After calming the phoenix down, Chu Xinxin fed it its favorite Fire Orchid Grass and, with the system's assistance, successfully recruited it as her natal divine beast.
"Birds die for food, birds bow down for five pecks of rice, whoever gives them milk is their mother..."
After the phoenix extinguished the flames around its body, it looked like a little chick—without all its feathers yet—pecking at grass in Chu Xinxin's palm, looking rather ugly.
[It's just animal instinct, sister. There's a commotion upstairs over the fake egg fight, I'll go check it out. You two should heal your wounds first.]
The system chuckled twice after speaking: "[The wound is near his left chest; you'll have to treat it yourself.]"
Chu Xinxin: "Get lost."
After Phoenix finished eating the Fire Spirit Grass, Chu Xinxin put it into her Sumeru Ring to play with the Ring Spirit. The next second, Xiao Linyi took her hand. Her fingertips were scorched red and her skin was dry. You could tell how much pain she had been in just by looking at them.
Xiao Linyi somewhat regretted letting Chu Xinxin enter the Phoenix Holy Land. During the martial arts competition, she was almost whipped in the face. After winning first place, she was rumored to only rely on men. Clearly, Chu Xinxin won against Qingyun, who came in second, on her own merits. And now, in order to subdue the Phoenix...
“You didn’t have to suffer like this, but…” Xiao Linyi lowered his head, but couldn’t finish his sentence.
Recently, however, he had a faint sense of the call of Heaven, and his ascension was imminent. If he succeeded in his ascension, he would be worried about leaving Chu Xinxin alone on the Emperor Yao Continent. Chu Xinxin had no family. While he was there, he could certainly protect her in all things, but what would happen to her if she encountered danger while he was away?
That's why he wanted her to enter the Holy Land to subdue the phoenix. Once she left, he would find a way to improve the phoenix's cultivation level, so that even if he couldn't suppress it and ascended one day, Chu Xinxin would have more protection.
That's what he was thinking, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Chu Xinxin. He didn't even dare let Chu Xinxin know that he was about to ascend to immortality.
He feared that after his ascension, Chu Xinxin would forget about him and go find someone else. After all, although Chu Xinxin's eyes seemed to show affection, a closer look revealed that her eyes were actually quite clear, and her affection only remained on the surface.
Chu Xinxin has only just reached the Foundation Establishment stage. The path of cultivation is long and arduous. There is still a long time between Foundation Establishment and Ascension. He dares not gamble on how much Chu Xinxin truly likes and loves him.
Even the slightest possibility that Chu Xinxin might have someone else by her side would cause him immense distress.
Xiao Linyi simply stopped talking and focused on applying medicine to Chu Xinxin.
After Chu Xinxin's hand healed, Xiao Linyi was about to put away the elixir when Chu Xinxin grabbed it, stared intently at Xiao Linyi, and said, "Take off your clothes."
Xiao Linyi: ...Hmm?
"Wh...what?" Xiao Linyi's eyes widened in shock.
Chu Xinxin found it amusing and reached out to tap Xiao Linyi's shoulder, where the phoenix had pierced through: "Let me apply some medicine for you."
Xiao Linyi knew he had misunderstood, and was somewhat annoyed, but he couldn't show it, so he could only keep his handsome face colder.
"No need, I'm just a spirit, I'll disappear in a couple of days, there's no need."
Chu Xinxin: "Then what are you shy about? Why are you making such a fuss about taking off your shirt? I've seen everything, why are you making such a fuss?"
Xiao Linyi narrowed his eyes, revealing a murderous aura: "What? You haven't seen him? Who have you seen? Zhou Ming?"
What does this have to do with Zhou Ming? Chu Xinxin subconsciously recalled, um... it seems that it was when she was practicing swordsmanship at the training ground that day, and she casually complimented Zhou Ming on his good physique.
"Xiao Linyi, you were eavesdropping on our conversation!"
"It's because you're talking too loudly."
"Hmph! I don't care if you put it on or not." Chu Xinxin threw the medicine back to Xiao Linyi in a huff. Xiao Linyi didn't catch it, pushed it back, and turned around to take off his shirt.
It's a bit fast.
......
The wound, the size of a bowl, was located below the shoulder on the chest, with charred skin around the edges, piercing through the entire torso.
Chu Xinxin gently applied the elixir along the edge of the wound. The phoenix's flames were too domineering, and the wound, which should have healed instantly, progressed slowly. Chu Xinxin used an entire bottle before the wound disappeared.
After applying the medicine, Chu Xinxin breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was a spirit body. If it had been Xiao Linyi's physical body that was injured, she would have made phoenix soup for him to nourish his body.
"Alright." Chu Xinxin tightened the cap of the bottle and put the medicine back into her storage ring.
Xiao Linyi didn't move. He looked up at Chu Xinxin with a deep gaze and a resolute look on his face.
He asked, "Who has a good figure?"
Chu Xinxin: "...Hello, you're the best, the best in the whole world is yours."
Xiao Linyi is only three years old, no older than that.
Satisfied with the answer, Xiao Linyi put on her clothes.
While waiting, Chu Xinxin got bored and casually asked, "Why do you have a six-pointed star tattooed on your chest?"
“It’s innate,” Xiao Linyi replied.
"Oh." Chu Xinxin hadn't really intended to ask that; she just wanted to say something to start the conversation so she could ask the next question: "Why did you come in?"
Chu Xinxin felt she should know the reason, but she always wanted to ask again, as if she would only feel at ease if she heard it from Xiao Linyi's mouth and her thoughts were put into practice.
As for why she should feel at ease, she didn't want to delve into it.
Xiao Linyi paused in adjusting his clothes: "Come in and I'll help you catch a phoenix."
"That's all?" Chu Xinxin asked, looking into his eyes.
Their eyes met. Chu Xinxin's eyes were big and bright, and Xiao Linyi could clearly see his own reflection. He suddenly wanted to say something from the bottom of his heart: "You said that day, 'Only those who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage can enter. The Pavilion Master definitely won't go. What would I do if I went?' So... I came in to keep you company."
—These are the words Chu Xinxin and Ya Wen said on the day they registered.
Chu Xinxin's initial plan was to follow Xiao Linyi and win him over, but Xiao Linyi took it seriously.
Anyone can help catch the phoenix, but the ultimate goal is to keep you company.
Chu Xinxin finally put away her desire to tease Xiao Linyi, feeling a wave of tenderness wash over her. Her eyes filled with smiles, and she said to Xiao Linyi sweetly and obediently, "Thank you, Brother Changheng."
......
After this matter was settled, the two of them left the underground palace together.
The fight over the fake phoenix egg was still raging in the main hall when the system rushed back to report to her: "Sister, the female cultivator in the pale yellow dress is the second young lady of the Chu family in Zhongzhou, named Chu Qian. Right now, she and the people from Qingyun are fiercely fighting over it."
Chu Xinxin had already obtained the real phoenix and originally intended to head straight home, but after hearing what the system said, she suddenly felt a strong urge to get involved in that mess.
Who told that Miss Chu to curse her so horribly?
Chu Xinxin came up with a plan. She used some medicinal powder to smear her face, and then had Xiao Linyi use his spiritual energy to tear their clothes, pretending that they had just escaped from some kind of formation after going through all sorts of hardships. Then she led Xiao Linyi in swaggeringly, ready to stir up the waters even more.
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