Rising Phoenix

As she looked down at that face, bitter sourness filled Feng Zhiwei’s heart.

She bit down on her lips, stifling the sudden emotion and smothering it down deep.

Ning Yi turned to her and smiled, waving her over as he called out: “You’re here.”

“En.”

A casual call and a simple answer as if meeting back at the Xi Yard after finishing her day, calmly greeted under the whisky clouds as a gentle breeze weaved around them.

As if all that danger was distant, as if those thousands of hostile enemies had never existed.

“Come.” Ning Yi called again.

Feng Zhiwei walked over slowly, stopping a distance away.

Ning Yi heard her steps stop and he furrowed his brows as he smiled: “Why so bashful today? Were you scared?”

Feng Zhiwei smiled back but did not move forward. “How are things inside?”

“The same.” Ning Yi replied, standing and sweeping aside his board. He reached out to pull her close: “Do you have food? I haven’t eaten the whole day and I’m starving.”

Feng Zhiwei dodged his hand and stepped back, replying: “No.”

“What is with you?” Ning Yi frowned again, stopping. “Are you blaming me for not grabbing them? Ancestral Temple in South Sea cannot be disturbed, and if I had moved in it would only be bad for you in the future, so I decided to wait…”

“No, it’s not that. “Feng Zhiwei interrupted. “You can’t grabbing them with force; if it were me, I would only have been able to do this as well.”

“Perhaps.” Ning Yi smiled coldly. “This Prince’s patience has its limit. If the Yan Family truly dares to not give face to the Imperial Court, this Prince also dares to leave them no retreat.”

He walked up to Feng Zhiwei and she stepped back. Just as he reached for her sleeve, she shifted away; as they neared, her fragrance drifted by his nose and he smelled something a little different. Ning Yi paused, but when he breathed again, she had already moved away.

He stood quietly, his face slowly smoothing out. He did not comment on his thoughts, only saying coldly: “Since you are here and this is your business, I will not involve myself. You can make the decisions.”

Feng Zhiwei watched quietly as he turned away and gathered up his guards and prepared them to depart.

The pitter patter of footfalls rushed over, and Feng Zhiwei turned to take in a dainty, cute young woman dressed in coarse clothing. As she reached the tree barricade, she tied up her cotton dress around her waist as she moved to climb over. A guard immediately blocked her way with his spear and called out: “Identify yourself!”

“South Sea Feng Zhou City’s Qian Shui[1] Village, Hua Qiong begs to speak to His Highness.” The woman announced clearly, her eyes large and bright and her brows exquisite on her slightly dark face.

Ning Yi turned.

The young woman kowtowed on the tree and called out: “Your Highness, this commoner can open the gates!”

Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi turned and met each others gaze, happiness in their eyes — only a direct Yan Family member could open the gates of the Ancestral Temple. Right now, no one would dare open the gates for Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi, but if someone came who was willing and able to open the way, the problem would disappear.

“Who are you?” Ning Yi called out calmly. “Your surname is Hua, not Yan. If you are not part of the Yan Family, opening the gates is a capital crime. Do not court death.”

“Your Highness.” Hua Qiong kowtowed again, calling out clearly: “My Mother-in-Law and husband are inside the Ancestral Temple. If I must live without them, I would rather die!”

The prince and Feng Zhiwei exchanged looks of shock: “Husband?”

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Feng Zhiwei was startled; she had never imagined that Yan Huaishi would have a wife in South Sea. Why had he never mentioned it? And why was his wife, a member of the Yan Family, wearing the clothes of a fisherwoman?

Feng Zhiwei’s eyes drifted down to her hands and feet. The woman wore straw sandals on bare feet and her inner pants were rolled up high. Bloody rope marks could still be seen on her wrists and ankles, and Feng Zhiwei could even make out bone.

How had she come here? Escaping bonds and running over? Was that why her sandals were broken and her body covered in wounds?

“Let her through.” Feng Zhiwei called.

The guard stepped aside and Hua Qiong clambered laboriously over the tree, ignoring Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei as she rushed to the Ancestral Temple’s doors.

As she ran, she unhooked a pair of harpoons from slings around her back.

Feng Zhiwei grunted in surprise, watching in stunned amazement.

What was going on?

Feng Zhiwei followed worriedly as Hua Qiong began knocking on the door, yelling: “The Eldest Grandson from the Main Branch[2], Yan Changtian,[3] scion of the Yan Family’s 732nd Generation begs to see the Yan Family Head!”

Feng Zhiwei and Ning Yi turned towards each other again, both of them trying to remember if they had heard this name over the past days. The Eldest Grandson?

Yan Chantian was clearly a man’s name, and this woman called herself Hua Qiong?

The door cracked open a sliver and a face peered out. Yan Huaiyuan turned his pale face to Ning Yi and Feng Zhiwei before looking at Hua Qiong. Surprise flashed over his face before he began swearing.

“You little widow! Bitch! What Yan Changtian? Who is Yan Changtian? The Yan Family only has 731 generations! Where did this 732 come from? You dare come here with a different surname and knock on our Ancestral Temple’s doors? How dare you blaspheme before our temple, on this sacred land! I’ll kill you!”

“Kill me if you dare!” Hua Qiong announced bravely.”If you dare offend your ancestors and overturn the rites of your family, killing your Yan Family’s Main Branch’s Eldest Grandson, I won’t stop you!”

“What Eldest Grandson? Piss off!” Yan Huaiyuan roared furiously, extending his hand to push the young woman.

That was when Hua Qiong stepped back and shouted, boldly lifting up her shirt to reveal her belly: “Yan Changtian is here!”

The thousand onlookers fell silent.

Feng Zhiwei’s mouth fell open.

Gu Nanyi stared blankly at that prominent belly, his eyes turning from that pregnant flesh to the walnut in his hand.

Ning Cheng fell to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

The young woman lifted up her shirt in the bright daylight, revealing her waist to all the onlookers around her. Her protruding belly was only covered by a thin, sheer undergarment that could not even hide the stretch marks.

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Yan Huaiyuan stilled in stunned amazement, his extended arm forgotten.

“Your Yan Family’s 732nd Eldest Branch Eldest Grandson is now in my womb.” Hua Qiong called out, her eyes bright. She stood unembarrassed and unafraid, spine upright under Yan Huiayuan’s gaze. “According to the Yan Family’s genealogy, the 732nd generation should be named ‘Chang,’ so I named my son Changtian. Yan Huaiyuan, right now, Yan Changtian needs to enter!”

[1] Thousand Water

[2] The age of “eldest of the main branch” does not compete with grand children of the side branches.

[3] Long Sky