The face that suddenly leaned in brought with it a warm breath. Cen Moyu stared blankly at the visage inches away, not understanding how things had developed to this point.
Before he could react, the vine demon, who had actually licked away a bird tear, turned pale. He retreated abruptly, his aura so intimidating that the hatchling trembled in fear. The little bird quickly scurried back into its handmade willow branch nest and shrank into a ball.
The hatchling had only been mimicking the way Uncle Mai Li spoke. Weren’t the one doing the licking and the one being licked supposed to be happy? Wait, back then Uncle Mai Li was talking about a lover. This villain was not Moyu’s lover at all! The little bird huddled in the nest, replaying the memory. Every time he tried to make a sound, he felt powerless. He curled up in frustration and blamed himself.
Even though Wenren Qi had pulled away, the sensation lingered. Cen Moyu touched his own face. “You… you…”
The vine demon seemed to want to pretend nothing had happened. He looked around for a moment, his fists clenching and unclenching, before finally concocting an excuse. “I am going out for a while.”
“Do not go!” Cen Moyu grabbed his sleeve, seemingly summoning immense courage. “We need to talk.”
From their first meeting, Cen Moyu had noticed that this demon seemed unusually obsessed with him. Even when he was playing with the little bird, a glance out of the corner of his eye would always meet the male demon’s gaze. This romantic debt of the original body was so devoted that Cen Moyu desperately wanted to tell him the truth. Yet, he feared the vine demon’s bad temper; the way he had crushed that mouse demon’s head was terrifying. Given that the man had saved both him and the bird, Cen Moyu felt even more guilty.
The System was his greatest secret; he could not speak of his transmigration. The original host had died from heavenly lightning before he could even transform, which was normal for demon cultivators. How was he supposed to handle this relationship? Cen Moyu held the sleeve, silent for a long while, his beautiful lips covered in bite marks from his inner conflict.
After a moment of stalemate, Wenren Qi was the one to give in, finding a clumsy reason to give them both a way out. “Your child told me to do it.”
But even so, you should not have done that. The warm sensation still remained on Cen Moyu’s face, as if that soft tongue were still tracing his skin.
“That… he is still small, but you are an adult,” Cen Moyu said incoherently. His snowy skin was flushed and his eyelashes were still wet. If he had not snapped out of it, Wenren Qi might have licked them again. “If I did not do as he said, he would poop everywhere.”
Wenren Qi had cleaned up many messes for Elder Lan Que in the past. He had often been showered with bird droppings on the mountain and complained loudly, but in reality, his tolerance was quite high.
The little one peeking out from the nest could not help but chirp, “Gugu did not poop everywhere!”
Wenren Qi frowned. Gugu? What kind of name is that? Is it fun for a Fairy Pitta to act like a dove? If the big one is senseless, the little one is unreliable too. What will they do without me? Even though he was in bird form, the hatchling had opened his intellect early and held himself to strict standards. He muttered a complaint to his father, “Moyu chirp, I did not…”
“His bird beak pecked me quite painfully.”
The vine demon of mysterious cultivation turned his head away to avoid Cen Moyu’s gaze while filing a complaint. He held out his hand, which indeed had a faint red mark on it. The skin of the puppet body had been carefully chosen by Elder Qinxun. He had not known Wenren Qi was going to the Demon City, assuming he was going to snatch a bride. Naturally, the form had to be taller and broader than the original. Wenren Qi’s true features were too sharp; in the mortal world, he would just be seen as a pretty boy.
A pretty boy snatching a bride would not be as intimidating as someone with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Even with his cultivation suppressed, Wenren Qi could easily take someone away. To keep someone’s heart and soul, appearance is one thing, but the body is another. Although the puppet body could not engage in conjugal relations, if Ah-Qi knew a bit of bedroom arts, there were other ways.
Elder Qinxun had wanted to explain this in detail, but the Sect Leader had been in too much of a hurry to listen. A peck from a hatchling truly had no killing power, especially since the puppet body was much harder than a normal demon. Cen Moyu took Wenren Qi’s outstretched finger; the red mark was negligible.
The little bird-demon remained silent for a moment, then gave the man a slight glare. A Fairy Pitta was already considered beautiful among birds. This face, which had been chosen by Jueya for the gate-keeping role, naturally had aesthetic value. Wenren Qi had seen him in the throes of passion; it was more pitiful than now and lacked this current liveliness.
His heart stirred, and he wanted to withdraw his hand and leave, but Cen Moyu held on tight. “A-Qi, you need to apologize to me,” he said seriously.
