Day after day passed, and Fengxiao’s injuries gradually healed.
Every day Chongge fetched the purest water from the mountain spring for Fengxiao. Fengxiao carried him to the stream in his beak so they could bathe. At other times, Fengxiao usually continued cultivating in quiet seclusion on the soft grass beside the cave, while Chongge searched the bushes for all kinds of wild fruit. By now the little fox was no longer quite so obsessed with meat, particularly chicken.
At last Fengxiao was nearly recovered. One day he ate a few of the wild fruits Chongge had brought him, and Chongge was delighted. At dawn the next morning, he ran into the mountains to gather a great armful of wild jujubes. The sweetest, crispest jujubes on the entire mountain grew only in the ravine. He took human form, filled the front of his robe with them, and hurried home.
As he emerged from the small grove, Chongge stopped a short distance from his cave. Two people were standing at its entrance.
Both wore vermilion robes and jade crowns, and powerful immortal auras radiated from them.
Immortals! What were immortals doing at the entrance to a fox’s cave?
Could they be here for Fengxiao? Have his former owners come to take him back?
Chongge gripped the cloth holding his jujubes tightly. The two immortals were bending respectfully at the cave entrance, apparently speaking to someone inside.
One of them seemed to notice him. A sharp gaze swept in his direction. As Chongge took a few steps forward, the immortal frowned at him and murmured, “So this is the little fox. A Heaven-Eclipse Fox, indeed a very precious immortal beast.”
Summoning his courage, Chongge ran up. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
The immortal who had been looking at him remained expressionless and did not answer. Then a slow voice came from inside the cave. “Shaoyue, do not treat him discourteously.” It was Fengxiao’s voice.
The immortal called Shaoyue actually lowered his head and replied with great respect, “As Your Majesty commands.” When he raised it again, he smiled warmly at Chongge.
That smile made all the fur on Chongge’s body stand on end. Fengxiao walked slowly out of the cave, still in his phoenix form. He looked at Chongge and said, “Little fox, I am returning to the Heavenly Court.”
Chongge stared. His fingers loosened their grip on the front of his robe, and the jujubes he had collected spilled all over the ground.
Fengxiao narrowed his eyes at him. “You’ve done very well these past days. I promised that if you had any request, I would grant it. You may tell me what you want now.”
Chongge heard himself stammering, “Y-you’re leaving? Y-you don’t want me to look after you anymore?”
The other immortal immediately turned stern. “Insolent creature! How dare you speak such nonsense before His Majesty the Phoenix Emperor, sovereign of the phoenix clan!”
Phoenix? Phoenix Emperor? What was a Phoenix Emperor? The ruler of the phoenix clan? Wouldn’t that make him the king of divine birds?
Could Fengxiao really be the king of all divine birds?
Chongge understood just how exalted a Phoenix Emperor must be. His own clan of Heaven-Eclipse Foxes had a Fox Emperor. The emperor of the phoenixes who lived in Heaven must rank much, much higher than even their Fox Emperor.
At any rate, he was someone a little fox like Chongge could only look up to from far below.
All at once Fengxiao seemed immeasurably distant. His appearance, his voice, even the colors of his feathers suddenly felt unfamiliar.
The immortal named Shaoyue was still smiling warmly at him. In an even gentler voice, he said, “His Majesty has promised to grant any wish you might have. If there’s something you want, you’d best ask for it now.”
Chongge lowered his head. His pointed fox ears trembled. “I… I don’t want anything.”
Shaoyue kept smiling. “Little fox, think it over carefully. If you let today pass, you may never have another chance.”
Never another chance. Never another chance to see Fengxiao again.
With his head lowered, Chongge felt his nose sting and his eyes smart. He raised his voice. “No. I don’t want anything!”
Shaoyue and the other immortal exchanged glances and shook their heads. Fengxiao gave a soft laugh. “Very well. Perhaps you truly can’t think of anything you want just now. Let me give you a token instead.”
A vermilion phoenix feather floated through the air and settled of its own accord into Chongge’s hands. He cupped it carefully as Fengxiao continued, “Whenever you think of something you wish for, burn this feather with your foxfire and speak your wish. Wherever I may be, I will know, and I will help you fulfill it.”
Still holding the feather, Chongge stood motionless. Fengxiao spoke again. “It’s getting late. I really must leave now, little fox. Until we meet again.”
Many, many years later, Chongge would sometimes tell the other foxes of his clan about what he had seen that day. “Do you know, there is no sight more beautiful than a phoenix flying up into the heavens. Such dazzling, brilliant auspicious light, such splendid five-colored clouds! You may never see anything more beautiful in your whole life.”
The foxes listening would generally purse their lips, reach out to pat his shoulder, and reply, “Stop dreaming, brother. You haven’t even become an immortal. How could you possibly see a phoenix? Are phoenixes going to fall out of Heaven right in front of you? Come all the way to this little mountain?”
Chongge would always smile lazily and argue, “That phoenix really did fall out of the sky. I even looked after him. Don’t you believe me?”
The fox he was telling would shake his head. “Not a chance! If you raised a phoenix, then I raised the Supreme Lord Laozi’s qilin! Too much dreaming isn’t good for you. Better hurry up and get back to cultivating!”
Chongge would merely smile and stop arguing. He would look up at the sky and say, “That’s right. Who would believe it? It really was only a dream, after all.”