After Losing My Memory, I Became My Rival's Palm-Sized Chirper - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Promoting Virtue and Kindness

Qi Jia smiled again. Instead of arguing, he naturally shifted the topic: “By the way, how did the Primordial Mirror end up split into two? And why was one half left behind in the Ancient Secret Realm?”

Even in human form, Qi Jia’s expression when asking for advice was so earnest it was adorable.

The Celestial Emperor lowered his long lashes and said slowly, “Since the earliest records, the Universe Mirror and the Heaven-Viewing Mirror have been two separate immortal mirrors. As for why that is, the reason is no longer traceable. Over these millions of years, history has not been continuous; you should already know this from reading the Brief History of the Four Realms.”

“Mhm, mhm.” Qi Jia nodded sincerely, indicating he understood.

The Celestial Emperor glanced at him from the corner of his eye, then slightly averted his gaze. “…About two hundred thousand years ago, the predecessor-but-one Mystic Mirror Immortal fell here, leaving many treasures behind in this secret realm, including the Universe Mirror.”

“Ah, I’ve heard rumors about that. But the version I heard said the Mystic Mirror Immortal ascended here. I thought he had become a god…”

Yu Baixi shook his head slowly. “In the last million years, no one in the Four Realms has ascended to godhood. ‘Ascension’ has taken on another meaning: returning one’s body to Heaven and Earth.”

Qi Jia paused for a moment, reflecting: “That also makes sense. One is all, and all is one. Who’s to say returning to Heaven and Earth isn’t a good destination?”

Yu Baixi’s lips curled slightly. He suddenly said with certainty, “You have always been transparent and insightful.”

“…I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Qi Jia gave a satisfied “humph,” glanced at the Emperor, and flashed a brilliant smile.

The Emperor: “…” He averted his eyes again.

“But what is the point of a Divine Artifact, anyway?”

Qi Jia asked again: “I feel like they aren’t that useful. Like that ‘Demonic Ice Wheel’ people say is so powerful—I’ve never seen you use it.”

“A Divine Artifact can slay a God,” Yu Baixi said in a low voice, yet every word carried weight.

“Slay a God? …The ‘Gods’ you mean are the God Race?”

Qi Jia’s eyes widened. “The God Race actually exists? I thought they were just legends… Wait, you actually want to slaughter Gods?? Doesn’t everyone in this world want to become a God?…”

Qi Jia suddenly connected this to the legend that the Celestial Emperor loved to kill… He thought to himself: He doesn’t just love killing people; he won’t even spare the Gods.

Yu Baixi looked at him, his grey-blue eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. He simply asked, “Why become a God?”

“To become a God… is to achieve immortality?” Qi Jia replied. “I remember Qi Shaoxu saying that. Hehe, who wouldn’t want to live forever?”

Yu Baixi suddenly let out a dry laugh.

Qi Jia: ? “What are you laughing at?”

“You wouldn’t want to,” Yu Baixi said.

Qi Jia: ? The handsome youth tilted his head slightly, deep confusion hidden in his bright eyes.

Yu Baixi turned toward him and raised his hand. He almost reached out to stroke the youth’s back—just as he would pet the little round bird—but stopped himself just in time as he realized what he was doing.

The Emperor rubbed his fingers together inside his wide sleeves and said softly, “In the past, you never wanted to become a God.”

“…I didn’t want immortality?” Qi Jia’s eyes widened. He knew he was brave and sometimes a bit arrogant, but he didn’t realize his past self was that arrogant!

Yu Baixi was amused by his shocked expression. He said softly, “Immortality comes with a price. And you have always been very smart.”

“…I don’t understand.” Qi Jia blinked blankly.

“It doesn’t matter. You will understand soon,” the Emperor said, preparing to stand up. “Once we’ve rested, we’ll set off…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the youth beside him lunged into his arms. “Hey, no way! Why do you always stop halfway through your sentences!”

Yu Baixi: …?

In the past, Qi Jia’s intimacy with the Emperor was always in his bird form. He was used to hopping onto Yu Baixi’s hand or body, standing tall and “dominating” the other.

Now, even though Qi Jia was in human form, habits were habits. He had intended to hop onto the man to prevent him from standing up. But because he was in human form, this action resulted in… throwing himself directly into the Celestial Emperor’s embrace.

