Taking Human Form
Children of immortals grew quickly, especially these siblings, who were half god and half immortal. After a little over ten days, the phoenix cub, whose spiritual power was slightly stronger, became the first to take human form.
On the day the phoenix cub transformed, Ji Chaoyun was meditating inside the room.
Feng Qi had gone out and had yet to return. The spirit tiger had taken the form of a white cat and was playing with its two little masters in the courtyard.
It was the little dragon cub’s crying that roused Ji Chaoyun from meditation.
The dragon cub was lively and outgoing by nature, and Ji Chaoyun had never heard her cry like this before. His heart tightened. He hurriedly rose and headed outside. The instant he opened the door, a little dragon flung herself into his arms.
“Wuwuwuwa!” The little silver dragon had gradually begun growing silver scales. Her tail wrapped tightly around Ji Chaoyun’s wrist as huge tears streamed down her face. She cried so hard she hiccupped. “Aowu! Aowuwuwu...”
Ji Chaoyun understood her broken cries and froze. “Your little brother...”
He raised his gaze and saw a plump, fair-skinned little child sprawled on the ground, staring down at his chubby hands in bewilderment.
The white cat sat obediently beside the little boy, looking toward Ji Chaoyun with the same confusion, apparently unable to understand why the dragon cub had suddenly burst into such heartbroken sobs.
“...Phoenix Cub?”
Hearing Ji Chaoyun call him, the little boy raised his head and tilted it to one side. In a clear little voice, he said, “...Pa... Papa!”
The little boy’s features had yet to fully develop, but the handsome lines of his brows and eyes were already visible. His clear, bright eyes remained pale in color, framed by long, thick lashes that trembled slightly. He was exceptionally beautiful.
He was practically a miniature Feng Qi.
Ji Chaoyun was nearly overwhelmed by how adorable he was. He was about to step forward and pick up his son when the dragon cub suddenly tugged hard on him with her tail. “Aowu... Aowuwuwu...”
Ji Chaoyun stroked his daughter’s head. “Don’t be afraid. That’s your little brother.”
The dragon cub looked up at him, then turned toward the little boy in the courtyard. With another wail, she buried herself in Ji Chaoyun’s arms.
“...”
Poor little dragon cub. She had been happily playing with her younger brother just moments ago. Who could have expected him to suddenly change appearance and frighten her into tears?
Seeing his elder sister crying so miserably, the phoenix cub’s eyes also filled with tears. He blinked pitifully, seemingly trying to hold them back, but ultimately failed.
The next moment, another wail rang through the courtyard.
“Waaah!”
“...”
Feng Qi happened to step out of the teleportation array just as that earth-shattering cry rang out. He was so startled that he stumbled and nearly fell out of the formation.
A short while later, Ji Chaoyun was holding their daughter while Feng Qi held their son, both fathers frantically trying to soothe them.
Fortunately, neither child normally cried much. After being coaxed for a while, the two fathers finally managed to bring the situation under control.
The little dragon, however, still did not dare approach her brother.
Most of the little silver dragon’s body was hidden inside Ji Chaoyun’s sleeve, with only her tiny head sticking out. She stared curiously yet fearfully at the child in Feng Qi’s arms.
Tears still clung to the phoenix cub’s face. His eyes and nose had turned red from crying, and he continued sniffling softly.
“What should we do?” Ji Chaoyun asked softly.
He ordinarily wished he could hold both children in the palm of his hand and treasure them endlessly. Seeing them cry like this now made his heart ache terribly, and he had no idea what to do.
Feng Qi freed one hand to soothingly stroke Ji Chaoyun’s hair, then cautiously brought the phoenix cub closer. “Dragon Cub, look carefully. This really is your little brother.”
The dragon cub silently shrank farther into Ji Chaoyun’s sleeve.
Seeing his sister reject him, the phoenix cub sniffled. Tears immediately gathered in his eyes again. “Ying.”
Feng Qi hurriedly carried him away.
“What if...” Feng Qi thought for a moment and suggested softly, “We cast a spell and let Dragon Cub take human form too?”
The dragon cub simply had not adjusted to her brother suddenly looking different. If both children were in human form, perhaps she would accept him more easily.
Ji Chaoyun shook his head.
Most immortal beasts possessed the ability to take human form. Whether they could successfully transform, and when they managed to do so, was proof of whether an immortal beast could progress further in cultivation. It was also a necessary stage of their growth.
Ji Chaoyun did not want to interfere with it.
He lowered his head and lifted the little dragon out of his sleeve.
“Dragon Cub, listen to papa.” Ji Chaoyun said gently, “Your little brother has taken human form, but he is still your little brother. He likes you so much. If you refuse to pay attention to him, he’ll be very sad. Can you bear to make him sad?”
The little dragon looked at the little boy in Feng Qi’s arms and lowered her head. “Aowu...”
Ji Chaoyun continued, “And someday, Dragon Cub will also be able to take human form. Would you want all of us to ignore you then?”
The dragon cub hurriedly shook her head. “Aow aow!”
