Chapter 1460 - 520: An Old Friend Returns
Inside Jiunie Mountain, in a delicate, compact treehouse.
A couple and several handsome young boys were sitting around a table.
The man wore a long robe of blazing red, his features noble and strikingly handsome, radiating masculine vigor.
The woman wore a gauzy blue gauze dress, with an oval face and two strokes of willow brows; she looked a bit frail.
Yet between the couple’s features, one could vaguely see the shadow of Little Wuya.
This couple was none other than the Ice Phoenix and Fire Phoenix Couple, who had once, by a twist of fate, briefly crossed paths with Ye Lingyue in Yunmeng Swamp.
The few young boys all wore solemn expressions; they were the Little Phoenixes who had been hatched together with Little Wuya earlier.
Because the spiritual energy in Jiunie Mountain was plentiful, and they had all undergone baptism, even though they were only a few years old, they already stood about as tall as fourteen- or fifteen-year-old youths of the Human Clan, though there was still a trace of childishness in their faces.
Among them, the sturdiest boy—also the oldest of the Little Phoenixes—had a face full of resentful energy. He hesitated for a moment, but still couldn’t hold himself back from speaking.
"Father, this time you absolutely must not let Cousin off again. This isn’t the first time he’s insulted girls in the tribe. This time it was my Guard Captain’s fiancée; who knows how many more people he’ll harm in the future."
This sturdy youth was precisely Yi.
He had just returned from cultivation when he heard that his Guard Captain, furious, was about to risk his life to confront the youth Rui.
If he and Zixian hadn’t stopped him, this time might really have ended in bloodshed.
"Rui’s temper is indeed a bit indulged. But in the end, he’s your Third Uncle’s only child, still young, and on top of that he’s a rarely seen Array Master in the clan. Even if this matter is reported, at most he’ll be locked up for a few days. Besides, these days are extraordinary times. I’m afraid your grandfather won’t bother with such things and will instead end up offending your Third Uncle."
Fire Phoenix, after listening, also felt somewhat displeased, but after thinking it over, still tried to dissuade his eldest son.
"In the end, it’s still about the Clan Leader’s position. Father, Rui is just an Array Master, what’s so great about that? No matter how powerful Third Uncle is, he’ll still lose to you. With Mother here, this time in the struggle for Clan Leader, you’re sure to win. When that happens, I’ll definitely properly teach that Rui brat a lesson. Best would be to banish him from the Phoenix Tribe forever, so he can’t keep harming everyone."
Youth Yi muttered under his breath.
"Yi, how many times has Mother told you, you mustn’t speak recklessly. As for the Clan Leader’s position, as long as the Old Clan Leader hasn’t announced anything, nothing is set in stone. I heard Rui, by his own strength alone, found over a dozen Water Bright Stones." Ice Phoenix, hearing this, hurriedly rebuked her eldest son.
The couple’s faces were filled with caution as they carefully glanced around.
Even though this was their own home, the Third Brother was very good at winning people over; he might well have planted spies right here in their residence.
The matter of the Clan Leader’s seat had been weighing on this family these past days.
Fire Phoenix was Emperor Huang’s eldest son and originally the child with the strongest claim to inheritance in the clan.
But this time, the Old Clan Leader had suddenly proposed that the Clan Leader’s position be recontested, with the capable on top.
According to the Old Clan Leader, the Clan Leader’s position would go to whoever found the most Water Bright Stones.
Fire Phoenix’s wife, Ice Phoenix, was one of the few remaining Water Element Phoenix Birds in the Phoenix Clan.
She was born extremely sensitive to the Water attribute; it was thanks to her that Fire Phoenix had managed to find nearly twenty natural Water Bright Stones.
But in order to search for the Water Bright Stones, Ice Phoenix—whose health had never been very good—had been climbing mountains and fording rivers, and in recent days her body had grown even more frail.
So although he knew the deadline set by the Clan Leader was approaching, Fire Phoenix was unwilling to let his beloved wife go out searching for more Water Bright Stones.