“Apologize?” Wenren Qi scoffed. “It was your brat who said I made you cry and told me to…”
“It was not you who made me cry. I do not blame you for that. It is Gugu’s fault.” Cen Moyu held Wenren Qi’s hand and lowered his head to blow on the nearly non-existent wound. “I will apologize to you on his behalf.”
The warm breath felt like retribution. Wenren Qi, who could have easily broken free, felt paralyzed and frozen in place. The little bird peeking from the nest had not even fully opened its eyes, but its blurred vision did not hinder its natural perception of auras.
Lecherous stepfather. He is clearly coveting Papa Moyu’s beauty.
To a hatchling, even if its feathers were not fully grown and its eyes were not open, it was naturally close to the one who brooded it. Furthermore, having been born with an open intellect, he had heard countless praises of Cen Moyu’s looks. He felt Wenren Qi was getting the better end of the deal just by being a stepfather.
Our Moyu is very popular! Within a few days of arriving in the Demon City, people already wanted to be with him!
“Let go.” Wenren Qi’s voice sounded as if it were squeezed from his throat. Elder Qinxun must have done something to this body; otherwise, why would the reaction be so intense? Or perhaps this bird conspired with the fox demon long ago to learn seduction techniques, acting as a mole in the Qingheng Sect just to scheme against me.
“No,” Cen Moyu said stubbornly. “The little bird talking nonsense is one thing, but you cannot treat me like that.”
Birds have higher body temperatures. When Wenren Qi was an assistant to Elder Lan Que, he had learned much about them. No wonder that night the bird-demon’s body felt like fire, as if he could melt inside him. Even now, the heat was burning Wenren Qi’s soul through skin contact. A mysterious intuition told him that his missing soul fragment might be related to Cen Moyu. But there was no evidence, and the physical reaction was absurd.
Ah-Qi, do not worry. This old man has a brilliant plan to help him understand his own heart better.
What brilliant plan? This is clearly making a mess! Did the old man forget he also said the puppet body could not engage in conjugal acts? Even if they went beyond the limits, nothing could be accomplished. After hundreds of years, that old man still had such a wicked sense of humor.
Wenren Qi frowned, and his ordinary face took on a bit of intimidation. Perhaps in the original host’s memory, this wooden vine had taken great care of him and driven away predators, because Cen Moyu was not very afraid of him. Even if he feared exposing himself, he was not worried that the vine demon was a bad person.
If anyone knew the Sect Leader of the highest peak was apologizing to a minor demon, they would mock him for being too pretentious. The Fairy Pitta, who had stolen the essence to lay an egg, knew nothing; he did not even know the man before him was the child’s other father. Wenren Qi did not know what he was disappointed about. He actually felt the eyes before him were pitiful and cute when they shed tears, and he was curious about Cen Moyu’s past.
Who was the person he was with before that the hatchling mentioned? Based on Cen Moyu’s cultivation, it was clear he had only transformed for a hundred years. The person he was with before was likely only this vine whose identity Wenren Qi had usurped. Did they promise their lives to each other? Am I an interloper? If the vine demon had not even transformed yet, how could he make promises in his youth?
How can a mortal spend a lifetime with a demon? If we calculate it that way, my hair has already turned white; would I not be even more legitimate? Cen Moyu was incredibly stubborn about this. If Wenren Qi did not apologize, he would not let go. Even with the disparity in strength, he refused to yield.
The abnormality of the puppet body was too obvious. Fearing Cen Moyu would notice something, Wenren Qi straightened his robes, using the table to hide his unspeakable state. “It was my fault.” He looked at his two fingers being held and shook them. “Can you let go of me now?”
Cen Moyu was easy to coax. He let go and sat down. “That is better.” The little bird-demon took the opportunity to educate the child hiding in the nest. “Gugu, do not cover your head with your wings. Come out and apologize.”
Wenren Qi corrected him. “He can call me Father.”
“No!” Cen Moyu reflexively protested.
Wenren Qi asked, “Why not? A godfather is also a father.”
Cen Moyu shook his head. “A godfather is a godfather. I am the father.”
Wenren Qi locked eyes with his dear son. The trembling little Fairy Pitta poked his head out from his wings and let out a chirp. The man pulled out a few more willow strips and continued weaving the nest, his face impassive. “I do not understand bird-tongue.”
Cen Moyu understood, but he still wanted to educate the child. “Little Treasure, if you can speak a human tongue, you must speak a human tongue, understand?”
