Chapter 18: A Bolt from the Blue
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When Shen Gurong left Fanjiang Residence in broad daylight, Mu Zhe and Yu Xinghe had just returned from Li Suo’s place, each holding the candied fruits Li Suo had given them.
Seeing Lou Bugui, the two quickly bowed in greeting.
Lou Bugui seemed not to notice them at all and passed by like the wind.
With candied fruits in his mouth, Yu Xinghe glanced at Lou Bugui’s retreating figure and whispered, “Why is Master Uncle Lou here? Did something happen to Master?”
Mu Zhe hesitated for a moment, shook his head indicating he didn’t know either.
Mu Zhe returned to the side courtyard, cradling the book “Questioning the Heart,” and continued reading.
Outside the window, a slanting wind brought a light rain, and the parasol trees sprouted new branches.
Mu Zhe was strict with himself. After finishing the book, he spent another hour practicing calligraphy. As the sky darkened, he tidied up his desk and estimated the time. Yu Xinghe should be coming soon to take him to Changyin Mountain’s East Kitchen for dinner.
Mu Zhe breathed a sigh of relief and was about to get up to leave when he suddenly heard a faint chirping of baby birds from outside the window.
Having already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, his senses were sharp. Despite the bird’s call being extremely faint, even lighter than the sound of raindrops on leaves, he still caught it.
Opening the carved wooden window, the courtyard’s lantern illuminated the towering parasol tree, revealing a small black shadow perched on it.
Mu Zhe frowned and walked out of the door towards the parasol tree, tilting his head slightly to look at the tiny creature on the delicate branches.
“Chirp, chirp.”
The little red bird chirped weakly twice more.
Mu Zhe was taken aback, about to gently scoop up the little bird on tiptoe when suddenly he heard Yu Xinghe’s voice from not far away.
“Mu Zhe!” Yu Xinghe, wearing a small raincoat, bounced around in the courtyard. “There’s meat tonight, we need to hurry, or else we won’t get any!”
Mu Zhe furrowed his brow.
The small bird resembled a fluffy ball, its body covered in red feathers. Its wings were so tiny they could hardly flap, indicating it had recently hatched. The whole body trembled slightly in the cold wind.
Upon closer inspection, Mu Zhe noticed that there seemed to be a thin strip of cloth tied over its eyes, bound behind its fluffy head with a knot hanging down onto its damp feathers.
Finding it increasingly peculiar, Mu Zhe hesitated for a moment before saying to Yu Xinghe, “You go ahead by yourself.”
Only then did Yu Xinghe notice him under the tree and asked in confusion, “What are you doing there? Aren’t you hungry?”
Mu Zhe shook his head.
Yu Xinghe didn’t press further, figuring that eating was the most important thing in the world anyway. He happily bounced away on his own.
A raindrop the size of a bean suddenly fell from the tree leaves, hitting the tiny red bird right on the head.
The bird staggered, letting out a pitiful “chirp,” and tumbled downward.
Mu Zhe was startled and quickly reached out to catch the bird in his palm.
Despite nearly falling to its death, the bird kept its eyes tightly shut as if sleeping. It must have been very cold, gently nuzzling against Mu Zhe’s warm palm and emitting a soft chirp.
Mu Zhe cupped his hands to shield the bird from the rain and hurriedly ran back.
Fanjiang Residence was probably a dwelling specially built by Lord Nan Yang for Shen Fengxue. Even in the side courtyard, warm jade spirit stones were laid under the bluestone slabs.
The little red bird, initially shivering in Mu Zhe’s palm, slowly relaxed its body once it entered the warm room. It let out a feeble chirp before dozing off again in no time.
Mu Zhe retrieved a small wooden box filled with candied fruits, stuffed a soft piece of cloth inside, and gently placed the little fluff ball into it.
As he was about to cover the bird with a corner of the cloth, which seemed to be sleeping soundly, it suddenly spread its wings and delicately landed on Mu Zhe’s finger.
Mu Zhe was stunned.
The little bird chirped twice, as if murmuring softly in its dreams.
Mu Zhe stared blankly, and for some reason, this scene suddenly reminded him of Shen Gurong’s sleepy and affectionate demeanor a few days ago.
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Mu Zhe quickly withdrew his hand, feeling as if he were going crazy. Although he knew his Master’s personality had layers, it didn’t mean they would have entirely different appearances.
Mu Zhe carefully examined the unusually red bird, attempting to remove the cloth strip from its head. However, after trying for a while, the strip seemed as elusive as a wisp of fog, dispersing at the slightest touch.
Mu Zhe stared at it for a long time, unable to recognize what kind of spiritual beast it was.
