“Really? So willing?” Jun Ye asked, gripping the phoenix’s chin with interest.
Feng Xiu1And like you guessed it, the Xiu here is the same as in all the previous MLs identities’ Xiu. Feng also means Phoenix! blinked, speaking as clearly as possible despite his chin being held, his voice muffled as though he had a sweet in his mouth: “Yes, I am willing and deeply in love…”
The words were sweet, but whether his actions could match them remained to be seen.
Jun Ye, without a word, lifted Feng Xiu’s leg.
Feng Xiu blinked rapidly, his breathing growing shallow. Despite his mounting nervousness, he remained obedient.
Jun Ye’s gaze flickered for a moment, and then he let go.
“Emperor2The title used for Emperor is Jun, which is similar to the characters in Jun Ye’s name?” Feng Xiu called softly.
Jun Ye offered no response, stepping off the lotus platform and sinking halfway into the pool’s water. Without turning back, he said, “Stay in the Divine Pool for now.”
“You’re confining me?” Feng Xiu sat up abruptly, dragging his phoenix tail to the edge of the platform. Watching Jun Ye step onto the shore, he raised his voice, “What’s your reason for confining me?”
Jun Ye stood on the shore, his long robe shifting from tail to legs. The moon-white garment trailed over jade bricks, glistening with droplets that slid off its surface. He stood tall, his elegant form radiating an almost otherworldly charm.
Feng Xiu was momentarily entranced, but Jun Ye shook out his wide sleeves and replied, “You disturb my cultivation, masquerade as the system in my consciousness, and yet you ask if that isn’t reason enough?”
Guilt flashed across Feng Xiu’s face, though he quickly masked it. Emboldened, he retorted, “I’m your dao companion! You went into seclusion right after we bonded, and now everyone on the forums is saying I married someone who’s cold as ice!”
His voice wavered with rising indignation. Feng Xiu prided himself on his appearance and figure, both highly ranked across the interstellar realm. The only thing “wrong” with him might be his gender, which wasn’t the one Jun Ye supposedly preferred.
When Jun Ye had mistaken him for a female phoenix, Feng Xiu hadn’t corrected him out of selfishness. That had been his mistake.
But after Jun Ye learned his true gender, hadn’t he still accepted him?
Despite their bond as dao companions, Jun Ye had kept his distance after their wedding night. Feng Xiu had been left bedridden for days after that single encounter, but once he recovered, Jun Ye’s treatment of him remained detached, neither cold nor warm, and devoid of physical intimacy.
If not for the affection he’d experienced in the derivative worlds, Feng Xiu might have truly believed that Jun Ye was completely indifferent to him.
With his grievances fueling him, Feng Xiu stood on the lotus platform, hands on his hips. “I’m your dao companion! You can’t confine me!”
Jun Ye paused mid-step, his voice calm but laced with warning. “If you want to leave, go ahead. Try it.”
As Jun Ye disappeared from view, Feng Xiu’s bravado evaporated. He slumped back onto the lotus platform, muttering, “I won’t try…”
Everyone knew the Divine Pool was guarded day and night by Jun Ye’s elite sentinels, ancient warriors who had fought alongside him since the primordial era. Their cultivation alone far exceeded Feng Xiu’s age. He had no desire to be dragged back by them in disgrace.
Rolling onto his back, Feng Xiu replayed his earlier outburst and groaned. Covering his head with his sleeve, he lamented, How could I have said that to him? I even called him cold as ice in front of his face!
After returning from the derivative worlds, he had grown far too audacious.
Surely, he thought, he’d be hated now. Ancient beings like Jun Ye, inheritors of primordial power, were naturally proud and would never tolerate such disrespect from a dao companion.
.
Meanwhile, the mystical beasts beneath the Divine Pool were startled by the sudden drop in temperature. Moments later, a burst of spiritual energy radiated from the pool’s barrier, far denser than anything outside. Though brief, the surge felt like divine nectar to the beasts, leaving them exhilarated.
“The Emperor has emerged from seclusion!” The slumbering beasts awoke, leaping and gazing up in awe.
Jun Ye, having left the Divine Pool, reviewed reports of major events that occurred during his 900-year retreat. Not long after, he received messages from various department heads requesting an audience.
“Have them wait in the conference hall,” Jun Ye instructed. His prolonged seclusion had indeed left many matters to address.
