Chapter Nineteen: Li Hao Makes a Fool of Himself

Chapter Nineteen: Li Hao’s Embarrassment and the Ice Phoenix

“You’re both here—Yao’er and Li Hao. I’ve been waiting for you for so long,” Lu Mei said, her heart lightening at the arrival of her two favorite little joys.

“My, Yao’er has grown taller again,” she remarked with a smile.

After spending several months within the Five Saints Diagram of Heaven and Earth, both Li Hao and Lu Yao had indeed grown in stature. Lu Yao was now even more charming and lovely, and Li Hao had become strikingly handsome.

Lu Xuemei appeared to be a woman of icy beauty and cold demeanor, her aloofness a shield forged by circumstance as much as by her own inclination. Yet, in the presence of those she cared for, she seemed bright and vivacious.

“In a few years, I’ll be as tall as you, Sister,” Lu Yao said, her heart filled with longing for the grown-up life she imagined—unaware of the disappointments and hardships that came with adulthood.

“Since everyone’s ready, let’s go for a stroll in Lishui City,” Lu Xuemei proposed.

The prospect of having Lu Xuemei accompany them filled Li Hao and Lu Yao with excitement. Li Hao offered his habitual, enchanting smile—one that could easily captivate any young lady’s heart. Lu Yao, meanwhile, danced about like a delighted little sparrow, chirping, “Yes, let’s go, let’s go!”

“Li Hao, why do you always act so composed and mature, just like Grandpa?” Lu Yao teased, noticing the way he clasped his hands behind his back, absentmindedly fiddling with his exquisite white jade flute. There was hardly a trace of childishness in him.

Other children spent their days thinking of food, play, and how to coax their parents. Li Hao, by contrast, had grown up alone—not quite destitute, but never basking in the warmth of familial love. Whenever he saw Lu Yao acting coy with her parents or grandfather, Li Hao would simply smile. Yet, deep down, he thought, “Yao’er, you’re so blessed. I envy you. I wish I could call out to my own father, mother, or grandfather—just once. I wish I knew what they looked like.”

Unable to return home or see his kin, Li Hao carried a sorrow only he could understand. He resolved in his heart, “I must work hard, become stronger. Only when I’m powerful enough can I seek out my father, my mother, and my grandfather.”

Li Hao, so mature for his age, never blamed his parents for not finding him after all these years. Here, he saw that Lu Yao’s father was always busy, rarely home. Even Grandpa Baicao was often preoccupied. The adults always seemed to have endless tasks. He reasoned that his own father must be even busier—taking care of an entire star realm, with no grandfather at his side and only his mother for company. Perhaps, other than his mother, he had no one with whom to share his burdens.

Thus, Li Hao quietly wondered when he might one day stand beside his father and shoulder those responsibilities. This complicated longing was something he kept to himself.

Lu Yao, still too young, could not fathom the desolation in Li Hao’s heart. Only Lu Xuemei, who shared a similar loneliness, truly understood and pitied him—though even she was unaware of the depth of his feelings, for Li Hao never spoke of them.

When Li Hao heard Lu Yao’s teasing, a flurry of emotions flickered across his heart, but he simply made a playful face at her.

Lu Xuemei’s thoughts shifted, and she activated the snowy white ring on her middle finger, which shimmered with a blue sigil. From it, an ice-blue bird emerged, swelling in size as it took to the wind, growing to over three hundred yards before coming to a halt. Revealing its true form, the creature was an Ice Phoenix, its body stretching over twelve hundred yards. But for their journey to Lishui City, three hundred yards sufficed.

A spatial ring surpassed an ordinary storage ring: it could house and nurture living beings, whereas storage rings could only contain lifeless objects. Cultivators who reached the Heaven and Earth Mirror realm no longer needed such tools, for they could carve out their own worlds within their minds and bodies.

Li Hao and Lu Yao gazed at Lu Xuemei’s Ice Phoenix with envy.

“Li Hao, Lu Yao, today you won’t have to ride that ugly Rainbow Bird. Come ride the Ice Phoenix with me,” Lu Mei beckoned, inviting them aboard.

“Frostwing”—that was the name Lu Xuemei had given her Ice Phoenix.

The Rainbow Cloudhawk, upon hearing Lu Xuemei’s words, flared its nostrils in indignation. “You may be beautiful, woman, but you have no taste! Have you ever seen a Rainbow Cloudhawk as dashing and elegant as me?” it fumed. Though a little displeased at being called ugly, it was secretly delighted not to be used as a beast of burden.

“Sister Xuemei, your Ice Phoenix is so beautiful!” Lu Yao exclaimed, her eyes shining as she sat on its back, unable to conceal her admiration.

“This was a gift from my mother when I was young,” Lu Xuemei said, her voice tinged with sorrow. “Now that she’s gone, it’s a comfort to have Frostwing with me.”

