When did the Phoenix first appear? Probably even more confusing than Long's textual research.
"Shan Hai Jing" has a cloud: "There is a bird Yan, whose shape is like a chicken, with five colors and writing, and the name is Fenghuang."
Judging from this sentence, Fenghuang should be a kind of bird. But it is also "Shan Hai Jing", which also records: "There are three names of Wu Cai Niao, one is called Huang Niao, one is called Luan Niao, and the other is called Feng Niao."
This has turned into three kinds of birds, which is correct, so far has not been conclusive.
As for later generations, people usually interpret Feng and Huang as the same bird with different males and females, but they are actually a kind of royal packaging.
Phoenix is not any bird that exists in reality. But after the Qin and Han Dynasties, the dragon gradually became the symbol of the emperor, so there was a corresponding image of the queens and concubines, that is, the Phoenix Emperor became a phoenix and quickly feminized.
To put it bluntly, the concept of phoenix first existed, and people tried to find some birds to echo and fit the so-called phoenix.
Therefore, in ancient times, there was no word for Phoenix. So what is its real body
"There are five phoenix elephants, the red one is the phoenix, the green one is the luan, the yellow one is the chick, the purple one is the swan, and the white one is the swan." That is to say, these five kinds of birds are all phoenixes.
The article "Autumn Water" said: "There are birds in the south, and their names are chicks. They are not sycamore trees. They do not eat unless they are practiced, and they do not drink unless they are sweet springs."
It's not that the phoenix tree doesn't rest, it's not that it doesn't eat the fruit of the bamboo, it's not that it doesn't drink the sweet spring water—this young bird is a real phoenix.
…
The southernmost point of Guangdong Province, Xuwen.
This is also the southernmost point of the Xia Country Continent, and further south is the Qiongzhou Strait, which is only 14.6 nautical miles (27 kilometers) away from Qiongzhou in a straight line.
There are many islands in the county, dotted with harbors, and there are more than 50 ports alone.
In the southwest, there is a large area of mangrove forest, which is a special kind of tree that originally grew on the coast and was eroded by tide water for a long time. As a result, after the environment changed, the mangrove forest expanded wildly, and even spread into the sea water, truly becoming a spiritual plant with both water and land.
The roots of the trees are stuck in the water and entangled continuously upwards. One tree is entangled with another tree, forming tree islands, which can be walked freely, which is also a spectacle.
"rustle!"
There was a sound of footsteps, and six or seven people pushed aside the branches and leaves, revealing their tired figures. They are members of the Red Lotus Sect, who are responsible for searching the Xuwen area. The leader is Lin Sheng, who is Lin Zhe's brother of the same clan.
It's hard to find the real body of Phoenix, what you're looking for is clues, which requires carefulness and patience. A few people searched Xu Wen to no avail, and plunged into the mangrove forest again. If there is no clue, they can only go back and report.
"Ah Sheng, how strong do you think the bird's cultivation is? Who are the parents? They can't jump out of the rock, right?"
One person walked and asked casually.
"It is written in "Huainanzi" that Yujia gave birth to a flying dragon, and the flying dragon gave birth to a phoenix emperor. Yujia is the ancestor of the legendary flying animals. Of course, no one has ever seen it."
Lin Sheng is in his thirties, with an elegant temperament, has read a lot of books, and said with a smile: "These things have too many artificial decorations, just listen to them. When the dragon was transformed into a dragon in the East China Sea, the officials did not say that the dragon is the essence of heaven and earth. Is it born by induction? I guess the same is true for phoenixes, they are all born by induction."
"Ha! That obscene dragon is also worthy of the essence of heaven and earth?" Someone laughed loudly.
Others did not refute, and all showed contempt.
At the beginning, the common people were still in awe of Qinglong, but when the truth slowly surfaced, they finally realized: Fuck, you are not a real dragon, you are just a long worm.
whispering sound!
This perception is far worse. If you don't take the right path but take the dry path, it's no wonder that the realm is extremely difficult and you stop moving forward. As time goes by, looking at the dragon, I don't feel much anymore, but instead feel a faint sense of contempt.
"The shape of the lewd dragon is in the realm of human immortality. If this phoenix is really born of heaven and earth, it will not be bad, right? We must not get close, so as not to burn ourselves." Someone reminded.
"It's okay, we didn't catch it, what are we afraid of. If we really want to find it, why don't we take a look at it from a distance?"
"Don't worry, this shows that we are prosperous in the world, only the phoenix is auspicious, and it was born in response."
"That's right, Xiangrui!"
Most people didn't care, after all, this kind of blood flows in the bones of Xia people. When it comes to dragons, phoenixes, unicorns, and pandas, first of all, it is not fear, but a strange sense of intimacy.
Like what an honor.
The mangrove forest is vast and dense, and the tree islands are adjacent to each other. There is only a gap in the middle for a small boat to pass through. You can jump over it with a dexterous stride.
From time to time, flocks of birds flew around, and there was a buzz of insects. The sun is gradually slanting to the west, and the afterglow is soaked. The tree island and the sea surface are rolling with rays of light, warm and bloody.
Everyone jumped around the island and searched for a long time. Lin Sheng, the leader of the team, suddenly paused and put his index finger to his lips: "Shhh!"
The team cooperated tacitly, and the rest immediately dispersed to form the most perfect ambush circle.
After waiting for a while, I heard rustling in the depths, approached quickly, rushed away from the bushes, and jumped out of a big blue bird half as tall as a man.
This bird is called Blue Quail. After alienation, it cannot fly and can only glide at low altitude, but it runs fast, has a ferocious temperament, and loves meat.
In the past, there must have been a battle, but today it is very strange. The blue quail glanced at it, ignored it, and swayed away with its chubby belly.
"Huh? Maybe I just had enough to eat, so I'm too lazy to start a war..."
Lin Sheng was taken aback for a moment, and without thinking too much, he called his companions to go deeper. After walking for a while, he really smelled a bloody smell, and found a huge corpse in an open space.
It was also a bird, most of the meat had been gnawed off, and the surrounding hard tree roots were covered with paw prints.
"Grey-headed pheasant, he has been dead for a long time, what is the cause of death..."
One person turned over the corpse, and said strangely: "Hey, there is no serious injury, and the bones and internal organs are not damaged, it seems..."
"What does it look like?"
"Scared to death."
scared to death...
Everyone was startled at first, and then overjoyed, Lin Sheng hurriedly said: "Quick, look around for any clues?"
Everyone immediately dispersed.
"These paw prints are all from the blue quilted quail, and no other creature has ever visited."
"There are no traces of fighting around, and there is no breath left."
"This pheasant didn't seem to struggle much, and fell down with a plop."
"Is it Phoenix?"
Several people regrouped, all looking at Lin Sheng hotly. Lin Sheng thought for a moment, and said: "The gray-headed pheasant is not weak, and it is also a tyrant in the mangrove forest. It can be killed so easily, which shows that it is very strong. And more importantly..."
He paused, and there was a hint of excitement in his tone, "Have you noticed that we have searched the mangroves, but have not found any traces of large creatures, including humans, living there?"
"You mean..."
"The phoenix will not fall unless it is a phoenix tree, even if it is against the enemy, it will not settle here!"
Lin Sheng was completely overwhelmed, and said: "I have an intuition that the Phoenix is in Guangdong Province, it is nearby, look for it, keep looking for it!"