Chapter 073
Upon hearing his words, the man paused, a hint of doubt flickering in his eyes.
However, Su Zui met his gaze without any trace of guilt. His dark, tranquil eyes betrayed no flaws, as he defended his position with righteous confidence.
After all, he was only telling the truth.
But of course, with certain details deliberately omitted.
The man remained lying on the bed, his eyes as dark as an unfathomable abyss. There was no way of seeing what lay beneath.
The young man's explanation was too superficial. Anyone with a normal intelligence, upon hearing his words, would undoubtedly harbor certain doubts.
And naturally, he too was suspicious.
Especially when he woke up to find himself without any memories, being cautious was only expected.
Yet for some reason, when he met the young man's gaze, all his doubts seemed to melt away like hardened ice. They were gradually blown away, leaving only... a desire to get closer.
His gaze uncontrollably drifted to the young man's slender neck. The young man's skin was fair and underneath it, one could easily see the pale-colored veins.
A faint, enticing scent emanated from the young man, as if it were hidden under something. Yet, the man was still able to pick up a hint of it with his acute sense of smell.
He could even imagine the taste of the blood coursing within.
Familiar as if... he had once tasted it too.
His throat involuntarily rolled slightly.
Something inside him stirred, filled with pain and an unfathomable desire.
A sense of hunger, as though wanting to devour someone, rose within him.
...mixed in was an indescribable urge that he did not quite comprehend.
He instinctively suppressed the chaotic energy and desires stirring within his body. This was a conditioned reflex from his body, accompanied by pain that increased due to the back-and-forth tension.
But the next second, he hesitated in his actions. A thought slowly stirred in his mind, why should he suppress himself?
After a moment of silence spread throughout the room, the man deliberately shifted his gaze.
His voice was low, somewhat hoarse, as he said to Su Zui, "Thank you."
Su Zui replied, "...No need to thank me."
He looked the man up and down, confirming that he seemed to have really lost his mind, having forgotten the events prior.
He withdrew his gaze, unsure whether he chiefly felt relief or headache.
He had absconded with a person without clear intent. His mind was in disarray, and he hadn't thought about how to explain his motivation.
Could he just say that the person resembled his ex-husband, and he had been...?
If the man didn't hit him, it would mean he was particularly good-tempered.
Now, with the man experiencing amnesia, it had ironically spared him an awkward explanation.
Su Zui coughed lightly, then said, "Stay here on your own for a while; I'll go buy you a few sets of clothes."
When he had embraced the man earlier, he noticed that his body shape was identical to Fu Shijun's.
In the past, he had bought clothes for Fu Shijun countless times and knew his exact measurements by heart.
The man, after a while, lowered his lashes and hummed in agreement.
His half-visible face was shrouded in darkness, as if suppressing something.
Su Zui noticed his silence but assumed it was due to the amnesia. People with memory loss often lack a sense of security.
He took his consent for granted and went to the nearest mall to buy him clothes.
The place where the man had hastily hidden was quite remote, devoid of decent men's clothing stores. Su Zui, being picky, spent some time before reluctantly settling on two sets.
On the way back, System 555 secretly chatted with him, 【Host, does this count as sed-, seducing an amnesiac 'little bird'?】
Su Zui's face was expressionless. "What nonsense is this? Be quiet."
Carrying the clothes, he returned to the hotel. As soon as he reached the stairs, he felt a cold and sinister presence.
Thinking of the man covered in black marks in the illusion earlier, Su Zui's face changed.
He placed a barrier charm at the door to prevent other guests from seeing inside before pushing it open.
As it turned out, his caution was justified.
The moment the door opened, countless black tendrils enveloped him, and a somewhat cold hand rested on his shoulder.
The shopping bag fell to the ground with a rustling sound.
________________________
When Su Zui regained consciousness, he felt an intense bout of dizziness.
He was stunned for a moment before realizing why he felt so terrible—
How could he not feel awful after losing so much blood?
The man's self-control had plummeted after his memory loss. As soon as Su Zui opened the door, he was wrapped in uncontrolled dark energy like a dumpling and held tightly by the man.
