Chapter 501: Gone with the Phoenix

(Illustration)
Author: No need to explain, just use your imagination~

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“My mother was a phoenix.”

Fairy Fengya’s description took on an even more surreal tone. Ye Wenxin immediately connected the dots—the name ‘Fengya¹’, and the golden phoenix aura surrounding her.

The phoenix aura also seemed to have realized something. It was staring directly at Ye Wenxin.

Ye Wenxin was at a loss for words. She was already anticipating yet another tragic tale.

Fairy Fengya used brief descriptions, but she had indeed gone through much.

On the day of her birth, her mother died, followed by her father. For a few short years, she lived under the care of a phoenix before it too, succumbed to this curse.

However, there was a silver lining, as Fairy Fengya met Great-Grandma. Under her guidance, Fairy embarked on the path of cultivation at a very young age.

When Fairy Fengya joined the Azure Wings Sect, she was supposed to become a master immediately. But because she lacked knowledge of worldly affairs, the sect kept her in reserve.

The masses knew Fairy Fengya’s beauty was unrivaled, but not that she had long been the most powerful in the realm.

There was a saying about how comparison drove people mad. Ye Wenxin finally understood the feeling.

Yet, she felt no anger. Her qi wasn’t threatening to boil over, the usual precursor to Qi Deviation. Fairy Fengya had suppressed Ye Wenxin for so long, that Ye Wenxin had grown numb to her overpowered might.

It was precisely solitude and misfortune that later forged the incredible Fairy Fengya, who rose to the pinnacle of the realm.

Simultaneously, however, the Nine Tribulations Exorcising Curse had stripped Fairy Fengya of her emotions, leaving her in her current state. But these weren’t details Fairy Fengya herself had shared. Ye Wenxin had pieced it all together from the sparse fragments of her tragic story.

“By the way, did you ever meet an old man? You once said you wanted to kill him.”

Ye Wenxin probed further about when Fairy Fengya ran into Celestial Master Zhong. Yet, Fairy Fengya seemed to have no memory of it. Maybe she didn’t care, or there had simply been too many people like him.

Great Grandma was supposed to have ascended a thousand years ago. If it weren’t for the betrayal, she would’ve become the next realm’s ruler.

It was no wonder Fairy Fengya was so powerful. She inherited Great Grandma’s ambition, but no one could predict what kind of person that would ultimately make her.

Ye Wenxin sighed internally, but didn’t want to provoke any discord in front of Great-Grandma. She could only hint subtly at Fairy Fengya to be cautious of her elderly passenger.

Ye Wenxin quickly redirected the conversation to the novel items around them. She showed Fairy Fengya how much of the world’s splendor she had missed.

Fairy Fengya silently absorbed the information, yet showed no real desire for those things. She merely looked and touched a few items, which only made Ye Wenxin’s sympathy swell.

She ended up buying everything Fairy Fengya had seen or touched. Even if the items served no practical purpose, Ye Wenxin wanted to do it.

Maybe it was her old age, or Fairy Fengya’s story had moved her, Ye Wenxin wanted to be a little kinder to her.

The golden phoenix aura seemed to sense Ye Wenxin’s goodwill. It would sometimes flutter over and play with the peach blossom chains.

“Are you that phoenix?”

Ye Wenxin suddenly had a whimsical thought. Earlier, she had seen how Sword Ghost merged with Madam Yu’s skeletal bride aura. So she wondered if Fairy Fengya’s aura was the phoenix that had once cared for her. Reluctant to leave Fairy Fengya, it ultimately became a part of her, giving rise to such a formidable phoenix aura.

As if understanding her words, the golden phoenix nodded in response. Ye Wenxin suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. She had done tons of weird things to Fairy Fengya while the phoenix and Great Grandma were present.

Ye Wenxin cringed at the thought, and she didn’t dare tease Fairy Fengya anymore. Naturally, Fairy Fengya wouldn’t take the initiative either. As the days passed, the two maintained a respectful distance and before long, arrived in Liu City, home to Cosmos Academy.

Liu City stood in a relatively remote area of the Golden Age Dynasty, but was still flourishing. It was Ye Wenxin’s first time visiting the city, so she harbored some expectations for new encounters.

However, as they approached Liu City, Ye Wenxin noticed something unsettling in the atmosphere. The air was thick with a strange, foul smell that made her uncomfortable.

A wry smile crept onto her face. She quickly had Sword Ghost check with Ghost Mother to see if Liu Churan had done something to this city.

After the Yin Fetuses and the Zombie King, Ye Wenxin reflexively associated all sinister events with Liu Churan.

Sword Ghost gave swift feedback, confirming that Liu Churan had no interest in Liu City. She was preoccupied with crafting a new Immortal Sealing Ring, still crazy about capturing Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng. She couldn’t be bothered with this puny place.

Ye Wenxin felt more inclined to believe Ghost Mother’s words. Liu Churan would do something that shook the realm, not of a small, localized disturbance.

It was apparent that a demon haunted this city. This time, it might be a kitsune.

Various absurd scenarios ran through Ye Wenxin’s mind. She could already imagine how the upcoming plot might unfold.

Right before they entered the city, Ye Wenxin decided to converse with an uncle who seemed like a local.

The uncle appeared startled. His eyes were wary, as if he suspected Ye Wenxin of being up to no good. Ye Wenxin found his reaction even more suspicious. Before she could say much, the old man suddenly asked, “You’re not a cultivator, are you?”

Although Ye Wenxin had changed into plain clothing, the sword strapped to her back gave off the aura of someone involved in the Martial World.

She hesitated. Cultivators held superiority in this realm. If she revealed herself as a cultivator, it could help solve the problem quicker. With this thought, Ye Wenxin nodded.

But the moment she did, the uncle recoiled and stumbled back several steps. He yelled at the top of his lungs, “Everyone! There’s a cultivator here! Hurry up!”

The uncle’s booming voice almost made Ye Wenxin jump. At first, she thought these people were flocking over to welcome her. However, once the words left the uncle’s mouth, everyone armed themselves with weapons and ran over. Their faces brimmed with unbridled hatred.

“Pah! We just chased a few away, and now more show up!”

“No cultivators or dogs are welcome here!”

Judging by the crowd’s hostility, they seemed to see cultivators as nothing but lowlifes. While Ye Wenxin was still confused, a middle-aged woman eagerly hurled an egg at her.

Sword Ghost refused to let the sticky mess taint her gleaming blade. She remained still, leaving Ye Wenxin to dodge the incoming projectile herself.

Ye Wenxin was about to remind Fairy Fengya to be cautious, but found that the other woman had already blended seamlessly into the crowd.

“She’s a cultivator too!” Ye Wenxin, not wanting to take all the blame herself, pointed accusingly at Fairy Fengya.

But the crowd refused to believe her, dismissing her claims as typical lies from cultivators. They started chasing after Ye Wenxin, their weapons ready to strike.

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Footnotes:

1. 1. For those that forgot, the Feng in Fengya means ‘phoenix’. ↩︎