Chapter 104: I Want to Give Big Brother to Her!

Only now did Tang Fei realize that Phoenix was seventeen, half a year older than him.

Robbing the cradle.

Oh wait, he hadn’t "robbed" her yet.

Thinking of this, Tang Fei felt even more dejected.

"There will be a lot of people there, right?" Tang Fei asked aloud. "Do I need to wear something formal?"

"Yes, there will be many people in attendance." Fearing that Tang Fei might dislike crowded places, Phoenix explained, "Because the coming-of-age ceremony for every princess is organized by the Royal Protocol Office, they invite relatives and friends of a similar age, as well as the children of officials."

"I have already requested the protocol officer to keep my ceremony as simple and casual as possible. But given their style of working... there will likely still be a great many people. I’m afraid there might be several hundred."

"That's more than the entire population of our village," Tang Fei remarked.

The coming-of-age ceremony for the Princess of the Phoenix Empire was arguably the most important event of the recent period. What person of status or influence wouldn't want to attend and witness it in person?

It was not just an honor; it was a symbol of status.

Imagine posting a bunch of photos online with captions like: "Happy birthday, little Xue," "Happy coming-of-age, Your Highness," or "The little princess can finally do things adults enjoy..."

One would surely receive countless likes and exclamations of awe.

Those with political ambitions were even more eager to secure an opportunity for their own children. If the children of others attended and yours did not, wouldn't that suggest you weren't doing well for yourself?

If your rival's children attended and yours didn't, wouldn't people suspect your connections were inferior to theirs?

This was not just a coming-of-age ceremony; it was a showcase of power.

Therefore, just as Phoenix had said, even if she wanted a simple and casual event, it was likely that several hundred people would attend.

And that was assuming the royal family kept the guest list strictly controlled.

"As for the clothes, just wear whatever makes you two comfortable. If you want to dress more formally, that’s fine too—that suit you wore last time looked very dashing."

"Understood," Tang Fei nodded. "Would you like to see my training room?"

Young boys like to show off their toys to young girls; grown men like to show off their toys to grown women.

"Oh? You remodeled it?" Phoenix asked.

"Yes," Tang Fei replied. "I converted the basement wine cellar and media room into a training room. I didn't have time to ask for your permission, but I believe you won't mind."

"Of course not," Phoenix replied crisply. "I told you, this courtyard is a gift to you both. Feel free to use it as you like; renovate it however you wish, just follow your hearts."

She paused, then added, "By the way, now that you have an official status on the New Star, I can transfer the property deed to your name. That way, you'll feel more at home, won't you?"

"That's not necessary," Tang Fei said. "It doesn't matter whose name is on the deed, as long as Little Fatty and I have a place to stay. Why go through all that trouble?"

"It’s no trouble. I’ll have someone handle it; you’ll just need to cooperate with a genetic lock verification."

"Alright then," Tang Fei nodded.

He knew Phoenix had good intentions. Transferring the house to his name would put him at ease, and perhaps it would make her feel a little more at ease as well.

Tang Fei led Phoenix to the training room. Phoenix picked up a long blade from the rack and swung it a few times. The blade energy was sharp, leaving several fresh cuts on the floor.

Phoenix walked over to the cuts and examined them. "Although it's not the highest-grade branded gold material, it is still first-class. You are currently at the upper stage of the Qi-Refining Realm; this training room is sufficient for you. Once your cultivation realm increases, you will need a stronger and more advanced training room."

"At what realm will I need to upgrade?" Tang Fei asked.

He was both expectant and worried.

Expectant because, if he needed to upgrade the training room, it would prove that his realm had broken through again.

Worried because training rooms cost money, and all the money he had now was given to him by Phoenix.

Twenty million star coins—he had originally thought it would be enough for him and Little Fatty to live comfortably for a lifetime.

But after renovating the training room and purchasing some advanced weapons and gear, more than half was already gone.

No wonder people say that martial arts and cultivation are things only the rich and powerful can afford. How could an ordinary family endure such expenses?

He had heard that the genetic potions used to consolidate foundations and instantly boost combat power were even more expensive. Fortunately, Tang Fei didn't need those for now.

He didn't know much about that aspect yet and would decide whether to purchase them later depending on the situation.

"Ruyi? Little Grandmaster?"

"That's still a long way off," Tang Fei said, feeling instantly discouraged. "It sounds like a distant, unreachable goal."

"That’s not necessarily true." Phoenix looked at Tang Fei, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "I believe you can do it. I have more confidence in you than I do in myself."

