Chapter 32 p1
Unseemly and embarrassing events were rarely documented in official historical records. However, unlike mortals, immortals rarely forgot anything they had experienced. Thus, besides the official records in the Wen Qu Treasure Pavilion, there were many other versions circulating, such as the original records of the feathered race preserved in Phoenix Mountain. No one had paid much attention to them before, as no one enjoyed reading history. But now that the Celestial Feather Ministry was incorporating the history of the various lineages into the assessment, they needed to choose one version as the official text. Over time, the other versions would be dismissed as unofficial, and the truth would become muddled.
Feng Yao’s words instilled a sense of urgency in the Phoenix elder. The thought of their history being distorted in the future, with the traitors rewriting their narrative, filled her with anger and resentment.
“Copy all the historical records in our clan and send them to Dong’e Mountain!” she ordered immediately.
Feng Yao agreed, then added, “But I doubt Feng Chiyue will accept them.” She had given up on Feng Chiyue. After all, this was someone who had dared to set fire to Danxue Mountain. She had no respect for their ancestral land. Could they expect her to respect the history of the feathered race? She might just randomly choose a version and use it. As soon as her pessimistic words left her lips, a cold glare shot towards her. Feng Yao chuckled awkwardly and hurried off to complete her task.
However, when Feng Yao went to Dong’e Mountain the next day with the compiled jade slips, she didn’t see Feng Chiyue or Ming Jian Su. She only saw Zhu Wan, who was feeding wild birds with Heavenly Phoenix fruits during a break from her sword practice.
Even Feng Yao, as a Phoenix, hadn’t seen Heavenly Phoenix fruits in a long time, let alone other members of the feathered race. Fortunately, she was a mature Phoenix and managed to tear her gaze away. She thought to herself, the East Abode Master truly possessed extraordinary abilities. No wonder Feng Chiyue was so willing to stay in Dong’e Mountain. If she had Heavenly Phoenix fruits every day, she would also be happy to stay! It never occurred to her that the fruits were brought back by Feng Chiyue.
“Fellow Daoist Feng.” Zhu Wan was still polite to Feng Yao. When her Master was away, Phoenix Mountain had been generous, showing more kindness than any other immortal official in the Immortal Realm. Although Feng Yao rarely visited anymore because of Feng Chiyue’s terrible temper, they would occasionally chat on the Chaos Mirror, reminiscing about the trials and tribulations of raising a Phoenix.
It was better that Feng Chiyue wasn’t here. It would save her from being insulted. Feng Yao thought to herself. She smiled brightly at Zhu Wan, not asking about Feng Chiyue or Ming Jian Su’s whereabouts. She handed the jade slips to Zhu Wan. “These are the historical records related to the feathered race compiled by Phoenix Mountain. Please pass them on to Minister Feng,” she said.
Zhu Wan accepted the jade slips. “No problem,” she said.
Feng Yao sighed in relief. Although Zhu Wan’s abilities were somewhat lacking, she was still reliable. She had initially planned to leave after delivering the jade slips, but her gaze couldn’t help but linger on the birds on the swing set. “Fellow Daoist Zhu, why are you feeding them Heavenly Phoenix fruits?” she asked.
Zhu Wan shrugged. “We have plenty of them, but the Immortal Monarch thinks they’re not fresh because they’ve been stored in jade boxes for who knows how long. She refuses to eat them.”
Feng Yao was speechless. The words “what a waste” echoed in her mind. The feathered immortals of Phoenix Mountain hadn’t tasted Heavenly Phoenix fruits in years! Why was it Feng Chiyue who was lucky enough to live in Dong’e Mountain?! At that moment, Feng Yao was incredibly envious of Feng Chiyue’s carefree life.
“Do you want some?” Zhu Wan asked.
Feng Yao shook her head hastily. She was afraid that once she tasted the Heavenly Phoenix fruits, she wouldn’t want to leave Dong’e Mountain.
“Farewell,” she said hurriedly, transforming into a Phoenix and soaring into the sky, disappearing from Zhu Wan’s sight in an instant.
