After Losing My Memory, I Became My Rival's Palm-Sized Chirper - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: The Parched and the Flooded

Qi Jia had no idea how a single bowl of tonic could stir up such a massive storm. Recalling his conversation with the Medicine King the night before, he couldn’t quite decide who to blame.

The Medicine King had said: “The dosage of that tonic was indeed heavy. However, despite its potency, the reason His Majesty had such a severe reaction is primarily because he is a dragon.”

“So what if he’s a dragon?” Qi Jia had asked, puzzled.

Seeing his ignorance, the Medicine King gave an obscure example: “Historical records state that once the Dragon Clan enters their mating period, they usually go into seclusion for thirty to seventy days.”

Qi Jia: “…???”

“Thirty… thirty to seventy days?” Qi Jia’s eyes widened. “Are they… are they doing it the whole time?”

Then how on earth did the ‘mating’ between me and Yu Baixi happen…? Wouldn’t the bird be worked to death?

“Ahem…” The Medicine King coughed. “The key point is that His Majesty is now over ten thousand years old, an age of peak vigor. Most dragons reach maturity and can go into heat at three thousand years old. But from the time His Majesty matured until now, nearly ten thousand years have passed, and before meeting you, My Lord, he has never… and since His Majesty treasures you, I imagine there has never been a moment of indulgence even when sharing a room with you.”

Qi Jia: “…”

It’s not just a lack of indulgence; it’s that we haven’t done it at all, okay?

“You mean, he’s in his prime and has been pent up for so long, so after drinking the medicine…” Qi Jia stared wide-eyed, finally finding the words to describe it: “…it became unstoppable?”

“Exactly,” the Medicine King replied. “The medicine was merely a catalyst; the truly significant factor is His Majesty’s constitution.”

“Then he…” Qi Jia was even more shocked.

He couldn’t understand why Yu Baixi, being so pent up, hadn’t mated with him earlier. Wouldn’t mating have prevented that discomfort? Moreover, the man usually appeared quite ascetic. They had shared a bed for so long, yet Qi Jia hadn’t realized the other had been holding it in all this time!

This whole situation… honestly, no matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

“Is there a possibility that… a person looks capable, but is actually incapable, which is why he’d rather hold it in than release it?”

Qi Jia remembered reading in a medical book about a type of impotence caused by a lack of vital essence in spirits… in plain terms, being unable to ejaculate.

Though Yu Baixi was battle-scarred for the sake of the Four Realms, and thinking this way felt a bit disrespectful, Qi Jia felt that as a seeker of medical truth, he had to get to the bottom of it.

Because he asked vaguely, the Medicine King simply thought he was consulting on a general medical problem and didn’t link it to the Emperor. While marveling at the Lord’s active mind and eagerness to learn, the Medicine King gave a long lecture on the symptoms of such a condition.

The more Qi Jia listened, the more he felt the symptoms didn’t match Yu Baixi at all… Given the Emperor’s restrained endurance in the pool and the way he was “fighting” his own tail, it really didn’t look like a lack of vital essence…

Out of respect for the Emperor’s dignity and privacy, Qi Jia agreed with the Medicine King to keep the matter secret until His Majesty emerged from seclusion. This led to the outside world being filled with various rumors.

Qi Jia couldn’t be bothered with rumors that would be debunked the moment Yu Baixi stepped out. He just didn’t expect Yu Baixi to stay in seclusion for an entire day…

At first, Qi Jia was confused and a bit worried. But then he remembered that a dragon’s heat lasts at least a month… so he stopped worrying, figuring Yu Baixi’s “seclusion” might last a long time.

Occasionally, however, Qi Jia would get curious. What exactly was Yu Baixi doing during seclusion? Was he taking care of it himself, or… holding it back?

That night, before bed, Qi Jia made a trip to Hongmeng Palace.

Because the rumors of the Imperial couple’s discord began with the Heavenly Generals seeing the Emperor leave Weiyang Palace first, followed by the Queen, who was then “driven out” of Hongmeng Palace, Qi Jia knew the officials in the Jade Capital were exceptionally gossipy. Therefore, this time, he deliberately used the invisibility spell he had just learned.

He didn’t want anyone to see him returning empty-handed if Yu Baixi wasn’t ready yet. Otherwise, tomorrow’s rumor would likely be: “The Queen went to Hongmeng Palace at night to beg for forgiveness, but the Emperor refused to see him; it is suspected the Imperial relationship has completely collapsed.”

With both the Emperor and Queen’s tokens on him, Qi Jia could move freely through the Jade Capital. Being invisible was just an extra precaution.

