Gu Shenwei was like a lone swimmer in an endless ocean. When he was at his most exhausted, he came upon a small island. Though he knew his destination still lay beyond the horizon and that sooner or later he would have to swim on, he lingered in its comfort, searching for every excuse to delay the moment he had to plunge back in.
The Great Peng Birds were his little island. He liked these two strange creatures and even revered them.
For two months, unless rain poured down in torrents, he saw the Great Peng Birds almost every day. He ate the flowers and fruit they brought, chatted with them for a few words, and, when they were in good spirits, went up to stroke their glossy black feathers.
The Great Peng Birds, in turn, were like stern elders who cherished this unusual human. They brought him gifts without end, yet kept themselves aloof, allowing him to cross the line and act playfully only once in a while.
Gu Shenwei had no premonition that the sorrowful moment was coming. Xue Niang had begun to grow impatient, frequently urging him to make faster progress, while Shangguan Yushi was finding it harder and harder to hide her jealousy, often giving him dirty looks. But all in all, these two months had passed without incident. Shangguan Ru increasingly treated him as a trusted aide, and his Qi Deviation had not returned. Since entering Golden Peng Fortress, this had been the easiest stretch of his life.
It was too easy to feel like the real life of someone burdened with a deep-seated vendetta. If he had to look for an omen, perhaps that was one.
That morning, Gu Shenwei went to Giant Stone Cliff as usual. After tidying his things, he practiced martial