I don’t remember…
Fu Yuqiu was startled and hurriedly reached out to pat out the fire.
The Music Saint was about to stop him: “This is Phoenix Fire, it won’t be easily—”
Before the word “extinguished” could leave his mouth, Fu Yuqiu’s slender fingers pressed down on him, and the flame died with a soft “puff.”
The Music Saint: “…”
Having put out the fire, Fu Yuqiu breathed a sigh of relief, like a parent cleaning up after a mischievous child, and asked, puzzled: “What?”
“…That was Phoenix Fire.” The Music Saint changed the subject. “He’s fusing the Phoenix Inheritance?”
Fu Yuqiu half-understood: “I suppose so.”
The Music Saint probed with his spiritual power, his brow knitting tightly: “The Phoenix Inheritance is extremely difficult to fuse; the slightest carelessness leads to qi deviation. How could you let him fuse it at a time like this?”
While a phoenix fused an inheritance, all five senses were sealed—and the Profound Candle Tower was hunting him. With Fu Yuqiu’s half-baked spiritual power, the phoenix might be slaughtered in his sleep without anyone knowing.
Fu Yuqiu’s face was full of confusion: “I—I don’t know.”
Seeing flames seem ready to rise from the phoenix’s body again, the Music Saint raised a hand and formed a seal, soothing the chaotic spiritual power on the phoenix’s body, then led the dazed Fu Yuqiu back to Gongshang Gorge.
The Music Saint had long lived in seclusion in Gongshang Gorge. Accustomed to hard cultivation, with just one zither he could sit beneath a waterfall for years on end.
But Fu Yuqiu was clearly not one who could endure hardship, so the Music Saint had to place his Mustard Seed residence at the sunniest spot above the gorge, lest that little ancestor whine on and on.
The phoenix’s body grew hotter and hotter, and flames darted out from time to time.
The more Fu Yuqiu looked, the more frightened he became. He dragged the Music Saint over to examine the phoenix: “Will he be all right?”
The Music Saint was reading a yellowed talisman book, brushing him off without raising his head: “Mm, fine, okay, sure.”
Fu Yuqiu: “Musician!”
“Thank you, I have a name.” The Music Saint turned a page and said offhandedly. “—What is there to worry about? A phoenix won’t die; even if it did die, it would rise from the flames in Nirvana. Do you have nothing better to do than fret over other people?”
Fu Yuqiu said gloomily: “But a hundred years ago, the entire phoenix clan… also failed to reach Nirvana.”
The Music Saint’s hand paused.
Seeing Fu Yuqiu hanging his head anxiously, his crow-feather lashes trembling faintly, the Music Saint sighed without a sound and said: “Back then, the entire phoenix clan burned their Nirvana Natal Fire, so naturally they could not undergo Nirvana again. But this phoenix is different.”
Fu Yuqiu nodded.
Though the Music Saint was sharp-tongued and vicious, he never lied to him.
Soon, the Music Saint located the auxiliary formation for the Phoenix Inheritance.
“I’m going to draw the auxiliary formation for him. First, go spruce yourself up.”
Fu Yuqiu was still dripping wet, his white robes clinging to his body; after running through that murky dark pool, his white hair was full of dust.
He nodded: “If you draw the formation, will he be able to fully fuse?”
The Music Saint shot him a glance: “What are you thinking? This formation is only so he won’t have to suffer so much.”
Fu Yuqiu frowned but said nothing more, and reluctantly withdrew.
The Music Saint waved a hand and, just in case, layered on another barrier.
At the gradual fading of Fu Yuqiu’s aura, the phoenix, who should have been deep in slumber, suddenly struggled twice, his magma-enshrouded body trembling involuntarily.
The Music Saint lowered his eyes. Sunlight poured in from outside, stretching his shadow long and slanted across the phoenix.
Face like still water, he watched the phoenix for a long while, then slowly reached out and violently poured surging spiritual power into the phoenix’s Sea of Consciousness.
