After Losing My Memory, I Became My Rival's Palm-Sized Chirper - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Not Happy Anymore

“That is not the case.”

The Heavenly Emperor’s long lashes swept down abruptly. He took an imperceptible step back, widening the distance between himself and Qi Jia.

The Emperor, who usually disliked speaking much, offered an extra word of explanation: “If I hadn’t known those images were constructed by your own mind, how could I have allowed ‘them’ to utter so much filth?”

“…It wasn’t my construction! That’s just how the Demon Realm novels are written!”

Qi Jia felt he had to defend himself: “At most, when I entered the barrier just now, I accidentally recalled the contents of those books!”

If Qi Jia were in his bird form, he would likely be flapping his wings vigorously to emphasize his point. But in human form, waving one’s arms was a high-energy activity. Too tiring.

So, he chose to transform back into a round bird and naturally perched on the Emperor’s shoulder.

…Being a bird was better. The body was light, the feathers were fluffy, and he couldn’t blush.

The now-comfortable fat bird waved a tiny wing bossily: “I really only thought about it a tiny, tiny bit! This illusion is too sensitive, how annoying!”

The Emperor: “…”

“This is the gatekeeper array of the Primordial Secret Realm; naturally, it is more sensitive.” Yu Baixi said seriously, “We were likely assigned to the most powerful illusion in this batch. Others won’t suddenly encounter a situation with eight mirrors at once.”

“The two of us… oh, this should be related to cultivation level, right?”

Qi Jia understood instantly and puffed out his little chest. “Then does this count as this bird standing on the shoulders of a giant?”

Yu Baixi: “…What do you mean by that?”

Qi Jia: “I mean I’m riding your coattails! Because Your Majesty’s cultivation is so powerful, I get to witness such a strong illusion!”

Yu Baixi: “No, you are also very strong.”

Qi Jia: “?”

Yu Baixi: “Once your injuries are healed and your memory returns…”

“I’ll be able to remember, right?” The round bird could finish the sentence for him. “Actually, I’ve always been puzzled. Why has no one ever come looking for me? Don’t they say powerful spirits are fought over by great clans and sects? But I don’t seem to have a sect… Am I worthless?”

The fat bird rested its head on its wing on the Emperor’s shoulder, then suddenly let out a cry: “Chirp?”

Yu Baixi had reached up, plucked him from his shoulder, and cupped him in his palm.

The round bird in the Emperor’s palm looked up, crashing into those deep, smoke-blue eyes like water, hearing the other speak slowly: “It is not that no one sought you; it is that they could not invite you.”

Yu Baixi said seriously: “You used to be very cold and aloof.”

Suddenly being stared at so earnestly, Qi Jia was dazed and couldn’t think of what to say.

Meanwhile, Yu Baixi placed a gemstone necklace, which looked like a magical artifact, around the bird’s neck. The Emperor explained in a steady voice: “This item will help prevent you from being disturbed by illusions.”

“Oh.” Qi Jia looked at the necklace. He never thought illusions were particularly scary, but if Yu Baixi wanted him to wear it, he would. “But why didn’t you give this to me just now?”

The bird looked up, demanding an answer: “If I’d worn this, the ‘dirty’ images in my head wouldn’t have been mapped out… You clearly just wanted to peep at what I was thinking!”

The bird flapped its wings again, strongly accusing the Emperor!

The Emperor had to explain: “I only thought that since you have lost your memory, it would be good to experience this illusion. If you encounter similar ones later, you will know how to cope. Now it seems they cannot stump you.”

“That’s for sure.”

Receiving this compliment, the bird settled down and tucked its wings. Yu Baixi’s lips curled slightly. He didn’t argue, only saying in a low, husky voice: “Let us continue our journey.”

“Mhm!” Qi Jia hummed, sat down directly on the Emperor’s hand, and pointed a wingtip forward: “March!”

A moment later, Yu Baixi led him through the illusion array in the mirror to the next location.

The specialty of the Primordial Secret Realm was its abundance of teleportation arrays and pocket dimensions. It was said that over millions of years, less than half of this realm had been explored. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, the previous-previous Immortal Xuanjing had left the Qiankun Mirror in an unknown corner.

Not just the mirror, but many items lost by other treasure hunters were scattered throughout the realm, becoming part of the treasures sought by later generations.

“Can most of the arrays here self-repair? How magical.” After being led through several spaces, Qi Jia began to see the patterns. “There are signs of fighting here, but it looks like it happened a long time ago, likely during the last opening of the realm. Yet the teleportation and illusions are all real, meaning either no one broke them because they all died, or the arrays can repair themselves.”

