Chapter 71 - Meeting the elders

Qu Wren silently sat in a meditative posture taking deep breaths after another. He could feel the spiritual energy slowly mixing into his bloodstream. The fresh spiritual energy then moved towards his core that was swirling peacefully, sedimenting on it like a little pearl.

"Wren..." someone softly whispered.

He opened his eyes, letting out a small breath of black miasma. His wide open pink eyes glance at his brother who was standing in front of him. "What is it?"

"The elders have come." Ren said, gently caressing his head. "Come soon, your mate is waiting for you,"

"Hmm.." Wren sat up. Sweat dripped down his body like a river over the grooves of his abs, wetting his pants.

"Living without water is really tough...." he mumbled, wearing his shirt on.

Since his little mate was a land dweller, his family had to do some adjusting to accompany him. First, the water from his home was drained and fresh air circulation was created by a spell master.

This allowed Feng Mian to freely roam inside around their house. Even so, he was not able to leave home.

For the past three days, they had been staying in.

Wren had been cultivating, and Feng Mian joined him occasionally. But last night, his mother suggested that the elder might help with his little mate's condition.

So she set up a meeting with them.

"Come out soon!" Diago mumbled with a disgruntled face.

"Coming," Wren ran out and picked Feng Mian, who was silently snoozing in his small nest. He carefully held him close to his face.

His mother walked up behind him and hugged him softly. "Don't worry. He will be healed completely,"

"I hope so..." he kissed the little birdie's small head.

Feng main chirped inside his beak and rolled himself into a ball.

With a small smile, Wren placed his little mate inside his shirt and usually along with his soft nest.

"I will get going then," he walked to the door. Just as he opened it, he could see the vibrant colourful underwater environment.

The season of harvest was near for the sea kelp forest and the oysters were all working hard to collect their food. Some could be seen swimming around happily with their loved ones.

Wren's eyes went over to the small hut opposite him with a smile on his face. 'Hachin, today marks the Fourth month... your baby must have grown so much. I hope your mate is taking good care of you,'

"Brother Hurry, the elders don't wait for too long," Diago urged him from behind.

"Fine." he formed an air bubble around himself and walked out.

Few of the oysters gave him a weird look, not only because of his weird stunt but also because of his pink hair.

Qu Wren silently put back his long pink hair.

Oysters always had white hair and ruby red eyes.

But not him.

His eyes had been slightly silvery pink and so was his hair...

None had ever seen a pink oyster. Even the great elders haven't.

Suddenly, he felt a small movement inside his shirt pulling him out of his dark thoughts.

The little birdie popped his head out, glancing around in awe.

"Do you like the scenery?"

Feng Mian nodded. 'Of course.... I have never seen anything this beautiful.'

Unlike the surface, the underwater world was more ethereal. It was covered in bioluminescent mushroom and corals all over that lit up the ocean floors.

Even the oyster's small homes that were carved out inside huge corals looked so beautiful. This was a huge ecosystem in whole.

'I really want to just swim here.'

But he knew better not to. They were presently about 1000 feet underwater. The pressure alone will snap his bones in half.

If he had been in his prime, this swim would not have been a troublesome issue, but now that he was reduced to his baby form, it was not possible.

He glanced up at Wren, who was giving him a small smile.

'It's okay though.. It's all because of that disaster that I found my mate,' he thought, nuzzling against his skin.

Qu Wren gently lifted him to his face and kissed him once again. "We are going to meet my clan elders. They can hopefully find a way to cure your health,"

Feng Mian chirped softly. 'But my hopes are less. My condition is worse than you think. My corpora body was destroyed by that heavenly thunder.... but thankfully I am a phoenix. I rose from my ashes.'

'Don't worry so much. I will take a while, but I will grow from nurturing in spiritual energy,' he chirped at Wren. He knew that his mate won't be able to understand his bird language even so he couldn't help explaining everything to him.

'Shit, I am smitten already..... You silly creature, you better love me okay?' he glanced up with his eyes narrowed.

Qu Wren smirked widely. "So cute...." he caressed his bald head.

Soon they reached the adobe of the elders. As his clan's greatest and oldest elders, they always travelled from their northern division to this one frequently.

Thankfully, this season they were close by.

He knocked on the door softly.

"Come in," an ancient voice whispered.

Gulping, Wren walked in. A jury of seven elders sat in a high seat.

Wren looked up at them in awe and bowed respectfully. "Greetings oh great elders,"

"Stand up, little Wren. Come close." One of them dressed in green called him close.

He moved a few steps closer and stood right in front of their table.

With her wrinkled hand, the elder gently touched his chin. "You have grown a lot, little one. You have grown a lot.."

Wren smirked. "It's nice seeing you, elder Baily,"

The last time he came here, he was only able to see a few of the elders. This kind old lady Baily had been staying over at the northern pole for over a hundred years now.

He only remembered her face from his childhood memories.

"Little Wren, take a seat," she waved her hand and a small coral grew from the ground.

Wren sat on it. "I am here because I seek the help of the counsel for my mate." He held out Feng carefully over his head. "He had been plagued by a weird illness that rendered him in his neonatal phase,"

"Place him here."

He paced Feng Mian on the table in front of them.

All the seven elders leaned forward and look at him intently. "He is missing his spiritual blood,"

Wren paused. 'That Mer said that I had the spiritual blood of the phoenix. Maybe I'm the reason he is unable to shift.'

"I have it inside of me. That was the reason I was sick... is there any way to retrieve it from me?"

The elder glanced at him in shock. "It's... it's a miracle that blood hasn't burned you out from within. But sadly, there is no way to retrieve it now. It must have already integrated inside of your core,"

"Then....."

"But there is a way." elder Baily softly coughed. "We can provide your mate with a small amount of spiritual energy enough to turn into his human form. Then....." she glance at her counsel.

"Then?"

"You might have to mate with him to form a permanent bond,"