The book the immortal had given Chongge was called The Secrets of Phoenix Care.
The first section was called “Bathing.” The first instruction on the first page read, “Phoenixes cherish cleanliness and must bathe in clear water every day.”
Upon reading this, Chongge felt terribly guilty. He had been raising the phoenix as though he were a mountain chicken all this time and had never given him a single bath. Worse, he had dragged him across the ground every day to bask in the sun. Who knew how much dirt had stuck to him?
He immediately decided to take the phoenix to the nearby stream for a bath.
But the phoenix was too large. In fox form, Chongge was not even as big as one of his wings, and even in human form he was not strong enough to lift him. He tried carrying the phoenix on his back, then hoisting him onto his shoulder. Both attempts failed. The third time the phoenix slid off his shoulder, he finally opened his eyes and asked, “What are you doing?”
It was the first thing the phoenix had said to Chongge in days. Overjoyed and excited, Chongge took a long while to stammer out, “I-I want to give you a bath. In the stream outside the cave.”
The phoenix uttered six cool words: “No need. Too much trouble.” Then he shut his eyes again. He remained just as aloof as ever. Chongge felt rather hurt and lowered his head for a moment, but suddenly thought of a solution.
He found a brand-new grass mat, dragged the phoenix onto it, tied a rope to one end, slung the rope over his shoulder, and laboriously hauled the phoenix and mat together all the way to the stream.
The stream was shallow and clear, its water warmed by the sun. Chongge lowered the phoenix into it and washed him meticulously. Then he lifted the dripping bird out and laid him back on the mat. Chongge changed into a fox, leaped onto the phoenix, and wiped every drop of water from his body with his tail. Changing back into a human, he wrung out his own wet tail, picked up a large leaf, and fanned the phoenix back and forth to help his feathers dry faster.
While he fanned the phoenix, Chongge opened The Secrets of Phoenix Care again.
The second instruction on the first page read, “After bathing, the feathers must be combed with a jade comb.”
So a phoenix needed his feathers combed after a bath! But Chongge owned no comb, much less one made of jade. He crouched there to think for a moment, then transformed back into a fox with a pop, leaped beside the phoenix, and raised his right front paw. He began gently scratching the phoenix’s feathers with it, stroke by stroke. “I-I don’t have a comb to brush your feathers. I’ll comb them with my claws instead.”
The phoenix turned his head to look at him and sighed. “Dear me, little fox… Thank you.”
Chongge could hardly believe his ears. Thank you! The phoenix had actually thanked him! He was so delighted that he could only stammer after a long while, “I-it’s nothing…” He set to work grooming the phoenix’s feathers with even greater energy.
The phoenix’s feathers gradually dried, becoming silky to the touch and so luminous in the sunlight that they dazzled Chongge’s eyes. His paws were aching, but he kept on combing, stroke after stroke.
The second section of The Secrets of Phoenix Care was called “Living Arrangements.” Its first instruction said, “A phoenix will perch on no tree but the parasol tree.”
Once again Chongge was astonished and filled with guilt. A phoenix was supposed to sleep on branches of the Chinese parasol tree, yet Chongge had made this one sleep on a grass mat. No wonder he was always listless and his injuries never seemed to heal.
Chongge ran into the forest to find Chinese parasol trees. One by one, he carried fallen twigs and leaves from beneath them back to the cave in his mouth. Each journey brought only a twig or two or a couple of leaves. After countless trips, the phoenix opened his eyes again, looked at him, and asked, “What are you doing?”
Chongge hastily put down the twig in his mouth. “I’m gathering parasol-tree branches.”
The phoenix said evenly, “Oh. Can’t you take human form? You could carry a great deal more in one trip. Why keep running back and forth like this?”
Realization struck Chongge. “That’s right!” He immediately turned human and rubbed his nose in embarrassment. “I’m so used to being a fox that I always forget I can carry more things in human form.” Then he dashed out of the cave.
When he had amassed a great heap of twigs and leaves, he arranged the parasol-tree branches into a round cushion and covered them layer by layer with leaves. Then he approached the phoenix, preparing to drag him onto it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you absolutely had to sleep on parasol branches. I’ve made you lie on a grass mat all this time. I made this little cushion out of branches, and if it isn’t soft enough, I’ll find more leaves.”
The phoenix seemed to sigh again. “So all your running about today was just to make this?”
Chongge nodded vigorously.
The phoenix looked at the cushion of branches and leaves. After a long moment, he suddenly asked, “Little fox, what is your name?”
The phoenix is actually asking my name! That book from the immortal really is a magical book.
Plucking nervously at his tail fur, Chongge replied, “I’m called Chongge.”
The phoenix nodded thoughtfully.
Chongge asked cautiously, “You must have a name, too. Could you tell me what it is?”
The phoenix did not answer.
Disappointed, Chongge lowered his head and asked no further questions.
Then the phoenix suddenly spoke. “Fengxiao. Remember it. My name is Fengxiao.”
The third section of The Secrets of Phoenix Care was called “Food and Drink.” Its first instruction read, “A phoenix eats only bamboo fruit. Fresh spring water should be served in vessels of green jade.”
Bamboo fruit? Fruit that grows on bamboo? Chongge scratched his head with a paw. He had never seen bamboo trees bearing fruit. Bamboo fruit, bamboo fruit… It was true that the phoenix had not eaten any of his wild fruits or grass seeds. If this continued, he would only grow thinner.
