After Losing My Memory, I Became My Rival's Palm-Sized Chirper - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: His Lordship’s Backup Plan

At dusk, as the sun was about to set, a gentle breeze swept through, causing the white magnolia trees in Hongmeng Palace to sway and shed their blossoms.

The fragrance was light and elegant. A pale-yellow chubby bird flew straight through the scent, though he was too lazy to even flap his wings, instead “drifting” directly through the half-open window of a side room.

This was a weapon-refining room located inside Hongmeng Palace. It was the Emperor’s private space. It had taken Qi Jia a long search to discover such a place existed.

“Chirp?”

The round bird perched on the windowsill. The refining room was incredibly large and empty, so much so that he immediately spotted a tall figure standing by a forge that was large enough for three or four people to encircle.

The slender, upright silhouette appeared almost gaunt, casting a long shadow in the afterglow of the furnace fire.

Dark orange light intersected with heavy shadows in the room. The man stood right at the junction of light and shadow, holding a document in one hand. Hearing the sound, he glanced sideways but remained as steady as a mountain.

“You go from official business to refining, and from refining back to official business. Do you stay in Hongmeng Palace all day?” Qi Jia tilted his head.

The Heavenly Emperor slowly closed the document, placed it on a nearby shelf, and turned to look at Qi Jia. “Do you need something?”

“…I’ve been gone all day, yet I don’t see you missing me at all. The first thing you do is ask if I need something…” Qi Jia grumbled, but he took a graceful leap forward, his voice filled with a smile: “Actually, I do have something to discuss.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the graceful little yellow bird suddenly transformed into human form mid-air.

Half of his raven hair was skillfully tied behind his head with a white jade hairpin. No longer in the loose-haired, wild style from before, the once flamboyantly beautiful youth now possessed a touch of refined elegance.

He was as gentle as jade, yet his features remained strikingly impactful.

Qi Jia had also discarded the thin red robe he usually conjured with magic, opting instead for a low-profile set of dark ink-colored robes. However, for a man of his appearance, the dark robes embroidered with bamboo patterns remained exceptionally eye-catching.

Specifically, the youth’s long belt cinched a very narrow waist.

The waist was lean and lithe; the beauty was magnificent.

And Qi Jia was still not wearing boots.

After transforming, Qi Jia first looked down at himself, then raised his eyes to look at Yu Baixi.

Shuo Ling had said that if he dressed up a bit like this, His Majesty would surely be moved.

Qi Jia himself was quite satisfied with this look, and a smile bloomed on his face. “How is it? Shuo Ling helped me get ready. Does it look good?”

The Heavenly Emperor blinked and said:

“It looks good.”

After saying that, he walked to the only small table in the room, slowly lifted his robes to sit down, and poured a cup of tea.

His expression was natural, his posture steady, and his movements fluid.

After finishing the tea, he looked up at Qi Jia again with an inquiring gaze, as if asking if there was anything else.

“…That’s it?” Qi Jia’s expression was one of bewilderment.

Throughout the day, he had paid close attention to people’s reactions upon seeing him. It could be said that everyone’s reaction was intense—most were like General Han, lowering their heads and not daring to look, while others were like Shuo Ling, their eyes full of admiration, praising his beauty incessantly.

Those were the reactions of people appreciating his looks.

Except for Yu Baixi.

…This reaction was far too plain!

In truth, the Emperor had seen his human form yesterday at Budu Mountain. Recalling Yu Baixi’s reaction then, Qi Jia felt the man hadn’t reacted much at all.

So, even though Qi Shaoxu claimed the “scumbag dragon” was motivated by lust, and Shuo Ling said this plan would definitely work, Qi Jia still felt a lingering worry deep down.

Seeing the man’s current demeanor, Qi Jia sighed instantly: “Sigh.”

“What is it?” Setting down the teacup, the Emperor lifted his eyelids slightly.

“Nothing.” Qi Jia continued to sigh. “I’m just lamenting that the stories in the storybooks are true. All the scumbags in the world are the same—once they get what they want, they stop cherishing it.”

Heavenly Emperor: “?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Qi Jia took a deep breath and quickly perked up. The beauty in mid-air narrowed his eyes. “I knew you wouldn’t be easily swayed, so I prepared some backup plans… Shuo Ling!”

As he spoke, he raised his hand, the wide sleeve sliding down to reveal a snowy, smooth wrist. Qi Jia lightly clapped his hands in the air.

A moment later, the door to the refining room—which outsiders rarely dared to enter—swung wide open. Shuo Ling, General Han, and a group of others leaped inside.

