Chapter 105 105 All birds are calm when they greet the phoenix? How can I be calm...

In the first year of the spiritual recovery, on October 6, the Mid-Autumn Festival, after the Hundred Birds Pay Homage to the Phoenix ceremony, in the master bedroom of Linghuang Mansion.

Ning Changkong's physical strength and health were not enough to support him to transform into an adult phoenix again. The mission of attending the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix had to be handed over to Phoenix. He could only sneak back home after the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix ceremony was over.

They were not too worried that Phoenix would be seen through. They had plenty of phoenix spiritual power to disguise their auras—Ning Changkong still had a lot of blood left from his "Nirvana". As for the external posture, the bird-shaped posture of the undead bird was the same as his face, and could also be adjusted through spiritual power.

This is quite convenient. Ning Changkong even began to suspect that Feng Qingwu might have used this mechanism to disguise himself as other birds when he was manipulating this alchemical body. In this way, the undead bird might not be the only disguise of the phoenix.

Well, since this plan has been agreed by many pantheons, Feng Qingwu may have indeed wandered between various pantheons and come into contact with different civilizations... It seems reasonable to have more aliases, right?

Ning Changkong put on the clothes that Phoenix had taken off while immersed in these messy thoughts.

In fact, Phoenix's phoenix posture was perfect, and no one noticed anything unusual. Now the ceremony of the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix has ended, and the phoenix has returned to Linghuang Mansion to rest.

At this moment, the main security force was busy guiding the bird demons who came to watch the ceremony to leave in an orderly manner, and the vigilance of Linghuang Mansion was relaxed, which gave Ning Changkong the opportunity to sneak in.

Phoenix carefully helped him adjust his clothes and commented seriously, "It's too big."

"It's not my current size." Ning Changkong responded unhappily.

In order to reassure Bai Xian and the other bird fairies, Phoenix's body was shaped according to Ning Changkong's relatively healthy body shape in early spring, which just fits the size of the dress prepared by Jinxiufang for the Hundred Birds Chaofeng Ceremony.

However, compared to Ning Changkong's current body, which was emaciated due to illness, these clothes seemed too loose.

Ning Changkong pulled his collar tighter in dissatisfaction and complained, "Why is it still too big even with something padded inside?"

He brought with him the sponges and gauze that he had used before in sufficient quantity, and he also padded all the equipment under his underwear.

Phoenix took off the headband and tied it around his head.

While tying his headband, he seemed to notice something unusual: "Your hair?"

"I dyed it before coming here. Don't ask." Ning Changkong replied with a mumble.

Before returning, he washed his hair and found a few white hairs. It was too troublesome to pull them all out, and Ning Changkong was worried that he couldn't pull them out completely, so he just dyed it.

After being hit hard many times, his body was in such bad shape that even using the Nirvana Fire to hang on to his life could only temporarily maintain the illusion of being full of vitality. With a body that was so weak that his vitality was exhausted, it was inevitable that his hair would turn gray.

Phoenix also changed back into the Phoenix's outfit and nodded, "I'll leave now. Contact me when you need to exchange."

Their previous plan was to let Ning Changkong leave while he was washing up before going to bed, because no one would notice him while he was taking a shower.

"Let's go." Ning Changkong played with the long-lost longevity lock in his hand, and it was hung around his neck again. He asked casually, "I'll let it go, but why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"I have to go empty my stomach." Phoenix's figure disappeared into the bedroom again, and his voice echoed in the mind connection.

Ning Changkong gasped: "How much food did you stuff into my mouth? I can't eat anything."

As an immortal bird, it was not convenient for him to get food, so he decided to fast. If he forced himself to eat a lot, who knows how his internal organs, which had been damaged by the evil spirit, would rebel. Ning Changkong got a headache just thinking about it.

It’s over, don’t let yourself be exposed because of such a small matter, okay?

The door was gently pushed open, interrupting his wandering thoughts.

A plate of exquisite snacks was carefully placed on the table, accompanied by Bai Xian's complaints: "Really, you should have told me earlier that you wanted to have some snacks. The kitchen is so busy finishing up the performance, and they have to take time out to prepare these for you, making me wait for a long time..."

Even so, Feng Huang, who had always been in poor health and had a poor appetite, made a request to the kitchen for the first time, specifically stating what she wanted to eat, and the chefs in the kitchen were still delighted.

Ning Changkong walked from the bed to the table and picked up the spoon: "I suddenly feel like eating."

Bai Xian took out an item from his pocket mysteriously: "I met Zhu Huan on the road and chatted with him for a while. I quite like this gift he gave me, so I took it out from the warehouse first."

That is a jade crown.

"Untie your hair and let me try it on for you." Bai Xian had already picked up the comb, ready to comb his hair.

Ning Changkong chewed a snack and untied her ponytail obediently, letting her long hair fall down like a waterfall: "Why do you like this gift?"

Bai Xian's movements were much more skillful than Ning Changkong had expected. He combed Phoenix's hair deftly and put the crown on him easily.

