Chapter 20: The Formation
After Li Jianyu left, Zhao Linxu did not go to sleep directly. Instead, he had someone summon Xing Huan for an audience.
Xing Huan arrived shortly after, swaggering in.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.” His attitude was reasonably respectful.
Zhao Linxu smiled. “Have a seat.”
Xing Huan didn’t stand on ceremony. He half-reclined on the soft couch where Li Jianyu had previously sat, winked, and said bewitchingly, “Your Majesty, to summon this seat in the middle of the night… Oh my, Your Majesty, please don’t misunderstand. My cult is financially abundant, and this seat is not that casual of a person.”
Zhao Linxu smiled. “The Cult Leader thinks too highly of himself. Compared to the Cult Leader, We are more interested in the assassins you captured that day.”
He believed in Xing Huan’s wicked character. With someone like him, after defeating those Great Xi assassins, he would absolutely not let them commit suicide or release them. Xing Huan would probably take them all back to refine into gu-poison or medicine, for his own use.
He hadn’t been in a hurry to ask Xing Huan for the men before because he was waiting for Xing Huan to subdue those assassins for him.
“Does Your Majesty want them back?”
“Only the leader.” Zhao Linxu wanted the person who could identify Zhao Zhanqi and Feng Juheng.
“That’s unfortunate. The leader escaped.” Xing Huan spread his hands. “This seat is also very annoyed that he managed to escape that day. But that person is seriously injured, and the Joyful Moon Cult has sealed off the mountain. He can’t get away.”
So that’s why Xing Huan is still in Luoye City and hasn’t gone back, Zhao Linxu thought. He’s here to catch someone.
“Give him to Us when you catch him,” Zhao Linxu demanded brazenly.
“This seat feels the pain of losing even one, let alone the one who escaped. This seat has spent a lot of manpower and materials to seal the mountain and catch him these past few days.” Xing Huan crossed his arms. “The Joyful Moon Cult helps Your Majesty fight assassins, fight a prince, and now we have to provide delivery service too?”
Sensing Xing Huan’s dissatisfaction, Zhao Linxu raised an eyebrow. “We owe you a favor. Is there anything you need help with?”
“This seat sees that Your Majesty seems to have a knack for finding people, even using an imperial edict to find a lover. How about this: Your Majesty helps this seat find a person.” Xing Huan took a small portrait from his pouch.
Zhao Linxu said, “Oh? Carrying a small portrait with you. It must be the Cult Leader’s beloved.”
“It is indeed this seat’s beloved, but he ran away. If this seat sees him again…” Xing Huan licked his lower lip, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes as he smiled. “This seat will definitely punish him well.”
Zhao Linxu shook his head and took the small portrait.
“That person is named Dan Xi. This is a portrait of him from a few years ago. If Your Majesty needs any other clues, this seat will write them down one by one after returning.”
Zhao Linxu looked at the small portrait and, hearing Xing Huan say that name, frowned slightly.
Wasn’t Dan Xi…
Zhao Linxu said, “Do you know the name of our Great Gong’s Imperial Preceptor?”
Xing Huan said, “The Imperial Preceptor is a divine messenger. Isn’t their name a secret? What’s wrong, does he know Dan Xi?”
“It’s nothing. We will do Our best to find this person for you.”
I’ll ask Dan Xi what’s going on with Xing Huan when I get back, Zhao Linxu thought. If Dan Xi is willing to see Xing Huan, I’ll be happy to collect a favor. But if Dan Xi is unwilling, I’ll pretend I don’t know. As the Emperor, I will naturally protect my own Imperial Preceptor.
“Many thanks,” Xing Huan said with a smile. “This seat will await Your Majesty’s good news. Tomorrow… Your Majesty will accompany this seat to ‘hunt’.”
Since the leader was able to escape from under the Joyful Moon Cult’s nose, his martial arts and methods were not weak. It had not been easy to track him these past few days. Xing Huan didn’t want him to escape again, so he had to go himself.
After Xing Huan took his leave, Zhao Linxu stood up and went to the window.
Outside the window was a sea of green. The bamboo swayed gently in the evening wind.
He could not lose.
