As soon as Wen Rou saw that ball of yellow light appear from behind her and pounce toward Mu Jinyu, she knew it was the recently hatched Little Phoenix.
And when she saw Mu Jinyu startled, without hesitation, throwing a punch at the Little Phoenix.
She opened her mouth wanting to warn Mu Jinyu not to hit it, but she was a step too late.
The ball of yellow light flew backward, crashing straight into the stone wall behind her with a heavy thud!
Wen Rou instinctively closed her eyes, sighing in her heart.
'Alas, poor little thing, running around recklessly, not long after birth, and already beaten to death...'
"Gujiguji guji..."
While Wen Rou was feeling sad, she suddenly heard a few cries from behind her, sounding like a mix of chicken clucks and bird chirps.
She couldn't help but open her eyes and looked back, and was stunned.
She saw the Little Phoenix, after taking a punch from Mu Jinyu, wasn't dead! It was bouncing around on the ground, seemingly uninjured!
"How is it so resilient?" Wen Rou's small mouth opened wide, her tone full of amazement.
She knew the power of Mu Jinyu's iron fist and that's why she lamented when the Little Phoenix took a punch from him.
But who would have thought that Mu Jinyu's punch, powerful enough to smash a mountain, was survived by the newborn Little Phoenix...
It made her sigh; indeed, the phoenix is one of the most resilient beings.
"Where did this bald chicken come from? Such tough bones?" Mu Jinyu asked in astonishment.
Upon hearing Mu Jinyu's inquiry, Wen Rou gave him a look, made a facial expression, and then turned around to grab the hopping Little Phoenix. Then, she twisted back to her original cultivation room.
Seeing this, Mu Jinyu also guessed something, and quickly followed Wen Rou inside.
"Crack..."
"Boom!"
After closing the stone gate again.
Wen Rou then said to Mu Jinyu: "It's not some bald chicken; it's a Phoenix!"
"Really a Phoenix?"
Mu Jinyu had already guessed from Wen Rou's cautious attitude that this bald chicken was the Little Phoenix hatched from the Phoenix egg.
But even after confirmation from Wen Rou, he couldn't help but doubt it.
After all, this Phoenix was too ugly, far from the one he saw in the Demon Beast Mountain Range, with its magnificent feathers, exuding nobility with every move.
Moreover, from its recent attack on him, he wondered if the little creature still retained memories of being refined by him with the Bi Fang Cauldron that day?
Was it seeking revenge?
If so, he couldn't really cultivate it into a Phoenix mount.
He would have to painfully stew it into a chicken and mushroom soup.
"Gujiguji..."
Just as Mu Jinyu was contemplating a meal of chicken and mushroom stew, the Little Phoenix in Wen Rou's hand, seemed to fully awake and made a few calls, then broke free from Wen Rou's palm, once again leaping toward Mu Jinyu.
Mu Jinyu, feeling a bit annoyed, was about to punch it again.
Wen Rou, on the other hand, couldn't bear it, and shouted: "Little Mu, don't hit it..."
Hearing Wen Rou, Mu Jinyu sighed lightly, retracted his hand, and changed from fist to claw, grabbing the little creature in his hand.
Mu Jinyu originally thought, even if he had the little creature in his hand, due to its hatred towards him, it would continue to peck at him.
However, unexpectedly, the little creature, once in his grasp, didn't struggle and twist like it did with Wen Rou. It allowed him to hold it in his palm, even rubbing its bald head against his hand.
Showing a look of dependency and affection.
"What's going on? Has it mistaken me for its kin?"
Mu Jinyu was stunned by this reaction.
Wen Rou was also stunned.
How come, after all my efforts to hatch it from the egg, it's not close to me at all, but instead, shows such affection to Mu Jinyu whom it has never met before?
After a few moments of bewilderment, Mu Jinyu looked up at Wen Rou, asking with a peculiar tone: "Xiaorou, did you hatch it and come to find me before actually facing it? So, it first laid eyes on me?"
Mu Jinyu couldn't understand why the Little Phoenix was treating them differently, only guessing that Phoenixes, upon hatching, imprint on the first creature they see. When Wen Rou left to find him, the Little Phoenix might have seen him first, mistaking him for its mother, and hence this situation...
Wen Rou shook her head, showing a bit of grievance, saying: "No, I watched it come out of its egg, it even ate more than ten Top-Quality Spirit Stones and those Spiritual Medicines..."
Hearing Wen Rou, Mu Jinyu couldn't help but frown, puzzled, "Then why is it acting like this..."
"Hmm?" At this moment, Mu Jinyu's eyes narrowed, recalling the Phoenix Saliva Grass he had been consuming and refining this month...
Could it be because of that?
"Gujiguji guji..."
As Mu Jinyu contemplated, the Little Phoenix in his hand let out a few pitiful calls.
Mu Jinyu snapped back to reality, focusing on it once more, reading its demeanor—it was hungry.
Mu Jinyu instinctively thought about catching some insects for it, but then remembered Wen Rou mentioning that it ate over ten Top-Quality Spirit Stones and Spiritual Medicines upon birth!
Thus, moved by this, he pulled out a handful of Low-Grade Spirit Stones from his storage bag and brought them to its beak.
"Here!"
Mu Jinyu nudged his chin, indicating that it was time to eat.
The Little Phoenix, upon seeing the Low-Grade Spirit Stones Mu Jinyu offered, showed a visible expression of disdain.
Obviously, having tasted Top-Quality Spirit Stones, it didn't want to eat Low-Grade ones.
However, upon encountering Mu Jinyu's stern gaze, it finally opened its mouth and started to eat.
"Crunch crunch..."
Soon, the dozens of Low-Grade Spirit Stones that Mu Jinyu offered were all devoured by the little creature.
"It really can eat."
Seeing the little creature looking up with a pitiful expression, Mu Jinyu couldn't help but take out a handful of Medium Grade Spirit Stones and dozens of Fire Attribute Spiritual Medicines.
"Tweet tweet!"
This time, the little creature joyfully chirped, going for the Fire Attribute Spiritual Medicines before the Medium Grade Spirit Stones.
In a few swift moves, the little creature finished all the Second-Rank Spiritual Medicines that Mu Jinyu had brought out.
After consuming the medicines, it belched, not touching the Medium Grade Spirit Stones, and instead resumed rubbing its head against Mu Jinyu's palm.
Showing an exceptionally satisfied, human-like expression.
Mu Jinyu, half-amused and half-annoyed, put away the Medium Grade Spirit Stones, murmuring, "Looks like there's another mouth to feed."
After laughing, Mu Jinyu looked at Wen Rou, who appeared a bit sulky, then extended the bald chicken in his hand to her.
"Here, you take care of it."
Hearing his words, Wen Rou smiled and was about to reach out to take the little creature.
"Tweet, tweet, tweet!!"
The little creature, sensing something, quickly chirped in resistance.
Wen Rou's face fell instantly, and she sighed, "Let it be, it seems not to like me very much..."
Mu Jinyu furrowed his brows, pondering why the Little Phoenix was so resistant to Wen Rou.
It shouldn't be, Wen Rou clearly still has the Ice Phoenix Bloodline...
Ice Phoenix Bloodline?!
Mu Jinyu's eyes suddenly focused, then realized: the Little Phoenix seems to have the Fire Attribute?
So, it has a natural aversion to Wen Rou, with her Ice Attribute, the Ice Phoenix; this seems quite reasonable.