Chapter 311: Quest Cleared (1)
101 was a reliable fellow.
As he'd said, not long after Shen Jingbin started walking, she reached a vast open space. The fiery red hills had disappeared, the land beneath her seemed less dry, and the fractures were much smaller. Looking closely, she could see tiny grass shoots growing from within them.
In the middle of this wide open expanse, a man and a woman sat across from one another. The man was dressed in black, while the woman was dressed in red. These eye-catching colors were further accentuated by the brown backdrop.
Shen Jingbin walked up to them without a moment's hesitation.
"You've come, youth," Said the woman dressed in red when Shen Jingbin drew close.
Shen Jingbin stopped in her tracks, and Mascot bared its teeth at the woman, giving the impression that it was going to lunge at her at any moment. Shen Jingbin shifted her focus to the women and gave her a once over. She had a gentle expression, but she had an extraordinary presence about her.
"You have the Vermilion Bird's blood and the presence of a Divine Beast on you. You must have come to help me. Good, please kill this man. He is the evil spirit that's been bothering me. Kill him, and I'll be free."
Shen Jingbin remained where she stood, almost as if she hadn't heard what the woman had said. Mascot, who was by her feet, gave off a low growl. The woman in red glanced at Mascot from the corner of her eyes and frowned. "Why aren't you doing anything? Have you been charmed by this evil spirit?"
The little Black Tortoise suddenly moved. With great difficulty, it struggled off Mascot's head and crawled towards the man dressed in black.
Shen Jingbin eyes narrowed. "You're not the Vermilion Bird," She said.
The woman's face stiffened. "What makes you say so?"
Shen Jingbin gestured at the little Black Tortoise which was crawling towards the man. The woman took a look at it, and a smile blossomed on her face. "Young woman, seeing isn't always believing," She slowly said. "You humans think you're so clever, but isn't your race often fooled by appearances? What can this little guy prove?"
Shen Jingbin pursed her lips and didn't respond. Instead, she turned to the man and tried to discern something from his face. At the same time, the little Black Tortoise had reached the man's feet. He silently picked it up and put it in his arms, poking at the little Black Tortoise's shell every once in a while.
Understanding flashed through Shen Jingbin's eyes as she reached a conclusion. She sauntered over to the man and stood next to him. Mascot followed but twisted its little head to the side as if the man wasn't worthy of its attention.
"Even so, if I say you're not the real Vermilion Bird, then you aren't. The decision is mine to make, and you're not who you claim to be."
The woman's face darkened. Her beautiful eyes widened, and she slammed downwards with both her palms, propelling herself into the air. "Then I'll kill both of you! Neither of you is leaving this place alive!"
"You shouldn't have come," The man finally said. He shoved the little Black Tortoise back into her arms, stood up, and nudged Mascot away with his foot. "You fiend, you're much easier on the eyes in this silly form!"
As he spoke, he gave a flourish of his hands and blocked the woman's attack from above.
"Ugh," He grimaced. Dark red blood streaked down from the corner of his mouth. "Listen, I've used too much energy over the years, and I can no longer rival her in power. You're no match for her either. The Black Tortoise and this fiend are still young, so they're not strong enough to fight her yet. You need to go; I'll stop her from going after you."
"Planning to run? You're overestimating yourself, Vermillion Bird. Let's see which of you escapes!" Said the woman as her beautiful face distorted. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, she dived downwards with a 'whoosh' and charged straight into man's body.
The man's entire body started to tremble, and his face continuously switched between that of a man and a woman.
"You… hurry and leave with these two!" The man shouted with his hand around his throat. He looked as if he'd exhausted all of his strength.
Shen Jingbin was speechless. What was this, a soap opera?
Stone-faced, Shen Jingbin took out the Vermilion Bird's blood and walked up to the man. As he watched in astonishment, she grabbed his chin and shoved the blood into his mouth before she slapped him on the back.
After the man choked down the blood, his face finally stopped changing.
He fell to the ground. "What did you just feed me?" He asked while coughing with his eyes turned upwards towards her.
"The blood you left behind years ago."
The man's eyes widened. "You found it! I thought no one would ever be able to get it."
Shen Jingbin hesitated. "I don't have a lot of time. Do you know how to destroy her?"
He gave her a long look before he finally said, "I shall revive when pushed to the edge of death…"
The man suddenly used both of his hands to claw at her face after he uttered the word 'revive'. It happened so quickly that a gust of wind was left in its wake. Shen Jingbin wasn't fast enough to dodge the attack, and a deep gash was left on her round face, leaving her flesh open for all to see. It wasn't a pretty sight. Her HP also dropped by more than half, and it continued to decline.