The intelligent central system chimed in at that moment: “Phoenix Lord has purchased the latest photon terminal, the twenty most popular snacks from the last century of interstellar hotels, and a collection titled How to Solve a Cold Partner Problem. He has requested their delivery to the Divine Pool.”
Jun Ye paused. “Let him have them.”
“Understood.”
At the edge of the pool, Feng Xiu stood on tiptoes, watching the horizon. Spotting a white-clad sentinel flying toward him with a large, ornate box, he waited impatiently.
The sentinel knelt upon landing, presenting the box with both hands. “Phoenix Lord.”
Feng Xiu didn’t immediately take it, instead glancing toward the pool’s exit. “Does the Emperor know I bought these things?” he asked, particularly concerned about the book collection.
“I wouldn’t know,” the sentinel replied stoically, betraying no hint that he had personally inspected and repacked the items.
“Never mind. Dismissed.” Feng Xiu waved him off as the box floated after him, guided by his power.
Settling on the lotus platform, Feng Xiu opened the box. Grabbing a snack, he leaned back and began flipping through the book titled How to Solve a Cold Partner Problem.
.
Jun Ye emerged from the conference hall late at night and instinctively headed toward his quarters. Midway, he remembered Feng Xiu was still confined to the Divine Pool and changed course.
The pool’s barrier shimmered as he passed through, landing on the jade-paved shore. The starlight scattered over the rippling water, and the central lotus platform glowed with a faint, warm light.
With his sharp eyesight, Jun Ye easily spotted Feng Xiu sprawled across the platform, fast asleep.
In a flash, Jun Ye appeared on a nearby petal of the lotus. Glancing around, he noted the starry quilt draped over the platform where he usually meditated. Feng Xiu had bundled himself in it like a cocoon, surrounded by scattered books, snacks, and other trinkets.
Clearly, his dao companion had enjoyed a full day.
Jun Ye sighed. His earlier anger at Feng Xiu’s interruptions had mostly dissipated. Shrugging off his outer robe, he lay down beside Feng Xiu and gazed at the starry sky. For the first time, he found the lotus platform unexpectedly tranquil outside of meditation.
After a while, he felt something was missing. Glancing at Feng Xiu’s cocooned form, he hesitated, then reached out to pull at the quilt.
“Mmngh…”
To his surprise, the tightly wrapped quilt loosened easily, Feng Xiu unconsciously offering half of it in his sleep.
Jun Ye studied his companion’s face. Feng Xiu was genuinely asleep, his expression peaceful.
Pulling the quilt over himself, Jun Ye closed his eyes. Not long after, he felt a sudden warmth as Feng Xiu shifted, his head landing heavily on Jun Ye’s chest.
“…”
“Mmngh… hurts…” Feng Xiu murmured groggily, rubbing his forehead against Jun Ye’s chest.
Jun Ye wrapped an arm around Feng Xiu’s shoulders to still him, only to hear his companion mumble, “Jun, my back feels so full… mm, front too… cloaca… can’t… won’t… lay eggs…”
“…”
Jun Ye remained silent, not wanting to know what dream Feng Xiu was having.
Thankfully, the phoenix didn’t ramble for long, murmuring a few soft “Jun”s before falling silent.
As he drifted off, Jun Ye’s mind wandered. Birds do have cloacas…
I wonder if phoenixes, as divine beasts, also have them.
.
Morning.
The warmth beside him gradually increased, and Jun Ye felt a bit lazy, unwilling to open his eyes—until he noticed someone lifting his tail.
His thoughts became instantly clear as Jun Ye’s eyes snapped open.
Feng Xiu, struggling to hold up the shark3No idea why it’s a shark tail when it was said that he’s a dragon…? tail: “…”
“You were pressing on my leg,” Feng Xiu explained softly.
Jun Ye’s gaze shifted downward, landing directly on the hand resting on his tail.
“Ahem… I was just trying to make you more comfortable…” Feng Xiu’s voice trailed off, but his hand didn’t retreat.
Feng Xiu felt bolder after one heart-to-heart with the Emperor. Otherwise, he’d never dare to do something like this in the past. Perhaps the nine centuries of companionship had made him believe the Emperor felt differently about him now.
“Let go,” Jun Ye said flatly.
Though his tone seemed emotionless, neither happy nor angry, their nine centuries together allowed Feng Xiu to pick up on the firmness in his voice.
