He came to find his wife and child.
Cen Moyu followed Mai Li as they traveled a thousand miles a day. Despite the wind and rain, it still took them several days to reach the Demon Capital.
Before entering the city, Mai Li received several voice transmissions from his lover. “Xiao Li, the Sect Leader is about to descend the mountain. I apologize, I can only tell you this news. The rest concerns sect secrets, and I truly cannot say more to you.”
“My Tian Tian is becoming increasingly alluring,” Mai Li said, his face flushing as the transmission talisman turned to ash. He cupped his face. “To be so formal with me, what is there to apologize for?”
Cen Moyu turned pale. “What? He is leaving the Qingheng Sect?”
Even as a closed door disciple, he had heard that the Sect Leader spent the year in seclusion on the snow capped main peak. Most major affairs within the sect were handled by the peak masters and elders; Wenren Qi was rarely disturbed. If Cen Moyu did not have the concept of being inside a book, he might have thought, like the other disciples, that the Sect Leader was simply a strange old man. Although he did not look like an old man, his temperament was certainly eccentric. He was also prone to going back on his word, saying one thing in one breath and changing it the next.
The bird egg nestled in his arms seemed to sense his panic, rolling restlessly. Cen Moyu had to comfort the child through his clothes. “Do not be afraid, baby. Papa will protect you.”
Along the way, Mai Li had heard Cen Moyu’s strange way of referring to himself many times but did not ask questions. As a demon, Mai Li’s level of acceptance was quite high. He smiled. “Do not worry. Senior Brother Tian Sui was reminding us that if we want to run, we should run a bit faster. The elders will not let him leave easily; there is still some maneuvering to be done. It is enough time for me to get you into the Demon Capital.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Mai Li patted Cen Moyu on the shoulder, signaling for him to follow.
The Demon Capital was filled with the scent of pomelos. Aside from the fragrance, it was not much different from a mortal city.
“When I first transformed, I stayed here for a while,” Mai Li said as he led Cen Moyu forward. “Youyou City takes in homeless demons from all over the world. As long as you have not committed any heinous crimes, it is no problem if you want to dodge trouble or stay long term.”
Cen Moyu looked past the rabbit eared vendors shouting their wares and the pancake sellers with long tails. He finally felt the reality of being in a demon city. “Are their ears and tails exposed on purpose?”
Mai Li followed his gaze. “Of course not. If they could turn fully human, they would. It is because they cannot that they are unable to live outside. Those like us, or those with hidden ailments from tribulations, at least have a human appearance. We are actually much freer.”
Cen Moyu nodded, though he did not feel much joy. The sorrow between his brows never fully dissipated. Even though his identity after crossing over was a demon, his soul was that of a genuine human. Having laid an egg made him feel as if he did not belong anywhere, leading to a constant, baseless loneliness. It will be better once the little one hatches, Cen Moyu thought. The little one must want to see the world outside, too.
Mai Li had taken leave to come out. Qingheng Sect disciples had seven days of annual leave. Mai Li had already used a few days to visit friends before seeking out Cen Moyu, so he had to take additional leave for personal affairs. Having been a closed door disciple for so many years, Cen Moyu knew that taking leave meant a deduction in pay. He did not want Mai Li to suffer too much of a loss, so after completing the entry registration, he urged the little sparrow to leave.
Mai Li’s friend in the city was a Cockatiel. There seemed to have been a mistake during his transformation, as the red patches on his cheeks were exceptionally prominent. At least his form was human, with no external feathers.
“Fine, you can get lost now. I will take care of this kid.” This Cockatiel was named Yu Xiang, and he was about the same height as Cen Moyu. He lived with a fox demon who seemed to be on duty at a tavern at this hour, so Cen Moyu did not see him.
“Why the rush?” Mai Li pushed Cen Moyu forward. “This little Fairy Pitta has an unhatched egg. Did you not have experience with this before? Give him a hand.”
Yu Xiang looked at Cen Moyu. Since they were both demons, the other’s youth was obvious. The bird egg held in the young demon’s palm was very active, hopping around as if to say hello under Yu Xiang’s gaze. The dense spiritual energy surrounding the egg startled Yu Xiang. “You made it this far without any trouble? This spiritual energy is comparable to a medicinal pill; it is very nourishing.”
The bird egg could understand human speech. It shrunk back into Cen Moyu’s sleeve from his palm, looking quite pitiful. Mai Li was also puzzled. “Perhaps it is because my friend here has no demonic aura?”
Yu Xiang instinctively felt this was trouble. However, since Mai Li had helped him before, he accepted. “Fine, fine, I will help. But where is your friend’s female bird? Is she dead? It is not easy for a male bird to hatch an egg alone.”
