"Can't you people understand plain speech? I said, let the Phoenix Emperor come out."
"We have already explained. The Phoenix Emperor is currently away. If there is an urgent matter, please tell us, and we will relay it as soon as he returns."
A few days ago, Xuan Yang had returned to the Phoenix territory with the rest of the clan. Not seeing Nie Shiyun or Zhai Bairong, he assumed they had returned to their own cave dwelling ahead of him.
The Phoenix Emperor had been in a good mood and had summoned everyone to bestow many fine treasures. Xuan Yang noticed that his elder brothers were so well-behaved in front of the Emperor they didn't even dare to breathe loudly. Furthermore, because he had brought honor to the Phoenix Emperor during this outing and outshone them, they could only swallow their resentment, no longer possessing their previous overbearing arrogance.
After scrounging another batch of good items from the Phoenix clan, Xuan Yang finally swaggered away. When he returned to his cave dwelling and found no sign of Shen Yan, he was startled. He hurried to Nie Shiyun’s cave, but there wasn't a soul there either. The communication crystals seemed to have run into some issue and couldn't be delivered. Only then did he panic.
Nie Shiyun had made a host of enemies at the banquet; any way one looked at it, his situation was dangerous. Xuan Yang no longer had a contract with him and could not sense whether he was safe. He searched the area around the cave dwelling, but there were no signs of anyone coming or going, nor any traces of a struggle. He went to the surrounding towns to inquire but could get no information. Finally, he rushed back to the Phoenix clan in a state of high anxiety.
As it turned out, he had only been gone for two or three days, yet the Phoenix Emperor was suddenly "not at home." No matter how Xuan Yang thought about it, he felt the old man knew their whereabouts but was intentionally withholding the information.
"Stop with the nonsense. I’m just asking: where did Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong go?"
"We fear we cannot enlighten you. At the banquet, we were always by the Phoenix Emperor’s side, just like you, Young Master Xuan Yang."
"The entire Phoenix clan didn't go. Someone who stayed behind must have seen them leave the territory after they returned, right?"
"..."
Xuan Yang and the two maids under the Phoenix Emperor stared at each other, locked in a stalemate for a long while.
If any other cultivator in the Phoenix clan were glared at by that face with such a serious expression, they would likely tremble instinctively. But these two female cultivators saw the Phoenix Emperor’s face every day; they had long since ceased to be startled by it. They strictly followed their orders and did not say a word more. Xuan Yang cursed inwardly and turned away in a huff, intending to ask around the clan for news.
The members of the Phoenix clan lived scattered about. Most of the kinsmen who had been in the territory that day said they had never left their dwellings, so they hadn't seen anyone else. Xuan Yang asked around but couldn't find anything substantial. After circling back to his starting point, he was deeply disappointed.
"He just threw a fit in the clan saying he wouldn't come back, yet he runs back after only three days? Truly acting like a spoiled brat after getting a bargain."
Passing by, Xuan Yang’s elder brother saw him jumping around the clan again and sneered to the attendant beside him from a distance.
"What, did you not get beaten enough last time?" Xuan Yang was already irritable and in a foul mood. Hearing this, he whipped a sharp glare toward him.
"In... in front of Father’s palace, you dare!?"
"Oh, if I beat you, will he come out? That would be great. I was just worrying about his disappearance; this saves me the trouble." Xuan Yang flexed his fingers, his knuckles letting out a series of *cracks*.
Xuan Yang’s brother was clearly traumatized from the previous beating. Knowing that Xuan Yang would completely disregard his image once he went mad, he immediately lost his nerve. Muttering "lunatic" under his breath, he scurried away.
After venting his temper, Xuan Yang didn't feel much lighter; instead, he felt a sense of gloom. When he first arrived at the Phoenix clan, his kinsmen looked at him with scrutiny and curiosity. Now that they knew the Phoenix Emperor favored him, they all turned to respect and fawning smiles. In short, there wasn't a shred of sincerity.
"Shen Yan, where on earth did you all go..." Xuan Yang muttered in a low voice, sighing despondently.
"Young Master Xuan Yang, this way."
Hearing a soft call, Xuan Yang turned his head and looked toward the source of the sound. He saw a female cultivator poking her head out from the distant bushes. She looked somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, he remembered that she was the maid who had personally led Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong to the banquet that day.
Puzzled, Xuan Yang pointed a finger at himself, wondering why a female cultivator would suddenly call him aside.
Seeing her nod and confirming she was looking for him, Xuan Yang walked over.
"Is something the matter? Has the Phoenix Emperor returned?"
"No. It has nothing to do with the Phoenix Emperor..."
"Then...?" Xuan Yang also entered the bushes. He recalled seeing her outside the Phoenix Emperor’s cave dwelling before; it seemed her status was slightly lower than that of the Emperor’s personal maids.
"I heard you were asking for news of Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong..." The female cultivator seemed a bit hesitant, but she clearly knew something. Seeing this, Xuan Yang became excited and nodded repeatedly, pressing her for information.
Aside from the Phoenix Emperor and the parties involved, no one else in the Upper Realm knew of the relationship between Nie Shiyun and Xuan Yang. The Phoenix maid didn't know why he was searching for them, but she could see the anxiety in his eyes. After quietly watching Xuan Yang busy himself to no avail for a long time, she finally came out to speak.
She nodded hesitantly, as if making a decision, and told him to follow her.
"Isn't this a teleportation array?" Xuan Yang asked after taking in his surroundings.
The female cultivator gave an "en" of affirmation. "Indeed."
