Chen Changsheng brought that small flower back.

Manyue saw it and said, “Phoenix Flower?”

“Phoenix Flower?”

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment and asked, “The story says the Divine Bird Phoenix lands on Phoenix Trees, so this Phoenix Flower shouldn’t be an Evil Spirit, right?”

Manyue asked, “What if the Phoenix was also an Evil Spirit?”

“You mean this Phoenix Flower was stained with the breath of the Evil Phoenix?”

Chen Changsheng paused and said, “Have you seen a Phoenix?”

Manyue nodded and said, “Back when Yu Xuan used Evil Spirits to control the mountains and rivers, there was a Phoenix covered all over with Evil Qi!”

“So that’s how it was…”

Chen Changsheng murmured. He glanced at the Phoenix Flower in his palm and after thinking for a bit, he asked, “By the way, this Phoenix Flower grew on a tree originally, right? Can it live if planted in soil?”

“Aren’t you going to raise it?”

“Just bored.”

Manyue raised her eyebrows and said, “It’s an Evil Spirit!”

“As long as it’s a flower.”

“…”

Seeing this, Manyue stopped arguing with Chen Changsheng. After all, it was him who caught it.

“Evil Spirits don’t even need soil to live.”

“That is handy.”

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment, then stuck that Phoenix Flower onto a tree branch in front of him.

“Aren’t you afraid he might run away?”

“Otherwise, why would I place him so close to you?”

Manyue was speechless. She just shook her head over and over, then turned into a leaf and went back to heal her wounds.

Chen Changsheng took a look at that small flower.

He took a drink from a wine jug in his hand.

Honestly, this Phoenix Flower was actually quite pretty.

Chen Changsheng thought for a bit and remembered when he fed wine to Red Fish before.

Thinking of that, he poured some wine onto that Phoenix Flower.

Chen Changsheng clearly felt the Phoenix Flower’s aura weaken a little. It seemed dizzy, probably drunk.

“Good.”

Chen Changsheng nodded with satisfaction. He hoped that one day this Phoenix Flower could grow up to be like Yu Hongjin.

Late at night, the Phoenix Flower woke up.

He looked down and saw an unusual leaf beneath him.

That aura was all too familiar!

Wasn’t this the Heavenly Dao?

His thought of escaping was shattered right there.

Chen Changsheng seemed to enjoy planting flowers.

In the morning when he got up, he would pour some “water” on that Phoenix Flower. Even though the water was a bit strong, he figured that since the Phoenix Flower was an Evil Spirit anyway, it wouldn’t be watered to death.

But for the Phoenix Flower, it was torture.

After passing out in a daze, he couldn’t heal his wounds at all.

“There’s a flower growing on the tree!”

Ruyi felt especially amazed when she saw that Phoenix Flower.

She remembered that this tree didn’t seem to blossom before.

“Why did only one grow?” Ruyi muttered.

Ruyi looked at it carefully, then frowned and said, “Eek, why is it ugly yet pretty!”

“Huh?”

Ping’an, who was practicing swordplay, paused and said, “Elder Sister, what does ugly yet pretty mean?”

“Ping’an, no talking.”

“…”

Chen Changsheng asked, “Ruyi, why do you think this flower is ugly?”

Ruyi blinked and said, “It looks pretty, but feels odd. The more I look, the uglier it gets.”

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng thought about it.

It seemed children could feel things ordinary people couldn’t.

Maybe it was because of the Evil Qi?

“Uncle Chen, do you think it’s pretty?”

“Uncle Chen also thinks it’s ugly.”

“Then what to do?” Ruyi thought for a moment and said, “Let Ping’an chop it off!”

Chen Changsheng laughed and said, “Better not chop it. Having a flower grow isn’t easy.”

Ruyi found this reasonable and nodded. “You have a point.”

Over the next day.

Ruyi would often glance at that flower.

Every now and then, Ruyi would mutter.

“So ugly…”

“Growing uglier.”

“Ugly flower.”

It seemed Ruyi truly didn’t like this flower.

And the Phoenix Flower hanging on the tree was cursed at all day.

Of course he was angry.

No one had dared to insult him like this before.

He had already held a grudge against Ruyi.

‘After I heal my wounds, I will make you pay!’

But right now…

How could he dare to fight back? He left the tiger’s den only to fall into the wolf’s lair.

Chen Changsheng paused and looked toward that Phoenix Flower.

The Phoenix Flower felt his heart skip a beat and couldn’t help getting nervous.

Chen Changsheng walked over with the wine jug.

“You have a lot of nerve.”

A voice suddenly made the Phoenix Flower freeze.

Chen Changsheng picked up the wine jug in his hand, and immediately poured it on the Phoenix Flower.

A moment later, the Phoenix Flower passed out.

Ruyi blinked and said, “What is Uncle Chen doing?”

“Watering the flower.”

“Uncle Chen isn’t very smart. He should water it at the roots for it to work.”

“Your Uncle Chen likes doing that.”

Ruyi pressed her lips together, thinking Uncle Chen was a fool. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Pingan sniffed and smelled the scent of alcohol. He asked, “Is Uncle Chen using water to water it? How come I smell alcohol?”

“This flower is different. It likes that stuff.”

“Flowers love drinking too?”

Chen Changsheng paused, then nodded and said, “Probably.”

Pingan looked at the Phoenix Flower and said, “So cool. A flower that can drink wine.”

Chen Changsheng smiled, then immediately sat back down.

He turned his head and looked at Ruyi. He had to say it; Ruyi was getting better at her sewing work. Now she could sew up some nice patterns.

“What are you sewing?” Chen Changsheng asked.

“Ruyi won’t tell Uncle Chen.”

“Then I’ll see it after Ruyi finishes sewing,” Chen Changsheng said.

“I won’t let you look!”

Ruyi shot a glance at Chen Changsheng, then turned away quickly, showing him her back.

It looked like she was stopping Chen Changsheng from sneaking a peek.

After night came, the little yard became quiet.

Chen Changsheng was sitting there resting.

But all of a sudden, Manyue’s voice could be heard.

Manyue asked, “Apart from watching kids, don’t you have anything else to do all day?”

Chen Changsheng thought for a bit and said, “Watering the flower.”

“It’s still drunk now. If you water it again, it might die.”

“I was not hoping to keep it alive anyway.”

Manyue did not know whether to laugh or cry. She thought to herself how unlucky the Phoenix Flower was to end up in Chen Changsheng’s hands.

Chen Changsheng straightened up and said, “Now that you say that, it’s a bit true. I really am kind of bored every day. I should find something to do.”

“Huh?” Manyue looked at him.

Chen Changsheng said, “I heard there is an opera house in Qingshan City that sings songs really well. It should be busy right now.”

“…”

Manyue had no idea what to say.

“Keep an eye on that flower for me.”

Chen Changsheng said this, and then right away stepped out the door.

Manyue asked, “Are you really going to the opera house?”

“Or what?”

Chen Changsheng said this and left.

That night, he spent the whole time listening to songs at the opera house, only coming back when morning was almost here.

And the Phoenix Flower had just woken up from the wine.

Before it could get up fully, another jug of wine got poured over it.

“…”

The Phoenix Flower thought to itself it would have been better to die in the Desolate Sea instead.