Besides, they had already gathered over twenty Water Bright Stones, which gave them some confidence in the contest for Clan Leader.
After all, natural Water Bright Stones were scarce throughout the entire Ancient Nine Provinces.
"Before the Clan Leader election, none of you are allowed to get into conflict with Rui’s family. You must apply yourselves diligently to cultivation. Your cultivation progress is far behind Rui’s; no wonder the clan keeps saying Rui looks more like the Young Clan Leader than you." Fire Phoenix swept a strict gaze over his sons.
The Little Phoenixes immediately wilted and could only hang their heads in dejection and head off to cultivate.
"Sigh, Fire Phoenix, to tell the truth, I’m not all that attached to the Clan Leader’s position. If it weren’t for that rule in the clan, I truly wouldn’t want to quarrel with Third Uncle’s family."
Ice Phoenix looked out the window with a touch of melancholy; her eyes brimmed with endless wistfulness.
The windows of the Phoenix Clan’s treehouses were all rounded arches; through them one could see the vast sky.
Though Phoenixes had wings, they could not freely soar between heaven and earth.
Back then, when the couple went out to temper themselves, they passed through the Qing Province Continent by chance, but unexpectedly Ice Phoenix’s pregnancy was disturbed, and they had no choice but to build a nest in Yunmeng Swamp and lay their egg there.
For Ice Phoenix, she could never forget that Phoenix Egg she had left behind in Qing Province.
"Huang’er, you’re thinking about our child again?"
Seeing the frown on his wife’s face, Fire Phoenix knew at once she was thinking again of that Little Phoenix in Qing Province.
Although both of them knew that egg had been poisoned and had lost the Phoenix Auspicious Breath, and that in a place like Qing Province, where spiritual energy was relatively scarce, there was a nine out of ten chance it could not survive.
Even so, they would rather believe in a miracle, that the Little Phoenix could have lived.
Within the Phoenix Clan, aside from the Clan Leader, each member had only one chance in their lifetime to leave the Ancient Nine Provinces.
Before they laid the egg, the Phoenix Couple had already gone once to Qing Province; if they wished to leave Jiunie Mountain again, they would have to use the Clan Leader’s Token.
It was a pity the Old Clan Leader had always believed that traversing all the way to Qing Province for the sake of a poisoned Phoenix Egg was a foolish thing to do.
The Fire Phoenix Couple could only bury this wish deep in their hearts.
But this struggle for Clan Leader had caused that thought to sprout anew.
They both earnestly hoped Fire Phoenix could obtain the Clan Leader’s position, not for power and status, but in the hope of seizing the opportunity to find the Little Phoenix lost in Qing Province.
This wish was something the Fire Phoenix Couple had not told their children.
"I’ve never stopped thinking about it—wondering whether it’s a boy or a girl, whether it looks more like you or like me. My poor child, if it’s still alive, it must hate me."
At the mere mention of the Little Phoenix, Ice Phoenix’s eyes reddened, and she was on the verge of tears.
Seeing his wife like this, Fire Phoenix couldn’t help feeling sorrowful as well.
"How can this be blamed on us? If we must blame someone, then blame those two hateful humans. If not for them, our child wouldn’t have been poisoned."
The two humans Fire Phoenix spoke of were precisely Ye Lingyue and Wu Zhong.
Back then, when Ye Lingyue stole the Phoenix Egg, the Phoenix Couple had almost caught her, but just then Wu Zhong suddenly appeared.
It was Wu Zhong’s overwhelming strength that forced the Phoenix Couple to abandon the Little Phoenix Egg.
Phoenixes were a proud race; every time Fire Phoenix recalled those old events, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth in hatred.
"You two, badmouthing people behind their backs is hardly an upright and aboveboard thing to do."
Just then, a voice wafted lightly in from outside the window.
~Continuing to code words over the weekend. Tonight there’ll be a chibi illustration of Ling Yue posted on the WeChat public account. If you haven’t followed yet, remember to follow; it’s super cute~