XXXXXX
The next day, Li Jianyu took Little Jiu’er up the mountain to find his grandmother. Unfortunately, when they arrived, the old woman had already passed away. She had gone peacefully, with a smile on her lips. Li Jianyu found a letter and a jade pendant at the head of the bed. The letter contained a few short sentences, asking Li Jianyu to take good care of Little Jiu’er and mentioning the old woman’s gift to him—a jade pendant that could bring good fortune and protection to the phoenix. The jade pendant was a pure blood-red, and the carving on it was identical to the tattoo on Li Jianyu’s body, exquisite and beautiful.
Li Jianyu carefully put away the jade pendant and, with Little Jiu’er, took care of the old woman’s final affairs.
After that, Prince Anding, Zhao Linyi, also arrived. Zhao Linyi was gentle and indifferent by nature. After arriving in Luoye City, he paid his respects to his imperial brother and the princess, then shut himself in his manor to read and write poetry, not going out to socialize. Zhao Linxu had intended to set him up with Zhao Jiangxue, but it was impossible. One resisted, and the other was indifferent. It seemed it was not meant to be in this lifetime.
Besides Prince Anding, the emperor of the Great Xi, Feng Juhua, also came for a visit. Zhao Linxu didn’t deliberately try to curry favor with him, only sending him a message.
I hear that Feng Juheng is as talented as my dear brother.
As long as Feng Juhua wasn’t a fool, he would be able to guess that Feng Juheng and Zhao Zhanqi were colluding. Or perhaps he already knew. As for what to do, it was up to Feng Juhua himself. No matter how he suppressed Feng Juheng, Zhao Linxu would benefit.
Zhao Linxu just wanted to tell Feng Juhua that he and him were grasshoppers on the same rope.
The leader they had caught with Xing Huan had already been secretly escorted back to the capital. Zhao Linxu wasn’t afraid if Zhao Zhanqi tried to snatch him or kill him to silence him. As long as there was action, there would be traces and evidence. Zhao Linxu would have no problem adding the crime of “robbing a prisoner” to Zhao Zhanqi’s name.
In another three days, the festival gradually came to a close.
Li Jianyu finally found a gap to go to Earth God Mountain. He hadn’t seen the phoenixes for three days. Early in the morning, before the sky had broken, Li Jianyu got up, washed, and changed.
That set of woman’s clothes and the world-shocking pockmarks made their reappearance.
After Dabao took Li Jianyu to the cave, he saw that besides the three of them, there was also a small phoenix nestled under Erbao’s wing.
It was the newly born little phoenix from that day!
Li Jianyu immediately went forward for a closer look. Although the white egg from that day was large, the hatched little phoenix was only a little bigger than his palm. Its feathers hadn’t fully grown yet. Under the care of its three elders, it was chubby, like a bald furball.
“Come here.” Li Jianyu stood in front of Erbao, extended his hand, and spoke in as gentle a voice as possible.
The little bald ball was still very unfamiliar with Li Jianyu. It shrank into its mother’s feathers, its two black-bean eyes looking at Li Jianyu with curiosity. So, Li Jianyu patiently and slowly approached, coaxing it.
“Little cutie, come here and let me hold you…”
The little bald ball chirped twice and turned its round, bare butt to Li Jianyu.
Li Jianyu: “…”
Seeing this, Dabao very straightforwardly picked up the little bald ball and, with a plop, threw it into Li Jianyu’s arms.
“Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp!!” The startled little bald ball’s entire round body turned square. It flapped its wings, struggling desperately in the unfamiliar and not-as-warm embrace. Unfortunately, the little bald ball couldn’t fly yet. No matter how it flapped, it couldn’t escape Li Jianyu’s palm.
Li Jianyu’s heart filled with affection. He held the little bald ball and sat to the side, teasing it and scratching its belly.
“Little darling, what should I name you…”
The little bald ball, with the air of a hero going off to battle never to return, closed its eyes and rammed its head hard into Li Jianyu’s chest. As a result, it was bounced back and lay limp in Li Jianyu’s hand, dazed and pitifully letting out two weak “chirps.”
Li Jianyu was immediately amused.
“Let’s call you Jiujiu.”
[Translator’s Notes: Jiujiu: This name is based on the onomatopoeia for a bird’s chirp in Chinese. It’s a very cute and fitting name.]
