for treasure; I should probably leave the host’s body alone.’
"CHIRP!"
Huohuo was pointing the way. Lu Wu followed, and after rounding a thick pillar, she saw a small lotus pond.
The water in the pond was bright red, like blood.
In the center of the pond was a lotus flower, its bud waiting to bloom.
The bud was the size of a face and fiery red all over.
The petals had a beautiful, crystal-like texture. Looking closer, she could see a layer of flame like glazed glass surrounding the bud.
The flame was nearly transparent, with a touch of gold embellishing its core.
The ice powder’s effect was still active, but Lu Wu could still feel the intense heat.
Lu Wu took out a very hard piece of ore and threw it. Before it could even get near the bud, the ore melted into molten gold in mid-air, which was then instantly vaporized by the flames, leaving nothing behind.
’If it weren’t for Huohuo and the ice powder, I would’ve been dead the moment I dared to come here.’
Having a healthy sense of self-preservation, Lu Wu had no intention of touching the bud, despite how incredible it looked.
’I’ve had a look around and learned a thing or two, I guess.’
Just as Lu Wu was hesitating, she saw Huohuo spit a mouthful of fire at the bud.
The moment the fire touched the bud, that Glazed Fire seemed to activate, flaring up violently.
The space around it warped from the extreme heat.
Lu Wu’s breathing became ragged.
Not from fear, but because the very oxygen she needed to survive was being burned away by the flames.
This layer of fire burned all things.
It was extremely similar to Huohuo’s fire, yet slightly different.
The two were colliding.
The turbulent flames and power forced Lu Wu to retreat.
She noticed that in the center of the pond, the blood-red water was rapidly evaporating, while the flower bud swayed and began to open a petal.
The flower was about to bloom.