Bai Ling and Lu Linsheng arrived near Mount Shenmu. From afar, they could see a huge wutong tree on the high mountain. Reaching here meant they would soon enter the habitat of the Phoenix Clan.

The demon carrying them had been running wildly non-stop along the way. If it showed the slightest sign of slackening, Lu Linsheng would pinch its long tongue and pull it tight, causing it to go mad with pain.

Intelligent demons, unlike demonic beasts, were unwilling to be driven by others. It kept trying to counter-attack, but Lu Linsheng didn't care how fierce it was. He casually tore off a piece of skin from the raging demon and made a move to tear the flesh underneath. The demon, in pain, would then behave.

Every time Bai Ling saw Lu Linsheng do this, she was at a loss for words. A harmless appearance could really deceive people. She always forgot that Lu Linsheng was not actually a weak scholar. Even his brutal appearance when devouring demons was beautified in her memory into "he was too hungry so ate a bit hastily, the food was a bit special but he's actually very harmless, especially cute when he smiles".

After "speeding" for a few days and nearing their destination, Lu Linsheng finally let go of the demon's long tongue.

"Ordinary demons can't enter from here. The divine wood of the Phoenix Clan is pure. Approaching it will turn them to ashes." Saying this, he pulled Bai Ling and together they jumped off the demon's back.

That demon stood up, let out a loud roar, turned its head and pounced towards the two, looking like it wanted to avenge its humiliation. Then Bai Ling watched with her own eyes as Lu Linsheng's entire body turned into clusters of black silk threads, like an open mouth catching the pouncing demon head-on, wrapping it in the black threads.

The next moment he turned back into human form, smiled at her, and continued: "So for the rest of the way, we'll walk by ourselves. We may encounter members of the Phoenix Clan."

Bai Ling: "No, I've been wondering, do you never chew thoroughly when you eat these things?"

When she was a child, she liked to swallow her food whole, not chewing it. Grandma always scolded her, saying it was bad for digestion, insisting she chew each mouthful over a dozen times before allowing her to swallow it.

"Eating like this, isn't it bad for digestion?"

It was easy to digest. A demon like this, once absorbed into his body, could be digested in moments. But Lu Linsheng didn't say that. He said, "I was a bit hungry and didn't pay attention. Next time I'll chew before eating."

Hearing this, Bai Ling felt she had wronged him. The past few days as they hurried on their way, she hadn't let Lu Linsheng eat many demons. Look how hungry he was, he must have suffered too much before.

"Is there anything around here you can eat? Otherwise, let's go find something for you to fill your stomach first." Bai Ling asked.

Lu Linsheng shook his head obediently, "No need, let's go to the Phoenix Clan first. If I get hungry, I'll find something to eat myself. Don't worry, I won't eat random things."

Bai Ling once again had the illusion that Lu Linsheng was pitiful and well-behaved.

They arrived at the foot of Mount Shenmu. Bai Ling saw two demons in bright feathered clothes waiting. Seeing the two of them, they said with a smile, "The Phoenix Queen is already waiting, follow us."

Bai Ling brought Lu Linsheng forward. They didn't stop Lu Linsheng, just looked at them curiously. After going up the mountain, many bird demons appeared. The Phoenix Clan's numbers had dwindled, but they were still the kings of all birds.

Not only phoenixes lived on Mount Shenmu, but also many bird demons. Halfway up the mountain, a large residential area appeared. The houses there were uniquely beautiful, woven into various shapes. The men and women coming and going mostly wore brightly colored feathered clothes and decorations, making it quite lively.

Compared to the current human realm, this place was more like a utopia. Bai Ling even saw several playful children with soft yellow plumage on their heads and two spots of orange blush on their cheeks, especially cute. Under the trees, there were bird demons with stalls selling things, mostly beautiful jewelry.

They were skilled at weaving, and their handicrafts were beautiful to behold. Bai Ling couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

Passing through the lively residential area, as they approached the huge wutong tree in the center, it gradually became quiet. One of the two people leading the way entered the palace under the tree, while the other stayed outside to wait with them.

Bai Ling heard music coming from overhead and couldn't help but look up. On several branches above, a young man wearing phoenix feathered clothes was playing an instrument. The music was light and nimble, occasionally interspersed with a bit of humming, also extraordinarily pleasant to hear. That man was good-looking, but after a few glances, Bai Ling lowered her head.