Ji Chaoyun smiled and wiped away the tears on her face. “Then be brave and go apologize to your little brother.”
“Aow...”
The little dragon slowly slid from Ji Chaoyun’s palm and made her way toward Feng Qi. Her four little paws climbed up his trouser leg until she stood upright against his thigh.
The phoenix cub stretched out a round, chubby hand toward her.
The dragon cub instinctively shrank back at first. Then she glanced over her shoulder and met Ji Chaoyun’s encouraging gaze. Finally mustering her courage, she raised her head and planted a little kiss on the phoenix cub’s finger.
Only then did Ji Chaoyun breathe a sigh of relief.
The two children communicated in their own way for a while, exchanging a series of aows and wus. Before long, the little dragon had nimbly climbed onto the little phoenix’s lotus-root-like arm and was happily playing there.
Feng Qi set the phoenix cub down so the two children could play freely, then sat beside Ji Chaoyun and pulled him into his arms.
“Tired?” Feng Qi asked softly.
Ji Chaoyun watched the phoenix cub wobbling unsteadily as he learned to walk, occasionally unable to resist hopping twice like a little bird. The dragon cub remained curled around his arm, intently watching her younger brother practice his steps.
Ji Chaoyun felt a fullness in his heart unlike anything he had ever known before.
He leaned into Feng Qi’s embrace and shook his head. “I’m not tired.”
After a pause, Ji Chaoyun asked, “How are things with the alliance?”
Feng Qi lowered his eyes slightly.
After the battle at Qingqiu, the Immortal Realm alliance was finally successfully established, but the disagreements within it had never diminished.
With Feng Qi restored to his divine position, the seal over the Demon Realm had been repaired. Now that Bai Qiuyue was dead as well, more and more people had begun suggesting that they simply cease hostilities here, lest the conflict continue until countless lives were lost.
Feng Qi had not even said anything about it yet before Ji Chaoyun became the first to disagree.
That seal had nearly exhausted all of Feng Qi’s cultivation three hundred years ago. Even after returning to his divine position, he had only been able to patch it temporarily. Completely reconstructing it would require an unknown amount of power.
The difficulty of keeping the entire Demon Clan imprisoned through his strength alone could easily be imagined.
Every faction in the Immortal Realm swept only the snow before its own gate. They had been like this even three hundred years ago.
Otherwise, so many of them would never have defected to the Demon Clan merely because Feng Xiao had disappeared for three short months.
During these past several days, the Immortal Realm allied forces had gathered repeatedly, yet every discussion went around in circles over the same arguments.
Seeing Feng Qi’s expression, Ji Chaoyun could easily guess that today had been no different. Anger immediately rose within him. “They’re all cowards!”
Both little ones froze and turned to look at Ji Chaoyun.
Feng Qi hurriedly stroked Ji Chaoyun soothingly. “Don’t get angry. You’ll frighten the children.”
Ji Chaoyun puffed up indignantly. “If I had known, we shouldn’t have saved them. We should have let them surrender to the Demon Realm!”
Feng Qi did not know whether to laugh or cry and hugged him tighter.
“I’m just angry on your behalf.” Ji Chaoyun buried his head against Feng Qi’s chest. “You’ve done so much for them, yet this is how they treat you. No wonder the Divine Realm refused to let you return. You never should have come back.”
“What nonsense are you saying?” Feng Qi said. “If I hadn’t come back, what would have happened to you and the children?”
“Besides, I never did any of this for one or two particular people.” Feng Qi said gently, “People in this world are all different. There are warriors who advance without fear, and there are petty men who compromise themselves just to survive. All of them mixed together make up the countless faces of mortal existence.”
“Should we abandon all the innocent lives in this world merely because of one or two people?”
“Besides, there’s you and the children, every disciple of the Phoenix Clan, our fellow disciples at Hongmeng Academy, and all the others who still support me. Every one of you is closely tied to the Immortal Realm. I could never abandon you.”
“Sometimes, I really wish you wouldn’t think this way,” Ji Chaoyun whispered. “But I also love this part of you.”
He raised his head and gazed into Feng Qi’s beautiful eyes. “Lately, I’ve been thinking about when it began. What moment, what turning point, made me admire and love you so deeply?”
“...No matter how much I think about it, I always remember the first time I saw you.”
Ji Chaoyun’s voice became exceedingly soft as he slowly spoke each word. “At the time, the Demon Realm had only just invaded. One clan after another was facing annihilation. No one knew when their turn would come. No one knew whether, after waking the next morning, they would still be able to see their family and friends.”
“And at that darkest moment, you appeared.”
“Deep within the Dragon Palace beneath the sea, I heard the name of the great hero who had come to save us. I remember thinking that there truly was such a mighty and magnificent god in this world, and that I had to see him at least once.”
“So I secretly slipped out of Lingyuan Sea and hid along the path you were certain to take to the mortal realm. At last, I got my wish and saw you.”
Ji Chaoyun closed his eyes and said softly, “Even now, I still remember what you looked like then. You stood above the clouds, commanding countless divine soldiers. You looked so imposing, so unreachable.”
