Jingwei

"Heh heh, ha ha, hahahahaha!"

On the beach, as dusk settled, Wu Wang's unrestrained laughter grew louder.

A bird, somewhat wary, landed on a distant reef. A short knife was stuck in the reef before it, sinking three inches deep. It was clearly startled by Wu Wang's laughter.

The bird transformed back into a maiden, sitting on the reef, frowning as she watched Wu Wang soaking in the sea.

Wu Wang immediately jumped up. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the maiden take half a step back, her eyes full of wariness.

What's this? A good thing happening?

Wu Wang quickly regained his composure, analyzing the situation. He was so preoccupied that he forgot to dry the water from his clothes and hair. He stood up and offered the maiden a standard Human Domain bow.

"This humble Taoist is Wuwangzi. I apologize for any offense just now. Please, maiden, do not take it to heart."

Ugh, where did that 'do not take it to heart' come from? And why has my voice become so deep...

"Hu-man Do-main?"

The maiden's speech was difficult, her tone strange, but her meaning was clear.

In any case, her voice was incredibly pleasant.

Wu Wang said seriously, "This humble Taoist hails from the Northern Sea and wishes to travel to the Human Domain. Along the way, I encountered some unforeseen circumstances and was aided by an elder with great divine abilities, who sent me to this place.

I was too excited upon seeing you earlier; there's actually another story behind it."

The maiden's small face was filled with suspicion.

Wu Wang offered a smile he thought was very warm. The starfish on his head, coupled with his sharp facial features, created an indescribably comical sight.

The maiden turned her head to the side, unable to help but raise her hand, covering her mouth with the back of it, and let out a soft laugh.

With a gentle wave of her hand and a twist of her body, she transformed back into a bird and flew towards the tree, leaving behind only two words:

"Do not. Disturb."

Wu Wang raised his hand and took two steps in pursuit, then felt he was being too hasty. He stopped, standing in the sea, lost in thought for a while.

What is going on?

Why was I able to make physical contact with this maiden without triggering Maiden Contact Sleep Syndrome?

Could it be because her true form is a bird?

But there are many Fierce Beasts in the Great Wilderness that transform into human form. When I was trying to verify my strange illness, I pestered my old father to try a series of interactions with human-shaped Fierce Beasts.

The result was—the strange illness completely blocked any possibility of me developing normal relationships with men and women.

The maidens of Qingqiu were no good, neither was Yu Shiqie's maiden, nor the Black Corpse maiden, nor the maidens of the Quanrong Tribe...

Then why can I uniquely interact with this bird-like Fairy?

"Hmm?"

Wu Wang looked up at the Divine Tree on the cliff and saw the bird, which was the Fairy's transformed state, fly out from the tree.

She flapped her wings and flew above the sea, dropping a wooden branch she held in her beak into the water.

Wu Wang keenly noticed a detail: the colorful feathers on the bird's forehead were flashing with light, while the spiritual light in her eyes had significantly faded, appearing somewhat dim.

Because his own Star Invocation Technique rank was barely passable, Wu Wang's perception of soul and Spiritual Sense was quite keen. At this moment, he acutely sensed that the bird-like Fairy's soul was unusual.

Only then did he remember to look down at himself.

Wu Wang quickly jumped out of the waves, tidied himself up, and kept his Spiritual Consciousness locked onto the bird. He watched her fly back and forth, carrying small branches and gravel, throwing them into the sea.

This scene inexplicably felt familiar to Wu Wang.

A pair of Star Wings spread out behind him, and he slowly approached the Divine Tree, landing beneath it. He looked up at the bird's figure, watching her fly back and forth, tirelessly, mechanically repeating the same action.

Carrying twigs to fill the sea?

It's as if I've seen this description somewhere before, it seems like, it's...

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Wu Wang's mind.

The daughter of the Flame Emperor, her name was Nuwa. Her boat capsized in the East Sea and she drowned. With resentment in her heart, she transformed into the divine bird Jingwei, carrying gravel and twigs, trying to fill the East Sea, never ceasing for years.

Isn't this! A mythological story I read in my elementary school textbook in my past life?

Jin Wei, Jing Wei, Jing...

