Demons and monsters wreak havoc: gain one new confidante every day.

"Shen You, come quick!"

As dusk approached, in the soft, yellowish light, Hong Xiugu turned gracefully ahead and waved to Shen You.

Shen You looked up and felt that her figure blended into the clouds behind her, dazzling and radiant. Shen You hesitated for a moment before agreeing and quickening her pace to follow.

Hong Xiugu led him to an old house by the river. The house was in a remote location, and the blue tiles on the house were dilapidated, but the flying eaves and high walls still showed the wealth and extraordinary status of the family.

Hong Xiugu stepped forward and knocked on the door. After a short while, an old woman came and opened the door. Hong Xiugu greeted her warmly and then pulled Shen You's sleeve to go inside. Shen You saw that there were some elderly servants inside, who all looked at her with surprise.

As Hong Xiugu led Shen You deeper into the village with light steps, she introduced, "This is my family's old house. I haven't been back for a long time. Although it's big and empty, I feel most at ease walking here."

Shen You nodded and asked, "Why did you bring me home?"

Hong Xiugu blushed and said, "Who...who brought you home? I already told you, I was here to help you comprehend 'Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens'!"

Shen You smiled without saying a word. Hong Xiugu's words and actions reminded him of the anime heroine from his previous life. He had also been a two-dimensional otaku for a while in his previous life, and at that time he would stare at girls like this every day, fantasizing that she would appear by his side. He never expected that a girl like this would actually appear now.

Hong Xiugu led Shen You to an ancestral hall, above which were placed the ancestral tablets of the Hong family.

Hong Xiugu stepped forward, knelt down solemnly and kowtowed several times, then beckoned to Shen You, saying, "Come here too!"

"Do I have to kneel too?" Shen You asked in surprise.

"You... kneel if you want, or don't!" Hong Xiugu's tone was inexplicably fierce.

Shen You thought for a moment, then lifted his robe and knelt beside Hong Xiugu. He would rather die than kneel before Huang Yaoshi, but if kneeling before the ancestors of the Hong family for Hong Xiugu's sake would make her happy, he felt that kneeling was no big deal.

Hong Xiugu turned her head seriously, facing the memorial tablet above with a stern face, but the corners of her mouth still unconsciously turned up.

"May our ancestors bless us. I have come to the ancestral hall today to ask our ancestors for a drop of 'phoenix blood'..."

She spoke devoutly and recited a complex prayer. Suddenly, the altar in front of the memorial tablet opened, and a drop of blood, as red as solidified jade, flew out from a hidden compartment.

It was just a tiny drop of blood, yet it radiated a scorching power. As it flew close to the two of them, Shen You felt an unbearable heat.

Hong Xiugu carefully held the drop of blood in her hands, letting it float in her palms, and slowly presented it to Shen You.

"Take it." Hong Xiugu avoided Shen You's gaze, her face flushing for some reason. "If you take the 'Phoenix Blood,' you will definitely be able to comprehend 'Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens.'"

"Is this alright?" Shen You looked at her intently. "This must be a very valuable treasure, right?"

"It's...it's alright!" Hong Xiugu said, "It's mine to begin with, I can give it to whomever I want!"

Shen You fell silent.

Hong Xiugu looked somewhat uneasy, and her face turned even redder, perhaps sensing Shen You's gaze.

Her appearance, however, was more dazzling in Shen You's eyes than any "phoenix blood".

Shen You smiled slightly and took her hand in his.

She shuddered, looked up, and found her hand being grabbed by Shen You. She tried to pull away but couldn't, and her face turned bright red to the roots of her ears.

"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed softly.

"This blood looks strange. I suspect it's poisoned," Shen You said deliberately.

"No, how could I possibly poison you?" Hong Xiugu forgot her shyness and looked annoyed.

"So, can you also take this 'Phoenix Blood'?" Shen You asked.

"Of course I can!" Hong Xiugu said angrily.

"Won't it be harmful to your health?"

"It's not just that it won't do any harm, it has the effect of rebirth like the phoenix in legend, and can save your life at critical moments!" Hong Xiugu glared angrily at Shen You.

"Is that so..."

Shen You smiled, then suddenly flicked her finger at the "Phoenix Blood," sending the mysterious drop of blood into Hong Xiugu's mouth.

Hong Xiugu immediately shut her mouth again, a look of extreme surprise appearing in her eyes.

Shen You saw a red light quickly roll down her throat and land on her heart, seemingly guarding that spot.

Hong Xiugu asked with a complicated expression, "You don't believe me?"

Shen You gripped her hand tightly and said earnestly, "On the contrary, I believed you from the very beginning!"

"But you..."

"But I want to master 'Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens'..." Shen You said proudly, "Why would I need 'Phoenix Blood'?"

"So I think it's best to return the 'Phoenix Blood' to its rightful owner. If you want to give it away, you can give me something else."

Shen You smiled gently and freely.

Hong Xiugu bit her lip tightly, staring blankly at Shen You, suddenly at a loss for words.

After a long pause, she finally spoke: "You idiot... you don't even know how to accept such a good thing..."

"Heh." Shen You laughed, "Then aren't you just as foolish? Giving me such a good thing..."

"I did this so you could practice your skills..." Hong Xiugu forced herself to speak, but when she saw Shen You's hateful smile, she suddenly couldn't continue.

"Alright," Shen You said. "Don't overthink it. If you really want to help me, give me a few more phoenix-related cultivation techniques. Maybe I can learn by analogy and comprehend the mysteries of the phoenix."

For Shen You, his current training speed is so fast that the effect of "Phoenix Blood" might not be as good as having another Phoenix Technique.

After all, even if you have two lives, if you really face Huang Yaoshi, and your strength is not enough to match his, you will still be at his mercy.

Shen You didn't want to be killed by Huang Yaoshi twice; that would be too frustrating.

Hong Xiugu pouted, still somewhat dissatisfied, and then, embarrassed and annoyed, pulled her hand back from Shen You's before introducing Shen You to the Phoenix Technique she knew.

The Hong family is a fallen aristocratic family. The martial arts techniques passed down in the family, besides the "Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens" which is kept in the bottom of the box, also include the "Azure Phoenix Whip", "Phoenix Skill", "Azure Wood Technique", and some martial arts techniques that have nothing to do with phoenixes.

"I cannot teach you the 'Phoenix Skill'," said Hong Xiugu. "Besides that, I can teach you the 'Azure Phoenix Whip' and the 'Azure Wood Technique.' As long as you can eventually master the 'Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens' and complete my family's secret manual, Grandpa certainly won't punish me."

"Don't worry," Shen You assured her, "With my current talent, I'll definitely be fine."

So, in the following period, Shen You learned the "Azure Phoenix Whip" and the "Azure Wood Technique" from Hong Xiugu. Both of these were techniques that could be mastered at the first rank. With his third-rank cultivation, Shen You went back to learn them and mastered them in no time.

He felt that the auxiliary technique called "Azure Wood Technique" was more inspiring for him to complete "Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens" than "Azure Phoenix Whip".

"Is it because of... the 'Phoenix Perching Tree'?"

Shen You guessed that because of this mutually reinforcing relationship, cultivation techniques related to wood could actually amplify those related to phoenixes.

Shen You felt a faint sense of enlightenment emerging in his heart; it seemed he was close to completing "Phoenix Dance in the Nine Heavens".