“From that moment onward, I could never forget that figure. I could never forget that face.”
Feng Qi drew a deep breath, lowered his head, and kissed Ji Chaoyun lightly beside the lips. “So you had designs on me that early?”
Ji Chaoyun turned his head away. “The children are still here.”
Feng Qi immediately turned around. “Dragon Cub, Phoenix Cub.”
Both children looked back at once.
Feng Qi said solemnly, “Your fathers have important matters to discuss. Go play in the outer room.”
The little phoenix seemed to half understand. He obediently nodded and tottered outside with his elder sister.
“How can you lie to the children, mmph...”
Ji Chaoyun had not even finished speaking before Feng Qi firmly sealed his lips.
Feng Qi pressed him onto the bed and kissed him thoroughly, inside and out, until he had more than gotten his fill.
“Who told you to say all those things to me today?” Feng Qi’s hand slowly caressed Ji Chaoyun’s side, his voice low and hoarse. “If your body hadn’t yet fully recovered, I’d make sure you couldn’t get out of bed.”
Ji Chaoyun’s ears turned scarlet. His voice trembled slightly from nervousness. “I... actually...”
Dragons generally recovered only a few days after giving birth, and his body had long since returned to normal under the restorative effects of spiritual power.
Actually, they already could...
The air around them suddenly seemed thin and scorching.
Feng Qi narrowed his eyes slightly, something dangerous stirring within his gaze.
Just then, a dull thump suddenly came from the outer room.
“...”
Feng Qi and Ji Chaoyun stared silently at each other, seeing the same helplessness reflected in the other’s eyes.
Could these two little cubs not behave themselves for even a moment?!
Feng Qi helplessly pulled Ji Chaoyun upright and straightened his disheveled collar. Together, they walked around the folding screen and into the outer room.
The instant they stepped outside, a tiny figure abruptly threw herself into Ji Chaoyun’s arms.
It was a little girl about the same size as the phoenix cub.
She buried her entire head against Ji Chaoyun’s chest, leaving only a head of smooth, lustrous long hair visible.
Ji Chaoyun stared blankly. “Dragon Cub?”
The little girl lifted her head. The pair of dragon horns on her forehead wobbled slightly, and a few silver dragon scales still lingered on her cheeks.
She looked completely different from the phoenix cub, yet resembled Ji Chaoyun by seven parts. The lines of her brows and eyes were soft, while her golden eyes were bright and dazzling. The little dragon smiled, her eyes curving beautifully.
“Aow aow aow!”
“...”
Why was she still aowing after turning human?
The two children had broken from the shell at the same time. Although there was some difference in the strength of their spiritual power, the gap was not large, so it was not surprising that they took human form on the same day.
Ji Chaoyun and Feng Qi each picked up one child and returned to the inner room.
Having taken human form, the little dragon was delighted and curious. She wriggled restlessly in Ji Chaoyun’s arms. “Aowu! Aow aow aowu!”
By contrast, the phoenix cub was much calmer and sat quietly on Feng Qi’s lap.
Feng Qi and his son silently watched the dragon cub in Ji Chaoyun’s arms. Even the smallest expressions on their faces were so alike that they seemed carved from the same mold.
The little dragon could not sit still for even a moment. The pair of dragon horns atop her head swayed back and forth, covered in a layer of soft down that looked exceedingly pleasant to touch.
Feng Qi’s fingers itched at the sight. The moment he reached out, Ji Chaoyun slapped his hand away.
“You can’t casually touch a dragon’s horns!”
“...”
Feng Qi curled his hand into a fist, raised it to his lips, and coughed lightly. Then he said solemnly, “All right, Dragon Cub. Now that you’ve taken human form, you can’t keep aowing. You should call him ‘Papa.’.”
The little dragon fell silent. Confusion filled her eyes. “Aow?”
“Papa.” Ji Chaoyun stroked the dragon cub’s hair, then turned toward the phoenix cub. “Phoenix Cub, teach your elder sister how to say it?”
The phoenix cub obediently called, “Papa.”
The dragon cub’s delicate brows drew together. With great difficulty, she tried, “Aow... Pa... pa?”
She attempted it several more times before finally managing to say it properly. “Pa... Papa! Papa!”
Feng Qi poked his son’s cheek. “And what about me? What should you call me?”
The phoenix cub raised his head to look at him, then fell silent.
Of course he knew this person was also one of his parents.
The phoenix cub even remembered that while he and his sister were still inside the egg, this person had stayed beside them the entire time and incubated them until they hatched.
But... what was he supposed to call him?
The phoenix cub blinked in confusion, then tentatively called, “...Mama?”
Feng Qi: “...”
Ji Chaoyun: “...”
The room fell into a strange silence.
Only the little dragon cheerfully followed her brother’s example.
“Mama! Mama!”
☁︎₊˚⊹ The Author’s Jade-Slip Aside ⊹˚₊☁︎
Phoenix Cub: The one who laid the egg is Daddy, and the one who incubated the egg is Mommy!
Dragon Cub: Whatever Little Brother says is right, aow!
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