"Jingwei?"

Wu Wang blurted it out almost involuntarily.

The bird flying overhead looked down, the light on her forehead receded, and her bird eyes showed a hint of satisfied brightness. She returned to the tree branch and nodded repeatedly at Wu Wang:

"Jin Wei!"

"Are you Senior Shennong's daughter? Nuwa?"

"Jin Wei."

The Jingwei bird nodded gently, her eyes seeming a little disappointed.

Wu Wang immediately understood the whole story, realizing why he could interact with this Fairy... This was Senior Shennong's unfinished wish!

She was a spiritual body at the moment, not a true living being, but a remnant soul left behind after death.

This...

Sensing the loss in the Jingwei bird's eyes, Wu Wang, though unsure of the reason for such disappointment, didn't want her to become dejected because of his question.

He cleared his throat, his mind racing, and then said with a smile:

"How come legendary figures have accents?"

Crack!

The branch was instantly crushed by a pair of delicate bird claws.

The Jingwei bird, huffing with anger, spread her wings, turned, and dove into the Divine Tree. She quickly emerged carrying a short piece of wood, circling and diving, and hurled the wood at Wu Wang's forehead.

Wu Wang covered his face with his hands, repeatedly begging for mercy. The Jingwei bird relentlessly pursued, and it seemed like "minus one" characters were popping up on his forehead.

After this playful scuffle for a while, the Jingwei bird seemed a bit tired. She flapped her wings and flew back into the treetop.

Not long after, she flew out again, this time carrying a twig. The colorful feathers on her forehead lit up, and she sent the twig towards the sea.

Wu Wang stood under the tree with his arms crossed, and the image of Jingwei emerging from the green mist appeared before his eyes, a slight smile touching his lips.

It was as if a drop of water had fallen into his heart, creating ripples. The full moon reflected in the water was also slightly shattered by it.

He couldn't help but fantasize:

Could this be arranged by Senior Shennong? Did he plan all of this when diagnosing my strange illness? Is he trying to recruit me as a live-in son-in-law?

So that's why he threw me here, to cultivate feelings with Miss Jingwei?

But how can humans and spiritual bodies have children?

Ah, what am I even thinking! Wu Wang, Wu Wang, how can you have such thoughts? Love must be mutual, not arranged by the previous generation!

However, I could actually touch her just now... I could touch her. This might be the only woman in the Great Wilderness I can touch, besides the Innate God who cursed me.

Am I going to be the Ning Caichen of the Great Wilderness?

That's not right either. The old senior's wish should be to save Jingwei. If Jingwei is no longer a spiritual body, wouldn't I also be unable to interact with her?

Without realizing it, Wu Wang leaned against the faintly glowing Divine Wood, arms crossed, a smile on his face, watching Jingwei bird's tireless, back-and-forth movements for a long time without moving.

After half an hour, Wu Wang finally remembered that he had more important things to do.

Despite his shock earlier, the first thing he did after his Spiritual Sense began to recover was to expand his Spiritual Consciousness, scanning the entire island and its surroundings.

The island was rich in Spiritual Energy, and the patches of spiritual herbs growing everywhere were likely planted by Senior Shennong.

Some of these spiritual herbs were even said to be extinct in the Great Wilderness, yet here he saw them growing in abundance.

The island was surrounded by a shallow sea. The water was a clear, azure blue, with white, fine sand at the bottom. Coral reefs stretched out, schools of spiritual fish swam in groups, and within a ten-mile radius covered by the array, there were no ferocious sea beasts.

Wu Wang spread his wings and flew towards the array. He put on the two rings given to him by Shennong. Two wisps of aura, one black and one white, emerged from them and entered the barrier of the array.

I can leave?

A sense of danger suddenly arose in Wu Wang's heart, and the necklace on his chest trembled slightly.

He instantly retreated backward, but a beam of light suddenly erupted from the barrier in front of him, hitting his shoulder!

An immense force struck him, sending Wu Wang flying diagonally for hundreds of feet. With a cry of "Ouch!", he plunged directly into the sea.