"Don't humans have a coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 20? On your 20th birthday, I want to personally perform the coming-of-age ceremony for you."

Ning Changkong wanted to tease Bai Xian and ask him if he had learned this from the Internet. But after thinking about it carefully, he realized that the ceremony of coming of age originated in the Zhou Dynasty. The Kunwu Sword passed down from generation to generation in Yuxu Sword Pavilion was given to King Mu of Zhou by the Queen Mother of the West when she received him.

By this calculation, this custom should have already existed when Bai Xian followed Feng Qingwu in traveling the human world.

Ning Changkong chuckled softly: "Let's not talk about this now."

"It doesn't matter if you don't care. Just think of it as celebrating your birthday." Bai Xian solemnly placed the jade crown firmly on Ning Changkong's head.

Bai Xian was also present when Ning Changkong lied to Gu Minghui and others, claiming that he was a phoenix traveling in the human world.

Later, Bai Xian, under the pretext of "understanding Phoenix's learning achievements in the human world", secretly obtained information about Lin Jinsong from several human children, and naturally knew Lin Jinsong's age and birthday.

The Bird Tribe would naturally celebrate the birthday of their young master, and several human children would also present gifts. But everyone else thought that this was just an insignificant growth of the phoenix over the past few hundred years. Only Bai Xian knew the truth about Lin Jinsong's transformation from a human to a phoenix.

Bai Xian felt a secret, complicit joy at this. The white-haired bird demon pulled out a dressing mirror from his sleeve like a magic trick and handed it to Ning Changkong: "How beautiful."

"Why do you still carry this thing with you?" Ning Changkong complained, but his attention was not on his portrait in the mirror, nor was he in the mood to care whether his efforts to cover up his bad complexion were effective.

He just focused on feeling Bai Xian's hand gently on his shoulder.

Warm, Ning Changkong thought silently in his heart. This is the warmth of being alive.

He slowly swallowed the chewed pastry in his mouth. The sweet taste spread on the tip of his tongue, bringing a deep sense of satisfaction.

Bai Xian carefully looked at Ning Changkong's look, gently tucked the loose hair behind her ears, and praised with a satisfied look in her eyes:

"Today, many bird fairies complimented you on your good looks. You should dress up well every day. It's a waste to wear a ponytail all day long."

As Bai Xian spoke, he took out his cell phone from his pocket and swiped the screen a few times clumsily to bring up the interface in his favorites folder.

"Look, I recently searched for this guide. I will also give you a different hairstyle every day. How about that?"

Ning Changkong glanced at the screen of his mobile phone and couldn't help but complain: "'Hairstyles for male protagonists in ancient costume dramas'? What kind of guide are you searching for?"

Ning Changkong once again began to wonder where Bai Xian learned the technique of tying the crown for him.

**

After the bird-paying-homage banquet that lasted for most of the day was over, Phoenix had nothing left to do.

Ning Changkong was originally planning to lie on the couch and read a book, but just after flipping through a few pages, the book in his hand was taken away by Bai Xian. The white-haired bird demon said, "You've just been busy all day, don't get tired."

So Ning Changkong lay on the bed and browsed the forum.

Originally, the purpose of holding the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix was to show the public and the Hundred Birds tribe the elegance of the phoenix. The specially invited reporters quickly posted the on-site situation on the Internet. The Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix also became a hot topic in the Tianwang forum for a while.

Although there are still some voices writing conspiracy theories, suspecting that the Hundred Birds Festival is an internal carnival of the Hundred Birds tribe, which is difficult for outsiders to participate in, so the news released by the reporter may not be true. However, these voices are ultimately a minority.

More posts are discussing topics related to Phoenix. Just as the Yaozu Juying Pavilion launched a new business law, some people joked that the vigorous star-making campaign for Phoenix was a pavement for the next step of live streaming to promote the business development of the Yaozu.

Ning Changkong couldn't help laughing at the various speculations, and even wanted to pull Bai Xian to watch together.

Of course, there are still some posts that he dare not share with Bai Xian, such as some posts that are, uh, licking faces in various senses.

Many bird lovers opened threads and wrote short essays praising how beautiful the phoenix's tail feathers are and how gorgeous its wings are.

As other races flooded into these posts, the discussion gradually deviated from its original direction and began to discuss the appearance of the phoenix humanoid.

This is the first time that a photo of Phoenix without a mask has been made public. This rare exposure undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention and became the focus of people's attention.

Ning Changkong scratched his head. Oh, right, I forgot to tell Phoenix this.

But there was nothing that could be done about it, as Phoenix never concealed its true appearance in front of its tribe members. Although the official reporters knew the limits, some still dared to secretly take photos and publish them.

Why did I wear the mask back then? Oh yeah, it was to hint at the identity of the phoenix and also to create a sense of mystery.

There is no need for this now. Since the photos have been leaked, let's just let it go.

"It's time to eat--" Bai Xian's voice pulled Ning Changkong out of the online world.

