Chapter 253: Another Life Of Mine
Xie Zhenting could scarcely believe what he had heard, yet he did not dare argue.
He lowered his head, his expression dark and unreadable, before turning and leaving the chamber.
The doors shut behind him with a dull thud.
Silence fell.
Ningyan remained where he stood by the open window, the cold wind spilling into the room and stirring the loose strands of his white hair. His violet eyes lingered on the closed doors, narrowing.
Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
At first, it had only been a doubt, a small thorn buried beneath flesh.
But now?
That thorn had rooted itself deep into his bones.
He Yuting’s hesitation.
Xie Zhenting’s fury.
The way both of them danced around the truth as though speaking it aloud would shatter everything.
Ningyan’s fingers curled tightly against the windowsill.
What exactly were they hiding from him?
The volcano had given him nothing, only emptiness. Which meant there was only one path left.
Find them. Lan Meishan or Yan Wuhen....
The thought of Yan Wuhen made his brows knit together.
That fox was chaos incarnate. His existence burned like wildfire, untamed and impossible to ignore.
A force Ningyan wasn’t sure even he could withstand. And yet... every time Wuhen looked at him, it felt as though his soul was being peeled apart.
As though somewhere beneath all this confusion, something ancient was screaming to be remembered.
Lan Meishan, however...
Ningyan exhaled softly.
Lan Meishan was different. He was still waters. Quiet danger. Measured elegance. The sort of beast Ningyan knew, with complete certainty, he would have chosen.
His ideal.
And yet somehow... he had married four.
Ningyan almost laughed at the absurdity.
Within the next few days, he made his preparations.
Letters were sent. Orders given.
He named He Yuting acting leader in his absence and declared to the clan that he would be entering closed-door seclusion.
No one questioned it.
No one dared.
Though he noticed the surprise that flickered across many faces when authority shifted away from Xie Zhenting.
He cared little for that.
He cared for the phoenixes. For their future and for their children.
He cared for the clan he had built with blood and fury.
But this... This mattered more.
This was his life. His truth. And if everyone around him was weaving lies into it then he would tear it all apart himself.
Standing before the bronze mirror, Ningyan lifted a blade. Silver-white strands slid soundlessly to the floor.
His long hair was cut to his neck.
He changed into white robes, abandoning the crimson-black garments of the Phoenix King.
Abandoning, if only for now, the identity of the demon beast.
The man reflected in the mirror looked familiar, almost mortal.
Ningyan placed a bamboo hat atop his head.
He liked how he looked like a wanderer with no throne or title. Just a beast chasing ghosts.
Yet he did not leave immediately.
He sat by the open window.
The red-gold flute rested in his grasp, spinning lazily between his fingers.
Outside, phoenix cries rang across the endless skies, their wings cutting through clouds like streaks of fire.
Ningyan stared at them for a long moment. Then slowly... he raised the flute to his lips.
The first note was soft.... Lonely. A melody that felt as though it had existed long before he remembered it.
His eyes slid shut.
The music flowed. And with it, memory.
A rooftop beneath moonlight. A laughing nine tailed fox sitting beside him.
Yan Wuhen.
Another flash, Yan Wuhen perched lazily atop a tree branch, tails swaying as he looked down at him.
Then, a phoenix youth glaring at him with cold fury.
A name surfaced.
’Celestial Beast Academy.’
’Su Mingze.’
’Our father is dead.’
The note cracked.
Ningyan’s fingers faltered. Pain struck his skull like lightning.
"Su... Mingze?" The name fell from his lips with a disgusted tone.
His eyes flew open. "Wuhen was there... the academy..."
His heartbeat quickened.
It was working. The flute was pulling memories out.
But before he could grasp onto them another vision crashed into him.
A strange metal vehicle, rushing straight at him.
Then... Darkness.
Ningyan stiffened. His breath turned ragged.
"That world again..." His fingers trembled around the flute.
"Li Wei." The name felt foreign, yet painfully familiar.
His eyes darkened. "Was that another life of mine?"
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
Three lives? More?
How many times had he lived? How many times had he died?
