Perched on a Tree

Ever since Shen Qingyao was born, all kinds of monsters had coveted her. She was the reincarnation of the divine beast known as the Azure Bird, making her an ideal delicacy for demons and evil spirits, one that could prolong their lives and increase their cultivation. With no Monkey King to protect her, this modern-day version of Tang Sanzang had to fend for herself, sending every monster who tried to make a meal of her straight to the afterlife. Then one day, she found a monster on the brink of death beneath a pile of rubble. It was a woman, very beautiful, but close to dying. Shen Qingyao walked a few steps away, then turned back and made a small cut on her finger. "You look pitiful, so I'll let you have a little. Drink too much, and I'll kill you." Who would have thought the monster would stare at her bleeding finger for a moment, then turn her head with difficulty and vomit? Shen Qingyao: "..." Well, maybe, but she felt insulted. Bai Muxi hated the smell of blood, especially bird blood. That smell had roused her from the chaos of slumber and cast her into the tumultuous human world. She had searched for that bird for thousands of years, only to be asked to drink her blood as soon as they met again. In ancient times, there was a divine tree named Xi, unafraid of metal, stone, water, or fire, and so tall it could reach the heavens. Azure Birds often circled its branches, singing at the top of their voices, and gradually it gained sentience. Later, the Azure Bird died in a war and fell beneath the tree as it died, its blood staining the ground for miles. Xi drank its blood and gained human form. A sharp-tongued, ruthless, hot-tempered big bird X a laid-back, naturally sweet 7,000-year-old beauty (tree) Shen Qingyao to other people and monsters: Stay away from me. Keep those claws in line or I'll chop them off and feed them to the dogs! Shen Qingyao to Bai Muxi: Hungry? Thirsty? Tired? Give me a kiss! Later, a terrifying legend spread among evil spirits: the Enforcement Division of the Monster Affairs Bureau had a pair of fearsome monster lovers. They were inseparable, and they handled both the killing and the cleanup. One slaughtered monsters as easily as chopping vegetables, while the other dug holes at lightning speed. 1. An alternate modern setting with supernatural phenomena. 2. A lighthearted, sweet story with an abnormal daily life, monster-hunting and romance in equal measure, and an abundance of oddballs and idiots. First published December 28, 2020 Theme: Even if your wife is 7,000 years old, you still have to spoil her.