Qian could hear Baihe’s inner thoughts clearly — too clearly to the point that he suddenly wished for some earplugs to filter out her vicious ideas so he could stop the slight tremble shaking through his body. That monkey girl was currently thinking of plucking his lovely feathers, skinning him down to the bones, filleting his bloody flesh and seasoning him with whatever weird shit she got going on in that abnormal head of hers.

Want to roast this grandpa? Nonsense! My whole body is already covered in phoenix flames! Feed me to the wild? Preposterous! Those beasts will all run in terror with their tails tucked between their legs or prostrate themselves before me!

He really wanted to laugh at her naive wishful thinking, but those images she projected in her mind sent cold sweat down his neck.

Maybe I can just eat him myself? After all, he’s a godly phoenix, so he should have high nutritious value to help me in cultivation right?

Qian nearly collapsed when he heard her blasphemous thoughts. Heavens! Who in the world is feeding her all these sacrilegious suggestions? I’ll be roasting that person instead!

The little voice inside Baihe didn’t stop and Qian was on the verge of crying, but he had no tears. He was the highly revered sacred beast — the legendary phoenix from one of the divine races and yet here he was, with a crazy monkey girl who thought his esteemed self could be cooked with fire like a normal, real chicken!

Maybe…just maybe, he felt a tiny-weeny bit of guilt over her lost cultivation and for intentionally hiding the price she had to pay for the initial release of the seal. He just didn’t want to be used as a human weapon and was also too lazy to expend divine energy to fight her petty human battles.

“Did you think you can escape the hen-house that easily?” Baihe taunted, her eyes bright with ominous mirth. “If I were to die before I fully break all the seals and illuminate the seven strings of the guqin….”

Cold sweat drenched his entire fiery body and doused his phoenix flames as his heart filled with dread. Qian knew better than anyone what her unspoken threat implied. If she were to die before he was completely free, then he’d be back to square one; waiting for another miserable x amount of years until another chosen one appeared — IF that person ever appears! And that was a big if!

For the first time in ages, Qian felt a huge throbbing headache on his temples. What was wrong with having her live a normal mortal life? Why must his luck be so shitty that the seal just had to be divided into multiple parts? There must be some dark forces working against him! All he wanted was to return home!

Resigning to his ill fate, Qian knew he had no choice but to help her until all seven strings of the guqin were illuminated. At this rate, if her cultivation soared to the pinnacle of the world, then her life would be prolong by leaps and bounds and he’d inadvertently be stuck even longer with the stupid monkey girl as she advanced in her cultivation.

Lamenting in his heart, he could only verbally vent out his frustration. “I wish we were back in your old world where most humans don’t live past a hundred years old and cultivation was nothing but a myth!”

A brilliant smile bloomed on Baihe’s face. “If we were back in my old world, I would have no use for you other than your monetary value and you would have been long sold off to my contractor. Don’t worry, I won’t be hitting the deathbed any time soon.”

Lost with no words, Qian felt stifled but could do nothing about it because she was right. It was as if something was stuck in his lungs, but couldn’t go up or down. In the end he chose to remain silent. As long as the thorny path she chose is not paved with his phoenix blood, then he could still tolerate this brat!

What? Did you think this grandpa would coax a monkey girl who behaves like a menopause woman? Don’t be absurd! Wait…she’s too young for menopause right? Okay then, a monkey girl who lives every day of her life like it’s that time of the fucking month!

♦

The day of the Feng Martial Tournament had finally arrived and the streets were filled with raucous laughter and incessant chatters. The arena was so packed that it reminded Baihe of those subway trains where people were plastered to the revolting doors with their hands and faces glued to the windows and yet, more still tried to squeeze in. It was dense to the point that even Baihe started to feel a bit claustrophobic because it would be hard to escape in this crowd with everyone ramming in one direction, unless one could suddenly fly.

Mass of bodies kept pushing forward like a stampede of humans, all trying to get a better view of the stadium. This gave Baihe the feeling of being one of those passengers in an overly packed train that couldn’t even get off on her own stop. The worst was the smell of armpit odors coming from some sweaty people in the crowd, or maybe just those who hadn’t taken a shower in days.

Away from the mass of people and free from the chaotic field below, sat the royal family in their comfortable seats as they watched safely from above. The next priority was given to the nobles and government officials as accommodations were made for their comfort.

Baihe scanned the crowd and her eyes quickly came across some familiar faces. A fleeting smile graced her face as she headed toward the registration desk. This may be fun after all.

Fei Fei’s eyes kept twitching as she tried to shrug off the sense of foreboding. As if a mystical force was guiding her, she suddenly turned and locked eyes with a pair of dark, indecipherable pupils that felt both familiar and strange at the same time.

Upon seeing such a beautiful woman, Fei Fei was stunned into silence. The woman’s beauty possibly surpassed even hers and deep envy filled her heart, but what worried Fei Fei the most was the peculiar feeling she had when she received that fleeting smile from the woman. At that moment, a huge gust of wind blew the woman’s long black silky hair as she turned away from the registration desk — revealing a slender neck with a small distinctive birthmark.

Her eyes went wide as shocked filled her face. The strength in her legs gave out and she nearly fainted to the ground if her brother Ming hadn’t caught her in time. Others might not recognize that birthmark, but she knew. Fei Fei was very clear on who that birthmark belonged to, but it made no sense. That woman was supposed to be dead!

A feeling she couldn’t describe rose from the depths of her heart. The expression on her face turned ugly and unsightly. One of Fei Fei’s favorite hobbies was bullying Huang Baihe. From stabbing her with needles in places where people won’t notice, to whipping her privately, stripping her naked, and having her people beat Baihe up frequently. How could she not recognize that birthmark?

That slut Huang Baihe is still alive! The bitch just won’t die! I finally got the Crown Princess position! This won’t do…I must finish her off today once and for all!