Just as Mai Li was about to speak, Cen Moyu said, “She is dead.”
Seeing Cen Moyu’s pale face, his thin frame from the journey, and his simple clothes, Yu Xiang sighed. “And there is only one egg left?”
Cen Moyu hummed in affirmation, and Mai Li did not add anything further. The Qingheng Sect was the number one sect; explaining the cause and effect would be far too tedious. This was the Demon Capital. Even if the Sect Leader came to settle scores with Cen Moyu, he might not be able to enter easily. Letting Cen Moyu hatch the egg here in peace was already the best method Mai Li could find. Tian Sui was honest and kept his word; he certainly would not reveal his voice transmission traces to the Sect Leader.
“You are a pitiful one. You can stay here with me from now on.”
Yu Xiang lived in the west of the city. The house was not large, so he could only spare the west wing for Cen Moyu. “The owner of this house is a fox demon. He runs a tavern and works through the night, so you do not need to fear him.”
Cen Moyu nodded, looking well behaved and pitiful. Yu Xiang looked at the lone egg, which was about the size of a thumb, and remembered the nest of children he had lost when he was just a bird. “Your deceased wife must have had high cultivation, right? This child has spiritual energy flowing even before hatching. It is a good thing it is wrapped in a barrier, otherwise you would both be in danger.”
Even in the peaceful Youyou City, private conflicts between demon tribes were unavoidable. Cen Moyu looked at Mai Li as if to confirm his safety. Mai Li nodded. “Do not let Yu Xiang’s small stature or the silly red patches on his face fool you; his cultivation is quite good.”
Yu Xiang knew that Mai Li had sneaked into a great sect to chase a man and had always admired his boldness. Learning that Cen Moyu had also snuck in, he could not help but remark, “Our demon tribe is quite impressive. For all we know, the number one sect in the world has been infiltrated until it is like a sieve. A while ago, some demon cultivators from the Abyss of Delusion snuck into our city, but they were driven out later. They truly are restless.”
“The Abyss of Delusion is ten thousand miles away; there is no need to fear,” Mai Li said as he prepared to leave. He patted Cen Moyu on the shoulder. “When your child hatches, I want to be the godfather.” He felt a sense of gratification at the thought of the Sect Leader being ravaged by a little bird. He rubbed Cen Moyu’s long hair. “You do not need to hide your beautiful feathers in the city. It is fine to dress a bit more colorfully.”
“Mai Li, thank you.” Cen Moyu was reluctant to let him go. “You are so kind.”
Mai Li had a cheerful personality and rarely saw such a fragile bird demon transformed into a human. He could not help but be amused and laughed as he hugged Cen Moyu. “Silly Moyu, we are friends.”
“I never had friends before,” Cen Moyu said muffledly. “You are my first friend.” His ex boyfriend’s face was blurry; Cen Moyu rarely thought of him anymore. Although crossing over was terrifying, he seemed to have gained something precious.
Yu Xiang coughed several times. “What is with all the sentimentality? This egg is not your seed, is it?”
“Get lost,” Mai Li laughed and scolded. “I have a lover.”
Yu Xiang was somewhat surprised. “Should you not be arguing that you are both male birds and cannot produce an egg?”
Mai Li smiled meaningfully. “That is not necessarily true.”
Cen Moyu pushed him. “I will see you out.”
Cen Moyu settled down in the Demon Capital. A month passed, and the bird egg showed no sign of hatching. He had also not seen the fox landlord Yu Xiang mentioned. This demon city was quiet during the day and much livelier at night. There was trade and circulation in the city. Every month in the middle of the month, the city gates opened to facilitate the exchange of goods between the inside and outside.
The travel money and the gift money from his employment given by Old Wang, the closed door master, were substantial. Cen Moyu still had some left over. In Youyou City, aside from bartering, one could also use mortal currency to buy things. Before Cen Moyu traveled into the book, he had been swindled out of money, so he was very cautious in this regard. Even though Mai Li had given him quite a bit, he still worried about his wallet running dry and had asked Yu Xiang several times if there were any jobs he could recommend.
Yu Xiang saw that his face was as pale as paper. Occasionally, when he turned back into his original form to hatch the egg, his feathers were not bright. Clearly, his health was not good. Yu Xiang told him they would talk about it once he felt better.
Cen Moyu’s priority was waiting for the little bird to hatch. The Cockatiel, who had experience hatching eggs, was also puzzled. Even if Cen Moyu was a bird demon in human form, how could an egg have been laid for so long and show no signs of hatching, other than spiritual energy flowing and it rolling around? It could not possibly be that it had shaken itself into a scramble. What if it hatched into a half wit?