No good, he was sitting too high, looking at him made her dizzy.

The bird demon beside them proudly introduced to them: "That is Lord Feng Chi, the only son of our Phoenix Queen. The phoenix zither he plays is a unique skill in our clan, rarely heard! Every time he plays, it attracts swarms of females in our clan, and flocks of birds join in harmony."

Bai Ling had no interest. She knew nothing about musical instruments, but still politely complimented it as nice-sounding. Lu Linsheng looked up at Feng Chi in the tree for a while. When Bai Ling called out to him, he moved his gaze and smiled at her.

The two went to see the Phoenix Queen. The current head of the Phoenix Clan was the Phoenix Queen, a woman who looked like a young maiden in her late teens, but was about the same age as Bai Ling's father, the old White Dragon King.

"I understand your purpose in coming here," the Phoenix Queen said, looking stern but with a gentle attitude. "Your parents and I have had dealings in the past, and could be considered friends. But with the imminent escape of the Demon Dragon, I'm sure you are well aware of your own situation. I wish I could protect you, but the Phoenix Clan is also in decline, now only taking refuge here. I can only bless this area and dare not provoke the Demon Dragon to bring disaster to the clan. I am truly sorry."

Before coming, Bai Ling had actually already guessed this outcome. Hearing this, she wasn't disappointed and said generously, "Phoenix Queen, there's no need to apologize. If you are willing to help me, I would naturally be grateful. But if you don't help me, it's also understandable. I still have to thank the Phoenix Queen for being willing to see me."

If they had shown her no courtesy and simply driven her away at the foot of the mountain, that was also a possibility she had considered. In her previous life, she had seen many such people.

After her maternal grandparents passed away in her previous life, she was all alone with no one to depend on, a great burden that no relatives were willing to take on. From a certain perspective, it was very similar to the current situation.

Hearing her say this, the Phoenix Queen's eyes were full of pity and sighs. "Since you have already come here, I can't let you return empty-handed. I invite you and your friend to stay here for two days. I want to give you a gift."

Because of the Phoenix Queen's words, Bai Ling and Lu Linsheng decided to stay here temporarily. Bai Ling herself was in no hurry, as being anxious would be useless anyway.

Only Old Seashell was crying and whining, producing a bunch of pearls again. Bai Ling picked them up and put them away, then took Lu Linsheng to see the places where their tribe sold things, as she was still interested in shopping.

She squatted at a stall looking at various blades on display, most of which were polished bone knives. Who knows what creature's bones they were made from, but they were hard and sharp, not inferior to forged sword edges. There were also a few green wooden knives, which were for decoration.

While she was looking at the knives, Lu Linsheng's attention was drawn to the jeweled feather ornaments at the stall next door.

The stall owner selling the goods was adorned with a dazzling array of ornaments, with various gems reflecting light, making one's eyes hurt just by glancing at them. One could only hear his soft, delicate voice, "Look at these gems, they were mined from Nanyu Mountain. See how shiny they are? Females all love these shiny things!"

When Lu Linsheng devoured demons, he would occasionally gain some of their memories, thus learning many things. For example, he now recalled a vague memory saying that the dragon clan loved those shiny things. Seeing those glittering gems, he stepped forward.

There were two other male demons buying jewelry in front of the stall. They were talking about their mates, arguing about what kind of jewelry they would like and about their own status in the family.

One male demon in a red feather robe said, "My wife gives me money every month. I've been saving for a long time, originally wanting to buy something I like, but seeing this makes me want to buy it for her. It looks good, just too expensive."

The other male demon in a yellow and black feather robe laughed at him, "You don't even have a little private money at home, too pitiful. I have a secret stash of money, enough to buy my wife two of these gem necklaces!"

"Of course I have private money saved, just not much!"

The colorful male demon selling the goods said to them, "Oh, you two are both good male demons who cherish your wives. When it comes to doting on wives, no race can compare to us bird clan of Shenmu Mountain!"

