Chapter 24: Naming Her Red Phoenix

Page (1/3)

Sensing the scent of delicious water, the red-bellied pheasant quickened its flight toward the source of the aroma.

Soon, it spotted Gu Xiaomai, who was staring intently at her index finger.

"Gui—gui—" Woman, if you’ve mastered the technique, why not come find me?

"Gui—gui—" Fortunately, I’m smart and came to you; otherwise, we’d miss out on this tasty water.

Hearing the calls, Gu Xiaomai turned to see the familiar red-bellied pheasant.

At that moment, the liquid on her fingertip slipped and dripped onto the mint plant she had moved yesterday for experimentation.

"Gui—gui—" Ah! My delicious water!

The red-bellied pheasant cried out in distress.

"Gui—gui—" You woman! Was that on purpose? Was it intentional?

"Gui—gui—" Ahhh! You’re driving me crazy! So sly! No sense of honor!...

"Keep your voice down; the soldiers next door are tough. If you attract them and get killed, I won’t be responsible!"

The pheasant’s cries were instantly stifled, becoming much quieter yet still urgent.

Gu Xiaomai couldn’t understand the language, but seeing it stomp its feet, scratch the ground, flap its wings, and gesture pointedly, she knew it was definitely scolding her.

Let it scold—after all, she couldn’t understand it, and she was determined to drip this special solution onto the mint.

She tore a strip of cloth from her clothes, crouched down, and tied it around the mint that had absorbed the special liquid as a marker.

After tying the cloth, Gu Xiaomai glanced at the slow-moving morning glory from yesterday. Indeed, its vine was inching toward her again.

Confirmed! It was conscious, though perhaps not very intelligent, and showed no aggression.

Looking at the increasingly agitated red-bellied pheasant, which was hopping and flapping more insistently, Gu Xiaomai said calmly, “Done scolding?”

“G—”

That single sentence left the pheasant utterly confused.

[How does this woman know I’m scolding her? Can she understand my voice now?]

Gu Xiaomai...

Should I hold up a mirror so you can see how obvious you are?

Seeing Gu Xiaomai’s expressionless face, the pheasant grew uneasy.

[She won’t refuse to exchange the delicious water just because I scolded her, right? She’s not that petty, is she?]

[Does that mean I can’t scold her face-to-face anymore?]

This bird!

Page (2/3)

Crickets, do you all behave like this in front of people?

“It was fine in my hand, but who suddenly appeared and startled me?”

“You still dare to scold me? I was the one scared by you!”

...

Watching the red-bellied pheasant shrink, realizing its fault, Gu Xiaomai finally stopped her monologue, which centered on “This whole thing is the pheasant’s fault, not mine at all.”

“Good, I’m glad you can recognize your mistake properly!”

[Wrong, I admit fault, but what does it have to do with this woman’s new divine status?]

[Could it be that, like me, she’s somehow connected to the divine?]

[I am a divine beast, so what kind of deity is she?]

Gu Xiaomai...

Ha, she only remembers that she’s a divine beast!

Gu Xiaomai secretly rolled her eyes at the bird opposite her.

“This may be a one-time event; I don’t know if it will happen again tomorrow. When the sun is in the same position tomorrow, bring some tasty grass here. If I can condense the delicious water again, then we can exchange.”

The two instances of special liquid only appeared after she practiced Tai Chi. Yesterday afternoon, after moving the mint by the river, she practiced Tai Chi many more times, but the second drop never appeared.

As for why, she didn’t know, guessing that her current body might only be able to produce such a tiny drop.

Moreover, she wasn’t sure if she could successfully condense this special liquid again tomorrow. She could only experiment bit by bit.

The red-bellied pheasant was reassured.

[This woman didn’t refuse to exchange water just because I scolded her—she’s a good person.]

[White Rabbit Mom said humans apologize with gifts. Should I bring her a gift when I come tomorrow?]

Bring one! Absolutely! I don’t mind anything!

Gu Xiaomai shouted wildly in her heart, though she was as broke as could be and had no right to be picky!

“Gui—gui—” Fine! I’ll bring tasty grass tomorrow!

“Why didn’t I see you on Mountain No. 1 a few days ago? Where did you go?”

[Huh? This woman cares about me? But which mountain is Mountain No. 1?]

“The mountain where I saw you.”

“Gui—gui—” Oh, that one! I’ll live on Mountain No. 1 from now on. Go tell White Rabbit Mom so she knows where to find me.

“Gui—gui—” I’ve moved all my things to the mountain you frequent. As long as you keep exchanging delicious water with me, I’ll watch over you there!

Page (3/3)

At that moment, Gu Xiaomai felt that not understanding the pheasant’s calls was troublesome; it seemed to be saying something important.

When it quieted, Gu Xiaomai quietly changed the subject. “Do you have a name? We’re quite familiar now, friends even. I can’t not know your name.”

[Name?]

[Like White Rabbit Mom calls White Rabbit? She said her human father called her that, so she let them call her White Rabbit.]

[White Rabbit Mom often calls me Phoenix, so does that mean my name is Phoenix?]

“Gui—gui—” Woman, you can call me Phoenix from now on!

Gu Xiaomai...

No need to guess—this was definitely telling her to always call it Phoenix!

“Phoenix is a general term. You can call me Phoenix. If another one like me appears, you can call it Phoenix too.”

“Just as all humans are called humans, but each has their own name. My name is Gu Xiaomai; the two people I was with before were Jiang Chen’an and Yumi.”

[Oh, that’s how it is. But I still want to be called Phoenix.]

The red-bellied pheasant tilted its head, staring thoughtfully at Gu Xiaomai.

[If I ask this woman to help me get a name, will she be unwilling?]

[Can she come up with a nice name that includes ‘Phoenix’?]

“Gui—gui—” Woman, can you help me pick a name? A nice one, with ‘Phoenix’ in it.

“Sure, but you have to give a gift for the favor. After I give you a name you like, remember to bring me a gift tomorrow! I want fruit as tasty as that grass.”

The red-bellied pheasant puffed out its little chest, signaling Gu Xiaomai to rest assured—once satisfied, everything else was negotiable.

Gu Xiaomai studied the pheasant carefully, pondering what kind of name could earn her some of that fresh fruit.

“Your belly feathers are a fiery red, passionate and proud, like they hold immortal vitality. How about the name ‘Scarlet Phoenix’?”

[Scarlet Phoenix, Scarlet Phoenix...]

With its most beautiful feathers and the meaning of ‘Phoenix’, the red-bellied pheasant—now to be called Scarlet Phoenix—found the name increasingly appealing.

“Gui—gui—” Good! My name is Scarlet Phoenix. Remember to call me that from now on!

Seeing its satisfaction, Gu Xiaomai was pleased as well.

Excellent, I’m about to get some fresh fruit. Wahaha...