On the island's cliff, Jingwei, who had just flown out of the tree crown with a twig, turned to look in his direction. Her bird eyes widened, the twig in her beak slipped, and she quickly flew over, flapping her small wings.

Azure sea and blue sky, white sandy beach.

The young man sat cross-legged on the beach, scratching his head and smiling, his wet hair still dripping water.

The bird in front of him hopped on one leg at times, flapped her wings at others, and kept chirping "Jin Wei, Jin Wei."

It was as if she was lecturing the young man.

Thump!

With a soft sound, Wu Wang instinctively looked up and saw the slowly swirling green smoke again. He saw a girl in a light green short skirt, barefoot, stepping out of the green smoke.

This time, Wu Wang reacted much faster, focusing his gaze on her face to avoid any impropriety.

Unexpectedly, he saw her charming eyes and cherry lips, her brows like delicate willow leaves, her earlobes exquisitely translucent, and a slight pout of annoyance.

How to describe her beauty?

A face like blooming peach blossoms seemed too flirtatious, while being proud like frosted plum blossoms was too cold. Wu Wang couldn't utter phrases like "neither increased nor decreased, beauty naturally connected," and could only offer a sincere compliment:

"You're really beautiful."

"Hmm?"

The young girl Jingwei tilted her head slightly. She had been somewhat angry, but Wu Wang's compliment caught her off guard.

She let out a hum, seemingly a little annoyed, a slight blush crossing her face. Her lips, which were about to part, pursed. She quickly raised her hand and wrote two lines of text in the air before turning back into the green mist and flying away, transforming into the divine bird with a flap of her wings.

Wu Wang carefully deciphered the somewhat complex ancient human characters, and quickly understood the meaning of the two lines:

[This place is covered by an array. Trespassing carries the risk of a fatal outcome.]

"You're quite kind-hearted, aren't you?"

Wu Wang called out, "Thank you for the reminder, this humble Taoist will be careful!"

However, he received no response.

Judging by her age, if she were considered alive, she would be an ancient person.

Wu Wang let out a soft breath, spread his wings, and flew towards the array's barrier again. This time, he didn't touch it easily, merely circling it once to confirm that the great array had no blind spots, whether above or below the sea.

'Quickly, a few days; slowly, a few years.'

With Senior Shennong's reminder and the current situation, Wu Wang's mind suddenly conceived a bold idea.

If Senior Shennong arrived in a few days, the old senior would surely be worried about him eloping with his precious daughter.

If Senior Shennong arrived in a few years, then this old senior probably genuinely had some ulterior motives.

Actually, there was another possibility.

If the old senior couldn't make it... cough, the Human Emperor is invincible, sweeping across the Great Wilderness!

Another possibility was the path of condensing belief to become a god.

When communicating with Senior Shennong, the old senior had mentioned this matter, stating that 'the Human Domain had attempted it before.'

If a remnant soul or spirit body could cultivate into a postnatal god through the method of condensing belief to become a god, then it would indeed be like bringing Jingwei back from the dead.

He had just managed to condense belief to become a god in the Women's Country. Senior Shennong finding him in advance and sending him here was very likely for this very reason.

That's not right either. Without the arrangements left by the Goddess in the Women's Country, how could it be easy to create a god out of thin air?

Moreover, the legend of Jingwei filling the sea had been circulating in the Human Domain for many years. If Senior Shennong wanted to use the method of condensing belief to become a god, why would he wait until now?

His being sent to this place by the old senior definitely had a deeper meaning.

'Well, thinking too much is useless. I'll wait and see for now.'

Before the old senior arrives, I'll interact more with Fairy Jingwei, at least become friends first.

Wu Wang glanced at his attire, then quietly slipped to the other side of the small island. He used his magic power to create a small barrier and spent half an hour inside, fiddling around before stepping out.

"Look at this young man!"

His white robes were like snow, his long robes like brocade. He had a refined bearing, a face like polished jade, red lips, white teeth, a handsome young master. His eyebrows were clear, his eyes bright, a young Moon Sacrifice. His long hair was meticulously combed, and a soft hair ribbon gently floated in the sea breeze.

He took out a folding fan, a faint smile on his lips, and strolled towards the area beneath the Divine Tree.

