125. Human woman, what is your name?
Like a cheerful little bird, it immediately flew toward Baili Tianchang.
Baili Tianchang felt as though she were lost in a fog, still unable to grasp what was transpiring between the mother and child. Nevertheless, she was more than happy to let the little phoenix kiss her; perhaps this was what they called an instant connection. She reached out to welcome the little creature.
As soon as the little phoenix landed in her arms, it used its sharp little beak to peck at the black swallowtail butterfly marking on her cheek. With that single, fleeting kiss, something mind-boggling occurred. In the blink of an eye, the little phoenix vanished, and in its place, a black swallowtail butterfly appeared before her.
"Little one, transform back into your true form at once." Seeing that the little phoenix had turned into the black butterfly after kissing the mark on Baili Tianchang’s cheek, the elder phoenix issued her command.
At that moment, the truth dawned on Baili Tianchang. The black swallowtail butterfly was the little phoenix! She finally understood why the elder phoenix had brought her to the Divine Phoenix clan. It turned out that she had unknowingly taken the son of the Phoenix Queen as her spirit beast!
How was it possible for this little phoenix to shift back and forth, appearing now as a black butterfly and now in its true form?
"Yes, Mother. Little Phoenix will change back now." This time, the little phoenix, in the form of the black butterfly, was no longer the dazed and confused creature it had been in its true form. It responded to the elder phoenix with wit and obedience. Its nimble movements alone betrayed its intelligence. The butterfly danced through the air twice, and in a flash, the little phoenix returned to its true form.
The elder phoenix’s eyes grew hot with emotion. "Wonderful, simply wonderful." She pulled the little phoenix into her embrace, sighing with excitement. "Little one, you have finally broken through the first seal. Mother is so gratified, so happy. I long for the day you break through the final one!"
"Break through what seal? What is a seal? Is it edible? Mother, does a seal taste good?" The little phoenix, having returned to its true form, reverted to its vacant, dazed state, looking at the elder phoenix with wide-eyed curiosity.
The elder phoenix sighed softly, her heart aching with a pain she could hardly bear to face. "You, human woman, come here."
The elder phoenix cradled the little phoenix with one arm and beckoned to Baili Tianchang with the other. Baili Tianchang had already surmised that something must have happened to the little phoenix to result in its current state. She stepped forward and stood before the elder phoenix.
"Human woman, what is your name?" The elder phoenix maintained her majestic air, though her tone was as gentle as she could manage.
"Your Majesty, my name is Baili Tianchang," she replied.
"So, you already know that I am the Phoenix Queen?" The elder phoenix was not entirely surprised; she found this human woman to be quite perceptive.
"I know you are the Phoenix Queen, and even more so, I know you are a mother who deeply worries for her child."