She pointed to the dense crisscross of blade and sword marks on the training room floor. "These are the best proof."

As soon as Phoenix entered the training room, she had been shocked by the marks on the floor.

Because she knew better than anyone that there had been no training room in the basement of this house before; it was something he had just installed.

Yet, in such a short time, the floor had already been carved up like this by his blade and sword energy.

From this, one could see just how desperately and diligently Tang Fei had been working.

*Did I put too much pressure on him?*

*Or is he working silently, wanting to stand closer to me?*

Thinking about how she was still trying to push Tang Fei away, Phoenix felt a pang of sadness.

Tang Fei laughed sheepishly, as if his thoughts had been laid bare by Phoenix. "Strength is the foundation of survival. That's why I've been a bit more diligent lately..."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Phoenix asked.

Tang Fei was working hard, and Phoenix wanted to do something to help him in that effort.

"No, that's alright," Tang Fei shook his head. "Teacher Ran Ran has been very good to me; she even designed a special training program tailored to my situation. My promotion to the upper stage of Qi-Refining is largely due to her efforts."

"Teacher Ran Ran is truly a good teacher," Phoenix praised.

Although she knew Tang Fei and Teacher Ran Ran were innocent and had no close relationship, the thought that a successful man must have an even more successful woman behind him—and that Tang Fei's progress was due to the help of another woman, with nothing to do with her—made Phoenix feel a tiny bit jealous.

Well, just a tiny bit.

"Yes, Teacher Ran Ran is especially kind. She watches over me every day and is very responsible. Whenever I can't keep going, she cheers me on, and sometimes she even trains with me," the hopelessly dense Tang Fei added.

"..." Phoenix.

Leaving the training room, Phoenix looked at Tang Fei and Little Fatty and asked, "Are you two going to school? I can give you a ride."

Tang Fei declined. "You go ahead. We'll eat and drive ourselves."

"Alright," Phoenix said.

It was she who had taken the initiative to distance herself from Tang Fei, but when Tang Fei actually maintained that distance, she felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Phoenix left. Little Fatty looked at the card in Tang Fei's hand and said, "Wow, this card looks high-end. Brother, what is a coming-of-age ceremony?"

"It's a birthday in a special year," Tang Fei said. "You throw a party to tell everyone you've become an adult."

"Oh," Little Fatty nodded, then asked, "Why do you need to tell others that you've become an adult? Do we need to hold one when we come of age?"

"We aren't worthy," Tang Fei said.

Anyone *could* hold a coming-of-age ceremony, but he and Little Fatty didn't need to.

When Phoenix held her ceremony, the entire upper echelon of the Phoenix Empire was stirred.

If he and Little Fatty held one, the only guests they could invite would be each other... Teacher Ran Ran would probably come, right?

"That's good," Little Fatty said, clearly relieved, as if the idea of holding a ceremony was a painful ordeal.

"Don't worry, we won't have such troubles," Tang Fei comforted him. "That's just a silly thing that rich and powerful people do."

"Yeah. Brother, do you want a pastry? The ones Sister Phoenix brought are delicious," Little Fatty said.

Tang Fei shook his head and smiled. "I'm full. You eat them all. These things are best when fresh; they don't taste good after a while."

"Okay," Little Fatty agreed.

As Little Fatty stuffed a bun into his mouth, he asked, "Brother, did you and Sister Phoenix have a fight?"

"No," Tang Fei said. "Why would you think that?"

"I feel like you two are acting a bit strange," Little Fatty said. "Sister Phoenix is acting strange, and you're acting strange too. But I don't know what's wrong... I feel like you two aren't as close as you used to be. Not as good as when we were on Blue Star."

Tang Fei looked at Little Fatty with surprise; he hadn't expected this kid to be so observant. "How were we 'good' back then? We were just doing business with her; she's my business partner."

"No," Little Fatty shook his head. "Back then, you cared about Sister Phoenix, and she cared about you. Now, you both try not to care, but you clearly still do."

"Where did you see that I care?" Tang Fei asked indignantly.

"Sister Phoenix's car is already far away, but you're still standing at the door staring at it."

"..."

"Brother, it's Sister Phoenix's birthday. Should we send a gift?"

"We should," Tang Fei said.

"What should we get her?"

"What do you want to get her?" Tang Fei asked, looking at Little Fatty curiously.

"I want to give you to her as a gift."

"..."

*Don't you want to give your monthly votes to me instead?*