Blue Phoenix

by Tinalynge

  This was, however, not the worst that Hui Yue noticed. The last meter of the tail was unable to fit into the bathtub, together with the rest of her, and now that she noticed she was stuck, slight panic had overtaken her, causing her to thrash around with the tail, knocking down bottles of interesting items.

  Looking at the floor Hui Yue sighed, as he saw jade bottles which contained scented oils, sweet fragranced soaps, and a few medicinal pills. Everything had been broken by the thrashing of her tail.

  Carefully walking through the room, Hui Yue moved to the middle and observed the snake-woman, considering how he should get her free, yet no matter how much he thought, only one way seemed possible.

  A blush appeared on his face as he grabbed the tail and started pulling. At first he had expected that it would be fairly easy for him to help her, yet after pulling as hard as he could, he found out that it was truly no easy task. Sha Yun was firmly stuck within the bathtub.

  Lines started to become visible on Hui Yue’s forehead as he looked at the bathtub situation once again. This time he did not even consider Lan Feng’s previous taunting as he looked at the coiled snake within the bathtub, a helpless giggle escaping him.

  The entire situation was bizarre, and it looked as though Sha Yun as well felt it rather odd as she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Hui Yue tried pulling Sha Yun’s tail from various angles, yet no matter what he did it was all for naught, as the only result he got was the snake-woman twisting her face in discomfort.

  Eventually, Hui Yue had had enough and he gritted his teeth as he started to circulate his Qi through his body and focused it in his hands, multiplying his previous strength a hundredfold. Although this could turn slightly uncomfortable, it was nothing compared to the pain Sha Yun had already experienced in their pulling competition thus far.

  Using Qi caused the issue to be handled swiftly, and Hui Yue started to wonder why he had not done so before. Finally done a sigh escaped Hui Yue once again, causing the young boy to feel as though sighing had become as natural to him as breathing.

  Changing the sight to a smile, Hui Yue cast one last glance at Sha Yun and he had to admit that she was indeed an enchantress. Her beauty was alluring and so was her curvy figure, as it now laid there in the bathtub with a coiled tail roaming around lazily. She looked like a siren from the old stories.

  Shaking his head, Hui Yue laughed and finally forced himself to drag his eyes from the tempting sight as he moved out of the bathroom and back to the bed. Allowing for his body to slump onto the bed, and it did not take him even a moment before everything turned black and he gavel into the comforting feeling of sleep.

  In another courtyard within Riluo City was Wang Ju Long seated in her room. From a very young age, Wang Ju Long had focused on nothing apart from training at which she had always wished to excel.

  When Wang Ju Long’s mother had gone into labour, a fortune-teller within Riluo City made the prophecy that if the Wang family were to get a son then they would flourish beyond belief, yet if they were to get a daughter then they would suffer tremendously.

  Having heard such a public prophecy everyone within Riluo City was curious to see whether or not the Wang family’s new child would be a boy or a girl. As she was born, her father had personally executed everyone present, and then informed the masses that it was a boy.

  Since then, Wang Ju Long had lived as a boy. She had never been given a female name, nor had she been allowed to wear female clothes. Living a life where her father refused to look at her and her mother had cast her away, Wang Ju Long quickly found a great love in the quietness of meditation.

  She saw how the guards would meditate and she copied their gesture. Her first strand of Qi was refined when she was three years old, and even back then it had the pure and shining lustre it was so famous for.

  Refining Qi at the age of three had caused everyone within the Wang family to suddenly realise that Wang Ju Long was not just the shame of their family. She could perhaps become the new genius of a generation as long as no one knew her real gender.

  Since then, Wang Ju Long started to understand what the world was truly like. A place where the strongest survived and those with talent would be treated as celebrities while everyone else would be treated with hostility. Had she not become useful then it was obvious that she would have been left alone for her entire life.

  Still within this world there was one person who did not seem to care about her real gender and who had even gifted her an unreplaceable cultivation technique. Although Wang Ju Long was young she still felt gratitude towards this person and for the first time ever, she wished to be strong for the sake of someone else.

  So far her strength had been a way for her to secure a safe lifestyle within her family’s home, yet now she wished to improve so that she was truly worthy of her position as a rival of Hui Yue.

  These thoughts had been flaring within Wang Ju Long’s mind for days on end and she had completely skipped eating and sleeping for the sake of cultivating and improving her cultivation base, and now, after two months and constant cultivation, she had managed to advance into the fifth star Disciple rank.

  A great feeling of accomplishment was washing over her tired body as she finally reached her goal. Hui Yue was likely to be still above her in rank, yet she knew that even if he was slightly stronger, she still had the ability to catch up. He had granted her this opportunity and it was one she would never let go of.

  Thinking about Hui Yue caused Wang Ju Long’s cheeks to turn slightly red, but she quickly slapped them hard. She had been told to live her life as a man and that was what she would do. Still she wished that there was a possibility for her to become Hui Yue’s friend in the future.

