Demoted to godfather.
Wenren Qi’s words were far too unpleasant. For the remainder of the journey, Cen Moyu stopped speaking to him and stood beside the fox demon, listening to him describe his properties across the eastern and western cities of the Demon Capital.
“Brother Xinchi, you are so impressive.”
Wenren Qi thought to himself, “What is so impressive about that?”
“Even with such a large business, as the boss, I still have to practice dancing every day. Many customers are quite fond of my routines,” Hu Xinchi said.
Hu Xinchi’s voice was far too seductive for a man, making Cen Moyu’s voice sound even more clear, innocent, and naive by comparison. “Do you like it yourself?”
“I do. My mother was the best dancer among the fox tribe.”
“Brother Xinchi’s dancing must be very charming. So many people were greeting you just now.”
Wenren Qi’s temple throbbed. He thought, “Can this bird praise just anything? Is a fox demon even a fox demon if they cannot dance?” He had almost forgotten that this bird still barely knew how to fly.
He recalled the day Cen Moyu had flown to the wrong place and entered a snake’s den. If not for the overwhelming pressure emanating from Wenren Qi, that young snake might have strangled Cen Moyu to death.
“Hahaha, Moyu, you certainly have a way with words. In terms of dance technique, my elder brother is truly top tier.”
Cen Moyu was surprised. “You have a brother too?”
The fox demon nodded with a smile before changing the subject to the house that had collapsed tonight. “Repairing the house will take some time. Moyu, stay at my place for now.”
Hu Xinchi was beautiful and sophisticated, and his attitude toward Cen Moyu seemed to be an answer to the request from the Cockatiel in his home. Initially, Hu Xinchi had worried it was just another one of Yu Xiang’s messy bird friends looking for a place to stay. After a brief chat with Cen Moyu, Hu Xinchi realized Yu Xiang had not been exaggerating; this little Fairy Pitta was indeed ignorant of the ways of the world. Perhaps he had been swindled into producing that egg, and he even had to cover it up with a story about a deceased wife.
Among transformed demons, what strange thing did not happen? What was so odd about laying an egg?
“Alright, then as for Brother Yu Xiang,” Cen Moyu felt extremely guilty. Recalling the way his stepmother had looked at him like a jinx before he traveled into this world, and combining it with how everyone around him seemed to suffer bad luck, he lowered his head and said, “It is my fault.”
“The city opening day is naturally a mix of fish and dragons. A few dead demons are no big deal. Last time, some devil cultivators snuck into the city and caused an even bigger scene,” Hu Xinchi said, his gaze sweeping over the demon who had been following Cen Moyu inseparably. “How should I address this gentleman?”
One soul of Wenren Qi was attached to the puppet. Even with ordinary features, it was difficult to hide the soul’s pressure; few people along the way had dared to meet his eyes.
He had been withdrawn from the world for many years. His memory of the Demon Capital remained in his youth when he had trained with friends. Back then, the largest song tower, Midnight, already existed in the eastern and western cities. This fox demon was likely the cub of that vixen. He had thought that entire lineage had been wiped out, including her younger sister who had been tragically implicated by her fox lover, leaving not even a bone behind.
“Is he not called A Teng?” Cen Moyu looked at him. Even after midnight, the song tower remained lively. Cen Moyu’s eyes were lit up by the brilliant lights, and he seemed less weak than before. “Back then, you said that if you ever transformed into a human, you would still use that name.”
Mistaken identity again.
“You remember incorrectly.”
“Is that so?” Cen Moyu felt guilty as well. After all, he was not the original owner of the body, and his memories were exceptionally blurry. A vine he had nested in… “Then is it A Qi?”
At that moment, Wenren Qi almost suspected this demon had infiltrated the Qingheng Sect because he had taken a liking to him. He gritted his teeth and asked, “What?”
“I perched on your branch. Is it not the Qi for perching?” Cen Moyu’s voice grew weaker and weaker. Wenren Qi, who had intended to lecture him for being blind, remembered how pitifully he had cried and restrained himself. He did not even bother to invent a name. “It is whatever you say it is.”
Hu Xinchi laughed. “So casual?”
Cen Moyu had his own name, and finding that the demons he knew were all like this, he felt embarrassed. He tugged at the vine demon’s sleeve. “Then you pick another one. Can we call you by that name in private?”
Wenren Qi pulled his sleeve back. “In private? Am I very close to you?”
