To prevent her plumage from being too vibrant and attracting unwanted attention, Sui You altered her feathers to a dull, nondescript gray.
Even so, as a phoenix, and especially as the Phoenix Lord, she could not escape the spectacle of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix.
Sui You looked at Yue Zhiyin. "Ah, I'm finally saved. Hurry and take me away."
Yue Zhiyin softly hummed in agreement, and the group quickly spurred their horses onward.
Once they were outside the flower and bird market, Yue Zhiyin found a secluded spot.
Only then did Sui You transform back into her human form and heave a sigh of relief.
Yue Zhiyin looked at Sui You. "You were perfectly fine, how did you end up in a birdcage? And if you could get out, why didn't you do so sooner?"
"This is a long story, and it wasn't voluntary," Sui You sighed, explaining with a touch of helplessness. "When I woke up, I was lying by the roadside. Later, I felt there was nothing to eat in this place, and I was starving. So, I followed a scent and found that place. That place had a lot of grains, which I thought was great, and some of them I hadn't even eaten before, so I went in for a meal."
Everyone looked at Sui You with expressions that defied description.
Sui You looked at them, her curiosity piqued as she glanced at each of them. "Speaking of which, why are only you here? Aren't Feng Mingqi and the others here? Haven't they been found?"
Qi Yu nodded. "Indeed, there's been no news of them. We'll try to find them later."
"Before that, let's focus on what's important. It's almost dark, let's find a place to rest."
Chen Xi said this as she turned to survey their surroundings, finally spotting a 24-hour cinema.
Qi Yu and Si Qing looked up at the neon sign above the cinema entrance. "What is this place?"
As Qi Yu asked, she secretly wondered if she should find someone to peek into their memories and learn the thoughts and common sense of the people in this world.
Of course, she quickly dismissed the idea.
"This place is a 24-hour cinema. A 24-hour cinema is equivalent to 12 shichen in our world," Chen Xi explained to them. "Normally, you need to buy a ticket to enter. I was thinking, we could sneak in and stay here for the night, and then leave some gold when we wake up, which should be the same."
"I don't mind," Yan Hua said, not particularly concerned about where they rested. "Resting anywhere is the same. More importantly, are you sure no one else will come here?"
Although they held high status and were of noble birth, their sleeping habits were rather peculiar.
For instance, some liked to revert to their dragon form to sleep, others preferred to float while sleeping, and sometimes, certain individuals might even casually cast minor spells in their dreams.
Therefore, unless it was a quiet place, their sleeping arrangements could easily terrify ordinary humans watching movies.
Especially since the humans in this secret realm had no foundation in magic and were physically weak.
Si Qing nodded and also looked at Chen Xi. "Are you sure this place is safe?"
"Uncertain. How could I be sure? I'm not that familiar with this place. I say we just find a good theater hall and set up a barrier," Chen Xi was becoming increasingly carefree.
Yan Hua nodded.
Everyone agreed.
Thus, the group openly used invisibility spells to enter the 24-hour cinema and found a screening room that usually had few viewers, but was perpetually playing documentaries.
Then, they all found the most comfortable positions to sit.
"Is this screening room prepared for couples?" Qi Yu asked, noticing several beds in the room, a look of confusion on her face.
"What kind of couple would prepare a couch like this here? I can't understand it," Si Qing couldn't help but retort. "Am I too old-fashioned, or is this world different from ours? Why would someone openly place couches like this?"
Chen Xi rubbed her forehead. "It seems to be for couples, but the young couples in this world are much like the married couples in ours. And this so-called couch is meant for watching movies. Instead of sitting upright and watching, it's more comfortable to just lie down and watch all day."
As Chen Xi spoke, she casually found a spot and lay down, stretching out in a relaxed posture.
Yan Hua found another spot to sit. Feeling sleepy, he quickly reverted to his original form after sitting down, curled up, and fell asleep.
Qi Yu and Si Qing explored the entire screening room.
They walked from one end to the other, finally selecting a suitable "throne" near the middle.
Qi Yu couldn't understand the documentaries of this modern society and found them boring.
It wasn't until the 24-hour looping cinema began to play a historical Xianxia drama that they became interested.
However, their interest was in the form of mockery:
"This is too fake. What kind of magical light looks like stars? And it's presented as if the three realms are about to be destroyed."
"Exactly. And is that a dragon? That dragon's original form is so ugly. Dragons are super cool, and these scales are too fake. Why are the scales always the same color? Actually, scales come in many colors, and some gradually shift into other colors."
"I think this Heavenly Emperor looks a bit ugly. Not as good as the previous one."
"Really? I think this Heavenly Emperor looks quite good. Although he gives off a vibe of often resorting to unorthodox methods, his features are quite handsome. Perhaps the attire doesn't suit him, but I really don't understand why everyone is wearing white clothes?" Qi Yu asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.
"Who knows, but the styles look good. It's just completely different from our world, and their cultivation system is also different," Yan Hua opened one eye, watching while dozing. "I've never seen such a cultivation system before, so is what's being shown fake?"
"Brother, it's obviously fake. Look, they can't even fly. They have ropes tied to their backs," Si Qing squinted and pointed at a particular frame.
"You have sharp eyes. I didn't see anything just now," Yan Hua said, yawning. "I think it might be because I'm a bit sleepy."
Qi Yu looked at Yan Hua. "Then you should rest more. I'm going to rest too. This place is too soft, more comfortable than any place I've slept before."
Although there was a slightly unpleasant odor,