  Hui Yue was sleeping deeply while Wang Ju Long finally managed to break into the fifth star of the Disciple rank. He had gone without proper sleep for weeks and although the training had been greatly rewarding, it had also caused him to feel fatigued by using his abilities to their limits.

  Sleeping within the bed, Hui Yue finally looked like the young child he was suppose to be, and his previous vigilance and sharpness was nowhere to be found.

  Sha Yun had been enjoying the bath for a long time, especially the bubbles, and when she finally emerged from the bathroom it had been more than an hour since Hui Yue had left. As she moved in the room she noticed the sleeping boy on the bed and a gentle expression appeared on her face.

  Today had been the most exciting day in all of Sha Yun’s life and looking at the many different things which had happened, she did not regret her choice of initiating the beast pledge even a little.

  Moving towards the bed, Sha Yun used her snake-tail to wrap around Hui Yue and move him further into the bed before she laid down next to him, refusing to let go of his waist and instead pulling him closer, leaving him in her scaled embrace. A smile appeared on her face as she too fell into a deep sleep.

  Chapter 65 - Cat Fight

  * * *

  Chapter 65: Cat Fight

  The sun shone through the laced curtains, signaling the beginning of a new day. Usually Hui Yue would be up and about at this hour, yet today he was still sound asleep within the comfortable bed at the city inn.

  Hui Yue had not been sleeping a lot during the last many weeks as each moment of rest was used on improving his cultivation, causing his body to be exhausted beyond words. Although he had gained much insight and many breakthroughs on this trip, it was important for him to now take the time needed to relax or his body would not be able to take it otherwise.

  Small sounds of grumbling and murmur were escaping Hui Yue’s lips as he tried turning around, only to find that it was not possible, as if something held him back. The previously sleeping Hui Yue woke up swiftly only to find out that he truly could not move, yet the reason was nothing like what he had expected.

  Around his waist was a long scaled rope tightly tied ensuring that Hui Yue could not move in slightest and behind him he felt a warm sensation of not being alone
in the bed. The headache from last night was rapidly making its return as Hui Yue struggled against the tail which was currently restricting his movements.

  As Hui Yue was thrashing around, Lan Feng was enjoying the sight and he was chuckling inside, throwing remarks such as: ‘Don’t you want to know whether or not you did it with her last night?’, ‘You sure you don’t want to hear what happened?’, ‘Want information on how to do it? I can help you use this opportune moment.’.

  Hui Yue could not stop himself from rolling his eyes at the perverted bird who seemed quite set on having his fun with this scaled woman, yet annoyance was the only feeling which Hui Yue felt.

  After thrashing around for awhile, Hui Yue finally managed to wake up Sha Yun. The snake-tail which was holding Hui Yue tightened itself as the beautiful woman stretched, slowly opening her eyes and greeting the new day. A fresh pink was spreading through her cheeks and an expression of complete satisfaction was draped upon her face as she had never slept better in her entire life.

  A confused expression appeared on her before so satisfied face as she lifted her tail. Whatever it was she had wrapped it around was slightly heavier than what she had expected, and the confused expression quickly changed to a smile and surprise as she lifted Hui Yue around as if he was a bag of potatoes.

  Hui Yue had long since given up trying to get free without wounding Sha Yun, so he allowed for the snake-woman to move him around, especially as he could feel how he was being handled with some sort of care.

  “What did you just say?” The manager’s face paled as he heard what Hui Yue had said moments before. “The bathroom has been trashed.” Hui Yue said once more, his expression showing a carelessness unlike any the manager had ever seen before. Before the manager had the time to truly become angry, Hui Yue made a flicker of his hand after which a black coin was visible within his fingers.

  Flicking the coin to the manager, Hui Yue said nonchalantly, “I believe this should cover the damage,” before he turned around and walked away, leaving the stunned manager behind.

  The coin within his hand was black and round with a square hole in the middle. There were no engravings upon it, nor did it have any metals to counteract the black iron. Instead, a strong fluctuation of pure energy was emitted, causing the manager’s hand to feel slightly warm from just holding this important treasure.

  “Such a rich young lord.” The manager mumbled to himself, utterly stunned as he tried to think of which families could have produced such a rich young lord. Although Hui Yue was famous within Riluo City, his fame was spread amongst the higher ranks of the society and almost no commoners nor ordinary shops knew much about him. They had only heard a rumour about a certain student from the Royal Academy being a student of the elusive expert that had visited the city almost a year prior. How could this simple manager have guessed?

  There were still a few days until the academy started its second year of lectures and Hui Yue had planned on returning today, yet he was in no rush as he saw how Sha Yun once more enjoyed moving around the marketplace. He was shocked when he caught himself leaning back against a wall smiling happily while watching Sha Yun having fun, much like an owner would while their cat was playing with a new toy that they had bought.