He looked very young, his body appearing immature; even though he had transformed a hundred years ago, he still looked like he was seventeen or eighteen. Wenren Qi had never had a companion, let alone been close to anyone. Even after reciting the Heart-Cleansing Sutra countless times, he could not stop his eyes from sweeping over Cen Moyu and reflexively overlapping the image with that chaotic night. He could only lower his gaze, appearing more like a silent father at first glance.
The bird hatchling was clever. Though threatened by Wenren Qi, he found a loophole and asked innocently, “But Moyu chirp, he is the wooden vine you nested on for many years. Why would he not understand bird-tongue?”
The little guy’s voice was childish, and he tilted his head as he spoke. Cen Moyu was once again overcome by his cuteness. “That is true.”
Wenren Qi looked at the brat. The little Fairy Pitta’s half-closed eyes showed a hint of smugness as he thoroughly enjoyed the parent’s affection. Wenren Qi’s fingers wove a small bird out of the willow strips and placed it before Cen Moyu. Recalling Hu Xinchi’s words, he took a deep breath and said slowly, “Moyu, I am very happy you are willing to let the child recognize me as his father. I finally transformed to come find you, but my appearance is ordinary and does not please the child, and my voice is unpleasant. I wanted to follow the child’s lead to be close to you, but I still made you unhappy.”
“It seems I should leave—”
“No, A-Qi, you have misunderstood.”
The little Fairy Pitta was stunned. Acting. He is totally acting. My weak and kind Moyu is indeed very easy to deceive! Even if Wenren Qi had never revealed his identity, combining the words of Uncle Mai Li—whom he had never met while in the egg—the innocent bird could guess that this Uncle Vine’s identity was fake. It was highly likely he was the Sect Leader of the sect where his father had been a gatekeeper. He was also one of the people Cen Moyu had told another uncle about when discussing the failed mission.
The little bird hopped onto the willow bird, seemingly dissatisfied that such a toy was taking away his father’s attention. He flew to Cen Moyu’s collar, hanging there and chirping, “Moyu chirp, Uncle Mai Li said it many times, so I remembered it easily. And—” The bird’s fluffy head rubbed against Cen Moyu’s neck, making him laugh. His red-rimmed eyes were clear, like a washed sky.
“And what? It is so itchy! Stand on my hand.”
“And Uncle Mai Li said Moyu chirp is beautiful, and there are plenty of powerful men pursuing you. If Papa Moyu is willing, he can also introduce the great demons of the Western Demon City.”
“Not allowed.”
Wenren Qi stuffed the bird back into the nest. The little guy was trapped inside, chirping and protesting for a long time. When Cen Moyu finally let him out, Wenren Qi had made a new one and stuffed the bird in again. After going in and out, the little bird was exhausted and could barely stand, starting to doze off. Cen Moyu tucked him into a larger nest. “Sleep now.”
The bird hatchling looked at Wenren Qi, seemingly untrusting of him. The man’s fingers flew; he was clearly skilled at handiwork. He tossed in a newly made thumb-sized vine ball and then produced a bundle of edible leaves from somewhere, piling up seeds, wooden blocks, and dried sweet bamboo. Although he was a hatchling who had not molted, he was a half-demon with open intellect. Little Gugu was easily attracted by new things; despite his sleepiness, he tumbled into the grass pile. Cen Moyu watched with his chin in his hand until the bird was truly asleep.
“You are not allowed to go to the Western City,” the vine demon said. “It is very dangerous there.”
He felt that the sparrow demon at the bottom of the sect cliff still needed questioning. Perhaps there was only one mole, and this Fairy Pitta was innocent?
“Is that so?” It started raining outside, and Cen Moyu’s attention was drawn away. “One can experience the change of four seasons in a single day here. I heard the Western City only has summer; it sounds very special.”
The Demon Cities of the East and West were considered secret realms. For cultivators, there was no need to challenge the demons’ lair alone. Furthermore, the cultivation of the two city lords was unfathomable. As long as they did not cause trouble, there was no reason to pick a fight. For many years, the two cities had no contact with Wangyuan, and everything had been peaceful. If they ever conspired, it would be a major problem for cultivators.
“Most who live there are snake demons. Snakes like the summer; it is better for breeding and hunting.”
Cen Moyu did not like winter either. He frowned and said, “Winter is too cold.”
Birds naturally do not like winter. The corner of Wenren Qi’s mouth twitched as if he were hiding a smile. Realizing it, he quickly suppressed it. “So do not go,” Wenren Qi coaxed. “The city lord there is not as easy to talk to as the one here; he is lecherous and greedy.”
It sounded like he had been there. Cen Moyu asked curiously, “I left right after I transformed; it has only been a hundred years. Have you already been to the Western City?”
