After Losing My Memory, I Became My Rival's Palm-Sized Chirper - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: The Token of Love

After that, Qi Jia noticed that Yu Baixi seemed to enjoy standing by the window lost in thought these past few days.

Well, not exactly lost in thought.

It was just that whenever he had a spare moment, His Majesty would gaze out the window. Outside, the magnolia tree the Emperor had planted was about to bloom, and the little sapling Qi Jia had planted was growing taller under careful cultivation.

…It was truly a scene of thriving prosperity. No wonder Yu Baixi liked looking that way.

The “Chirp” liked it too. So, occasionally, Qi Jia would watch with him.

However, every time he did so, the Emperor would awkwardly withdraw his gaze and stop looking.

Qi Jia: “?”

Another day passed. The little fat bird waddled back from a stroll and flew onto the Emperor’s desk. With a nimble flutter, he stood tall, tucked his wings, and tilted his neck to look up at the man.

“What is it?” Yu Baixi asked.

By now, he had grown accustomed to Qi Jia’s landing style. Usually, after landing, the fat bird would go find something to do; he rarely stayed still just staring at him like this. Usually, when Qi Jia made this gesture, he had something to say.

“By the way, did we not have a token of love in the past?” Qi Jia suddenly asked.

The Emperor: “?”

“No jade pendant, necklace, or pearl hairpins? Even a little pebble would do.” The fat bird gestured with his wings. “The kind that you gave me, or I gave you—a token of love!”

Thinking the fat bird had been quiet for two days only to start trying to fish for information again, the Emperor’s thin lips parted coldly as he said, “No.”

“…Hmph!”

The round little bird immediately gave a hop, turned around, and pointed his tail tip at His Majesty.

Yu Baixi: “…?”

“What exactly is wrong?” The Emperor reached out and tapped the fat bird’s round back.

Usually, if it were a failed attempt to fish for info, Qi Jia would show an “I’ve been caught but I don’t care” attitude; he wouldn’t throw a tantrum like this. But a bird truly throwing a tantrum would keep his backside to the Emperor and ignore all attempts at soothing.

Yu Baixi had no choice but to speak again with hesitation: “If you want some treasure, you must say so for me to know.”

His voice was still indifferent. But if anyone else heard the Emperor’s negotiable, slow, and accommodating tone, they would likely fall to their knees in terror.

Qi Jia, however, didn’t feel anything. He turned back around to look at Yu Baixi and said, “It’s not a matter of treasure!”

It turned out that while Qi Jia had temporarily given up on finding clues from the Emperor, he hadn’t given up on investigating his own identity. Over the past few days, he had almost become one with the various celestial officials of the capital, yet he still found no clues.

Refusing to give up, Qi Jia remembered the great contribution the “Five Potatoes” made back at Mount Budu when he saw a group of bird spirits huddling on a tree chirping. He decided to start making contact with the bird spirits.

In the Jade Capital, besides the spirits that ascended through cultivation, there were also naturally born spirits. For instance, Immortal Shuoling was born a peacock spirit, and Yu Baixi, being a dragon, was a high-level spirit species. However, not all spirits were born with great power. The little bird spirits Qi Jia contacted were born with intelligence and longer lifespans than ordinary animals, but whether they could learn magic or transform into human form depended on fate.

To blend in with these untransformed bird spirits, Qi Jia only showed his round bird form. He didn’t reveal his identity, and since he looked like a common parrot, the other birds didn’t ask about his background. Or rather, no bird cared about his identity at all.

Because Qi Jia discovered that the bird spirits in the Jade Capital were extremely exclusionary!

“That one’s from which ravine, this one’s from which mountain range… don’t look at them huddling and chirping together daily; they are actually divided very strictly! If you aren’t from the same mountain, even if you’re polite on the surface, you’re basically enemies!” Qi Jia complained to Yu Baixi.

He didn’t want to use his status as the Heavenly Queen to pressure these little birds, and since he was a newcomer who didn’t even know enough to fake a convincing background, he became an “outsider bird.” He was discriminated against by every bird on the celestial tree.

Qi Jia only realized after two visits that being an “outsider bird” was equivalent to being a “bastard child” among humans—they were mocking him for his unknown origins.

Yu Baixi: “…”

The Emperor listened and tapped his brow. It was hard to imagine this bird—whom even the great Peng bird Han Mo admired—trying so hard to blend in and being rejected by a group of untransformed birds.

