Chapter 5: The Enlightened National Master

That night, a piercing bird cry echoed across the northeastern sky.

The mournful cries lingered for a long time.

The number of night-patrolling guards had tripled compared to usual. They scoured the city but could not locate the source of the sound.

After three mournful cries, a red glow suddenly appeared in the sky. Tens of thousands of birds flapped their wings, rising into the air from some unknown place, blotting out the moonlight and casting the already dim sky into even deeper darkness.

Those who witnessed this scene were terrified. The guards clutched their heads, fearing the birds would swoop down and attack them.

But they worried unnecessarily. These birds appeared ordinary, yet in reality, they were merely phantoms, lingering fragments of consciousness.

When the cage that had long imprisoned them disappeared, they all flew out together, flashing past before vanishing completely from this world.

Fortunately, this scene occurred close to midnight, so few people witnessed it.

The next day, as people began to spread word of this strange event, Di Jiang was preoccupied with another matter—where had the bloodstained bird gone after its backlash?

Someone would have to pay for its grievances.

When the bird reappeared, beneath the Mingjing Pagoda behind the Daming Palace, rivers of blood flowed, staining the surrounding vegetation and grass crimson, with signs of spreading toward the palace.

Fortunately, the guards discovered the source of the blood in time—the entrance to the Mingjing Pagoda.

This was the residence of the current imperial master, who had secluded himself for years and refused visitors.

After the governor reported to the court, Empress Chen Zhao immediately ordered the pagoda forcibly opened. Wen Li quickly brought in over a dozen craftsmen to dismantle the pagoda’s door.

As the door opened, an overwhelming stench of blood hit them, nauseating and unbearable.

It wasn’t the smell of human blood but rather a mix of feathers, like chickens or ducks that had been plucked bare and soaked in blood for a long time.

Such a cruel and repulsive scene was unforgettable.

Everyone present vomited.

After the governor’s men were incapacitated, Chen Zhao immediately dispatched the Imperial Guard. A well-trained contingent entered the pagoda and found the national master’s corpse at the center, directly facing the pagoda’s apex.

The national master’s body no longer bore human skin; instead, it was covered in feathers of various colors, dazzling and vibrant. At his tailbone, dozens of crimson tail feathers trailed on the ground, extending over three meters.

He was no longer breathing.

The last time the national master appeared publicly was when he burned the corpse of the bloodstained bird. Unexpectedly, when he reappeared, he had transformed into a bloodstained bird himself.

His expression was contorted in agony, his eyes wide open even in death.

Beneath him, rivers of blood flowed.

Upon hearing this, Empress Chen Zhao immediately sealed off the news, ordering that not a word be leaked.

Since Wu Rui’an had previously mentioned the bloodstained bird, the case naturally fell to him. After the morning court session, Chen Zhao specifically instructed him, “The matter of the bloodstained bird must be investigated secretly. Do not publicize it, and under no circumstances cause panic among the populace.”

Receiving the order, Wu Rui’an’s first action was to visit Di Jiang alone at the Jiansu Medical Clinic.

As usual, he sat by the window and recounted everything that had happened that morning to Di Jiang. Finally, he shuddered and said, “If you had seen it, you’d probably throw up dinner from three days ago.”

“Was it that horrifying?” Di Jiang feigned surprise.

“It was!” Wu Rui’an exhaled deeply. “Do you know? It was only during the autopsy that I realized those weren’t just the national master’s blood. No, more accurately, they weren’t solely his.”

“Whose then?”

“It was the bird’s! The one Lady Longsun Yuming kept. The coroner found that pitch-black bird inside the national master’s mouth. Its corpse was still oozing blood continuously. Tell me, how could such a small bird have so much blood?” As he spoke, Wu Rui’an gestured the size of a palm-sized object.

Di Jiang furrowed her brows and shook her head. “It may look like a bird, but its body isn’t just one bird.”

“What do you mean?” Wu Rui’an looked utterly bewildered.

