Chapter Forty-Seven: Seizing the Moment Amidst the Flames

Pfft, rules are always made to be broken! Feng Ke'er instinctively resisted the idea of going to the public bathhouse with the male disciples.

But pride is pride; everyone has their vanity. She was the only Qi Refining disciple in the newly established courtyard, the newly appointed senior brother of the entire group. Her status was clear, and with hundreds of ears behind each courtyard door, she couldn't bring herself to lose face.

On top of that, her fragile ego was wounded by Senior Brother Tian's disdainful look, and in a moment of heated pride, she agreed without thinking.

"Senior Brother Qin, we'll come to fetch you in the evening." Task accomplished, Senior Brother Tian left with a beaming smile.

Only then did Feng Ke'er realize what she had just agreed to—after sunset, she would lead a group of boys to the male public bathhouse!

Oh, heavens, she was mad, absolutely mad!

But by now, everyone had vanished, and besides, what was said could never be taken back.

Oh, what to do? In despair, she closed the courtyard door, leaned her back against it, and clutched her head in frustration.

Feng Jiu sauntered out from his room with a graceful goose-step, grooming his feathers beneath the eaves. In his own mind, though his body was still round with baby fat and far from the handsome figure he once had in the divine realm, his movements were as suave as ever.

Of course, his efforts to display charm were deliberate: to catch someone's eye, to remind her—beg the lord, beg me for help!

Based on Feng Ke'er's previous reactions, he concluded that this girl took the differences between men and women very seriously. Therefore, he was certain she would not dare go to the bathhouse with the male disciples tonight.

Though he couldn't truly transform yet, with the power of the Breath Concealment Talisman, he could still use his shapeshifting spell to take human form.

At this moment, only Feng Jiu could help the troublesome girl out of her predicament. And he was ready to make this clear to her.

Imagining her coming to beg him with a meek demeanor, the flames of anger in Feng Jiu's heart turned entirely to scheming. He almost laughed aloud, hurriedly covering his beak with a fluffy wingtip—profiting from the misfortune of others was essential. Stupid girl, prepare to be fleeced!

Unfortunately, she was so lost in regret she didn't even notice him.

Feng Jiu held back, pondering for a moment. He strolled to the center of the courtyard and posed, gazing up at the clouds. He exclaimed, "Ah, how beautiful!"

The sudden shout startled Feng Ke'er. She quickly gestured for him to keep quiet, then turned to peek through the door crack.

Now she worried about being overheard—why hadn't she cared when she was throwing a tantrum earlier? Feng Jiu calmly smoothed a tuft of feathers. "What are you worrying about? Before I left, I set up a ward. They can't come in, see, or hear anything happening in the courtyard."

No wonder Elder Shen, the steward, paced outside without entering.

"You could have said so earlier! You scared me!" Feng Ke'er, relieved, was about to scold him, but suddenly had a flash of inspiration. When she turned back, her smile was radiant. "Meat Bird, you're amazing." Her demeanor shifted a full one-eighty, gone was her earlier fierceness.

Such petty behavior! Feng Jiu almost choked at her change. He cleared his throat and deliberately scoffed, "It's just a little ward, nothing worth mentioning."

Feng Ke'er smiled even sweeter. "Then tell me, what counts as amazing?"

Feng Jiu wasn't about to take her bait; he glanced at her, retreated a step, flapped his wings, and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Seeing this, Feng Ke'er panicked and hurried over to block him. "Feng Jiu, you know shapeshifting, don't you?" With his posture, she could see it—this time she was doomed to be fleeced. But she had no choice; there was no other option.

Ha, now that she needs something, she finally remembers my name! Feng Jiu paused, nonchalantly replying, "Mm."

"No lies between smart people." Gritting her teeth, Feng Ke'er said, "So, what do you want to help me?"

The lord loves dealing with clever people—it saves the trouble of talking. Feng Jiu smiled inwardly, raising a wingtip. "First, you must never shout at me again! I've grown up with only me shouting at others, never others daring to shout at me. Anyone who shouted at me is long dead."

He actually said that! Feng Ke'er was surprised, then frustrated. But needing his help, she bit back her anger and agreed, cursing him in her heart: Damn bird! Fine, I'll just treat you as air from now on!

Feng Jiu was even more pleased. "Second, I want the bed; you sleep on the floor."

"Why? I'm not your bought servant!" Feng Ke'er protested, pointing at the row of empty rooms. "There are so many rooms, I only occupy one, the rest are yours!"

Feng Jiu laughed, "I've checked—there's only one bed in this courtyard."

"Fine, I'll give you the room, I'll move out!" She agreed again. Small matter, she'd been sleeping on the floor for half a month anyway—she was used to it.

Feng Jiu blinked, momentarily speechless: Great Pangu above, he really hadn't intended to drive her out of the room.

"Hey, are you done?" Feng Ke'er paused, and seeing nothing more, said, "If you're finished, it's my turn…"

"What's the rush? I'm not done yet." Feng Jiu snapped back, "What is a 'bought servant'? What do they do?"

