CH 65

The little red bird, which hadn’t been seen in some time, didn’t look to have grown significantly since the last time Chen Ziqi saw him. He still only had one tail feather, and that feather was raised high and held proudly as always.

Chen Ziqi picked up a red cherry in his fingers and put it next to the little red bird’s mouth, waited for it to try and take a bite, then pulled back at the very last moment so that the little yellow beak snapped at nothing. 

“Tweet!” Dan Yi chirped unhappily.

Chen Ziqi chuckled to himself. Every time he remembered that this little creature was Dan Yi, he felt very mischievous and wanted to bully him a bit. He stuffed the cherry in his hand into the little bird’s mouth, then watched it open and close its little beak twice with its head tilted back to squeeze the seed out. It then ate the entire cherry in one gulp. “If you just swallow it whole, can you actually taste anything?” Chen Ziqi couldn’t help asking.

“Tweet chirp!” Dan Yi answered. He opened his mouth again, wanting to eat some more.

Perhaps it tasted better when he was in bird form? Chen Ziqi didn’t quite understand, but he nevertheless picked up another cherry with a stem and wiggled it in front of the little bird. It flapped its small wings and hopped a bit to chase after the cherry before grabbing hold of it with its beak. 

As Chen Ziqi teased the little bird, his mind continued to work, thinking about the events that had happened recently.

That the chickens in his chicken farm had been killed seemed to be a coincidence, but what wasn’t a coincidence was how the Abbess Wuyin had known about this in advance. Her purpose in taking the little fairy away definitely wasn’t just to make him capture Cheng Jiazhen for her. Who was the person behind this dark scheme, and what was he or she trying to achieve? Was the mastermind trying to get something from him?

He was just a vassal King, and a poor one at that. His most valuable possession was his chicken farm, and other than that… there was only Dan Yi.

Dan Yi…

If Dan Yi had arrived just a little sooner, he would have started fighting with the Abbess Wuyin. If he arrived later, the outcome would be similar to the present – saving his little fairy meant asking Dan Yi for help, and if Dan Yi agreed, then he would send his people to attack the Suxin Sect…

“Tweet tweet!” The little red bird pecked at Chen Ziqi’s empty fingers, asking him to pick up another cherry.

Chen Ziqi came to, looked down at the little bird for a second, then smiled wickedly as he picked up the entire plate of cherries and ate a handful. “I’ve been serving you all this time and I haven’t eaten any myself. Let me touch your tail feather and I’ll continue to feed you,” he said, chewing as he spoke.

Dan Yi was always pleased to let Chen Ziqi touch his tail, so he turned around and wiggled his fluffy little bum, pushing that long feather into his hand. Chen Ziqi stretched out a finger and stroked it very carefully. 

“Palace Master…” Diao Lie rushed over hastily, but when he saw what the two were doing, he immediately covered his eyes and turned his whole body around. See no evil, see no evil!

The corners of Chen Ziqi’s mouth couldn’t help twitching when he saw Diao Lie skidding to a halt. He was just petting a bird – what was up with his overreaction? It was as if he’d seen the two of them petting and necking in broad daylight.

Dan Yi turned back into his human form, arranged his clothes neatly, then spoke in a calm voice. “What is it?” he asked.

Diao Lie only dared to turn around when he heard his Palace Master speak. However, he kept his head lowered, and he refused to look up from the ground. “King Wan, Chen Zijian, is currently on the road to Jianyang. He has a few people travelling with him –  a civil official, two first-generation disciples of the Huangshan Sect, and four second-generation disciples of the same sect. Cheng Zhou has also gathered more than a hundred martial artists and is moving toward the Suxin Sect. He’ll get there in about seven days,” he reported. 

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“Yes, sir,” Diao Lie said. As usual, he didn’t ask for any reasons why.

“It’s no use getting her,” Chen Ziqi said through gritted teeth, his brows knitting together. At the outset, when the Abbess Wuyin asked for this ransom, it had obviously been thought of on the spur of the moment. Getting Cheng Jiazhen was something she could easily achieve on her own. Why would she bother to expend so much effort to tangle with him, a King with no power or influence? 

