Seeing those female disciples from Yuxian Sect sitting upright with sparkling eyes, all staring at him, Mingting shook his fluffy feathers.
'I'm really so charming!'
'No one can resist the charm of a Phoenix like me!'
However, he wouldn't let them touch him. He had nearly been rubbed bald by the Ancestor Yu Bingqing just now. Never underestimate a woman's love for fluffy creatures.
Mingting didn't want to end up bald like a middle-aged man with a receding hairline when he spread his wings to fly someday.
The Little Phoenix obediently returned to the main seat.
Tilting his head, he stared at the peeled milkberry fruit in front of Ancestor Du Heng. He leaned over and smelled it, and there was a rich, milky fragrance.
This milkberry fruit was highly nutritious, just like milk, and was a favorite food for newborn beasts.
Especially for those young beasts who lost their mothers at birth, eating milkberries could help them grow up safely and healthily.
Mingting understood that Du Heng prepared this for him.
"I don't drink milk!"
The little red fluffball fluttered onto Du Heng's table, and his big round eyes flickered. There was a layer of long and dense golden-orange eyelashes on his eye circles.
"I really don't drink milk! I'm not a baby!"
Mingting insisted in his tiny voice.
He wasn't actually a little fluffball, how could he crave milk...
Du Heng smiled without saying a word. He cut off the vine at the top of the milkberry and handed the gourd-shaped fruit to the little fluffball.
Everyone watched as the little red ball of fur, who was originally serious and arguing with Du Heng, suddenly transformed into a chubby baby.
'Ah…'
The baby waved his chubby little hands, hugged the milkberry, and began gulping it down.
"My baby (Xiaobao/ Xiao Maomao) can shapeshift?"
Immediately, the big shots, who had just been quiet, flew over one by one. They lowered their heads and looked down at the chubby baby in Du Heng's arms, kicking his little legs while clutching the milkberry.
The baby was plump, with short, chubby arms like fresh lotus root segments. When poked with a finger, his flesh immediately bounced back.
At this moment, Mingting wanted to cry, 'Why can't I control myself?'
'My body reacted more honestly than my mind. How embarrassing!'
[Boss, think about your dream! To be the most popular person in the Cultivation World!]
Fengtian covered its mouth and laughed while comforting Mingting, "Look, all these big shots are utterly enchanted by you. You've already taken the first step toward success!"
As Mingting drank the milkberry, his big grape-like eyes sparkled as he looked around.
Sure enough, they were all obsessed with the beauty of this Phoenix!
"Ahhh, my baby is so adorable even when drinking milk!" Yu Bingqing's cheeks flushed with excitement.
"Wu Hao, the baby said he'd take turns staying at each of our sects. I don't care, he must come to Yuxian Sect first!"
"Second is Seven Star Island!" Huo Wuqing shouted, only to be kicked aside by Baili Mu.
"The Little Phoenix is my Sword Sect's elder. It's not right for the elder not to live in his own sect."
'Damn shameless bastard!'
Everyone cursed inwardly while scrambling to offer incentives.
Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Mingting became an honorary elder for every sect.
After glaring viciously at their competitors, they all nodded in satisfaction.
With a Phoenix as their honorary elder, it will be legitimate for the Little Phoenix to come to their sect in the future. What kind of elder would frolic outside all day without returning to their sect?
Even an honorary elder was still one of their own!
After the commotion, they all turned back to watch the baby drink his milkberry, unable to get enough.
'Look at those strong little legs.'
'And those short, plump arms… so fair and chubby, with five tiny dimples on the back of his hands. Our elder is just too adorable...'
Earlier, they had assumed the Phoenix could only appear as a fluffy ball of fur and they didn't expect Mingting to be able to transform so quickly, so most of the gifts sent to him were not useful to him for the time being.
Now, after the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect presented a miniature ivory demon-subduing pestle as a teething toy, the big shots started pulling out more treasures.
"Our Yuxian Sect will handle the baby's clothes from now on!"
Seeing that Mingting was only wearing a pair of red shorts, Yu Bingqing immediately took out ten brightly colored little belly bands.
She didn't care that Du Hengwas the oldest person at the scene, she pushed him aside and snatched Mingting into her arms.
"You clumsy men have no idea how to take care of a baby…"
Yu Bingqing picked a peach-red belly band embroidered with fish playing among lotus leaves and dressed Mingting in it. Then, she took out a pair of purple jade anklets with golden bells and fastened them around his ankles.
The anklets could adjust automatically to fit his chubby legs. Mingting wiggled his feet, and the bells jingled crisply.
Everyone was shocked when they saw this.
Those anklets were top-grade spirit tools! They could activate automatic protection when the user is in danger, especially against demons and demonic beasts.
In order to fight for the Little Phoenix, the Yuxian Sect was going all out!
The other sects refused to be outdone and began showering Mingting with gifts.
The clever and skillful Ancestor of Seven Star Island even made a crib on the spot, along with a bunch of toys, leaving the Sword Sect green with envy.
Apart from swords, they had no treasures. They would always go to Seven Star Island to refine weapons and elixirs, so how could they compete with such exquisite items?
Not to mention, the Sword Sect is a famous bachelor stronghold, with a serious imbalance in the ratio of men to women. They had no idea how to coax children, let alone take care of them.
Watching the others eagerly fuss over the chubby baby drinking his milkberry, Baili Mu felt sour.
'When you need brains, you realize you don't have enough! '
'Swordsmen who only knew slashing and stabbing were no match for these people!'
'From now on, we must recruit female disciples! Train female elders! Hell, even a female Sect Master would do!'