Chapter 38: Fostering Nine Phoenix Chicks

Is this Da Feng, the mythical beast from ancient Chinese legends?

In his previous life, as someone who frequently debated and chatted on forums, books like 'Shan Hai Jing' (Classic of Mountains and Seas) were practically required reading. The divine beast Da Feng mentioned in them seemed to be exactly this bird-like creature.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. He recalled the legends: just as the dragon had nine sons, the phoenix also had nine chicks. The eldest was the Peacock, the second was the Golden-Winged Great Peng, the third was the Fire Phoenix, 'whose joy illuminated everything and whose rage scorched a thousand miles.' The fourth was the Golden Phoenix, 'whose golden rays were magnificent and whose calls stirred the eight winds.' The fifth was the Azure Luan, the sixth was the Snow Phoenix, the seventh was the Hundred-Chirp, the eighth was the Blue Duck, and the ninth was Da Feng!

If you asked him why he remembered it so clearly, it would be a tearful story. Back then, NetEase's game division had written tests filled with such miscellaneous questions. Compared to the many obscure characters in the names of the dragon's nine sons, the phoenix's nine chicks were much easier to recall.

However, there were many different versions of the phoenix's nine chicks; what he remembered was just one of them.

Zu An considered that he was cultivating the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra, and now that he had reached Grand Completion in the second stage, the image of Da Feng had appeared. Surely, it wasn't just a coincidence?

It seemed that each subsequent Grand Completion stage would reveal a new phoenix chick. But what exactly was the purpose of this thing? Surely, it wasn't just for scaring people?

He had secretly tested it before and found that others couldn't see the magical formation on his body, nor could they see the Da Feng pattern. So, using it to scare people was out of the question.

Suddenly, he had an idea. He channeled his elemental energy into the lines of Da Feng. As the energy coursed through the entire form of Da Feng, its fierce eyes suddenly lit up. Immediately after, a phantom image of Da Feng materialized before him.

Zu An was overjoyed; it actually worked!

But what kind of power did this thing possess? Was it similar to a flying sword?

He pondered for a moment, then, with a thought, commanded Da Feng to crash into the wall to test its might.

Da Feng spread its wings, and a gust of wind swept through the room, sending tables and chairs toppling. In almost an instant, it slammed into the wall.

Zu An watched intently, his eyes wide, observing its power. On one hand, he worried that it would be too weak and disappoint him; on the other, he feared it would be too powerful and attract the attention of the experts within the Duke's mansion.

Before he could fully grasp what was happening, a powerful force suddenly pulled him, and he was uncontrollably flung towards the wall. In nearly the same instant, his entire body slammed directly into it.

He was literally splattered against the wall like a painting!

Zu An slowly slid down the wall, leaving a human-shaped imprint on the pristine white surface, along with two streaks of bright red blood—nosebleeds from his direct collision with the wall.

What the heck!

Zu An was a mix of cursing and excitement. So this thing was a teleportation ability! If used properly, it would be a perfect tool for surprise attacks or escapes.

However, he didn't know how far it could move each time. Ignoring the nosebleed on his face, he began channeling elemental energy into the Da Feng pattern again, attempting to summon it once more.

But after only a short while of channeling, he felt a dizzy spell. His elemental energy was depleted.

It seemed this ability could only be used once a day. Perhaps when his cultivation level was higher and his elemental energy more abundant, it would improve.

He slowly climbed back into bed and lay down. He noticed that the first magical formation in his muscles had accumulated some golden substance. He figured the unexpected, direct impact with the wall had caused a considerable injury, severe enough for the formation to collect some material.

He recalled Ji Xiaoxi mentioning that at the second stage, a cultivator's skin became resistant to ordinary swords and blades. Upon reaching the third stage, one could channel energy to form armor and defend against attacks. Although he was at the lowest tier of the third stage, he was genuinely a third-stage cultivator.

He painstakingly gathered the last bit of his remaining elemental energy, finally managing to form a small patch of armor on his skin, smaller than his palm. However, due to insufficient energy, the armor quickly dissipated.

Despite this, Zu An was ecstatic. Having advanced to the third stage, he theoretically possessed the strength of 88 ordinary people. In his previous life, this would have made him a minor superhero. Even if he couldn't compare to the Hulk in the Marvel universe, he could certainly easily defeat a 'slacker' superhero like Black Widow.

With the sure-kill dagger and Da Feng as his hidden trump cards, he now had the confidence to survive, no matter who in the mansion wanted to kill him.

One moment Zu An was full of vigor, the next his demeanor completely shifted. He kept rubbing the injured spots on his body: "That wall crash really hurt like hell."

His injuries had almost healed, but now, thanks to that impact, they had worsened.

He dared not mess around anymore and quietly lay in bed, resting, waiting for Ji Dengtu's healing medicine to take full effect.

Waking up the next day, Zu An found that after a night of rest, his injuries were mostly healed, although his body was still a bit weak. However, he felt somewhat dissatisfied. It seemed Ji Dengtu's medicine was still far inferior to the 'Brother Chun Red Potion' he'd obtained from the lottery.

If others in the city knew what he thought, someone might come with a knife to stab him. The Hundred Flowers Impermanence Pill, a sacred healing medicine that countless people coveted but couldn't obtain, was regarded as trash by him. This was truly intolerable.

