Phoenix Kings have the ability to be reborn from fire.
Every time they reach a certain age, they undergo this rebirth.
Sui You, having served as the Phoenix Lord of the Phoenix Clan for so many years, was an old phoenix. In three more days, it would be his second rebirth from fire.
Upon hearing the news, Qi Yu and Si Qing rushed to the Phoenix Clan, eager to witness firsthand what phoenix rebirth from fire looked like.
In front of the ancient Wutong tree of the Phoenix Clan.
When Qi Yu and Si Qing arrived, everyone else had already gathered.
Sui You removed all the ornaments from his head, his black hair cascading to the ground, coiling around his feet.
He was dressed in a white, long-sleeved, ornate robe.
The hem of the robe trailed along the ground.
"Does phoenix rebirth from fire mean jumping into flames?" Qi Yu asked Sui You, a word like self-immolation inexplicably coming to mind.
"...Stop that line of thought. It's not what you're imagining. Phoenix rebirth from fire involves transforming into my original form and entering a sea of flames," Sui You explained slowly. "Once everything turns to ash, the process will be complete."
Yue Zhiyin was more concerned with practical matters: "But what will it look like after rebirth? Will I stand out of the fire looking exactly the same as now, or will there be significant differences in appearance?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Nian couldn't help but laugh. "After rebirth from fire, will you turn back into an egg and grow up again like a chick? Will you still have your memories then?"
She had been curious about this question before but had never asked.
"If you don't have memories, I don't think it matters too much," Qi Yu said with a mischievous expression. "I'll make you remember, Senior Brother Sui You."
Chi Ming rubbed her hands together. "Phoenix chicks are very cute, fluffy like little chickens."
She said this while rubbing her hands, her face filled with anticipation. "Senior Brother Sui You, will you turn into that when you are reborn from fire? And if you transform back into a human, will you be like a cub? You've been reborn from fire before, haven't you? It's a shame we didn't know you then."
"..." Sui You listened to their continuous speculations without answering immediately, his expression becoming quite melancholic.
Yue Zhiyin wore a smiling expression.
Ming Lou eagerly looked at Sui You. "Are you going to start your rebirth from fire now? How long will this process take? Will you feel pain? Can you hear us talking from inside?"
"I'm also concerned about the memory issue," Si Qing stared at Sui You. "Will you still be you after rebirth from fire?"
"Yes, won't you become someone else, a different person, after rebirth from fire?" Qi Yan was very worried.
"Ah, alright, alright. I'll answer you one by one. Don't ask continuously, I can't keep up," Sui You looked at Ming Lou and the others. "This rebirth from fire of mine is just to change my new feathers. It's not like the rebirth from fire you imagined."
"It's not like I told you before about getting old and having to hand over to a new Phoenix King, but rather about changing my new feathers," Sui You added at the end. "You can also think of this rebirth from fire as a bird molting, just changing feathers. How could I lose my memory? Of course, I'll still be me after rebirth from fire, so stop asking such questions."
"Hmph... Then why did you make it sound so grand? We worried for nothing," Si Qing, Qi Yu, and the others all felt relieved.
"You simply didn't give me a chance to explain. As soon as I wrote about rebirth from fire, you all rushed over," Sui You said, but seeing how much they cared, he felt quite pleased.
Yue Zhiyin's curiosity was piqued again. "Do all phoenixes and phantom cats use rebirth from fire like you? Do your feathers grow back immediately?"
"...How should I put it?" Sui You pondered for a moment, then found a reasonable explanation. "Our phoenix feathers are actually tied to our magic power. The stronger the magic power, the more frequent the feather renewal. For example, if I'm at the Golden Core stage and have fifty thousand feathers, but after a week, I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I will undergo rebirth from fire again, and my feathers will increase to one hundred thousand."
"Of course, I've never counted the exact number of feathers under specific magical conditions, it's just the general idea. With strong magic power, a layer of feathers will thicken. When a thick layer forms, rebirth from fire is necessary to make the feathers even thicker."
As Sui You said this, he transformed back into his phoenix form.
His fluffy wings immediately made Qi Yu's eyes sparkle. She couldn't resist extending her "wicked claws" to try and scratch them.
Sui You glanced at Qi Yu and beckoned her with his wing.
Qi Yu, like a child seeing candy, let out a "wow" and pounced. She rolled on Sui You's back. "Oh my god, your feathers are so dense and thick, I feel like they could hide my entire hand. *Whimper*, can I touch your neck? *Aoo aoo*, it feels so good to touch!"
Qi Yu became more and more excited as she looked, and after touching them, she couldn't help but bury her head in them.
Yue Zhiyin, staring at Sui You's tail, also felt a tickle in his hands.
However, his tickle wasn't about wanting to touch, but about wanting to pluck one.
Sui You noticed Yue Zhiyin's ill-intentioned gaze out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but snort. He shifted his body and then pecked him on the head.
Yue Zhiyin was caught off guard by the peck, feeling a sharp pain on his forehead, which then developed into a large bump.
"Hiss... Why did you peck me? I didn't do anything to you," Yue Zhiyin said, clutching his forehead and moving aside. Because he felt he was in the wrong, his confidence wasn't very strong.
Sui You narrowed his eyes, glaring fiercely at Yue Zhiyin, with an expression that clearly saw through him. "What else do you want? You've been staring at my tail feathers the whole time. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
"..." Yue Zhiyin wore an expression of feigned innocence and looked up at the sky.
Qi Yu, lying on Sui You's back, gently stroked his downy feathers and tentatively asked, "I'm just suggesting an idea, I'm just saying it casually. Your feathers are going to be replaced anyway with rebirth from fire. So, is there a possibility you could give me these unused downy feathers?"
Qi Yu said with a sweet expression, "I want to twist these downy feathers into thread and knit a scarf."
As she spoke, she imagined the fluffy scarf woven from phoenix feather threads, and her heart was filled with joy.
Upon hearing this, Sui You hesitated for a long time, then finally nodded hesitantly.
Seeing his reaction, Yue Zhiyin cried out in protest, "Unfair! Sui You, you're becoming less cute by the day. I just glanced at your tail feathers and you pecked a bump on my forehead, but now Qi Yu wants to use your downy feathers to make a scarf, and you're letting her take them!?"