Yu Baixi: …instinctively caught the pouncing youth.

During the process, the Emperor’s eyelids trembled several times.

Qi Jia looked up from his arms and suddenly met the Emperor’s eyes, only to see Yu Baixi avert his gaze elsewhere.

Qi Jia: ?

“Your Majesty…” After a moment, Qi Jia’s voice echoed in the cave again.

“Mhm?” Yu Baixi looked back.

“Your ears… seem to be… red.” Qi Jia held the Emperor’s neck and leaned in closer. The light in the cave was dim, and he wanted to see more clearly.

Yu Baixi: “…” His lashes dropped heavily. In the end, Qi Jia was set back on his feet by the Emperor.

“We should go,” Yu Baixi said. He took the opportunity to tidy his appearance and created a bit of distance between them.

Yu Baixi lifted the restrictions around them. Because of the previous struggle, the hem of Qi Jia’s long robe was slightly wrinkled. The Emperor naturally leaned down to straighten it for him.

Given the Emperor’s tall stature, the mere visual of him bending over to fix someone’s hem was enough to make one feel it was a significant gesture. Not to mention he was the Celestial Emperor; doing this was essentially “condescending” to serve.

Thus, the “bird” couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed.

Especially since his breath was filled with the man’s cool, medicinal scent, and remembering the bandages underneath, Qi Jia decided not to hold it against him for trying to pull away earlier… Hmph.

Suddenly, a series of noises came from the opposite side—the sound of people landing followed by a gasp. The two looked up together and saw over a dozen people dressed in flowing white robes, looking like immortals, appearing in their space.

Leading them was the Mystic Mirror Immortal.

The Mystic Mirror Immortal was the one responsible for leading the young disciples of the Celestial Race for this trial. Following him was an old official with significant immortal power and several elders from major sects; the rest were the elite young disciples of the race.

Some were juniors from high immortal families, others were disciples from major sects. Young Lord Dezhao was among them.

As soon as the group was transported to this space, they saw in the corner… His Majesty standing intimately with the Consort.

“Ah!” A young disciple who had never seen such a sight cried out instinctively.

Because so many people had entered the secret realm, to prevent confusion or giving other races an opening, everyone from the Heaven Clan wore a magical artifact that hid their identity and aura. One function of this artifact was to recognize allies to avoid accidental injury.

Thus, these suddenly appearing officials and disciples immediately recognized the two tall figures standing extremely close in the corner.

A few disciples from the major sects didn’t know Qi Jia yet. But seeing the handsome and cold Emperor meticulously tidying the other person’s hem, they only needed to connect it to recent rumors to know the person in His Majesty’s arms was the prospective Empress Consort.

Besides that one person, who else would the solitary Emperor—who hadn’t married or dated in ten thousand years—allow to stand so close… even to the point of straightening their clothes?!

For a moment, both sides were stunned.

Yu Baixi straightened up expressionlessly. The officials, led by the Mystic Mirror Immortal, were the first to bow to the Emperor and Empress. Since there were no outsiders here, the young disciples followed suit.

“Just now, this official detected a space here but couldn’t find a way in. It turns out Your Majesty and the Consort were here,” the Mystic Mirror Immortal said respectfully.

Young Lord Dezhao, pushed forward by several other youths in the group, stepped out to pay his respects: “Your Majesty, Consort.”

Now that everyone knew the Young Lord was being personally trained by the Emperor, Yu Dezhao’s status among these youths had become increasingly exalted. Yet he remained low-key and humble. He kept his head down among the group and was exceptionally obedient when stepping forward, even looking a bit nervous.

If his companions hadn’t pushed him, he likely would have stayed hidden among the disciples, bowing just like the rest. Even in a private greeting, he didn’t dare call them “Uncle” or “Uncle-in-Law.” He acted exactly like someone who didn’t dare consider himself the Emperor’s nephew.

Yu Baixi nodded to Yu Dezhao. He then asked the officials about the progress of their trial. Upon hearing that everything was going smoothly, he asked no more.

“The Empress and I have matters to attend to. We shall go ahead,” the Emperor said with solemn authority.

“Yes.”

The immortals bowed again, and the Emperor and Empress disappeared from their sight.

A moment later, the young disciples couldn’t help but start whispering: “…His Majesty and the Consort’s relationship is truly good.”

