Though a Python-Sparrow, It Can Swallow a Dragon; Sisters Reunite and Swap Identities
Though a Python-Sparrow, It Can Swallow a Dragon; Sisters Reunite and Swap Identities
“Vermilion Bird Emperor, there’s no need to be nervous. We are hardly some flood or savage beast.”
“This visit to the Vermilion Bird Empire is led by myself and the Successor of Mortal Palace, so you need not worry. The character of the Successor of Mortal Palace—surely you can trust in that?”
Accompanying the light laughter—
Weng!!
Aboard the Ancient Battleship, golden light suddenly surged, dazzling and resplendent, runes interweaving.
Then a golden avenue extended down from beneath Gu Changge’s feet, and he walked straight down along it.
Behind him, a host of young prodigies followed closely. Even Jiang Chuchu lagged several steps behind—no one dared walk at his side.
Such a display of might sent a jolt through the hearts of the Vermilion Bird Empire’s welcoming party, stirring up stormy waves of utter disbelief.
The prodigies of the True Immortal Academy—
which of them wasn’t proud and self-assured, convinced of their own invincibility, certain they could sweep through an era, never admitting inferiority to anyone?
Yet now, they were all willingly following behind him?
Just what kind of status did this approaching young man hold?
“He calls himself Gu?”
“And the Successor of Mortal Palace?”
In an instant, the Vermilion Bird Emperor’s mind boomed as if struck by a great bell, and he suddenly realized something.
His eyes couldn’t help but widen.
“Could it be... it’s that one!”
“Greetings, Young Master Changge!”
His reaction was swift—he hurriedly called out in reverence, the words coming from the bottom of his heart, not daring to harbor any stray emotion.
Aside from this one, what other prodigy in this world could achieve such a scene—one man walking, ten thousand following?
“Greetings, Young Master Changge!”
The rest of the ministers and generals also reacted at this point, speaking respectfully one after another.
At the same time, they breathed sighs of relief in their hearts.
After all, there were simply too many rumors about this one. Even in a place like the Vermilion Bird Empire, they heard of him constantly.
Whether it was being the foremost of the younger generation, a True Celestial Being, or anything else—nothing could conceal his power and mystery.
“There’s no need for such courtesy, everyone. This trial will be quite an imposition. I hope the Vermilion Bird Emperor won’t mind.”
Gu Changge waved his hand, his demeanor as gentle and refined as ever.
“Young Master Changge, you’re too kind. What words are these? You’re truly overwhelming me with honor.”
The Vermilion Bird Emperor wore the look of one overwhelmed by favor. Before coming, he had never imagined that it would be Gu Changge leading the group.
This filled his heart with endless emotion and relief.
The rumors all said that Young Master Changge had a gentle temperament, a gentleman like jade, transcendent and refined.
Seeing him today, it was indeed so—even toward a minor ruler of a small nation like himself, he was so courteous and polite.
So there was surely no need to worry about any mishaps. As long as they did nothing to offend or provoke these prodigies, no calamity should befall the Vermilion Bird Empire.
At this, several of the empire’s beautiful princesses also mustered their courage, secretly lifting their heads to size up this legendary Young Master Changge, their hearts wandering in fanciful thoughts.
Some, the very moment they first laid eyes on Gu Changge, had already decided what surname their future descendants should bear.
At this moment, everyone’s thoughts differed, and they all spoke words of flattery to show their respect.
Gu Changge appeared gentle and courteous in speech, fully displaying the grace and bearing befitting the heir of the Longevity Gu Family, causing the eyes of many princesses and court ladies to shine with unusual brilliance.
Of course, only Jiang Chuchu knew that the face Gu Changge showed to the world was nothing but an act.
Just how cold and heartless he truly was—only those who had witnessed it firsthand understood.
Sometimes even she didn’t know whether the way Gu Changge acted in front of her was also deliberately feigned, meant to break down the walls around her heart.
If that were truly the case, then just how terrifying was Gu Changge?
“If he were deliberately pretending, he wouldn’t treat me so harshly...”