Initially, hearing Qi Jia describe his hardships felt amusing to the Emperor. But imagining the delicate neon-yellow bird being bullied in the middle of a flock…

He knew Qi Jia had been searching for his identity. But…

“Is this worth such a sacrifice?” Yu Baixi looked at the bird with concern. He had thought letting the bird go out more was good for him.

“It’s not really a sacrifice; it’s called being flexible.” Qi Jia waved his wing dismissively. He hadn’t reached the main point yet—

Despite the mockery, Qi Jia had managed to infiltrate the group. He squeezed onto a branch with them, chirping away every day. The chirping was usually about neighborhood gossip. Qi Jia liked gossip; it was fun, and he might hear something useful.

Unfortunately, these bird spirits were too far removed from the Emperor and Queen. No bird ever mentioned gossip about the Imperial couple. They talked about whose nest hatched eggs today, or which local landlord-bird married his eighteenth concubine.

Then, the topic shifted to tokens of love.

It turned out that when birds in the Jade Capital settled on a partner, there must be a token of love.

Qi Jia, who had no token: “…” He was once again the odd bird out.

He didn’t have any token from the Emperor. He didn’t even know if he had ever given Yu Baixi any tokens in the past. At that time, the birds surrounded Qi Jia, chirping:

“Aren’t you already pregnant? He didn’t even give you a token?” “You’re way too easy to please!”

In the bird world, it wasn’t uncommon for two birds of the same sex to live together, but they would still exchange tokens. Since Qi Jia hadn’t hidden his “pregnancy,” bird tradition dictated that because the one carrying the child worked harder, the other party had to give the gift.

Qi Jia realized his previous worry was unnecessary; Yu Baixi wasn’t the one carrying a child, he was. So he was the one who should be receiving the token.

Just as he realized this, the birds—who loved a good scene—started mocking him again:

“He must be a scumbag! He sees you’re an ‘outsider bird’ and bullies you for having no family to back you up, so he doesn’t even give you a basic token! Not even a spiritual stone carefully picked out like this!” One bird showed off a heart-shaped stone from its partner.

Qi Jia: “…” Looking at the shape, it was indeed picked with care and full of affection.

A bird nearby pulled out a jade pendant: “This is an heirloom from my partner.”

Another said: “This is a jade hairpin my partner got as a reward for giving a spring branch to a high official; he gave it to me immediately to propose. My little chick was conceived that very day!”

The other birds showed off their tokens one by one. Finally, a bird concluded: “We birds are noble. You can’t cheapen yourself. Why stay with such a scumbag?”

Qi Jia: “…”

The “outsider bird” part was fake, so he didn’t care. But having no token of love was real! Stung by this, Qi Jia flew back in a huff. If he hadn’t left then, he might have pulled out the Imperial Queen’s Seal just to show those birds!

In terms of value, no bird’s token could match the Imperial seals. And in terms of sentiment, Qi Jia had already experienced the convenience these seals brought; the Emperor’s sentiment wasn’t light. But the point was… it wasn’t a token of love from when they first got together.

He had his pride! How was he “cheapening himself”?

Yu Baixi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the story, realizing it was a small matter. “Weiyang Palace has countless jewels and jades. Just pick one and bring it with you.”

“That’s different. Those are issued to me based on the Queen’s rank; they aren’t personally given by you,” the fat bird said with a pout.

He didn’t quite know why he was unhappy. Things issued to him were his. They were the result of Yu Baixi’s decree and promise, so they counted as being given by the Emperor. But the thought of having to pick something out himself just to show those spirits that he was loved felt… wrong. It felt uncomfortable. Like a wealthy landlord’s wife who can show off gold but is mocked behind her back for having money but no love.

“…”

The Emperor summarized after a moment of contemplation: “So what you want is for me to personally give you… a token.”

“Yes.” The neon bird nodded vigorously, emphasizing: “A token of love. The kind with extraordinary meaning.”

“…” The Emperor froze.

“What? You’re unwilling?” Qi Jia quickly added, “It doesn’t have to be anything special, you can just help me pick one from the treasures in Weiyang Palace…”

“It’s not a question of what to give.” Yu Baixi stopped him and stood up to look at the three trees outside. “…It is that you and I have never been ‘in love’.”

“I am not saying you are a casual person… nor am I.” The Emperor frowned, unsure of how to explain.

Qi Jia said non-committally, “I know, you’ve always claimed we have no relationship and to wait for my memories.”

