Chapter 156
Chapter 156
While chopping firewood on the mountain, Lu Goudan discovered an injured, unconscious Phoenix.
Lu Goudan did not know what a Phoenix was. He only thought it was a strange, enormous bird with long tail feathers and exceptionally beautiful plumage.
Lu Goudan swallowed excitedly.
He had not tasted meat in days. This time, he had finally found himself some wild game!
Lu Goudan carried the Phoenix home.
His so-called home was nothing more than two shabby thatched huts that leaked wind from every side.
Lu Goudan’s parents had died early, and he had grown up all alone. Now that he was old enough to take a wife, he was tall and spirited, with sharp, handsome features, and the girls in the village often stole glances at him.
But stolen glances were all they were.
He was simply too poor. He could not afford even a single coin for a betrothal gift, so no one was willing to marry him.
Lu Goudan could only live by himself.
He set the Phoenix on the ground, skillfully boiled a pot of water, and prepared to pluck the big bird before roasting it to eat.
As bubbles gradually rose in the pot, Lu Goudan imagined the scent of cooked meat and nearly drooled.
At last, the water came to a boil.
Lu Goudan turned to fetch his ingredients, only to jump in fright.
The big bird had woken at some point and was hovering in midair, its eyes fixed on him.
Judging from the light radiating from its body, it had to be a demon beast!
Demon beasts had magic powers, and some even ate people…
Lu Goudan nervously backed away.
But the Phoenix spoke, and its voice was very pleasant. “Was it you who saved me?”
Lu Goudan froze.
Then he nodded like a pecking chicken. “Yes. I saw you injured and unconscious, so I brought you back to care for you. I’m your lifesaver.”
After hearing this, the Phoenix said gratefully, “Thank you.”
Lu Goudan secretly let out a breath of relief.
Good thing this demon beast was a fool. It was easy to trick.
He could not help asking, “What kind of demon beast are you?”
“I am not a demon beast,” the Phoenix said. “I am a Phoenix.”
“A Phoenix?!”
Lu Goudan’s eyes went wide.
That was the legendary divine bird!
The Phoenix said, “You saved me, so I should repay you. Do you have any wish?”
Without thinking, Lu Goudan said, “I want a wife.”
The Phoenix asked, “How does one get a wife?”
Lu Goudan said, “If you have money, you can get a wife. Do you have money?”
The Phoenix asked again, “What is money?”
Ever since it was born, it had always tended the sea of flowers in the Heavenly Realm and had never gone anywhere else. It had never seen money, nor had it seen the wickedness of the human heart.
This time, while undergoing its thousand-year lightning tribulation, it had accidentally been struck down to the mortal realm. Everything in the mortal world was unfamiliar to it.
Lu Goudan was rather speechless.
This divine bird was far too stupid. It did not even know what money was…
He had no choice but to explain, “Money means gold, silver, copper coins, and things like a Silver Banknote. Do you have any of that?”
The Phoenix shook its head in shame.
It really did not.
It had never even heard of them.
Lu Goudan gave a cold snort. It did not have a single coin, yet it claimed to be some Phoenix. It was definitely bragging.
He asked again, “Then do you have magic powers?”
The Phoenix said, “I do, but I was injured during the tribulation. My magic powers will only recover after three days.”
At this, Lu Goudan’s eyes flickered.
In the towns, there were black markets that bought demon beasts to tame them or cut out their inner cores. Since this stupid bird had no magic powers for three days, he could take the chance to sell it to the black market!
The money he got in exchange would be enough to marry a wife!
Once he had a plan, Lu Goudan put on a harmless smile and said, “Then stay at my place for now.”
“Thank you. You’re truly kind.” The Phoenix was very moved and asked him, “What is your name?”
Lu Goudan said, “My name is Lu Goudan.”
The Phoenix asked, “What is your formal name?”
Lu Goudan said, “That is my formal name.”
The Phoenix felt that this name was terribly odd and hard to say, so it could not help asking again, “Then what is your childhood name?”
Lu Goudan said, “My childhood name is Goudan.”
The Phoenix: “…”
Lu Goudan said, “What’s wrong?”
The Phoenix said, “Nothing. I just think your name is a bit awkward to say.”
“Goudan rolls right off the tongue. What’s awkward about it?” Lu Goudan said indifferently. “If it bothers you that much, you can also call me Gouzi or Dandan.”
