After Losing My Memory, I Became My Rival's Palm-Sized Chirper - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Great Art of Dual Cultivation

The bird, who had just claimed during the day that he liked peace and didn’t want the Emperor to disturb him, was now speaking with complete confidence: “Am I not the Empress now? Aren’t couples supposed to sleep together? Look at what time it is!”

The little parrot-like bird grumbled as he approached the Emperor, his voice sounding quite dissatisfied: “And the palace you arranged for me is so far away from here. You won’t come over, so I had to fly here myself. Is it only the first day of our agreement to marry and you already want to marginalize me, the Empress?”

When Qi Jia first appeared, Yu Baixi had instinctively held his breath. After listening to the fat bird’s complaints and suspicions, his tone softened with a hint of helplessness: “…Where did this talk of marginalizing come from?”

Qi Jia: “Then let me ask you: why didn’t the imperial decree for the Empress’s investiture this afternoon give my child a formal status?”

The decree had spread throughout the Heaven Realm that afternoon. As the person involved, Qi Jia had naturally received a copy—it was the first-hand decree handwritten by the Emperor himself.

He hadn’t noticed the problem initially, but Fairy Shuoling had reminded him: if the Emperor truly cherished the child in his belly, he ought to have given that child an official title.

“…”

Faced with the fat bird’s questioning and doubt, Yu Baixi calmly relaxed his brow and said with a steady voice: “Once you give birth, this Seat will certainly give ‘It’ a formal status.”

After half a day of mental adjustment regarding the “pregnancy” issue, the Emperor had reached a point of inner peace. He would no longer engage in futile arguments or struggles.

Qi Jia: “…”

Qi Jia understood the hidden meaning behind those words. Hovering in mid-air, the fat bird put his wings on his hips, making a grinding sound with his beak as if gnashing teeth. “Fine, very well. Then you just wait and see!”

“Mhm, this Seat shall wait.” Yu Baixi continued to nod calmly. His smoke-blue eyes reflected the spherical bird, and his gaze seemed much brighter than usual.

“Let’s not talk about that for now. Come on, let’s go to sleep. This bird is tired.” The little fat bird flapped his wings and pointed his beak in a certain direction, signaling for the Emperor to follow him.

Yu Baixi stood by the edge of the pool and didn’t move. Shifting his gaze slightly, the Emperor returned to his usual cold indifference: “Since you are tired, go to sleep.”

Qi Jia: “You aren’t sleeping?”

Yu Baixi: “Mhm.”

“Then what are you doing if you aren’t sleeping?” Qi Jia turned his head, looked at the pitch-black medicinal liquid in the white marble pool, and then turned back: “Also, what is this water?”

He had wanted to ask earlier. As soon as he approached, there was a strong scent of medicine, very similar to the scent on Yu Baixi’s body, but much more pungent and unpleasant.

Yu Baixi paused for a moment before answering truthfully: “A medicinal pool.”

“…A place for bathing?” The term wasn’t familiar to Qi Jia, but he quickly remembered Yu Baixi’s injuries. “Is it for your wounds? You soak in this stuff to heal?”

“Mhm.” The Emperor no longer hid it, saying bluntly: “Now that you have seen it, go back and sleep on your own. This Seat will rest here.”

“Huh? You can do that? Can you sleep well like that?” Qi Jia was purely curious. “I heard that creatures of the Four Realms all need to eat and sleep, though the frequency might vary…”

Yu Baixi looked at him with eyes as still as a deep pool: “This Seat is a dragon. It is only natural to rest in water at night.”

Qi Jia: “Oh.”

Right, I forgot. Dragons are aquatic animals!…

Mt. Budu also had many aquatic spirits. The winding blood-red waterfall and the river it formed looked terrifying, but they were actually a paradise for water-dwellers, and those spirits often slept while soaking.

Having gained a bit of knowledge, Qi Jia felt quite happy.

Yu Baixi watched the bright-eyed fat bird, thinking he had successfully convinced him to go sleep on his own.

However, to his surprise, Qi Jia looked at the churning black medicinal water again, and his eyes grew even rounder and brighter.

He moved closer to the Emperor and landed directly on his shoulder: “Sleeping in water is very different from sleeping in medicinal broth! Besides, Your Majesty, this bird happens to know a method that can help you heal much faster!”

Qi Jia’s voice rose with high spirits and fighting intent, filled with temptation.

“…What method?”

“The Great Art of Dual Cultivation!”

The Emperor’s entire body stiffened. His grey-blue pupils dilated sharply for a moment.

Even before Qi Jia had opened his beak, he had a premonition that the bird wasn’t going to suggest anything good. Yet even with that preparation, the actual suggestion exceeded the Emperor’s expectations.

But regarding this “Dual Cultivation,” Qi Jia was incredibly excited.

After settling into Weiyang Palace that afternoon, the decree of investiture had arrived, followed by a swarm of immortal attendants. Some cleaned, some rearranged, and many items were brought in…

Qi Jia found it messy and couldn’t make sense of it yet, so he simply ignored it. He sought out peace and had Fairy Shuoling lead him on a tour of the Jade Capital.

Shuoling was a second-class female official near the Emperor, so her own authority wasn’t particularly high. But according to her, since there were no first-class officials around His Majesty, she was essentially the head of the entire Hongmeng Palace. Her power was quite significant, allowing her to move freely through the Jade Capital. Thus, she knew all the best sights and entertainment.

Qi Jia had indeed appreciated the prosperity and scenery of the Heaven Realm. But after looking around, the little fat bird chose to dive headfirst into the Library of Scriptures.

Mt. Budu was isolated and lacked information, but the Library of the Jade Capital was famous throughout the world. Even with only three months of memory, Qi Jia knew this.

