"Hm, fascinating…"

"Oh my…"

"Oh no she didn't…"

CLICK!

Yi Fei'e's wooden door opened as a dragon maid in a blue dress walked in carrying a tray. "Good morning mistress, your breakfast is ready," she said.

Immediately as she did so, a pillar of blue fire erupted from Yi Fei'es hands. The fresh book she was holding was consumed by flame leaving nothing, not even ash, and a pissed off looking Yi Fei'e.

For a moment, silence reigned the bedroom. Yi Fei'es head slowly creaked to glare at the maid. The dragon girl nervously gulped as she settled down the tray of hot steam buns on Yi Fei'e's table.

With a few tussle, Yi Fei'e stood up from her bean bag and inched closer to the maid. "You're new," she said.

"Uh, yes mistress, I arrived on Yingzhou three months ago. Three months six days in fact. It was very, wow. Anyway, my name is…"

"I don't want to hear your life story," Yi fei'e snapped.

"Oh, uh a thousand apologies," the maid bent ninety degrees in submission. A common sight when a lesser lay in fear of a superior. In this case, Yi Fei'e could snap her out of existence regardless of her background.

"Stop, stop yammering girl," Yi Fei'e pulled the dragon maid to her feat with one arm. She grabbed both her shoulders and have her the most intense glare she'd experienced in her life.

At the same time, the white haired woman's beautiful face had a deep rosy blush. On her pale skin, it was extremely visible.

"You never saw anything, nothing was here. You delivered food while I was resting. Am I understood?"

An invisible but heavy tension permeated the moth's room. It was to such an extent that the dragon, a Heavenly Immortal powerhouse, struggled to breath.

"Yes mistress," she uttered a bit confused. In truth she'd seen nothing aside from a pillar of flames. Yi Fei'es anger wasn't understood by her.

"Speak any word of what you saw, and you will never see the another day. Understood?"

Yi Fei'e emphasised her words. Her tone was so grave, it was as if she was speaking of matters of national security.

"Yes mistress," the dragon nodded.

"Good, now be on your way," Yi Fei'e quickly pushed the dragon out of the door. She grabbed the handle and slammed the wooden door shut.

From outside, the dragon heard dozens of locking formation being activated as well as physical locks being pulled. The confused dragon decided to be on her way and report to her superior thinking to herself, 'Was this the legendary chief female immortal of Yingzhou?'

…

Yi Fei'e starred at her room in sorrow. It was as if her world had crashed down around her.

"Limited addition…"

She mumbled on the verge of tears. Her hands shook with tons of complex emotion and she slowly fell to her knees.

In her hasty reaction, she had activated her strongest technique. The spell she fired off, obliterated her book in all forms of existence. It was even bombarded out of the timeline so even she can't reverse time and reconstruct it.

Tears streamed down her red face as she screamed.

"I DIDN'T GET TO FINISH!"

…

Da Hai's thin brush dipped into a small container of light metallic grey paint. His arm moved up and dragged the brush lightly across a tiny figurine he held on a holder on his other hand. His full attention was on this figure and he didn't even turn his head toward the other person in the room.

"So…"

Da Hai said while adding flecks of paint for highlights.

"You want to leave Yingzhou, to cross the continent into enemy territory. All to retrieve a rare spiritual material that will help you in your cultivation?"

The sea god said each word one after the other in increasing amusement. His pupils glanced sideways towards Yi Fei'e. There were a hint of irritation in his eyes.

"You're not fooling anybody disciple," he said putting his tools down.

"Master, I must stress the importance of it to me. The sacred manual was a revelation brought about by an ancient…"

"Fei'e, I was alive in the era of ancients," Da Hai interrupted his fourth disciple before she could go on another passion driven tangent. His unimpressed gaze made the moth fidget as if she was a child caught in her misdeeds.

"Anyway, that detail isn't important. Why are you coming to me? There's no restriction of you leaving the island," he said curiously. Though he already had a hint of the reason.

"Well, the Phoenix Sovereign. While she would respect your position and mine by extention. She still won't take too kindly to my 'intrusion'. Hence I need a way to hide. I don't have techniques good enough to hide from her eyes."

Yi Fei'e smiled nervously after she finished. Da Hai sighed in exasperation and shook his head laughing. He raised his empty left hand.

POOF!