He was being sarcastic, and Hu Xinchi had long noticed something was wrong. They looked like they had a grudge, but not that kind of grudge. The experienced owner of the song tower judged it to be a romantic grudge. Seeing Cen Moyu’s innocence, he figured this demon might have already finished a one sided cycle of love and hate.
“We used to be very close, but I did not go back after I transformed,” Cen Moyu said. Those were the memories of the original bird owner; he always felt it was not him and rarely thought about it, but since the person had come looking for him, he could not very well drive him away. “I am sorry for making you search for me for so long. I will fulfill my promise.”
“Fulfill what promise?” Wenren Qi was fuming. If he were actually a vine demon, it would be one thing, but he was not. Did this silly bird find a reason for anyone who showed up at the door? Could that bald little bird survive following him? It had nearly died just after hatching.
Cen Moyu thought for a moment and said hesitantly, “Becoming Daoist companions is not possible. I have Little Treasure now, and I must also,” he was a poor liar, “I must remain a widower for Little Treasure’s mother.”
Wenren Qi exposed him without mercy. “You told me in the carriage just now that you wanted to find someone else to start a family with.”
“If I die, I would also hope that person would remain a widower for me for a few years,” Cen Moyu said seriously. He often said naive and foolish things, yet they made people believe from the bottom of their hearts that they were sincere. “Although I understand that life must go on, I do not ask for hundreds of years or forever. Just a few years will do.”
As Cen Moyu spoke, he could not help but stare at that ordinary face. He wondered why it was so average when the bridge of the nose was high, the lips were thin, and the eyes were phoenix shaped. Why was it that at first glance, he just could not remember it? Was it the natural hidden quality of a vine demon?
“That is only human nature,” Hu Xinchi agreed with a smile. “Moyu, I understand you.”
Wenren Qi swept a glance at him and asked coldly, “Then for how many years do you intend to remain a widower?”
Cen Moyu thought, “He is so impatient.”
“But I am not the previous little bird. It would not be right for him to mistake me for someone else.”
He stammered for a long time. “Until Little Treasure grows up.”
The chick in his shirt was still sleeping, occasionally letting out a chirp. Unlike the brooding of mortal birds, it was not noisily demanding.
“How big is growing up? Transforming into a human, or getting married and having children?”
He had so many questions. Cen Moyu was in a state of great conflict. Hu Xinchi pushed open a door. “Alright, there are many things to do tonight. Moyu, you should rest first. I have already had people prepare a change of clothes and hot water.”
“Thank you, Brother Xinchi!” Cen Moyu stepped into the room, and Wenren Qi followed him. Hu Xinchi called out to him, “Sir, I have prepared another superior room for you.”
Wenren Qi refused. “I was with him back when he was still a bird. If we do not stay together, do you intend to stay with him?”
The inquiry in the last sentence was obvious. When they first met, Hu Xinchi had sensed this person’s formidable strength. If the bodies on the ground had not been handled properly, they might have been questioned by the forbidden army of the Demon Capital.
The little Cockatiel at home had many poor relatives; this Fairy Pitta had been sent by a life and death friend. Hu Xinchi had not returned for a month because Yu Xiang said the beautiful little bird at home was timid and he, Hu Xinchi, looked untrustworthy and would scare people.
Heaven help them, who was scaring whom? Hu Xinchi’s cultivation was among the best in the Demon Capital, yet he could not find the bottom of this vine demon. Clearly, the other’s cultivation was above his own. The weak and pitiful little bird demon in the Cockatiel’s mouth had top tier looks, and putting aside who that egg was laid for, he attracted so many troublesome people coveting him. This vine that would not leave and followed him everywhere did not seem like a demon; it seemed more like a ghost.
“You are overthinking it, sir,” Hu Xinchi said without much explanation. He looked at Cen Moyu. “Moyu, arrange things for your friend as you see fit. I have business and must leave first.”
Cen Moyu was too embarrassed to trouble him further. He gave a hum of affirmation and closed the door, looking at the male demon who was inspecting the guest room with a look of disdain.
This person was tall with broad shoulders, though not as burly as Mai Li’s lover, Senior Brother Tian Sui. His seemingly ordinary black robe revealed faint embroidery in the bright room. That pattern seemed familiar.
Cen Moyu thought for a long time but could not place it. If Mai Li were here, he would have likely flown two miles away in terror. Seeing the intertwined branches and curling feather pattern, any disciple of the Qingheng Sect would recognize the specific design that only one person was permitted to wear.
