The closed-door disciple was quitting.
When Cen Moyu woke up, he found himself back in his bird form, buried beneath the covers. Even though he had learned to fly from a sparrow, he was still not used to being a bird. He hopped around a few times, nudged the quilt open, and peeked through the gap, instinctively preening his disheveled chest feathers.
After a few pecks, he realized he was acting a bit too much like a bird and stopped immediately. Just as he was about to transform back into a human, he caught a glimpse of an oval, off white object out of the corner of his eye.
He must have seen it wrong.
How was there an egg in his nest?
“System! System!” Cen Moyu transformed into his human form and scrambled to the corner of the bed. With a trembling voice, he pointed at the bird egg and asked, “What is this?”
System: [You laid it.]
In a panic, Cen Moyu stuffed the egg back under the covers, pretending nothing had happened. “How could it be so fast? Can one give birth right after doing it?”
However, his body did feel much better. He wondered if that previous abdominal pain was actually labor.
System: [Songbirds are intermittent layers.]
Cen Moyu did not keep birds before he transmigrated, nor had he ever imagined becoming one. It was only after meeting the sparrow that he brushed up on his knowledge of avian biology. Since they were not truly the same species, there seemed to be differences.
Mai Li was completely head over heels for his lover and had often fantasized about intimate encounters with Senior Brother Tian Sui. Whether in bird or human form, Mai Li never hesitated to share these details with the little Fairy Pitta. Even though Cen Moyu did not want to listen, he knew that birds laid eggs. From the start of the breeding season through the middle, it usually took multiple sessions of mating to complete the process.
“Impossible. This is not a one time thing.” Cen Moyu covered his abdomen, inevitably recalling the face of Wenren Qi lost in a sea of desire. Even though everyone in the sect agreed that Lu Jijun was the most handsome sword cultivator, Cen Moyu found himself distracted, thinking his Master was the best looking.
System: [It is lucky you two did not spend day and night in congress, otherwise you would have to lay an egg every day.]
The voice of the System was devoid of emotion. Cen Moyu covered his ears and said, “Look at my feathers. They are so beautiful. I am clearly a male bird. How could I not know what I am?”
The System remained silent. Cen Moyu lifted the quilt again. The egg, laid at some unknown hour, sat there lonely and pitiful.
“System, say something.”
System: [I speak, but you are unwilling to believe.]
The System seemed helpless, having not expected things to develop this way. It wanted to say that he was the worst student it had ever guided, but it had no memories of previous hosts. It seemed that from the beginning of its existence, it lived only for Cen Moyu.
“What do we do now? I should not lay any more, right? As for birds.” Cen Moyu had no experience in this area, but he knew small birds were born in clutches. He had produced a single offspring. Compared to giving birth to a human, laying an egg seemed much easier to accept.
The room was dim as dawn had not yet broken. Having shifted from a bird to a human, the tips of the hair of Cen Moyu still carried a faint, feathery shimmer. If anyone were to peer in, they would surely discover he was not human.
System: [Perhaps you mutated after being struck by the transformation lightning. Did that sparrow not tell you that his transformation was very painful and that he still carries scars today?]
At least Cen Moyu had not suffered the agony of being struck by lightning directly. He had transmigrated into a body that was nearly charred. He had gone without food for several days before waking up in the rain. If not for the System, he might have suffered even more. Even so, Cen Moyu bore the marks of the heavenly thunder on his back, appearing like a blooming flame. There were also scorch marks on his belly feathers that had failed to heal properly for a hundred years.
“Fine. So what now?” The pain had faded, but Cen Moyu remained lethargic. “How do I handle this egg?”
Since he had produced it himself, Cen Moyu felt a strange sense of novelty. “Do you know how to hatch an egg?”
The System was also frustrated. Cen Moyu was timid and only wanted a peaceful life. If he did not want to return home, he might have stayed here as a closed door disciple until he died.
The System said coldly: [Leave the egg for Wenren Qi and we will continue with the mission!]
“That will not do.” Cen Moyu placed the egg in his palm. It was not even the size of a thumb. Compared to what happened with Wenren Qi, the dull pain of laying this egg was nothing. “Setting aside that I cannot get near his residence, even if I snuck in, what if he does not want it?”