“Both are possible.” Yu Baixi led him through another mirror, his white boots stepping firmly on the ground, breaking an array core. Standing tall, he added: “There is a third possibility: someone is actively repairing this secret realm.”

“…Who? Who would have the heart to do such a thing?”

The bird turned its head with a coo. “This realm belongs to the Xuanjing lineage of the Heavens. Logically, if anyone were bored enough to repair it, it should be Immortal Xuanjing and his disciples. But I saw him before we came in—he was rubbing his hands in excitement, ready to learn ancestral wisdom and claim the treasures left by his forebears!”

Yu Baixi: “…”

Qi Jia recalled Immortal Xuanjing’s excited face and whispered: “He only hates that the realm stays open for too short a time—only a dozen days. He doesn’t look like someone who came here to do repairs!”

The Emperor couldn’t help but be amused by the bird’s eloquence. He reached out to tap the round head and said: “According to ancient laws, no race may privately claim a secret realm. Treasures within are for those who see them and those who are capable. Thus, even if the original owner, Yutian, was an Immortal, the realm remains shared by the Four Realms after his ascension. Most people come only for treasure or study; no one repairs it.”

“But…” Yu Baixi looked up at the dim cave ceiling. After a slight pause, he continued: “Since there are many treasures here, there will be those who lack the ability to find them within the time limit, yet do not want others to find them either.”

“Oh… you’re right. If long-lived individuals or prosperous sects want to monopolize the treasures, they might restore the arrays as they leave. Or… someone might intentionally leave a killing array to cut off the path for those coming after them,” Qi Jia said.

Yu Baixi nodded.

“Does Your Majesty have confidence in finding the Qiankun Mirror?” the bird suddenly asked.

“Mhm,” the Emperor replied, focusing ahead. “I must find it.”

Qi Jia: “…”

Before Qi Jia could say anything else, the scene shifted, and they were teleported to the next location. In this space, they finally saw real living beings who were there for treasure, not just illusions.

As soon as the man and bird landed, they saw a fierce battle in progress. It looked like a fight over a treasure chest in the corner. Various flashy spells were being cast, lights clashing in a life-or-death struggle.

Qi Jia: “…”

Yu Baixi, however, didn’t pause for a second, moving directly to the next scene.

“There were no Immortals among those fighting,” Qi Jia noted.

Yu Baixi: “Mhm.”

Qi Jia: “But isn’t Your Majesty curious about what they were fighting for? What if it’s some rare treasure?”

“I am not curious.” The Emperor was direct and resolute. “My only goal for this trip is the Qiankun Mirror.”

Qi Jia: “…”

After that, Qi Jia stopped talking. He sat on the Emperor’s shoulder, silently watching the various scenes pass by. Yu Baixi, focused on identifying directions, didn’t make small talk either.

Time passed. They crossed countless scenes.

“Yu Baixi, I’m hungry,” Qi Jia said suddenly.

The Emperor stopped. It had been half a day since they entered. Yu Baixi said: “Fine, let’s rest.”

The bird’s eyelids drooped. He scratched at the Emperor’s expensive clothes like he was digging in dirt and said unnaturally: “No need for a rest, I don’t want to delay Your Majesty from finding the mirror. We’ll just eat a Great Restoration Pill and keep going.”

Since the last time he fed the Emperor into a seclusion state, the bird’s pills had been improved several times. They now contained almost no medicinal properties and were used entirely to replenish spiritual energy. Because he ate well in the Jade Capital, Qi Jia rarely ate them himself, instead giving many to General Han to distribute to the Heavenly Guards as backups.

He had brought plenty for this trip. Swallowing a pill took no time.

But Yu Baixi insisted on resting. He set up a protective perimeter and sat on the ground. Qi Jia, still on his shoulder, was reluctant to get down, insisting on the pill to save time.

But when a food box appeared out of thin air in the Emperor’s palm, the bird’s resolve wavered.

“Chirp?”

Yu Baixi turned to the bird on his shoulder: “Shuoling packed this food box this morning. It’s full of things you like…”

Before he could finish, the bird was gone, and the handsome, elegant young man stood beside him.

Yu Baixi: “…”

“Since Immortal Shuoling went to the trouble of packing it, let’s not waste it.” With a curl of his phoenix eyes, the young man in rich brocade sat on the ground right next to the Emperor and reached for the box.

“Orchid cakes, pea yellow, and tiger-skin chicken legs? They really are my favorites.” Qi Jia laughed. The Emperor’s lips tilted up as he handed over the box.

Qi Jia generously shared the food, claiming they should each have half. He asked mid-chew: “Why was the box with you? Why didn’t she just give it to me?”

