Coincidence Makes the Tale

Had he really looked like this three thousand years ago? Xu Ying's heart pounded violently. A chill surged from his tailbone, crept up the back of his neck, and radiated through his entire body. Suddenly, an urge to laugh came over him—the kind where one laughs uproariously while glancing at those nearby just to ward off the sheer awkwardness. This was utterly preposterous! Truly beyond preposterous! "Ah Ying, this bird is lying!" The bronze bell chimed loudly and barked, "She wants to dupe you into doing her dirty work, risking your neck to shield her from disaster! You're only fourteen—how could she have met you three thousand years ago?" Yuan Qi poked his head out from Xu Ying's collar, glared at the phoenix, and sneered, "This big bird is swindling you with obvious malice! I've read books for one hundred and twenty years, and not a single text records anything so outrageous!" Xu Ying smiled and shook his head. Reason told him that this fledgling phoenix was lying, enticing him to throw his life away for her. He was merely an ordinary person, plainly fourteen years old. How could he have been born three thousand years ago? Besides, wouldn't he age? How could a mortal never grow old? Zhou Qiyun had lived for over three hundred years and already had white brows. Though he still appeared youthful on the outside, his lifespan had in truth reached its end, forcing him to seek every possible way to cross the tribulation and ascend. If Xu Ying were three thousand years old, wouldn't he have died countless times over? Furthermore, it was not as if he suffered from amnesia. His childhood memories were vivid; he remembered every single event clearly—even every detail of the fire that destroyed Xujiaping when he was small! Could his memories be false as well? *This fledgling phoenix probably says this to everyone, hoping to catch whoever takes the bait,* Xu Ying thought to himself. The bronze bell warned, "Ah Ying, if we don't leave now, we might get dragged into this. I can sense a truly powerful force closing in on us!" Xu Ying hesitated no longer and leaped toward the base of the parasol tree. A faint, melancholic sigh from the phoenix reached his ears: "You do not remember the things before the seal, do you? Yes, your seal has not yet been undone. Once it is broken, you can reclaim your memories. I can help you, so long as you aid me through this calamity." Xu Ying landed on a lower parasol branch, thinking, *A seal? She's saying there is a seal inside me? A fraud through and through!* Yuan Qi and the bronze bell, however, both froze. Xu Ying did not know that his childhood memories were flawed, but they had witnessed it many times. Every time Xu Ying recalled his hometown of Xujiaping, something was amiss with his memories. Every time he recalled his parents' names, different names would emerge, never once repeating. Yet Xu Ying himself remained completely oblivious to this! "Seventh Master, every time Ah Ying recalls his childhood, things go wrong. Could that actually be a kind of seal?" the bronze bell quietly asked Yuan Qi. "Could someone have sealed away his memories from before the age of six?" Yuan Qi was stunned for a moment, then whispered, "I'm just a snake. A month ago I was still lounging comfortably in Qinyan Cave reading books. How should I know anything about this? Lord Bell, you'd better just call me a dumb snake and stop asking me these bizarre questions." The bronze bell pressed on: "Every time he recalls Xujiaping, could his seal be loosening, causing him to remember things from the past? Could those parents with different names truly have been his parents? Is it possible that Ah Ying has undergone countless reincarnations, and in every lifetime his parents lived in Xujiaping—just in Xujiapings of different eras?" Yuan Qi strained to widen his eyes, but his eyelids twitched uncontrollably as he stammered, "To tell the truth, I haven't read that many books. I never liked dry treatises and classics; I prefer strange tales and unofficial histories. I'm really not that cultured..." The bronze bell said, "...Perhaps he has walked down this path through continuous cycles of life and death, lifetime after lifetime, living for over three thousand years. He has traversed a vast span of history." It grew agitated. "Tell me, could Ah Ying be even older than me? Am I just a little brother before him?" Yuan Qi shrank into the corner of Xu Ying's collar and muttered, "I'm just an ordinary snake demon. How would I know?" "If you do not save me, I will die here!" The fledgling phoenix's divine sense vibrated, turning into a voice in Xu Ying's mind. Xu Ying glanced back and met her gaze, yet still leaped down from the parasol tree. The fledgling phoenix spoke no more. She sensed the formidable enemy approaching; pleading further would be futile now, and she had to focus entirely on preparing for battle. *I truly have seen him before. Three thousand years have passed—why does he still look the same as he did back then?