Then she gently shook her head, snuffing out that speculation.
Jiang Chuchu still felt that deep down, Gu Changge retained some goodness. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent her to search for the location of the Absolute Yin Heaven’s eruption.
Nor would he have saved her.
It was just that sometimes his cold ruthlessness buried that goodness.
After that, the Vermilion Bird Emperor quickly gave orders to vacate the empire’s finest palaces and residences for Gu Changge and the True Immortal Academy prodigies to settle in.
Soon, news of Gu Changge leading the True Immortal Academy’s prodigies to descend upon the Vermilion Bird Empire spread as if it had grown wings, sweeping through the entire empire and causing a huge sensation.
If there was any prodigy in this world whom everyone could remember, it had to be Gu Changge!
Even children who had just begun cultivating had heard this name.
Among the younger generation, the three words “Gu Changge” were like a myth, carrying a meaning all their own.
So upon hearing that Gu Changge had arrived in the Vermilion Bird Empire, the previously chaotic and panicked nation felt as if it had swallowed a calming pill.
This turn of events filled the entire Vermilion Bird Empire, top to bottom, with joy, excitement, and elation—it was truly like receiving charcoal in a snowstorm!
“Judging by the shifts in Fortuity and the information gathered, this time’s Fortuitous One should be this Third Prince who suddenly returned.”
Within the palace, black and white divine light flickered in Gu Changge’s eyes.
A strange power, like drawing silk from a cocoon, evolved out of the laws of heaven and earth.
The Fortuity of the entire Vermilion Bird Empire displayed a trend of transformation before his eyes.
After sending people to investigate, he quickly learned the life story of this Third Prince.
Not the trash-to-hero type—on the day of his birth, heavenly phenomena shook the sky, and immortal cranes came bearing gifts.
Afterward, he displayed astonishing talent, but the Vermilion Bird Empire couldn’t afford to cultivate him. With no choice, he left home to wander the lands, eventually joining some unknown sect.
Several hundred years passed in a flash, and now he had returned, his current cultivation unknown.
“Though a python-sparrow, it can swallow a dragon...”
“This Third Prince’s Fortuity actually carries a tinge of purple. Back then, only the Reincarnation of the Mortal One enjoyed such treatment.”
Gu Changge gently closed the Jade Tablet in his hand containing the gathered information. “In that case, could he be the reincarnation of some ancient Mighty-Transcendent?”
Some ideas formed in his mind. Fortuitous Ones bearing purple Fortuity like this were actually the easiest to harvest—but it might also trigger whatever backup plans they had left behind.
After all, reincarnations came in several types. One was being forced to disintegrate and reincarnate after suffering grievous wounds; another was like the Mortal One, actively reincarnating while leaving behind numerous contingencies, seeking to return to the peak in the future.
What he couldn’t be sure of right now was exactly why this Third Prince had reincarnated.
“Jiang Chuchu has already set off to find the site of the Absolute Yin Heaven’s eruption. Quite diligent of her—saves me some effort. Though it does seem like she doesn’t want to see me.”
Gu Changge didn’t take this to heart. He then directly issued orders for the True Immortal Academy prodigies to begin their trial—slaying Yin Spirits and stopping this calamity.
After all, appearances had to be kept up. Of course, Gu Changge had no interest in doing such boring things himself.
His followers going was enough.
As for protecting these prodigies? He wasn’t a nanny—he had no such free time.
Gu Changge had other matters to consider. Then his figure moved, leaving the palace, incidentally searching for any suitable prey.
It was time for his cultivation to break through.
“Su Qingge’s mission line—does it concern the background behind her?” he asked the System in his heart.
The rewards from Su Qingge’s Fortuity Mission line were quite substantial.
And it just so happened that in the coming period, he needed a great deal of Fortuity points to exchange for Absolute Detachment bones.
<Yes, Master,> the System replied.
“It seems I’ll need to keep an eye on Su Qingge’s whereabouts. From the information just gathered, Su Qingge should have considerable ties to that woman at Third Prince Chu Hao’s side.”