  A sigh escaped Hui Yue as he realised that his new friend, or pet, or whatever a magical beast could be considered, but either way, a weird fondness was appearing within his heart since he knew that this person would never be able to harm him. Having someone by his side whom he could trust one hundred percent obviously made him feel less on guard and allowed for him to be friendly without constant doubt or worry.

  Hui Yue got somewhat annoyed because he realised that although he felt fond of Sha Yun, the reason he felt this way was not solely because of who she was, but also due to her being someone he could trust. This thought made him frown slightly. Did it mean that he did not truly care about her as a friend, or that he just thought of her like this because she had submitted to him?

  While Hui Yue was pondering this question, he suddenly noticed someone moving towards him and the previous doubt was replaced as he smiled and greeted the Rong twins who made their way towards Hui Yue, followed by guards from the marketplace.

  This particular market place belonged to the Deng family, and every time someone of high rank would traverse within its borders, the guards would usually follow them to provide safety and service. This was a custom which was used at many places, yet Hui Yue had not gained any favour upon entering as the Deng family knew how highly he valued his secrecy, and those who had seen him had chosen not to inform mere guards about his status.

  “We are departing soon.” Rong Xing said smilingly while observing how Rong Ming had rushed next to Sha Yun, trying to assist her in choosing a bracelet. Rong Ming’s face was filled with excitement and a healthy blush was in his cheeks, reminding Hui Yue about the time when he had been courting him.

  Those were memories which caused Hui Yue to cringe every time he thought about them, yet right now Hui Yue could not help but feel a little pity for Rong Ming. His first love turned out to be a boy while the next a magical beast.

  Later that day, Hui Yue had once more borrowed a magical horse from the City Lord’s mansion and was leaving behind the tall walls of Riluo City, as he and the Rong twins made their way towards the academy.

  The distance was one which could be travelled quickly, yet today they took their time, travelling at a leisurely pace as Sha Yun was turning her head right and left, looking everywhere with stunned eyes. The farmed lands and the barren lands were a sight much similar to the ones they had seen while travelling from the Magical Forest to Riluo City, yet at that time the group had hurried to make it in time before the city gates closed. As such today was the first day where she could slowly enjoy the sights and understand just how people outside the forest lived.

  Riding next to Sha Yun was Rong Ming who constantly spoke and explained the various sights such as rice fields, watermills, and smaller villages. While the brother was busy with Sha Yun, Rong Xing and Hui Yue finally had the time to talk a little about what their plans were in the future.

  The nationwide Royal Academy tournament was about to begin and Rong Xing wished to join. Having fought with her life on the line for three weeks within the Magical Forest, she had learned the value of fighting with others to gain insight in her own abilities.

  “Hui Yue!” A voice called from behind, rousing the two youngsters from their conversation and causing them to turn back to see who was arriving. Behind them was a qilin, definitely a proud steed which carried about an air of haughtiness. Clearly this qilin was from the wild, not breed in captivity such as the ones the Rong twins rode.

  Seated atop the qilin was Wang Ju Long and behind her was Wang Jingshen coupled with some other youngsters from the Wang family.

  “I will catch up at the academy.” Wang Ju Long said to those behind her not allowing them to stay there, they all sighed as they whipped their creatures increasing their speed and rushing towards the academy.

  Seeing that a new person had joined the group, Sha Yun had turned her attention towards this new person, yet as soon as their eyes met it seemed as though sparks were igniting.

  Like a flash of light, Sha Yun appeared at the side of Hui Yue her tail rattling and a hiss escaping her lips as her eyes shone with a silvery light, glaring towards Wang Ju Long.

  Wang Ju Long in turn snorted in disdain as she saw this shadow moving. Although she was quick, Wang Ju Long did not doubt that her Qi Lightning skill would be able to win again this odd human shaped beast.

  Wang Ju Long was not dumb. It was easy to see that this female beast’s eyes were silvery, the sign of having undergone a beast pledge as such she was currently under the control of one of these three, and the way she was protecting Hui Yue made it obvious for the former to guess just who this snake-woman belonged to.

  “Why did you go tame a worm?” Wang Ju Long asked with disdain evident within her eyes as she looked at t
he snake-woman she had called a worm in contempt.

  At this point all the magical creatures had stopped moving, and they were all gathered in a group. Hui Yue was about to open his mouth to defend Sha Yun, but before he had the chance to do so, a loud growling sound appeared from within the snake-woman’s throat as she started slamming her tail into the ground, clearly getting ready to show who was the superior of the two of them. By instinct Sha Yun disliked Wang Ju Long and the other shared these feelings.

  “You think a beast like you has the right to show off in front of me?” Wang Ju Long said in contempt, as she dismounted her qilin and ordered it to stay put, waiting for her.

  Growling and hissing sounds kept emerging from the furious Sha Yun who was only holding herself back due to the fact that she had already guessed that Hui Yue was friendly with this rude person.

  Hui Yue looked with disbelief at the scene which was unfolding in front of him, and he could not help but give an exasperating laughter before he shook his head.