Heavenly Emperor: …?

Each of them held different items, and using their various skills, they quickly assembled a row of simple garment racks. The racks were filled with clothes and various accessories.

Once everything was set up, Shuo Ling and the others filed out without looking up.

Only Han Mo took one last look at the Emperor, giving him a look that said Take care, Your Majesty—the Empress was not someone easily dismissed!

Yu Baixi: “…”

“These are the clothes sent to Weiyang Palace since yesterday.” Qi Jia introduced them as he casually pulled out a light blue-and-white robe. “I’ll change and show you.”

Yu Baixi poured himself another cup of tea. His long fingers brushed the rim as he looked up slightly. “…Why do you need to show me?”

Qi Jia said righteously, “If I don’t show you, how will you know if they look good?”

Yu Baixi said, “They all look good.”

Qi Jia countered, “Your Majesty’s praise is half-hearted.”

Qi Jia added, “This is called ‘marital fun.’ Does Your Majesty understand?”

The Emperor simply leaned back.

“Then change.”

With one hand holding the cup and his other long fingers resting on the table, the Emperor’s current sitting posture was somewhat informal. “Since you want to change.”

“Alright.” Qi Jia thought with some satisfaction. In the end, beauty and lust were human nature; he didn’t believe the Emperor could stay serious forever.

With a clear goal, he was very efficient.

The slender youth immediately raised his hands to untie his belt.

The dark robes fell to the floor, and Qi Jia began to untie his inner garments.

“Wait a moment,” Yu Baixi suddenly spoke. “At least put on some shoes first.”

Meeting the black-haired beauty’s gaze, the Emperor’s eyes drifted downward. “I am worried you will catch a cold.”

“…That’s impossible.”

Qi Jia found it bizarre. He intentionally poked his foot out from under his robes, revealing rounded toes and a smooth ankle, looking down at them himself. He was always like this.

It was just that usually, those were his claws.

Simply ignoring the Emperor’s suggestion, Qi Jia continued to untie his inner clothes.

“Hold on,” the Emperor spoke again.

Qi Jia: “…?”

Qi Jia’s bright eyes looked at the Ruler of the Realm sitting across from him in confusion. Yu Baixi’s eyes flickered as he gestured with his chin toward the clothes on the rack, saying slowly, “Those are all outer robes. If you want to change, you don’t need to take off what’s underneath…”

“That won’t do.” Qi Jia hovered in the air and quickly dodged to the other side of the rack. “Look, there are many styles of middle-garments and undergarments as well.”

“…” Yu Baixi paused for a moment. “Fine.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. The Emperor drank another cup of tea, his voice becoming curt: “Continue.”

“Since Your Majesty tells this bird to continue, I wouldn’t dare stop.”

The corners of Qi Jia’s eyes curved upward beautifully. He meant what he said and soon stripped off his inner garments.

The skin of his upper body was pale and delicate, his frame lean and lithe. Qi Jia looked at Yu Baixi again. Then, without hesitation, he reached for his waistband.

At that moment, the Heavenly Emperor stood straight up from his seat.

Because the movement was so sudden and unexpected, Qi Jia’s actions naturally stopped.

He thought the other man had finally reached his limit and felt a bit smug, thinking all those backup outfits wouldn’t even be needed.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor’s gaze did not waver, and his face didn’t turn red or pale. His voice was merely deep and authoritative as he said directly: “I will not cultivate (dual cultivation) with you.”

The implication was that all of Qi Jia’s efforts were meaningless.

Qi Jia immediately grew anxious.

At this point, dual cultivation was no longer just about recovering spiritual power and memories—it was a contest between him and the Emperor!

The black-haired youth, wearing only his underpants, stopped playing games and abandoned all pretense of his image. He put his hands on his hips and asked, “Why are you so unwilling to dual cultivate with me?!”

This conversation felt familiar.

Yu Baixi’s voice was calm: “You don’t even know what dual cultivation truly means right now.”

Qi Jia: “I do know! It means ‘mating’!”

The Emperor’s eyelids twitched slightly. “Do you know what ‘mating’ means?”

“I do. It’s…”

Qi Jia’s gaze turned unnatural for a split second, but he pressed on, trying to maintain his confidence: “It’s taking off your clothes and sleeping together.”

Yu Baixi: “…”

His beautiful eyes darted around, shining with a bright light. Qi Jia said with a smile, “Otherwise, Your Majesty, let’s try it out in detail right now…”

“Only on the day we are truly wed can we dual cultivate,” the Emperor spoke slowly, his voice steady and resonant.

