Phoenix Fire
Main Characters
– **Changying**: Imperial Second Princess of Celestial Clan and Yi Nuo, the second legitimate daughter of the Celestial Monarch and High Goddess Bai Qian. She is the second born of the triplets and the only disciple of the God of Medicine. During her mortal trial, she assumes the mortal identity of Yi Nuo.
– **Rulin**: First Prince of the Phoenix Clan, the legitimate first son of the Phoenix Emperor and his Queen. He is the apparent heir to become the next Phoenix Emperor.
**Celestial Tribe**
– **Skylord Yehua**: Heavenly Emperor, Second born legitimate son of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. Younger twin of Mo Yuan.
– **Mo Yuan**: God Of War, Master of Kunlun Mountain, First born legitimate son of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. Older twin brother of SkyLord Ye Hua.
– **Bai Lianhua**: Celestial Empress, wife to SkyLord Ye Hua.
– **A-Li**: Imperial Crown Prince of the Celestial Clan. First legitimate son of Celestial Monarch Ye Hua and High Goddess Bai Qian.
– **Changchang**: Imperial First Princess of the Celestial Clan. First legitimate daughter of Celestial Monarch Ye Hua and High Goddess Bai Qian, eldest triplet. She is a disciple of the God of War.
**Qingqui Fox Tribe**
– **Bai Qian**: High Goddess, Gugu, Fox Empress of Qingqui Green Hills Wilderness.
– ** Yingpei**: King of the Green Hill Wilderness. Imperial Second Prince Yingpei of the Celestial Clan. Second legitimate son of Celestial Monarch Ye Hua and High Goddess Bai Qian, third born of the triplet.
– **Zhe Yan**: Phoenix immortal and one of the few remaining primordial High Gods. Princess Changying’s Shifu.
– **Bai Zhen**: King of the Green Hill Wilderness. Fourth son of the Fox King, Bai Qian’s elder brother
**Ghost Realm**
– **Li Peng**: Ghost Lord, Ghost Tribe’s third prince, younger biological brother of previous Ghost Lord Li Jing
– **Yan Zhi**: Ghost Tribe’s Eldest Princess, Previous Demon Lord Qing Cang’s daughter
– **Zi Lan**: Ghost Tribe’s Prince Consort husband to Princess Yan Zhi, previously Kunlun Disciple
**Phoenix Realm Legitimate Branch**
– **Feng Yi**: Phoenix Emperor ruler of the Phoenix Clan
– **Ma Yuexi**: Phoenix Empress
– **Lian Xu**: First Phoenix Princess
– **Zhang He**: Prince Consort to Princess Lian Xu
– **An Lan**: Second Phoenix Princess
– **Zhi Lue**: Firefly spirit Yi Nuo (Princess Changying) personal servant
– Leyang**: Flying Qilin**: Prince Rulin’s mount
**Phoenix Emperor’s Second Branch**
– **Consort Lie Xi**: Phoenix emperor’s second wife
– **Feng Ming**: Second Phoenix Prince
**Mortal Realm**
– **Abbess Lian Qian**: Yi Nuo’s adoptive mother
– **Xingyu**: Yi Nuo’s sister in the monastery
– **Feng Jun Hie**: Yi Nuo’s sister of the monastery and best friend
Chapter One
When I was young, I struggled to understand my mother and her decisions. I often felt embarrassed by her and thought she was weak for not returning to Nine Heavens upon realizing she wasn’t SuSu. I believed that if it were me, I would have immediately gone back for my child and confronted Su Jin and everyone who had wronged me. That was my perspective at the time. However, after waking up in Zhe Yan’s orchard, following the torment of my mortal trial inflicted by Phoenix fire, I only wanted to erase those memories. The only person who truly understood and empathized with me was my mother, Bai Qian.
The White Lotus, Bai Lianhua, whom we all believed to be our mother’s reincarnation, turned out not to be. Three hundred years after Bai Lianhua and my father’s marriage, my biological mother, Bai Qian, was resurrected just in time to save me from following her vengeful path. Despite my mother’s warning, I rushed to experience my mortal trial, disappearing for many years only to be found by her upon my return. Kneeling among the peach trees, she tearfully apologized, saying I was somehow atoning for her past sins. Her tears mingled with mine as she cradled me, bringing a sense of returning to innocence and safety. She then gave me an amnesia potion to drink, bringing a sweet relief from my heartbreak and bitterness. As I consumed it, my memories from my mortal trial began to blur and fade, though not for as long as I had hoped.
Five Years Earlier
The Hall Of Celestial Deliberation is where immortals gather to contemplate Taoist discussions and debates. However, today, it was the only place large enough to accommodate all those in attendance. Excluding Uncle Mo Yuan, Zhe Yan and Donghui Dijun, the rulers of all eight wildernesses and four seas, along with other prominent immortals, are gathered here to discuss the topic that everyone is talking about: the resurrection of my mother, High Goddess Bai Qian.
“How can we be certain of her true identity?” ponders the King of the Golden Desert, his long white beard perfectly complementing his thick bushy eyebrows and knee-length hair. “If she is indeed Gugu, then who exactly is Empress Bai Lianhua? And why didn’t High God Zhe Yan use a life force integrity spell to confirm her as the rightful vessel of High Goddess Bai Qian’s soul?”
I am currently serving as my father’s secretary, but I also feel responsible for speaking on behalf of my Shifu when he is absent. “I, Princess Changying, will answer the Golden Desert King’s question for my Shifu. High God Zhe Yan decided not to cast the soul-integrity spell because of Empress Bai Lianhua’s pregnancy and her eighteen years of living as a mortal. This decision was made to prioritize the safety of Empress Bai Lianhua and the imperial offsprings.”