Gu Changge didn’t actually go tail Su Qingge. Such matters didn’t require much of his attention.
When the time came, Su Qingge would naturally confess everything to him of her own accord.
“Besides that, my cultivation is nearing the Sacred Lord Realm. If I could find a Perfect Prodigy with a special Source—even a Sacred Lord would do.”
Many thoughts flashed through Gu Changge’s mind. The ancient nations of the Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and others weren’t actually very far from where he was.
His prey was all in those places.
Meanwhile, in a side hall.
The Vermilion Bird Emperor, his face lit with joy, was speaking with Chu Hao, discussing matters concerning Gu Changge.
Off to the side, Ji Qingxuan and Wang Xiao were also listening, their expressions differing.
Wang Xiao was grumbling about their assigned palace being too remote, while the True Immortal Academy prodigies all resided in the areas with the best terrain and densest spiritual energy.
But upon seeing the Vermilion Bird Emperor approach, he shut his mouth.
Ji Qingxuan, on the other hand, listened with full attention, a contemplative glint flashing through her clear, crystalline eyes.
“The person Father speaks of—I’ve heard of him. As the heir of the Longevity Gu Family, the heir of Skyward Schloss, and the future ruler of the Primal Celestial Temple, the power he holds is unimaginably terrifying...”
“I truly never expected him to have such a temperament.”
Chu Hao nodded, his expression also relaxing somewhat—he had feared his father had been humiliated.
But from the looks of it, he hadn’t been.
That Gu Changge displayed a gentle, refined temperament, without any high-and-mighty attitude.
Inexplicably, his previous dislike for this Gu Changge, whom he’d never met, faded away.
At first, he had instinctively assumed these nobly-born prodigies all thought highly of themselves, noses turned up to the sky, so he held no goodwill toward them.
After all, his own background wasn’t impressive, and along his journey he had encountered plenty of such attitudes.
The Vermilion Bird Emperor sighed deeply, saying with some emotion, “Indeed. Young Master Changge is the person most deserving of the word ’prodigy’ that I have ever met. His words and deeds give one the feeling of basking in a spring breeze, without the slightest air of looking down on others from above.”
“If you and he were of the same era, Hao’er, perhaps you could even become friends.”
Hearing this, Chu Hao smiled but said little.
Of course, he had heard quite a few rumors about Gu Changge.
Whether matters of the Celestial Ancient Continent or of Skyward Schloss, he had heard of them all.
Some of his actions, in Chu Hao’s view, hardly befitted a modest gentleman—the two of them were not the same kind of people.
Still, Gu Changge had not humiliated his father in public, and that was enough.
“Gu Changge is actually here...”
“Senior Brother, I’d like to go out for a walk.”
At this moment, Ji Qingxuan suddenly spoke, her cool, calm face showing little change, as if she had grown tired of listening to this father-son pair’s reminiscing.
“Hm? Then be careful, Junior Sister. Though there’s nothing dangerous in the Vermilion Bird Empire, you’ve rarely gone out alone.”
Chu Hao was taken aback, then nodded with concern.
“Mm,” Ji Qingxuan replied tersely.
“Then Senior Brother, you two keep chatting. I’ll accompany Junior Sister Qingxuan for a walk.”
Seeing this, Wang Xiao hurriedly said.
But Ji Qingxuan’s figure flashed, and she had already vanished beyond the palace doors, clearly not wanting him to follow.
“That girl...”
Anger flashed across Wang Xiao’s face, and he quickly gave chase.
“Hao’er, this junior sister and junior brother of yours...” Seeing this, the Vermilion Bird Emperor hesitated, wanting to say something.
“Father, I understand what you mean. The two of them come from extraordinary backgrounds and have proud temperaments—Wang Xiao’s personality in particular is somewhat unruly.”
“But Junior Sister simply doesn’t like to talk. She’s actually very kind and sensible.”
Chu Hao smiled faintly, appearing steady and composed as he explained.
“Let the two of them be. In my view, what matters most is how to resolve this calamity of the Absolute Yin Heaven’s eruption...”