—His cultivation was too low to fly; his Star Wings were too conspicuous and ruined the overall aesthetic of his attire, so he could only walk.

Reaching the tree, Wu Wang said loudly:

"Fairy Jingwei, are you tired from filling the sea?"

Silence reigned under the tree for a moment, only the faint sound of bird wings flapping could be heard.

"Um, Fairy, do you know where this place is, and which part of the Great Wilderness we are in?"

Puff puff puff puff...

Wu Wang blinked and, still not giving up, waited under the tree for a while. Seeing a Jingwei bird fly over, he loudly exclaimed:

"Fairy! Are you hungry?"

The Jingwei bird, holding a piece of broken wood in its beak, turned and flew away, leaving six faint ink dots in the air.

Wu Wang stood under the tree. A small northern wind drifted past him, carrying away a slightly withered yellow leaf.

Why aren't you responding?

Not even a glance in his direction.

Could it be due to the anomaly of her soul? Or was his charm value too low?

He did not give up. Having finally encountered a member of the opposite sex with whom he could mutually sense each other's warmth, how could he let them become strangers like this!

Even if she could poke him a few more times, or pinch his shoulder, that would be immense happiness!

Wu Wang took a deep breath, turned, and fiddled around under the tree. He took out a drum made of Northern Plains beast hide and sat down on the ground, beginning to beat it.

After a while, the beast hide drum was replaced by a gong, then a jade flute, then a tree leaf, then a erhu.

Wu Wang even unleashed his ultimate move, taking out a sanxian and playing the famous tune—"Fairy Opposite, Look This Way."

However, none of it earned him even a backward glance from the Jingwei divine bird.

From night till morning, Wu Wang sat under the tree, somewhat exhausted, and looked at the birds flying overhead with a wry smile.

It was now clear that her current state made it difficult for her to perceive anything.

'Forcing me to use my ultimate move!'

Wu Wang took a gentle breath, jumped up from under the tree, and seizing the opportunity when the Jingwei bird flew towards the sea, he took out a strap and tied a loop around a tree branch, putting his own head into it.

Then, he bent his legs, striking a pose as if he were hanging himself.

—After being able to circulate his internal Heavenly Cycle, holding his breath for several months was not a problem.

The divine bird, which had been flying back, suddenly became sharp-eyed. The light on its forehead feathers faded, and its speed suddenly increased by a notch!

As she was about to reach the tree, she burst into a puff of green smoke in mid-air. Her graceful figure flew out from within, wrapping around Wu Wang's waist and pulling him aside.

Wu Wang looked up at the pretty face so close to him, at her snow-white neck, and felt the slender hand encircling his waist. His heart suddenly thumped a few times.

After circling him, Wu Wang was placed on a gentle slope nearby. Jingwei, however, stood with a stern little face, glaring at him from about five feet away.

"What are you doing! Why would you belittle your own life?"

"The Fairy is truly kind," Wu Wang said immediately. "I apologize sincerely for using the Fairy's kindness to awaken you.

But Fairy, could you talk with me for a moment?

I, I really want to understand you more, and I want you to understand me more as well."

As he spoke, Wu Wang took two steps forward. Sunlight filtered through the treetops and fell upon him, illuminating his face with a slightly apologetic smile, and his eyes with a hint of helplessness.

An Innate God who cursed himself at the age of seven or eight;

The heir of a Great Clan who suffered from a strange illness that prevented him from coming into contact with women;

He went to the Women's Country but it was like entering a bathhouse, where he had to tie a safety rope to the soap, unable to relax for a moment;

He had fallen for women around him several times but dared not express his feelings, even deliberately distancing himself;

Knowing that mastering the ninth level of the Flame Emperor Token was harder than ascending to heaven, and that he was definitely the latest starter, yet he still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking of freeing himself from the shackles of an Innate God, and even gaining the strength to slap that Innate God a few times…

As if a thousand words were stuck in his throat, Wu Wang let out a soft sigh at this moment, hands behind his back, a smile on his face.

"It's truly wonderful to meet you this early."

"Hmm?"

Jingwei blinked her eyes. Little question marks, like mushrooms after rain, sprouted one after another above her head.