Chapter 100: It Truly Was No Dream!

Little Dwarf Dragon became more and more entranced, and a glistening thread of drool even slipped, unnoticed, from the corner of his mouth.

After Jiang Yan finished reinforcing the foundation and returned to Little Dwarf Dragon’s side, he found him lost in a daze, a silly smile hanging on his lips.

He reached out and waved a hand in front of Little Dwarf Dragon’s eyes. “Come back to yourself!”

Little Dwarf Dragon wiped the corner of his mouth and batted Jiang Yan’s hand away in a huff. “What was that for? I haven’t even lain in the pile of gold long enough yet!”

“Tsk, Little Dragon, even if a dream has everything in it, you can’t start dreaming broad awake in the middle of the day. That’ll only make you stupid.”

Little Dwarf Dragon gave a cold snort. “I’m not some three-year-old child. You think I’d believe your nonsense?”

Jiang Yan arched a brow, wearing a lazy look that seemed to say, believe it or don’t. “Suit yourself. But I’ve heard that if you dream too much in daylight, you won’t even be able to tell whether you’re chewing on a spirit fruit or biting a stone. Wouldn’t that make you stupid?”

“Fine, fine. You just want this dragon lord to work, don’t you?”

“Oh, come now, why speak such inconvenient truths? How could I bear to make you do manual labor? All you need to do is keep watching those wooden men work.”

After that little interlude, another day quietly slipped by.

Those wooden figures were indeed excellent laborers. Tireless, in need of no rest, and not to mention, they required no wages at all.

So long as a wisp of spiritual power was infused into them, they could work on and on until that power was exhausted.

When they returned to the thatched cottage, they found Little White curled up atop the phoenix egg, sleeping soundly.

In truth, the moment Jiang Yan and the others’ footsteps sounded, Little White had already awakened soundlessly.

Cats were always astonishingly alert; they rarely sank into prolonged sleep.

Little White slowly opened its eyes. Its heterochromatic pupils were like two radiant gemstones, one blue and one green, shining with a unique brilliance.

It stretched languidly, then lightly leaped down to the ground.

At that very moment, a faint cracking sound came from behind it.

“The eggshell has cracked!” Little Dwarf Dragon cried, his voice tinged with delight.

He shot toward the phoenix egg like a gust of wind, then bent close to examine the crack.

“Meow... meow meow...” Little White hurriedly explained: it wasn’t me!

It stiffly turned around, those mismatched eyes glancing uneasily at the red egg.

That crack seemed to be exactly where it had been lying...

“Little White, this dragon lord also knows you don’t have that kind of ability. Don’t worry, I never thought this crack in the eggshell was your doing.”

Hearing this, Little White gave a soft and delicate mew, as though to say that was good enough.

Clearly, the two of them were not on the same page.

Jiang Yan stepped forward and studied the phoenix egg for a while. His brows lifted slightly as he asked, “Little Dragon, is this phoenix egg about to hatch?”

A flash of excitement crossed Little Dwarf Dragon’s eyes. “Exactly, that’s right!”

No sooner had he spoken than a burst of cracking sounds came from within the shell, and more fissures spread across its surface.

Crack...

With the final echo, the eggshell split open with a sharp sound. A beam of blazing red light shot skyward, tearing through the night and dyeing the heavens a fierce crimson.

A fiery phantom of a phoenix swept across the sky, flying farther and farther away, releasing a clear and resonant cry as it went. The sound pierced the night like celestial music, stirring every heart it reached.

The cultivators of the various sects all looked up, staring in stunned disbelief at this spectacle rarely seen in all the ages, and an indescribable excitement surged within them.

For the legendary phoenix symbolized supreme auspiciousness and boundless fortune.

“Look! It’s the phoenix from the legends!” A male disciple guarding the mountain gate of the Profound Spirit Sect shouted in ecstasy. “Heavens, am I really this lucky? I actually got to see a phoenix with my own eyes!”

Another disciple, hearing this, quickly looked up at the sky. His eyes were full of disbelief. With a sharp slap, he struck his own cheek. “Ow—it hurts. This really isn’t a dream! I saw the phoenix too!”

The disciples of the other sects discovered the wonder in succession as well.

“It really is a phoenix! I only ever saw descriptions of it in ancient texts before. I never thought I’d witness it with my own eyes today!” A female disciple of the Crimson Cloud Sect seized the hand of the person beside her, her voice trembling with excitement.

Her companion, a young male disciple, was equally astounded. “This is an opportunity that may never come again. I have to remember this moment well!” As he spoke, he pulled a small booklet from his sleeve and quickly began recording it.

...

Jiang Yan’s gaze moved to the little girl inside the broken half of the eggshell. She sat with her knees drawn up, arms wrapped around herself, eyes closed as though she were weaving a sweet dream in her sleep.

She looked like a delicate doll, with jet-black hair falling over her shoulders and a tender face full of the innocence of a five- or six-year-old child.

She wore a dress woven from red feathers, which set off her fair, delicate skin.

Seeing that the little girl had not opened her eyes for a long while, Jiang Yan asked in confusion, “What’s going on with her? Could she still be asleep?”

Little Dwarf Dragon, standing at the side, explained with lofty pride, “Ignorant! Her spirit has gone to receive a blessing. Once it returns to its place, she’ll wake up...”

A trace of sourness rose in his heart. That little phoenix had already taken human form!

She had just broken out of her egg and already transformed, which only made him seem that much weaker.

Unfortunately, Jiang Yan did not notice this tiny bit of jealousy.

“Oh, so that’s how it is!” He nodded. Another setting the novel had never mentioned.

As the red radiance of the phoenix’s hatching blazed across the night, Lin Qi, Ji Chuxue, and the others arrived one after another at Jiang Yan’s thatched cottage. Even Yun Li could not resist coming over to see what was happening.

Looking at the little cottage now packed with people, Jiang Yan could not help but think that it seemed to be overcapacity already.

Xie Lingzhou, seeing the little girl inside the eggshell, said with feeling, “I never expected this little phoenix to have already taken human form. It seems her talent is extraordinary!”

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced toward Little Dwarf Dragon.

Sensing Xie Lingzhou’s sidelong look, Little Dwarf Dragon said irritably, “What are you looking at? This dragon lord will be able to take human form soon enough too.”

Xie Lingzhou gave a light laugh. “Little Dragon, then you’d better look at Sixth or me a bit more. When you transform in the future, you might end up looking better.”

“My sense of beauty is beyond question! When I take human form, I’ll definitely be more handsome than you, you effeminate pretty boy!”

After saying that, Little Dwarf Dragon turned his head away and refused to pay Xie Lingzhou any further mind.

Inside the room, everyone chatted and laughed, and an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Another flash of red light passed over them, and as the phoenix’s spirit returned to its body, the little girl slowly opened her eyes.

When she saw Jiang Yan, she leaped out of the eggshell and without the slightest hesitation threw herself into his arms.

“Brother Yan, Yunyun missed you so much!”

Jiang Yan was left somewhat at a loss by this sudden display. Would someone please tell him what exactly was going on?

Lin Qi and the others looked over with curiosity. Though none of them spoke, their eyes were full of inquiry.

Jiang Yan asked, baffled, “Uh... little... phoenix? Do you know me?”

Yunyun pouted, looking as though she might cry at any moment, her watery eyes fixed on Jiang Yan.

“Brother Yan, Yunyun is your future wife! Of course I know you!”