A thousand miles north of Meng, the frost was heavy. Before Yaohua even got close, her teeth began to chatter.
It was so cold here!
When she left, she had deliberately put on two more layers of clothes.
Pulling her short jacket tightly around her, Yaohua felt like summoning the Phoenix Fire to keep warm.
But just as a tiny bit of the Phoenix Fire emerged from her fingertip, her head was suddenly covered by a thick cloak.
She quickly extinguished the Phoenix Fire and peeked out from under the cloak with her bright, beady eyes. "Master?"
"You won't feel cold if you wear this," said Chongming, looking straight ahead into the distance. His robes fluttered in the wind as if he hadn't noticed her little trick.
Yaohua quickly wrapped the cloak around herself. Her small body was hidden inside the large red cloak, looking like a child who had stolen an adult's clothes.
She looked into the distance and saw a magnificent city standing among the low mountains and hills. That was where the Pheasant Clan lived.
As soon as the master and disciple landed on the ground, they heard the sound of gongs and drums and wailing. All the pheasants gathered around and crowded on both sides of the street. Men, women, and children alike were wearing white cloth on their heads. It seemed they were in mourning for the deceased.
The deceased must be someone like the clan leader to have such a grand funeral.
The funeral procession soon came into view. Yaohua hid behind Chongming and tied a white cloth strip on her head. She peeked at the huge square coffin but didn't notice anything unusual.
"Could it really be the leader of the Pheasant Clan..."
"When the leaders of the various clans pass away, the news will be reported to the Heavenly Court," said Chongming, sounding a bit hesitant. "There has been no news of the Pheasant Clan leader's death recently, so it shouldn't be him."
After watching the procession leave, Chongming withdrew his gaze.
The leader of the Pheasant Clan had a palace in the middle of the city.
As soon as Chongming and Yaohua arrived, they saw the clan leader, Qihua, leading a group of people to greet them.
"We didn't know that Lord Chongming was coming. We are sorry for not greeting you properly. Is there anything you'd like to order, Lord Chongming?"
Chongming lived in the Cangling Hall and rarely visited the various clans unless it was necessary. So when Qihua saw Chongming, he immediately felt nervous.
Chongming waved his long sleeve, and the figure of the pheasant girl immediately appeared in the air.
"Where is this person?"
When Qihua saw the girl's face clearly, his expression became complicated. "She is not in the clan. May I ask where you saw this person, Lord Chongming?"
He looked anxious, as if he was both resentful and regretful.
Hearing that they didn't know the girl's whereabouts, Yaohua felt disappointed.
If they couldn't find the pheasant, it meant that her elder brother might have to suffer for a while longer.
"She appeared near the Danxue Mountain a few days ago and then disappeared," Chongming replied slowly.
Just then, a faint cry came from a palace, heart - rending and filled with grief.
Yaohua tugged at Chongming's sleeve. "Master, I hear crying."
Chongming looked in the direction she was pointing.
Following their gazes, Qihua looked a bit stiff. "My daughter has gone through some changes and her emotions are out of control. I hope you can forgive her, my lord."
Seeing that they had no intention of leaving, Qihua had no choice but to lead them to their accommodation.
"My humble abode is simple. I hope you don't mind, my lord."
The palace was elegant. Along the way, the crying always lingered in Yaohua's ears.
"We'll take a stroll around. You can go and attend to your business," said Chongming calmly when they reached the accommodation and saw Qihua following them.
Qihua quickly agreed.
As soon as he left, Yaohua immediately felt relieved.
Her elder brothers used to say that the leader of the Pheasant Clan liked to put on airs. She didn't believe it before, but now it seemed to be true.
"Master, do you suspect that they are connected to the Demon Clan?"
Her words were so astonishing that Chongming couldn't help but look at her.
Receiving her master's surprised look, Yaohua continued, "Master seems to be looking for someone. But after learning that they don't know the person's whereabouts, you still stay here. It's most likely that you think there's something strange here. That pheasant helped the false god kidnap my elder brother, which obviously means she's working for the Demon Clan. Master, do you really suspect that they are connected to the Demon Clan?"
"What's your opinion?"
After asking, Chongming was slightly lost in thought.
He didn't know when he had stopped seeing Yaohua just as a ten - year - old girl.
"We need to stay here for a few more days to find out the truth," said Yaohua, putting her hands behind her back and pacing back and forth like a little adult.
The continuous crying suddenly stopped, and then, even more intense crying came, like trying to cut water with a knife.
Yaohua shook her dizzy head. "This sister can cry so much."
"In that case, let's go and take a look."
Whenever her master said something like this, it meant there would be important clues later. Yaohua immediately got up and followed the sound.
Who would have thought that as soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by a smiling face.
"The fermented fruit wine of the Pheasant Clan. Has the little princess ever tasted it?"
Behind Qihua, two young girls were holding trays covered with something. But the delicate fragrance still wafted through the tiny gaps and lingered around Yaohua's nose.
Yaohua swallowed her saliva, and a look of longing flashed in her eyes.
Such a fragrant food must taste good!
But she couldn't eat random food from outside!
Yaohua pinched her palm to wake herself up, but her body stepped aside from the door. "I've never tasted it. Thank you, Clan Leader Uncle."
"We won't disturb the little princess's meal," said Qihua, smiling as he stroked her head and left Yaohua's room.
Chongming stepped out from behind the screen and his eyes landed on the two trays.
Yaohua lifted the covers and looked at Chongming first. "Master, can I taste it?"
Her pitiful eyes were like those of a little deer in the forest, moist and full of expectation.
"There are some sleeping drugs, but they won't affect you at all."
Like a sudden inspiration in a game of chess, Chongming tapped Yaohua's forehead. "The Cleansing Spell can break it. You can eat."
Yaohua smiled generously. "Thank you, Master!"
After eating, she used the Paper Puppet Technique taught by her master earlier to make a fake version of herself lying in bed. Although she didn't know why the other party had put sleeping drugs in the food for her, since they had done so, she would find out what they were up to.
In the evening, Qihua knocked on Chongming's door.
The master and disciple were originally placed in different rooms. Yaohua left a paper puppet in her own bed and then came to find her master. But she didn't expect Qihua to visit suddenly. After a moment of panic, she simply used Chongming's spiritual power to hide her figure.
"What's the matter?"
Chongming always looked cold, and Qihua didn't suspect anything.
"May I ask, my lord, why you are looking for that clan member?"
"The little princess of the Phoenix Clan came with me," said Chongming, his expression remaining unchanged. "Previously, that pheasant went to the Phoenix Clan to propose marriage. We came here this time to find out the details."
"Propose marriage?" Qihua suddenly raised his voice, looking extremely shocked. "The Phoenix is so noble. We wouldn't dare to have such thoughts. I hope you can forgive us, my lord."