Dance of the Phoenix Episode 14 Recap
> Dance of the Phoenix Recap
In the secret chamber, Feng Wu and Yu Mingye were discussing the Water Sky Vase, unaware that Jun Linyuan was secretly observing them. Feng Wu told Yu Mingye not to let Jun Linyuan know she had given him a music score for his birthday, as she did not want to upset Jun Linyuan.
Observing from the shadows, Jun Linyuan was initially pleased by Feng Wu's concern for his feelings, but his mood shifted when Yu Mingye deliberately moved closer to her, prompting him to reveal his presence. Yu Mingye pretended to hold Feng Wu hostage to threaten Jun Linyuan, but Jun Linyuan immediately saw through their act. With Great Spiritual Master Yan and his guards waiting upstairs, Yu Mingye and Feng Wu's only escape route was a secret passage.
To maintain the charade, Jun Linyuan and Yu Mingye staged a fight, intentionally smashing many of Great Spiritual Master Yan's prized collectibles. After Yu Mingye and Feng Wu left through the secret passage, Jun Linyuan went upstairs and falsely reported to Great Spiritual Master Yan that the thief had unfortunately escaped. Great Spiritual Master Yan was relieved that the Water Sky Vase was safe and did not press for more, despite the damage to his belongings.
Jun Linyuan then tried to negotiate a high-priced purchase of the Water Sky Vase from Great Spiritual Master Yan, intending to use it to secure the support of Wu Youdao. However, Great Spiritual Master Yan was unyielding, forcing Jun Linyuan to seek other methods. Back in the main hall, Feng Wu had rejoined the guests as if nothing had happened. Jun Linyuan informed her of the failed negotiation and suggested they approach Madam Yan.
Great Spiritual Master Yan and Madam Yan had once been a loving couple, but their relationship had soured after Concubine Xu entered the household. Rumors had even spread that Madam Yan's son was not Great Spiritual Master Yan's biological child. This was fueled by the child's failure to manifest spirit energy at birth, a traditional sign of direct lineage in the Yan family.
Feng Wu dismissed these rumors as baseless, asserting that ancient traditions could be either truth or mere coincidence. She publicly offered to prove her point, and Jun Linyuan readily agreed to assist her. Together, they worked to open the child's three meridians and rotate his seven chakras. A spirit energy lotus appeared, dispelling the malicious rumors. Feng Wu explained that the timing for activating one's spiritual potential varies among individuals, and not all cultivators display spirit energy from birth.
This demonstration resolved the misunderstanding between Great Spiritual Master Yan and Madam Yan. Grateful for their help, Great Spiritual Master Yan privately presented the Water Sky Vase to Jun Linyuan. Knowing Feng Wu also desired the vase, Jun Linyuan requested a gift from her. It turned out that the day Feng Wu gave the music score to Yu Mingye was his birthday, which also happened to be Jun Linyuan's birthday.
Unaware of this, Feng Wu was at a loss as to how to respond to Jun Linyuan's request. Seeing her hesitation, Jun Linyuan proposed a deal: he would give her the Water Sky Vase if she passed the entrance examination for Junwu Academy, an accomplishment he would accept as his birthday gift from her. Though reluctant to be coerced, Feng Wu realized she genuinely needed the vase and agreed.
Meanwhile, Yu Mingye, having failed his mission, was severely injured and punished by Lord Demon. Despite being the young master of Darknight Court, failure meant being treated as worthless, a harsh rule Yu Mingye had known since childhood. Later, learning that Jun Linyuan's birthday had passed and she had missed the chance to celebrate it, Feng Wu made a simple cake from fruit and brought it to him.
Jun Linyuan confessed that his birthday was not a happy occasion for him, which was why he never celebrated it grandly. He revealed that his birth mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to him, never having the opportunity to see him grow up. Feng Wu comforted him, explaining that true death is not the demise of the physical body, but rather being forgotten by the world.
By that measure, his mother was still alive in his heart, as he constantly thought of her. This deeply comforted Jun Linyuan, who then drank a large amount of wine and eventually fell into a drunken sleep. Unable to enter Junwu Divine Hall, Feng Wu carried Jun Linyuan to Feng Xun's residence.
She had initially intended to steal the Water Sky Vase while Jun Linyuan was unconscious, but Feng Xun informed her that Jun Linyuan had placed a spell on the bottle, rendering it untouchable by anyone other than himself. Jun Linyuan, in his drunken state, held Feng Wu close, murmuring about not wanting her to leave him and wondering if she would face the future with him.
Separately, the Holy Empress, concerned about Feng Wu's rising influence and past connection to Jun Linyuan, instructed her subordinate Gao Wei to support Zuo Qingluan. Gao Wei suggested using Wu Youdao, who was about to become the Supervisor of Junwu Academy. The Holy Empress then ordered Zuo Qingluan to personally greet Wu Youdao upon his arrival in the capital, expecting Zuo Qingluan to understand how to leverage this opportunity to her advantage and surpass Feng Wu.
Zuo Qingluan later expressed her worries about Jun Linyuan's attention to Feng Wu to the Holy Empress. The Holy Empress reassured her, emphasizing Zuo Qingluan's strengths and the support she had from Celestial Palace and the Holy Empress herself, and reiterated that aligning with Wu Youdao would further widen the gap between her and Feng Wu. Chaoge also had a conversation with her senior sister.
Her senior sister suggested Chaoge move in with them at the Celestial Palace residence in the capital to prepare for the Junwu Academy entrance exam, especially since Feng Wu was also aiming for the academy. Chaoge, however, expressed her disappointment with Celestial Palace, revealing that when she was poisoned, they had ignored her.
She felt like a burden to the palace and decided to keep her distance from them, affirming her friendship with her senior sister but choosing her own path. The next morning, Feng Wu brought Jun Linyuan breakfast, who was still recovering from his drunken stupor. He teasingly asked for his birthday gift, then showed her the Water Sky Vase.
He pretended to have intended to give it to her, only to retract the offer when she reacted, reminding her that she had previously denied wanting it and that he would only give it to her once she passed the Junwu Academy entrance exam.
