Chapter 631: Hei Diao’s Betrayal?
Chapter 631: Chapter 631: Hei Diao’s Betrayal?
Shen Ningning’s fingertips gently brushed the snow from the flower. The pure white, translucent Snow Lotus stood tall and proud amidst the wind, snow, and cold rain, its delicate form defiant.
Though battered by fierce winds, it remained standing at the peak of the frigid mountain.
Shen Ningning carefully dug out the flower and set it aside. Then, she began digging through the snow beneath it with her bare hands.
But years of accumulated frost had frozen the earth beneath the snow, making it as hard as rock.
At some point, Hei Diao landed beside her. Forgoing any mockery, it said, "I’ll help you."
Shen Ningning moved to the side. With a single swipe of its sharp talons, Hei Diao tore into the ground. The hard, frozen earth fractured, and chunks of soil went CRUMBLING down.
"That’s enough. I’ll do the rest myself." She was worried its talons were too sharp and might damage what her mother had left behind.
Shen Ningning began to dig deeper, and fast. She had no tools, only her bare hands.
Hei Diao watched from the side, tilting its head in confusion.
"Do you really need this thing that much?"
"With it, I’ll have a chance to see my mother again."
"Oh, a mother? That’s all?" Hei Diao’s tone was placid. "My own mother died not long after I was born."
Shen Ningning’s fingertip caught on something sharp and began to bleed, but she merely frowned in pain and didn’t stop.
She said, "I was stolen by villains as a child and abandoned in the wilderness. I’ve never even seen my mother. But she lost me when she loved me most, and my family said she nearly went mad."
Hei Diao listened in silence.
"As I grew up, I was always searching for my parents. When I finally found my father, I learned that after I disappeared, my mother had a mental breakdown, lost her footing, and drowned. For a time, I was heartbroken, thinking I’d never get the chance to see her in this life."
Surprisingly, Hei Diao seemed to understand. "To spend all your energy searching for someone, only to find out they’re dead... that would indeed be painful."
But then, Shen Ningning laughed. "But now I have hope again. It turns out my mother isn’t dead. If I find what she’s looking for, she can come back and be with me. So, tell me, shouldn’t I give it everything I’ve got?"
Hei Diao didn’t answer. Its dark form stood beside her like a small hill, watching her work.
After a moment of thought, it suddenly asked, "Is the reason you can communicate with animals like us because you have an Immortal Realm full of supplies?"
Shen Ningning’s hands brushed against a hard box in the dirt. She quickly pulled it out, answering as she did, "Why do you call yourself an animal? Didn’t you always call yourself a king before?"
Hei Diao shook the snow from its feathers. "I’m not human, so what am I if not an animal?"
’But Shen Ningning couldn’t help but feel that for a bird like Hei Diao, who understood human nature and could even speak, to so bluntly call itself an animal felt like a kind of unwitting self-deprecation.’
She now held the box in her hands.
It was a square iron box, about the size of a person’s head. The exterior was covered in intricate and splendid patterns, but of a design Shen Ningning didn’t recognize.
However, on the bottom of the box, two words were also carved: Moon’s Flight.
’It seems this is definitely what Mother left behind.’
Unfortunately, the large iron block had no seams or visible mechanisms. Shen Ningning examined it for a long time but couldn’t figure out how to open it.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hei Diao staring intently at the box in her hands.
An idea struck Shen Ningning. She set down the iron box, pulled something from her sleeve, and offered it to the eagle.
"What is this?" Hei Diao asked, looking with surprise at the handful of green grass in her hand.
The colors on the Snow Mountain were somber and dim, a vast expanse of white in every direction. The dreary rain hadn’t stopped for a moment, yet the green in the girl’s hand was like the sole spark of life in the entire world.
Shen Ningning explained, "This is called Spirit Grass. It’s from my Immortal Realm, grown with water from the Universal Spirit Spring. It might not look like much, but it’s very powerful."
"If you consume it, it can clear the blockages in your meridians. Taking it over a long period can also help you restore your body to full health."
"My Immortal Realm is having some problems right now, so I can’t access it. This is all I can give you; I took it out and saved it from before. Once my Immortal Realm is working again, I’ll give you more Spirit Grass. I’ll make sure your left talon is healed."
Amidst the wind and snow, Hei Diao was stunned, remaining silent for a long time.
It was the first time Shen Ningning had seen a look of astonishment on a bird’s face.
"You should open your box first. Isn’t it very important to you?" Hei Diao said, averting its gaze.
Shen Ningning smiled. "It is, but I have to show my gratitude to those who’ve helped me. Take it."
She placed the bundle of Spirit Grass on Hei Diao’s talon.
Then, Shen Ningning turned her full attention back to the iron box, trying to figure out how to open it.
Her slender fingertips, cut while she was digging earlier, were now beading with blood. The droplets seeped into the intricate patterns on the box’s exterior.
Suddenly, something incredible happened!
The iron box grew searing hot, and something inside seemed to be vibrating faintly.
Shen Ningning quickly set it down, waiting to see what would happen.
But a black shadow swooped past, and in the blink of an eye, the iron box vanished from before her.
The panicked girl whipped her head around to see Hei Diao, clutching the iron box, flying toward a nearby slope.
And there, standing as if he had been there all along, was an old man with a full head of silver hair, leaning on a cane.
Shen Ningning shot to her feet. "Hei Diao?! How could you do this?"
But Hei Diao didn’t look at her. It placed the iron box in the old man’s hands before slowly descending to land behind him.
The old man’s face was illuminated by the box, which had begun to emit a blue glow. The deep, ravine-like wrinkles on his face contorted into a triumphant, maniacal grin.
"The Ming Guangxin! I’ve finally obtained it! Shen Siyi took every precaution, but she never could have imagined that her own daughter would one day open the box herself and deliver it right into my hands for nothing!"
The fierce wind whipped at the hem of her robes. Shen Ningning wiped the snow from her brow and stared at him. "You’re Tian Xuezhen?"
Hearing his name, the old man finally raised his head to look at her.
"That’s right. You are Shen Ningning. The moment you appeared in Ling Mountain City, I knew who you were. Because besides her daughter, there is no one else in this world who resembles her so closely."
He let out a sinister cackle. "The Ming Guangxin is incredibly powerful. I laid this trap for so many years, luring you here... and at last, I’ve succeeded."
Shen Ningning’s piercing, dark eyes turned to Hei Diao. "How could you snatch it away and give it to a man like him? Hei Diao! Whether or not my mother can return depends entirely on this box! What am I supposed to do now?"
Hei Diao lowered its head, as if to hide the guilt on its face.
Tian Xuezhen, his hair streaked with white, laughed with contempt. "It’s an animal, nothing more than a beast. Did you really think it would help you? I trained Hei Diao myself by breaking its will. Its only instinct is loyalty to me. Stop your foolish dreaming!"
With that, he turned to leave. The box was about to open, and he needed to find a place to empower himself with the Ming Guangxin.
He didn’t forget to give one last order: "Hei Diao, throw her off Tianshan Mountain."
Hei Diao looked at Shen Ningning.