“Aunt gave it to you, so I won’t even think of asking for it,” Lu Yao said, excitement coloring her words. But as she spoke, she realized she’d nearly admitted how much she coveted the Ice Phoenix, and her words trailed off, embarrassment rising.

Lu Xuemei chuckled. “So you’ve had your eye on Sister’s companion for a while? This was my mother’s gift; no matter how much I dote on you, I can’t give it to you. Anything else, though, I’d gladly share.”

She offered a suggestion. “Grandpa Baicao is very fond of your Li Hao. When we return from registration, have him ask Grandpa. He knows many powerful figures—getting you the mount you want would be no trouble at all.”

In the past, Li Hao would have readily agreed, but today he was oddly silent, absorbed in inspecting the Ice Phoenix, his curiosity piqued as he studied it closely.

“Li Hao! Li Hao!” Lu Yao called repeatedly before he responded.

“Yes, Yao’er? What is it?” he replied, puzzled.

“What are you doing?” Lu Yao asked, curiosity bright in her gaze. Lu Xuemei was equally intrigued by his behavior.

“Oh, nothing, just… trying to see if it’s male or female,” Li Hao blurted out, lost in thought. The moment the words left his lips, he regretted them—how inappropriate to say such a thing before two girls!

No sooner had he spoken than a piercing cry rang out. The Ice Phoenix, incensed, suddenly accelerated, its speed multiplied several times over. Li Hao, seated at the back, was caught off guard and flung from its back, plummeting thousands of feet toward the earth.

From that day forward, the Ice Phoenix nursed a grudge, chasing Li Hao whenever it saw him, as though he were a sworn enemy.

Lu Xuemei’s Ice Phoenix was nearing the stage of full transformation and could already understand human speech. At that moment, only one thought filled its mind: “I’ll kill that little rascal.”

“Li Hao!” Lu Yao shrieked in panic.

In an instant, Lu Xuemei retrieved a brush from her spatial ring. Channeling her cultivation’s laws into its tip, she drew a line that instantly extended to Li Hao, wrapping around his waist. With a flick, she pulled him safely back onto Frostwing’s back.

Li Hao, now safe but mortified, was transfixed by the sight before him—two faces flushed with embarrassment, so enchanting he could hardly look away.

But such happiness was fleeting. Suddenly, a pair of delicate, jade-like hands seized his collar, pressing him down against the Ice Phoenix’s back, and then—smack, smack, smack—he received several swift blows to his backside.

“I’ll teach you to look! I dare you to look again!” Lu Xuemei scolded, not only for his curiosity about the Phoenix but also for his audacity in gazing at her bashful expression.

Lu Yao, meanwhile, was at a loss, flustered by the commotion.

“Xuemei, I won’t do it again—I was wrong! I’ll never do it again…” Li Hao apologized repeatedly, having no other recourse.

“Then why haven’t you apologized to Frostwing?” Lu Xuemei demanded, her tone stern.

“Big Sister Frostwing, I was wrong! I’ll never do it again. Please forgive my ignorance—I didn’t see anything, truly!” Only Li Hao knew what he’d actually glimpsed.

“Call her ‘Big Sister,’ not ‘Big Brother,’” Lu Xuemei corrected, her tone brooking no dissent.

“Oh, so you’re a female,” Li Hao thought to himself, but dared not say aloud.

“Big Sister Frostwing, I’m sorry! I’ll never do it again—please forgive my ignorance. I really didn’t see anything, not a thing…” Helpless, Li Hao could only continue apologizing.

Lu Xuemei, not one to press her advantage, gave his bottom a few more perfunctory pats before withdrawing her hand, letting the innocent Li Hao off with a warning. She hadn’t hit him hard.

After that little scene, the three fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. Only the wind howled past, the blue sky overhead, the earth below, and drifting clouds all around.

Li Hao mused, “Xuemei, your hand feels rather nice on my backside. I wish you’d spank me a bit more.” Of course, he’d never dare say such a thing aloud.

Lu Xuemei, for her part, thought, “This rascal has a wonderfully springy bottom. I wouldn’t mind spanking him a little longer.” But that, too, she kept to herself.

Simple-hearted Lu Yao could only think that her Li Hao had made quite a fool of himself today.

Time passed, and before long, they reached the skies above Lishui City. Lu Xuemei communicated with Frostwing through her thoughts, guiding the Phoenix to descend. Once they landed, she returned the Ice Phoenix to her spatial ring.

The bustle of Lishui City broke their silence at last.

“Xuemei, should we find an inn to rest before we register? It’s still early,” Li Hao finally ventured.

Lu Xuemei shot him a mesmerizing glance and replied, “Then you’re in charge of finding an inn. If you mess it up…”

She simply raised her delicate hand, miming a spanking, and left it at that.

Finding an inn was second nature to Li Hao. It wasn’t his first time in Lishui City, so he led Lu Xuemei and Lu Yao straight to the same familiar inn where they’d once stayed with the Rainbow Cloudhawk.