Chapter 81: The Golden Cage Traps the White Phoenix (4)
Bai Chunsheng lay inside the cage without a trace of vitality, his spirit utterly dim. Shen Qing had draped a piece of cloth over the cage. At this moment, all of Bai Chunsheng’s spiritual energy had been sealed, making him almost no different from an ordinary bird. Naturally, he could not see clearly where Shen Qing was taking him.
Most likely, she was delivering him to the Cold Cavern of the Water Abyss Realm. Bai Chunsheng had nearly resigned himself to what the rest of his life would be.
By age, he was still young compared to his natural lifespan, yet now more than half of his years were destined to be wasted away in confinement—a prison without end unless death came. Of course, Bai Chunsheng was unwilling.
But unwillingness changed nothing. He did not even know where Yan Yi was now. Hopefully, he had managed to escape. Only then could Bai Chunsheng still cling to some hope.
At first, Bai Chunsheng had assumed that Shen Qing and Shen Yuying had already taken care of Yan Yi, which was why they dared to come seize him so brazenly. But after calming down, he realized something was wrong. Yan Jingqiu might have lost his memory, but his strength was still undeniable. With only Shen Yuying and Shen Qing, there was no way they could capture Yan Yi.
Looking at it that way, it was highly likely that Shen Yuying had used her jade figurines to trap Yan Yi, which freed her hands to pursue him. If that was the case, then Yan Yi should not have been captured yet.
Turning it over again and again in his mind, Bai Chunsheng could not shake his unease. He wanted to ask Shen Qing outright whether or not they had managed to catch Yan Yi.
He opened his beak and tried: “…Caw?”
He stayed there with his mouth open for a long time, but only managed a faint croak. Not even a single human word came out.
Shen Qing knew his spiritual power had been completely sealed and that he could not speak. She thought Bai Chunsheng had been frightened by Shen Yuying’s earlier threat, so she comforted him gently: “The Revered Lord won’t make lotus seed soup out of you.”
Bai Chunsheng could only give up and obediently crouch inside the cage once more.
He had no idea how long Shen Qing walked. Bai Chunsheng nearly dozed off in the cage when suddenly it jolted violently. The black cloth covering the cage was lifted, and he found himself in a completely unfamiliar place. Shen Qing was nowhere to be seen.
Yet he was still trapped in the golden cage. The room was dark, and Bai Chunsheng could only make out indistinct shapes.
After his eyes adjusted for a while, things became clearer.
The room was very spacious, furnished with only a soft chair and an incense table. Bai Chunsheng, cage and all, had been placed directly atop that table.
Above, the ceiling had a skylight.
But there was no moon outside, and unlike the Star-Plucking Pavilion, no stream of starlight flowed down through it.
He did not know how long he had been left there alone. Bai Chunsheng had almost drifted off again when he suddenly heard movement outside—footsteps, drawing closer and closer. The door opened, and the lanterns inside the room flared to life with a soft puff, instantly driving away the darkness.
Bai Chunsheng narrowed his eyes and saw the person entering. Tall, slender, with a figure that looked vaguely familiar.
A mask of pure gold covered his face. He wore a dark-blue long robe embroidered at the collar and sleeves with golden five-clawed dragons, and a deep purple silk belt inlaid with jade circled his waist. Even if Bai Chunsheng had never seen him before, he would still have recognized him.
—Bo Yan.
The true culprit who had brought him here.
Seeing Bo Yan approach, Bai Chunsheng became extremely nervous. He hunched his head down, pressing himself as far back as he could inside the small cage. But the fire that had been smoldering in Bo Yan’s chest seemed to dissolve by half at the sight of Bai Chunsheng cowering so fearfully.
—So, it was not as though he did not understand what he had done wrong.
He must have already known what fate awaited him once he was captured.
At first, Bo Yan had not intended to toy with him. But with Bai Chunsheng acting like this, if he did not tease him a little, it would feel like letting himself down.
Bo Yan opened the cage and reached inside, his hand brushing across Bai Chunsheng’s back. Bai Chunsheng knew that with Bo Yan here, escape was impossible. Even if he somehow managed to slip out, this was the dragons’ territory—sooner or later he would be caught again. He did not even think about running. Still, when Bo Yan’s cool fingertips touched his back, he instinctively shivered.
Bai Chunsheng could not help but fluff up his feathers, remembering that he was no match for this wicked dragon. He could only swallow his pride and endure it in silence.
Obediently, he shrank back again, pressing himself into the cage where there was hardly any more room to hide.
It only proved that this little creature bullied the weak and feared the strong. Earlier, when Yan Yi had tried to touch him, Bai Chunsheng had opened his beak, ready to bite him without hesitation. Yet now he was completely docile, pitifully allowing himself to be handled.
Seeing this, Bo Yan arched an eyebrow. “Do you have something you want to say to me?”
The moment he heard this, Bai Chunsheng’s eyes lit up. He did have something to say—he wanted to ask where Yan Yi had gone.
Now that he himself had already been captured, could Bo Yan spare Yan Yi?
But the invisible shackles on his body were still there, preventing him from speaking a single word. As soon as Bo Yan asked, he realized why this little demon, who always loved to spout nonsense, had been so unusually quiet. He lifted Bai Chunsheng out of the cage and sat down in the soft chair with him.
Suddenly, Bai Chunsheng heard the sound of a lock clicking open right by his ear. In the next instant, just as he had been forced into his original form earlier, he now uncontrollably changed back into his human form.
Yet his position remained the same—sitting on Bo Yan’s lap, leaning against his chest.
This inevitably left Bai Chunsheng embarrassed. Even Bai Jianghan had never held him like this.
It reminded him of the white cat kept by Fairy Hongtao. On a few occasions when Bai Chunsheng had seen it, that cat had always been nestled in her arms while she stroked its fur. Now he felt exactly like that cat, sitting stiffly in Bo Yan’s embrace, not daring to move. Normally mischievous and unwilling to admit defeat, he could not even muster the courage to utter a sound.
Bo Yan’s entire being radiated a dangerous aura that pressed heavily against him.
Bai Chunsheng worried that if he tried to climb down, his legs would give out and he would collapse to the floor.
But staying seated on Bo Yan was no better. Even though this was their first meeting, Bai Chunsheng already felt certain that Bo Yan was not as simple as the brief words written about him in the Immortal Spirit Register. He was too close to this seemingly human-shaped madman, and such closeness was perilous. With just a wave of his hand—or even a breath—Bo Yan could end his life.
What was more, they were both grown men. For him to be sitting on Bo Yan’s lap—what kind of dignity was that?
Even a prisoner should maintain a prisoner’s dignity. He was not some pet.
As Bai Chunsheng made to get down, Bo Yan pressed his palm lightly against his back. Though it looked like nothing more than a casual gesture, with not even a hint of spiritual energy behind it, through the thin fabric Bai Chunsheng could still feel the terrifying power hidden within that hand.
Bo Yan’s voice carried a faint trace of laughter. “Right here. Say it just like this.”
Author’s Note: One pet cannot serve two masters.
Bai Chunsheng: “Bo Yan—ptui!”
Yan Jingqiu: “…” Didn’t you say you’d recognize me even if I turned to ash?
Hahahahaha—what a sudden appearance, who could’ve guessed!
If only Bai Chunsheng knew now just how good Yan Yi had been to him before. Back then, when he curled up in Yan Yi’s arms, he could even sleep soundly and snore a little.
And now? Trembling like a leaf.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