Yu Baixi lifted his lashes slightly. He hadn’t thought about that. He recalled all the instructions Shuoling had given him this morning on how to take care of the bird, and the way she had looked at him…

The Emperor attempted to describe it: “Perhaps she felt I could take care of you, whereas you might not take care of yourself.”

Qi Jia, busy gnawing on a chicken leg: “?”

“Eat slowly.” Yu Baixi reached out and naturally wiped a crumb from the corner of Qi Jia’s mouth. “There is more than one food box.”

Qi Jia: “…”

Why do I feel like I’m being raised as a hatchling? At the thought of hatchlings, Qi Jia paused. He became silent and his eating manners grew much more refined.

After finishing a chicken leg and a spiritual cake, Qi Jia finally asked: “The Qiankun Mirror is just a celestial artifact. I know there are countless artifacts of that grade in the Jade Capital. There are many other treasures here, yet Your Majesty doesn’t even spare them a glance…”

His bright eyes looked at the Emperor, becoming sharp with seriousness. Qi Jia struggled to find the words: “Even if the mirror is rare and difficult to find, I’ve never seen you like this… Should I say ‘nervous’? I just want to ask, is Your Majesty so anxious to find it because… you really want to prove I’m not pregnant?”

Qi Jia had wanted to ask this for a long time. The clearer Yu Baixi’s goal became and the faster he moved, the unhappier Qi Jia felt. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

Qi Jia never opposed finding the mirror. It was an artifact of the Heavens and should be recovered; Yu Baixi wanting to prove their relationship was logically correct. And he himself desperately wanted the truth.

But why, seeing the Emperor ignore all other treasures and rush only for the mirror, did it make him unhappy? The thought that the other was desperate to prove they had no connection… it made him feel a bit angry at the Emperor.

Anger is a sign of the powerless. Qi Jia often feigned anger, but rarely was he truly incensed. Usually, he’d blow off steam and be done with it. He had never been this unhappy or low-spirited… Moreover, he understood he was completely taking his frustrations out on Yu Baixi.

He lost his appetite. The handsome young man sat on the ground and changed his posture to hugging his knees. Usually, Qi Jia maintained the air of a graceful nobleman, every gesture full of deliberate laziness. But sitting like this instantly reminded one of him as a parrot, shrinking himself into a ball—suddenly looking quite pitiful.

Yu Baixi, sitting beside him, stiffened. The Emperor raised his hand to place a silence barrier around them to prevent passersby from hearing.

Then Yu Baixi spoke: “I am looking for the Qiankun Mirror, but it has never been about proving whether or not you are pregnant.”

“Oh?” Qi Jia lifted his lashes and tilted his chin up to face the Emperor, smiling thinly. “So I’m not even worth that much effort?”

Yu Baixi: “?”

“…The Qiankun Mirror is a celestial artifact, but few know that if it is refined together with the Jiantian Mirror, they combine into a Divine Artifact—the Primordial Mysterious Void Mirror.” Peace filled the Emperor’s smoke-blue eyes. “The Divine Artifact is what I am after.”

Qi Jia: “…”

…So it was for a Divine Artifact!

If that was the case, then it all made sense! There were only eight Divine Artifacts in the world, and Yu Baixi seemed to be collecting them…

“I knew it.” In an instant, the gloom vanished. A smile returned to his brow, and his arms uncurled. The handsome young man smiled like a blooming flower. “How could the great Heavenly Emperor be in such a hurry just to bicker with me and prove I’m not carrying a chick? That would be far too much prioritizing private affairs over public duty!”

Yu Baixi: “…”

The bird had suddenly cheered up. Although he didn’t exactly understand what had happened, Yu Baixi deeply felt that the unknown awkwardness that had lingered between them had vanished. Qi Jia’s energy was always infectious. Even in a mature human form, his “chirpy” manner easily made one feel joyful, making it hard not to laugh with him.

The Emperor looked at the animated youth, his grey-blue eyes shining.

A moment later, he realized something was wrong: “Prioritizing private affairs over public duty? Is that how you have always thought of me?” Yu Baixi lowered his voice.

“…Huh?” The bright expression vanished. The smile remained on Qi Jia’s lips, but his tone became weak. “No… I asked because I believed in Your Majesty! Right! I felt Your Majesty was brilliant, brave, and broad-minded—you couldn’t possibly be such an impulsive, petty person, so I asked specifically!”

By the end, Qi Jia felt that made perfect sense.

Yu Baixi listened to his response in silence, then suddenly his lips quirked up. He didn’t want to argue, only offering a low evaluation: “You are truly a master of nonsense.”