Within the Phoenix Inheritance lay a fragmented memory of the day the phoenixes gave their lives against the Golden Crow.
Countless Blazing Fire Rains fell from the sky, thunderous booms mingled with towering flames; wails covered the land—it was hell on earth.
The phoenix seemed to live through it personally, standing atop the mountains, gazing down at the unbearable mortal world.
Yet even with corpses strewn across the land, the phoenix’s heart remained utterly unmoved.
When the entire phoenix clan finally spread their wings toward the Golden Crow at the horizon, he too watched coldly, listless and detached.
Because the phoenixes’ Fire of Nirvana collided with the Golden Crow’s blazing burn, the Three Realms’ roasting heat gradually faded, and the Dragon Clan arrived belatedly to bring down great rain.
The phoenix watched coldly, vaguely hearing amid the ruined walls the survivors either kneeling and weeping in gratitude, or wailing over lost loved ones.
…And worse still, there were those with tear-streaked faces who leveled venomous blame.
“If you could destroy the Golden Crow, why did you go to your deaths only now?!”
Hearing this, the phoenix threw back his head and laughed.
Why had the entire phoenix clan given their lives, only to save such ungrateful, greedy, stupid beasts?
“IDIOTS!”
Someone in the Lower Realm ground out through clenched teeth.
The phoenix was abruptly startled, and looked down with keen interest.
The speaker was a black-robed cultivator kneeling in the ruins, utterly wretched, clutching a white-robed woman tightly in his arms, a ruined zither fallen to one side.
The woman in his arms had been gravely wounded by Golden Crow Fire, blood at the corner of her lips—her life long since extinguished.
The black-robed cultivator’s right hand had been severed by someone, blood streaming.
Expressionless, he looked around with grim menace and said coldly and sharply: “Without the Phoenix Clan, every living being in the Three Realms would have no path of survival! Since you all believe others owe you their sacrifice, why don’t you follow them and sacrifice yourselves to the Golden Crow as well?!”
The black-robed cultivator trembled all over with rage, his face deathly pale. He wanted to curse, but the gentleness and courtesy steeped into his bones kept the truly ugly words from coming out.
Even so, those in the wrong exchanged glances, not daring to speak again.
The black-robed cultivator bent slightly and buried his forehead against the neck of the woman in his arms, trembling all over, finally unable to hold back a sob.
On the broken zither soaked in blood nearby, the character “Music” was faintly carved.
Fu Yuqiu reached out and lightly stroked the characters carved on the Lingering Sound Zither. After staring for a long while, he couldn’t make out the blurred character, so he just casually plucked at the strings.
It was clearly the same zither, but when the Music Saint played it, the music was beautiful, its notes lingering in the air; when Fu Yuqiu plucked it, it was shrill enough to split ears.
Fu Yuqiu pursed his lips and withdrew his hand.
The Music Saint’s Mustard Seed residence was enormous, scenic everywhere; in the secluded garden grew a Parasol Tree.
Fu Yuqiu had changed into fresh white robes. Hugging his legs and wrapping his icy feet in his robe hem, he tilted his head up to watch sunlight sift down through the gaps in the parasol leaves.
Days this quiet and idle hadn’t come in a long while.
After a moment, the door behind him creaked open, and the Music Saint walked out slowly.
Fu Yuqiu hurriedly asked: “How is he?”
“The Talisman Formation is drawn.” The Music Saint gathered his robes and sat down beside Fu Yuqiu, saying mildly, “The rest is up to fate.”
Fu Yuqiu relaxed.
The Music Saint laid the zither across his knees and, eyes lowered, lazily played a tune.
“Tell me—where did you go these twenty-some years?”
Fu Yuqiu had just escaped danger and had no energy at all. He flopped back listlessly, staring up at the green shade overhead, and said gloomily: “Died.”
The Music Saint raised a brow: “Killed by whom?”
