Dance of the Phoenix Episode 4 Recap
> Dance of the Phoenix Recap
At the entrance to Firecloud Cave, a formidable Firecloud Giant Hawk stood guard. Jun Linyuan instructed Mu Yao to ensure Feng Wu’s safety, while he, Feng Xun, and Xuan Yi planned to flank the giant hawk. Feng Xun suggested he would distract the hawk, allowing Jun Linyuan to secure the Celestial Fruit. Meanwhile, Yu Mingye and his Elder watched from a hidden spot, biding their time to claim the prize after the two sides had weakened each other.
Feng Wu, unsure how to coordinate with the Firecloud Giant Hawk (whom she thought of as "Little Parrot," knowing it was the Colored Phoenix), suddenly found herself pushed forward by Mu Yao. The hawk, seizing the opportunity, feigned an attack on Feng Wu. Jun Linyuan immediately rushed to her rescue, prompting Mu Yao to scold Feng Wu for distracting him. From his vantage point, Yu Mingye observed Jun Linyuan’s actions.
He found it highly unusual that Jun Linyuan would go to such lengths to save a stranger like Feng Wu. Realizing Jun Linyuan’s apparent affection, Yu Mingye declared his intention to seize Feng Wu, just as he aimed to take anything else Jun Linyuan desired, be it a person or an object.
The Elder reminded Yu Mingye about the primary goal of acquiring the Celestial Fruit, but Yu Mingye remained resolute, also noting that Feng Wu looked somewhat familiar to him. As the battle raged, Feng Wu quickly assessed the situation. She proposed that she would retrieve the Celestial Fruit while Feng Xun helped distract the Firecloud Giant Hawk, giving Jun Linyuan a moment to recover. Feng Xun agreed, and Mu Yao also joined the fray.
Under their combined efforts and diversion, Feng Wu successfully climbed a vine and obtained the Celestial Fruit. Seeing her mission accomplished, the Firecloud Giant Hawk ceased its attack, preparing to depart. However, Yu Mingye suddenly launched an assault, causing a cascade of rocks to fall from the cave ceiling, catching everyone off guard. Amidst the chaos, the Firecloud Giant Hawk swiftly disappeared into Feng Wu’s Dragon Phoenix Spirit Ring.
Feng Wu herself was nearly crushed by a massive falling rock, but Jun Linyuan once again risked his life to save her. The Celestial Fruit, dislodged during the commotion, fell and was promptly secured by Jun Linyuan in his spirit box. Feng Wu watched, powerless, as it slipped into his possession. At that moment, Yu Mingye and the Elder emerged from their hiding place and seized Feng Wu.
Yu Mingye attempted to use Feng Wu as leverage to demand the Celestial Fruit from Jun Linyuan. Despite experiencing intense heart pain from the activation of the Loveless Insect Venom—triggered by his emotional connection to Feng Wu—Jun Linyuan prioritized the larger mission. He coldly denied any relationship with Feng Wu, telling Yu Mingye to do with her as he pleased.
Feng Xun was distraught by Jun Linyuan's words, while Xuan Yi supported Jun Linyuan's pragmatic decision not to risk the fruit for an "unknown person." Yu Mingye, after recognizing Feng Wu as the same "fairy" who had previously saved him, stated he would not be ungrateful but still took her captive.
Feng Wu, thinking quickly, feigned distress, weeping as she claimed to be an ordinary citizen from Border City, kidnapped by Jun Linyuan and brought to the Frozen Forest as a tribute for the Firecloud Giant Hawk. She painted Jun Linyuan as a villain who used her as a pawn to get the Celestial Fruit, a strategy she termed "murdering a person with a borrowed knife."
She went on to praise Yu Mingye's impressive spiritual power and handsome appearance, telling him he was "hundreds of times better than Jun Linyuan," and offered to steal the Celestial Fruit back for him, promising to meet him by the lake. Yu Mingye, swayed by her tears and flattery, agreed to her plan, telling her to get the fruit while he dealt with Jun Linyuan. Thus, Feng Wu cunningly escaped from Yu Mingye.
