Chapter 22: The Wound Healed On Its Own?

A phoenix?

Is it the kind of phoenix from fairy tales, with a long, colorful tail?

Hearing the commotion, the others rushed over to join the fun and see the spectacle for themselves. Mu You was among them. She remembered her father telling her about such phoenix-like creatures, but she had never seen one in person and was filled with curiosity.

On the other side, Mu Weien was still fuming. Although she didn’t want to mingle with the rest of them, the allure of a phoenix was simply too great to resist.

"Where is it? Where is the phoenix?" Lin Zimu looked left and right, but couldn't spot a thing.

"Keep your voice down, or you’ll scare the phoenix away!" Jin Yiyi gestured for silence.

Hearing this, Mu Weien instinctively took a few steps back and clamped her mouth shut. Of course, she wasn't scared! She was just curious and eager to catch an early glimpse of the legendary creature.

The children held their breath, hiding in the grass and staring intently at the spot Xu Moli had pointed out—a patch of meadow.

After a few minutes, several birds that looked remarkably like phoenixes finally appeared. They were just like the ones in books and on television, with long, trailing tails—several of them, in fact. Their bodies were a vibrant, fiery red, and their heads were tipped with gold; they really did look like phoenixes!

The only thing was that their tails weren't as magnificent as those in the books—mostly gray. It would have been better if they were like a peacock's tail.

"Wow, I have to take a picture to show Mommy!" Jin Yiyi whispered, preparing to raise her hand.

Suddenly, a figure bolted forward. It was Mu Weien!

"Phoenix! Don't run!"

She lunged forward with her arms outstretched, shouting wildly. Mu Weien wanted the beautiful feathers on the "phoenix" to pluck for her dress! She was determined to make her first-place status well-deserved, so she dove at the "phoenix" with even more ferocity.

*Hmph! Let’s see you call me a cheater now!*

"Chirp!"
[Where did this crazy kid come from? Run! Quick, don't let her catch you!]
[Everyone be careful, fly to the high branches!]

The "phoenixes" flapped their wings frantically and ascended to a small tree over two meters high.

"Hey, why are you flying away? Come down, come down right now!"

Mu Weien stood beneath the tree, jumping as high as she could, trying to pull the "phoenixes" down. But the more she acted out, the more the "phoenixes" refused to descend, chirping at her indignantly.

"Mu Weien, come back! What if you scare them to death?" Jin Yiyi had tried to hold back, but she found she couldn't stand it any longer.

She charged forward, and Mu You followed closely behind, afraid that another conflict would break out.

"Hmph, you’re lying! It was you who scared them away. You’re so fierce, who wouldn’t be afraid of you?"

After the events of this morning, Mu Weien’s arrogance hadn't been dampened; if anything, it had been fueled even further. After all, whenever she got angry, everyone else was expected to apologize! Emboldened, Mu Weien had completely forgotten the fear she felt when Jin Yiyi had "dominated" her earlier.

"You..."

"Weien, are you trying to use the 'phoenix' feathers to make a dress?" Mu You interrupted, pulling Jin Yiyi back.

"What’s it to you!" Mu Weien snapped, agitated at being seen through.

"I just wanted to say, this isn't a real phoenix. It's called a Red-legged Partridge; it's a type of pheasant. Please don't pull their feathers like that—it hurts them."

Mu You didn't want to ruin everyone’s wish to see the "phoenix," but she wanted to protect those birds from Mu Weien’s "claws" even more. Being crudely plucked would surely be painful and traumatic!

"What?" Mu Weien’s hands froze. "What did you say? They aren't phoenixes? They're just wild chickens?!"

From her slightly raspy, shouting voice, it was clear: the dream had shattered, and so had her composure.

"Chirp, chirp!"
[What a rude little human, and that voice is truly awful!]
[Exactly! When they wanted us, they called us phoenixes, and now that they don't, we're just wild chickens. Hmph!]

The Red-legged Partridges in the tree expressed their dissatisfaction toward Mu Weien once more.

"Well... you could say that, but they are actually birds from the Phasianidae family," Mu You explained seriously, determined to clear the birds' names.

"Then they're still wild chickens! I don't want their feathers anymore!"

With her filter gone, Mu Weien ran off into the distance. She was going to find a real phoenix! She would pluck its feathers and make a gown that would shock the world and stun everyone!

"Changing faces faster than turning a page," Jin Yiyi remarked, watching Mu Weien’s retreating back.

"Alright, alright. Yiyi, I'm going now. Be careful on your way," Mu You said, waving goodbye to Jin Yiyi.

Before leaving, she looked up and waved at the birds. "Beautiful little birds, you don't have to be afraid anymore. Bye-bye!"

The birds exchanged confused glances. After a moment, they began to chatter among themselves.

"Chirp."
[That little girl was quite sweet.]
[Indeed, much better than that rude, uncouth brat from before!]

As they spoke, Mu You arrived at a grove filled with red leaves. She planned to gather some leaves and other plants for her dress.

"Chirp! Help! Help!"

It was the call of the beautiful little bird! Mu You dropped the leaves she was holding and looked around.

"Chirp! My stomach hurts so much... can someone save me?"

A Red-legged Partridge lay among the fallen leaves, crying out in agony. By the time Mu You reached it, its voice had grown faint and incredibly weak.

"Beautiful little bird, what happened to your stomach?" She knelt down and carefully brushed the leaves away from the bird.

At first, the bird thought a predator had come to catch it and instinctively tried to peck her, but the golden glow radiating from the girl made it unable to attack. At the same time, it felt the pain in its body start to subside.

Mu You examined the bird's stomach and found a wound that looked like it had been caused by a slingshot. It was bleeding heavily; it must have been so painful!

"Little bird, were you hurt by someone?" Mu You frowned.

"Chirp."
[I don't know why I can understand you, but you are truly different from the other children. Yes, I was just separated from my flock when someone struck me with a weapon. I struggled to hide here.]

The bird finally realized that Mu You was the same kind, lovely child from before.

"Poor little bird, Youbao will go find someone to save you!" Mu You stroked the bird, telling it to hang on until she returned. The wound was too deep; she was just a child and couldn't treat it herself. When in trouble, one must seek help from a professional adult!

Just as she was about to turn around, the bird stopped her.

"Chirp!"
[My wound... it's actually healing itself?]
[This is simply miraculous!]