At the same time, he waved his hand. The clothes scattered on the floor flew up and draped themselves directly over the black-haired youth’s shoulders.

The conversation was indeed familiar. Seeing the youth dazed, Yu Baixi exhaled slightly and said patiently, “Eat well, take your medicine, and rest properly. I said that you will recover your memories in three months at the latest. Don’t be in a hurry.”

Qi Jia: “…”

Qi Jia found that the clothes draped over him seemed to have grown onto him; they wrapped around him with great force, and he couldn’t shake them off no matter how he tried.

Although being dressed was indeed warmer than not, as someone who hated restraint, he squirmed uncomfortably. “Let go of me!”

Yu Baixi didn’t move. He only said, “Go play by yourself. I have things to do.”

Still struggling with the outer robes, Qi Jia glanced at the fading light outside, unsure if it was really so late that the man still had work. “What are you going to do now?”

Yu Baixi’s tone was flat, as if he were used to it. “To kill someone.”

Qi Jia: “?”

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, a flying sword overflowing with spiritual energy flew out from the furnace. It was the longsword that Yu Baixi never left his side.

The newly forged blade glinted with a cold silver light as it was re-suspended from the Emperor’s waist.

Yu Baixi said no more. With a single step, his body turned into a streak of brilliant light and vanished from the spot.

“Wait a minute!”

The long-haired beauty vanished, and a pale-yellow little bird appeared in his place. The robes fell back to the floor. Qi Jia, having escaped the restraint, was a bit stunned.

At this time, those waiting outside entered. Shuo Ling went to pick up the Empress’s robes from the floor, while Han Mo was responsible for explaining to Qi Jia: “There might be a battle in the Demon Realm today. It’s said that the Furong Mountain of the Demon Clan (Yaozu) plans to sneak attack the Demon Clan’s (Mozu) Tianyue Holy Land to seize the Sun Evasion Shield. That shield is an ancient artifact currently being nurtured in the Yangli Volcano; it will emerge soon and is very important to all four realms. Therefore, two days ago, the Tianyue Tribe sent a secret message asking His Majesty to assist.”

“So it was planned long ago.”

Qi Jia kept his personal and public lives separate and didn’t intend to delay the Emperor’s official business, so he quickly came to terms with Yu Baixi running off.

But that didn’t stop him from flapping his wings and saying with dissatisfaction, “…Assist then. Why say he’s going to kill someone?”

“Uh, actually, that’s not wrong…” Han Mo hesitated, then couldn’t help but sigh softly. “If His Majesty doesn’t go, it’s one thing. If he goes, he goes to kill.”

Qi Jia: “That seems to make some sense…”

Conflicts between the two races were no joke, especially with an ancient artifact involved. The temptation and stakes were so high that there would inevitably be bloodshed and sacrifice. Furthermore, the Demon and Yaozu realms were not the Heaven Realm—it wasn’t a situation where the Emperor could stop the war just by saying so…

In one day, though Qi Jia seemed to be idling, he had learned quite a bit about the current situation.

Currently, the four realms seemed to follow the Heaven Realm’s lead, but they were still just in a cooperative relationship, and the peaceful coexistence was only on the surface…

Even this surface peace was something Yu Baixi had carved out bit by bit with his sword over ten thousand years.

The name “Evil Heavenly Emperor” likely had something to do with this.

For some reason, Qi Jia thought of the long cloth wrapped around Yu Baixi’s neck, which was often stained with blood.

He suddenly felt that being the Heavenly Emperor wasn’t as glorious or prestigious as it seemed on the surface.

“…By the way.” The chubby bird’s thoughts suddenly drifted, and he propped his chin in the air. “Could it be that your Majesty has scars on his body and is embarrassed for me to see them, which is why he firmly refuses to strip naked and sleep with me?”

Qi Jia felt there was a strong possibility of this.

Han Mo: “??… Wait a minute, Your Lordship, are you planning to… with His Majesty…”

“To mate.”

Qi Jia looked lazily at the rack full of clothes. “Otherwise, what do you think I’ve been busy with?”

Han Mo: !!!

He had truly thought the Lord had brought so many clothes to show the Emperor one by one!…

Although he had predicted that the process of the Emperor watching the Lord change clothes would be a bit painful—after all, he would need to remain unmoved like a monk! Any normal person would find it hard to resist!

But he never imagined that the Lord’s real plan was to… with His Majesty…

No wonder His Majesty, who usually hated dealing with those affairs, left half an hour early this time!