“Our child, what is his name?”
Cen Moyu had been on the run all night. Finally getting some rest, he held the little bird and gave it several loud kisses. The little bird, who had been dragged into a spiritual realm by his biological father before he was even fully awake, snuggled against Cen Moyu’s chest and let out dazed chirping sounds.
The Great Fairy Pitta was still immersed in the magical experience of his child being able to speak. “Baby, why are you not talking anymore?”
“Moyu, you are kissing me. I cannot!” The fluffy little bird spoke in a human tongue. Cen Moyu was no longer sleepy; he sat up on the bed, holding the bird carefully to inspect the downy feathers that had not yet molted. “So cute, so cute.”
The little bird had no choice but to let out a resigned chirp.
“If only I could have brought my phone. I could take live photos and record our little treasure’s voice,” Cen Moyu said while nuzzling the bird. The poor little Fairy Pitta struggled weakly. The more it chirped, the more excited Cen Moyu became.
“Chirp, Moyu chirp. Do you not want to hear me speak anymore?” After being kissed frantically multiple times, the little Fairy Pitta’s claws finally found a steady purchase in Cen Moyu’s palm.
“Am I Moyu Chirp?” Cen Moyu had been human before and did not understand how birds addressed each other, but he happily accepted the title.
“As long as you are happy. Oh dear.” The bird was kissed again, eyes half-closed, ears filled with Cen Moyu’s endless praise. Clearly, his strangely sourced father liked him very much. No hatchling would be unhappy about that.
Cen Moyu collapsed to one side of the soft bed. After the night of escape, he watched the bird hop from his palm to the pillow, then to his arm, and finally onto the brocade quilt. He let out a sigh of relief. “I am so glad you are okay. Our little treasure is amazing; you can speak right after hatching. You are a total genius.”
“So I am called Little Treasure Chirp?” Although born from an egg, the bird had benefited from the innate spiritual power of his other father. His intellect had opened long ago, and having been influenced by his surroundings while in the shell, speaking came naturally.
However, he was still young, and his childishness remained after hatching. Even ordinary hatchlings stay dependent on their parents until they learn to fly. He was very attached to Cen Moyu; even knowing he could turn into a human child in a spiritual realm, he did not wish to grow up too fast.
“Little Treasure is a genius, so you can choose your own name.” Cen Moyu had fled to the Demon City, ten thousand miles from the Qingheng Sect, with the egg in tow. He had long since put the protagonist and the love interest out of his mind, focusing only on the hatching. He had considered names during that time.
When the System was not in hibernation, it had been annoyed by his pestering and told him to choose whatever he liked. Mai Li had asked a few times, but seeing Cen Moyu’s indecisiveness while flipping through ancient texts, he suggested waiting until the child hatched. After all, transitioning from bird-tongue to human speech usually takes time, even if the parents are demons in human form.
The guest rooms of the Eternal Night Singing Hall had more ornate lamps than those of the Qingheng Sect. Cen Moyu’s hair was draped loosely, the lamplight outlining his tired but spirited features. While a hundred years is nothing to a demon, his face looked slightly more mature than when he first transmigrated. The curve of his eyes seemed longer; when he looked down at the little Fairy Pitta, they resembled a crescent moon.
“I want Moyu to choose for me, chirp.” The little bird hopped onto Cen Moyu’s finger again, walking up the back of his hand. Everything about the little guy was tender, including his claws and bird beak; he weighed almost nothing.
Cen Moyu leaned lazily on the couch and stretched out his hand. His child stood on his arm, tilting his head and hopping as Cen Moyu moved.
“Moyu chirp chirp!”
“Papa chirp!”
Cen Moyu had lost his family early in his past life. Before returning to his home country, he lived in a freezing environment where keeping birds was inconvenient, though there were plenty of bears. Even if they were fluffy, they were far too large.
The bird before him was not only fluffy but was also his own child. Cen Moyu asked, “Baby, could you hear me talking before?”
The little bird chirped and then gave a heavy nod. “I have heard Moyu talking to Uncle Mai Li. I also heard Uncle Yu Xiang asking if Moyu had picked a better name for me.”
Cen Moyu naturally had expectations for his egg-born child. Even when raising a pet, naming is a major event. The little bird’s answer was within expectations, but hearing that the little Fairy Pitta truly understood him, Cen Moyu still said, “Since Little Treasure understands, why not choose for yourself?”
“I do not want to,” the bird said as he tilted his head and hopped onto Cen Moyu’s collar, pecking at his chin. “Did Moyu not pick many names for me, chirp?”
“Since you say that, have you made up your mind?” Cen Moyu felt itchy from the pecking and pulled the bird out from his collar.
As the two birds whispered in the room, Wenren Qi, who had been arranged by Hu Xinchi in the elegant room next door, had a dark expression. He thought to himself that a child’s name is given by the parents; how could one person decide? Even as a godfather, should he not have a say?
“I choose the one Moyu likes best, chirp.” Cen Moyu had been on the run for over a month. Following the System’s route, he had passed through many mortal cities. He was curious about everything in this world, but he had no time to experience it. He had even been scolded for staring too long at a human funeral procession.
The System had been speechless, asking what was so interesting. Cen Moyu said the instrumental music was excellent and the dirge had a certain style; he wanted to learn it. If the System had not rushed him, he might have stayed to study it for a few days, provided he did not get beaten up.
“The one I like best?” Cen Moyu was confused. “Which one?”