Zhu Wan didn’t pay much attention to Feng Yao’s strange behavior. She tossed the Heavenly Phoenix fruits onto the ground and started counting the birds out of boredom. Suddenly, she noticed something was amiss. There was a new blue bird among the flock that often appeared in Dong’e Mountain. Where had it come from? She muttered to herself, then watched as the agile blue bird flapped its wings, kicked away a bird that was trying to steal its food, and snatched a spiritual fruit with its beak, its movements as swift as lightning.
“They say these fruits can transform birds into Phoenixes. I wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Zhu Wan said, shaking her head. Feng Chiyue was actually quite kind to these silly birds. However, once they gained enough spiritual intelligence to transform into human form, she would definitely throw them out of Dong’e Mountain. After all, Dong’e Mountain couldn’t accommodate a second bird from the Phoenix lineage.
At dusk, Feng Chiyue and Ming Jian Su returned together.
Zhu Wan was already accustomed to their blatant intimacy. With an impassive face, she presented the jade slips Feng Yao had given her.
Ming Jian Su accepted the jade slips. “I see,” she said. Seeing the curiosity in Feng Chiyue’s eyes, she explained, “The various lineages have their own historical records, even unofficial ones, which might differ from the official versions in the Wen Qu Treasure Pavilion. The history of the feathered race has been rewritten many times over the past thousand years. Phoenix Mountain is afraid that we’ll only use the version from the Wen Qu Treasure Pavilion for the assessment, burying the truth.”
Feng Chiyue chuckled, a hint of mockery in her voice. “They’re being quite considerate now.” She didn’t return the jade slips. She pulled Ming Jian Su back to the hall and talked about other matters. “Where should we go tomorrow?”
They hadn’t gone to the Celestial Feather Ministry today. Instead, they had visited the Man Man tribe. The Man Man tribe was among those who had actively reported their numbers and registered their names. However, their information differed slightly from the Celestial Feather Career Book. Some details were missing.
Ming Jian Su and Feng Chiyue had inquired and discovered that even the Man Man chieftain wasn’t aware of the discrepancy. In the end, they had summoned all the Man Mans and questioned them one by one, finally learning that four of them hadn’t gone through the Celestial Feather Ministry and had offered themselves as mounts to immortals directly.
Ming Jian Su pondered for a moment.
“The Gale Tribe,” she said.
They were a fierce bird tribe.
The Celestial Feather Hall only had records of thirteen of them, which didn’t match the number in the Celestial Feather Career Book. Two were missing. The Career Book only mentioned “miners,” but they would have to visit the Gale Tribe to find out the specifics.
“Oh,” Feng Chiyue said, not bothering to think too much about it. After a while, she hooked her little finger, and a red thread materialized, its other end tied to Ming Jian Su’s little finger.
It was a “Twin Wings” thread, a gift from the Man Man tribe, symbolizing unwavering loyalty. Man Man birds “have one wing and one eye, and can only fly when together.” In the Immortal Realm, they were a symbol of fidelity. Only honored guests received the Man Man tribe’s blessing. “The Gale Tribe has nothing,” Feng Chiyue said slowly.
Ming Jian Su thought for a moment. The Gale Tribe indeed didn’t have anything that could interest Feng Chiyue. She held Feng Chiyue’s hand. “The Gale Tribe is in the marshes of Qing Qiu, adjacent to Qing Qiu foxes. We can spend a few days in Qing Qiu,” she said.
Feng Chiyue’s eyes widened, alarm bells ringing in her head. “You know the foxes of Qing Qiu?” she asked suspiciously. Which foxes? Why hadn’t she heard of them? Did Ming Jian Su think foxes were cute because they were fluffy? Should she go to Qing Qiu and burn all those annoying four-legged beasts?
Ming Jian Su’s expression remained unchanged. “We’ll know when we get there,” she said calmly.
“But I remember that Qing Qiu isn’t very fond of Heavenly Court officials,” Feng Chiyue said, relieved. She played with Ming Jian Su’s little finger and added, “In their eyes, you’re the Heavenly Emperor’s top general, his number one lackey.”