Such a tiny egg had almost no weight. Even if they were different species, Cen Moyu already liked it. His parents had divorced early; his father had another family and his mother had passed away young. During his youth, his grandparents who raised him also died. He had treated the person he loved as a lifeline, only to be trampled upon.
But this egg was different. In this strange world, compared to the intangible System, this was the thing closest to him.
“The protagonist.” Having been thoroughly taken, Cen Moyu puffed out his cheeks. His hair fell over his shoulders, and his neck still bore cruel marks of affection. “What if Wenren Qi eats it?”
The System was speechless for a long moment: [He has long since reached the stage of inedia.]
Cen Moyu argued, “I see Elder Jue Ya and the others go down the mountain to eat and drink. They drink so much alcohol. A child cannot stay with a relative who struggles with drinking.”
It was just an egg, but Cen Moyu had already personified it.
The System felt a lump in its throat, sensing that everything had deviated from the plan. After a long time, it asked: [Then what do you want? Surely you do not intend to hatch it?]
The cultivation of Cen Moyu was low, and he belonged to a bird tribe that was not powerful among demons. Among birds, he was at most slightly better than a dove. He could not fly fast or escape far. The world outside was in chaos. The current Demon Lord of Wangyuan was tyrannical, capturing people everywhere to practice evil arts. The demon city was a den of iniquity, mortals were at war, and ghosts were causing trouble. Nowhere was peaceful.
The System did not believe Cen Moyu could survive outside. The little Fairy Pitta suddenly apologized: “I am sorry, Sy Sy. If there is no time limit, I want to raise it before making any other plans.”
“Anyway, I am a demon, and the protagonist.” He clearly could not bring himself to say attacker or receiver. If Wenren Qi was a receiver after all that, what did that make him?
Cen Moyu said awkwardly, “They can all live for a long time. There is no rush.”
The System tried to stop him: [It is very easy for you to die if you go outside. Do you not want to return to your original world? Did you not want to be a singer?]
Cen Moyu still had a good singing voice, but unfortunately, there were no talent shows in this world. Those who made a living with their voices were mostly musicians in song houses. That was a mortal life, and he was a demon. If he were discovered.
He whispered, “I can go live in a city of ordinary people.”
System: [Are you mad? There is a war outside. The Emperor has changed several times already. The lives of ordinary people are even harder. How can it compare to being here?]
Cen Moyu remembered the powerful arms of Wenren Qi. His ankles still bore the marks from being held so tightly he could not move. A person who was supposed to be free of worldly desires had succumbed to Qi deviation. Perhaps his own abnormal state had triggered something different in himself.
May was the breeding season for birds. Cen Moyu had many flaws, and this situation was destined for a wrong ending from the moment the information was incorrect. The tiny egg in his palm was an unexpected joy.
“But I cannot stay here anymore,” Cen Moyu said, cradling the egg. “He knows I am not human. Once he finds me, I will die.”
System: [He will not.]
“You are so certain,” Cen Moyu asked. “Why?”
The System could not explain why.
Cen Moyu did not force the issue. After nearly a century together, he knew the kindness of the System. “Have you not always been here? If the mission is not urgent, let us raise this little bird together, okay?”
System: [What if I am not here one day?]
Cen Moyu had never considered this. His weak face showed a hint of melancholy. “Then where would you go?”
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. “Little Cen!”
It was the voice of Master Lao Wang. Cen Moyu hid the egg and hurriedly threw on his outer robe to open the door.
The sky outside was just beginning to brighten, and mist shrouded the mountains. Lao Wang arrived with a lantern and the usual smell of alcohol. Seeing Cen Moyu with messy hair and an uneasy expression, he said, “I heard from Elder Lan that you were sick. He found a young disciple to cover your shift. I rushed back from the foot of the mountain.”
“I am sorry,” Cen Moyu apologized honestly. “I.”
“Do not apologize all day; it makes us like strangers,” the bearded Master waved his hand. “Take a good rest. Tomorrow is the new recruitment day. I will find someone to share your workload.”
The recruitment for the Qingheng Sect occurred at fixed intervals. The path to immortality was long. New disciples could still see their relatives within a hundred years, but after that, everything became a passing cloud. Cen Moyu had been a closed door disciple for a hundred years. Most of the reasons for his registration were trials, and few people ever returned home.
Lao Wang was over three hundred years old. He was absent during the last recruitment because he went to attend the wedding of a great great granddaughter. It was said he did not reveal his identity, acting as a passing wandering hero who gave a gift and had a drink.