* she wondered in bewilderment. Passing Yuan Weiyang and the others, Xu Ying shouted, "A disaster is about to unfold here, and danger looms! Everyone, leave at once!" Hearing this, Yuan Weiyang said to the beautiful noblewoman, "Madam, danger is coming. We should head down to talk." The noblewoman dismissed the warning. "The words of a perverted scoundrel are not to be trusted. If we miss this chance, who knows when we will encounter a phoenix again? Emperor Zetian Dasheng comprehended the phoenix bone, suppressed all under heaven, and became the Empress. This is our fortune." A faint unease stirred in Yuan Weiyang's heart. Knowing that Xu Ying would not deceive him, he excused himself and leaped down the tree. Seeing this, Guo Xiaodie hurried after him. "Brother Weiyang, wait for me! Join me in capturing that pervert, and we'll haul him off to Eunuch Chen!" Yuan Weiyang had no choice but to let her follow. The noblewoman chuckled and shook her head, turning to the young man beside her and Uncle Xiao. "Weiyang has grown increasingly dashing over the past two years. He's reached the age for marriage, and Xiaodie clearly fancies him. They met when they were young, so why not pick an auspicious day to have the Yuan clan's Old Matriarch meet Xiaodie, and have Weiyang visit the Guo clan to meet my elder sister?" Uncle Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he stammered, not daring to speak. Seeing his hesitation, the noblewoman sneered, "Could Uncle Xiao think my Xiaodie is unworthy of your Yuan clan? Is the Guo clan not good enough for your Yuan clan, or is our Li clan not good enough?" Uncle Xiao inwardly groaned. The Yuan clan had few heirs. Before Yuan Weiyang was even born, heavy hopes were pinned on the child to revive the clan, yet unexpectedly, a girl was born. The Old Matriarch had taken charge, raising Yuan Weiyang as a boy and declaring to the outside world that she was male. Over the past few years, as Yuan Weiyang matured, she naturally possessed an imposing, heroic air that was deeply appealing to young women. Indeed, she lived up to expectations, possessing extraordinary natural talent; she grasped whatever she learned immediately and had terrifying comprehension. Yet in the end, she was still a girl. How could she dare take the precious pearl of the Guo and Li clans as a bride? Uncle Xiao gave a dry cough and hastily said, "My lady, young master, that perverted scoundrel has considerable skill. This old servant will go check on the young master and young lady to ensure nothing goes awry!" He hurried down the parasol tree. Suddenly, he saw a patch of dark cloud drifting toward them from the horizon at astonishing speed. The moment Uncle Xiao touched the ground, the cloud reached the summit of Mount Jiuyi. He looked up, somewhat puzzled. "This cloud..." He caught the scent of a foul reek. Just then, chaos erupted down the mountain as someone cried out in terror, "Watch out, everyone! Something from Cangwu Abyss has climbed up the mountain and already devoured several people!" Uncle Xiao hurriedly looked down. Scarlet flesh was creeping up the sheer cliffs below, devouring everything in its path! Whether the flesh was growing or slithering, it extended upward into numerous giant serpents dozens of zhang long, snapping their jaws in all directions with feral ferocity! *Was that foul reek I smelled from this thing?* Uncle Xiao was startled and alarmed. Lightning flashed and thunder roared across the sky as the dark cloud suddenly poured down torrential rain. Hidden within the clouds and rain lurked a colossal silhouette. By the flashes of lightning, one could see the creature had a long snout—resembling both a bird's beak and a dragon's maw. At that moment, Guo Xiaodie was pulling Yuan Weiyang along as she chased Xu Ying. The girl was inexplicably excited and shouted, "Brother Weiyang, corner him into the lake and strip him bare—let's see where he runs then!" Yuan Weiyang cleared his throat and said, "Demon King Xu, we're far from the parasol tree now. No one will pursue you here; there's no need to run." Xu Ying stopped, turned around, and smiled. "I thought Brother Yuan was truly going to help her capture me." Guo Xiaodie was startled. She hurriedly crossed her arms over her chest, staring at them in terror, and cried out, "You two are in league? What are you trying to do? Don't you dare! Mount Jiuyi is crawling with my Guo clan's people!" Xu Ying's expression shifted slightly. Leaping to their side, he barked, "Lord Bell!" Guo Xiaodie screamed in terror, thinking he was about to force himself on her, but at that exact moment, countless flesh serpents came surging up from down the mountain, scrambling over the rocks. Then, a massive lump of flesh trailing foul, bloody fluid sprang into the air, on the verge of crushing them all beneath it! *Clang!