Feng Xiwu furrowed his brows and considered it carefully. Perhaps I can still accept the term of reference of “father” after some effort, but- but what was that “fucking hell” supposed to be!? It was completely unacceptable!
The first word that the little phoenix had said after being born was actually a curse word. So much for his ten thousand years of effort.
“Li Qingshan, what exactly did you do!?”
Similar to how Li Qingshan had received the phoenix’s legacy, his dream silently carried out another series of annetenal training for the little phoenix, adding an element of “Qingshan’s legacy” on top of the phoenix’s legacy, which led to a wondrous effect.
This effect left Feng Xiwu utterly fuming, grinding his teeth in hatred, but Li Qingshan liked it very much. With a single glance, he felt extremely close to the little phoenix, as if he really was his own child. That was why he recognised this son of his so happily.
“How would I know?” Li Qingshan said without the slightest concern and rubbed the little phoenix’s head. A smile appeared on his face. “My good son, I’m your first father. This uncle is your second father, got that?”
“I got it!” The little phoenix nodded with a smile, as innocent as he could be. He was naturally attached to Li Qingshan who had hatched him.
“Shut your mouth… I’m the first father!”
Feng Xiwu vaguely guessed what had happened. He knew that there was nothing he could do about it anymore, so his priority right now was to claim an active role for himself and guide the little phoenix through stringent education, just in case Li Qingshan’s influence grew. As a result, he had to claim the title of “first father”!
Li Qingshan squinted his eyes and sparks flew. He never liked being second!
Feng Xiwu snickered. He had already extended his hands towards the little phoenix. He said gently, “Come, darling. Come to first father!”
“Okay!” the little phoenix said.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Don’t listen to your second father’s nonsense. Isn’t your first father right here?” He glanced at Feng Xiwu from the corner of his eyes, and their eyes met. Sparks flew.
A while later…
“Let go! As a gentleman, don’t you even know about showing some courtesy and yielding to others? Is this how a father should be in front of his child?” Li Qingshan hugged the little phoenix firmly, preventing Feng Xiwu from snatching him over.
‘You’re the one who should let go. A virtuous friend helps out when in need, but only when in need. Unfortunately, I must contend with you on this today!” Feng Xiwu grabbed the little phoenix’s feet and demonstrated his utmost determination.
“Stop pulling! It hurts! You bastards!”
The little phoenix cried out. He was a Daemon Commander, and as a divine bird, his true strength surpassed regular Daemon Commanders, approaching the realm of Daemon Kings. However, neither of his fathers were weak. Feng Xiwu went without saying as an old daemon, while Li Qingshan right now could butcher Daemon Kings like it was a game. Once they began arguing, the little phoenix had no say in anything.
“You little brat, do you even know how to behave? Who ever talks to their father like this?” Li Qingshan scolded him, but he continued to hang on tight.
“Sigh, how impolite. You need some proper guidance. Li Qingshan, this is all because of you! Why don’t you let go?” Feng Xiwu became even more certain about his guess.
“I don’t want you as my fathers anymore. You’re bastards, bastards, bastards…” The little phoenix put up a furious struggle. It must have been due to Li Qingshan’s influence. Once he became carried away, he refused to yield to either of them.
Li Qingshan and Feng Xiwu exchanged glances and frowned. The same thought flashed through both of their heads, This isn’t the way. I’m going to lose my status as a father before we even decide who’ll be the first father. Compared to the dignity of being a father, who comes first is secondary.
“Fine then! I’ll count to three, and we’ll let go together!” Li Qingshan raised his eyebrows.
“Alright!” Feng Xiwu said.
“One, two, three!” Li Qingshan counted to three. “Why aren’t you letting go? Is failing to keep your word something a gentleman should do?”
“Aren’t you no different? Hmph, I treat gentlemen as a gentleman would, and I treat rascals as a rascal would. Don’t even think about deceiving me for a second.”
“Y- you’re evil!” The little phoenix sulked. He had witnessed the so-called vile side of human nature and society the moment after he was born.
Finally, after a series of negotiations, the little phoenix landed on the ground safely, but what followed was a barrage of scolding.
The little phoenix could not help but regret what he had just said, when he expressed that he still recognised them as his fathers. He dared not call them bastards again. He felt utterly wronged, deep with regret inside. He should not have recognised them as his fathers so impulsively, just because he was overjoyed at the prospect of new life.
“Don’t be like that. Just you wait until I, your first father, take you out to see the colourful world and enjoy its prosperity. How’s that?” Li Qingshan rubbed the little phoenix’s head with a smile.
“Okay! Okay! When?” The little phoenix was still a child at heart. He immediately forgot about his unfortunate experience earlier and became eager to leave this larger egg, to see the outside world.
Li Qingshan immediately felt quite good about himself. I might’ve never been a dad in any of my lives, but I have seen plenty of dads. Right when he was about to answer, Feng Xiwu violently interrupted him.
“No, now is still not the time. You’ve just been born. Do you know just how dangerous it is outside? Do you know just how many people want to use your blood to lengthen their lives? You still have a lot to learn.”
The little phoenix immediately showed a long face, gazing at Li Qingshan for help.
Li Qingshan said, “Do you really think someone can still harm him when I’m around? It’s not like he’s a baby chicken, at risk of being stepped on no matter where he goes, either. Back then, when I first came out of the mountains, who knows just how much worse I was off than him. Didn’t I still end up living until today?”