“The trials we’re doing here are all low-level. We watch more than we do. They say we’re here to broaden our horizons, but we haven’t actually learned anything. Unlike that person, who is being personally led by His Majesty—who knows what exciting things they’ll encounter!” a disciple from a major sect said sourly.

The person next to him quickly pulled him back: “Don’t talk nonsense, that’s the Empress!”

“So what if he’s the Empress? I heard his cultivation is mediocre. Aside from being somewhat good-looking, who knows how an ordinary parrot became the Empress…”

This disciple, named Qi Kongfeng from the Tianyan Sect, saw that the elders were discussing the next move and likely had no time for them, so he became even more reckless: “Hey, Young Lord Dezhao, aren’t you being personally raised by the Emperor? Why are you doing the trials with us? Didn’t His Majesty take you along?”

Yu Dezhao, having been singled out, reacted calmly: “His Majesty is here to find treasures, not for a trial.”

“Oh? Well, if he’s here for treasure hunting, why did he bring along a seemingly useless prospective Empress?” Qi Kongfeng’s eyes were full of irony. “Haven’t you wondered? Since he can take someone, why didn’t he take you?”

Young Lord Dezhao remained unmoved, simply keeping his eyes down in silence.

Instead, a youth who was friends with Dezhao stood up and said, “Is it any of your business who His Majesty chooses to accompany?”

“Exactly. Criticizing the Empress is a serious crime. Qi Kongfeng, even though the Tianyan Sect isn’t in the Jade Capital, don’t tell me you don’t even know these basic rules!”

Faced with the pushback, Qi Kongfeng glared: “Don’t be ungrateful. I’m speaking up for Dezhao! Originally, you were the most likely candidate for the position of Crown Prince, Dezhao! Now, even though you’re being trained by the Emperor, if that person’s child is born… things might not look the same…”

Yu Dezhao still replied with lowered eyes: “The position of Celestial Emperor belongs to the capable. Whomever His Majesty chooses as Crown Prince, Dezhao will simply follow orders.”

Qi Kongfeng: “You! You really think His Majesty won’t have favorites?!”

Yu Dezhao said nothing more. Instead, more youths who supported him couldn’t take it anymore and started arguing with Qi Kongfeng. The commotion grew and soon alerted the elders, and everyone was scolded. Qi Kongfeng, the primary instigator, was not only scolded but also had his monthly allowance docked by his sect elder.

Meanwhile, Qi Jia, who hadn’t actually left yet, remarked: “Young Lord Dezhao has quite good popularity. Out of the fourteen disciples in the trial, at least eight are on his side.”

The two were hovering in the air. The Emperor’s protective treasure, “Yuzhao,” enveloped them, ensuring no one would discover they were still standing there.

Yu Baixi watched the scene below silently, his grey-blue eyes unreadable.

Qi Jia added: “And these young disciples are quite upright.”

Out of the eight disciples who argued for Dezhao, several had also spoken up to defend Qi Jia, specifically to protect the reputation of the Emperor and Empress.

“Your Majesty is very popular among these disciples,” Qi Jia concluded.

Yu Baixi finally moved, giving a slight nod of affirmation: “Young people always have the spirit of youth.”

Qi Jia agreed with this, but he was also puzzled: “Why did I feel a hint of bitterness when that Tianyan Sect disciple mentioned me? It’s clear he doesn’t like Dezhao either, yet he pretended to stand up for him. It looked like he was defending him, but it was actually a provocation. It felt like he was jealous of me? But I haven’t offended him…”

Life in the Jade Capital had been too comfortable. Not only did Shuoling and Han Mo serve him with absolute loyalty, but even the officials and General Huangyu were respectful. Qi Jia hadn’t felt targeted in a long time.

“The last time someone treated me like that was back at Mount Budu, when Second Senior Brother was annoyed that Eldest Senior Brother always caught fish specifically for me,” Qi Jia said. Then he added, “Thinking about it, I miss them.”

Yu Baixi: “…”

Qi Jia: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“The Empress jumps between topics too quickly. This Seat does not know which sentence to reply to.”

“…” Qi Jia: “How about trying word by word?”

The Emperor finally responded to the last sentence: “Once we find the Universe Mirror, I will accompany you back to Mount Budu.”

“Really?!”

