The woman shook her head and said, "My name is Huang. You can just call me Huang."
Banlan's instant clay sculpture.
phoenix……
The Five Elements and the Eight Directions, the Mustard Seed and the Six Directions, the Ninefold Melody of Xiao Shao, and the Phoenix Arrives to Pay Homage. Ban Lan was already very familiar with this saying.
Ban Lan once nestled in Wei Li's arms with a smile, saying that it was always the phoenix that came to pay homage, not the dragon that came to pay homage.
Wei Li said that because Huang dug out Feng's heart, there is no longer any Feng in this world, only Huang, who holds a jade flute every night and plays the song "Feng Xiang" with a broken heart.
Huang was enjoying her stunned expression when she suddenly saw Huang jump over in a few quick movements after a moment of absentmindedness, looking her up and down from all sides. "Hey, where's your flute, Huang?"
Huang said, "It's broken."
Ban Lan's eyes widened. "Broken?"
Huang's gaze shifted, somewhat vacant. "The jade flute is too frail to bear such deep affection."
Ban Lan seemed to understand, but her heart sank deeper and deeper without her realizing it.
*******
As dawn broke, Cen Ji finally emerged from the jungle.
Adjacent to the Azure Phoenix Forest was a somewhat dilapidated town. Cen Ji planned to ask for a bowl of water to fill his stomach first, and then find a decent dagger before continuing his journey.
Most of the people in the town were still asleep, except for a few women who worked from dawn till dusk to support their families, fetching water, starting fires, and busying themselves with other tasks.
A boy of about six or seven years old was sitting by the roadside, holding a rag doll with a torn thread in his arms. Behind him was a small shop that had not yet opened. The boy's eyes were fixed on Cen Ji.
Cen Ji thought for a moment, then walked over to him, squatted down, and said, "Little brother..."
The boy interjected, "My name is Mo Sheng."
Cen Ji had no choice but to change his mind: "Alright, Mo Sheng, do you know where I can buy a dagger?"
Cen Ji regretted it as soon as he finished speaking. Asking a baby who still relies on its milk teeth for a living where to buy a weapon is basically the same as asking a burly bandit where to buy a pacifier.
Sure enough, the boy shook his head.
Cen Ji gave him a friendly smile and stood up.
“But it knows.” The boy shook the doll in his hand.
Cen Ji glanced subconsciously at the teddy bear-like doll in the boy's arms, only to notice white cotton fibers peeking out from the bear's nose. He nervously bent down and pulled out the tuft of cotton, causing the bear's nose to immediately deflate.
After realizing that he had done something unbelievable, Cen Ji chuckled dryly, "Uh...hehe, how did your little bear know?"
The boy's face turned green as he looked at the small wad of cotton in Cen Ji's hand and said dryly, "He doesn't know anymore!"
Cen Ji didn't expect the boy to actually know. He stuffed the wad of cotton back into the bear's nose, because there was a noticeable little hole there.
"Go home early." Cen Ji patted the boy's head and turned to leave.
After daybreak, Cen Ji wandered around the town, ate something, and bought a dagger and a horse to prepare for his journey.
He suddenly realized that this town was very strange; the only exit and the only entrance were in the same place, which was the Azure Phoenix Forest from which he had come out.
Cen Ji had no choice but to dismount and ask an elderly man with gray hair.
Cen Ji greeted him politely, "Sir."
The old man raised his head with displeasure: "You old man!"
Cen Ji choked for a moment before realizing that the old man was severely hard of hearing and had misunderstood him.
Cen Ji wanted to ask someone else, but seeing the old man's full head of silver hair seemingly proclaiming his omniscience, he asked loudly, word by word, "Do you know where Baiqi Mountain is, sir?"
The wrinkles on the old man's face crowded together as he didn't hear clearly: "Huh?"
Cen Ji repeated, "I said, do you know how to get to Baiqi Mountain?"
"Oh!" The old man's wrinkles softened, and he said, "I thought you were asking where Baiqi Mountain is."
So Cen Ji gave up. He led the horse over, preparing to mount it, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a small figure elongated by the sunlight behind him. He turned around and saw Mo Sheng standing there, still holding the teddy bear with the tattered string in his arms.
Cen Ji was startled: This child is truly terrifying.
Cen Ji walked over and said, "Mo Sheng, does your little bear know how to get to Baiqi Mountain?"
Mo Sheng nodded.
His little bear was truly omnipotent. Cen Ji was both speechless and amused. He had only asked casually as a joke, but what he said was, "Could you tell me?"
Mo Sheng held the bear's mouth to his ear, his expression thoughtful. After a while, he pointed behind Cen Ji and said, "There."
Cen Ji looked in the direction Mo Sheng pointed and immediately felt his jaw freeze: that was clearly the place he had just come from—Qingluan Forest.
Cen Ji smiled wryly: "Mo Sheng, don't joke with your uncle. Your uncle just came from there."
Mo Sheng raised his head, his innocent eyes gleaming with dark pupils. "Since you came from the Azure Phoenix Forest, why don't you ask Huang?"