Ch145 - Phoenix Soaring

He finished admiring Ling Fengxiao’s beautiful face and then began to ponder where Ling Fengxiao resided. He had never visited the bedchamber and was not aware where Ling Fengxiao’s bedchamber was. Ling Fengxiao’s condition was worrisome and he needed to lie down properly.

With no other alternative in hand, Lin Shu carried the person in his arms and returned to the small pavilion. He sat down and took out the Dreamscape jade talisman, and called for Yingying.

Yingying looked at him and tilted her head in askance.

Lin Shu wrote in her palm: “Do you live in the palace?”

Yingying nodded her head.

Lin Shu continued to write: “There is a place in the palace with a lot of peony flowers and has a small wooden pavilion inside, do you know where it is?”

Yingying thought for a moment, then nodded.

Lin Shu said: “Go there.”

Yingying tilted her head and wrote in his palm: “Why do I need to go there?”

Lin Shu originally wanted to write, “Come and take back your daddy who has fainted”. But then after thinking for a moment, he changed it to a comparatively gentle expression: “I have something for you.”

Yingying’s eyes lit up, nodded at him, and then quickly went offline.

Lin Shu also came out of the Dreamscape and returned to reality.

Ling Fengxiao still hadn’t woken up and was quietly lying in his arms.

With Lin Shu’s current cultivation level, it was not difficult for him to hold Ling Fengxiao for long periods at all.

A gust of wind blew in, the warm wind brought a sweet fragrance in the late spring night. The petals of  the peonies that were about to wither were blown up by the wind and fell all over them.

Lin Shu reached out his hand and plucked the petals that had fallen on them one thin petal at a time

Ling Fengxiao’s eyelashes trembled a few times, but he didn’t wake up. The ends of his long eyelashes were curled up, like the wings of a Phoenix ready to fly.

There was nothing redeeming in the way this person treated others based on his bad temper, however thanks to his beauty, one’s heart would not get bored.

After about four incense sticks of time, Lin Shu heard the sound of footsteps coming towards the pavilion from the direction of the imperial palace.

He didn’t know why, but he was slightly nervous.

The flowers rustled and after a while, one little girl dressed in red came inside the circle of flowers.

After the little girl walked out from the circle of flowers, she stood and looked at him in a daze.

Lin Shu also looked at her and softly called out, “Yingying.”

Yingying finally reacted to the fact that the Brother Lin Shu she met in the Dreamscape was at this moment sitting in front of her in reality.

She soon smiled afterwards, her countenance completely filled with the brightness and shine of the stars and moon.

Lin Shu looked at her smile and thought in his heart, “Sure enough, she can’t talk in reality.”

Yingying stepped forward and tugged at the corner of Lin Shu’s sleeve, as if to confirm that he was indeed a real person.

After confirming, she looked at him and then at Ling Fengxiao in his arms, she then stretched out her hand and put it on Ling Fengxiao’s forehead.

Lin Shu had already checked Ling Fengxiao’s body temperature and it was not abnormal.

Yingying also figured this out, and went to probe Ling Fengxiao’s breath. Her eyes held a deep expression of concern and finally she looked at Lin Shu for help.

Lin Shu said: “Take me back to his room.”

Yingying nodded and walked in front to guide the way.

Lin Shu carried the unconscious little phoenix in a princess-carry style through the heavily guarded palace walls, and was naturally seen by quite a few imperial guards.

Because of Yingying’s position, no one tried to stop them.

However, when they looked at Lin Shu, the gazes of many were highly inquisitive and curious, and some had a deep look of veneration and awe.

Lin Shu: “…”

After walking for a while, they came to a brilliantly lit, extremely magnificent palace courtyard; on the gate it was written, “Wutong Court”.

The Phoenix does not dwell in the Wutong tree,  the name of the courtyard was quite contrary but good.

The maids of the palace looked at their family’s princess being carried by a man and were silent as cicadas in cold weather. Only one or two quick-witted maids carrying lanterns came forward to guide the way.

Lin Shu carried Ling Fengxiao inside and laid him on a gorgeous and warm soft bed.

Yingying went up, covered Ling Fengxiao with a quilt, and lay down beside him.

Lin Shu again probed Ling Fengxiao’s pulse.

The “Introduction to the Arts of Healing” he learned in the Academy finally came in use.

All other areas in Ling Fengxiao’s body did not have any abnormalities, it was only that every five heartbeats, there was a sudden pause.

This type of pulse was a sign of excessive consumption of energy leading to being fatigued due to overwork. Xiao Lingyang was still not able to support the Dynasty’s affairs and imperial matters and he only depend on his sister to do everything. All the large and small affairs of the court piled up on Ling Fengxiao, which inevitably led to the consumption of his mental and physical energy.

But the body of an immortal cultivator was a hundred times better than that of a mortal, just because Ling Fengxiao was overworked, it would not lead to him vomiting blood.

Lin Shu then used his spiritual power to probe into Ling Fengxiao’s meridians.

