CH 53

Chapter 53: Consequences of Greediness

The fragrant aroma of spiciness wafted from the wooden barrel, and a rumbling sound broke the quiet atmosphere in the kitchen. Le Huang was startled by the growling sound of his own stomach. He patted his rumbling belly with his wings and looked around cautiously.

Since dinner, he had been tempted by the aroma coming from the dining table. The bamboo shoots he was chewing on had lost their flavor.

Inside the wooden barrel, plump scallops were partially exposed, covered with several shiny shrimp with glossy shells. Beneath the fiery red chili rings, there were also chunks of mushrooms and fish skin.

The eyes of the young phoenix, Le Huang, lit up. He immediately raised his little claws and buried his head in the wooden barrel.

The octopus was dense and chewy, the shrimp was fragrant and spicy with a sweet aftertaste, and the fish skin was crisp. Le Huang's mouth was filled with spicy oil. When he lifted his head, a few chili rings were still clinging to his sharp bird beak.

It was truly delicious!

The young phoenix squinted his satisfied eyes and panted with his tongue out, resembling a little dog. He turned his head, intending to find some water to relieve the spiciness when he suddenly spotted a bowl of leftover grape puree on the stove.

He tilted his head and looked at the lotus-shaped vessel that could inject bubbles. He added water to the puree, and placed it on the vessel. Continuous streams of bubbles emerged from the bottom of the bowl. Le Huang tentatively took a sip and instantly widened his eyes.

It tastes really good!

The young phoenix was so happy that he started wobbling around, tilting his head. After some consideration, he felt that it was not satisfying enough. He flew to the edge of the wooden barrel and pecked off a piece of ice, dropping it into the bubble water.

The ice cube made a clanging sound as it touched the bowl's walls. Le Huang buried his head again and took another sip. The magnificent tail feathers swayed happily behind him, leaving a trail of golden light on the ground.

The fruit juice bubble water was refreshing and sweet, while the small seafood was enticingly spicy. By the time Le Huang had his fill, his little bird belly had become round and bulging. Taking advantage of the emptiness around him, he let out a rather inelegant belch and left the kitchen, turning his head to glance in the direction of his dormitory.

That chicken coop looked really ugly. A tasteful phoenix wouldn't want to sleep there!

With his belly full, the little phoenix tilted his head and, as usual, went to the largest banyan tree, flapping his wings in an attempt to fly back. However, he tried to take off several times, only to feel an intense heaviness in his body. No matter how hard he flapped, he couldn't get off the ground.

Le Huang lowered his head and looked at his protruding round belly. When he caught sight of himself in the reflection of the spring water, he was thunderstruck and froze in place.

He refused to admit that this chubby little phoenix with a golden hue was himself!

...

Inside the house, Yun Zhao was fast asleep when suddenly a series of urgent knocking noises startled him awake.

Yun Zhao rubbed his eyes and groggily asked, "What's going on?"

"Yun Zhao, wake up! Something's wrong with the clumsy bird!"

Wu Mu's cat claws scratched the doorstep, creating a grating sound.

"I'll go and take a look." Ao Yu suppressed his annoyance at being awakened, got up, and opened the door. He glanced down at Wu Mu and said in a calm tone, "You better have a good reason for this."

Wu Mu choked and took a few steps back. He poked his head toward Yun Zhao, who was still in bed, and said, "It's that phoenix. He seems to have a stomach ache. He's rolling around in the courtyard in pain!"

"You go and get Bai Ze. I'll come to check on him immediately."

Yun Zhao instantly became alert. He casually grabbed a coat draped over a folding screen and put it on before coming out with Ao Yu to the courtyard.

In the courtyard, the usually proud little phoenix was lying limp on the ground, continuously rolling over. His magnificent tail feathers were disheveled, covered in dust. Even his swaying crest feathers had lost their luster, drooping in a sorry state.

Le Huang felt as if there was a venomous snake writhing inside his stomach, tormenting his intestines to the point of nearly breaking!

