Chapter 7 The Phoenix's Body Temperature
Ye Kemeng held the pigeon in her arms and looked up at Bai Lingyu.
Unlike her previous bewildered yet curious and wary gaze when looking at people, her eyes were full of surprise when she looked at Bai Lingyu.
Upon closer inspection, there's also a hint of natural intimacy.
Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is an extremely joyous occasion.
Just as she was about to excitedly say, "I am your fiancée whom you were betrothed to," Bai Lingyu turned to look at his companion, his eyes filled with helplessness and a hint of reproach: "Don't spread rumors. I received a letter from home this morning mentioning my fiancée... She went to my house specifically to cancel the engagement. My fiancée's reputation is her reputation, and I have nothing to do with her anymore, so don't say anything more."
After speaking, Bai Lingyu nodded slightly to Ye Kemeng: "Thank you for capturing the demon snake, young lady. Remember to take the Qingxin Pill. I suppose you came to the academy for the 'Immortal's Guidance' that starts tomorrow. I wish you all the best. Farewell."
Ye Kemeng's enthusiasm was stuck in her throat, and before she could even get a chance to be passionate, Bai Lingyu's cold attitude towards his fiancée completely chilled her to the bone.
Surrounded by the people, the three of them walked towards the Jiuzhou Academy, which was shrouded in mist and looked like a fairyland.
The girl, holding the gray phoenix, was left standing there alone, stunned.
Bai Lingyu seemed to sense Ye Kemeng's gaze on him. Just as he turned his head to look back, the young man beside him put his hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to him in a low voice, saying, "Why would you break off the engagement? You have already entered the Qi Refining stage and are a rising star among the younger generation. You have the potential to enter the inner sect before you turn thirty, at which time your family members can also come to the academy to cultivate."
This interruption prevented Bai Lingyu from turning his head properly. After turning another corner, the figures of the three teenagers completely disappeared.
Phoenix clearly sensed Ye Kemeng's fluctuating mood, and when he connected it with Bai Lingyu's words, a bold hypothesis couldn't help but form in his mind.
Since the letter from home was just delivered, then Ye Kemeng's annulment of the engagement... was probably a few days before she met him, or even possibly half a day before the Black Tide appeared.
And he himself met Ye Kemeng Canyon after the Black Tide had passed.
Time was so short...
Her former fiancé is now facing off against her soon-to-be husband, who is also her bandit chief.
Phoenix didn't want to think any further, so she closed her eyes, her gray eyelids helplessly obscuring the divinity in them.
"Miss, miss," the bun shop worker said, grateful for Ye Kemeng's life-saving snake capture, "Miss, are you going to participate in tomorrow's 'Immortal's Guidance'? Judging from your appearance, you probably haven't found an inn yet. The inn across the street is run by my mother. If you don't mind, you can stay here. There are plenty of buns to eat!"
Ye Kemeng finally reacted from her dazed state. She shook her head and said, "Thank you, but I'm not staying here anymore, and I'm not eating. I'm going home."
As she spoke, she tightened her grip on Phoenix's hand and walked in the opposite direction from the three people.
"I want to go home, I want to return to the Star Sect." Ye Kemeng muttered to herself, as if encouraging herself.
Her tone was utterly forlorn, carrying an unspeakable sense of loneliness. Phoenix opened her eyes, letting herself be held, and asked, "Were you forced to annul the engagement?"
The word choice for Phoenix is very apt.
Based on the exchange just now, Bai Lingyu should not know Ye Kemeng. Ye Kemeng's attitude towards Bai Lingyu was the same as towards everyone else at first, and she only changed after hearing his name. Therefore, the reasonable explanation is that the two of them probably do not know each other, but are only betrothed since childhood and know each other's names.
666 was stunned.
[Truly worthy of being the irreplaceable white moonlight in the hearts of millions, guessing the general outline just from your reaction, that's so clever!!!]
Ye Kemeng paused, pursed her lips, and uttered two words: "No."
The phoenix fell silent.
"Really, no, I wasn't forced." Ye Kemeng walked against the crowd out of the Kyushu Academy grounds.
Seeing the scene before her, Ye Kemeng swallowed her words, her eyes filled with shock.
"This is called the Land of Nothingness. Legend has it that when the Celestial Empress descended to the mortal realm and traveled through the Nine Provinces, she saw that this land was vast but barren and lifeless. She then conceived the idea of changing the world and established a cultivation sect here. Now, hundreds of thousands of years have passed, and the Nine Provinces Academy is renowned far and wide, but this land has still not fully recovered its vitality," the phoenix explained.
When he fought here, there was no Kyushu Academy yet.
Sometime some time later, the Empress sought him out to play chess and, upon hearing of the solution to the 'Void Land', said: "Your Majesty, you and I both know that the Void Land is a hidden danger."
"You want to get rid of them completely?" Cang Yao casually placed a piece.
"I know the Emperor will not agree. Besides, if it could be completely eliminated, there would be no more Void Land in the world, would there?" the Empress said. "I have an idea, but I need the Emperor's permission."
From then on, Kyushu Academy was established.
Cang Yao hadn't been here for 100,000 years. Back then, he and Ye Kemeng were hanging on the wall and saw that the spiritual field was full of life. They thought that things outside might have changed a little.
As a result, this desolate place remained as lifeless as ever.
The waiter from the steamed bun shop chased after her and, upon hearing Phoenix's words, exclaimed in astonishment, "Little girl, your knowledge as a bird is quite extensive. I thought only people who grew up in the Kyushu Academy for generations knew these things."
Phoenix looked up at her companion.