This probing caused him to slowly frown deeply.

Phoenix Blood.

Overworking for long period of time will cause problems to arise in the body of mortals. An abnormality in spiritual power will cause problems to arise in the body of immortal cultivators

And the Phoenix blood flowing in Ling Fengxiao’s body has caused his spiritual power to become chaotic more than once.

Within Ling Fengxiao’s body, he caught sight of the Lihuo Qi, slowly but steadily flowing through the meridians and cauterizing them little by little.

The outcome of this burning was that the meridians were being damaged and the internal organs would slowly bleed. The person’s whole body would be in extreme pain and naturally, resulting in vomiting blood.

However, in this slow process of damage and self-recovery, the meridians were widening day by day, and Ling Fengxiao’s cultivation was growing slowly and uncontrollably along with it.

Lin Shu held Ling Fengxiao’s hand and slowly poured his spiritual power in.

The Lihuo Qi encountered the frost spiritual power of the Sword Pavilion and dissipated down obediently. After the spiritual power slowly circulated through Ling Fengxiao’s body, his breathing became much more stable.

However, Lin Shu found that as soon as he withdrew his spiritual power, the Lihuo Qi had the tendency to resurrect, and it was once again permeating the meridians.

He repeatedly used his spiritual power to cleanse the meridians many times before Lihuo Qi’s resurgence slowed down.

The Suzaku blazes in crimson splendor, the Phoenix will soar.

If the astrological signs on that day was the harbinger of the news that the Phoenix blood had begun to awaken, then the chaotic Lihuo Qi in Ling Fengxiao’s body now corroborated this statement.

The constant battering of the Lihuo Qi on the meridians was resulting in continuous broadening of the meridians. If this kind of momentum was maintained, then Ling Fengxiao’s cultivation would increase by leaps and bounds in just a short while — wasn’t this the so-called “Phoenix Soaring”?!

If …… if this was the process of Nirvana of the phoenix bloodline, then to what extent was it considered a successful nirvana?

Afterwards, when the Phoenix Nirvana succeeded, because of not receiving the nourishment of the Heavenly Dao’s Qi, would it fall down again like the Great Wizard had explained?

Qingming  Demon Lord had requested him to find two or more peerless manuscripts and burn them.

The Great Wizard had explained that if he collected all the eight peerless manuals and went to Huandang mountain and summoned the Heavenly Dao again, the little Phoenix would be able to survive.

They each made separate requests, so what should be done?

Lin Shu didn’t know.

However, he knew he needed much more information.

He went to Qingming Cave.

The Elder martial brother floated over: “Younger martial brother! Long time no see!”

Lin Shu asked, “Elder martial brother, how can I find my Master?”

The elder martial brother said, “There is a barrier between the immortal world and the mortal world, Master can only come down once every ten years.”

Lin Shu, “…..”

He bid farewell to his Elder martial brother and returned to Ling Fengxiao’s bedside and fell in deep thoughts.

What should be done?

Wait for Ling Fengxiao to wake up?

Would Ling Fengxiao know something?

Just as Lin Shu was pondering over the next course of action, there were increasingly frenzied sounds coming from outside the room.

Lin Shu looked up outside and saw that the maids were blocking a few gorgeously dressed Young Masters.

The Young Masters insisted on entering, and while insisting, they said, “What a scandal!” and so on and so forth.

Lin Shu: “?”

He looked at several maids at the side, who were holding lanterns and asked: “Who are they?”

The maid’s gaze was hesitant, seemingly unsure of whether to speak or not.

Ling Fengxiao’s hand had unconsciously grabbed Lin Shu. Lin Shu was unable to break the hold for a while and hence was unable to go outside and have a look.

At this moment, Yingying got out of the quilt and hugged Lin Shu’s arm.

Lin Shu saw his own face and Yingying’s face in the copper mirror that was opposite to them.

Their faces really looked as if they were carved out of the same mold.

The maid’s eyes changed, it seemed that she had realized something, and finally stuttered out an explanation: “A month ago, the court submitted a petition. Her Highness had reached the marriageable age, and it was time to choose a son-in-law for Her Highness .. Her Royal Highness the Empress accepted, so the court sent many princes and young masters….. to be chosen from.”

Lin Shu: “……”

Right.

He could already guess the end.

Ling Fengxiao currently wielded all the power in the imperial court. The court ministers were of the opinion to marry off Ling Fengxiao as soon as possible so that she would not wield any more power.

Just… sent the these Princes and Young Masters to come in?

Lin Shu looked outside at the gaudy Young Masters and thought they were a little delusional.

So when the gentry heard that Her Highness Fengyang was carried back into the palace hall by some unknown man, they immediately rushed over like chickens who had their feathers plucked.

All Right.

It was okay to be anxious, it was pardonable. But did they all have to gather outside, yell and make so much noise? This in the end hindered Ling Fengxiao’s rest.

Lin Shu gently removed Ling Fengxiao’s fingers, withdrew his hand, and indifferently said to the maid: “Take me outside.”