The little fat bird met no obstacles and flapped his wings all the way to the top of Hongmeng Palace. Shuoling had said the legendary celestial treasure “Yuzhao” (Jade Mirror) could isolate all images, sounds, and scents from the inside.

But as Qi Jia perched above, he could still vaguely see the situation within. He saw the figure of the Emperor sitting in meditation with eyes closed in the medicinal pool.

…Is he better or not?

Qi Jia tucked his wings and stood atop the treasure, dazed for a while. Just as the little bird was about to activate a “Messenger Crane” to ask the Emperor if he was “functional,” he noticed the rock-solid figure in the pool had vanished.

Qi Jia: “?”

The little bird pressed against the protective shield, stretching his neck to look carefully back and forth. He confirmed Yu Baixi was indeed no longer inside.

He’s out of the water; does that mean he’s better?

However, the shield covering the palace hadn’t been removed. After some thought, Qi Jia crouched on the “Yuzhao” treasure and tapped it with a little wing.

Clang, clang, clang.

Like a polite knock on a door. Then he waited patiently.

The night wind was chilly, and the cold moon hung high. Qi Jia counted with his wingtips; when he reached thirty, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Sigh. I guess Yu Baixi doesn’t want to see me right now.

He was about to release the paper crane and head back when suddenly, the barrier in front of him loosened—a gap appeared, about the size of a human fist, or roughly the size of one little bird.

“Chirp?”

Qi Jia tilted his head, then without a second thought, he hopped right in.

Inside Hongmeng Palace, the tall and elegant Emperor had returned to the courtyard. He wore a white patterned robe with a gold-striped belt, covered by a cloak of the same golden silk. Qi Jia realized Yu Baixi had just gone to change his clothes.

Qi Jia also deactivated his invisibility and flapped his wings in front of the Emperor. “Are you better?”

“Mhm,” Yu Baixi replied in a low voice.

Qi Jia observed the Emperor. This man looked no different from his human form before yesterday—standing tall like a jade tree, with sharp brows and starry eyes. If there was a difference, it was that the scent of medicine on him had become stronger… likely from soaking in the pool all day. That scent made him seem even more cold and unpredictable.

Qi Jia couldn’t help but think of his first day in the Jade Capital. That was the first time he had seen the Emperor since losing his memory. At the time, his anger toward the “Scumbag Dragon” far outweighed any wariness of the “Evil Emperor.” He hadn’t felt fear then, just a sense that this person was elusive and made a bird feel uneasy.

Looking at him now, that sense of distance had reappeared.

“…So, is there anything still uncomfortable?” Qi Jia tried his best to ignore that feeling and chat normally. He was still concerned about the other’s condition; after all, he was the one who delivered the bowl of tonic.

Objectively speaking, if this were the storybook The Daily Life of Palace Intrigue, the one who delivered the medicine would definitely take the fall! No matter the reason for the Emperor’s state, since he brought the medicine, it would be seen as a deliberate attempt to harm the Emperor, punishable by the execution of nine generations of his family.

However, in the Heavens… at least with Yu Baixi, there didn’t seem to be such rules.

“No,” the Emperor said simply.

After saying this, Yu Baixi paused. They gazed at each other, and Qi Jia saw a hint of awkwardness on the man’s jade-like face…

But a moment later, Yu Baixi was the first to speak: “Come inside and talk.” He turned around as he spoke.

Qi Jia naturally flapped his wings and followed.

“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?”

“No need,” Yu Baixi said.

“Then drink some water? Although there’s no peach dew, I found a substitute… ah, don’t worry, I didn’t brew it this time…”

“Qi Jia.” Yu Baixi suddenly stopped and called his name.

“?”

The little round bird slammed his wings shut. “Mhm?”

“There is no need to do anything for me.” The Emperor still had his back turned, his tall figure casting a long shadow in the moonlight, his voice detached: “This Lord is completely recovered. Moreover, I bear responsibility for this matter as well; you did nothing wrong. Let us just act as if…”

Before Yu Baixi could finish, the fat bird had already flapped his wings to get in front of him. The moment the neon-yellow bird reappeared in his line of sight, the Emperor instinctively shut his mouth.

Qi Jia didn’t like looking at the other’s back, especially when he was just being ignored.

“Act as if what?” he pressed, tilting his head in mid-air.

“Act as if nothing happened,” Yu Baixi said in a stern voice. Having said that, he didn’t give Qi Jia a second glance and stepped back into the room.

Qi Jia: “…?”

The little round bird dithered in the air for a long time.

If it were anyone else, they would have been intimidated the moment the Emperor spoke so detachedly, but Qi Jia was different. Even if a sense of distance had resurfaced, the only trouble it caused Qi Jia was that he disliked that distance. He assumed they were in a relationship destined for marriage, so he wouldn’t accept them suddenly becoming strangers.

