The antlered girl's expression dimmed as she said, "The little demons on the island told me that the Phoenix Goddess is good at the art of taming her husband. So I've come to ask you how I can win my fiancé's heart."
"I can't teach you this," Yaohua said, shaking her head with a smile after some thought.
How could matters of the heart be easily won by means?
Moreover, Chenyu's personality was unpredictable. If he truly had feelings, how could he ignore his fiancée?
She had no hobby of matchmaking and had no intention of interfering in others' feelings. So the best way to respond was to remain non - committal.
The girl looked disappointed.
But Chongming mused, "A man's kindness to his wife doesn't stem from her so - called art of taming her husband."
The girl asked eagerly, "Then how can I make him recognize my identity? Since I was born, I've been told that I'm to be his fiancée. I've trained hard and tried to become stronger to be worthy of him... But now... He refuses to acknowledge my existence."
By the end, her voice choked with sobs and her eyes were red.
Yaohua tugged at Chongming's sleeve. "You've known Chenyu longer. Do you have any ideas?"
Chongming said casually, "In matters of love, only by exchanging true hearts can one gain affection."
The antlered girl left, seemingly understanding but also not quite.
Yaohua teased, "Exchanging true hearts, huh? You've analyzed it so thoroughly. Who would have thought that our God Chongming is actually an expert in matters of the heart!"
A slight smile played on Chongming's lips. "It's all thanks to my wife's good teachings."
His eyes were burning with passion. Yaohua lowered her head shyly to avoid his gaze, but he pinched her chin.
He wiped the rice grains from the corner of her lips, his eyes full of tenderness. His big hand gently caressed her face, his fingertips sliding across her cheek, rubbing the delicate skin. His eyes grew even deeper.
Seeing his look, Yaohua blushed and averted her gaze. "What nonsense are you talking about again?"
Chongming rested his chin on her shoulder. "My wife has wronged me again. Isn't it true that we've exchanged true hearts?"
Yaohua recalled their experiences of getting to know each other and couldn't help but smile sweetly. Suddenly, her face changed. She placed her hand on her abdomen and frowned. "Chongming, I don't feel well."
Chongming said nervously, "Where does it hurt?"
She covered her stomach and said uncertainly, "It seems... my stomach aches a bit."
As if he had thought of something, Chongming immediately picked her up in his arms and carried her into the room. "Quick! My wife is about to give birth!"
In the delivery room, Chongming paced back and forth anxiously. Yaohua was in excruciating pain, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.
Chongming held her cold hand, his heart aching as if being stabbed by a knife.
After a long while, the midwife finally smiled and said, "Congratulations, God Chongming!"
The baby's loud crying echoed in the room. At this moment, the couple seemed to hear the real celestial music. Their hearts were filled with joy and happiness.
Yaohua was extremely weak after giving birth. "The baby... Let me see the baby."
The baby in the swaddle was wrinkled like a little monkey. She bit her fingertip and imprinted the true blood of the phoenix on his forehead, then lay on the couch and closed her eyes wearily.
The true blood spread on the baby's forehead and then turned into white light. When the light dissipated, the baby disappeared, replaced by a fiery red phoenix egg.
The midwives had never seen such a sight and all exclaimed in wonder.
Chongming carefully held the phoenix egg tightly, covered her with the brocade quilt, and looked at her peaceful sleeping face. His heart was filled with contentment and joy.
When Yaohua woke up, it was already the third watch of the night.
She opened her hazy eyes and saw the man sitting beside her, his eyes dark, obviously having not slept.
"Chongming?" she called out hoarsely.
"Is my wife awake?" Chongming quickly helped her sit up and placed a soft pillow behind her. "Are you hungry?"
She nodded. Looking at his haggard appearance, she felt heart - ache.
Chongming had already told the kitchen to make porridge and side dishes and keep them warm. He carefully placed the egg beside them and then fed her small mouthfuls.
The phoenix egg shook. Yaohua noticed the movement and said with a tired but gentle smile, "Look, he's unhappy that daddy is only feeding mommy and is throwing a tantrum."
"Is he already daring to throw a tantrum at such a young age?" Chongming focused on feeding her porridge and didn't even spare a glance at the phoenix egg.
After Yaohua was full, she motioned for Chongming to bring the phoenix egg over. "The eggs of our Phoenix Clan need to absorb the spiritual power of their parents. So every day we have to hold it in our arms and patiently hatch it."
Although the egg looked small, it had its own intelligence. Except that it didn't cry and make noise like an ordinary child, it was almost like a three - or four - year - old child.
In the next few days, Chongming learned to take care of Yaohua like a mortal. Yaohua was happy to enjoy his care and occasionally teased him.
The man was in his prime, and he almost suffered internal injuries from holding back.
The phoenix egg grew at an amazing speed day by day. Yaohua and Chongming would take turns holding it in their hands every day and feed it spiritual power.
They also gave their baby a cute nickname - Dandan.
As Dandan grew bigger, it became more active. It liked to roll around every day and had a great time, which made people tremble with fear, afraid that it would accidentally break itself.
One day, as the couple was telling Dandan a bedtime story as usual, Dandan suddenly trembled violently.
Rays of halos shone out from the phoenix egg, illuminating the entire main hall in colorful hues. Then, a golden ray of light flashed across the sky, and the phoenix egg suddenly burst.
Countless light dots shot out from the broken eggshells and turned into stars, hovering in the air and forming a vast galaxy.
Seeing this, surprise appeared on Yaohua's face. "This is..."
The two of them looked at Dandan at the same time, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Dandan's birth actually triggered such a violent celestial phenomenon!
In the vast galaxy, a soft and cute little baby slowly emerged. There were still tear - stains on his pink cheeks, and he was opening a pair of curious big eyes and looking around.
Moreover, his little face looked very serious, just like a miniature version of Chongming.
"Ee - ooh," he mumbled. Then the stars and light converged towards him and all entered his body.
In Shenzhou, the golden rays of light and stars covered the entire territory of the Phoenix Clan.
The brothers looked at the sky excitedly. "It must be that our sister has given birth!"
"Dandan can trigger such a violent celestial phenomenon just after birth. He must be a rare talent in ten thousand years."
Yanling waved his hand. "Let's go. We're going to pick up our sister and bring her home!"
Three days later, accompanied by a grand welcoming team, the couple returned to Shenzhou with Dandan.