"Hmph." Xu Yiyi was one to hold a grudge. Her bright, large eyes stared at the mocker.
Suddenly, the birds in the sky started flapping their wings and flew en masse toward that parent. He turned pale and tried to run into the auditorium but was knocked to the ground by a Black-Necked Crane.
"Don’t bite me, please don’t..." The man clutched his head, wailing miserably, his voice sharp and piercing.
Not a single bird pecked him. Instead, as they flew past, countless bird droppings fell simultaneously from above. In the blink of an eye, the parent was covered in a foul stench...
The mothers reacted the fastest, scooping up their children and quickly backing away. Strangely, only that small area was targeted; no one else was affected.
"I’m super fierce. See if you dare mess with me next time," Xu Yiyi muttered. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.net
"Tsk. Should have killed him!" Beibei, hidden inside the Grey Wolf costume, was irate. How dare he question Yiyi? He should be sunk to the bottom of the sea to feed the sharks. Just then, she sniffed the air and sensed a strong fluctuation of Spiritual Energy. Beibei couldn’t help but give Yiyi a deep, complex look. Has she finally started down this path?
How many birds were in the sky? No one knew.
But there were at least a few thousand, perhaps even ten thousand. They formed a dense, dark cloud, far too many to count. For the vast majority of people present, it was the first time in their lives they had ever seen so many birds flying at once.
"It’s so beautiful," an avian expert said, his eyes filled with shock. He took out the camera he’d brought to record his daughter’s performance and began taking pictures frantically. This trip was more than worth it! This is of immense research value!
While the expert was busy snapping photos, the bright sky suddenly darkened. It wasn’t because of clouds, but because a gigantic bird was flying low overhead.
It wasn’t just the parents and students in the kindergarten. Everyone in East Sea City who saw the enormous bird was left dumbstruck. What kind of bird was that? Its entire body was a translucent, fiery red, and its tail feathers left a trail of fiery clouds in its wake. It had the head of a rooster, the chin of a swallow, and the neck of a snake... It looked strikingly similar to the legendary Phoenix!
Following a resonant cry from the Phoenix, all the birds chirped in unison, following the fiery red creature as it soared into the heavens. Under the stunned gazes of countless onlookers, it transformed into a gigantic firework.
Amid the deafening sound, Xu Yiyi took a bow. "The magic show is over."
But the little girl saw that everyone was still looking up at the sky, paying her no attention. She ran over to Xu Lai’s side, feeling wronged. "Daddy, did Yiyi’s performance fail?"
"No, it was absolutely perfect," Xu Lai smiled. Over the past few days, he had been secretly teaching Yiyi how to use Spiritual Energy and communicate with birds behind Ruan Tang and Ruan Lan’s backs. He hadn’t expected his daughter’s talent to be so astonishing. She had actually condensed a fiery Phoenix with her Spiritual Power and used it to attract the other birds... That was how she had created the spectacle of A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix!
"Yiyi, you were amazing!" Ruan Tang lifted her daughter’s face and kissed her cheeks with pure joy and surprise.
The parents and students, belatedly snapping out of their daze, broke into thunderous applause, their expressions a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Was that really magic? Those countless birds were definitely real; the droppings on that one father were proof enough. But what about the Phoenix? If it was real too, that would be enough to shake Hua Country, to shake the entire world!
Even so, the news of a Phoenix appearing in the skies over East Sea City instantly shot to the top of trending searches. Of course, this had nothing to do with Xu Yiyi anymore, as Xu Lai was there to handle the aftermath for her.
After Xu Yiyi’s magic show concluded, the parents began voting for the "Best Performance Award."
Aside from the family of the man covered in bird droppings, most of the parents voted for Yiyi, followed by Qian Xiao. The combined votes for all the other students didn’t even amount to one-fifth of Yiyi’s total. This just showed how astonishing the "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" performance truly was!
The little girl held her trophy and happily presented it to Ruan Tang. "Mommy, this is for you."
"Mhm." Ruan Tang beamed. She didn’t care how her daughter had learned magic; all that mattered was that Yiyi was happy.
Ruan Tang left the kindergarten holding Xu Yiyi’s and Qian Xiao’s hands. Xu Lai stared at Qian Xiao’s back with a dark expression. If it weren’t for this bratty kid, I—her husband—should have been the one holding Ruan Tang’s hand right now!
"Xu Lai, let me kill him for you," Beibei said solemnly, squatting on Xu Lai’s shoulder and gripping the hilt of her sword. She was so frustrated. She had intended to sabotage Qian Xiao’s act on stage but was surprised to end up in second place. For her, this was nothing short of humiliation!
"And then when Yiyi gets angry, you’ll just blame me?" Xu Lai shot a sideways glance at the conch girl.
Beibei retorted guiltily, "...Am I that kind of conch?!"
Xu Lai pursed his lips. "Absolutely." But... Beibei’s suggestion was worth considering!
"Ugh." Walking ahead, Qian Xiao suddenly shivered. The sun was shining brightly, so why did he suddenly feel so cold? When he saw both Beibei and Xu Lai looking at him with friendly smiles, he instantly understood the source of the chill.
My name is Qian Xiao, a second-generation heir from a wealthy local family in East Sea City. I was supposed to live a carefree life of extravagance, but instead, I live every day in fear. Not only does that Sea Demon want to kill me, but even my big boss Yiyi’s father, Uncle Xu, can’t stand the sight of me.
"My life is so hard! Aunt Ruan Tang, save me!" Qian Xiao couldn’t help but choke up.
"Why are you scaring Qian Xiao again?" Ruan Tang glared at Xu Lai and Beibei. "And Beibei, you can’t bully Qian Xiao!"
How was that scaring him? I was just thinking about it; I hadn’t even decided to act yet.
"Mistress, I’m sorry," Beibei sobbed, her eyes welling with tears. "Actually, Xu Lai and I were just wondering if we should teach Qian Xiao ’A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix,’ but since he’s so against the idea..."
"Uncle Xu! Sister Beibei! I want to learn!" Qian Xiao immediately hugged Xu Lai’s thigh and refused to let go. He was so excited, he pressed his face right against Xu Lai’s pant leg. He even went back to calling Beibei "Sister" after she had just tricked him.
Qian Xiao really never learns his lesson. To think he’d still trust Beibei after she’d already duped him. But I have to admit, Beibei is a consummate actress. Those few teardrops she shed almost had me convinced.
Although Ruan Tang was a bit skeptical, she didn’t say anything more.
Beibei wiped away her tears and said with a bitter expression, "Forget it, Qian Xiao. You won’t be able to handle it. Learning this skill is very exhausting, after all."
"Your physical fitness isn’t good enough."
"I can train." Qian Xiao pounded his chest and declared, "Sister Beibei, you can train me however you want! I have to learn that move!"
As long as I master A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, what kindergarten could I not conquer? Dominating Hua Country and taking on the world, becoming bigger and stronger—it’s just a matter of time!
"Are you sure?" Beibei wiped away the last of her tears, her smile as warm as a spring breeze.
"Positive!" Qian Xiao nodded vehemently, having completely forgotten the fear of being dominated by Beibei that he’d felt that morning.
"There’s a small waterfall on the back of Mount Haitang," Beibei said earnestly. "The first step is to stand under it for ten seconds."
Waterfall endurance training?