Now holding the dual tokens of the Emperor and Empress, he was truly a person of high status and power. Naturally, he wanted to acquire as much knowledge as possible to understand his own situation.

He entered the Library without any hindrance. While Shuoling’s rank still faced restrictions, Qi Jia could enter, exit, and flip through any book as he pleased.

Thus, Qi Jia squatted in there for the rest of the afternoon and through the evening. After various comparisons and investigations, he finally selected a high-level cultivation technique that was the fastest and most suitable for him to heal his wounds: Dual Cultivation.

“My current problem is spiritual depletion, and it just so happens that this Dual Cultivation technique can solve that.”

Qi Jia introduced the concept with a beaming smile: “And this technique is the simplest and fastest. It doesn’t require any rare heavenly treasures; it just needs Your Majesty to… cooperate a bit…”

“…I refuse.” Yu Baixi rejected him instantly with an expressionless face.

Qi Jia was not discouraged and continued smiling: “Come on, come on! This technique is amazing. I found it on a shelf full of restrictive seals… that must mean it’s very precious, powerful, and effective, right? Of course, the best part is that both people benefit! Your Majesty, you can use it to heal your wounds too. Truly, truly, it’s very fast!”

Every word from Qi Jia screamed “Trust this bird.”

The Emperor remained expressionless throughout. He listened seriously until the end but was not moved in the slightest: “Do you think this Seat does not know the meaning of ‘Dual Cultivation’?”

“Since you know, then I don’t need to say more.” Qi Jia leaned in and rubbed against his neck: “Your Majesty, let’s start quickly!”

Yu Baixi: “…”

So “sleeping” was a feint; Dual Cultivation was this bird’s real intention.

…Had he not just said during the day that he liked peace and disliked being disturbed? And now…

The Celestial Emperor raised his hand and rubbed his temples.

“Do you know… how to perform Dual Cultivation?” Yu Baixi asked hesitantly.

“I know,” Qi Jia replied. “The book says at the very beginning: after both parties have cleansed their bodies, undressed, and merged ‘like water and milk’ to reach a state where self and world are forgotten, they then conduct a dual breathing exercise within the sea of consciousness.”

As he spoke, he used magic to make the book Dual Cultivation spin in the air. The ancient book looked just like the fat bird—full of passion and vigor. “Luckily, your Heaven Realm doesn’t ban ‘yellow’ (erotic) content. If this were the mortal world, once you get to the ‘undressing’ part, the rest of the content would be gone!”

Yu Baixi: “…”

Qi Jia: “However, as for the specific operations, we still need to discuss the details during practice… It’s not that I don’t understand, it’s just that this bird hasn’t quite figured out how the state of ‘forgetting self and world’ is achieved. Is just taking off clothes enough?”

Qi Jia rested his chin on his wing and sank into thought, glancing at the Emperor’s loose belt.

Yu Baixi: “…………”

So he doesn’t know anything at all.

The Emperor took a deep breath, not knowing how to explain. Eventually, he just emphasized stiffly: “The method of Dual Cultivation is only applicable between partners.”

“Right, even less of a problem then.” Qi Jia’s voice was full of laughter. “We are partners. Your Majesty issued the decree just this afternoon; it’s still warm.”

Yu Baixi: “…That doesn’t count. That was only…”

The little fat bird had already started talking again, his voice full of complaints: “Do you think I want to trouble you? If it weren’t for the fact that I already have your dragon breath in me—which clashes with anyone else so I can’t cultivate with them—this bird wouldn’t have come looking for you!…”

You.” The Emperor suddenly looked sideways, his brow furrowed, his tone rising slightly: “You even thought of… dual cultivating… with… someone… else?”

“I…”

Feeling a sharp, biting aura hit him—even more intense than the cold wind that had messed up his hair earlier—Qi Jia braved the pressure and answered honestly: “Of course I thought about it.”

Yu Baixi: “…”

The little fat bird waved a wing: “But the book said it’s impossible, it clashes!”

The Emperor closed his eyes wearily and suddenly asked: “Where is Han Mo? Did he find you?”

“Who is Han Mo?” Qi Jia tilted his head.

Never mind. It seems because you were in the Library, he didn’t find you…” Yu Baixi said. “Han Mo is a person this Seat sent to protect you. You will meet him tomorrow.”

“To protect me? A guard for the Empress? Fine, but Your Majesty, can we talk about that tomorrow?”

Qi Jia wasn’t distracted. He flapped a wing again: “What we are talking about now is healing! Just come with me!”

Having talked for so long with no results, Qi Jia grew anxious. He hated that as a little fat bird, he couldn’t do anything to the Emperor…

Qi Jia circled around Yu Baixi, wanting to peck him in frustration. Then he remembered the bandages on the man’s neck and instinctively refrained. Finally… the little fat bird dove and grabbed the Emperor’s belt.

Yu Baixi had intended to undress, but the bird’s sudden appearance had interrupted his movements. Now, his clothes were already untidy and his belt was loose. With the bird’s claws hooked into it, it became even more precarious.

Stop.” The Emperor first pressed down on his own belt, his long lashes flickering downward to hide the chaos in his eyes.

Qi Jia did not give up. His clear voice rang out: “I want it! (Yao!)”

“Medicine? (Yao?)” Yu Baixi looked up again, his clear eyes instantly becoming tense. “Do you need to take some medicine?”

No, I want it!”

Qi Jia recalled a certain storybook about a male mother succubus and the dialogue that happened before the character conceived. His tone suddenly softened: “I mean… I want it, please! (Ren jia yao ma!!)”

Yu Baixi: “…”