She then forged a note in Yu Mingye's name, addressed to Jun Linyuan, demanding that if he wanted Feng Xiaowu (her alias) alive, he should meet at the lake, or else the entire Qianyuan Continent would know he was a cold-blooded and ungrateful person. Feng Xun and Xuan Yi urged Jun Linyuan not to go, suspecting a trap for the Celestial Fruit. However, Jun Linyuan, despite his pain, was still concerned.
He instructed Feng Xun and Xuan Yi to investigate the lake, then, entrusting the Celestial Fruit to Mu Yao, he secretly followed them. As soon as they left, Feng Wu, with the help of the Colored Phoenix within her Dragon Phoenix Spirit Ring, discreetly put Mu Yao into a trance and retrieved the Celestial Fruit.
Meanwhile, at the lake, Feng Xun and Xuan Yi were surprised to find Yu Mingye, who, still believing Feng Wu was with Jun Linyuan, angrily confronted them. Jun Linyuan later arrived, and Yu Mingye accused him of being a "shameless and base man" based on Feng Xiaowu's story, presenting the forged letter as proof. Jun Linyuan scoffed at the "nonsense" and denied the accusation. Soon, both Jun Linyuan and Yu Mingye realized they had been duped by Feng Wu.
Having successfully retrieved the Celestial Fruit, Feng Wu returned to Border City without delay. She immediately brought the fruit to Old Man Ba, an esteemed alchemist, requesting him to concoct the Nine Transformation Spirit Restoration Pill. Old Man Ba, excited by the prospect of refining such a high-grade elixir, instructed her to return in three days with good food and wine. He also noticed Feng Wu’s emotional state, teasing her about rekindling her feelings for Jun Linyuan.
Feng Wu denied it, dismissing Jun Linyuan as an "ice face," but Old Man Ba advised her to be honest with her emotions. Upon arriving home, Feng Wu discovered that guests from the Feng family of the Capital had arrived: her cousin Feng Yiran and his sister Feng Liu.
They were not there out of family affection but to find the Phoenix Sword, a treasured family heirloom that had been sealed in the old family residence since the previous patriarch’s death and was nearing its time to reappear. They had been aggressively searching the house and accusing Feng's mother of hiding it, even threatening Qiu Ling when she tried to defend her mistress.
Feng's mother patiently explained that she knew nothing of the sword's whereabouts and that she and Feng Wu simply wanted a peaceful life, having no interest in the Feng family’s leadership. Observing the scene, Feng Wu, angered by their mistreatment of her mother, decided to prank her cousins. She entered, feigning excitement and "accidentally" spilling tea on Feng Yiran, then offered profuse apologies and flattery about his impressive cultivation.
She cunningly claimed to vaguely remember a steward mentioning that the Phoenix Sword was hidden in a flowerbed within the old residence, though she couldn't recall which specific one. Feng Liu tried to expose Feng Wu's deception, but Feng Yiran, desperate, silenced her and ordered his men to dig up every flowerbed in the vast old family residence. Feng Wu chuckled to Qiu Ling, noting there were dozens of flowerbeds, ensuring her cousins would be occupied for quite some time.
Meanwhile, Jun Linyuan's group also arrived in Border City under the guise of a border inspection. Their plan was to secretly find Feng Wu and also locate "Feng Xiaowu," the girl who stole the Celestial Fruit, unaware they were the same person. During their journey, Mu Yao received a letter from her senior, Zuo Qingluan, and departed to help her eliminate the Hundred-Poison Beasts that were plaguing a nearby area.
The equally deceived Yu Mingye also arrived in Border City, still fuming. He walked into a tea house carrying a portrait of Feng Xiaowu and began asking locals if they recognized the girl. While there, he intervened to save a landlady from being harassed by a Mr. Bi, questioning how spiritual practitioners could bully commoners.