Xuan Yang was stunned for a moment before he understood her meaning. "Are you saying they are still in the small world? So the communication crystals can't pass between there and here... no wonder my messages couldn't be delivered. But what are they still doing over there?"
Seeing his confused face, the maid explained, "It’s no wonder you didn't think of this. This teleportation array cannot be activated by humans. Previously, because of the Phoenix Emperor’s... prank, they didn't know the banquet had ended. So I suspect they are likely stranded on the other side..."
Xuan Yang had followed the Phoenix Emperor and the others to the banquet a few days ago. Since everyone was of the demon race, naturally no one had specifically explained the characteristics of the array. Only now did Xuan Yang understand the situation.
Following that, because of the maid’s euphemistic use of the word "prank," veins couldn't help but throb on Xuan Yang’s forehead. "That old fogey, how old is he this year? How can he play such childish tricks? Is it fun!?"
"This... per—perhaps he originally intended to go to the appointment, but the Phoenix Emperor was too busy and forgot."
The maid’s face was full of embarrassment. That was the Phoenix Emperor; how could she dare to join Xuan Yang in cursing him?
But the fact that she would secretly tell Xuan Yang this indicated that she was also somewhat dissatisfied with the act.
Although everyone within the Phoenix clan said that humans were base and cunning, she had lived among her own kind in the Phoenix clan since childhood and had never dealt with humans. However, after a few brief exchanges with those two humans a few days ago, she didn't feel they were as the rumors described...
"Many thanks. If you hadn't told me, I still wouldn't know! Don't worry, I won't mention to anyone that you told me. I'll just let them think I figured it out myself." Xuan Yang was incredibly grateful. His previously gloomy expression vanished like clouds before the sun, replaced instantly by a brilliant smile.
"I don't deserve such thanks," the maid said, waving her hands hurriedly. "At first, I thought Young Master Xuan Yang looked exactly like the Phoenix Emperor, but after speaking with you, I feel you are entirely different."
"The only thing similar between me and him is the face." Xuan Yang’s lips twitched, clearly dissatisfied with being constantly compared to the Phoenix Emperor.
"Then I won't disturb you further. I hope you can find them as soon as possible."
After thanking her again, Xuan Yang hurriedly departed through the teleportation array.
As soon as he entered the small world, Xuan Yang immediately sent a message asking where they were and if Shen Yan was still with them. Sure enough, this time the crystal successfully turned to ash and dissipated—a sign that the transmission was successful.
When no message came back immediately, Xuan Yang’s heart still hammered. Relying on his memory, he groped his way toward the courtyard where the banquet had been held and circled the vicinity, but unfortunately, he didn't see a single person.
Xuan Yang only hated that he had been too slow, arriving several days late and leaving them trapped here—the culprit being that cheap father of his. Thinking of this made him even more furious. Fortunately, this small world was a place with a mild climate and blooming flowers; staying for a while wasn't a hardship, otherwise he would have felt even more guilty.
***
"A communication crystal... it’s Xuan Yang."
Nie Shiyun sent a voice transmission to Zhai Bairong and Shen Yan.
The three of them looked at each other. Xuan Yang had arrived faster than they expected, but it was hard to say if his timing was right.
The peaceful sightseeing had truly only lasted for a little over a day. While the three were wandering about, they had actually encountered other demon tribes. Originally, Nie Shiyun thought they might be able to get the other party to give them a lift back, but the other side had attacked without a word. Nie Shiyun sighed inwardly, muttering about his bad luck in meeting enemies rather than allies, and immediately turned to flee.
The five senses of the demon race were very strong. Fortunately, relying on the high-level escape techniques he had honed in the Middle Realm, Nie Shiyun managed to shake off the pursuers before long.
Not long after that, Nie Shiyun’s group gradually felt the number of enemies increasing. No matter which direction they headed, they could feel waves of divine sense sweeping over. He guessed that the first batch of enemies might have been encountered by chance, but after losing them, someone must have returned to the outside of the small world to spread the word. Upon learning that he wasn't with the Phoenix clan and was alone, those demon tribes looking to do the Dragon clan a favor set out one after another to return to the small world.
Shen Yan’s criticism of Xuan Yang was even more direct than Nie Shiyun’s, bluntly stating that the entire demon race probably knew the news before Xuan Yang’s slow-witted brain heard about it from an enemy.
It did seem like something Xuan Yang would do, so Nie Shiyun and Zhai Bairong didn't argue.
"According to my observations these past few days, there aren't actually many pursuers. I imagine only the loyal followers of the Dragon clan are willing to put in this effort for them. Anyone who doesn't want to offend the Phoenix clan is probably playing deaf right now," Nie Shiyun asserted.
Because even though they were of the Dragon clan’s faction, there were still competitive relationships between the various demon tribes and they were unwilling to cooperate. Thus, although the three had been hiding and dodging these past few days, they didn't feel it was too taxing.
"I wonder if they are doing this spontaneously, or if the Dragon clan has put out a bounty on us throughout the Upper Realm this time." Zhai Bairong was somewhat worried. He just wanted to live a quiet life with his Daoist companion, but it seemed they could never escape these troubles.
"We’ll only know that once we get out," Nie Shiyun said.
However, at this moment, he realized one thing—unless they stayed within the Phoenix territory without moving a step, even if they went out and returned to their cave dwelling, they might still be hunted down. Looking at it this way, being stranded in the small world might have actually saved their cave dwelling from disaster.
Just as Nie Shiyun was thinking so optimistically, Xuan Yang’s message arrived.
