Chapter 86: The Golden Cage Traps the White Phoenix (9)
Bai Chunsheng held his breath, but in the end, he did not dare to snap at Bo Yan like he would at Yan Yi and ask if he was crazy. Instead, he wondered silently if Bo Yan might have some kind of problem himself.
He squatted at the corner of the table, then tilted his head back to look up at Bo Yan. His eyes, dark and bright like lacquer, stared straight at him.
Anyone familiar with Bai Chunsheng would immediately recognize this expression. It was the one he often used when, feeling guilty, he tried to act cute to get out of trouble.
Bo Yan also looked at him, but Bai Chunsheng could not tell what he was thinking.
After a long moment, Bo Yan crouched down and ran his hand over Bai Chunsheng’s soft feathers.
Bai Chunsheng still did not relax. In this world, there were always those kinds of “bad creatures” who could gently stroke a small animal’s fur while secretly thinking with delight how shiny and plump it looked, imagining how tasty it would be cooked.
Bai Chunsheng stayed alert, worried, and frightened, fearing that Bo Yan might be that kind of bad creature.
“What did Yan Jingqiu write in the letter he sent you before he went on the seclusion to cross the realm of life and death?” Bo Yan asked. Shen Yuying had already told him, but he wanted Bai Chunsheng to repeat it in his own words.
Bo Yan’s memory had been completely wiped before, and Bai Chunsheng had tricked him severely. Now, instinctively, Bo Yan’s personality carried distrust and suspicion.
He wanted Bai Chunsheng to tell him personally.
Bai Chunsheng could barely remember the letter, but seeing how much effort Bo Yan had gone through to capture him, calling him in so seriously for questioning—and asking about Yan Jingqiu—made him suspicious.
—Could this old demon really be a devotee of Yan Jingqiu?
Bai Chunsheng was startled.
Then a bitter thought crossed his mind: as expected of Yan Jingqiu. Even though his “status” had been declared dead, so many people still risked everything to chase after the slightest trace of him.
Indeed, Yan Jingqiu was still infuriating.
And who knew what was wrong with Bo Yan? Yan Yi was already in his hands.
Why not just ask him directly, even if he had lost his memory?
Seeing Bai Chunsheng remain silent for so long, Bo Yan’s hand slowly slid up from his back, lightly touching Bai Chunsheng’s small head with a hint of threat.
The gesture immediately snapped Bai Chunsheng’s thoughts back. His hackles rose; if his true form were a hedgehog, all his quills would have bristled. It felt as if a chilling sensation ran along his spine.
“I didn’t read it.”
Thinking quickly in panic, Bai Chunsheng actually managed to remember in time.
Afraid Bo Yan might not believe him, he added, “My grandmother said it was from Yan Jingqiu to scold me. I didn’t dare open it and put it away.”
Bo Yan sneered inwardly. This wasn’t about not daring to open it—it was more likely that he couldn’t bear to.
“What kind of person do you think Yan Jingqiu is?” Bo Yan asked coldly.
Bai Chunsheng did not notice any shift in Bo Yan’s tone. Thinking that Bo Yan might be a devotee of Yan Jingqiu, he carefully chose his words, suppressing his anger, speaking softly, word by word: “Naturally, awe-inspiring, as graceful as a phoenix and a dragon, extraordinary talent, virtue and ability combined…”
With every word, Bo Yan’s expression beneath the mask darkened a little more.
Seeing that Bo Yan did not stop him, Bai Chunsheng assumed he was dissatisfied with the level of praise. Scrambling in his own thinly-stocked brain for compliments, he continued. Thinking that he was doing all this for Yan Jingqiu made him even more enraged.
Normally, when he praised himself shamelessly, he could never think of so many words.
Bai Chunsheng rattled off a long string of idioms, almost resorting to describing “smooth and glossy fur” as if it applied to Yan Jingqiu himself.
Bo Yan finally interrupted him: “Enough. Stop.”
Bai Chunsheng was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Bo Yan suddenly added coldly: “So you want to become his Dao companion, is that it?”
“Impossible!” Bai Chunsheng jumped instinctively, leaping from the ground to deny it.
Bo Yan said cruelly, “Yan Jingqiu is dead. Thinking about it won’t help.”
Bai Chunsheng mentally bristled, wanting to argue that Yan Jingqiu had now become Yan Yi—he wasn’t dead.
A moment later.
Bo Yan seemed still caught in the previous topic, repeating emphatically, “You better not think about it. Even if you do now, it’s useless.”
He stood up, lifted Bai Chunsheng by the wings, and tossed him onto the table, saying, “You are still betrothed to Shen Yuying.”
It was a flat statement, not a question.
Bai Chunsheng could not believe it. “Who said that? Nonsense!”
“I curse him with a rotten mouth,” Bai Chunsheng swore earnestly.
Bai Chunsheng knew a little about Shen Yuying’s engagement, but he had read in the Immortal Spirit Register that the unlucky fellow had discovered his fiancée was ruthless and vicious, and had fled overnight, beyond Shen Yuying’s reach. Bai Chunsheng had even laughed about it with Yan Yi.
He could not imagine that such an unlucky guy would be him. Bai Chunsheng laughed heartily.
After laughing twice, he noticed Bo Yan’s expression remained unmoved. Only then did he realize Bo Yan was not joking or teasing him.
Feeling embarrassed, Bai Chunsheng naturally turned his laughter into an awkward cough, spreading his wings.
He prepared to bury his face in his feathers and play dead.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