The waiter was startled by that gaze and felt inexplicably flustered. Remembering the important matter he had come for, he quickly handed the dried meat, buns, and water pouch he was carrying to Ye Kemeng, saying, "The area around our academy, for miles around, is this desolate land. There aren't even any inns, let alone taverns. It's not like no one has built anything before, but they all collapsed inexplicably, crushing people to death while they were sleeping. And even if nothing was built, sleeping in the wilderness would still result in mysterious deaths at night. Later, our old headmaster ordered that cellars be dug outwards in eight directions to make it easier for the academy's students to return home. My grandfather said that the location, size, and opening direction of those cellars were all carefully considered. Over the years, the cellars haven't collapsed. But the same person can't stay in the same cellar for two consecutive nights, or strange things will happen."
The waiter continued, “Young lady, there should have been food and water in those cellars when you came. They were prepared by the students of the academy. But recently there has been a ‘fairy guiding the way,’ and a lot of people have come to our academy. I’m afraid that all the food has been eaten up. You should take some with you just in case.”
As a result, Ye Kemeng no longer held back.
Remembering the etiquette 666 had taught her, she introduced herself: "My name is Ye Kemeng, the current sect leader of Guixing Sect, and he is my husband, Feng..."
Before he could finish speaking, a pigeon jumped up and covered his mouth, only managing to mumble the second half of his sentence: "When we meet again, I will definitely thank you."
When the waiter heard Ye Kemeng say that the pigeon was a 'young man', he was visibly stunned for a moment.
Seeing that she was about to leave, he realized what she meant and said, "Oh, you're too kind, miss. That monstrous snake in the steamer terrified me. Luckily, you saved me. I hope you have a safe journey home."
After the man entered the city, he was shocked to find that someone mistook a pigeon for a lover.
"I've heard people say that some people are 'martial arts fanatics,' deeply passionate and devoted, and that they take their precious swords as their Daoist companions while practicing. But those are just rumors. This time, I actually saw someone take a bird they were visualizing as their Daoist companion... This Miss Ye is also deeply passionate and devoted."
Holding the phoenix in her arms and carrying heavy food and water bags on her back, Ye Kemeng walked step by step into the distance.
The pace remained the same unhurried as when they walked through the canyon, but Phoenix inexplicably sensed a hint of gloom in the air.
Ye Kemeng heard the phoenix's voice: "The food on your back..."
Before Phoenix could finish speaking, she replied, "Oh, would you like some water?"
Phoenix never eats; he only cooks for himself. But he drinks water occasionally.
“No, there’s no one here anymore. Let’s put it in the Qiankun Mustard Seed.” Cang Yao said. Although the Qiankun Mustard Seed requires spiritual power to open, he can use spiritual power as long as he is in contact with Ye Kemeng, so it is convenient.
"Are you worried about me getting tired?" Ye Kemeng asked.
Phoenix: "No, I just heard your heavy footsteps."
Ye Kemeng hugged him tightly: "Yes, you're worried I'll get tired. Phoenix, you're so good to me."
Phoenix: "?"
She stepped into thin air and suddenly disappeared from the horizon.
"Where am I?!" Ye Kemeng got up, covered in dust and dirt.
"The cellar that guy mentioned earlier." Gray Phoenix stood gracefully atop Ye Kemeng's head, his movements surprisingly swift. His dark golden eyes held a thoughtful expression. "The entrance here has been concealed."
"Perhaps the one who wants to harm others isn't human," Phoenix said.
Ye Kemeng tiptoed out of the cellar and found that it was already late. This open and sheltered area was very unfriendly to cats.
She immediately ducked down, hugging her arms, feeling much safer there.
The cellar was dark, damp, and cold, with very little light penetrating in. As the sun set, it became almost completely dark.
She leaned against the wall, with a phoenix standing beside her head, and she could feel the phoenix's body temperature through her ears.
Phoenix seemed to feel itchy and took a small step to the side.
Ye Kemeng followed sideways, her ear almost touching the phoenix.
Phoenix appeared again, and Ye Kemeng continued to follow.
Phoenix: "..."
For some reason, even though Phoenix was so small, Ye Kemeng just felt he was reliable.
He cooked fish for her, made clothes for her, explained to her why he suddenly came to Jiuzhou Academy, and even packed her bags because he was worried she was tired!
“Phoenix, you asked me today if I was forced to break off my engagement. Actually, not really.” Ye Kemeng recalled the matter and explained to him, “However, I did have a marriage agreement with Bai Lingyu before. The year I was born, the Black Tide escaped from the Demon Locking Tower. My mother was no match for the Black Tide and used this token of the Nine Provinces Academy to save me. My father went out to gather herbs and when he returned, he found that only I was alive. However, I developed a soul-loss disorder due to the Black Tide's invasion, and I just recovered a few days ago. My father took care of me until I was sixteen, and after fighting the Black Tide, he also passed away. When I woke up, I found that I was the only one left in the entire Guixing Sect. I was thinking, what will happen to the Guixing Sect if I get married? So, I went to break off my engagement with Bai Lingyu and want to find a bandit husband.”
Ye Kemeng felt the warmth of the pigeon, which made her a little sleepy, but she still continued, "When I woke up, my parents were gone, leaving me with only a marriage contract and a token. After I broke off the engagement, I felt very... lonely. It was a strange feeling, because we kittens all live alone. But I just felt like I was the only one left in the world, and I had cut off the ties my parents left me with my own hands."
"I was quite happy to hear the name Bai Lingyu at noon, but, but..."
Cang Yao stood still, not daring to move, listening intently to what happened after she said "okay." He felt as if the little kitten had retracted its claws and exposed its softest belly to him.
But then Ye Kemeng fell silent, and at the same time, the weight leaning against him grew heavier and heavier...
Cang Yao: "..."
Indeed, one shouldn't be too moved by a kitten; a little is enough.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Kitten: Phoenix is reliable!
Phoenix: Wings crossed over its chest, humph!
good evening
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