That was all there was to it.

Qi Jia had no memories of how terrifying or moody the Emperor could be; it was all hearsay. And the legends he heard weren’t enough to make him fear this man. From beginning to end, he felt he and Yu Baixi were equals.

Therefore, looking at the problem from the same height as the Emperor, Qi Jia could naturally see things others couldn’t. For example, he realized that Yu Baixi wasn’t being cold right now—it was more like… an emotion similar to shyness?

Even though the other masked it very well.

But they had spent so much time together, after all. Qi Jia was even a bird who had seen the other’s tail—twice! For reasons he couldn’t explain, he was already very sensitive to the man’s emotions.

By the way, Qi Jia had only found out today after asking Immortal Shuoling that a dragon usually only reveals its tail for a few reasons. One extreme possibility is being so severely injured that they can no longer maintain a human form.

If that isn’t the case, the most likely reason is being moved by emotion or going into heat—wanting to mate… This was why there was a saying that a dragon’s true form is rarely seen. Because although dragons are often associated with lust, they are also romantic and pure-hearted. They might be passionate, but they are serious and deep in every relationship; they won’t show their tail to just anyone.

For the innocent and pure-hearted Dragon Clan, besides mating, showing one’s tail easily is actually a very shameful thing… So Yu Baixi must be shy.

Unlike a bird, whose tail is always visible, covered by a layer of down and beautiful feathers; Qi Jia never felt there was anything wrong with showing a tail.

Once he understood why Yu Baixi had suddenly become like this, Qi Jia flapped his wings and followed him into the room. This was the study, where silver candles burned brightly, and Yu Baixi had already sat down at his desk.

Qi Jia: “?… You’re not going to work right now, are you?”

“There are a few matters that need handling,” Yu Baixi said, looking up at him. “Why?”

“…Nothing.”

Qi Jia’s eyes darted as he said: “It’s just that I caused you to be in seclusion for a day, and I feel bad about it. I was also worried His Majesty’s body might suffer some mishap, so… this is the medicine I requested from the Medicine King.”

As he spoke, the fat bird suddenly raised a little wing and mysteriously produced a bottle of pills.

Yu Baixi: “…”

The Emperor lifted his eyelids to look at the bottle but didn’t reach for it. Qi Jia stared at him intently, his bright round eyes full of sincerity and honesty: “It’s specifically for treating deficiency of essence and blood, and excessive nocturnal emission.”

“…What?” This time, Yu Baixi frowned deeply.

“Ah, don’t worry,” Qi Jia hurriedly explained. “While this is also a tonic, the dosage has been significantly reduced, I promise!”

“Who told you… that this Lord… needed this?” Yu Baixi took a deep breath.

“Well…” The round bird looked puzzled and scrutinized the Emperor in return. “Mainly, the Medicine King told me that once you go into heat, you have to stay in seclusion for thirty to seventy days! I figured, seventy days—how much essence and blood must be lost? Doesn’t that need a good replenishment? …Sigh, speaking of which, is your ‘dragon essence’ still there? Why did you come out so quickly? What exactly is the situation?”

Dropping his eyelids heavily again, the Emperor tapped his throbbing temples with his fingers. He didn’t plan to answer any of those many questions.

But the prospective Queen didn’t plan to give up. Qi Jia continued to mutter to himself: “You didn’t get it out yourself, did you? Sigh… that really is a case of ‘the parched being parched to death, and the flooded being flooded to death’! It would have been much better if you’d given it to me!”

Yu Baixi: “…………”

The Emperor realized that if he didn’t speak up, this bird would surely say something even more soul-shattering.

So, lifting his eyelids again, Yu Baixi said: “I must thank the Queen for being so thoughtful, even considering the essence and blood this Lord might lose.”

“As I should,” Qi Jia said. “Aren’t you my husband?”

Yu Baixi: “…”

The Emperor simply reached out and took the small medicine bottle Qi Jia had produced. He uncorked it and sniffed it from a distance, then used his slender fingers to plug the jade stopper back tightly. Yu Baixi said: “Deer antler, Cistanche, Cynomorium, Gecko, Eucommia, Rehmannia, Angelica… they truly are good medicines for replenishing essence and blood.”

“Of course,” the neon-yellow bird puffed out his chest. “I haven’t been learning for nothing lately!”

The Emperor mimicked Qi Jia’s habit of squinting when thinking. “The dosage of each ingredient has indeed been reduced this time. However, of all the treasures in the Four Realms, did you add every single one that has an aphrodisiac effect?”