* A bronze bell flew out from behind Xu Ying's head. The bell's inner walls revealed patterns of all creation, while its exterior bore various bizarre designs. As the bell resonated, thick barriers of light materialized, expanding outward layer by layer. Various Dao tones burst forth at once, keeping the flesh serpents at bay. When the flesh serpents struck the light barrier projected by the bronze bell, a sizzling sound erupted as they were scorched black, forcing them to pull back from the bell. Meanwhile, even more flesh serpents slithered up from beneath the mountain, surging toward the parasol tree. Many Nuo masters were on the parasol tree comprehending the Dao images of various divine birds—among them Nuo masters of the Cangwu Sect, royal scions, and Guo clan disciples. In an instant, chaos broke out, resulting in heavy casualties. Seeing this, the noblewoman and her husband realized Xu Ying's earlier warning had been true, and they frantically fought back. The divine birds perched in the parasol tree also took flight to battle the flesh serpents. Flesh serpents were constantly severed and burned to ash, but divine birds were also caught in their jaws and dragged into the churning mass of flesh. More and more rotting flesh crawled up from the cliff, gradually swarming the parasol tree and creeping upward along its trunk. The noblewoman and her husband fought fiercely, their hearts filled with shock and fury. *What on earth has climbed up from the Great Abyss?* Beside the phoenix, the three cyan birds with orbs suspended above their heads looked up at the dark clouds. The colossal beast within the clouds roared like thunder and suddenly plunged toward the parasol tree! The three cyan birds spread their wings and soared, their vital qi and blood surging violently. The orbs above their heads blazed with radiance, pushed to their utmost limit! They fueled the orbs with their very lives, determined to hold back the monster in the clouds even if it meant being smashed to pieces! At that exact moment, the ringing of the bronze bell happened to carry over. The monstrous beast in the clouds, brimming with terrifying ferocity, suddenly shuddered upon hearing the chimes and hastily raised its head toward the sound. In that instant of distraction, it was struck by the orbs unleashed by the three cyan birds, punching three bloody holes clean through its body! The three cyan birds screeched and drove their talons toward its eyes. Howling in agony, the creature raised its claws and tore the three birds apart. Yet right at that moment, the fledgling phoenix shot forward, using her body as a sword to pierce straight through the front of its head and burst out the back, skewering the monster's skull! "You ambushed me!" The colossal beast roared in fury. Riding the bloody rain, wind, and thunder, it whistled away. In an instant, the sky cleared, washed pure blue, making the storm and thunder of moments before seem like nothing more than an illusion! Around the parasol tree, the flesh serpents that had been wildly attacking the divine birds and Nuo masters suddenly lost their vitality. The serpents collapsed one after another, the flesh losing all life and giving off a foul, putrid stench. The bronze bell, in the midst of repelling the onslaught of flesh, was taken aback when the flesh suddenly withered and rotted away. Hearing the roar of the colossal beast as it fled, the bell was momentarily dumbstruck. "That was the heavenly god my master suppressed in the well on Little Stone Mountain!" Right then, a melodious voice rang in Xu Ying's ear: "Thank you, Brother Dao. You truly are sharp-tongued but soft-hearted—claiming you wouldn't save me, yet stepping in to rescue me after all." Xu Ying recognized it as the fledgling phoenix's voice and froze, thinking to himself, *Wait, when did I save her?* Her voice drifted over once more, soft and melancholic: "Please wait a few days, Brother Dao. Once this humble girl's wounds have healed, I shall meet with you again."