Fu Yuqiu, as if he’d done something wrong, his voice shrinking smaller and smaller: “I saved someone…”
The Music Saint: “That Ugly Freak?”
“Absolutely not!” Fu Yuqiu shot upright, his white hair practically bristling, hurrying to deny it. “Not him, someone else.”
The Music Saint’s smile didn’t reach his eyes: “Back then you protected that Ugly Freak so dearly, and in the end he still rolled up your leaf and ran off without a trace—when will you ever learn your lesson? Stop baring your heart and lungs to anyone who’s the least bit nice to you.”
Fu Yuqiu froze, and for once didn’t bristle.
He suddenly remembered what that memory passage through the Boundary Gate had meant.
The greatest regret of Fu Yuqiu’s life was defending that Ugly Freak who stole his leaf!
But though the man ran off with his leaf and Fu Yuqiu had been furious, when others cursed the man, Fu Yuqiu would get upset instead.
It was just one leaf. Given, then given, he thought gloomily. I’ll just grow another.
Afraid the Music Saint would keep guessing wildly, Fu Yuqiu explained in a few words how he’d been deceived, died miserably, and was reborn into the Nine Heavens.
After telling it, Fu Yuqiu got angry at himself all over again and flopped back down huffily.
His waist was remarkably supple; leaning back while sitting cross-legged, it drew out a slender line. His snow-white robes spread across the wooden planks along with his unbound white hair, like a layer of crystalline thin ice.
“Feng Beihe?” The Music Saint’s expression darkened. “I’ve heard of him—Junior Venerable of the Vermilion Crane Clan. Young, but a ruthless one.”
Fu Yuqiu felt terribly wronged: “I want to go back to Secluded Sound Valley.”
“I’m afraid you can’t.” The Music Saint said. “Ever since you… died, Fu Yuque has layered Secluded Sound Valley with countless barriers. I can’t get in.”
Fu Yuqiu struggled up in another frantic “sit-up”: “Take me to see.”
The Music Saint didn’t refuse. After all, barriers had been laid across Gongshang Gorge; even if those who’d accepted the Profound Candle Tower’s bounty notices knew the phoenix was here, they wouldn’t dare enter easily.
Gongshang Gorge wasn’t too far from Secluded Sound Valley.
The Music Saint carried Fu Yuqiu off on Wind Riding, landing at the valley’s mouth in an instant.
The entrance of Secluded Sound Valley was hidden extremely well, but Fu Yuqiu knew it intimately; he immediately readied himself to summon all his strength and push aside the dense leaves to run inside.
The Music Saint waited outside at leisure, arms crossed.
Fu Yuqiu in his flowing white hair was delicate and striking, like some spirit of the deep mountains; huffing angrily, he darted in a blur into the sky-shading grass.
“BANG!”
Fu Yuqiu was bounced straight off by the layered barriers, sent flying backward and landing on the ground with a “plop.”
The Music Saint raised a brow, an “as expected” look on his face.
Fu Yuqiu refused to believe it, and—forgetting the pain—scrambled up and slapped frantically at the barrier entrance: “Second Brother! Fourth Elder Brother! It’s me! Let me in!”
“BANG—”
Fu Yuqiu flew out again.
The Music Saint said: “Yuqiu, that’s enough, you…”
Before he could finish, Fu Yuqiu scrambled up again in a fury and kicked at the entrance: “Fu Yuque!”
“BANG…”
Hearing this commotion, the Music Saint knew he’d be sent flying again and lazily settled in to watch the show—but what came flying out this time was not a heavy human figure.
—It was a palm-sized ball of snow-white fluff.
The Music Saint’s brow twitched.
The tiny White Sparrow shrieked a “CHEEP—”, tracing an arc through the air.
The Music Saint finally reached out and caught the little snowball in one hand.
Fu Yuqiu was so angry he was about to burst, flapping his wings and yelling at the Music Saint: “Cheep cheep! Cheep cheep cheep! Cheep—”
The Music Saint: “…”
What is it saying? Can’t understand a word.