Phoenix: “…”
Not a single one of those names sounded remotely pleasant to say.
After thinking it over, Phoenix asked, “Then can I call you Ah Lu?”
Lu Goudan said, “Sure!”
You’re getting sold off tomorrow anyway. Call me whatever you want.
And just like that, Lu Goudan took Phoenix in.
That night, when it was time to sleep, he worried Phoenix might fly off on his own, so he found a rope and tied one end to his own wrist and the other to Phoenix’s talon.
Phoenix asked, “Why are we doing this?”
Lu Goudan lied to him. “It’s a village custom. If two people tie themselves together with a rope overnight, they won’t have nightmares.”
Phoenix smiled. “I see. The mortal world really does have so many fascinating customs.”
Lu Goudan made a sound of agreement, once again mocking Phoenix’s innocence in his heart.
He was ridiculously easy to fool. Lu Goudan barely had to try. Phoenix believed anything he said.
That very night, Lu Goudan was startled awake by a nightmare.
He dreamed that Phoenix had recovered his powers and discovered his scheme. Furious, Phoenix’s sharp talons plunged toward his heart…
“Ah-!”
Lu Goudan cried out and sat up.
Phoenix was still hovering quietly in the air. Seeing that Lu Goudan had been frightened awake by a nightmare, he looked at the rope in confusion. “Didn’t you say that if we tied this on, we wouldn’t have nightmares?”
Lu Goudan: “…”
…
The next day, Lu Goudan brought Phoenix down the mountain, preparing to sell him off.
He told Phoenix that he was taking him to see a mortal market.
Phoenix was delighted. He had never been to a market before.
When they left, Lu Goudan still kept Phoenix tied with the rope, in case he tried to escape halfway.
Unfortunately, halfway down the road, they ran into bandits.
The bandits’ eyes lit up the moment they saw the Phoenix Lu Goudan was leading.
-What a beautiful demon beast!
They couldn’t tell what species it was, but it had to be worth a lot of money!
One bandit laughed and said, “Kid, if you want to live, hand over that big bird.”
Lu Goudan remained perfectly calm. With a cold laugh, he said, “You want my demonic beast? Do you know what it usually eats?”
“What does it eat?” the bandit asked curiously.
Lu Goudan calmly spat out two words. “Human hearts.”
Phoenix: ???
When had he ever eaten something like that?
The bandits’ faces, however, all went slightly pale. They were starting to get nervous.
This boy was facing a robbery without the slightest fear. Could he be some powerful demonic cultivator? And could this bird really be a demon bird that ate human hearts?
Lu Goudan gave a wicked smile and said, “Hand over your hearts!”
With that, he yanked Phoenix along and charged at the bandits.
The bandits were terrified. As one, they turned and ran!
“Your lives are mine!!!”
Lu Goudan roared at the top of his lungs.
Then he ran in the opposite direction.
This Phoenix had been hard enough to pick up for free. Lu Goudan still needed to sell him for money to marry a wife. There was no way he could let the bandits have him!
Phoenix vaguely understood what was happening too.
-Those bad people wanted to hurt him, and everything Ah Lu was doing was to protect him!
Phoenix was deeply moved and filled with guilt. If he hadn’t lost his powers for three days, they would never have needed to fear those mortals, nor would he have dragged Ah Lu into this…
Now all he could do was flee with him. Wherever Lu Goudan ran, Phoenix flew.
The bandits fled in a wild panic. When they finally looked back, the boy behind them had long since vanished.
“…”
Only then did the bandits realize they had been tricked.
“That little bastard! He fooled us! After him!”
By then, Lu Goudan had already run a long way.
Faint shouts of pursuit came from behind him. The bandits had come charging back!
Seeing this, Phoenix said, “Ah Lu, I’ll fly with you!”
Lu Goudan: “Fly?”
Before he could react, the rope around his wrist yanked him upward, lifting him off the ground.
“Aaaah-!”
Suspended by Phoenix with nothing but a rope, Lu Goudan was dragged forward in a high-speed flight, getting the most thrilling jungle ride of his life.
It seemed to be Phoenix’s first time flying with someone, and he had no experience whatsoever. Countless branches lashed across Lu Goudan’s body with a loud rustling all along the way, scraping him until he was covered in wounds…
Lu Goudan screamed as snot and tears streamed wildly down his face.