Yu Baixi: “…Mhm.” He didn’t explain further.

Qi Jia continued: “I accept your version and am willing to wait. But, until everything is clear, in your world we might have no relationship, but in my reality, we definitely do. You are the father of my child. So, there’s no conflict.”

The Emperor turned back to look at him. Qi Jia met his gaze. “So for now, are you willing to cooperate with my perspective and fulfill my needs?”

Yu Baixi: “…” Even with amnesia, this person was terrifyingly rational yet open-minded.

The Emperor took a long look at the proud little bird. In the end, he didn’t go to Weiyang Palace to pick a treasure. Instead, he reached into his robes and pulled out a jade pendant, handing it to Qi Jia.

Yu Baixi said, “It is not that I am unwilling to give you something, it is just…” He paused, not finishing the sentence. His voice returned to its detached tone: “If one day you no longer wish to have this jade, just return it to me.”

Qi Jia took the pendant. It featured a dragon and phoenix amidst water ripples. It felt smooth and cool to the touch; even someone who knew nothing of jade could tell this was no ordinary item. The little fat bird was happy again, making the jade spin on the tip of his wing. He admired it heartlessly, saying, “Why would I ever not want such a beautiful pendant?”

Yu Baixi was non-committal.

Qi Jia pressed: “This isn’t some family heirloom, is it? Is it very precious?”

Yu Baixi’s voice was faint: “It was passed down by the previous Emperor.”

“…That precious?” Qi Jia immediately stopped the jade from spinning and tucked it away carefully. At the same time, his round eyes darted: “It was left to you by your father to give to your most beloved person—that kind of family heirloom?”

“…What?” The Emperor simply didn’t understand the question.

Qi Jia didn’t care if he understood: “I bet it’s a treasure. Otherwise, why wouldn’t you give it to me until I asked?”

“Or is it that I am not Your Majesty’s most beloved, and you’re holding onto it for someone else?” The bird chirped. If parrots could pout, he would be doing it now.

The Emperor wore a rare, strange expression. His voice was cold: “You should read fewer storybooks.”

“Fine, no more jokes then.” Qi Jia hopped forward, landing on the Emperor’s fingertip. “So, do I really have to return it?”

The light bird had hopped up, his fluffy feathers brushing warmly against the skin. Unexpectedly, the Emperor’s lashes trembled, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. He looked silently out the window at the tree planted by mistake, keeping his true thoughts to himself:

A token is fine. But if it is a ‘token of love,’ when you remember everything, you will certainly not want it anymore.

And that day… is coming very, very soon.

Finally, the Emperor spoke again, his voice stern: “As you wish.”

Qi Jia: “?”

“Since I have given it to you, everything is as you wish,” Yu Baixi said faintly, his voice sounding a bit drained.

Qi Jia: “…”

Regardless, the round bird had his token of love. He was happy again and flapped his wings to fly out. His injuries had recovered well; he had the strength to flap his wings rather than lazily floating with magic. He was going to show his token to the other birds.

Passing the sapling he planted, he didn’t forget to stop and check its growth. Outside, the fluffy little bird landed nimbly on his own little branch, hopping around to peek here and there. Inside, the Emperor lightly rubbed his fingertip, his expression as solemn as ever, but his grey-blue eyes watching the fresh little bird were a deep, bottomless silence.

The next day, the Emperor was at his desk reviewing memorials. Qi Jia flew straight into the study and landed on the desk.

“I think I know what my name is,” Qi Jia said mysteriously.

Yu Baixi’s hand holding the brush froze. He slowly looked up. “What?”

Qi Jia hopped forward. “My name is Feng…”

Yu Baixi’s voice was raspy and low: “…You remembered?”

The two spoke almost simultaneously.

Then, the Emperor froze again.

Qi Jia: “Wait, no, it’s Jiaofeng (Delicate Phoenix).”

After a nimble hop, the little bird landed steadily, his tone cheerful: “I went to the mansion of Immortal Xuanjing today. He has so many mirrors! One of them showed my race and alias the moment I looked into it. It turns out an alias for a budgerigar is ‘Delicate Phoenix’!…”

The hopping bird came before the Emperor. He looked up and saw the man’s expression become very unnatural—if he had to describe it, it was extreme tension at first, followed by a gradual relaxation.

The round bird sensed something was off. He looked up suspiciously: “What’s wrong with you?”