Chapter 42: She’s Done with the Scumbag Ex-Husband 2

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: She’s Done with the Scumbag Ex-Husband 2

Ji Xiaosong was stunned by Queen Phoenix’s blunt words. She had indeed planned to go to the Phoenix King after the matter with Xu Yang and Ji Huadan was settled, but she never expected Queen Phoenix to hand over the key so eagerly.

But since she’d been given it, she would take it.

"Does Father know? I remember he’s the one in charge of the keys to the Lingwu Secret Realm."

Ji Xiaosong accepted the key and asked casually.

"This was his idea, too. We originally hoped it would be best if you chose Xu Yang. After all, no one knows what that ancient ancestor’s temperament is like, and we can’t predict whether you’ll face hardship on your journey. But now, there’s no other choice. You have to give it a try."

"Don’t worry, Mother. I will give it my all and convince the ancestor to form a Contract with me."

Queen Phoenix looked at Ji Xiaosong, gratified, and gently patted her hand. "Song, you must be careful on this journey. The Lingwu Secret Realm is fraught with danger; you cannot let your guard down."

"Rest assured, Mother. I understand."

After bidding farewell to Queen Phoenix, Ji Xiaosong put the key into her storage space and set off resolutely toward the Lingwu Secret Realm.

The Lingwu Secret Realm was located in the center of the Phoenix Clan’s territory, and it only took Ji Xiaosong half a day to fly there in her true form.

She placed the key in the stone recess at the entrance of the secret realm, but discovered there was no reaction at all.

Rongrong, who had followed her, thought for a moment before saying, "I once asked Fate about the state of the world in this life. He said that the Lingwu Secret Realm is the Phoenix Clan’s secret treasury, and it requires the blood of a pure Phoenix bloodline as a catalyst. Why don’t you try dripping your blood on the key? It might work. I can’t enter this secret realm, so you’re on your own."

Hearing this, Ji Xiaosong forced out a drop of blood from her fingertip.

"Not one drop more. This is my blood, after all!"

Muttering to herself, she carefully dripped the blood onto the key.

Instantly, the key emitted a dazzling light, and a low rumble echoed from the entrance to the realm.

Then, a golden stone door slowly rose. A brilliant, dazzling golden light surged from within, and Ji Xiaosong instinctively shielded her eyes with her hand.

Before she could even react, she was in a grove of Parasol Trees.

"Who dares disturb my peaceful slumber?"

A clear, magnetic voice drifted over, tinged with a hint of laziness and displeasure.

Ji Xiaosong looked toward the sound and saw a man in fiery red robes strolling out from the depths of the woods.

His tall, slender frame carried an air of refined elegance.

His jet-black hair was loosely gathered with a jade hairpin, a few unruly strands spilling onto his shoulders.

His face was as flawless as the mid-autumn moon, his complexion as vibrant as spring blossoms at dawn. His peach-blossom eyes, tinged with a perpetual, soulful affection, tilted up slightly at the corners. They held a dreamy, half-intoxicated gaze that could steal one’s soul with a single glance.

His straight nose was perfectly sculpted, its lines elegant.

His lips were a natural vermilion, the corners upturned in a perpetual half-smile. It was a look that seemed both playful and to hold some deep, inscrutable meaning.

Faced with such an exquisite man, Ji Xiaosong was only stunned for a moment before she immediately came back to her senses.

"Venerable Ancestor, I, Ji Xiaosong, daughter of the Phoenix King, have come to pay my respects."

The man narrowed his peach-blossom eyes, looking Ji Xiaosong up and down before chuckling. "So, the Phoenix King’s daughter. You’re quite the clever-looking one."

With that, he strolled forward, approaching Ji Xiaosong.

Ji Xiaosong caught a faint, elegant scent of golden camellia, and her heart couldn’t help but race.

The man reached out a long finger, gently tilting up Ji Xiaosong’s chin. His voice was laced with a bewitching charm. "Little girl, you disturbed my peaceful slumber. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

"How about I offer myself to you?"

Hearing this, the man was stunned for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.

When he finished laughing, he looked at Ji Xiaosong with great interest, an unusual glint in his eyes. He leaned in close and said, "Little girl, do you have any idea what you’re saying?"

Ji Xiaosong met his gaze. A blush rose to her cheeks, but she spoke stubbornly, "Of course I do. You are as beautiful as a celestial being, Ancestor. It would be my good fortune to offer myself to you."

Before the man could even react, Ji Xiaosong rose onto her tiptoes and planted a quick, light kiss on his cheek.

The man froze, his expression momentarily stunned.

Ji Xiaosong, like a smug kitten that got the cream, quickly retreated a step.

Realizing what she had done, he finally came to his senses. A faint, almost imperceptible blush crept up his face. He gave a light cough to hide his lack of composure and said, "You’re a bold one, little girl."

Ji Xiaosong stuck out her tongue. "For you, Ancestor, what’s to fear from being a little bold?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the playful look on her face vanished. Her expression became grave and serious as she continued, "I have come this time for the continuation of the Phoenix Clan’s bloodline. It has been ten thousand long years since your time, Ancestor, and not a single Golden Phoenix has been born. If we still cannot produce a Golden Phoenix, the Phoenix Clan is in grave danger."

When a clan’s power wanes for too long, its status will be usurped by others.

"So, the Phoenix Clan sent you, a Red Phoenix?"

"Yes and no. You are the one I chose, Ancestor."

The man didn’t respond for a long time. He just looked at Ji Xiaosong, his thoughts unreadable.

After a long while, he finally parted his lips. "Feng Cangwu."

"Hm?"

Ji Xiaosong was confused. ’Why did he suddenly say his name?’

"Feng Cangwu. That is my name."

"Oh."

"Have you committed it to memory?"

"I have."

"I will give what you’ve proposed careful consideration. Until I have reached a decision, you may rest under a Parasol Tree as you please."

Without waiting for Ji Xiaosong to react, Feng Cangwu vanished, leaving not even a shadow behind.

’So... does this mean I’m at least halfway there?’

Ji Xiaosong looked in the direction Feng Cangwu had disappeared and smiled faintly.

’As long as he didn’t tell me to leave, there’s still hope.’

She began to survey the grove of Parasol Trees, finally settling on a thick, sturdy one.

A flash of red light enveloped her, and she transformed into a fiery red phoenix.

Her fiery red wings shone brilliantly in the sunlight, and her tail feathers were long and magnificent.

With a graceful flap, Ji Xiaosong flew up to her chosen Parasol Tree, finding a sturdy branch to perch on.

She folded her wings, carefully preened her feathers, then tucked her head into her wings, preparing to rest.

In Qingyu Hall, Feng Cangwu swiped a finger through the air, and a Water Mirror materialized before him.

The surface of the Water Mirror rippled, gradually revealing the image of Ji Xiaosong resting on the Parasol Tree.

"Hah. So carefree, able to sleep anywhere."

Feng Cangwu gazed at Ji Xiaosong in the Water Mirror, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turning up slightly.

A complex emotion flickered in his peach-blossom eyes—a mix of exasperation and fond indulgence.

After a moment, he dismissed the Water Mirror, rose, and strolled to the window.

A gentle breeze drifted in through the window, stirring the hem of his robes.

"This girl... she’s certainly brought a different kind of liveliness to the long-silent Lingwu Secret Realm," Feng Cangwu murmured to himself.

Meanwhile, resting on the Parasol Tree, Ji Xiaosong seemed to feel something, and her brow furrowed slightly in her sleep.