Feng Xiu froze. He suddenly recalled a passage from the book he read yesterday: “On the first night of marriage, if intercourse is forced and rough, it can cause significant psychological and physical trauma, potentially turning mild sexual indifference into a severe condition…”
But wasn’t he the one who’d been bedridden for days afterward? He hadn’t turned indifferent—so why was Jun Ye?
“You clearly reacted,” Feng Xiu protested, unwilling to release the tail. He felt it twitch in his arms and hurriedly added, “I’m your Dao companion! You can’t hit me!”
“Oh?”
The shark tail indeed stopped moving. Feng Xiu nodded earnestly. “You can’t hit me. If you do, I’ll cry.”
Recalling that Jun Ye once said he looked good when crying, Feng Xiu quickly added, “And not the good-looking kind of crying—the kind that’ll break your heart!”
Ugly crying? Break his heart?
Jun Ye paused, then said patiently, “There’s no way I’ll let you press down on me.”
“I won’t! I’ll lie there quietly and let you—let you make me cry, the way you like…” Feng Xiu didn’t even know which kind of crying Jun Ye preferred.
From their only true union, all Feng Xiu remembered was that tears streamed from his eyes as soon as Jun Ye started touching him.
Whether Jun Ye was gentle or rough, as long as they stayed together, his tears wouldn’t stop.
The Emperor probably liked him crying like that; that night, Jun Ye’s eyes held both fire and starlight.
“Is that so?” Jun Ye raised a brow. “Then why do you have such strong counterattacking instincts in the derivative worlds?”
“I want to be with you,” Feng Xiu gently laid Jun Ye’s tail back down, leaned over, and pressed his cheek against it. “You’re always cultivating. Since becoming Dao companions, we’ve only done it once. If we could dual cultivate, we’d always be together.”
True, they’d only done it once…
Jun Ye fell silent for a moment before asking, “What does dual cultivation have to do with your obsession with counterattacking?”
Resting his chin on Jun Ye’s tail, Feng Xiu muttered, “I’m a male phoenix bird. According to my ancestral memory, the dual cultivation method doesn’t work for the one on the receiving end. I couldn’t learn any of the methods on the interstellar network either…”
“…So it’s the plight of a poor student?” Jun Ye tilted his head.
“Mm-hmm.” Feng Xiu didn’t mind being called a poor student. Avoiding Jun Ye’s gaze, he sneakily stuck out his tongue.
Born as a divine beast nurtured by nature, Feng Xiu was inherently powerful. He didn’t need human cultivation methods; given enough time, he could live as long as the heavens and earth.
Before his tongue could touch Jun Ye, the latter pushed him off. Confused, Feng Xiu watched as Jun Ye donned his outer robe with a wave of his hand.
“You… cold fish!” Feng Xiu was so frustrated that he wanted to bite the shark.
Jun Ye remained indifferent, smoothing his robe. “Your confinement is lifted. You can leave anytime.”
“Who said I wanted to leave?!” Feng Xiu rolled back under the covers, his heart aching as Jun Ye walked away. “This place has abundant spiritual energy and great scenery, and I get you as a pillow at night. I’m staying here—don’t even think about kicking me out…”
When the energy shield around the divine pool rippled, Feng Xiu peeked out from the blanket, but Jun Ye was already gone.
“Even if you’re cold, you’re still my Dao companion…”
Knowing Jun Ye would be busy for days after leaving seclusion, Feng Xiu buried his face in the blanket that still carried his scent.
Much later, Feng Xiu sat up and opened his photon terminal.
His life wasn’t all about Jun Ye. There were also those online commenters who called his Dao companion cold.
Feng Xiu angrily clicked into his favorite forum.
Yesterday, when he saw another influx of posts calling Jun Ye cold under a Jun-Feng4their couple name I guess lol fan thread, he exploded.
He didn’t get Jun Ye’s affection and called him cold in frustration—but how dare these people gossip about his Dao companion?
Jun Ye would never love them or make them cry, so why did they care if he was cold? Schadenfreude?
In a fit of rage, Feng Xiu had written several chapters of spicy fanfiction about Jun Ye.
Using his own experience, he wrote vivid scenes of a phoenix bird pecking scales, a shark tail slapping, drinking fish soup, and the Emperor flipping over a transformed shark… Each story was vibrant and intense.
Now, Feng Xiu checked the thread and found it had exploded, with over two thousand pages of replies.
I’m not sure what tf Jun Ye is exactly, but I guess it aligns with the previous worlds. Xiu Xiu is a bird throughout tho lol
Thanks for reading!