The Chaos Cauldron appeared in Da Hai's open palm. It was shrunken to the size of a small jar. Da Hai floated it before Yi Fei'e.

"I was waiting until you've done a great deed before bestowing you a treasure of this magnitude," Da Hai said looking deadly serious at Yi Fei'e in the eye. "But if you're gonna take this trip you'll need it."

Yi Fei'e gasped, "Thank you master, I promise I won't disappoint you." She reached for the cauldron only for it to dart back.

"Not the cauldron," Da Hai snapped. "Inside it," he flicked the base of the Chaos Cauldron. In another instance, a brilliant white light enveloped the room.

A white orb flew out and landed gracefully on the fairy's palms. She let out a gasp as she felt fresh immortal power flow into her.

"Illuminating the heavens, one of the mysterious sky," Da Hai chanted. "I made that from samples I collected in the nearby chaos sea. I can't say it'll be too useful in a fight, but you can use that to blend in."

"Many thanks master, does this treasure have a name?" Yi Fei'e inquired.

"No, you can decide for yourself."

Yi Fei'e nodded at Da Hau's response. She admired the white pearl she held in her hand. Its luminescent light shimmered as it faded into her pale skinned body, stopping at her upper chest.

"Pearl of Great Brilliance. Yes, I shall call it Pearl of Great Brilliance. My, Yi Fei'es companion treasure."

Da Hai nodded, "Stay safe and don't get caught. You've only spent time in your senior brother's domain. Use this chance to get some experience in the wider world."

…

The sleazy city of Cinnabar Roost, located seven hundred and forty eight billion kilometres from Phoenix Roost, was the home city of the newest Phoenix Lord of the Avian Empire.

It was also a site of relaxation and pleasure, filled with dancers, gamblers, and wine. A behaviour many immortals considered uncouth and distasteful, yet also one many younger cultivators indulged in.

Cinnabar Flame, the latest in a long line of prodigies stemming from the lineage of an ancient phoenix master drank down a glass of expensive spiritual fruit wine while beautiful nation breaking ladies danced around him letting their colourful feathers create a site most magnificent for the eyes.

The young virile man laughed joyfully as a party raged on around him. As a newly minted Chaos Immortal, he had finally achieved Dao. There was not much more for him to gain now.

Cinnabar Flame leaned back as his sixty-seventh wife massaged his shoulders. Around him, his friends and contemporaries drank and partied around him.

However, he was not happy. In fact, he was a bit peeved.

"What's wrong my love?" His sixty-seventh wife asked.

Cinnabar Flame raised an eye.

"Was it those old farts again? Don't take their words to heart, you are destined to surpass them," she said with an alluring smile.

Cinnabar Flame couldn't help but raise his lips in a smile as he saw the beautiful woman smile. "Naturally, those old birds don't know how to appreciate real talent," he leaned in and gave her a deep kiss.

This was one of his earlier conquests, the saintess of a small sect he encountered when he was barely six hundred. She was pretty, incredibly so, fit for a one such as him.

But Cinnabar was aiming higher. The glorious prize waiting at the top of the mountain. The king of myriad birds herself.

Cinnabar considered himself a beautiful bird, the highest of all. He wasn't even a single yuanhui old unlike all the other Chaos Immortal realm old fogeys. This was a higher level than many of the first generation innate gods had reached.

Records said that although brutal, the ancient Shenni war was fought between mostly Great Unity Golden Immortals. It wasn't that impressive in his eyes.

Even among his generation, none could keep up with him. Not even the generation before him or the generation before that. He could only find worthy beauties in the more senior generations.

Even the wives tending to him ranged between True Immortals and Heavenly Immortals, irrelevant small fries. None of his friends present were even Golden Immortals.

"Heh, give me some time. The Dao is complex love, a few more kinks and I'll be tackling more advanced realms in no time," he confidently said.

Truthfully, he was deeply unimpressed with his current wives. The aforementioned issues were in full force here. There were very little difference between them and common maid servants. What's more, the beautiful female phoenixes were few and far between.

He longed to court one.

"Hey Lord Cinnabar," one of his oldest friends said. "Long time no see. Congratulations, I just heard about your ascension."

"Mystical Vein you're here," Cinnabar smiled on the outside and disdained on the inside. "And is that the sister I've heard about? Brightness Vein was it?"

He leered at the beautiful pheasant at his side with some interest. She was quite pretty, another good addition to the harem. Her aptitude wasn't the greatest though, wasn't even an immortal yet. Last time they'd met she'd still been a chick.