His gaze dropped to the flute, wonder and dread tangling together. "This flute..."
His voice was barely a whisper. "It’s tied to my reincarnations."
Suddenly, the flute vanished from his hand.
The chamber doors slid open. Several attendants entered carrying trays of food.
They froze, eyes widening at the sight of his shortened hair. "Y-Your Greatness! Your hair!"
Ningyan blinked, the weight of his visions still pressing against him.
Tilting his head, he asked, "Does it look that bad?"
The attendants immediately shook their heads. "No! Not at all!"
And like moths drawn to flame, they hurried toward him.
"It looks amazing. You look even more beautiful with short hair."
"Oh, Your Greatness, what a blessing it is to see you."
The attendants crowded around him, unable to hide their admiration.
Ningyan couldn’t help but chuckle.
He had never struggled to get along with his own kin. The phoenixes had always treated him with warmth and sincerity, never making him feel worthy of the affection they so freely offered him.
Perhaps that was why he had devoted himself to rebuilding their clan instead of rushing blindly into war.
War only brought loss.
The phoenix clan had already lost far too much.
They deserved peace. They deserved a future beyond endless bloodshed.
"Thank you," Ningyan said with a gentle smile.
One servant clasped her hands together excitedly. "Your Greatness, your flute playing is truly breathtaking."
"It sounded so beautiful."
"I almost forgot I was standing outside."
"It was as though the mountains themselves were singing."
Their praises continued one after another until laughter filled the chamber.
Ningyan simply listened with an amused smile, allowing them to chatter until they finally remembered their duties and hurried away.
Silence gradually settled once more.
Only then did Ningyan lower his gaze to the bamboo hat resting in his hands.
He stood before the polished bronze mirror, quietly studying his own reflection.
His shortened white hair rested neatly against the back of his neck, softening the coldness of his features.
Taking a slow breath, Ningyan placed the bamboo hat back upon his head.
Immediately, a blackish-red portal spread open beneath his feet and his figure sank into it.
Instantly, far away from the Hidden Phoenix Clan, the portal opened once more upon a quiet lakeshore.
Ningyan stepped out.
Without hesitation, his body dissolved into a brilliant burst of light.
A magnificent white phoenix soared into the sky, its dazzling feathers glowing with faint violet radiance. Yet beneath that light still lurked ribbons of blackish-red demonic energy that wrapped around his body.
With a single cry that echoed across the heavens, he spread his wings and disappeared into the clouds.
^
Ningyan found himself standing before the same inn where he and Yan Wuhen had stayed.
He knew it was foolish.
Even so... Some irrational part of him still hoped the nine-tailed fox would somehow still be waiting there.
Stepping inside, he approached the innkeeper.
"I’d like to ask about someone."
The elderly innkeeper smiled politely. "The young master with the nine tails?"
Ningyan blinked. "Do you remember him?"
The old man laughed. "How could I not? A nine tailed fox that handsome only appears once every thousand years."
Ningyan found himself strangely agreeing. "...Where is he now?"
"He left quite some time ago, young master."
Ningyan lowered his gaze. "...I see."
He had expected that answer.
Even so... He couldn’t deny the faint disappointment settling inside his chest.
After leaving the inn, he looked toward the distant horizon.
Lan Meishan....
That meant only one destination.
The Abyss Serpent Clan.
Rather than revealing his phoenix form and attracting unwanted attention, Ningyan chose to travel like an ordinary beast instead.
He joined a merchant caravan pulled by powerful spirit horses, allowing himself to blend among wandering traders travelling through the Heavenly Realm.
Several days later, the caravan finally arrived at the bustling outskirts of Water City.
Ningyan lifted the carriage curtain. His violet eyes quietly widened.
Glittering rivers stretched throughout the entire city like flowing ribbons of crystal.
Elegant wooden bridges arched across the waterways while countless houses stood upon carved platforms above the water itself. Merchant boats drifted lazily beneath them, and the streets overflowed with beasts traders, and travellers from every corner of the realm.
The entire city shimmered beneath the afternoon sun.
"...Beautiful."
Then... Growl.