Chapter 76 76 "Cheater" How can you make a half-grown...
The first year of the spiritual recovery, Friday night, August 15, Jinwuyuan Study.
"Not qualified." Phoenix closed the laptop and said calmly:
"If this is your logical ability, I need to retrain you."
In fact, his reasoning ability is still okay, but the method of actively sending Bai Xian away was too clumsy. The white-haired bird demon even glanced at Ning Changkong in a teasing manner before leaving, and the confused little fox obviously didn't notice it.
Logically speaking, Su Yunyao sniffed.
Phoenix, Ning Changkong.
He is the deputy director of the Soul Protection Department who pushed forward modernization reforms against all odds at the Juying Conference, and he is Mingqi-kun, who is respected by both the human and demon worlds.
He was her teacher who was well-read and even had many books to his name.
For a boy who is just about 18 years old, any of the above statements is too exaggerated.
——What kind of torture could turn a half-grown child into this?
He became a single person who could represent the demon race, an existence that was more stable and calm than Mount Penglai.
The agent qualities she had honed under Phoenix made her strangely calm. She let reason prevail over emotion and pointed out all the subtle irrationalities in an orderly manner.
How did Feng Huang know that Su Yunyao had attacked Yan Xiaoling?
Why does the Yue Procuratorate have to come to Jinwuyuan at a fixed time and place no matter how miserable it is?
Why did Gu Minghui and the other two come to Jin Wuyuan to spend their summer vacation?
Ning Changkong listened quietly without interrupting her, but his expression was calm and his body was relaxed, which showed that he had a lot of reasons to explain and to deny.
Yes, yes. Whether it was a human turning into a phoenix, or a phoenix losing its memory and turning into a human, either explanation was too bizarre. Ning Changkong could have made up another perfect excuse, telling how he and Lin Jinsong met, and how Lin Jinsong entrusted his friends to him - anyway, Lin Jinsong "died without any evidence".
Ning Changkong's appearance, personality, strength and even race are completely different from those of another person. No matter how many clues are piled up, it is impossible to prove with reason alone that he is Lin Jinsong who has returned from the dead.
But Su Yunyao was not convinced of this just because of his rationality.
She took a deep breath, steadied her trembling voice, and asked the question deep in her heart:
"You came to me at that time, from the beginning to the end, just for these three people, right?"
Feng Huang's eyes, calm as a deep pool, finally showed some emotion, and his expression softened. Ning Changkong pursed his lips hesitantly and said, "I'm sorry."
"The demon tribe does need to plant hidden stakes in the academy, but I recruited you and trained you, and I did have selfish motives."
According to pure reason, Su Yunyao should only infer that Feng Huang and Lin Jinsong may have a deep connection, but should not believe from the bottom of his heart that they are actually the same person.
Similarly, Ning Changkong should have denied it outright, instead of abandoning his prepared speech on the spot and frankly admitting her guess out of guilt for taking advantage of Su Yunyao.
Ning Changkong said gently, "If you feel uncomfortable, it's not too late to withdraw now. If you want to give up the qualification to study at Longyuan Academy, that's fine. If you want to stay away from the three of them, that's fine too. I can help you. Well, there's no rush to decide now."
After all, it was he who insisted on inserting Su Yunyao into the protagonist group, as the long-absent remote output, using the skills learned from him to protect them and at the same time monitor the three little ones for him.
—— His plan from the beginning to the end was only for the consideration of the protagonist group. Now that Su Yunyao knows that he has been deceived and used, he will naturally want to leave.
Su Yunyao's emotions were interrupted by him. She opened her mouth and wanted to say "This is not the point", but she burst into tears.
"Why are you crying?" Phoenix was caught off guard and quickly took a few napkins and handed them over, saying with a helpless smile.
Ning Changkong racked his brains but couldn't figure out what this little fox was thinking, so he coaxed him, "I forced you to help me, and I was wrong... How about I give you a few books before you leave? Treat you to something delicious?"
Su Yunyao shook his head desperately, tugged at Feng Huang's sleeve, and choked with sobs, unable to speak.
Old Su was a staunch reformer. At the Su family dinner table, he often praised Ning Changkong's reform policies.
But not all monsters understand Phoenix's good intentions. They suspect Phoenix of favoring humans and even want to train the monsters to look like humans.
Whenever Su Kunxiang talked about these doubts, he would always sigh, and Mrs. Su would roll her eyes at him: After all, we can't reach a consensus on political views, otherwise what is the point of having a Juying Club, a place for quarrels?
Lao Su would take a few bites of rice, then sigh under his wife's gaze and say:
I just think we should give him more.
Phoenix was still a child in terms of worldly experience. He couldn't think that the demons were not worthy of his love just because he hadn't seen them for long.
The divine beast who is willing to use his own flesh and blood to save people deserves more love, more praise, and more support.
...We can’t let him, as a child, carry such a heavy burden. Even caring about his old friends has become a luxury.
Su Yunyao sobbed and whispered, "I cry for you."
Ning Changkong was even more confused: "That's why you're crying?"
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Why are you crying for me? I got my life from Prince Yan, and now I have a home to return to. Even if I don't work every day, someone will support me. There's nothing to be unhappy about."
If it weren't for this mission of saving the world, he would really feel happy to be a phoenix. If he couldn't make it, he could go back to the Hundred Birds and eat empty salaries. If he really couldn't afford it, he could still find Bai Xian, who would probably be willing to raise a pretty little bird that would just eat and wait for death.
Su Yunyao gradually stopped crying, but was still breathing heavily. Ning Changkong poured her a cup of hot tea and also gave her a bag of cookies.
The little fox's ears drooped on his head. She held the teacup and whispered, "You should tell them."