"Indeed, we're just travelling around so she can enhance her cultivation," the immortal pheasant said. Of course his anterior motives were noticed but otherwise ignored.

Cinnabar Flame decided to allow him the honour of chatting with him. They were friends after, so he'd allow that courtesy.

The two talked for a while catching up. Cinnabar did not find Mystical Vein's stories interesting at all. He'd long let that world behind. His current realm was too high to notice mere immortals.

But one topic did interest him. It was talks regarding outside the south continent.

"South? You went to the south Sea?" Cinnabar Flame asked.

"Indeed my friend, I fought as part of a defence force there a few centuries back. Quite a few interesting things I learned. So many seafood available, much better then the garden fishes grown on land," he said.

"I see, I see," Cinnabar Flame dismissed.

"But there quite a few beauties though," his friend said. "Here, check this out."

The pheasant pulled out a portrait from his sleeve. It was a soggy thing but one where the image was still portrayed.

"Look at this, found this off of a dead seafolk. Did a little digging and apparently these ladies are touted by them as the most beautiful women in the world," he said.

Cinnabar took the portrait off of him and had a look himself. Seven women were painted on there. Seven women of extraordinary looks, white as snow and graceful as a gentle spring breeze. He salivated at the thought.

"Who are they?" He asked expectingly.

"According to what I gather, the seas call them the Seven Immortal Moth Fairies."

…

Sneaking into the south continent turned out to not be a challenge at all. In fact, Yi Fei'e found it quite easy. Even though there were multiple Great Principle Chaos Immortals along the way, they couldn't detect her.

Yi Fei'e giggled in excitement as she flew through a forest. Her current form was a shrunken form of her true form. A tiny white moth that flew from leaf to leaf.

Of course, to lesser people, she was still so fast that she was unsociable even by the eyes of advanced immortals. Hence in a stream of white light, Yi Fei'e darted through the foliage to her destination.

"Huh? I thought master Si lived in a rural village," she whispered to herself. Transforming back into a woman, Yi Fei'e reached for her sleeve and pulled out an old map.

Her last limited edition copy of 'Wives of Red' was something she convinced Zulong to find for her. Copies of south continent books weren't all that common where she lived after all.

The fairy turned her gaze up at the afternoon sky. Her eyes saw past the sky blue atmosphere and into the image of the stars above. Countless celestial bodies flashed through her eyes as she observed the movements of the stars.

She stroked her chin as she narrowed her gaze. Then she turned back to the map then back to the stars. "Location is correct," Yi Fei'e breathed a sigh of relief.

"Curse you master Si, you are such a talented writer but you are such a gatekeeper," she fired a stream of other curses as she glared at the city beyond.

The author she was referring to was well known in his sphere for being both talented and eccentric. He refused to print his work by way of printers and had to handwrite everything. At the same time, he refused to sell his works other than from his person and every copy he sells will be a little different.

As such every single one of his books was considered limited edition and very rare. Yi Fei'e both loved and hated him for it.

"I mean, learn to distribute your works," she humphed before transforming herself again.

Yi Fei'e was neither blind nor ignorant. She knew how beautiful she was and how much attention she'd attract if she showed up as herself or even if she deigned to wear a veil.

In the presence of similar peers, Chaos Immortals and whatnot, no one cared. They were all focused on cultivation, treasures, or their families. But in a normal city, the attention she'd garner from looks alone was too much. She wasn't a diva unlike her younger sisters, or at least she didn't think of herself as one.

When Yi Fei'e prepared to enter the city, she was in the form of a plain Asian woman with black hair and average height. Nothing specular, a face and figure that blended in with the crowd.

Her cultivation was also pretty high for the area she'd arrived in. As a precaution, she mimicked the aura of an Earth Immortal(Human Immortal). High enough to but not overly monstrous yet still beyond mediocre.

Standing in a line of birds, Yi Fei'e did not feel out of place. She herself was a winged creature as well. What's more, she remembered being born in the south continent. Was it wrong of her to feel a little sense of kinship?

It was a quick and simple endeavour. She was inspected by the guards and asked what she was here for. She answered honestly which was also a common answer. And it was not like they could ever discover her secrets.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Yi Fei'e silently followed the crowd when she entered the city. It was a no fly zone and a formation was in place. She did also feel the presence of a Great Principle Chaos Immortal present so actively. Resisting was perfectly within her capability but doing so will require too much effort and risk her anonymous nature.