As he spoke, Yu Baixi opened the cap to sniff it again, then slowly said: “There are at least two hundred varieties in here.”

Qi Jia: “…”

Being caught red-handed, the fat bird suddenly felt a bit guilty and rubbed his wingtips together, explaining: “I originally planned to give this to you at least a month later when you emerged from seclusion. I figured you would need it then…”

“If I truly needed this then, the medicinal pool in my backyard probably wouldn’t be a medicinal pool during seclusion,” Yu Baixi said.

“…What kind of pool would it be?” Qi Jia didn’t catch on and tilted his head to ask.

The Emperor squinted again.

Qi Jia: !

Realization dawned. He leaned his bird head forward stealthily, acting as if he wanted to rub against the Emperor’s ear to whisper: “You mean, it would become a… ‘jizz-pool’?”

“…”

The Emperor closed his eyes tightly once more. Even with his eyes closed, he could smell the faint orchid fragrance from the bird and the scent of sunshine from being warmed by the sun.

When he opened his eyes again, Yu Baixi’s voice returned to its cold rasp: “In any case, I have no use for this.”

“…Truly no use?” Qi Jia asked, unwilling to let it go.

Yu Baixi’s expression remained unchanged; he didn’t intend to waver.

“Are you really not going to try it?” Qi Jia’s tone was filled with disappointment.

Yu Baixi: “…”

“Why do you still want me to take this kind of medicine today?”

He believed that yesterday the little fat bird had made an honest mistake with the dosage. But for Qi Jia to bring medicine again today felt… The Emperor lowered his eyes, poked the bird’s plump chest, and whispered: “What exactly are you trying to do?”

He asked seriously, but his tone was much softer and full of patience, making it impossible for Qi Jia to lie.

Qi Jia wasn’t good at lying anyway. He flapped his wings, jumped onto the Emperor’s palm, tucked his short bird legs, and sat down, completely giving up on pretenses.

“I want you to Dual Cultivate with me,” Qi Jia said. “Yesterday, didn’t you… you know, lose control? I wanted to try again today…”

Yu Baixi: “…”

Looking at the parrot who was essentially saying he wanted to try drugging him one more time, the Emperor didn’t know what to say. His habitually indifferent face was full of helplessness.

However, the bird was completely oblivious. His round eyes darted again, and he even looked hopeful: “Maybe we can control the dosage and find a suitable threshold where you can still control yourself but have the inclination…”

Yu Baixi: “…No.”

Holding the clean, soft, and warm bird in his palm, the Emperor’s wrist gave a slight jerk as if he had been burned. But he said firmly: “I will not do such a thing to you.”

Qi Jia wasn’t surprised. Just as he hadn’t been surprised that Yu Baixi would recognize the ingredients and refuse to take them, he hadn’t held much hope. The little fat bird sighed and finally revealed the reason: “But you’re so uncomfortably pent up and yet you won’t Dual Cultivate with me. My self-esteem is hurting, okay?”

When he said his self-esteem was hurting, he really curled himself into a ball, looking round and fluffy.

Yu Baixi paused for a moment, then reached out to stroke the soft feathers on the bird’s back to comfort him: “We have already agreed that we must wait until we are married before we can…”

Qi Jia said: “Sigh, I really will marry you, don’t overthink it.”

Because of the comforting touch, he relaxed his body and stretched his head out, so that Yu Baixi happened to stroke the few “head feathers” that the bird meticulously cared for. Qi Jia always cared a lot about these feathers, so he quickly shook his neck, and his feathers instantly became even more flared.

Seeing the bird shake off his laziness and vigorously ruffle his feathers, the Emperor’s lips curled up slightly. “Mhm.”

He rarely said whether something was good or bad, but he also rarely ignored Qi Jia; he gave a response every time. Though this response was basically as good as nothing.

Qi Jia looked at Yu Baixi with a bit of resentment. “Then let me ask you another question.”

“Mhm.”

“I’m not very good at using an abacus. What is two hundred thousand divided by seventy?” Qi Jia asked.

Yu Baixi: “?”

Even with some mental preparation, Yu Baixi didn’t expect the other to ask this… a calculation question.

Qi Jia said: “I heard Your Majesty has accumulated over two hundred thousand days of leave that you haven’t used. And if one period of heat requires seventy days of seclusion, how many periods of heat would those two hundred thousand days cover?”

Yu Baixi: “…Why are you asking this?”

“I need to estimate in advance if my stamina is enough!” Flapping his wings, Qi Jia finally revealed the truth: “Actually, this medicine was prepared for myself!”