A smile immediately climbed onto Qi Jia’s face, then he suddenly remembered: “Ah, right! How many food boxes did you bring? Give the rest to Wushu and the others. We need to hurry, otherwise, this Consort will be hungry again soon…”

Yu Baixi: “…”

As they passed through another teleportation array to the next scene, Qi Jia asked again: “But hearing them talk, I’m curious too. Why did Your Majesty bring me along personally to get the mirror this time?”

Qi Jia remembered when he said he wanted to follow Yu Baixi to get the Universe Mirror, the man didn’t seem to oppose it much… at least not as resolutely as when he refused to cultivate together. If Yu Baixi had truly opposed it, he absolutely wouldn’t have brought him.

Yu Baixi: “Is it not good to take you out for some fresh air?”

Qi Jia looked at the new scene—it was still a dark cave. In the corner of the cave stood four mirrors and four flickering green candles. There was nothing else. Sniffing the damp, stagnant, and decaying air, Qi Jia narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath: “You call this fresh air?!”

The Emperor’s lips curled slightly in the extreme darkness.

Qi Jia: “Actually, to avoid gossip, it would have been more appropriate to bring Young Lord Dezhao along. You could have taught him something while you were at it.”

Yu Baixi shook his head slowly. “The Primordial Secret Realm is not perilous, but it covers almost all the basics of illusions. It is very suitable for young disciples to train. The Young Lord will learn more by following the main group; following me would not be as beneficial. Besides, some things depend on himself.”

“…Does Your Majesty mean whether he can become the Crown Prince?”

“Mhm.”

“Dezhao’s immortal spells… I saw them when you were sparring. They felt average.” Qi Jia couldn’t quite explain how, but they just felt very average.

But he had asked around; becoming a High Immortal at three thousand years old was considered high talent among current Celestial disciples—even in the past, it would have been considered extremely high. That is, if Yu Baixi hadn’t appeared ten thousand years ago.

Thus, Qi Jia felt the pressure on Dezhao was immense. After all, when Yu Baixi was Crown Prince, he could independently slay Demon Gods and become the first in the Four Realms. Anyone would feel that the threshold for the Crown Prince of the Heaven Realm was incredibly high.

“Speaking of which, what exactly are the requirements to be the Crown Prince? How high does the cultivation need to be? Or…”

Yu Baixi shook his head slowly, indicating it was none of those.

“An upright heart, and striving toward virtue and kindness,” he said.

“…That’s it?” Qi Jia’s expression was shocked.

Yu Baixi nodded, his voice low: “Mhm. That’s it.”

Then, for some reason, the Emperor’s aura suddenly became very suppressed. After a long pause, he said in a raspy voice, “When I was young, I asked my Father Emperor this same question. That is what he said.”

Qi Jia: “…The Former Celestial Emperor?”

Yu Baixi rarely mentioned his father; Qi Jia was momentarily caught off guard.

Mhm.” The grey-blue eyes became even darker. Yu Baixi paused for a moment but eventually said nothing more.

Qi Jia glanced in his direction, his bright eyes flickering as he suddenly spoke: “Well, since your Father Emperor chose you as Crown Prince, it proves Your Majesty is upright, hardworking, and promotes virtue and kindness… Wait, I just thought of a problem!”

As he spoke, Qi Jia grabbed the Emperor’s sleeve and shook the rope that extended from the Emperor’s wrist to his ankle: “You said we need to be tied together because you’re afraid I’ll get lost. But the Mystic Mirror Immortal and his group have over twenty people, and I didn’t see any ropes on them! How come they haven’t been separated? …There must be a more advanced treasure, right!”

the young man’s clear yet high-pitched voice rang out, instantly dispelling the gloom and shadows from all directions.

Yu Baixi: “…The artifact the others are carrying is called the ‘Soul Lead.’ It uses the wearer’s soul as a guide, ensuring all wearers are pulled toward each other for several days. But this artifact requires registration and refinement years in advance; it is not suitable for the two of us.”

“No, there must be other treasures.” Qi Jia was not convinced. “Your Majesty just wants to tie me up!”

The Emperor: …?

“Your Majesty wants to ‘do it’ with me, the thing I was thinking of, right? Why didn’t you just say so!”

After saying that, the youth leaned even closer to the Emperor.

Yu Baixi: “…”