Carrying a bamboo tube, Chongge ran far away to a clear spring in the mountain ravine and filled it with water. He hurried back to the cave, breathless, and set it before Fengxiao. “This isn’t stream water, river water, or lake water. I drew it right from the spring. Please drink it. I don’t have anything made of jade, only this bamboo tube. You’ll have to make do with it for now.”
Fengxiao narrowed his eyes at him. “Little fox, why do you go to such lengths for me? Do you expect something in return? If you have a wish, I can grant it once my injuries have healed.”
Chongge crouched beside him, scratching his head again. “I haven’t got any wishes. Letting me keep you is reward enough. I said I’d be good to you, so I have to keep my word. The elders all say I’m a useless fox. I’m slow at cultivating immortality, and I don’t work hard. I can’t do anything right. I thought at least I might manage to do a little better at looking after you.”
Fengxiao narrowed his eyes and said nothing further. Then Chongge abruptly announced, “Just you wait!” and sprang up to run out of the cave again.
This time Chongge was gone for a very long while. Fengxiao slept in the cave for two days and a night. By the evening of the third day, he was beginning to wonder whether the little fox had run into some great demon and been caught and turned into a snack. Just then, a round, earth-colored ball of mud suddenly squeezed through the cave entrance.
Fengxiao regarded the mud ball in astonishment, wondering what on earth it was. Then it suddenly spoke. “I’m sorry…”
He recognized Chongge’s voice and was startled all over again. Heaven-Eclipse Fox fur differed from that of ordinary foxes. It was a deep black, with a faint white stripe running from the top of the head to the tail. But now Chongge’s fur was so completely plastered with mud that he resembled a ball of clay. He had become entirely earth-colored, apart from the two eyes blinking in his face. Fengxiao could not help asking, “Little fox, how did you get into that state…?”
Chongge crouched in a corner and lowered his head. “I’m sorry. I searched the mountains on both sides of here, and I couldn’t find any fruit growing on bamboo trees.” Thoroughly dejected, he moved to another corner, picked up a wild jujube, and crunched it between his teeth. Chewing, he mumbled, “I looked everywhere.”
Fengxiao gazed at him. After a moment, he said slowly, “I do not eat bamboo fruit exclusively.” Chongge, still chewing his jujube, widened his dark eyes. Fengxiao continued, “I generally eat fresh fruit of many kinds. I’ve been lying still to heal my injuries these past few days and couldn’t eat, so I didn’t touch the fruits you gathered. It wasn’t because I found them unsatisfactory.”
Oh? So that’s how it is! Chongge smiled foolishly around the jujube. It turned out even the book the immortal had given him contained mistakes. Phoenixes actually ate all kinds of fruit.
He gnawed a few more jujubes and drank some water to fill his stomach. Then he said, “I forgot the time while searching for bamboo fruit, so I haven’t bathed you these past two days, either. I’m sorry. I’ll go and—”
As he spoke, he began to transform into human shape. Before he had finished his sentence, Fengxiao, who had been lying on the mat all this time, suddenly stood and shook out his feathers. Chongge cried delightedly, “Y-you can stand up now?”
Without warning, Fengxiao gently caught him by the fur at the back of his neck with his beak.
Chongge rose into the air, feet leaving the ground. He twisted in surprise as Fengxiao carried him gracefully and unhurriedly out of the cave, spread his wings, and flew.
Suddenly Chongge was high above the ground, watching it recede beneath them. Dazed, he asked, “Have your injuries healed already?”
Fengxiao was not yet completely recovered and could fly no higher than the treetops. Encircled by auspicious light, he spread his wings and wheeled for a while, then landed gently beside the stream near the cave. He opened his beak, and Chongge dropped into the water with a splash.
Chongge floundered a couple of times, got to his feet, and shook his fur. Fengxiao perched on the bank, half reclining, watching him at his leisure. Chongge understood. He was filthy, and Fengxiao had found the sight of him objectionable.
He immediately crouched in the water until even his nose was beneath the surface, working vigorously to scrub his coat clean.
Golden sunset light skimmed the shimmering water. Under a tree slanting into the evening sun, Chongge sat grooming Fengxiao’s feathers gently with his right front paw. The feathers looked even more beautiful in the sunset, like the auspicious rainbow formed when sunlight passed through the mist of a mountain stream in summer. Fengxiao half closed his eyes, seeming to enjoy it. Chongge was very happy just to be allowed to touch his feathers like this.
“Fengxiao, Fengxiao, your injuries are nearly healed, aren’t they? Once you’re well, will you be able to eat fresh fruit again?”
Fengxiao gave a soft hum without fully opening his eyes.
“Then I’ll gather all kinds of fresh fruit for you every day.”
Fengxiao hummed once more, then spoke slowly. “Little fox, when I’m better, what would you like? As long as it isn’t too unreasonable, you may ask me to grant you any wish.”
Chongge shook his head. “I don’t have any wishes. Things are fine just as they are.”
To go on living just like this, together with Fengxiao, eating his fill and sleeping soundly, was more than enough to make him happy.
Chongge continued gently scratching Fengxiao’s feathers with his claws. The rosy glow of sunset blended with the faint auspicious radiance of the phoenix’s plumage.