Dragon Ying spoke once more: “The sky fire takes more than human power to extinguish. Looks like we must wait for three days and three nights, until it burns out of itself.”

Zhu Yin gave Dragon Ying a puzzled glance, as if impatient that he worried about such irrelevant things. However, he did not say anything, just casually grabbed some leaves, pressed them to the wounds, and turned to walk down the slope.

"Tian Lei? Crossing heavens? Humans… Beasts… Oh.”

Dragon Ying muttered out incoherent words, gave a deep, loud sigh, and helped support Feng Huang as they were walking down the hill.

The skyfire was burning for full three days and three nights before it slowly went out. Dragon Ying wished to investigate it, but the recent war left countless casualties everywhere. He had no choice but to deal with the trivial problems at hand first.

After this battle, the energy of both humans and beasts was sapped, and nobody knew when it would recover. And Feng Huang – though Dragon Ying, dragging a branch heavy with ripe fruits along the stony roads of the Red Cave mountain, – Feng Huang used up his own essence and blood to confront the black mist. His intention was to inhale it and seal within his own body. Although he was interrupted by Tian Lei, his internal injuries were extremely severe. It wasn’t certain how long he’d be sleeping.

"Old and young ones, they spare us no trouble.” - Dragon Ying sighed, and pushed open the door to Feng Huang’s house.

An enchanting and beautiful woman was sitting in the room. Noticing Dragon Ying, she chuckled: "Dragon Ying, you’ve come right on time. When will master Feng Huang wake up?”

Dragon Ying shook his head and said: “Can’t say. He needs at least a thousand years.”

The woman’s expression darkened. Looking at Feng Huang lying on the bed, she muttered: “Little Luan is still asleep. Master Feng Huang explained it once before, warning not to let little Luan wake up too early, for fear that the child... Oh.”

Dragon Ying was listening with one ear while plucking another fruit, which he quickly devoured, from the branch. Suddenly, he said: "Lei, how’s your body?”

Lei was a hermaphrodite. Although it occasionally hampered her actions, she could adjust her yin-yang energies to facilitate healing injuries. She was now in a female form, and coquettishly moved her hair, crooning: "The injuries are too severe, so I’ll let him sleep and heal. Really! He had to fight like some macho, but he wouldn’t allow me to show up no matter what. Well, fine!”

Dragon Ying laughed and, without saying anything, went away, chewing on a fruit.

No sooner did he make a few steps around the courtyard that he noticed Zhu Yin dragging a similar fruit branch. Dragon Ying pointed behind and laughed: "The big one is still sleeping and the little one hasn’t opened yet. Lei is looking after them.”

"Oh.” Zhu Yin sat down on the ground, pondering deeply and eating fruit. Once he had eaten all the fruit from his branch, he patted his buttocks and rose to walk through the door empty-handed.

"This guy.”

Dragon Ying shook his head laughing and turned towards Feng Huang’s house. He thought briefly, finished the last fruit pulp he was holding in his hand, and threw the seed onto a roadside mound.

At least, we’d have a good day after a thousand years. Dragon Ying smiled gently and started to walk, but in the twinkling of an eye, a soft green sprout burst from the earth mound, gently swaying in the breeze.

Death and life, a normal cycle of all living things... Let’s hope it wasn’t too late this time.