When Fu Yuqiu bristled in human form, the Music Saint only felt this little ancestor was impossible to please and wished he could gag him;
But now, suddenly turned into a fluffy little snowball, it was rather hard to dislike him.
The Music Saint’s eyes curved, and he reached out to pat Fu Yuqiu’s head: “That’s a lovely chirp. Sing me a round of ‘Fish in the Water’?”
Fu Yuqiu: “…”
“CHEEP!”
The White Sparrow furiously pecked the Music Saint hard.
Seeing Fu Yuqiu about to scramble and tumble into the barrier yet again, the Music Saint, out of patience, hauled him back and said mildly: “Stop trying. Your eldest brother loves joining the fun best. I’ve heard the Heaven-Listening Tower was recently torn down by Feng Beihe—go take a look there, and you might run into him.”
Fu Yuqiu cursed his brother: “Cheep cheep cheep!”
Though the Music Saint couldn’t understand, he vaguely knew it wasn’t anything nice.
Flicking Fu Yuqiu’s brow with a finger, the Music Saint said: “Perfect timing—the Profound Candle Tower is right beside the Heaven-Listening Tower too.”
Fu Yuqiu glared at him: “Cheep?”
“The spirit rune tracking the phoenix was issued by the Profound Candle Tower.” The Music Saint said. “If the Full Moon Bounty Notice isn’t destroyed, more and more people will follow the spirit rune to hunt the phoenix. It’ll be endless.”
At the mention of the hunt, Fu Yuqiu deflated at once, nodding wearily.
Better to wait until the phoenix woke first.
Gongshang Gorge.
The auxiliary formation glowed faintly. The phoenix at its center was bathed in fire head to toe, the Phoenix Fire nearly burning the room clean—fortunately the Music Saint had laid a formation, sparing the entire Mustard Seed house from being burned to ash.
The inheritance was mostly fused now, the spiritual power passed down by the Phoenix Clan for thousands of years flowing into the phoenix’s Inner Mansion.
The Lower Realm’s suppression of cultivation was like a solid wall; without the Phoenix Inheritance, the phoenix might have had less than half his spiritual power.
Now that wall was being violently battered by the spiritual power of the Phoenix Inheritance.
Blow after blow.
A spiderweb of cracks faintly appeared.
The phoenix’s consciousness was dim and heavy, as if fire scorched him through the seams of his very bones.
It seemed a voice drifted over from another world, mixed with the howls and roars of countless vicious ghosts.
“Feng… you still…”
“I still remember.”
The phoenix murmured instinctively: “No… I don’t remember…”
The instant the thought surfaced, the phoenix froze.
Remember… what?
Just then, a pleasant series of chirps came soaring through the air as if breaking through dark haze, drilling straight into his mind.
The phoenix was instantly alert.
He struggled to open his eyes and looked around—towering flames everywhere.
There was only the roaring crackle of burning fire. The phoenix was all alone, trapped within a barrier.
The phoenix’s golden eyes contracted sharply; he strained to spread his spiritual sense outward, but sensed no one at all.
He didn’t know what he thought of, but it was as if the fire had burned into his golden pupils, which faintly turned a scalding orange-red—eerie and gorgeous.
The violence in his heart, laced with rage from nowhere, surged straight into his marrow. The phoenix trembled all over; the ferocious Phoenix Fire on his body burned fiercer still, scorching even the ground.
Everyone was lying to him.
Even that White Sparrow…
The instant the thought flashed past, a familiar string of sounds came suddenly from outside.
“Wahh—” Fu Yuqiu bristled. “I’ll kill you! Aaaaah, are you roasting a phoenix in here or what?!”
The Music Saint: “…………”
The phoenix was abruptly stunned.
The flames filling the room instantly shrank, docile, into one tiny cluster of Phoenix Fire.
…Like a tamed vicious beast, it meekly curled back into the Inner Mansion.