At this moment, Zu An remembered something else. There had been so much going on yesterday that he'd forgotten about the lottery. He summoned his keyboard and calculated: he had 69 points of Rage left after the previous draw, and he'd gained more from the Chu couple and Pei Mianman yesterday. In total, he now had 3273 points.

He couldn't help but frown, realizing he had been too soft yesterday. Otherwise, the Rage points gained from Pei Mianman would have been much higher. However, he also knew that any man would hesitate to be ruthless towards such a charming and alluring beauty.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but miss Plum Blossom Twelve and the people from Black Wind Fortress. Why did they seem so 'cute' to him now?

Heavens, please send me a villain soon!

The door was suddenly pushed open, and a handsome young man with immaculately combed hair strode in. He approached the bed and looked down at Zu An: "How are your injuries recovering? Can you go to the academy today?"

Rage points from Hong Xingying: 299!

"I'm alright," Zu An replied instinctively. "Wait, who are you?"

"That's good." The young man didn't answer him, simply turned and walked away. He paused for a moment when he saw the human-shaped mark on the wall, but quickly recovered his composure and strode out with his head held high.

Zu An watched, stunned. He had just made a wish, and a villain appeared right away. Could it really be that effective? By the way, who was that guy? Why did he have such a high Rage value towards him right off the bat?

"Young master-in-law," a mournful voice sounded. Cheng Shoubing appeared at the doorway, sporting two dark circles under his eyes and a look of deep resentment on his face.

"What happened to you? Did a succubus drain you dry yesterday?" Zu An was startled.

Cheng Shoubing shuffled over, his steps unsteady: "Young master-in-law, how can you even ask? I didn't sleep a wink last night; I was copying that family discipline until dawn!"

Zu An chuckled sheepishly and got up to pour him a glass of water: "Little Bottle, luckily you stayed in the quiet room copying the family discipline yesterday. If you had come out with me, you'd probably be a corpse by now."

"Thank you, young master-in-law," Cheng Shoubing said, flattered, as he took the cup, though a bewildered expression remained on his face. "Why would I be a corpse?"

Zu An pointed to the human-shaped hole in the wall: "See that? An assassin came to attack me last night. Fortunately, I am blessed with great fortune and peerless martial arts, which allowed me to escape. Imagine if you had been there too; wouldn't you have fought desperately to save me? The assassin's blade has no eyes; you might have been killed."

Cheng Shoubing swallowed nervously, still shaken, and instinctively mumbled, "Then I'd rather copy the family discipline."

"What did you say?" Zu An's eyebrows shot up.

Cheng Shoubing immediately forced a smile: "I mean, a loyal person like me would definitely fight the assassin with all my might. If he wanted to harm you, young master-in-law, he would have to step over my dead body."

Seeing him speak with such righteous indignation, nearly spitting in his face, Zu An simply pushed his face away: "Alright, alright, don't get too carried away. Let me ask you something: who was that arrogant guy who just left?"

"Oh, him? That's Steward Hong's precious son, Hong Xingying," Cheng Shoubing replied. "He's a bit arrogant, but he's a cultivation genius. He hasn't formally attended an academy, yet he's already reached the third stage through self-study alone. Steward Hong has always been incredibly proud of him, and even the Master and Madam praise him endlessly. They've always valued him highly and are training him to be the leader of the younger generation in the mansion."

So he was Steward Hong's son. No wonder his hair was as meticulously combed as his father's.

"Hmph, I thought he was some big shot. Only third stage after more than ten years of cultivation," Zu An thought to himself. "I went from a good-for-nothing to the third stage in just two or three days. Am I going around showing off?"

Cheng Shoubing, however, couldn't help but purse his lips. No wonder everyone said his young master-in-law was ambitious but lacked talent, always talking a big game despite having no real ability, and loving to brag. If Zu An could reach the third stage in this lifetime, the Master and Madam would probably wake up laughing in their sleep.

"What are you mumbling about?" Zu An glared at him.

Cheng Shoubing immediately beamed: "I was just thinking about telling the Madam later that since you're so gravely injured, young master-in-law, you shouldn't have to go to the academy today."

"No need, these minor injuries are nothing," Zu An said, patting his chest. "My in-laws sent me to the academy, clearly for my own good, so how could I betray their kindness?" Naturally, he didn't want to attend classes, but staying at home would be even more boring. Because of yesterday's assassin incident, Chu Zhongtian had assigned two guards to stand outside his door, preventing him from leaving. Given that, he might as well go to the academy; perhaps he could find a chance to slip away midway.

Hearing his eloquent speech, Cheng Shoubing's mouth dropped open wide enough to fit a fist. He quickly came over and felt Zu An's forehead: "Young master-in-law, do you have a fever today?"

"Get lost!" Zu An kicked him away.

"Hahaha, Zu An, you're becoming more sensible. Our efforts haven't been in vain." Laughter drifted in, and Chu Zhongtian and Qin Wanru entered with smiles on their faces.

"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, why are you here?" Zu An feigned surprise and delight. *Sigh*, acting like this every day was truly exhausting. If he stayed here a bit longer, he might even be able to go back and become an Academy Award winner for Best Actor.

"I heard from Xingying that your injuries aren't serious and that you've decided to go to the academy. I was a bit worried, so I came to check on you." Qin Wanru's usually stern face now held a hint of softness.