The Vermilion Bird Emperor nodded, and the two resumed their discussion.
...
“Why did Ji Qingxuan run off so fast? She vanished in the blink of an eye. Ever since we arrived here, I’ve felt something off about her.”
“What is she hiding from us?”
Elsewhere, having chased out of the imperial palace, Wang Xiao’s expression was somewhat gloomy—he saw no trace of Ji Qingxuan.
Though his strength was decent, compared to Ji Qingxuan’s, it still fell considerably short.
If Ji Qingxuan didn’t want him tracking her, shaking him off was naturally effortless.
“Old Xuan, did you see where Ji Qingxuan went?”
With no other choice, Wang Xiao could only call upon his Dao protector.
When they left the sect, fearing accidents, the Supreme Cave Heaven had assigned each of them a Dao protector.
Though most of the time, the protectors remained in the distant void, only appearing when they sensed danger.
After all, no one wanted to live without any secrets at all.
“I did not see her.”
But soon, Old Xuan’s voice reached Wang Xiao’s ears, making his expression grow even darker.
“Hm?”
“Is that Ji Qingxuan?”
Suddenly, Wang Xiao’s gaze jolted—he spotted a familiar figure disappearing into a residence by the street not far away.
But he remembered that the dress Ji Qingxuan had been wearing was not like this.
Could it be she had specifically found a place to change into a different dress?
“Being so secretive—who is she going to meet?”
“When the Gu Family heir was mentioned just now, her expression was off. Could she have met the Gu Family heir before? But wait, isn’t the Gu Family heir in the other direction?”
In an instant, thinking of all this, Wang Xiao felt thoroughly unwell, his fists clenching involuntarily.
Could Ji Qingxuan have gotten to know someone without his knowledge?
But before this, Ji Qingxuan had never left the sect?
“If I rashly approach, she’ll definitely notice me. I’d better first see who Ji Qingxuan is meeting.”
His mind made up, Wang Xiao’s figure flashed, his face exceptionally grim, and he arrived at a pavilion building.
From this spot, he could keep a perfect eye on the residence Ji Qingxuan had just entered.
Meanwhile, within that residence Wang Xiao was watching so intently—
the surroundings were serene, a gentle stream flowing, a few stalks of emerald bamboo dappled with ink-like markings, lending the place an even more elegant air.
Su Qingge was staring at the woman before her with a somewhat dazed, curious, and puzzled expression.
Then, she couldn’t help but speak.
“It really is you.”
“It really is you.”
The woman opposite her—Ji Qingxuan—spoke the same words.
Her voice was cool and calm, but her heart was churning with world-shaking waves.
She had never imagined that her sister living in the Overworld would one day appear before her in such a manner.
It was all too sudden, too caught-off-guard.
She had heard from her mother before that she had an older sister, one who lived in the Overworld, just over a year older than her.
Only now did Ji Qingxuan understand what that strange feeling from before had been—something in the unseen had guided her steps to this place.
She couldn’t help but murmur softly,
“No wonder I had such a strange feeling...”
“It seems your feeling was the same as mine. So should I call you little sister? Or something else?”
Hearing this, Su Qingge smiled, appearing quite calm and composed.
If one looked closely, they would find that the young woman before her—whether in height or appearance—bore a seventy percent or greater resemblance to herself.
With a bit of dressing up, even those most familiar with them likely couldn’t tell the difference.
It made her feel as though another version of herself stood opposite her—and there was even some kind of connection between their hearts.
She just didn’t know whether the other girl also had Two Souls in One Body.
“Big sister, my name is Ji Qingxuan.”
“I know you’re called Su Qingge. Mother told me.”
At this point, it was Ji Qingxuan who took the initiative to speak, introducing herself, her voice cool and calm.
Listening closely, there wasn’t the slightest difference from Su Qingge’s voice.
If someone claimed they were twins, no one would doubt it.
“Ji Qingxuan—what a lovely name...”
“How is Mother doing now?”
After a moment of silence, Su Qingge couldn’t help but ask. Her mother had always been the greatest soft spot in her heart; though her memories were few, they held an irreplaceable significance.