Over a thousand years ago, the Heavenly Emperor, three hundred years into his reign, had fallen in love with Tushan Liusu, the Holy Maiden of Qing Qiu, and wanted to make her his Heavenly Consort. Tushan Liusu refused, and the previous ruler of Qing Qiu had tried to force her to go to the Heavenly Court, leading to chaos in Qing Qiu.
Tushan Liusu betrayed Qing Qiu and fled to the Demon Realm, while Tushan Bi seized the opportunity to kill the ruler and become the new ruler of Qing Qiu, severing ties with the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Emperor had wanted to punish Qing Qiu, but it was only a hundred and one years after the Fall of the Phoenix pact. The immortals didn’t want another war, and the matter was ultimately dropped, as it was the Heavenly Emperor who had acted dishonorably.
Now, Tushan Liusu was the Demon Sovereign, and Tushan Bi, the ruler of Qing Qiu, had been close to her. The Chaos Mirror was filled with rumors about Qing Qiu colluding with the Demon Realm. However, the Heavenly Court had never obtained concrete evidence and couldn’t take action against them.
Ming Jian Su thought of the incident between the Heavenly Court and Qing Qiu, her eyelid twitching. Lackey? Why were her junior sister’s words always so unpleasant? She frowned and said, her voice drawn out, “Junior Sister–”
“My Elder Sister is the most outstanding person in the world. She should be treated as an honored guest wherever she goes,” Feng Chiyue said, correcting herself. She looked at Ming Jian Su sincerely. “As long as we kill all the foxes who dislike you, Elder Sister, the gates of Qing Qiu will surely open for you.”
Knowing Feng Chiyue, Ming Jian Su could tell that she was serious about killing. However, who would actually do the killing was another matter. “Junior Sister, we should strive for peace and kindness,” she said, trying to reason with her. How could she fix her junior sister’s temper? She was making more and more enemies in the Immortal Realm. Even if they wanted to kill them all, it would take a long time.
“Are you blaming me?” Feng Chiyue asked, her eyes filled with accusation. She turned away, biting her lip. “I was always in the Abyss of the Milky Way before. I never interacted with others. I don’t know how to be a good person. And I’m incompetent. I’m not like Chu Yi, who can control the wind and rain. I’m not as knowledgeable as Ming Yuheng, who earns everyone’s praise. I’m just a wild Phoenix, abandoned by my clan. I know my heart is wicked. You don’t have to force yourself to stay with me.”
Ming Jian Su: “…” She took a deep breath and quickly comforted Feng Chiyue. Then, she asked, “Junior Sister, what plays have you been watching on the Chaos Mirror lately?”
“None,” Feng Chiyue replied, her expression changing rapidly. Her sadness and loneliness vanished, replaced by a clear, bright gaze, like the moon and stars. She poked Ming Jian Su’s cheek. “Why did you react differently when you talked to Ying Cunxin?”
“Ying Cunxin?” Ming Jian Su massaged her forehead, a sense of foreboding washing over her. Before she could ask, Feng Chiyue took out the Chaos Mirror. Ying Cunxin’s message was still there. It was almost the same speech, but with an added line: “I’ll try it on Chu Yi.” Feng Chiyue hadn’t replied. About two hours later, there was another message: “It didn’t work on Chu Yi. What should I do?” followed by a series of complaints.
Ming Jian Su blinked, then asked after a moment, “Junior Sister, when did you exchange name seals with Ying Cunxin?”
“After she visited Dong’e Mountain,” Feng Chiyue replied. After a moment, she added, “Elder Sister, haven’t you noticed that Chu Yi hasn’t been bothering you lately?” She stared at Ming Jian Su, practically begging for praise.
Ming Jian Su hadn’t been paying attention to Chu Yi at all. She hadn’t even noticed her “harassment.” Now, prompted by Feng Chiyue, she finally realized.
“Yes, you’re right,” she said, nodding emphatically.
Then, she sighed. “The East Sea Dragon Princess is truly persistent.” Ying Cunxin’s words were strange, but knowing Chu Yi, she would probably just drag her into the Ethereal Spirit Realm and punch her.
Feng Chiyue agreed. Before Ming Jian Su could scroll down, she said excitedly, “I gave Ying Cunxin a new idea.”
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