Tears glistened in his beautiful phoenix eyes as he flapped his little bird claws in distress, wailing, "Wuwuwu, I'm going to die... My tummy hurts so much... Wuwuwu..."

Yun Zhao, seeing his swollen belly, crouched down, feeling a sense of unease. Instinctively, he tried to soothe Le Huang by channeling his own spiritual power to him.

Little did he know that his spiritual power, which was usually favored by divine beasts, didn't work at this moment. On the contrary, it only made Le Huang cry even louder.

The system quickly intervened: [This phoenix is not injured. Don't channel your spiritual power to him for now.]

Yun Zhao nodded absentmindedly, his back covered in cold sweat. He whispered reassuringly, "I'll ask Wu Mu to fetch Bai Ze. Don't be afraid, everything will be fine."

Le Huang let out a mournful cry, and tears flowed even more vigorously. Ao Yu observed for a while, his gaze fixating on the swollen round belly. The belly was so distended that even the small fluff inside could be seen, and it was making gurgling noises.

He suddenly asked, "What did you eat?"

As soon as these words were uttered, Yun Zhao felt the little phoenix in his hands stiffen.

The tearful phoenix eyes began to wander as he choked out, "I-I didn't eat anything..."

Yun Zhao frowned and gently placed his hand on the bird's belly. "And yet you call this not eating anything? Tell me quickly, did you eat something you shouldn't have?"

Le Huang turned his face away in silence. Under Yun Zhao's persistent urging, he reluctantly confessed, tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry... I was so hungry, I sneaked into the kitchen and ate the seafood and juice... Wuwu... I shouldn't have been greedy..."

Yun Zhao was taken aback and exchanged a glance with Ao Yu. Holding the little phoenix, they both entered the kitchen and were immediately dumbfounded. In the kitchen, the lid of the wooden barrel had been lifted, and the entire pot of seafood had been devoured, not a trace of the side dishes or sauce left.

The stove was in even worse shape, and there were still a few broken ice cubes in the bowl of fruit puree.

"You actually ate all of this!" Yun Zhao was greatly shocked. It was enough food for several people, and even a strong stomach would struggle to handle such indulgence!

He sighed helplessly. "No wonder your stomach hurts."

Ao Yu took the little phoenix from Yun Zhao's arms and felt the sloshing sound inside him.

He chuckled. "This is the first time I've seen a phoenix eat itself into a ball."

Le Huang wailed, closed his eyes in shame, and wished he could bury his entire head in his feathers. He had brought this upon himself, and it was up to them whether to scold or laugh at him...

Unexpectedly, Yun Zhao didn't scold him. He and Ao Yu simply took the little phoenix back to their dormitory and placed him in his soft nest.

Yun Zhao furrowed his brow and gently massaged his belly. Le Huang looked at them with a dazed expression, turned his head away, and fell silent. He tightly shut his beak, as if trying to bury his entire head in his feathers.

Looking at the phoenix's distressed appearance, Ao Yu said to Yun Zhao, "Just massaging won't be enough. He ate too much and needs to get it out."

"Get it out?" Yun Zhao and Le Huang both looked at Ao Yu in shock.

In the immortal realm, all things had spirits, and the food consumed would only be transformed into spiritual energy within the body, without the need for bodily functions like humans.

Ao Yu explained, "He has eaten too much, and his body cannot digest it in a short time. Either he will die from bloating, or he will have to go through the cycle of the Five Grains."

"No, I can't!" Le Huang closed his eyes and cried, "We phoenixes would never have such dirty things!"

When Bai Ze arrived, he happened to hear the cries of the little phoenix. After observing for a while, he took out a bottle of Digestion Pill and suppressed his laughter, saying, "Ao Yu is right. You have to eat the Digestion Pill first, and then the rest will be expelled."

Le Huang refused with tears in his eyes and cried in his nest, "How can I do such a dirty thing? It's utterly devoid of aesthetics!"

Yun Zhao extended his finger and poked Le Huang's swollen belly, saying, "Phoenixes that eat bamboo shoots and drink dew water won't encounter this situation. Overeating without self-control is not a desirable option."