“We’ll get her first, and see if she’s of any use,” Dan Yi said, unperturbed. He waved a hand to dismiss Diao Lie. He also wanted to know what secrets Cheng Jiazhen held that would make the Suxin Sect so obsessed with her.

On receiving permission to leave, Diao Lie took two steps back with his head still in its lowered position, then turned and fled, disappearing in a trice.

Chen Ziqi looked at Diao Lie’s retreating figure, which looked very much like a frightened rabbit fleeing from some dangerous predator. His lips twitched in mirth as he thought back on what Diao Lie had said earlier, then turned to drape an arm over Dan Yi. “Let’s make a bet. I’m guessing that Old Second will come to the Cloud Palace in the next two days to ‘visit his injured little brother’, and at the same time, take the opportunity to reminisce on old times with you,” he said.

“I’m thinking along the same lines,” Dan Yi said, nodding slightly. 

“We’re making a bet here,” Chen Ziqi said petulantly. “You need to bet the opposite of what I’m saying.”

“… …”

Things were extremely likely to go as Chen Ziqi had said, so what was there to bet on? Dan Yi looked at him rather helplessly. “Okay, fine. Then I’ll bet that he won’t come to the Cloud Palace,” he said, resigned to his fate.

Chen Ziqi reached out to bump his fist against Dan Yi’s, indicating that their bet was on. “I’ll say it now – the one who loses has to listen to the one who wins and do something for him,” he said, grinning gleefully. 

Dan Yi just smiled. That smile probably constituted his agreement, right?

As expected, two days later, King Wan, Chen Zijian, appeared at the foot of Jade Mountain. Dan Yi allowed him up the mountain, and King Wan automatically left the Huangshan disciples who accompanied him at the bottom of the mountain, going up only with his civil official.

Chen Zijian was appointed as a King when he was fourteen, and had remained in the Capital until he was sixteen, when he went to take control of his fief. Chen Ziqi hadn’t seen him since he left the Capital about five or six years ago. Chen Zijian was now very different from what Chen Ziqi remembered.

He no longer had the callowness of youth. He had already come of age, and he wore pale blue robes embroidered with sky blue dragons. A three-foot sword hung from his hip, and he looked like a refined, elegant swordsman who at the same time had the slight arrogance of the nobility. 

“Lord Phoenix King, I trust you have been well,” Chen Zijian said, smiling as he greeted Dan Yi, who was sitting on his throne on the dais.

Dan Yi was leaning back on the throne, and his eyes darkened slightly as they looked at Chen Zijian. After a brief moment, he lifted his chin slightly.

A servant came forward and placed a seat on the dais for Chen Zijian, then indicated that he could sit down on it. Diao Lie and Lan Jiangxue stood to the left and right of Dan Yi respectively. Diao Lie stared unblinkingly at Chen Zijian, and Lan Jiangxue lowered his eyes in a cold, reserved manner. The main hall was completely silent, and it all felt rather foreboding.

Even the usually unflappable King Wan couldn’t help but feel his heart thud ominously in his chest. He didn’t know how Dan Yi felt about him, and so decided to tread carefully and make some polite conversation first. “Vassal Kings are not allowed to leave their fief unless they’re summoned, so I was unable to congratulate you personally when you took over the reins of the Cloud Palace last year. I could only ask Old Seventh to bring some presents over,” he said. 

Chen Zijian’s carefully chosen words were rather verbose, but they were not annoying. Dan Yi usually had no patience for long-drawn speeches, but this time, he didn’t lose his temper.

Chen Zijian gave the rare treasures he had brought with him as gifts to Dan Yi, then asked to see Chen Ziqi, as if he was actually a good older brother who was concerned about his didi, and not someone who had just taken advantage of this situation to try and curry favour with Dan Yi.

Chen Ziqi was basking in the sun in the Wutong forest. He was actually perfectly fine now. He didn’t know if it was because Elder Mu’s medicine was particularly effective, or because Dan Yi held him in his arms every night and transfused neili to him, but nothing hurt any more. He had been his usual bouncy self earlier that morning, even accompanying Dan Yi to the Jade Bamboo Peak to dig for bamboo shoots.

