As the hour approached Hai, the moon was bright, and stars were sparse.
The reminiscing was almost over. Tomorrow was Si Lingxi's three-thousandth birthday feast. Red Crane and the other maids needed to return to check various details.
"At that ti, let Bai Yuan lead you there," Si Lingxi said with a smile. "Go directly to the hall."
Lu Zheng nodded, then patted the gourd, retrieving a scroll from inside. "A birthday gift for you. Happy Birthday."
"Happy Birthday?"
Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying had grown accustod to this phrase, but it was the first ti Si Lingxi heard it. Finding it interesting, she reached out to take the scroll, thanked him, and then unfolded it.
Under the moonlight, as the scroll unfurled, its surface emitted a faint red glow.
The next mont, the complete scroll was displayed before Si Lingxi.
The scroll's predominant color was red, featuring an exceptionally beautiful woman in a Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Golden Patterned Red Brocade Palace Attire, with a Phoenix Spreading Wings Golden Threaded Red Pearl Phoenix Hairpin, her phoenix eyes vibrant, her expression cold, sitting atop a solitary peak, with a red-stringed Phoenix Tail Zither placed beside her, playing it with concentration.
Surrounded by jagged rocks, the evergreen pine and cypress on the summit, the cold wind howling, and the clouds floating, only accentuated the woman's cold aloofness.
Behind the endless clouds was a golden sun, its rays piercing through, yet unable to prevent the absorption of its light turning the clouds a deep red, all because, behind the woman, hovered an airborne Fire Phoenix.
Yes, hovering in mid-air behind the focused woman was a phoenix resplendent in fiery red. Although its details were obscure, its magnificence and proud spirit were vividly portrayed.
A blaze of red, rivaling the sun!
Above and beneath the heavens, only the Phoenix Maiden reigns supre!
...
Si Lingxi was accomplished in piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Lu Zheng had already witnessed her mastery of the first two. If it weren't for Wansong Daoist and himself as anomalies, she would indeed be unparalleled in the world. So when he heard Shen Ying's evaluation of his painting and her suggestion to gift Si Lingxi a portrait, Lu Zheng took it to heart.
Recently, Lu Zheng had put all his effort into enhancing his painting skills, studying paintings from the Great Jing Dynasty on one side while researching both ancient and modern works from around the world on the other, delving into painting techniques and ntal realms. On top of that, he could materialize these realms with magical power…
So a few days ago, Lu Zheng went to White Cloud Temple, exchanged for six pieces of excellent Phoenix Tree Wood for the fra, and used three sheets of delicate plain cloud paper for the scroll, capable of bearing his full spellcasting. He then secluded himself to paint, one of the creations being the present "Phoenix Maiden Playing the Zither Painting".
...
The four maids, including Red Crane, stood behind Si Lingxi and were the first to see the painting, feeling the emanating cold aloofness within, involuntarily letting out a soft gasp, eyes wide, in shock.
At the forefront, Si Lingxi was naturally more impacted, her eyes shimring with brilliance.
The painting's innovative techniques, ingenious delineation, and mysterious ntal realm were all exceedingly rare, not inferior to the works of many renowned masters she had encountered, even surpassing them in expressiveness.
Compared to his initial "Peach Grove Ladies Painting," it was beyond comparison.
In such a short ti, had he progressed so rapidly in painting skills? Just like his advancent in music?
Si Lingxi stared at "Phoenix Maiden Playing the Zither Painting" for a while before finally shifting her gaze to Lu Zheng, taking a soft breath, "Thank you."
"You're welco. As long as you like it," Lu Zheng waved with a smile. "We didn't really have anything else good to offer."
Si Lingxi shook her head and said, "This painting of yours is better than any other gift!"
Si Lingxi took another soft breath, "Alright, it's getting late; you should rest early. There's no rush tomorrow. Bai Yuan will co to get you around noon."
Casually saying a few words, Si Lingxi then rose to take her leave, and with the four maids, walked away, seemingly a tad more urgent in her departure than when she had arrived.
...
Lu Zheng stretched lazily and chuckled with raised eyebrows, "Looks like this gift was presentable. To be honest, I was a bit worried before."
Liu Qingyan covered her sleeves with a light laugh, while Shen Ying's charming gaze was like silk, "You've gotten the bargain and still act smug!"
With such effort, apart from creating "Phoenix Maiden Playing the Zither" for Si Lingxi, Lu Zheng certainly didn't forget about the won beside him, so he painted three works of the sa quality. The other two were the "Celestial Fox's Inquiry" and "Peach Fairy's Incarnation."
That's also why, on the day he completed the paintings, he almost couldn't get out of bed.
"It's mainly because Sect Leader Si is too formidable," Lu Zheng rubbed his chin with a smile, "If this painting didn't catch her eye, wouldn't it be awkward?"
"Lu Lang is the best!" Shen Ying hooked her arm around Lu Zheng, "I have seen several renowned works, and compared to Lu Lang's, they are worlds apart."
Liu Qingyan nodded repeatedly, looking at Lu Zheng, her eyes filled with tender affection, shimring like rippling autumn waters, a subtle fragrance lingering, stirring both Lu Zheng's and Shen Ying's hearts.
"Ahem! It's late; ti to rest," Lu Zheng blinked, "And we don't need to rise early tomorrow."
"Lu Lang~~~"
...
The next day, despite saying there was no need to rise early, Lu Zheng and the two ladies still woke up at dawn, mainly to broaden their horizons.
At the foot of Phoenix Mountain, a multitude of demons gathered, demon qi soaring skyward.
Most demons didn't have the privilege to ascend the mountain for the celebration. They could only send their gifts to the foot of the mountain, offering distant tributes toward Phoenix Mountain's main hall, and then, under the guidance of Phoenix Mountain's attendants, proceed to the specially arranged banquet area, calling friends and reveling together.
These various demons, large and small, were either rulers of mountains or kings of lands, with the weakest having cultivated for over a hundred years and the strongest nearing a thousand. In sheer numbers, they were nearly ten thousand.
Truly extolling them, this gathering could indeed be called a grand assembly of myriad demons.
"What a spectacle!"
Lu Zheng was full of admiration, recognizing that this was a scene even the East Sea Dragon Palace hadn't witnessed. These demons had awakened or possessed inherited bloodlines, unlike those transford by the Dragon Palace, still bearing fish-like traits as cannon-fodder water soldiers.
And these were the ones without the qualification to ascend the mountain. To ascend, personally enter the hall, they had to be rulers of domains, with cultivation of at least a thousand years and catch Si Lingxi's eye.
In other words, with Lu Zheng's current cultivation, even taking into account Liu Qingyan and Shen Ying, they could barely enter the hall to celebrate Si Lingxi's birthday.
...
The great sun hung in the sky, under its illumination, the golden phoenix tree leaves surrounding Phoenix Mountain for hundreds of miles seed to burn, with the faint cries of phoenixes echoing between heaven and earth, a subtle phoenix pressure causing unease in people's hearts.
Monts later, a succession of notable figures appeared on the distant horizon, then descended at the mountain gate of Phoenix Mountain, walking up in respect, finally led into the main hall by the maids of Phoenix Mountain.
"Young Master Lu, Miss Liu, Miss Shen," Bai Yuan appeared beside them, gently smiling, "Please follow ."
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