"Hm, not bad. Quite colourful," she mused as she observed the buildings around her. Avian architecture was similar to dragon architecture. Except they emphasized bombastic colours and beauty rather than the mighty arrogant dragons.

Two forms of "LOOK AT ME" but completely different approaches.

Yi Fei'e quickly started learning the lay of the land. Her divine sense covered the city looking for signs of her author. She was wary to avoid the other Chaos Immortal but they were barely paying attention themselves.

But she has taken her master's words to heart. Don't shy away from defending yourself, but be wary and stay hidden. Attention can be really bothersome when you don't want it.

Having never left the man before, Yi Fei'e had some trouble finding him from her initial scan. So she did the next best thing.

"Excuse me sir, would you know where master Si's residence is?" She asked a feathered passerby. The man gave her a thoughtful look and tried to remember.

"Ah, young lady, you're here for those?" He asked.

"I am here to buy books," Yi Fei'e hurriedly said.

"Yeah but those sort of books?"

"What do you mean, books are just books."

"I mean, it's pretty graphic stuff and you're," he gestured at her body.

"I am only here for books," Yi Fei'e said coldly glaring. She desperately wanted this to be over with.

"Suit yourself, he lives in fifth avenue in White Feather district," he said and left the disguised moth alone.

'Well that was easy,' Yi Fei'e sighed in her heart. Asking was both the quickest yet most embarrassing way. Besides, she'd be out of here very soon anyway.

…

Cinnabar Flame yawned walking down his city. With beauties in each hand, he began the long walk home.

He could've taken an easier route and just teleported. But there was something about letting everyone see and grovel before you that just scratched the itch in him.

Cinnabar was a very handsome man, and even prettier phoenix. His feathers were white and black and upon his head and back was cinnabar coloured feathers stretching from his crest along to his tail feathers.

Combined with his power, status and prestige, he was someone people cannot ignore.

Needless to say, he was treated with a sight of hundreds bowing to him as he walked across.

Within his mind, the phoenix imagined the figures of his seniors. Great Principle Chaos Immortals who'd look down on him as a junior, a brat, or an arrogant fool. The same fools he'd love to put in their place.

Then he imagined her kneeling here. The Ancestral Phoenix and sovereign of all avians cut a magnificent form. He deeply desired it.

Of course, there were also beauties from out of the mainland. To think he'd been limiting himself for so long. He'll get to exploring those places soon. Those seven moths were all jade beauties waiting for him. Just thinking about it was starting to get him back in the mood again.

"Hm?" He stopped glancing to the side.

A queer woman was standing there totally ignoring him. What's worse was that she was treating the book in her hand as if it was the greatest love of her life.

…

Retrieving the brand new copy was easy after that. Get in, had over a few pills, get out. Quick exchange for a fresh copy to replace her destroyed copy.

Holding it up to her nostril, Yi Fei'e took a huge sniff of the book receiving weirded out looks as she did so. But she did not care, they did not understand the true meaning of paradise.

"Ah, my love," she praised taking a big sniff. This piece of fine literature(95% porn) was bound in the hide of a Bull immortal. A valuable one of a kind. In a sane world, who wastes such materials on smut?

Yi Fei'e carefully handled the copy in her hands placing various protective enchantments on it and prepared to leave. But it was then did she notice her surroundings. She'd been so entranced by the presence of her new book that she hadn't noticed everyone bowing.

"Hm?" She locked eyes with a handsome young man. It was a Great Principle Chaos Immortal standing right across from her.

'Fuck, how did I miss that?' She screamed in her mind. Though with her track record with similar situations, she honestly shouldn't be surprised. If Da Hai was here, he'd smack his face in shame.

"You, do you know who you're standing in the presence of?" One of the hot woman beside the young man commanded. She pointed at Yi Fei'e gesturing for her to get into position like everyone else.

Yi Fei'e frowned. She had not prepared herself for this position. The smart thing to do will be to obey, but she had her own pride as well. Who the hell was this bitch to tell her to bow?

As one advances along the long road of cultivation, one grows more and more confident in their abilities. Their accomplishments in their enlightenment all instiled a sense of pride.