He got up and searched for a book on exotic spiritual beasts in the small study of the side courtyard. After flipping through half of it, he finally found a page at the end with a picture that closely resembled the little red bird.
A word was written above it—Phoenix.
Mu Zhe’s hand froze. The one who came to fight with Shen Gurong today… could it be the Phoenix from the Yao Clan? Is it possible that this little bird is it?
He stared at the bird sleeping upside down with its claws pointing upwards in the small wooden box, his expression strange as he doubted this answer.
A Phoenix… could it be so chubby? Could it even fly with this weight?
He reached out and poked the little red bird’s feathers gently. The bird let out a soft chirp and flapped its wings, lightly tapping his finger.
Mu Zhe shook his head, deciding not to disturb it further, and continued reading the book of exotic creatures.
Before long, Yu Xinghe returned after finishing dinner, holding some pastries wrapped in oil paper, and strolled to Mu Zhe’s room.
“Mu Zhe, I’m coming in!”
Before Mu Zhe could respond, Yu Xinghe breezily walked in as if he owned the place, completely disregarding any sense of being an outsider.
Mu Zhe was used to it. “What’s up?”
“Senior Brother Li Suo gave this to you. He told me to remind you not to forget to eat, or else you won’t grow tall,” Yu Xinghe handed him the small package, “Oh, and he also mentioned that there will be the Flower Festival at the foot of the mountain in a few days. Senior Brother plans to secretly take us out to play.”
Mu Zhe responded with a courteous “Hmm,” thanked him, and then not so politely hinted for him to leave, “Go on, getting some rest early can also help you grow taller.”
Yu Xinghe nodded repeatedly, about to leave when he suddenly caught sight of the little red bird on the desk out of the corner of his eye, causing him to freeze in his tracks.
“What’s this?”
Mu Zhe didn’t even lift an eyelid. “It’s a bird I found outside. It’s sleeping. Don’t disturb it.”
Yu Xinghe leaned over the desk and lifted the cloth to take a look, then exclaimed softly, “Ah, it’s beautiful!”
Ignoring Mu Zhe’s words, he gently poked the bird’s belly with his finger and pinched its curled-up claws, causing the bird to start squirming uncomfortably and making faint noises.
Mu Zhe frowned. “Xinghe.”
Yuxinghe looked at him with shining eyes. “Senior Brother, can I keep it for a few days?”
Mu Zhe didn’t like others coveting his things. Without even considering, he simply chased Yu Xinghe out.
Yu Xinghe had no choice but to leave with a bitter smile, resolving to find a similarly adorable spiritual pet for himself in the future.
***
Shen Gurong had never slept for so long before. When he woke up, he felt disoriented for a while before regaining some awareness.
There was a sweet and fragrant smell in the air, reminiscent of the candied fruit he stole from Mu Zhe.
[Did someone bring me candied fruits?]
Shen Gurong mumbled drowsily. He rubbed his eyes, trying to recall. He lazily rolled over and reached out to touch the silk, but his arm felt strange, and the sensation in his fingers was peculiar.
“Did I roll off the bed again?” Shen Gurong wondered as he slowly opened his eyes, staring at the wooden wall beside him for a while before lifting his gaze upwards.
At the very top, all he could see were what seemed like beams of the roof, stretching so high that he couldn’t see the end even when he swept his gaze to the side.
After looking for a while, Shen Gurong finally sensed that something was wrong.
He struggled to prop himself up, but as he reached out, he caught a glimpse of red flash past.
Shen Gurong froze, his gaze slowly moving downwards until it landed on the spread-out red feathers.
Shen Gurong: “…”
He incredulously lifted his wings and looked left and right, a shocking idea suddenly forming in his mind.
“Chirp!!!”
Mu Zhe had just finished dinner when he saw the little ball of fur that had been sleeping all day finally waking up.
At this moment, it seemed to be agitated for some reason, flailing around wildly in the small box, feathers flying everywhere. It was also shrieking at the top of its lungs, sounding like it was on the verge of losing its voice.
Mu Zhe hurried over, afraid it would strain its voice. He whispered softly, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid…”
Shen Gurong was already on the verge of a breakdown. When he turned his head and suddenly saw Mu Zhe’s face, which seemed to be magnified several times, he was even more startled, and his scream became even louder.
“Chirp—Chirp!”
He hit a high note directly.
Mu Zhe: “…”
Mu Zhe watched the little red ball flapping around while coughing softly, feeling a bit sorry for it. He walked to the window, opened the wooden shutters, and took a few steps back, indicating that he meant no harm.
“Don’t be afraid. If you don’t want to stay here, I can let you go.”
Shen Gurong coughed up tears in his eyes. Right now, all he wanted was some quiet time to digest the fact that he had turned into a bird.