However, when King Wan came over, he saw a pale, wan-looking Chen Ziqi lying on the bamboo platform, looking like he would give up his ghost at any moment. Chen Zijian’s brows knitted together immediately upon seeing him. “Little Seventh, are you alright?” he asked. 

“Second Imperial Brother,” Chen Ziqi said, raising a hand weakly in greeting. King Wan caught hold of that hand immediately. “My injuries are rather severe, and I can’t get up to greet you…”

“There’s no need to be so formal. We’re brothers, after all,” Chen Zijian said, sitting down next to him and asking what had happened. When he found out that Chen Ziqi was injured by the Abbess Wuyin, and that Chang Er had been kidnapped as well, he flew into a rage. “By the gods, this Suxin Sect is getting too bold!” he exclaimed.

An Imperial Prince had been randomly attacked and seriously injured, and they’d just carted off a Taifei at their whim and fancy – the Suxin Sect was really out of line.

Chen Ziqi sighed, then looked up at his Second Brother. “Thankfully, Dan Yi arrived in time and saved my life. It’s only…” his voice trailed off. 

King Wan became much more attentive when Chen Ziqi mentioned “Dan Yi”. This was clearly a topic that he was interested in.

“Gege will help you in respect of the Taifei’s kidnapping. The Sword Alliance will try to reason with them – the Suxin Sect will at least listen to what they have to say. The only thing is…” Chen Zijian said, looking very worried. “The Suxin Sect is still a Qi Sect at the end of the day, and there are limits to how much pressure the Sword Alliance can exert on them. It may be some time before this matter is resolved. I don’t know how the Taifei is getting on whilst she’s in the Suxin Sect’s clutches…”

These words were clearly aimed at arousing Chen Ziqi’s natural sense of concern for Chang Er by suggesting that she might be ill-treated in the Suxin Sect. He was obviously trying to get Chen Ziqi to suggest something else.

Chen Ziqi’s brows creased. This “something else” was Dan Yi, wasn’t it? 

After speaking with Chen Ziqi for some time, King Wan went to look for Dan Yi again. He said that he had a good deal that he wanted to discuss with Dan Yi.

“I’ll be upfront. I came to Jianyang this round because there’s something I want done,” Chen Zijian said, looking around meaningfully to signal to Dan Yi to dismiss his servants.

Dan Yi raised a hand slightly, and the servant girls pouring tea left the room. Chen Zijian and Dan Yi were now alone.

“I heard my maternal grandfather say that the Grandmaster of the Qi Martial Arts, Zhao Hetian, left a Will, and in this Will, there is a secret about attaining the highest level of cultivation. I don’t know if you’ve heard about this before?” King Wan said, smiling enigmatically at Dan Yi. 

All of the Qi Sects originated from the same Grandmaster, and his name was Zhao Hetian. He was a martial artist who lived a thousand years ago, and he was the one who had first founded the Qi martial arts cultivation methods. He was a true genius of unparalleled talent. The Qi Sects’ foundational martial arts manual, the Tianyan Wanxiang Gong, was created by Zhao Hetian, and it was still being actively used by all the Qi Sects even now. This fellow had appeared out of nowhere, and had also suddenly disappeared into nothingness. To this day, no one had found his grave. The legends all said that he had broken through the highest levels of cultivation to become an immortal.

Zhao Hetian’s Will? Dan Yi lowered his gaze, then swirled the tea in his cup. A dark eagle face was reflected in the water, staring unblinkingly at him. If he wasn’t already used to this, he would certainly have gotten a rude shock. Dan Yi’s mouth twitched, then shot a look at the big black eagle that was perched, motionless, on the rafters of the room.

Dan Yi might have dismissed the servants, but he had not dismissed the loyal Dark Cloud Envoy. The dark-feathered eagle noticed the look his master shot him and immediately shuffled further into the shadows, hiding his great bird body more carefully.