“Moyu, today and tomorrow are city opening days. I am going out for a while.” The fox landlord ran a tavern in the city, and Yu Xiang was a master at the embroidery workshop in the east of the city. Over the past month, he had taught Cen Moyu embroidery and had made several bibs for the unhatched bird. “Is there anything you want me to bring back for you?”
Cen Moyu sat on a wooden bench. His bird egg was still playing in the nest in the tree in the yard. Occasionally, small birds without spiritual intelligence would land, only to be scared away by the egg. “No,” Cen Moyu shook his head.
“Alright. There will be demons from outside entering the city today, so you must be careful.” Yu Xiang was not tall, and the two red patches on his cheeks looked as if they had been painted on, eerie and comical. He put on a veil and left, not forgetting to glance at the bird egg in the nest. “Little treasure, Uncle is leaving.”
The bird egg hopped twice to see him off. Cen Moyu had been there for a month. All the neighbors knew that a little bird demon whose wife had died had moved in. He stayed inside most of the time, gloomily guarding a bad egg that would not hatch. The little bird’s music was quite good, though. The sound of his flute was graceful and lingering, and occasionally his humming would make people stop and listen.
After entering the Demon Capital, the system appeared even less frequently. Occasionally, when Cen Moyu could not sleep at night and called out to it several times, it would only reply with a single I am here. After Yu Xiang left, Cen Moyu lay on the bed, worrying. For some reason, the little egg was very hot tonight. Cen Moyu was afraid it would burn. The egg nestled against his neck was very restless. Cen Moyu did not know what was wrong with it and hummed a nursery rhyme from his hometown to coax it.
The system, which had not spoken for a long time, suddenly asked, “What language is this?”
Cen Moyu called out in surprise, “System? You took the initiative to speak to me?” He had always thought the system was cold because he had failed the mission. “It is a nursery rhyme from my hometown. When I was a child, my mother would coax me to sleep like this.”
System: “It is the first time I have heard it.”
Cen Moyu felt a bit embarrassed. “Little treasure seems to be sick. I do not know if this is helpful.” This egg was so difficult to hatch that even Yu Xiang was stumped, attributing it to some hidden ailment of Cen Moyu’s deceased wife. He did not think the egg was a bad one. He had even asked other bird demons in the city. The chirping birds perched on the branches had observed it for a long time and said they could not tell if it was good or bad.
System: “It is about to hatch.”
Cen Moyu sat up in shock. “What? Is that true? I had no idea!” He picked up the bird egg, kissing it and apologizing at the same time. “I am sorry, little treasure. What should I do? System? What should I do?” he asked.
The system was about to answer when it suddenly felt an inexplicable suppression, as if it were being sucked away. Its voice became intermittent, and before being forced to shut down, it said: “Cen Moyu, I must sleep for a while. You must stay alive. Do not die.”
“What?” Cen Moyu was stunned for a few seconds. “System?”
There was no answer. In the next instant, the barrier that had been covering the bird egg completely dissipated. The spiritual energy that had surrounded the little fellow since birth suddenly burst forth.
Tonight, Yu Xiang was not home. On the monthly city opening day, there were float parades in the city, and the streets were livelier. The City Lord’s forbidden army strengthened their patrols for the sake of order, catching many petty thieves and unregistered outside demons. The atmosphere in the city was chaotic. In the west of the city, a sudden surge of pure energy caused many demons to sniff around, trying to find where the enticing scent came from.
Wenren Qi, who was frowning while squeezed in with a group of low level demons, knit his brows. That little demon had indeed stolen his essence! Did he plan to refine something in the Demon Capital? Or had the Demon Capital also joined forces with the Abyss of Delusion?
“Halt,” a patrolling demon soldier stopped Wenren Qi. “What kind of demon are you? Come here and look in the mirror.” Every demon entering the city had to look into a mirror. Only demons could enter; cultivators, mortals, and devil cultivators were not allowed. The demon soldier stared at the image in the mirror in confusion. “What is this? I have never seen it.”
“It looks like a piece of wood, a vine?” Another looked at the ordinary looking man in surprise. “Even wood can become a spirit. It is the first time I have seen it!”
Wenren Qi suppressed the thick demonic scent in his nose and said coldly, “Can I enter the city now?”
“Yes. This is the passage token. If you want to stay long term, you must find someone to guarantee you.” The demon soldier was quite talkative. “It is not easy for wood to become a spirit. Brother, what do you do?”
“I came to…” Before Wenren Qi could finish, the demons behind him pushed forward, shouting loudly, “I came to find my wife and child, my lord! Let me in!”
The demon who cut in took a step ahead of Wenren Qi, grabbed the passage token, and left with a howl. The demon responsible for registration looked at the ordinary vine demon. “You are the same?”
Wenren Qi did not bother to explain and gave a hum of affirmation.