“Mother actually misses you very much. But because she violated the family rules, she hasn’t taken a single step out of her courtyard all these years. Apart from me, only Uncle has gone to see her.”
“After all, Mother’s escape from that marriage back then disgraced the Ji Family...”
Ji Qingxuan’s voice was cool and calm as she explained, “When they captured Mother and brought her back, she was already pregnant with me. If Mother hadn’t begged desperately, I probably would have been aborted right then.”
She recounted all this without the slightest ripple of emotion.
As if it weren’t her own story.
“Later, after I was born, my talent was decent, so the family finally took notice of me...”
“You haven’t had it easy either.”
Hearing Ji Qingxuan narrate all this so calmly,
Su Qingge couldn’t help but feel her nose sting with sourness. She knew that although her sister lived in the Beyond, her life hadn’t been easy at all.
Because she had no father, and her mother had committed an offense and was confined, the burdens she had to bear far exceeded those of her peers.
Though Su Qingge herself lived in the Overworld, her father was the Honoured Noble of the Supreme Stygian Holy Land, who had given her the best of everything since childhood.
“And you, big sister? How did you come to the Beyond? With your cultivation, reaching the Beyond must have been extremely difficult.”
Ji Qingxuan asked, somewhat curious.
“I was just lucky—I met Gongzi...” Su Qingge smiled. There was nothing worth hiding about this.
“Gongzi? Could it be...” Killing intent suddenly surged from Ji Qingxuan’s body, icy and bone-piercing, terrifyingly dreadful.
She knew of certain things—beautiful women from the Overworld were often brought up by Cultivators possessing realm-breaking Forbidden Weapons, sent to the great auction houses, reduced to slaves bought and sold.
With her sister’s looks, even here in the Beyond, she was enough to make countless prodigies revere her as a fairy.
“You’ve misunderstood.” Su Qingge explained, “I truly was lucky. Back at the Supreme Stygian Holy Land, I met Young Master Changge, who had come down to the Overworld searching for an item...”
“Big sister, you know Young Master Changge?”
A trace of astonishment suddenly welled up in Ji Qingxuan’s calm eyes—this was completely beyond her expectations.
“Yes.”
Su Qingge explained the whole matter, omitting the unimportant details along the way—and of course, including the matter of her becoming the Successor of Demonic Arts.
“Big sister, I’m suddenly a little envious of you. A life like yours is truly wonderful.”
After hearing it all, a look of longing and envy surfaced in Ji Qingxuan’s eyes. “All my life, I’ve lived for the family. Everything I did was just to earn the family’s regard, so that I could rescue Mother.”
“Ah...” Su Qingge looked at her with pity.
“I actually want to have a life like yours too, big sister.”
Ji Qingxuan’s voice sounded somewhat downcast.
Su Qingge was stunned, her gaze dimming. As the older sister, what could she do for her? Defy the family behind her and rescue her mother?
With her current strength, she simply couldn’t do any of that.
“Qingxuan, I’ll be staying in the Vermilion Bird Empire for a while. How about this—you be me for a time. Do whatever you want, without worrying about any consequences. And I’ll be you for a time.”
“Anyway, we look exactly alike—no one will notice a thing. As for cultivation, as long as it isn’t exposed, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Suddenly, she thought of a solution and said as much.
This was also the only way she, as the older sister, could let Ji Qingxuan taste a bit of freedom.
“That... would that really work? Big sister, what if we give ourselves away?”
Ji Qingxuan was stunned, seemingly not expecting Su Qingge to suggest such a thing. Then she gently shook her head. “No, we can’t.”
“It’ll work. You just need to make sure Gongzi doesn’t notice anything unusual. Because he’s very clever—nothing can be hidden from him.”
“I’ll explain everything you need to know. Even if you want to leave this place at any time, that’s fine too. No one will blame you.” Su Qingge smiled helplessly as she explained.
“Young Master Changge...”
Ji Qingxuan softly murmured those words, a strange glint seeming to flicker in her gaze. Finally, she gave a soft “mm.”