Feng Xiwu completely ignored Li Qingshan. He said to the little phoenix, “Don’t look at him. If I were to forbid it, even he can’t leave here.”
“Sigh! Are you really going to use force?” Li Qingshan said furiously.
“So what if I am?”
Their gazes clashed once more. The phoenix’s nest woven from the divine wutong tree turned into a tremendous restraining power. In this domain, Feng Xiwu was its master.
However, Li Qingshan took a step forward, and his body radiated with a violent aura. For a moment, even Feng Xiwu was unable to hold him at bay.
His ten years of arduous cultivation was not for nothing. The greatest characteristic of the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine was that it became harder with progress, but it also became stronger at the same time. After breaking through to the fourth layer of the Phoenix Transformation and balancing water and fire yet again, his current strength was even greater than when he first set foot in the phoenix’s nest.
At this moment, a figure arrived beneath the divine wutong tree and entered the phoenix’s nest. She was dressed in an extremely simple manner, but it was unable to obscure her great beauty. Her expression was completely neutral, but her bright eyes were filled with an indescribably mysterious aura.
Xiao An had returned.
As soon as she entered the phoenix’s nest, she saw Feng Xiwu and Li Qingshan confronting each other with daggers drawn, glaring at one another, which left her slightly surprised. According to her calculations, the likelihood that they would fall out was very low, unless some irreconcilable dispute arose, such as the phoenix’s embryo shattering.
However, the unfamiliar child was clearly the newly-born phoenix. He should have been able to turn them into friends. When she learnt the entire story, she could not help but become a little speechless. As a result, she asked a single question.
She pointed at the little phoenix. “What’s his name?”
“This…” Only now did Li Qingshan and Feng Xiwu remember this duty.
“Isn’t naming the child the first thing that his father should consider?”
Feng Xiwu said in agreement, “Yes. You’re still the thoughtful one, Xiao An. This bastard almost made me lose my wits out of anger. I will tend to the matter of giving a name. Those who are ignorant and incompetent, lacking in talent or virtue, should just keep their mouths shut!”
“Alright, you can name him.” Li Qingshan did not object.
“That’s rare of you to be so self-aware!” Feng Xiwu was very surprised.
“It’s fine as long as he takes my surname, Li.” Li Qingshan smiled.
“If that can be tolerated, what cannot?”
As a result, their old dispute was settled by the new dispute.
Xiao An shook her head and approached the little phoenix. She had to closely observe this “son” that Li Qingshan had hatched.
The little phoenix took a step back like he had been frightened. Neither of his legacies had bestowed him with the element of cowardice. Even when he faced the bolts of tribulation lightning, he had received them fearlessly. However, Xiao An, who was as beautiful as a heavenly maiden, enough to enchant all living creatures, made him feel a hint of fear. It felt as if he had encountered an extremely dangerous monster.
The phoenix was a divine bird of eternal life, while the pledge of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty was to destroy all living creatures. It was no longer just out of bloodthirstiness, but for the sake of extinction.
Xiao An stopped and thought, Sure enough, it really is a divine bird. She instinctively wanted to learn all about him. During the decade she had spent with the Divine Nun of the South Sea, she had not been intrigued by anything. Instead, she was intrigued by a newly-born baby chick.
Feng Xiwu noticed this as well. He glanced at Xiao An in confusion and asked the little phoenix, “What’s wrong?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “What, are you frightened?”
“Of course not. I’m not afraid of anyone. I was just surprised earlier!” The little phoenix immediately widened his eyes and proactively made his way before Xiao An. He raised his head and gazed at Xiao An to show that he felt no fear.
“As long as you’re not afraid.” Xiao An smiled and scooped up the little phoenix.
The little phoenix shivered inside. Her hands were warm and soft as her body gave off the smell of sandalwood. The rare smile on her face made her utterly bewitching, but it made him feel very uncomfortable. Actually, even he was unable to clearly describe what he was fearing. Of course, he did not know either that this sense of fear would accompany him for a very, very long time.
The little phoenix flew away as soon as Xiao An loosen her grip on him.
Li Qingshan and Feng Xiwu had their daggers drawn again. They bickered a little, and the atmosphere heated up. They were basically about to start fighting.
The little phoenix clapped his hands and cheered. “Fight! Fight! The stronger one is the first father!”
“Your two fathers fighting—now that’s not something this child would like to see.” Xiao An appeared behind the little phoenix again and placed her hands on his shoulder gently. She lowered her head and asked, “Right?”
The little phoenix shivered. “Yes, yes. Stop fighting, fathers! I don’t want to see it!”
Feng Xiwu responded with a question, “Lassie, what do you think we should do then?”
Xiao An said, “Why not just rock-paper-scissors?”
It took Feng Xiwu a moment to understand. While rock-paper-scissors seemed like a child’s game, it was not actually that simple in practise. It required reaction speed, psychological conditioning, and most importantly, senses over the fluctuations of the heavenly secrets.
“Good idea. What do you think?” Feng Xiwu asked Li Qingshan. He personally believed he was a major realm of cultivation and several minor realms of cultivation higher than Li Qingshan, so he possessed an absolute advantage when it came to his grasp over the heavenly secrets. It was a guaranteed victory for him.
“I obviously have no objections to Xiao An’s ideas.” Li Qingshan smiled. “I’m just afraid you’ll change your mind after you lose.”
“Change my mind? Do you really think I’m you? Since you’re willing, then let’s do it!” With a sweep of his sleeves, Feng Xiwu balled his fist and prepared himself with great grace.