While she debated obeying, the young man, Cinnabar Flame looked her over. "Her body isn't bad, just the face is a little off, nothing that can't be fixed," he said. "Join us."

At that moment Yi Fei'e felt a little annoyed. Her feet twisted a little before lightly touching the ground. Her eyes trailed towards to horizon and calculated some scenarios.

Then she took off.

Breaking all restraints, she bolted for the eastern direction. Cinnabar on the other hand was shocked. On instinct, he flew after her at breakneck speed. Her speed shocked him, it was on the level of Da Lou Golden Immortals.

'He kept up with me?' Yi Fei'e frowned gently placing her precious book into her sleeve. Body left a trail of starlight and she moved through swiftly. But even so, Cinnabar could keep up.

Below the phoenix's stomach, green clouds formed carrying him across the sky. He was even faster than Yi Fei'e was.

Cinnabar Flame originally was famed for being incredibly swift. His movement techniques were one of the best even among his cultivation contemporaries.

"Who are you?" He called out.

"Shit," Yi Fei'e felt troubled. In her haste, she'd made another mistake. She turned and knocked her fist back, colliding with this layer of reality to abruptly halt her body.

Then the shattered pieces of space forged into a spiked gauntlet around her fist shining like a glowing white star. Cinnabar could not stop his own momentum as Yi Fei'e punched him square in the jaw.

"GAH!" He cried in pain. His Dao body shattered and his true form made itself manifest. He was easily several thousand kilometres in size. Simply by flapping his massive wings, Cinnabar created burning tornados that blew towards Yi Fei'e.

Fei'e did not pay the flames any heed. She took and deep breathe. Then blew out a small stream of wind from her mouth. Directed by her palm, she blew away the sea of flames.

Under her command, they transformed in a titanic fire dragon lighting up the sky in a burning mess. It crashed towards Cinnabar Flame.

"My own flames?" He cried out in shock. He quickly flapped his wings hard, lifting his body and flew around the fire dragon. His feet dragged along the air as spacetime warped and folded around the dragon.

His efforts bent reality and send the construct into another dimension. Even so, his feathers were singed and he glared at Yi Fei'e in rage.

"You dare…da…d…woah!" His beaks fell apart as he eyed the woman before him.

Gone was the average faced Yi Fei'e and replaced by her true appearance.

"You, I know you," Cinnabar salivated.

"Should I know you?" Yi Fei'e asked.

"You were in that painting," Cinnabar laughed. "Moth fairy Yi Fei'e was it? Words cannot describe your beauty."

Da Hai's fourth disciple narrowed her phoenix eyes and crossed her arms. "I see."

"I have decided, you can be my three thousand and ninety-ninth wife," he spewed.

Yi Fei'e raised her eyebrow. Instead of being angry, her face rose in fascination. Then she scrunched her features and studied his face. His beak, his feathers, his wings, his tails.

"You're extremely impressive, come with me and I can promise you a good place among my harem. Even chief wife is possible," he spouted.

"Wives of Red?" She muttered. 'This bird, he's practically a one to one with the protagonist.'

"So I take it as a yes?"

Yi Fei'e hummed and shook her head. "No, I'm afraid I can't commit to any relationships kid. My business here is over, go back to your city and I'll be on my way."

"Kid? Who are you calling kid," Cinnabar growled. "You think you can just leave after attacking your king?"

Yi Fei'e raised an eyebrow, "Your bone age doesn't lie. You're only twenty eight thousand."

"I am a phoenix, a king of myriad birds," Cinnabar insisted. "I'll give you one warning."

"Hm…no," Yi Fei'e flicked her fingers. Cinnabar suddenly felt a heavy force impact his body punching him through the air. She turned around no longer paying attention.

"You," Cinnabar rose from his position with anger. The way Yi Fei'e treated him, was the exact same way the Phoenix Sovereign had treated him. The callous amused dismissal. The mere thought nearly drove him mad with rage.

"We're not through!"

He flashed forwards, appearing in a flash of light in front of the departing Yi Fei'e. His wings blocked her figure much to her annoyance.

Yi Fei'e swayed her head to the side. Raising her hands, she manifested a rising star. Cinnabar met it head on with a peck from his long beaks. Both attacks collided and shattered the surrounding void with brutal force.

Cinnabar rose into the air attempting to catch the woman in his claws. But Yi Fei'e flicked her fingers again, punting him back in the direction of his city.