Di Jiang poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of him. She picked up her own cup, took a sip, thought for a moment, and said, “Your Highness, do you know about Tibetan mastiffs?”

“Tibetan mastiffs?”

Di Jiang nodded. “Yes, a large and fierce breed of Tibetan dog.”

“I know, but what does it have to do with this bird?”

“They might seem unrelated, but their origins are similar.”

“Oh? Tell me!”

Di Jiang furrowed her brows, took a deep breath, and softly recited “Amitabha” before continuing, “Legend has it that Tibetan mastiffs initially started as ordinary dogs. They were locked in with puppies from the same litter. When extremely hungry, they would fight and kill each other. The last surviving one would then be locked with another batch of survivors. Through this bloody training until adulthood, the final survivor, having killed hundreds of dogs, could be called a mastiff.”

By the time Di Jiang finished, Wu Rui’an’s face had turned pale.

His eyes flickered with complex emotions—deep sympathy, heartache, and anger intertwined.

“So the bloodstained bird… was created similarly?” Wu Rui’an asked coldly.

“Perhaps even more complicated.” Di Jiang bit her lip, finally deciding to reveal everything.

“I couldn’t discern what its physical body truly was, but I knew there were countless souls within it, too many to count… Perhaps it had as many souls as it had downy feathers. Every color on its body came from battles. The dead birds didn’t leave but became part of its flesh and feathers, fusing with it. Hence, the bloodstained bird’s resentment was powerful, its curse astonishing.”

“How can such a thing exist!” Wu Rui’an exclaimed angrily. “This person is utterly deranged, unworthy of being human!”

“So after his death, he was also devoured by the bloodstained bird, becoming a… bird-man?”

Di Jiang had intended to lighten the oppressive atmosphere, but she realized she had misspoken. It was too late to take it back.

“You mean the creator of the bloodstained bird was the Enlightened National Master?” Wu Rui’an asked, shocked.

“Yes,” Di Jiang nodded faintly. “The bloodstained bird feeds on a person’s life force, causing uncontrollable bleeding from every pore without leaving visible wounds.”

“So the blood on it belongs to… its owner who was drained?”

“No,” Di Jiang shook her head. “That blood belongs to the birds it consumed, but fundamentally, it’s all just an illusion.”

“Illusion?!” Wu Rui’an exclaimed in shock.

Di Jiang nodded. “Even if the blood isn’t cleaned, it will disappear. If you don’t believe me, you can return to the Mingjing Pagoda to check.”

“This is a grave matter. I’ll go right now!”

After leaving the clinic, Wu Rui’an immediately headed to the Mingjing Pagoda.

To ensure the crime scene remained intact, the pagoda was heavily guarded. Besides multiple layers of sentries, patrol units circled the outermost perimeter. In such a state, not even a moth could fly in. However, upon arriving, Wu Rui’an found the pagoda completely clean, with no trace of blood.

Inside the pagoda, only the remnants of the forcibly dismantled door lay scattered on the ground, along with scrolls scattered throughout the inner chamber.

“What’s going on? I clearly ordered that no one was to clean up. Your Highness… I…”

“This isn’t your fault. You can rest assured,” Wu Rui’an interrupted him. He then summoned the guards and ordered them to move all the scrolls back to the mansion.

In the following days, Wu Rui’an buried himself in these scrolls, trying to uncover the causes, consequences, and secrets within.

Five days later, his efforts paid off. Among hundreds of scrolls, he found a journal written by the Enlightened National Master, detailing the origin of the bloodstained bird—

Thousands of bird species, numbering in the tens of thousands, were confined in the same room. A spice called Yin Xue Grass was burned, making them bloodthirsty, violent, and carnivorous.

Three months later, the remaining birds in the room, after devouring others, grew colorful feathers and golden beaks, becoming known as bloodstained birds.