Ning Changkong also took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "It's not necessary. Even if we talk about it, we can't go back to the past. Lin Jinsong is dead, and Phoenix must continue to live. It's that simple."
The main reason was that he had made up his mind to leave this world after completing his mission, and he probably wouldn't live for too long, so letting his old friends know would only add to their sadness.
Su Yunyao was so anxious that he hit the chair leg with his tail: "They-they miss you so much!"
"That's my own business." Ning Changkong replied in confusion. Why was she so anxious?
He looked at the little fox's sad expression, thought about it, and tried to change the way he said it: "Will you tell them that you did a lot of background checks in advance and deliberately became friends with them?"
The fiery red tail that was knocking on the chair leg froze in place. "...I don't want to talk about it." Su Yunyao replied dryly, "Then, the nature will change."
Ning Changkong shrugged: "That's the truth. After I tell them, they will be very happy at first, but then what happens?"
In the steam rising from the hot tea, Phoenix was as calm as if she was telling a story that had nothing to do with her: "They have to continue their practice and study, and I have to continue my work. There is no chance for us to meet again, and soon we will have nothing in common to talk about."
"Or rather, there is no point in seeing them more often. They are the future pillars of the human cultivation world, and I will not give up my fight for the next Juying Pavilion chief for them. No matter how good the honeymoon period of cooperation between humans and demons is, we should always avoid suspicion a little bit."
Su Yunyao stared at Feng Huang in a daze as he took a sip of hot tea. The words that flooded into his ears seemed to have turned into incomprehensible noise.
"It's better to say goodbye now and forget each other. This way, both Feng Huang and Lin Jinsong can leave a good impression on each other."
The bottom of the teacup hit the saucer, making a slight sound.
"That's not the reason." Su Yunyao stood up suddenly and supported himself on the desk with both hands.
"I've smelled the medicine you take every day. From May to now, you've changed several prescriptions, each one stronger than the last. Even the one you take before bed recently contains a strong tranquilizer."
"In the past month and a half, you have stopped teaching several times due to illness. The most recent time, you were preparing for the cooperation between the demon tribe and Tiangong Technology. You were so tired that you had a fever and coughed so hard that you couldn't get out of bed. You had to stop teaching for a day and let us go out to do the task on our own."
"...I just made the dress last month, and the sleeves and waistband need to be tightened this month." Su Yunyao sniffed sadly, his voice lowered, but his speech speed accelerated, even with a hint of anticipation.
"--Your health has not improved, and that is why you insisted on hiding it from them, right?"
The leisurely Phoenix finally raised its eyes to look at her, its red eyes staring at her coldly, its face still as still as still as a mountain.
Su Yunyao then realized that he was actually looking down at the phoenix from above, and he shuddered subconsciously.
"I still failed." Ning Changkong knocked on the table in frustration. "For those who want to find out the reason, you said too much."
"When did I teach you to present all the logical chains and evidence when verifying your hypothesis? You just said a lot of things like this, and no matter what the truth is, you can only see the results you want."
This tactic can only be used to force someone who is already confused, forcing him to make mistakes and contradict himself, but Ning Changkong obviously hasn't reached that point yet.
Su Yunyao responded in a silent voice, sat back in the chair, and took a sip of tea from the cup.
The heat flowed down the esophagus into the stomach. The study was briefly quiet again.
"Do you want to leave?" Feng Huang straightened her sleeves and asked patiently.
Do you want to give up being a spy in name but a nanny in reality?
The little fox shook his head.
She...didn't dislike the life of practicing and adventuring with Yan Xiaoling and the others.
"Okay." Just like after every communication between teacher and student, Ning Changkong rummaged through the drawer, and finally opened a package of hawthorn bars and handed them to her, indicating that the conversation was over.
This action was so familiar and so intimate that Su Yunyao couldn't help but feel at ease, as if the shocking identity revelation just now had never happened, and as if the teacher was not... a kid like those three human kids.
She took the hawthorn stick naturally and complained in a low voice: "I can't call you teacher... teacher. You are younger than those little brats? Oh my God..."
Ning Changkong said with a smile: "I have transformed into a true phoenix in front of you. Why do you still think I am a human?"
The fog in his mind gradually dissipated. The little fox scratched his face and said with understanding: "Yes. So you were pretending to be a human to train in the real world? Later, because of the recovery of spiritual energy, you returned to your true identity and led the demon tribe?"
Phoenix turned on the computer again, his eyes no longer on her, and asked casually, "Do you want to hear the secrets of the divine beasts, or the secrets of the Hundred Birds?"
None of them were what she should be snooping into. Su Yunyao stuck out her tongue, stood up and prepared to leave, but her brain continued to deduce along the interrupted question.
The verification of a hypothesis cannot rely solely on external signs, because a phenomenon can have many self-consistent explanations. No matter how perfectly others complete the logical chain, it cannot compare to the actor's momentary enthusiasm of "I like it".
Motive. She thought. Phoenix questioned the hidden motive.
Su Yunyao's blood slowly cooled down.
She stood at the door of the study and turned to look. Under the light of the desk lamp, she saw that Phoenix was obviously thinner than the day she first saw her.
"Teacher..." She licked her dry lips, feeling that words were so powerless, "Don't do anything stupid."
To lose and find again, to find and lose again, is too cruel.
"How much have you figured out in your head?" Ning Changkong smiled and shook his head, tapping away on the keyboard. "Are you still not leaving? Bai Xian is coming back."
At the moment before Su Yunyao closed the door completely in deep thought, Feng Huang looked up casually, as if what she was going to say next was just a trivial matter like "help me get a bag of cookies".
He whispered, "Take care of them for me."
The study door was closed.