"I don't want to eat, wuwuwu..."

Yun Zhao looked at the blurred image of the shaking head of the little phoenix and didn't know what to do. He glanced at Ao Yu, seeking help.

Understanding his thoughts, Ao Yu picked up the Digestion Pill, held the beak of the phoenix in his hand, and was about to forcefully feed it. Unexpectedly, Le Huang struggled even harder, saying, "No, I won't! I would rather die than eat it!"

"Tsk." Ao Yu's patience was wearing thin. He brought the Digestion Pill closer to Le Huang's mouth.

In a cold tone, he said, "Either you eat it and expel what's inside, or you fill your belly with filth and die from the swelling. It's up to you."

Le Huang: "..."

As soon as the words fell, Yun Zhao saw the conflicting emotions in the eyes of the little phoenix. After a long contemplation, as if engaged in an internal struggle, he finally ate the pill on his own.

Dying with a round and bloated belly was simply too ugly!

Yun Zhao felt relieved when he saw Le Huang obediently swallowing the pill.

Bai Ze added, "He can't stay here. We need to take a walk in the mountains for him to digest it quickly."

Yun Zhao agreed with the idea, so without waiting for a response from the little phoenix, he carried him and headed towards the forest.

Wu Mu and the others initially wanted to curiously follow along, but Yun Zhao was worried that the little phoenix in his arms would die of embarrassment, so he first coaxed them to go back to the dormitory and sleep.

In the mountains, Yun Zhao placed the little phoenix on the ground and gently nudged him with his hand, urging, "Come on, start walking. Bai Ze said moving around will help."

Le Huang didn't dare to think about what would happen to him later. He sobbed and took small steps forward. Under the moonlight, it appeared like a bright red apple slowly rolling along the mountain path.

"This won't do, you need to walk faster," Yun Zhao frowned, plucked a banana leaf, and slapped it on the ground behind the little phoenix.

The rustling sound made the little phoenix hurriedly take a few steps forward with a mournful face, fearing that the dirty leaf would touch its beautiful feathers. Though the intense bloating had subsided, a dull ache gradually moved downward.

Le Huang sobbed, "I-I can walk on my own. Don't follow me, wuwuwu..."

"No." Yun Zhao heartlessly refused the little bird. He worried about Le Huang's condition and kept his guard up until he saw the phoenix excrete.

Le Huang walked a few steps sadly, but his speed slowed down again. His stomach growled, and his little paws awkwardly moved inwards, walking in a pigeon-toed manner before stopping in place.

"Smack!"

A fresh green banana leaf smacked down. Yun Zhao furrowed his brow and said, "You can't stop, keep going."

"Wuwuwu... I don't want to walk anymore," Le Huang cried with his head tilted back.

Yun Zhao shook his head in refusal and even said, "I'll count to three, and you must start walking, or else I'll tell your father about this."

"Why... why are you like this!" Le Huang sobbed, tears streaming from his eyes.

Yun Zhao began to count without hesitation, "One—"

"Two—"

Before he could say "Three," Le Huang, who was just sulking a moment ago, reluctantly continued walking, quietly crying, "Wuwu... I'll walk, alright? You keep your promise and don't tell anyone about this!"

"Good." Yun Zhao happily grinned, revealing his small white teeth, and readily agreed.

And so, like this, the two of them walked in the mountains for fifteen minutes. Suddenly, Le Huang felt a faint pain in his belly, and an indescribable sensation started moving towards his rear end.

"Mmm—" Le Huang didn't want to excrete in front of Yun Zhao. He wanted to take big steps and run far away. But as soon as he lifted his foot, a ball of poop slipped out.

"Wuwuwu! I'm dirty!" The little phoenix closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and cried in pain, startling the birds in the mountains with his wailing.

Yun Zhao quickly reached out and grabbed the magnificent tail feathers of the phoenix, his face filled with delight. "Finally, it came out!"

In the forest, the joy and sorrow of the two, human and bird, didn’t converge at this moment...

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