As I straighten my back, a symphony of cracking and popping sounds fills my ears, resulting from sitting still for too long. I sneak a stretch as I lightly place my brush across the inkwell, the smooth surface cool against my fingertips. Patiently, I wait for the trivial wordplay to subside. My father, a stickler for facts, prefers his annals to be neat and precise, dismissing anything else as irrelevant.
The tiny Southern Sea King, barely reaching my shoulders on tiptoes, his small, nearly nonexistent eyes blinking slowly, with pearls and shells delicately braided into his hair, creates a faint tinkling sound as he noisily sips his tea then asks, “Why didn’t Qingqui report Gugu’s body appearing there after her death on Kunlun Mountain? Shouldn’t the Fox Emperor Bai Zhi have reported his abdication to High Goddess Bai Qian?”
“The rule of the Green Wilderness Qingqui realm is not subject to Celestial Laws. Distinguished immortals, we are not obligated to report our actions. Allow me to clarify, our Fox Empress is indeed my mother, High Goddess Bai Qian.” Yingpei retorts with a newfound confidence. Just like his towering height, he has grown into his role as the King of Eastern Qingqui. “My Royal Grandfather is at the age when he cares not for official matters, and all he wants to do is catch fish while leisurely smoking his pipe. He abdicated to Empress Mother as he had hoped to all along.”
Silence descends upon the hall as Yingpei speaks out boldly. His statement is indisputable. Qingqui, our ally, is not bound by Celestial laws. The Fox clan’s secrecy about mother’s body puzzles many, just like the immortals present. My siblings and I only recently learned, on my grandmother’s insistence, that the family hid my mother’s body in the same sacred cave where Uncle Mo Yuan was kept. My mother reappeared in Qingqui after dying on Kunlun Mountain, and my grandmother preserved her remains for fifty thousand years. Another mystery is why my grandfather and uncles continued preserving my mother after Bai Lianhua’s birth.
We thought Bai Lianhua was our mother’s reincarnation for three hundred years until her return proved otherwise, leaving everyone with too many unanswered questions. Sadly, the truth lies with our maternal grandmother, who carried her secrets with her into oblivion. Grandfather did reveal that our grandmother married into the Nine-Tailed White Fox clan, although she was not a Fox herself. Though captivated by her at first glance and despite their courtship, he had limited knowledge of her background, only knowing she was raised by a revered sisterhood of powerful empaths with telepathic capabilities, light manipulators, and Saintesses who pieced together lost souls and guided them to the afterlife. Grandfather said the cause of her death was her profound sorrow, for she, a soul gatherer, could find other souls but not her daughter’s.
“Qingqui reporting or not reporting is not the issue at hand. Fellow immortals, we must now address the important matter of determining the legitimate empress. Empress Bai Lianhua and the Skylord conducted all six sacred marriage rites with numerous witnesses. On the other hand, Fox Empress Bai Qian and the Skylord had a private marriage during her calamity, making that union less valid. The Skylord should establish and designate Gugu as the secondary wife and Bai Lianhua as the primary legitimate wife.” The King of the Five Sacred Mountains petitions, avoiding eye contact with me, A-li, or Yingpei, as he knows his implications are brazen.
Shouting echoes through the debate hall as one person’s voice drowns out the others. Accusations fly, fingers point, and hostile stares are exchanged. But it is my future father-in-law, the Phoenix Emperor, with his flushed face matching his vermilion cloak, speaks above the rest. “How dare he! The King of the Sacred Five Mountain suggestion is outrageous,” he exclaims. “By declaring Crown Prince A-li, Princess Changchang, Saintess Changying, and Qingqui King Yingpei as illegitimate offspring of the second branch, he is crossing a line! I urge the Skylord to clarify.”
The King of the Five Sacred Mountains responds firmly, “The Phoenix Emperor should not be upset and misinterpret others’ words!”
The impassioned argument continues until Yingpei stands up, holding the decree. He kneels before father, arms outstretched, to convey mother’s message. “According to the Qingqui marital laws, a monogamous clan like ours considers taking another wife as grounds for an uncontestable divorce. Empress Bai Qian has issued a royal decree ending her marriage with the Skylord to prevent any misunderstandings or conflicts regarding Empress Bai Lianhua, henceforth being the only legitimate wife of the Skylord.”
Neither of us looks to see Father’s reaction, knowing his silence is not positive. When I quickly stand up to take the edict from Yingpei’s hand, we share a glance of understanding. Although none of us desires this divorce, we understand our mother’s rationale. She is protecting us, Bai Lianhua and her children, to guarantee that no one questions Bai Lianhua’s seat in the phoenix throne. She’s well aware Bai Lianhua is intimidated and fears mother will try to reclaim father which she won’t even though she still desires and loves him. Mother believes that her becoming an old spinster is a karmic consequence for tormenting my innocent father. She said it serves her right for dragging a fine, virtuous young man through hell and back numerous times.
“Aya! Has Gugu forgotten her proprieties?” exclaims another immortal with a pinched-up face, expressing his dismay at Yingpei, whom he considers a child delivering such news, which he views as a direct display of contempt and disrespect. “To have a mere child deliver a message of such importance, such as an edict for divorce, is a direct insult to the Skylord. It would have been appropriate for Gugu to deliver the mandate personally….” An announcement is made almost immediately after those words are spoken: “Her Royal Highness Fox Empress of Qingqui, High Goddess Bai Qian has arrived and is entering the Hall of Celestial Deliberation.”
Suddenly, stillness descends in the hall as my mother makes her first public appearance. Returning three years ago, she’s remained in Qingqui, refusing all gifts and visitors who requested meetings, citing health concerns as her reason. Only the Fox family, my siblings, I, and Zhe Yan have seen her until now. My parents are meeting for the first time in 60,303 years, and my poor father is holding his breath again.