The little bird hopped to Cen Moyu’s ear and chirped several times. “Moyu told that uncle who did not show his face that you like the sound of drums. The dong, dong, dong sound.”
Eavesdropping was not a difficult technique for a cultivator in a puppet body. Furthermore, he was doing it to protect his own bloodline and this stupid bird who had stolen his essence, not because he lacked a sense of shame.
Who was the uncle who did not show his face? How does this Fairy Pitta attract so many people wherever he goes?
Through the wall, the sound of the bird-demon’s voice via the sound-absorption technique was a bit muffled, not nearly as crisp as his actual voice. Wenren Qi thought that this technique needed improvement; the sect should hold a discussion on reforming internal spells. As the Sect Leader, he would not have to attend; he only needed to sign off on it.
“Does Little Treasure like the name Dongdong?”
Cen Moyu’s teasing was so obvious that Wenren Qi felt even a child could sense it. The little bird-demon naturally understood the joke. The hatchling was fluffy and adorable. Cen Moyu could not help but poke him and let out a long sigh. “Baby is just too cute!”
Wenren Qi let out a heavy huff. He thought that a demon is indeed a demon, behaving this way even with a child.
“Moyu clearly knows what I want to choose!” The little bird turned its head away, and Cen Moyu’s finger missed the fluff.
Wenren Qi was not satisfied with just eavesdropping. With a wave of his hand, a glimmer of light appeared in the corner of Cen Moyu’s bed, like a pair of opening eyes. The bird-demon’s rich expressions appeared before Wenren Qi.
His face turns pale when he sees me, yet he is so different with the child.
Wenren Qi was even more dissatisfied. He heard Cen Moyu softly coaxing the bird, “Baby, do not be angry.”
That little bird is actually putting on airs? Rebellious son! How dare you huff at the father who gave you life?
“Oh, Little Treasure’s huffing is also so cute.”
Indulgent fathers produce failing sons! I must bring this rebellious child back to the sect to be properly raised, or he will surely become a disaster.
Currently, the demons of Wangyuan were restless. If they found out this bird-demon had born him a son, they would surely send their demon generals.
Wenren Qi frowned at the image. The little bird on the other side, who was playing hard to get, sensed a familiar aura. He suddenly flapped his wings, flew to the head of the bed, and used a burst of spiritual energy from his beak to destroy Wenren Qi’s spell.
Wenren Qi was speechless.
“Baby is so amazing! You can fly right after hatching!” The bird-demon had no idea what had happened and actually clapped in praise.
The little bird landed steadily, his young claws treading on the brocade quilt. He puffed out his chest. “So, what sound does Papa Moyu like best?”
Cen Moyu suppressed the urge to poke him again and answered seriously, “The sound of a drum.”
The little bird chirped. “Then what should I be called, chirp?”
Cen Moyu smiled. “Little Drum?”
The little Fairy Pitta was satisfied. Seeing that he had stopped flying, Cen Moyu let out a sound of surprise. “Is Baby not going to fly more? You are so incredible, flying without Papa even teaching you. You are the most amazing little bird.”
Wenren Qi’s spell had been broken by his rebellious son. Fortunately, the eavesdropping spell remained. Hearing Cen Moyu’s excessive praise, his brow furrowed. He thought this was truly a case of demon words misleading the masses.
“Moyu, I am out of energy. I just hatched.” The little guy buried himself in Cen Moyu’s chest, thinking that the stinky uncle next door was truly annoying and would not stop peeking at Moyu. The bird poked his head out from Cen Moyu’s collar, his down feathers brushing against Cen Moyu’s neck. It was itchy. His voice was still very childish. “Then what is my formal name?”
Cen Moyu thought for a long time and asked, “How about you take my surname? Gugu is a gift from heaven, a surprise and a treasure. We shall call you Cen—”
Although the little bird’s intellect had opened early, he did not fully understand. He asked, “Cen Surprise?”
The cultivator behind the wall could not take it anymore. This was outrageous! It was far too careless! If Jueya were here, he would have spent five to eight days calculating based on the stars and birth dates. These two demons were just settling it haphazardly. They would surely regret it later!
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Cen Moyu was startled and instinctively stuffed the bird into his collar. “Who is it?”
“It is me,” Wenren Qi said coldly. However, his puppet’s voice was raspy and unpleasant, sounding like a broken version of a screaming chicken toy Cen Moyu had once bought.
“Who are you?”
Wenren Qi was usually devoid of desire and rarely felt excessive emotion in the sect. For some reason, this bird always managed to stir up rare waves of feeling in him. He was truly Wenren Qi’s nemesis. Could he be a spy specifically trained by Wangyuan? But he was so weak; it seemed unlikely.
“I—” Before Wenren Qi could answer, the little bird in Cen Moyu’s collar said, “Moyu, can I change to a different godfather?”
Cen Moyu went to the door and opened it. The vine demon he had sent away half an hour ago was standing there. His excessively tall frame was like a walking wall. He stared straight at Cen Moyu, looking very intimidating.
The original body’s romantic debt is a bit too deep. Cen Moyu silently looked away, not daring to meet the other’s gaze. He asked politely, “A-Qi, is something wrong?”
Cen Moyu’s hair was very soft, draped over his shoulders. The belt of his snowy-white nightclothes was loose. The little bird’s claws caught on the fabric that was about to slip down. These were clothes provided by a singing hall, so they were inevitably a bit bold. Wenren Qi looked away.
“Our child, what is his name?”