Hearing this, the two revealed proud smiles on their faces. The colorful boss then asked Lu Linsheng, who had been standing aside watching for a while, "This customer is from outside, what do you want to buy? Look at this kind of gem, it's been very popular lately, with many people buying it, all for their own females. It's kind of a specialty here. I see you came with that customer over there, why not buy her a few things?"

After looking for a while, Lu Linsheng remembered that he had given all his money to Bai Ling, and he certainly wouldn't be willing to trade pearls, so he said, "I have no money to buy."

The red-robed male demon couldn't help saying, "Brother, you're even more pitiful than me. At least I can still afford to buy one thing."

The yellow-black robed male demon asked him, "Yeah, brother, you didn't keep any private money?"

Lu Linsheng: "What is private money?"

The male demons: "..." Lost! Lost to a demon from another tribe!

Bai Ling walked over holding two bone knives, "What are you looking at?" Seeing the colorful gems on the stall, she paused, "You like these?"

Lu Linsheng likes these shiny gems? Oh no, this is just too cute!

"Pick whichever ones you want, I'll give them to you." Bai Ling said, handing him a bone knife, "I saw this bone knife over there, sharp enough. This one is for you to play with."

The male demons: "..." The wives at home lost too!

Shenmu Mountain rarely had visitors. Everyone lived on the same mountain and knew each other.

So when Bai Ling and Lu Linsheng came here, although the bird demons didn't show much curiosity to their faces, they spread this fresh news behind their backs. In less than a day, most of the bird demons knew that these two guests were a couple, and that the male demon named Lu Linsheng was doted on by his wife at home, making the male demons on Shenmu Mountain envious.

"Is that a dragon? How did she end up with a little demon with such weak demonic energy?"

"Dragons have never cared about these things. Didn't we used to have dragons running over here to pursue others? Flying in the sky, crawling on the ground, swimming in the sea, there's nothing dragons dare not do."

Bai Ling didn't notice the bird demons chirping behind their backs. She quite liked this beautiful place, and it would be even better if the guest room arranged for her wasn't high up on a tree branch.

The custom here for treating guests was that the more distinguished the guest, the higher the room. Bai Ling started feeling dizzy just standing on the second branch, let alone going up a few more layers. She could only ask to sleep in the room below.

The room at the bottom was exquisite and small. Lying inside, moonlight spilled in and the fragrance of flowers could be smelled from outside. Bai Ling lay down to rest for a while, feeling shadows swaying outside, so she got up and pushed the door open to take a look.

Lu Linsheng was sitting outside on a chair made of vines, holding a strange-looking instrument in his hands.

Bai Ling pushed the door open and walked out to his side, "You're not resting? What is this thing, I seem to have seen someone on the tree playing it this morning too."

Lu Linsheng showed her the instrument in his hands, "This is a phoenix zither. Didn't you say it sounded nice? I went to find that person and learned a bit. He said I have talent and gave me a zither."

It was a moon-shaped instrument with a short handle wrapped in colorful ribbons, and twelve strings stretched across the wooden surface that looked like a full moon. Bai Ling casually plucked it, and the string on the side snapped with a twang.

Bai Ling: "..."

Lu Linsheng: "It's okay, it's okay, these strings are indeed a bit thin, they break with a little force. It's just too easy to break."

Bai Ling cursed herself in her heart, telling herself not to randomly touch things! Now it's broken! One look and you know he wasn't sleeping at night, hugging this thing and sitting at the door, just wanting to play it for you, and now you've ruined it, how can he play it!

Lu Linsheng: "Although one string is broken, it should still be playable. Do you want to listen?"

Bai Ling immediately applauded to encourage him, "Yes! Play, play, play!"

When she wasn't talking, sitting like this in the moonlight, she was like a little fairy. Of course, in Lu Linsheng's eyes, she was still a fairy even when she spoke.

After Lu Linsheng finished playing a tune, Bai Ling asked him, "Do you really have talent?"

Lu Linsheng: "The person who taught me the phoenix zither said I was too talented and he couldn't teach me anymore. Then he gave me the instrument and told me to practice more on my own."

Bai Ling: "How can you be so happy? He was just fed up with you!"

The smile on Lu Linsheng's face slowly faded away. He lowered his head and plucked a few more notes sluggishly.

Bai Ling: "Alright, I'm not fed up with you. Just keep practicing slowly. In the future, you'll definitely play better than that person."