Before leaving the sect, Elder Qinxun had advised the Sect Leader to change into something more low key. Wenren Qi, citing that demons are never low key, had left wearing his robe without any attempt at concealment. Indeed, few demons knew their stuff. Moreover, as the leader of the number one sect in the world and a genuine old thing in the eyes of others, no one of this generation recognized the pattern. Even if they did, they would assume it was a fake. No one would imagine that an Immortal Lord would actually descend the mountain and sneak into the Demon Capital just to find a little bird.
“A Qi, you are too impolite,” Cen Moyu said to the back of the man standing there after Hu Xinchi had left. “Brother Xinchi helped us, and yet you were fierce with him.”
Wenren Qi turned around. The man was tall and slender. Even with Cen Moyu’s height after transforming, he still had to look up to see him.
The bird thought he had hidden in the Demon Capital and was safe, not knowing that his friend’s lover had been pressured so hard he could barely conceal the truth. The Sect Leader had sent that pair of lovers to reflect behind closed doors; for the friends, it was practically a secluded cultivation for Daoist companions. If they had not been unable to send messages, Mai Li would have actually thanked Cen Moyu.
Lu Jijun was the only one who knew the whole story, but he was also grounded. He was so unfamiliar with Cen Moyu that they had not even exchanged transmission talismans, so he had no way of telling him. Given that the closed door disciple was naturally gifted enough to take his master’s thousand year old virginity, he felt the boy was blessed and there was no need to worry.
While the master’s temper was stubborn and foul, he would not go so far as to kill the innocent. Furthermore, Elder Lan Que had said that Wenren Qi likely just could not swallow his pride. The elders knew the Sect Leader better than the juniors did. Lu Jijun had no other choice but to hope the Master Mother would return to the sect quickly. Perhaps then life would be much better, and his own marriage with the He Huan Sect could be put on the agenda.
“I impolite? I was fierce with him?” Wenren Qi turned. His tall boots touched Cen Moyu’s boots. He leaned down and lowered his gaze. His ordinary features were traced by the flickering candlelight, possessing a hint of intimacy. “Then why were you fierce with me?”
It was too close. The man’s breath brushed against his face. Cen Moyu instinctively tried to pull away, but Wenren Qi grabbed his chin, forcing him to meet his gaze. “It hurts. You are using too much strength.”
The little demon’s voice trembled. The tone was so familiar that Wenren Qi immediately recalled the situation that day. His breathing became slightly disorganized, and his hand actually used more strength. After a night of running, Cen Moyu was exhausted and had no strength to struggle.
At that moment, the chick in his arms suddenly hopped out, its featherless wings flapping against the villain’s face. The little fellow’s beak had not yet fully formed; its wings and feathers were soft and limp, its strength virtually nonexistent.
Wenren Qi pinched the chick and snorted. “Overestimating yourself.”
Cen Moyu took the opportunity to push him away forcefully and snatched his child back. “You are not allowed to bully him!!”
When had the dignified leader of a sect ever been ambushed like this? He nearly fell to the ground. Looking back at the perpetrator, the little demon who had been so pitiful just now was again kissing the bald little bird frantically, muttering things like baby be good, Papa loves you, and you did a great job.
Is such praise available to everyone?
Wenren Qi was displeased. Recalling that the birds on the mountain usually had nests of four to six, he frowned and asked, “Where are the other bird eggs?”
Could it be that only one from the nest survived? Seeing how weak he was, it was indeed possible. The little bird chirped, opening its mouth to indicate it wanted food. Cen Moyu had nothing to feed him and became even more anxious, ignoring Wenren Qi.
In the end, it was Wenren Qi who took out food and handed it over. Even though he loathed the other father, the spiritual energy shared the same source, and the little demon that had not yet transformed ate ravenously.
Cen Moyu let out a sound of surprise. “Is Little Treasure not supposed to eat dried earthworms?”
Wenren Qi said with disgust, “He is not an ordinary bird. Why would he eat the food of mortal birds?”
Cen Moyu: “Oh, right.”
Wenren Qi asked tentatively, “What kind of person was his father? I mean, his mother?”
Cen Moyu took two bites of the bird food himself. Finding the taste clear and sweet and able to replenish his energy, his mood improved considerably. He hummed and said, “A bad person. Not as good as you.”
Wenren Qi: “I am good?”
Cen Moyu nodded. As if out of consideration for their old friendship, he made a decision he thought was quite good.
“A Qi, I will let Little Treasure acknowledge you as his godfather, alright?”