Chapter 19: The Father's Beast Attacks

Today marked the eleventh day since Qiyue had awakened. She didn’t feel like going to Sanglin to harvest spider silk today. Looking at the fifteen bags of grass seeds that Huyue had brought yesterday, she decided they needed a good sun-drying. Although Chi’er’s space-time was frozen, she still felt more at ease drying them thoroughly before packing them into the burlap sacks.

With her back to the courtyard gate, Qiyue was arranging the rice spread out on the animal skin to dry when a beastman with long golden-red hair stood at the gate, staring intently at the slender figure crouched in the courtyard. Three years had passed; finally, he had seen her again.

Sensing the unusual gaze, Qiyue stood up and turned to face the visitor. Yes, he had come at last.

Feng Yu scrutinized the female before him. Her figure gradually merged with the image from three years ago. She was still as thin as then. As for the reddish patches on her face, Feng Yu chose to overlook them; such things mattered little to him.

The two stood across the fence gate, silently gazing at each other. After about five minutes, Qiyue said, “You’ve come. Come inside.”

Qiyue picked up a piece of luminous stone and led Feng Yu into the house, lowering the door curtain. She pointed to an animal skin on one side. “Sit here.” She took a seat on the opposite skin.

“What’s your name? Where are you from?” Qiyue thought she ought to know his name first.

“My name is Feng Yu, from the Fengyan Tribe. I’ve asked Chi’er and know your name is Qiyue.” Feng Yu glanced at the cluster of red feathers above Qiyue’s head.

“Could you tell me what happened after I lost consciousness?” Although Qiyue wasn’t overly concerned, she felt unsettled without knowing the full story.

“You were unconscious and never woke up, but you didn’t have a fever. I didn’t know what caused it or what illness you had. I couldn’t carry you away to nearby tribes to find a shaman, nor could I leave you alone to fetch help. I took care of you for a month. When I sensed other beastmen approaching, I hid, hoping they would take you to see a shaman. Though they weren’t close, I felt those two knew you and watched from a distance as they carried you away. I wanted to follow and see which tribe you went to, but my father sent a telepathic message demanding my immediate return due to an emergency in the tribe. I had no choice but to leave. By the time I finished handling tribal matters, six months had passed. I tried several times to leave the tribe to find you, searching nearly every nearby tribe but found no trace. I even came to the Luyu Tribe two or three times, but no news of you. Only when Chi’er hatched did I sense his presence and make contact.” Feng Yu recounted the situation in detail, both to explain to Qiyue and to clarify matters for Chi’er.

Hearing this, Qiyue relaxed. “By the way, you mentioned just now that you couldn’t carry me away. Why is that?”

“My beast form is a fiery phoenix, engulfed in flames. Unless you are my bonded mate protected by my guardian stone’s power, you would be burned. If I took you in human form, I wouldn’t know how long the journey would take. If I had to hunt along the way and left you alone, I wouldn’t know the extent of the protection from the guardian stone you carry. Also, encountering large or pack beasts while traveling is highly dangerous.” Feng Yu stood up, rolled the animal skin beneath him into a corner, and transformed into his phoenix form in the center of the room. His entire body glowed in golden-red hues, feathers like burning flames, with three phoenix tails swirling behind him. His head resembled a peacock, but the crest feathers were even more magnificent. He stood a meter tall, wings spread over two meters wide.

Qiyue narrowed her eyes. No wonder the books said the phoenix was the most beautiful bird, king of all birds. This was Feng Yu’s simulated beast form; his true form was likely ten times larger. However, this had no bearing on her; she focused instead on a question that puzzled her. “Guardian stone’s protective power?”

Feng Yu, noticing the lack of fascination he usually saw in other females, returned to human form somewhat frustrated and explained, “The guardian stone you carried at the time was low level, so its protective power was weak. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to be together so easily. In other words, your previous mate was weaker than me. If he had been stronger, I might not have been able to break through his guardian stone’s protection.”

“I see. Then, take a look at this.” Qiyue took Chi’er down from above her head and handed him to Feng Yu.

Feng Yu looked at the small red bird in his hands and asked uncertainly, “Is this Chi’er?”

“Yes. Is there any difference from the chicks in your tribe?” Qiyue looked at Chi’er again, then thought of Feng Yu’s beast form just now, asking uncertainly.

“The phoenix chicks in the tribe all have three long tails, though they aren’t as beautiful as adults, only sparsely covered with fine down. Also, the feathers of fire phoenixes aren’t this deep in color; the darkest is like my current hair color.” Feng Yu compared Chi’er with his own appearance as a chick, noting the differences.

[Wuwu, mother, is Chi’er abnormal?] Chi’er’s slightly crying voice came.

“Chi’er, don’t cry.”

“Chi’er, don’t be anxious!”

Two voices sounded simultaneously. The two exchanged a glance.

“You mean Chi’er lacks tail feathers and has too deep a color. Let’s discuss one thing at a time. First, the tail feathers. Could it be congenital deficiency? After all, I fainted as soon as I was pregnant and only gave birth after a year. Chi’er hatched after soaking in the sacred water pool for two years, and I never woke up. For three years, only the sacred water nourished him. Could this be the cause?” Qiyue speculated.

“I recall our tribe’s traditions mentioning that during pregnancy, a female phoenix needs not only essential nutrients but also spirit fruits of corresponding attributes. In late pregnancy, the female’s libido greatly increases because the fetus needs the male’s essence for nourishment. Additionally, hatching requires fire.” Feng Yu pondered aloud.

“Did it mention congenital deficiencies or ways to remedy them?” Qiyue pressed on.

“No, but I remember a saying: ‘The phoenix is reborn through fire.’ I’ve never understood its meaning.” Feng Yu admitted he didn’t know if that helped.

“Are you sure Chi’er is fire attribute?” Qiyue asked.

“You can tell by the color of his feathers,” Feng Yu said confidently.

“I think I’ve heard of a phoenix subspecies called Zhuque, whose fire energy is stronger and color deeper than the fire phoenix. Maybe Chi’er’s beast form is Zhuque. Perhaps it’s not nonsense here, and the phoenix’s rebirth could be Chi’er’s turning point.” Qiyue recalled descriptions of mythical creatures from her past life.

“Zhuque? I’ve never heard that name. Where did you hear it?” Feng Yu searched his memory but found no mention of Zhuque.

“Never mind where I heard it. Does your tribe have any fire seeds left from deceased phoenixes?” Qiyue asked impatiently.