The banquet of "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" was specially arranged at noon for the reunion dinner on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, so that the bird fairies can return to their nests and spend the night with their families.

Ning Changkong had already told the servants serving at Linghuang Mansion to leave work early today, so that he and Bai Xian could have a simple family dinner.

The dishes on the table were not particularly rich, but Ning Changkong still swallowed his saliva, and his long-lost appetite was completely awakened.

He picked up the chopsticks and said casually, "It's hard to imagine that the demon tribe also celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival. Penglai can't see the moon."

Bai Xian also sat down at the table and took over the conversation: "When Penglai was established, humans did not have this custom yet."

That is, Ning Changkong squinted his eyes and calculated. The Mid-Autumn Festival must have been a product that only appeared in the early Tang Dynasty.

Bai Xian filled a bowl of wine for himself: "This habit has become popular... I think it's because humans have held many festival promotions in Taoyuan."

"When collecting taxes, Juying Pavilion discovered that it could make a lot of money by promoting these festivals, so they followed suit. Festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Chinese Valentine's Day have only really become popular among the demon tribe in the past few decades."

Bai Xian pointed to the window that he had opened on purpose today. In the small patch of night sky outside the window, a full moon was hanging high in the sky, its light soft and bright.

He said playfully, "This full moon was created by the demons from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau using magic to promote the Mid-Autumn Festival."

It is really a commercialized festival. I would rather laugh a few times in the empty silence. How should I evaluate this? Humanization of life?

Ning Changkong stretched out his hand to grab Bai Xian's wine bowl, but he hit his hand with chopsticks: "Drink your drink." He pointed at the Coke on the table.

It always feels like I'm forcing people to sit at the table for children. Ning Changkong calculated the age of his body. But it seems that he is still a child now.

It's nice to have some happy water for the fat guy to drink, although I don't think he would drink too much during the day.

Ning Changkong took a sip of Coke happily, feeling the bubbles dancing on the tip of his tongue.

This is what it feels like to be alive!

Ning Changkong still couldn't eat much. He felt bloated and uncomfortable after just a few bites, so he had to lie and say that he was too tired during the day and had no appetite.

Bai Xian naturally didn't dare to give him more Coke, so Ning Changkong finally took a cup of honey water and sipped it slowly, chatting with Bai Xian.

Bai Xian seemed to be deliberately controlling his spiritual power to not decompose the alcohol. His face was slightly red, and he looked a little drunk. He put down the wine bowl, slapped his thigh, and said excitedly: "Come on, I promised to tell you a story from the past - do you know how I learned to comb my hair?"

Ning Changkong said in a flattering tone, "How did you learn it?"

Bai Xiansi didn't keep it a secret: "Comb your father's hair."

Ning Changkong showed an expression of "That's it?"

He could guess the answer with his eyes closed.

"Then why are you searching for the hairstyles of male protagonists in costume dramas? Shouldn't you be an expert on that?" Ning Changkong teased.

"I only knew how to style my hair like a woman back then." Bai Xian's words made Ning Changkong's eyes widen. "My master liked to dress like a woman back then, and even asked me to call her 'Miss'."

Feng Qingwu still has this habit? Ning Changkong laughed out loud: "Is it true?"

"Have I ever told a lie?" Bai Xian snorted.

The slightly drunk white-haired bird demon raised his head and stared at the false night sky in a trance.

Due to the alcohol, his vision became blurred, and in the haze, the arrangement of the stars seemed to gradually transform into a scene from thousands of years ago.

Was the starry sky like this thousands of years ago?

Thousands of years ago, I walked with you under the starry sky. Is it the same as this, with all the stars in the world?

No... not good enough. Although the Si Tianjian said that it was simulated according to the starry sky of the mythical era, it was still not as perfect as the one he preserved in Jin Wu Garden. Bai Xian lowered his head again, and a subtle sense of loss emerged in his heart.

"...Don't love me too much, Bai Xian." Ning Changkong smiled, holding his honey water.

The white-haired drunkard refilled his glass of wine, immersed in memories of the past, and continued to tell the story: "'She' took the name of a star under the night sky as a pseudonym."

Bai Xian's voice carried a hint of distant nostalgia: "The master traveled across the mainland in those days, using a pseudonym, Lu Beiji."

His stomach twisted into a knot, spasming with agony and making it hard for him to breathe. His heart skipped a beat in his chest, then throbbed in a turbulent rhythm, as if it had lost its rhythm in the panic.

The color on Ning Changkong's face faded in an instant. He reached out and grabbed Bai Xian's sleeve, trying to be calm and said, "Which three words?"

Chu Qingge had already sent a message to the Quick Travel Bureau. She stared at the alarming physical data on the monitor and hurriedly called out to Ning Changkong to calm down.

Calm down? How can I be calm?

Ning Changkong gritted his teeth. He knew that he and Chu Qingge were thinking of the same person at this moment.

The gold medal executor of the quick-travel game, Lu Beiji.