To target someone, a seed of Yin Xue Grass would be placed on them. The seeds were tiny, invisible to the naked eye. Over time, the targeted person’s essence would be drained by the bird. On the surface, it seemed like excessive blood loss, but in reality, their vitality was gradually consumed every day.

Wu Rui’an took these journals back to the Jiansu Medical Clinic.

After reading them, Di Jiang said faintly, “The spirits of the birds killed by him transformed, capable of confusing the human mind, changing according to human desires into forms desired by their masters. Their fundamental purpose was to stay by their side and feed on their essence. Thus, the cursed ones dying in pools of blood was merely a cover-up to mislead and confuse.”

“Yes,” Wu Rui’an nodded. “Later, the Enlightened National Master realized he could no longer control them and burned all the birds. But one escaped, and the one Lady Longsun Yuming kept was likely the one that got away.”

“For seven years, the bloodstained bird showed little change, proving its master’s inherently kind and pure nature. Otherwise, Miss Yuming wouldn’t have survived so many years.”

Admiration was evident in Di Jiang’s eyes, and even Wu Rui’an began to quietly admire her.

Lady Longsun Yuming’s mindset was far nobler than many high-ranking officials.

Di Jiang continued, “Its original form was likely a crow. After consuming the caged birds, their feathers grew on its body, followed by six colors. Heavy with resentment, it should have influenced the master’s temperament. Yet, meeting Lady Longsun Yuming, her character not only wasn’t tainted by the bloodstained bird but also reformed the bird itself. It didn’t drain Yuming’s essence and shouldn’t have grown tail feathers, but after Yuming’s first menstruation, it couldn’t stop.”

Di Jiang took a deep breath and added, “So it came to me, seeking my help to save her.”

“But how did it know finding you would work?” Wu Rui’an asked, puzzled.

Di Jiang thought for a moment, shrugged, and smiled. “Maybe because I’m beautiful?”

Wu Rui’an burst out laughing. “It’s indeed male.”

After laughing, Wu Rui’an saw the late hour and took the journal to the palace to report.

The truth of the Enlightened National Master’s death infuriated Chen Zhao.

Chen Zhao had believed the Enlightened Master was loyal to her, unaware that a few years ago, he personally harmed several of her trusted ministers, leading to rumors that the empress lacked divine protection.

Reflecting on those events still sent shivers down her spine. She had thought it was divine punishment, but it turned out to be betrayal by someone close.

Enraged, Chen Zhao immediately established the Control Crane Platform to investigate the ministers in the capital one by one.

This caused unrest throughout the court, especially for Left Chancellor Gongsun Miao, who recommended the Enlightened Master. Upon hearing the news, he stripped to the waist, carried a bundle of thorns, and knelt before the Qinzheng Hall.

The thorns were long and sharp. The fifty-plus-year-old chancellor crawled on his knees to Chen Zhao’s presence.

“Your Majesty—it’s this old minister’s fault for failing to recognize a person’s true nature. Please punish me with death!” Gongsun Miao wept bitterly, kneeling before the throne, refusing to rise despite attempts to persuade him.

Chen Zhao stared at him expressionlessly for a long time. Only after a group of elder ministers arrived and pleaded repeatedly did she allow him to rise.

“Your Majesty, please believe this old minister. I was deceived by him too!” Gongsun Miao sobbed, his words earnest and seemingly sincere.

“Rise,” Chen Zhao sighed deeply, finally waving her hand. “Chop Wu Zhen into pieces and feed him to the dogs. Bury all his close associates alive, and execute his entire clan!”

“Long live Her Majesty!”

The trembling ministers shouted “long live” three times, none daring to intercede. They all knew that speaking on behalf of Wu Zhen at this time would result in being executed as accomplices.

No one wanted to implicate themselves.

After the ministers helped the half-fainting Gongsun Miao out of the Qinzheng Hall, they realized everyone’s palms were sweaty, their clothes drenched.

The emperor’s wrath was such that even the Left Chancellor had to beg for forgiveness. What more could others expect?

They feared they couldn’t even endure the residual anger.