Yu Baixi: “…………”

After a long silence, the Emperor finally spoke another sentence, asking back: “Who told you that my two hundred thousand days of leave would be used for… that in the future?”

“Oh! True!” The neon-yellow bird stopped ruffling his feathers and acted as if he had suddenly realized something.

The Emperor fell silent again. After a while, he said with a serious expression: “I have suddenly realized that your feather color wasn’t grown for nothing.”

“Chirp?”

Just as Qi Jia was about to ask what was wrong with his color, Yu Baixi poked him: “It suits you.” (Note: In Chinese, “Yellow” is a slang for erotic/lewd).

Qi Jia: !!?…

Qi Jia took a moment to react. Then he looked at his neon-yellow fluffy feathers. He exploded: “Bah, bah, bah! I’m warning you, don’t push me to peck you!”

To punish the Emperor for stealthily calling him lewd, Qi Jia jumped up and actually gave him a peck.

Chirp.

However, this peck landed on the other’s collar. It didn’t hurt Yu Baixi at all. He even took it in stride, catching the falling bird and rubbing the fine downy feathers with his thumb.

Qi Jia looked up, making close eye contact with the handsome Emperor. At this moment, the sense of distance from their first meeting had completely vanished. Everything was back to how it was before.

The little fat bird became even more arrogant, sitting back on the Emperor’s hand. “You’d rather endure it yourself than Dual Cultivate with me; it makes me wonder if what you said is really true… that nothing has ever happened between us.”

Qi Jia’s tone was both arrogant and resentful. But this resentment wasn’t directed at Yu Baixi; he was doubting himself. “In your eyes, I’m just a rascal and a liar, right?”

Touching his round belly with a wing, Qi Jia looked dazed and stunned: “Maybe I’m really not pregnant…”

“Don’t overthink it,” Yu Baixi said suddenly.

After saying that, the Emperor was also stunned. Qi Jia was stunned too.

“Cluck,” he tilted his head suspiciously. “…Isn’t the normal process that I say I’m pregnant and you insist I’m not? Why is it reversed?”

“…You just told me not to overthink it.”

As Yu Baixi spoke, he used his other hand’s fingertip to rub the round chin of the little fat bird. Because Qi Jia was looking up so much, this gesture was easy to make. He lowered his eyes and said in a very low voice: “Regardless, I will look after you until you recover your memory.”

Qi Jia usually disliked hearing such things, but Yu Baixi’s voice was very magnetic, low, and gentle. It didn’t sound like the evasive talk of a scumbag using amnesia as an excuse in storybooks. Instead, he felt that Yu Baixi said it because it was truly what he thought.

Amnesia is truly a headache for a bird. So, what was their relationship like before?

Perhaps because it wasn’t suitable for him to use his brain, Qi Jia actually yawned. Having his chin rubbed like this for the first time was surprisingly comfortable. The bird narrowed his eyes and couldn’t help but lie down further. All the soft feathers spread out, pressing warmly against the Emperor’s palm.

Qi Jia lazily gestured to him: Continue, don’t stop.

After that, he became so sleepy that his eyes watered. Qi Jia was truly exhausted. He had come here on a whim late at night; even Shuoling thought he had already turned in and didn’t know he was out.

Yu Baixi continued to rub him and said: “Then go back and sleep.”

Qi Jia: “It’s too far, I’m not going back. This Lord will sleep here tonight.”

He went completely limp, lying solidly in the Emperor’s palm.

“…” Yu Baixi’s eyes flickered. A moment later, he carried the little bird to the bedchamber in Hongmeng Palace.

In the darkened chamber, Qi Jia’s groggy muttering suddenly rang out: “…But I forgot, this bed of yours is small and uncomfortable.”

“Mhm,” Yu Baixi said. “It is enough for one little bird.”

“You’re not sleeping… oh, you still have work to handle. Don’t get too tired.”

“Okay.”

After everything fell back into silence and the night wind rustled, Qi Jia’s sleepy and lazy voice suddenly rang out again: “By the way, you still haven’t answered me. Today, did you hold it in, hold it back, or get it out?”

The Emperor’s voice was cold and deep: “…Go to sleep.”

“No, I’m just curious. Doesn’t a dragon’s heat last at least thirty days? Then what was the deal with you yesterday… Mmph! Yu Baixi, you Scumbag Dragon, let me go! You’re not allowed to cover this Lord’s mouth!”

“…Fine, go to sleep now.” The deep voice became much gentler at the end, as if coaxing him to sleep.

“This Lord has one last question… this time it’s a very serious and important matter!” The bird’s crisp voice rang out again in the chamber. The deep voice didn’t respond, so he chirped on: “I propose once again that we change this bed!”