~~Outside The Nest, No-Return Pass~~
"Mother, when do you think that young Phoenix will come out? I'm curious to see what he looks like. If I hadn't been in my nest I would have seen him already." A Young Fire Phoenix asked, looking up to her mother.
"I'm not sure but Lady Empress asked us to wait and watch for his exit. Apparently there is more to him than meets the eye. Moreover you should take this chance to prepare yourself. If I'm not mistaken, Lady Empress is going to hold the Husband Catching Games soon. So you'll have to put forth the effort if you want to get this young man for yourself." An Adult Fire Phoenix explained, not explaining much of anything.
"Grandmother is going to hold the games… So that means grandmother wants to give me the benefit of introductions with him first. Since he was raised among the humans he must place some importance on this. Which means, if I can make a good introduction with him… Then I'll have an advantage in winning him over." The Young Fire Phoenix said, excitedly.
Several more Phoenix with their unmarried daughters began arriving at nearby branches. They all knew what each other were there for. So only a few slight pleasantries were exchanged among the women. The husbands of these women all seemed to be exhausted beyond measure. They had clearly been on a binge with their wife. And they also seemed to feel slightly bad about this scene. It was like they knew something about this.
"Well isn't this convenient… I can take a look to see the scene before I exit. And it does seem customary to not be in Phoenix form. That is definitely a relief. I get a chance to scope out what I'm going to be forced to deal with ahead of time." I thought, taking a look outside the exit while I remained inside the nest.
"From what I can see, it doesn't look like the Young Master will lose out if he marries any of these Young Ladies. I guess it's true what they say about Ancient Divine Spirits. Always taking the form of gorgeous beauty." Fang Qing said, with some strain.
"While you may be right, when it comes to figure and looks. None of them would cause me to suffer a loss. However, this clan is matriarchal. Which means I, as a male, have much more to worry about than just looks." I said.
"Pfft… Hahaha, how's it feel being on the other side of that coin this time, Young Master?" Fang Qing started rolling around in my knowledge sea laughing her ass off. Laughing so hard even tears began to fall.
"Laugh it up, it's not like I haven't understood it already. After all, all of the feelings your remnant had, are things I now also know. Even if the way this clan runs is different… It doesn't matter, I'd end up being forced to marry one of these young ladies. I just need to make my own decision before and then set it up like they had the idea themselves. Luckily I think I've found which of these ladies will not be too difficult to be together with for the rest of time." I said.
"I know, I know. I just couldn't help myself. Usually this sort of thing is what women deal with. It seems that managing to get through this No-Return Pass with increasing the family size is going to be an impossible feat. And I think you've made a good judgment. Those two ladies you're thinking of are definitely the best among the bunch. And neither seem to give off the vibe they wouldn't get along with Huo Lei and Xiu Che. I wonder how well they are doing now." Fang Qing said.
"If my calculations are correct, they should both be Dao Sources now or at the very least close to it. But in the end, it doesn't matter what I think. Only by seeing them again will I know for certain. So let's head out and go back to see my Father. I'm sure he is having a bit of a rough time right now." I said, stepping into the exit.
~~Outside The Nest~~
"Mother, look he is coming out!" The Young Fire Phoenix said, and pointed with a nod of her head. "Wow, he is handsome… I wonder just how vibrant his feathers are." She continued. "What is this? I feel… drawn to him for some other inexplicable reason." She thought.
"Listen to me well, Chi Qiu. Don't get overwhelmed, and don't act like you are above him. We may be a Matriarchal Clan. But that doesn't mean we can continue to exist with only us women. The men are equally important and must be respected as such." Chi Qiu's Mother said, making sure when she said her daughter's name, there was no way I wouldn't hear it.
"Ah, he is coming this way." Chi Qiu thought, her face becoming slightly flushed. "So this is the man that I will… Do that with." She thought again, as I stopped in front.
"So it is Young Lady Chi Qiu. You don't need to worry about other things. Such things are left in the future. The future has to be determined. So leave those thoughts to the future you. Instead focus on the self you are now. And… Prepare yourself well for the games. I won't be an easy catch in the slightest." I said, with a wink. "Thank you Senior, for giving me an easy out. I won't forget this favor in the future." I whispered to the mother. "Now then, I finally have complete access to all of my power. For the first in… ever. This should be fun. Time to test it out." I smirked again and vanished in a flurry of lightning.
~~In the Sky of No-Return Pass~~
A Golden Phoenix flew in circles high up in the air. And then with a quick spatial fluctuation appearing in the center of that circle, and began a twirling nose dive at simply blinding speeds.
"He is going to crash into the ground!" A phoenix yelled out. "WHAT!" She exclaimed shortly after.