Chapter 129: One Flower, Three Leaves, Blood-Stained Feather

He calmed his mind and focused, listening intently to the sounds around him.

Sure enough, there was a heartbeat. Though it was faint—imperceptible to an ordinary person amidst the roar of churning magma—Qi could accurately pinpoint its source.

It came from a patch of crimson rock. After a quick mental search, a knowing smile touched his lips. He flew to the side and suddenly let out a harrowing, earth-shaking scream, full of dramatic flair, before collapsing headlong onto the scorching volcanic rock, falling deathly still.

Given his clumsy performance, any normal person—unless they were a complete fool—could see he was faking it at a glance. Yet, the very rock where Qi had detected the heartbeat stirred involuntarily, and a crimson eye, rotating a full three hundred and sixty degrees, peeked out.

Discovering that the only biological entity in sight had somehow died, the owner of the eye moved. It rose from the edge of the volcanic rock. Squinting, Qi saw it was a chameleon over a zhang long. It was currently a vibrant crimson, blending perfectly with the surrounding stone; even Qi had failed to identify it earlier.

It approached the great tree with extreme caution, lifting a foot to step onto the trunk in hopes of plucking the fruit.

However, as it stepped, it found no purchase, as if it were treading on thin air.

"Hiss! Roar!" The giant chameleon suddenly felt a sharp, agonizing pain in its right forelimb. After a cry of agony, it lifted its leg to look; the limb was as smooth and flat as tofu sliced by an incredibly sharp blade.

Its two rotating eyes flickered with a hint of fear, but upon seeing the ghostly blue fruits, that fear vanished instantly. It opened its mouth and shot out a highly elastic tongue.

Qi stood up, watching as the giant chameleon dissipated into a wisp of blue smoke and vanished from the world. He hurried back to the Nine-Petaled Flower. The notch he had previously sawed was already more than half-recovered—it seemed he would have to saw it all over again.

Though he smiled bitterly, his movements were anything but slow. After the time it takes to brew a few cups of tea, the pristine white Nine-Petaled Flower and the leaf fell into Qi's arms, where he immediately encased them in diamond.

He wondered whether he should continue gathering more leaves, but he feared that the Phoenix and the others might return, leaving him trapped.

*Fortune favors the bold,* he thought. *Besides, I can't die; if worst comes to worst, I’ll just transfer my consciousness. And I still haven't secured the Phoenix’s blood—going back empty-handed would be rather embarrassing.*

With this thought, he didn't stop, skillfully cutting more leaves. By the third leaf, eighty percent of his spiritual energy had been consumed, and several sticks of incense had burned away.

Realizing his energy was running low, he knew staying any longer would be futile, so he decided to head back.

***

He did not know if his protagonist's luck was at work, but under the blessing of fate, a feather as crystal-clear and red as jade drifted down toward him.

Naturally, Qi delightedly snatched the feather and fled into the distance.

During his flight, he examined the jade-like feather. It was over half a zhang long from tip to quill, brilliant crimson and flawless, light as a feather. When he channeled his spiritual energy into it and swung, a sea of fire erupted. It was truly an unexpected treasure.

"What is this?" Qi’s pupils constricted. At the base of the feather, liquid was flowing within the quill. Because it was the same brilliant crimson, he hadn't noticed it before.

A look of joyful excitement broke across his face. It was truly a case of "searching for something high and low, only to find it without any effort." If he wasn't mistaken, this was the blood of the Phoenix. That White Tiger had fought viciously; it certainly didn't look like a mere sparring match.

After a moment's thought, Qi didn't extract the blood; instead, he sealed the base of the feather with diamond and stored it, along with the flower and the three leaves, inside his own body.

With his current spiritual techniques and divine abilities, he could not yet store objects in his Dantian for nourishment, so he had to physically open his body to store the items safely. He was the only one capable of such a feat.

He traveled at lightning speed until he reached the spot where he had parted ways with Najenda. After carving out a cave in the mountain, he began to meditate in seclusion.

The next morning, hearing movement outside, Qi opened his eyes. He had returned to his peak state, and the speed at which his body absorbed spiritual energy had increased significantly—likely due to the feather or the flower and leaves stored within him.

Pushing aside the rock blocking the entrance, Qi saw Najenda standing quietly where they had parted, looking in the direction he had left the day before.

Hearing the sound, she turned and offered an heroic smile. "Back so early? Why didn't you come find me at headquarters?"

Qi stretched. "I’m a low-key person; I don't like being too flashy. Is your business finished? Did you find your companion?"

"It will take another two days to wrap things up. As for the companion, I did find one. She is also a Teigu user, and her assassination record and success rate are on par with Akame’s. She won't arrive until the day after tomorrow. I hear she’s a beauty—are you happy?" Najenda said with a laugh, lighting a cigarette.

"There are plenty of beauties in the world. I’m not Lubbock. Since I have to wait two days, I’ll head back to the hideout first. Just call me if you need anything." Qi wanted to run; he had no patience for staying in that boring headquarters alone.

"I haven't asked you yet: did you get the Phoenix's blood?" Najenda asked with a hint of anticipation.

"Heh heh, I am the all-powerful Qi; there is nothing I cannot do. Once I get back and retrieve the 'Cross Tail,' Sheele will be a vital combat force once again. That should lighten our manpower issues, right?" Qi said with smug satisfaction. Who said luck wasn't a form of strength? Perhaps this luck was just a side effect of his protagonist's destiny.

"Truly incredible. In the history of humanity, there has never been a record of obtaining blood from a Phoenix. You are the first. Once the revolution succeeds, you will definitely be written into the history books."

Najenda exhaled a plume of smoke and looked at Qi deeply. She found it increasingly difficult to fathom this mysterious youth.

"I don't care about that. If there's nothing else, I'm off." Qi turned to leave.

"What's the rush? Can't you stay and keep me company? I get lonely at headquarters all by myself," Najenda teased playfully.

"Cut it out." Qi rolled his eyes and soared into the sky.

...

"I wonder if Little Qi and the Boss have reached headquarters yet?" Mine asked casually over breakfast.

"They should have. Little Qi is very fast," Leone said, stuffing her mouth with meat.

"From what Mine just said, Little Qi is somehow ahead of the Boss. Could it be...?" Lubbock chuckled lewdly.