Chapter 3: I am a Phoenix?

“Heh… even if you’re a fallen noble, your skin’s still pretty nice, huh… If you’re really desperate, there’s a way to skip the rent, you know?”

The landlord rubbed my face, flashing a sleazy grin.

“Uh… th-this…”

I desperately wanted to stab this guy, but I held back—first, my body’s still weak from giving birth to those two “children,” so if I miss, I’m done for. Second, I don’t know enough about this place yet. Even if I killed him, hiding the body would be a hassle…

So, I let out a helpless, feeble sound and stepped back, pulling my face away from his fat hand.

“Just had a kid, huh? Must be broke. I’ll give you ten more days to decide.”

Seeing me retreat, the landlord squinted, unbothered, and spoke in a suggestive tone.

Then he turned and left.

“…”

I clenched my teeth, a flicker of murderous intent rising in me—most of my past memories are gone, but I know I wasn’t exactly a saint.

Staring at his massive back, dark thoughts swirled in my mind.

Finally, when his figure disappeared from view, I slammed the door shut in a huff.

“…Think I’ll sell my body? No f*cking way!”

I gritted my teeth, my resolve firm.

My memories are hazy, but I know I was a man in my last life! Even if… this body’s no longer pure, I’m not about to start serving men!!!

“…Ugh… forget plotting to kill that guy. I need to figure out what to do next…”

I took a few deep breaths, suppressing my anger, and started thinking about my next steps.

“…Su Mengmeng, huh? Not a bad name, I guess.”

I touched my chin, muttering, then turned toward the bathroom.

No matter what… those two little ones are my children now, aren’t they? And taking care of them… that’s Su Mengmeng’s wish, the original owner of this body.

I’m not some heartless jerk… Since I’ve taken over her body, the least I can do is fulfill one of her wishes, right?

I thought to myself, arriving at the bathtub, where the two blood-stained eggs lay quietly.

The eggs… one was pale purple, the other pale red—but both had a soft, beautiful grayish hue.

After some thought, I rinsed the blood off them, wiped them dry with a towel, and carefully carried them to the bedroom, placing them gently on the bed.

…Eggs, huh…

I touched my chin, lost in thought.

Su Mengmeng was always an ordinary human, but these eggs and this healing ability… no doubt about it, this body has non-human blood.

Eggs… they’re probably… dragonkin?

I looked at the eggs, tilting my head, my small hand gently brushing the shells.

Smooth… and I could almost feel the little ones inside reacting happily to my touch.

“No, wait. Dragonkin have strong healing, but not strong enough to survive a massive hemorrhage like that… And dragon eggs usually have scales from the start. These smooth shells… they’re not dragon eggs.”

I blinked, thinking it over, and came to a conclusion.

First, I’m likely still in my original world—I compared Su Mengmeng’s memories to my own and confirmed it.

So… not dragons… then what are my children and I?

I thought, troubled, but then remembered something—powerful non-human races often have racial inheritances.

I pondered, exhaled deeply, and closed my eyes, slipping into a meditative state.

Diving into my nearly empty mental sea, I calmed my mind and, using my past knowledge, called out to my bloodline.

With my eyes closed, the world went dark.

I called to my bloodline, and moments later, a faint mark appeared in my mind.

It was… a racial mark formed by a pair of pale red wings.

I gathered my weak mental energy and cautiously tried to touch the mark—but the moment I did, a surge of energy exploded in my mind, my body jolted as if shocked, and I collapsed onto the bed, dazed.

The instant I touched the mark, an overwhelming flood of information blanked out my mind. It took one or two hours to slowly recover.

“…”

When I came to, I moved my stiff limbs, sat up, and wiped the drool from my mouth.

“Almost killed myself again right off the bat… not a great start… but… Phoenix? A phoenix? I didn’t expect… a bloodline thought to be extinct…”

I sat on the bed, dazed, recovering from the nauseating dizziness, and muttered to myself.

The moment I touched the racial mark, a tidal wave of inherited knowledge hit me, frying my fragile brain. But thanks to this phoenix body’s insane recovery, I didn’t end up a vegetable.

That’s right. As Su Mengmeng, I’ve awakened the bloodline of the immortal Phoenix.

This explains why my two children are eggs and why I have this ridiculous healing ability.

Surviving a hemorrhage and brain overload? That’s way too overpowered.

But… something’s still off.

My bloodline awakened on the brink of death, but these kids were already eggs before that.

What’s going on?

I looked at the two egg babies, puzzled.

Is it something to do with their father? But where’s the father anyway… Not like it matters now—I’m on my own.

“…Is this luck or a curse?”

I grabbed my tangled, unwashed hair, muttering to myself.