One lie required countless others to cover it. Wenren Qi rarely lied; in the past, he had only covered for his eldest brother’s relationship with Kuai Wan. Unfortunately, there were too many flaws, and his father had discovered it. The end was tragic, and not even the elders knew the full truth. Wenren Qi often felt regret; if the lie had been more convincing, perhaps there would have been room for maneuver. His stubborn father would not have been so enraged, insisting on tearing apart the romance his brother had worked so hard for.
So what if she was a demon? Wenren Qi knew all too well that some feelings transcended the divide of demons and mortals, rising above all things in the world. They were precious and not something one simply possessed by being powerful. His brother had been willing to die back then, seemingly without regret. Only Wenren Qi remained, full of remorse, living out the rest of his life in solitude.
Wenren Qi did not answer but nodded as if he had been there. The chairs in the singing hall were soft, and the warm breeze in the room made one drowsy. The little bird had fallen back into a dreamland; without Wenren Qi tormenting him this time, he was eager to catch up on sleep.
In the past, he only had to ask the System. Although the System was fierce and impatient, it answered almost everything Cen Moyu asked. A mysterious sense of longing made Cen Moyu frown, his tone melancholy. “When Little Treasure grows up, I want to travel everywhere too.”
Wenren Qi warned him again. “You cannot go to the Western City.”
He was very controlling. Anyone else would have been annoyed by his tone, but Cen Moyu desperately needed company. As a gate-keeping disciple in the Qingheng Sect, watching the disciples come and go every day was lively. After leaving, the System had accompanied him through Ningtai to the Demon City, so he was not lonely. Now that the System was silent and the original host’s friend had found him, Cen Moyu would not push him away out of politeness. He hummed in response. “I will not go to dangerous places. I know I cannot win in a fight.”
He was very self-aware. He was not even top-tier at running away, unaware he had been caught by the child’s other father. If Wenren Qi had not arrived to mask the hatchling’s spiritual aura, both of them might have lost their lives. Unfortunately, Cen Moyu was still hiding things from him, concealing the existence of another who had taken care of the hatchling along the way. Such a similar spiritual aura was hard to hide; if that person were not more powerful than Wenren Qi, they must have a special treasure. It is impossible that person is also the child’s father, Wenren Qi thought, refusing to consider such an absurd possibility.
It started raining outside, and Cen Moyu felt a bit hungry. When he stood up, Wenren Qi asked, “What about now?”
Cen Moyu turned around. “What about now?”
The little demon seemed to have no extra worries. “There is a vendor downstairs selling tri-color dango. Do you want some?” After a moment, he realized he was not very responsible; the child had hatched, and the things he prepared had been destroyed with the house. He gave Wenren Qi a pleasing smile. “What did you give Gugu to eat? Where can I buy it?”
“Does it taste good?” The agitation caused by Cen Moyu had finally subsided. The vine demon stood up, nearly a head taller than Cen Moyu, looking quite imposing. Even without any ornate hairpieces, his loose hair gave off a powerful aura. I feel like with such a bearing, he should not have such an ordinary face. He should look like—
Oh no, why am I thinking of that man?
“It is delicious,” Cen Moyu smiled at Wenren Qi after closing his eyes for a moment. “I buy it every time I see it.” The last sentence was faint, something about it being a pity, but Wenren Qi heard it. He asked, “What is an apple pie?”
The little bird-demon took on a sad expression again and shook his head. “It is something that does not exist in this world. Let us not talk about that.” Cen Moyu picked up the bird nest. “Follow me. If that little dog demon selling dango leaves, we will not be able to buy any.”
His steps were light, and Wenren Qi followed closely behind. Just as the door opened, someone passing by the corner shouted, “Moyu!”
The bird nest fell into Wenren Qi’s arms. He watched helplessly as the little bird-demon hugged another man wearing a veiled hat. Yu Xiang had heard about the trouble at home and rushed back. Hu Xinchi was still sleeping after his night shift, and Yu Xiang had only heard the gist of it through a transmission talisman. Seeing the figure following Cen Moyu still gave him a fright.
“Moyu, who is this? Why is he coming out of the same room as you?”
Yu Xiang was a parrot who had once had a child, and he had been entrusted by the sparrow to take care of this Fairy Pitta who had a lone egg. He suspected the child’s origin was a major secret; seeing Cen Moyu’s grief, he did not dare mention it too much. Now there was suddenly another person, and the child was even placed with him, showing great trust.
“He is my—”
The vine demon carrying the hatchling said, “The child’s other father.”
“The egg you had with him?” Yu Xiang was shocked. “Did you not say the man was dead as a doornail?”