Over seven years ago, the crane had brought its master, Wei Wuyin, to the Eden Earth Sect. When she arrived, she believed that it would be shortly before Wei Wuyin regained himself and they returned home.
Unfortunately, a sequence of unpredictable events led it to a very interesting fate.
When Chu Lingxi returned, she abided by the agreement and became her mount. It was okay, but a far cry from the treatment Wei Wuyin gave her, so she inwardly felt disdain for this woman. However, as time passed, Chu Lingxi ascended to the Second Stage of Qi Condensation, External Flow Phase.
Her status underwent a subtle shift. Then, the treatment she received was much better. She had her full of nourishing food created by alchemists. There were all sorts of meaty paste and colorful liquid given to her.
She actually, for a while, thought the treatment here wasn't so bad. Even her strength rose as her white feathers became brighter and her body enlarged. This continued for a few months before Chu Lingxi accepted a mission that required her to leave the sect.
As her mount, she had to follow along. As they flew with a group of others, a sudden betrayal occurred. She didn't understand it well, but a man had a very vengeful expression as he drove a blade through Chu Lingxi's heart.
The other members of the group only watched with indifference, some even laughed. The thoughts of humans were frightening.
The crane was horrified by this, taking off immediately. They followed, attempting to hunt her down. She had then been forced into an epic chase for her life. In truth, they probably just wanted to tame her, but she didn't dare risk it.
She flew fast and true, using her instincts and intelligence to evade their pursuit. After several days, she escaped with some luck.
Unfortunately, she was lost and couldn't return to the sect. She wasn't sure when or if Wei Wuyin would heal, and so it was quite dangerous for her. The only option was to survive, stay nearby, and hope Wei Wuyin would find her when the time came.
And so, she survived.
The nights were cold and the days were filled with struggles for food. She missed the safety and comfort of a roof and Wei Wuyin. While they traveled, he had various tools to create a fire or use his qi to help make the environment comfortable.
He also had immense power and could stay anywhere or fashion a cave from any mountain surface. It was incredibly convenient. She could also sleep in peace knowing Wei Wuyin had set up protections unlike now.
One day, while she slept in a grassland, a group of cultivators ambushed her with a net. The net was heavy and clung to her feathers. She struggled to escape, but it was merely a futile exertion on her part. While she did injure and even kill a few of her captors, she was still caught in the end.
She was forcefully brought before a strong-looking, musky man. The man gave some hyperbolic speech about taming her through any means, but the crane was smart. When the man gave an order, she followed.
Why did she need to be tortured?
She wasn't some strong willed animal that wouldn't bend to anyone but her master. That was dumb, and she would survive using whatever means it took. This was also something Wei Wuyin, her true master, had taught her: be adaptable.
The man was incredibly shocked at her swift responsiveness and submissive nature, but was happy nevertheless. This allowed her to avoid many painful sessions or even death.
During the next three years, she was in this man's service. She had been tasked as a warrior beast, not just transportation. Supposedly, her strength rivaled the top experts in the area and generated pressure on the other forces. She was ridden into battle by the man in full armor, her visage was elegant yet fierce.
She killed who she was asked to, and flew where she was asked to. She found this to be quite enjoyable. Especially when she stomped on heads, causing them to explode like a squashed watermelon. They were pathetically weak, unlike her true master. Unfortunately, humans seemed to be vicious beyond belief.
One night at the end of those three years, the musky man had brought a young woman into his bedroom. That very day, he was dead.
Supposedly, from what she garnered from the conversation and gossip of others, he had brought in an assassin who had been planted with a virus. A beautiful woman with a disease that was directly transmitted sexually and highly fatal to men. It was interesting, but unfortunate.
With his death, she was taken in by the man's son, who was even more vicious than the father. After a few months, the crane saw the same woman enter his bedroom. She thought about doing something, but shrugged in the end.
It wasn't her life.
Predictably, the son died of the same disease.
At that point, she decided to just leave. No one could stop her, and the entire force was in the midst of fierce civil war and vicious battles. Their territory and land was being taken over by others, especially with the father and son dead. There was a lot of internal strife.
She was done.
With a flap of her gigantic wings, she took to the skies and didn't come back.
She pondered whether to return to the sect, but decided against it. However, it was best to linger nearby until her true master called for her. She believed he would.
The crane's luck wasn't that bad. The next four years were quite peaceful and she was smarter now, not allowing herself to be ambushed. She'd only sleep in hard-to-reach places for those without wings, and was a lot more aware of her surroundings.
She avoided humans mostly and kept to herself.
One day, she found a tree.
This tree had a low-hanging fruit. It was only one fruit and the fruit was golden. Curious, she walked up to it and poked at it with her beak. When she realized it smelled normal and nothing happened, she swallowed it whole.
Over the next few months, her beak and eyes slowly turned golden in color. When she looked in a lake and noticed the changes, she was hysterical. Even more, her body started to expand and felt like it was filled with endless energy.
She grew three times her size, and was like a towering existence. At this point, she could rival the black cranes back home. She didn't know how strong she was, but it was an extraordinary feeling.
What she didn't know was that Wei Wuyin was nearby at that moment, his scent covered in a medicinal smell. He had activated a karmic lucky chance, but it was for her, originally.
In the world of karmic luck, oftentimes it wasn't just the wielder that benefited but those close to them. Her finding the fruit when she did was a lucky chance by extension. If Wei Wuyin had his normal degree of caution, he would've noticed the golden fruit and given it to the crane or another valuable beast.
Her changes were quite interesting. She realized she could send out a beam of golden energy from her beak. This beam was powerful and explosive. An invincible feeling emerged in her heart. She played around a little, becoming the queen of the nearby flying beasts.
Her reign was majestic. These small birds that were barely the size of her wings bowed in deterrence. Was this what it felt like to have power? To be unrivaled? Her heart throbbed with endless excitement.
She started to delegate her tasks to these lesser beasts. Food was brought to her, including setting up a boundary for her to safely sleep. She had her own territory and ruled it! All the humans that entered it left their lives behind.
Then, she heard a sound that she remembered all too well.
Fweet!
Wei Wuyin!
She abandoned everything and flew towards it instantly. Despite being tens of miles away, she had heard the sound as clear as a loud whisper in the ear. It was familiar and melodious to the ears. Before long, she saw Wei Wuyin seated. She cried with joy!
They can finally go home!!!