"Answering that is your third condition?" Feng Ke'er sweated—she'd let slip a phrase. In this era, there was only 'exchange,' not 'buying and selling'; there were 'female slaves,' but no 'servants.' Human resources were precious—even tribal leaders had to do everything themselves. No one lived the decadent life of exploiting servants.

"Of course not! Forget I asked." Feng Jiu dismissed it. "Third, before I can take true form, you must supply demon crystals to me, free of charge."

What kind of conditions were these? Such trivial matters, worth all this fuss? Feng Ke'er rolled her eyes, impatiently agreeing, "Fine, any demon crystal I get is yours."

Feng Jiu nodded, then continued, "Fourth…"

The sun was nearly setting, evening was approaching, and she was still dragging things out. Feng Ke'er interrupted, "Enough, I agree to all of it."

Feng Jiu chuckled, "Good. Starting next month, you must go to the women's bathhouse to find someone for me. Search every female disciple in the outer sect until you find her."

So that's it. The first three conditions were just smoke screens. Damn demon, sly as ever! Feng Ke'er, unwilling to be extorted, retorted, "Didn't you go today already? Not enough? Fine. You have invisibility—next month, go on your own."

Feng Jiu was mortified, his face flushing red. "I—I kept my eyes shut the whole time… Great Pangu can vouch for me, I really didn't lie!"

"Pfft," Feng Ke'er laughed, pointing at him. "You kept your eyes shut the whole time? That's hilarious!"

"No laughing!"

Seeing him about to lose his temper, Feng Ke'er quickly covered her cheeks and tried to stop. "I won't laugh, really, I won't. But seriously, your friend has a mark on her chest? Is it three moles?"

"Hey, how did you know?" Feng Jiu's eyes widened in disbelief.

Duh, that's how it's always shown in movies! Except Supreme Treasure's moles were on his feet, only the Eastern Heretic had them on his chest.

She imagined the awkward fat bird, speaking in a strange accent, softly asking every woman on the street, "Miss, may I see your chest…" and nearly doubled over in laughter.

"Of course it's mov—" Feng Ke'er bit her tongue and quickly changed her words. "Rumor, just something I heard. The elders in my clan once mentioned it. But, as your contract partner, I must warn you—your friend might have reincarnated as a man." Old New Year movies like 'The Eagle Shooting Heroes' proved it. Of course, she wasn't about to mention that.

Feng Jiu took her words seriously, deciding to search thoroughly tonight—after all, Feng Ke'er had the title of Saint Maiden of the Feng clan.

With conditions agreed, they quickly reached a deal.

People of this era believed bathing sapped their vitality. Feng Jiu was no exception. He'd already bathed once, and thinking about having to do it again tonight, he felt cheated. So, he came up with another idea, asking Feng Ke'er for a Breath Concealment Talisman, claiming it would help with coverage.

Unfortunately, Feng Ke'er was sharp when it mattered. She insisted the talisman was already fused into her body and blood, impossible to remove.

Finally, she comforted him with a straight face. "Meat Bird, don't worry, believe in yourself—you can do it."

Feng Jiu eyed her suspiciously. Could a talisman really fuse with blood? As the youngest prince of the Phoenix clan, he'd never heard of such a thing.

Feng Ke'er shivered under his gaze, but braved it and said, "If you're really scared, I'll follow in secret and keep watch outside the bathhouse."

"Good!" Feng Jiu agreed instantly. "There's a grove outside the bathhouse—you can hide there." Hmph, in midsummer, the mosquitoes will eat you alive!

At last, he felt balanced.

Feng Ke'er paused, then offered another sweet smile. "Feng Jiu…"

"What?" Now it was Feng Jiu's turn to feel chills down his back. Experience told him that when she smiled and called him by name like this, nothing good would follow.

Sure enough, she continued, "If you turn into Qin Heng, how should I appear before everyone? If I become a male disciple, I'll have to go into the bathhouse. If I become a female disciple, you'll be bathing inside while I hide outside—people will definitely misunderstand. If only I could be invisible like you." She emphasized the words 'be invisible like you,' her mind roaring: Trying to take advantage of me? Not a chance!

Feng Jiu was utterly defeated. What does 'hoisted with one's own petard' mean? This was it!

The sly girl must have known the Phoenix blood crystal could confer invisibility, and had been waiting for the right moment to ask!

The vote count has passed a thousand again… but… with such subscriptions, 'bleak' doesn't even begin to describe it. This is the fourth pit I've dug, and honestly, I've never suffered such a… blow. I've always considered myself as resilient as a cockroach, but this time, I really feel internally wounded. Ugh, not even one update today, two… uh, really sorry. With results like this, I have no motivation for two updates. Sorry for the complaint: I really don't understand, all those favorites and recommendations… are they really just clouds… (To be continued)

Tongtian Codex 47_Chapter Forty-Seven: Profiting from Misfortune at Just the Right Time—Update Complete!