Cen Moyu kept one hand behind his back, keeping the egg warm. He hesitated for a long time. “Uncle Wang.”
“What is it? Still feeling unwell? I will find someone to get you some pills.”
“No need,” Cen Moyu took a deep breath. “I am leaving the mountain.”
“Leaving the mountain? No problem. Your little face is so pale right now; it is a long walk down the mountain.”
Cen Moyu shook his head. “What I mean is. I.”
Lao Wang stared at him. Although Cen Moyu was only this big when he first arrived, nearly a hundred years had passed, and he still retained an air of innocence. Perhaps because he was ill, he looked even more pitiful, like a half ripe fruit that made one instinctively want to be kind to him.
“I am leaving,” Cen Moyu mustered his courage. “I am quitting.”
A gust of wind blew past. The immortal who had guarded the gate for years was very surprised. “Leaving? Where will you go? When you joined, you said your parents were gone.”
“I. I gave.” He could not say he gave birth to a child. He worked right under the man’s nose. In human understanding, pregnancy lasted ten months. It was not that simple unless one was a demon.
“You gave what? It is just a sickness; there is no need to quit. We work for the immortal sect. At worst, we can ask for a pill. Do not be afraid,” Lao Wang comforted him.
“No. It is my. My wife is expecting.” Cen Moyu racked his brain and made up an excuse.
“What? A wife? Expecting!?” Lao Wang completely pushed his way into the room of Cen Moyu. “Tell me everything.”
The back of Cen Moyu was covered in sweat. He was grateful his collar was fastened so no one would see the ambiguous marks left all over his body.
“It is just. When I went down the mountain, I met a.”
“A girl.”
Cen Moyu was not good at lying. He was lucky it was not yet light and the lamp oil was nearly gone. The dim candlelight hid some of his embarrassment. The egg in his palm gave him infinite courage. He had to leave the place where the protagonist was. At least until he raised the little bird, he would not return. Wenren Qi was so fierce; he would surely break the egg just as he had broken Cen Moyu.
“A few months ago, when you went down the mountain with that disciple named Mai something?” Lao Wang asked.
Cen Moyu did not expect him to have such a good memory and nodded.
“Calculating the time, that is about right,” Lao Wang sighed. “Why did you not say so earlier? It is a joyous occasion.”
Perhaps because Cen Moyu showed no joy and looked a bit hopeless, combined with his unsteady gait upon returning from leave, Lao Wang clicked his tongue. “That girl must be quite vigorous. It has been hard on you; a young man needs to nourish himself.”
Cen Moyu responded awkwardly. The girl in his mouth was completely different from the one in his head. If Wenren Qi were a girl, he would be far too physically powerful. He had pushed Cen Moyu to the limit; Cen Moyu had been kneeling on the floor after leaving the bed, and his knees still hurt.
“Alright, I know about this now. Are you in a hurry to leave? Otherwise, go to Elder Lan and hand in your ledger yourself.”
“I am in a great hurry. I want to be with her until the child is born.” Cen Moyu lied nervously, unaware that since the egg was already laid, he just wanted to flee.
“Very well, I will go hand it in. So, the wedding will happen after the child is born?” Lao Wang thought for a moment and turned back to ask.
In the dim candlelight, the closed door disciple gave a weak smile. “Yes. I will have someone deliver the wedding wine to the mountain gate.”
The alcohol addicted Master left.
Cen Moyu leaned on the table and placed the egg in a tea tray. “When will you hatch? Do you also have to go through a heavenly tribulation to become human?”
“That hurts a lot.”
The egg suddenly hopped out of the tray and rolled to his hand, nuzzling the fingertip of Cen Moyu affectionately.
Cen Moyu was startled. “Can you understand me?”
The tiny egg nuzzled his finger with great spirit. Shivering, Cen Moyu called for the System.
System: [Do not forget whose offspring it is. Wenren Qi is the cultivator most likely to ascend. His child will surely have an extraordinary foundation.]
Cen Moyu seemed disappointed. “But I am a demon. No matter how good the talent is, the child will be hated.”
System: [It is still just an egg. Why consider that now? It will be good enough if it hatches.]
Cen Moyu said as a matter of course, “I laid it, so of course I have to consider it.”
“My little treasure is definitely not a bad egg.”