(30) Enslaving the Little Bird

“Wasn’t paying attention, got swept away by the water,” Liang Zuan replied. He still remembered his own embarrassing appearance as a naked, helpless fledgling, and instinctively denied that he was Little Phoenix.

“I have some clothes here, I’ll give them to you!” she said generously, pulling out a set of old, oversized mercenary clothes from her spatial pouch and handing them to him.

“Once you’re done washing up, hurry out and change, don’t catch a chill. I’m off to find my son first, see you later!” she called over her shoulder, hands clasped behind her back, strolling away at a leisurely pace. But the moment the intertwining green trees blocked her from sight, she immediately broke into a run, her short legs pumping faster and faster.

Ah, lust truly is a dangerous thing. She should have avoided the area the moment she spotted someone, but was instead captivated by the prospect of a handsome face, lingering just to see how striking he was.

As it turned out, he was almost fatally handsome!

With such a high power level, how could someone like her even dare to covet him?

“Little Phoenix, get home now!”

She was moving so fast she was out of breath, hands on her hips as she shouted fiercely, “If you don’t come back, I’ll pluck all the feathers from your wings and tie your claws with strings so you’ll never fly high again!”

Liang Zuan heard her distant calls and couldn’t help but smile at the corners of his lips.

She was always trying to scare him, but she’d never bear to really do it!

Not wanting her to worry, he slowly stepped out of the creek, dried his hair with the clothes she’d left on the boulder, closed his eyes, and with a thought, transformed into Little Phoenix.

A five-tailed phoenix—noble and elegant, majestic and imposing. Its wings fanned out like embroidered half-moons, its tail arched gracefully high, talons gleaming with power, each feather fine and luxurious, shimmering with an emerald glow, as mysterious and splendid as ghostly fire, vibrant and dazzling.

Wings spread wide, he soared in the direction of Liu Yi.

“Little Phoenix, can you hear me? If you can, chirp for Mama!” Liu Yi’s voice still echoed through the hills and forests.

“Chirp—”

With keen ears, Liu Yi picked out her little bird’s call from the cacophony of woodland birds and hurried toward it.

Perhaps it was maternal longing, but she felt her son seemed even more beautiful than before.

He flew through the night beneath the auroras, his body wreathed in radiant, iridescent light.

Whenever his resplendent wings beat the air, an alluring fragrance wafted forth—not the cloying scent of perfume, but the pure aroma of natural spices, drifting through the air, refreshing and soothing.

As she drew nearer, she realized the change was far more than just external; the power within him was even more breathtakingly beautiful.

His eyes were still as dark as ever, yet they radiated an innate nobility and awe, a presence that touched the soul and stirred the heart.

“Could it be that Little Phoenix has secretly advanced a level?” She’d never experienced leveling up herself, but she wasn’t dull—she could make the connection.

“Chirp—” Little Phoenix lightly landed on her shoulder, rubbing his downy head against her affectionately, his beak gently brushing her ear, tacitly confirming her guess.

“My Little Phoenix is truly amazing!” Liu Yi was genuinely happy for him, scooping him up and petting him enthusiastically.

Hmph, no matter how powerful Liang Zuan’s powers were, what did it matter?

He’d left behind that pink egg, which she’d hatched with her own hands, raising this little bird through thick and thin—and their bond was the best in the world.

From this perspective, she was nothing short of a great success!

“Little Phoenix, let me tell you, Mama has been feeling much more energized these days, and the bean sprouts I grow are plumper too! I reckon it won’t be long before I can level up as well.”

She looked around cautiously, making sure no one and no beasts were near, then lowered her voice to share her little secret.

“My diet and routines haven’t really changed, except for one thing—pine nuts. The very pine nuts you shell for me every day. My Little Phoenix truly brings Mama good fortune~ When we get home, you must eat more too, don’t be stingy. When we run out, I’ll gather more from the red pine forest, and we’ll get stronger together…” She was already planning to use all the fertilizer from the biogas pit to feed the red pine forest.

“Chirp chirp—” I don’t want them, they’re all for you.

Liang Zuan knew she treated him well, but he hadn’t realized she was this good to him.

Who in this world, when they themselves are in dire need, would willingly share something that can enhance their powers with another, asking nothing in return?

“Oh! Little Phoenix, I think I can understand what you’re saying now!” Liu Yi’s almond-shaped eyes lit up. “Quick, say a few more things, let me see if it’s just ringing in my ears!”

“Chirp—” It’s past dinnertime, are you hungry? Tell me what you’d like to eat, and I’ll make it for you.

Liang Zuan felt a little shy under her direct gaze, burying his head in her armpit and refusing to lift it no matter how she tried to coax him out.

The first thing he did after advancing was to synchronize his power level downward to match hers.

“As long as Little Phoenix cooks it, Mama will love it all.” Liu Yi was sure she could understand the little bird now, grinning so wide her eyes were mere slits.

What on earth was going on in his head, getting bashful like this?

How amusing—just like a little grown-up…

Back at the manor, the tiger pack had long since grown hungry. Fortunately, Flashy was in charge and dragged out wild boar meat from the storeroom, piled up firewood, and used her lightning power to start the fire, roughly preparing cooked food for the tigers.

The tigers thought the little spotted dog’s cooking wasn’t as good as the little bird’s, but hunger was hunger, so they made do and filled up. A few adolescent tigers, unable to stomach Flashy’s questionable cuisine, simply teamed up and headed into the deep mountains to hunt.

Before they left, the tiger king picked his teeth with a claw and reminded them not to hunt any of the five species that had brought gifts to the great-grandmother.

Those animals had come bearing gifts—eating them would be terribly ungracious.

When Liu Yi returned, the little ones were mostly already asleep. Normally, the younger they were, the more they slept—she couldn’t fathom why Little Phoenix was always so energetic.

Liang Zuan urged her to go wash up.

“Just something simple is fine, don’t go to too much trouble,” Liu Yi said, feeling a bit guilty for making her little bird work so hard.

“Chirp—” Don’t worry!

Liang Zuan closed the kitchen door, light shimmering around him as he transformed back into human form.

After changing clothes, he deftly washed his hands and began to prepare a meal for her.

Since the day he’d lost his father at twelve and his mother had remarried, he’d learned to take care of himself—working in shady diners, working his way up from busboy to head chef, honing his culinary skills through hardship, and now, finally putting them to good use.

He fetched a large slab of pork belly from the storeroom, singed off the skin, boiled it until tender, sliced it thick, glazed it with soy sauce, and laid it over a bed of bean sprouts in a bowl, steaming it over high heat.

While the pork was cooking, he used his powers to hurry along some rice, husked it, added water, and set it in the rice cooker.

Worried she might crave noodles, he pressed little cakes against the edge of the iron pot, covering them to steam until they were piping hot and fragrant.

With a flicker of his gaze, he urged potatoes, tomatoes, chilies, and pineapples to ripen all at once.

His wood-based powers were far stronger than Liu Yi’s; a mere glance at the relevant seeds was enough for them to grow and mature, each one a specimen of the highest quality.

He peeled, chopped, and washed them, quickly frying up pineapple chicken and vinegared shredded potatoes, and prepared a large bowl of tomato and wild egg soup…