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The great beings who presided over the natural forces of the world had witnessed Feng Huang's act of charity in sparing the young boy's life. When he had spent his life slaying foe after foe with relentless disregard, to then find it within himself to let one boy caught in the flames of war go was unprecedented for his character. In their council among the stars they agreed that he held the means to reform, and with that they took pity on him. One of the great beings descended down from its watch in the form of a twirling, falling leaf. Cradled by the falling leaf was a small, impossibly bright seed from the plane above. It was a spark of new life which would sustain the man and cure his injuries. The leaf brushed the seed against his open wound and coaxed it to take root within Feng Huang.

All at once Feng Huang felt the dark curtains of death peel back as if he had surfaced for air in a cold, frigid lake. The world became clear and the aching pain alongside his approaching end ebbed back. In time he sat up and found himself within the forest near his encampment. Patting his sides, he felt for the gaping hole the boy had carved into his flesh from his plunged dagger, but instead felt only smooth skin.

"My wounds....they have healed. This must be the work of someone beyond myself." he voiced with wonder.

Feng Huang considered returning back to his camp, but feared that his men would turn on him, thinking him an evil spirit returned from the dead. With no other option left before him, he ventured further into the forest. Deeper and deeper he went with no aim or course to guide him. For the entire day Feng Huang thought about the village on fire, and the boy of ash that had dealt him a fatal blow. He thought of his countless conquests and the rivers of blood he had carved by his sword. Only now did the screams and cries of his enemies ricochet through his mind, making him feel heavy with regret.

He stumbled upon a pond and sat down. The water was calming to his troubled mind and he watched a frog devour an insect hovering low above the pond.

"Here I will learn the ways of the world." he muttered quietly to the wind, and so Feng Huang sat there by that pond for three fillings and three emptyings of the moon. He came to learn of the vast ecosystem that governed such a simple feature of the natural world. He watched as foxes and pheasants and all manner of creatures of the forest came to the pond to satiate their thirst. He observed the flowers close themselves during the coolness of night only to greet the dawn with outstretched petals once more at dawn. He even witnessed a tortoise sigh its last breath and become reclaimed by the earth. All played an important role here and nothing was wasted.

In that time he consumed only the morning dew from leaves as his nourishment, wishing to cause no further harm to any other manner of animal. And as his outlook on the world altered, he too began to transform in profound and strange ways. Layers of crimson and golden plumage sprouted, then grew out to cover his body. His toes rearranged themselves into a set of formidable talons, and a great silvery beak extended forth from his face. Only once he was finally content with what he had learned did Feng Huang look at himself and see that he was indistinguishable from any other creature of the forest.

He made a home for himself there by that pond, and passing travelers would often grant great praise in seeing the beautiful bird. In exchange for not harming any inhabitant of the forest he would leave the travelers with gifts of knowledge and wisdom bundled within closed plum blossoms. They would tell of advice for the future or soothing words to calm troubled hearts. However, should the travelers not respect the forest Feng Huang watched over, they found themselves with terrible luck for three fillings and emptyings of the moon.

Without their famed warrior, the empire's conquest soon dissolved and a new leader rose to unify the warring nations. It was many years into this time of restored piece that Feng Huang noticed a man passing through the forest with a mighty scar trailing along his jaw. The man had with him his wife and two small children chasing after one another in their made-up game. He dropped down from his perch silently and stood in the middle of their path. The children clung tightly to their parents' legs, but the man, from deep within his heart recognized the enormous bird as Feng Huang. Instead of anger the man simply smiled at the bird. The boy had changed too. He carried no hatred for the man now, having made peace in his own way, and thanked the bird for sparing his life all those years ago.

Feng Huang was pleased by this and turned his head into his plumage and plucked out four feathers, one for each of them that would ward away the evils of the world so that they might enjoy a full life of joy and peace, with war staying a distant memory of the past for both of them.