Chapter Twenty: Let Feng Yanhua Bleed

Yuan Yibai listened from the side, twitching the corners of his mouth, and took the opportunity to sneak a glance at Junyang while sipping his tea.

He had just gifted a Phoenix Feather—a costly sacrifice—and now someone was being asked for a true, literal “bloodletting” in return.

When Feng Yanhua heard that all that was required was a bit of blood, he was hardly concerned. For cultivators, a little blood was nothing; now that he’d gotten his hands on the Golden Phoenix Feather, his own blood paled in comparison.

“As the chief of the Phoenix Clan, this is my duty,” Feng Yanhua declared, thumping his chest with righteous solemnity.

Junyang wiped the sly smile off his face, and with a wave of his hand, a golden basin adorned with koi fish appeared.

Along the rim, the koi actually swam back and forth. Though lifeless, they appeared as real as could be. Feng Yanhua even wondered if his eyes were deceiving him—the painted fish seemed to leap from the basin’s edge and return again.

Yuan Yibai, too, had never seen such a magical treasure.

“This basin doesn’t seem like an ordinary object. Is it a magical artifact?”

Junyang replied modestly, “It’s nothing especially precious. I just thought it looked nice and kept it as a collectible.”

Truth be told, he didn’t have anything shoddy at hand—whatever he chose, even the least of them, was a rare treasure.

Feng Yanhua took the basin, but its weight nearly toppled him; he almost sprawled flat on the ground. Stumbling a couple steps, he barely managed to steady himself, and looked awkwardly at Yuan Yibai and Junyang. “This basin is… rather heavy…”

Yuan Yibai cast a curious glance at Junyang, who remained calm. “Now, Chief Feng, I’ll trouble you to fill this basin with blood. Once that’s done, I’ll begin work on the protective formation for your mountain.”

“I really must thank you, Senior Junyang. Within three days, I’ll have the basin filled and delivered to you,” Feng Yanhua promised, struggling to hold the basin, veins throbbing on his forehead.

“There’s no need to rush,” Junyang replied.

“This basin…” Yuan Yibai pointed, “is it really that heavy?”

Feng Yanhua, an ancient immortal of ten thousand years’ cultivation, should not have struggled with a simple basin. Yuan Yibai found it rather strange.

“It’s fine, really… ha ha…” Feng Yanhua forced a dry laugh.

Junyang’s lips twitched in amusement, his mood much improved. “Then I’ll return and report to our little ancestor.”

“Yes, yes, take care.” Feng Yanhua hunched over, carrying the basin to the door, his posture clearly pleading for the elder to leave quickly.

After Yuan Yibai and Junyang had left the great hall, Feng Yanhua dropped the golden koi basin with a loud clang. The sound was so great it seemed to shake the entire hall.

Feng You, who had been waiting nearby, walked over, frowning at the basin. “Is it really that heavy?”

Feng Yanhua snapped irritably, “Do you think I’m pretending to be weak?”

Feng You winced, then muttered, “That basin will take quite a lot of blood.”

“No matter. Senior Junyang is a man of great skill. With him arranging our mountain’s protective formation, it will be far stronger than before. A little blood is a small price to pay.” Feng Yanhua shrugged and flexed his stiff wrists.

…

Yuan Yibai followed behind Junyang, several times wanting to speak but holding back.

Junyang suddenly stopped, turned, and said, “If you have a question, ask it.”

“That basin… it’s not one of those magical items that can never be filled with blood, is it?”

Junyang snorted. “Do you take me for someone so petty? Would I torment a junior like that?”

“Certainly not,” Yuan Yibai agreed with a nod.

Junyang raised an innocently questioning brow. “That basin was once the swimming pool of the Immortal Koi Clan’s chief. I liked it, so I dug it up and shrank it to its current size.”

Yuan Yibai, who had just been doubting himself for his suspicion, now realized he still underestimated Junyang. The elder was indeed as formidable as ever. “The Immortal Koi Clan? That legendary clan whose members are as huge as great whales?”

“Ah, the Five Great Clans of the upper realm are well-informed, I see.”

Yuan Yibai no longer knew what to be most shocked by: that Junyang had just handed Feng Yanhua the golden koi basin, once the swimming pool of an immortal clan chief—not to mention, no matter three days or three years, that basin would never be filled with blood—or that immortal clans truly existed in this world.

In the end, Yuan Yibai felt Feng Yanhua’s predicament was the lesser concern. “Senior Junyang, do immortal clans truly exist?”

Junyang looked at him, then shook his head with a sigh. “Is the upper realm really so closed off? Not only do immortal clans exist—don’t you know your senior here is of the divine race?”

“But…” Yuan Yibai suddenly recalled the Celestial Tribulation Staircase mentioned by Ming Chen Yu in the lower realm. “Could it be that above the Celestial Tribulation Staircase is the Immortal Realm?”

“What Celestial Tribulation Staircase? How would I know? I’ve never climbed it.”

Junyang strode away, already entering the guest courtyard.

Yuan Yibai asked no more—what good would it do to know? Could he climb it? Of course not. No one in the upper realm dared to dream of ascending that staircase, let alone actually try.

But then, where had You Xiyue and Junyang come from?

The more he interacted with them, the more questions Yuan Yibai had.

Before Junyang even reached You Xiyue’s door, he sensed the room was empty. He paused in thought—there was only one place You Xiyue could have gone.

Releasing his spiritual sense, he swept through the entire celestial estate, finally finding You Xiyue standing in a courtyard, lost in thought.

With a swirl of white sleeves, Junyang appeared at You Xiyue’s side.

You Xiyue returned to herself and looked at Junyang.

Seeing her gazing at the moon in a daze, Junyang sighed helplessly, at a loss for words.

“Is it done?” You Xiyue broke the silence.

“Yes. The Phoenix Feather has been delivered—they won’t trouble Xueyu anymore.”

“That’s good.” You Xiyue lowered her head and poked the fluffy head of Xueyu. “And the mountain’s formation?”

Junyang looked away, scratching his forehead. “The mountain’s grand formation requires Phoenix blood as one of its core nodes. I asked Feng Yanhua to give me some blood first.”

You Xiyue blinked, instantly understanding Junyang’s mischief. “My disciple’s cultivation is not high enough yet. Feng Yanhua must not die.”

Junyang coughed. “I know, little ancestor.”

“Mm.”

Junyang glanced toward Feng Qinghe’s room. “Did you come here because something happened to little junior brother?”

“He overate.”

“Overate? Who overate? Overate what? The roast chicken with celestial pepper flowers?” Junyang stared at You Xiyue in disbelief; his little ancestor would never sneak good food without him.

You Xiyue rolled her eyes. “Feng Qinghe overate! Golden Ginseng of the Flaming Heart! He ate half a root!”

Junyang’s mouth twitched. “I told him not to eat too much.”

You Xiyue lowered her head, absentmindedly teasing Xueyu.

Junyang’s gaze followed, and soon he noticed the crucial detail. Pointing at Xueyu’s belly, he exclaimed, “It… it… what did it eat this time?”

“Fire spiritual power. Feng Qinghe’s excess fire spiritual power—it ate it.”

Junyang stared at Xueyu’s still slightly rounded belly, which had almost finished digesting, and couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

Inside, someone had nearly died from overeating Golden Ginseng of the Flaming Heart. Outside, another had nearly overeaten themselves to death—twice. And then there were himself and his little ancestor, both notorious gluttons.

Truly, birds of a feather flock together.