As he fell, a celestial gate crashed into his body. He grunted as the structure pinned him onto the forested ground.

"That's enough of that," she said walking away.

The massive phoenix struggled from his position. He hadn't felt is humiliated in a very long time.

"You, you think this is enough to stop me? Who do you think you are," Cinnabar cried out in frustration. He unleashed all his power shattering the gate holding him in place and flew up.

Yi Fei'e was halted again as Cinnabar caught up with her figure. The fairy frowned in annoyance, her fingers itched for her picket dimension. For an instant, she was tempted to draw her sword and dice this annoyance to pieces.

"I am a phoenix, king of myriad birds. I said you'd be mine, and you will be mine!" Cinnabar's body ignited in a torrent of flame clouds. He enveloped the sky in a rain of pure power that washed over the universe.

His inferno song permeated the air and scorched the ground. Normally, the song of a phoenix was one that brought prosperity. However, Cinnabar's only brought wrathful destruction.

"My my," Yi Fei'e stood right in front of the flames. Cinnabar was stronger than she anticipated. Then again, she wasn't really trying to kill him. Assassinating him could cause trouble for her senior brothers after all.

"So you want me to be yours eh?" Yi Fei'e smirked with a snort. "Since you're so enthusiastic, why don't I do this?"

From her back, through her white dress, translucent wings unfolded. They were like a fan that spread out into the cosmos. Four wings emitting from her body that were like the face of a giant.

Yet these wings resembled the form of the boundless cosmos. Countless universes, clusters, stars, and planetoids floated within. Yi Fei'e was like a mysterious goddess from the nine heavens, bearing down upon Cinnabar.

Cinnabar Flame felt cold sweat drip down his back. It was like staying at the face of a primordial god. 'How was this possible?' He wondered. 'Just who is she?'

In fact, Fei'es wings did form a face. The energy she emitted formed a face resembling hers except millions of kilometres in size. She opened her mouth and chomped down at Cinnabar.

"NO!"

Cinnabar's flames were snuffed out in an instant. Caught in a flurry of stars, the phoenix helplessly tumbled around, dragged in all directions as he was brought to heel.

"Since you want to accompany me so much, why don't you be my mount?" Yi Fei'e said smiling mockingly.

"You! You dare!"

Cinnabar cried out in rage as a rope of starry water snatched him by the neck. His body was forcefully shrunken until he was barely a dozen metres. Meanwhile, Yi Fei'es wings shrunk back into her dismissing the cosmic phenomena.

Cinnabar came to midair. Except this time, Yi Fei'e stood atop his back. The pressure he felt from her was unreal. Despite only smirking at him, he couldn't help but see the face of a demon.

"What are you?"

"Your new master," Yi Fei'e said pulling on her reigns. Cinnabar cried as his head was forced back. "Frankly I'm tired of your bullshit. So you chose, serve or die?"

In the same instance, she withdrew a simple sword and held it loosely in her grip.

Cinnabar eyed the sword and at his captor. Her power was unreal, given all he'd felt, he doubts anything except the highest phoenixes can challenge her.

"I see," Yi Fei'e suddenly said aiming her sword. She tug it into Cinnabar's back causing him to cry in pain.

"Serve, I'll serve mistress, I'll serve," he begged.

"Right, then you can forget your previous allegiances. You are now my, Yi Fei'es mount Cinnabar Phoenix. You are a mount of Yingzhou. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand mistress," he said fearfully.

"And to betray us, betray me is death. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Hm, good, you do understand sense after all," Yi Fei'e glanced back at the south continent. "Hm, someone's bound to have noticed this. Alright Cinnabar, you're faster than me, so FLY."

…

"What?" Da Hai put down the models he was painting and gave Yi Fei'e an exasperated look.

"I may have gone overboard? Say hello to my master and the lord of Yingzhou Cinnabar," Yi Fei'e said pulling on the leash of her pet phoenix.

The phoenix sang a raising song in response.

Da Hai eyed the bird, then at Yi Fei'e. "Okay," he said after a moment of silence. He studied the duo and thought back to the spells and its she'd learned and her hobbies. "I guess this is fine as well."

"Master?"

"As long as you're well, all is good. Now prepare yourself. Zulong is coming back for a visit soon. Daiyu is pregnant again and I can't have you and your new mount looking improper."

"Yes master, I'll clean him up immediately."

The phoenix only whimpered in shame.