Although Lou Bugui said it wouldn’t take three days for him to become a Phoenix, but it couldn’t be this fast, could it?
With red eyes and unable to muster any spiritual power, Shen Gurong flapped his wings unsteadily, trying to fly out of the wooden window. However, his screaming made him dizzy, and with tears blurring his vision, he couldn’t see clearly. He accidentally hit the edge of the window.
With a chirp, he fell straight to the ground. His round body bounced and rolled a few times before landing face down and lying still.
Mu Zhe: “…”
Shen Gurong: “…”
Shen Gurong almost cried out loud.
Mu Zhe sighed and walked over to cradle him in his palm.
Shen Gurong was full of resentment, burying his little head between Mu Zhe’s fingers, wishing he could knock himself out.
The warmth of his touch made Mu Zhe tremble slightly. He checked Shen Gurong and found that his left wing seemed to be injured. He trembled and whimpered when touched.
Mu Zhe sighed and gently rubbed the fur ball’s head, asking, “Do you still want to go out?”
Shen Gurong felt dizzy and his arm hurt, so he ignored him and continued to play dead.
Mu Zhe was very fond of this bird and indulged him greatly. Seeing him silent, he placed him back in the small wooden box and lovingly covered him with a little blanket.
“It’s going to rain in the coming days. If you’re not afraid anymore, you can stay here for now until your wing stops hurting,” Mu Zhe said. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you.”
Shen Gurong’s mind was blank, and he looked dazed, not paying attention to what Mu Zhe was saying at all.
Mu Zhe sat beside him, observing him for a while, his gaze fixed on the white cloth strip over Shen Gurong’s eyes.
After a while, Mu Zhe quietly activated the spiritual energy in his meridians.
—But he didn’t hear any strange sounds.
He thought for a moment, then tentatively reached out and poked Shen Gurong’s little belly.
Shen Gurong remained unmoved, his mind blank.
Mu Zhe poked him a couple more times, still hearing no sound, finally feeling relieved.
After retracting his spiritual energy, he realized belatedly that he might have truly gone mad.
The little red ball in front of him, even if it were Xue Manzhuang’s Phoenix, could never be his master.
But Xue Manzhuang couldn’t even enter the Boundary Spirit Stele, so it couldn’t be him either.
After much thought, it was likely just an ordinary spiritual beast. Just to be sure, he decided to ask Senior Brother Li Suo tomorrow.
Mu Zhe relaxed a bit, resting his elbow on the desk and gently poking through Shen Gurong’s dense fur. It seemed to bring Shen Gurong out of his melancholy state.
Shen Gurong had initially only intended to prepare a suicide note and find a tree to hang himself from, but Mu Zhe’s gentle touches made him so comfortable that he instinctively kicked his feet in pleasure. It took him a moment to realize that, if he were in his human form, he would currently be having his belly rubbed by his disciple.
The realization terrified him, and his fur stood on end.
“Chirp!”
[Insolent!]
He angrily jumped up and instinctively pecked at Mu Zhe’s hand.
Mu Zhe immediately withdrew his hand.
Shen Gurong huffed and chirped at him, scolding him to show respect to his master and not to use his hands or beaks recklessly.
Mu Zhe touched his hand, feeling the sharp peck of the Phoenix’s beak, and his hand turned red immediately. He glanced at Shen Gurong but said nothing.
He calmly retrieved a pair of silver scissors from a small drawer and placed them on the desk, then extended his hand toward Shen Gurong again.
Mu Zhe looked at him with a stern gaze, indicating that if he dared to peck again, he would be watching.
Shen Gurong: “…”
When Shen Gurong was young, he often formed groups with friends to climb trees and raid bird nests. Sometimes, his friends would even catch a few birds with good coloration to keep as pets, and the first thing they would do when keeping a bird was to clip its feathers to prevent it from flying away.
At that time, Shen Gurong only felt it was cruel. Although he himself didn’t catch birds to keep as pets, he didn’t stop his friends either. Until now, he suddenly felt that he was reaping the consequences of his indifference.
Now, assimilated into a chubby little bird with injured wings and unable to use spiritual power, even if Mu Zhe secretly killed him, no one would know.
Shen Gurong was adaptable and resourceful, coupled with a “since no one knows this cowardly appearance is Shen Fengxue” attitude. With a firm resolve, he let out a soft chirp, hopping over to Mu Zhe’s side and gently extending his intact wing to stroke Mu Zhe’s hand back.
Mu Zhe looked down at him.
Shen Gurong: “Chirp chirp chirp.”
After finishing his coquettish chirping, he hopped over to the silver scissors and with a paw, pushed the scissors forcefully to the ground, then looked at Mu Zhe obediently.
Mu Zhe: “…”
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