Dabao couldn’t bear to look at his stupid son and stupid master. He rolled his eyes and left the cave to find food for his son. Erbao and Xiaobao were taking a nap, so Li Jianyu experienced the joy of taking care of a child, bathing Jiujiu and feeding him fruit, and finally succeeding in getting Jiujiu to warm up to him.
It wasn’t until dusk that Li Jianyu prepared to go down the mountain and back to the city. And Dabao had also returned.
As soon as Dabao saw Li Jianyu, he immediately went forward to nuzzle his leg, his claws drawing a few circles in the mud.
“What’s wrong?”
Li Jianyu bent down to see what Dabao had drawn.
“What is this… a formation?”
Dabao nodded.
“Someone has set up a formation on this mountain?”
Dabao continued to draw a stick figure and some lines.
“You’re saying, someone is fleeing in our direction?”
Li Jianyu frowned slightly.
“Take me down to have a look.”
He didn’t want anyone else to discover this cave. Besides Mountain God Forest, this was one of the few remaining sacred grounds and paradises for the phoenixes.
Leaving the cave, Li Jianyu followed Dabao.
He thought that they had also encountered woodcutters or commoners who had accidentally strayed here before. At that time, Dabao would use its wings to create a strong wind or cut down trees to scare away the outsiders. If they were bolder or knew some martial arts, Dabao would let out a long cry to summon the nearby birds and beasts.
After walking for a while, Li Jianyu heard the rustling of footsteps.
Sure enough, not far away, a man in black with his face covered was limping forward. The man seemed to be injured, and Li Jianyu could smell a faint scent of blood.
Isn’t this…
Li Jianyu recognized him. It was the Great Xi assassin who had ambushed him and Zhao Linxu that day! In other words, the person before him was not easy to deal with and knew secret arts.
Li Jianyu was just thinking about how to make the man change his path and leave when he saw the man stop, his gaze fierce as he stared at the woods where Li Jianyu and the phoenix were hiding.
Li Jianyu gestured to the phoenix, intending to leave first, but he saw the man let out a loud shout and then throw a transparent thread at them. The thread, as if it had a soul and consciousness, wrapped around them, forming a circle around them. The circle gradually tightened, intending to bind Dabao and Li Jianyu.
Dabao reacted extremely quickly, flinging Li Jianyu onto its back and charging into the air, escaping the confinement of the thread.
But unexpectedly, the circle formed by the thread was not for binding people.
Li Jianyu looked down. The circle landed on the ground and then formed a formation that glowed with a white light.
“Fly out!”
However, although Dabao was not on the ground, it was still within the scope of the formation. So, it flapped its wings but couldn’t move.
Dabao could at least try to flap its wings. Li Jianyu was directly paralyzed on the phoenix’s back, his limbs heavy, as if being pressed down by something, unable to lift even a finger.
This was the Great Xi’s binding formation!
And then, another change occurred.
A red light suddenly appeared around the formation the man had thrown. Not only around it, but Li Jianyu saw the red light spread outwards at a terrifying speed, and then… as far as the eye could see, the entire forest turned red!
The eerie red light had almost dyed the entire sky red.
And under the red light was the formation of the Joyful Moon Cult, which Li Jianyu had seen before!
The man seemed a little panicked, but he still desperately wanted to subdue Li Jianyu and the phoenix. The white light became more intense, and the red light on the side seemed to be stimulated. The two could not be compatible and emitted a deafening “buzzing” sound.
Li Jianyu felt as if his head was being squeezed, and his ears were also aching from the vibration. He curled up uncomfortably in the phoenix’s feathers.
Dabao was enraged and let out an explosive long cry. The cry even drowned out the buzzing sound. The white formation suddenly caught fire, and the fierce flames voraciously devoured the white light. Then, the phoenix broke free from the formation.
The man, suffering from the backlash, spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the ground, unable to get up again.
When Xing Huan arrived with Zhao Linxu and a few highly skilled members of the Joyoful Moon Cult, what they saw was the anger of the massive phoenix in the mid-air flames.
“Oh my god…” one of the cult members said, his mouth agape.
“This… is this a phoenix?”