He had moved so quickly that Su Zui didn't even have time to buy any tools to fight him off.
After hesitating for a moment due to the familiar scent, he was bitten on the neck with a sharp snap. His consciousness became utterly chaotic, and all he could remember was the vivid sensation of warmth draining from his body.
Su Zui had a bit of a headache: "..."
It had to be said, the man's scent acted almost like a cheat code, bewildering him. Although he knew he needed to stay alert, ingrained habits prevented him from mounting an effective defense in time.
However, his headache didn't last long before he was distracted by a sensation at his chest.
Su Zui slowly looked down and noticed that the phoenix jade pendant he wore had been removed at some point. The man was now toying with it in his hand, the fine red cord resting against fingers marked with black traces, creating an indescribably odd yet beautiful contrast.
Su Zui's brow furrowed slightly, sensing trouble.
The aura of a spiritual bone grows stronger as one nears adulthood, and it's only at the moment of becoming an adult that it completely retracts into the body.
He was less than a month away from coming of age, at his most distinctive phase. Removing the jade pendant that concealed his aura would likely attract all the spirit beasts in a city toward him.
Although the Su family's beast-taming art was lost, it was hardly a secret. Older members of the mystical community could quickly guess his physique. Following the unusual activities of the spirit beasts, it wouldn't be hard to pinpoint his whereabouts.
Not to mention the divine beasts from the Judgement Hall, who are countless times more sensitive than spirit beasts. They might detect his scent from hundreds of miles away.
In this way, his movements would have absolutely no privacy at all.
Once people find out that he has been illicitly luring away the divine beasts from the Judgement Hall, his reputation will certainly suffer. This, in turn, will indirectly affect his mission.
Not to mention the man's behavior, which is clearly off. His conspicuous appearance in front of everyone else is yet another problem.
Su Zui immediately directed the system to purchase an artifact to block his aura and chose to use it. However, this was only a marginally better solution, as he had already been unwittingly acting as a live tracker for who knows how long before he regained consciousness.
Su Zui was very troubled.
Sigh.
The consequences of a momentary lapse in judgment were truly terrifying.
Impulsiveness is indeed the devil.
System 555 muttered softly, 【Abducting a bird is fun for a moment...】
"Catching birds is always fun," Su Zui retorted calmly. "Stop filling your language database with strange phrases. If the mission isn't completed, you won't get a reward either."
System 555: 【...】
That's right, I almost forgot. If the host fails the mission, the system also faces a corresponding punishment.
However, the system's punishments are not severe, often nothing more than a stint in the 'virtual isolation cell.'
For the host, though, failure could mean being ejected from the mission system.
As for what happens after the host fails his mission, System 555 doesn't know. However, it once heard a piece of theory from an elder: the majority of those who undertake these tasks are people who have reached the end of their rope.
Guessing what might happen after failing when you have nowhere else to go doesn't seem too challenging.
For humans, the scariest thing is probably... death?
As an artificial intelligence, System 555 understands the concept of human death, but it can't empathize with it.
Still, it knows this is a grave matter for humans.
System 555 paused for a moment and carefully said in its electronic voice, 【... then, host, you must try your best.】
Noticing Su Zui's worried gaze, a low and raspy voice came from above his head, "...nobody will find this place."
Su Zui was startled. He looked up to see the man's face again bearing the terrifying black traces from the illusion array.
It looks like this evil aura is rather tough.
The man watched Su Zui intently.
He would not let anyone covet his prey. The moment Su Zui had entered, he had completely sealed off the space.
Upon hearing the man's words, he relaxed and took the time to size up the man who had suddenly attacked him.
The man was wearing the clothes he had bought for him - a simple, loose fit. He had on a light camel-colored round-neck sweater on top, black trousers on the bottom, with a belt around his waist.
Originally a casual style, the outfit exuded a hint of cold austerity when worn by the man.
Oh, see, he has amnesia, but he hasn't forgotten how to dress.
His long, jet-black hair was loose and strands fell on Su Zui as the man leaned over—cool to the touch.
Su Zui frowned, watching the man’s sudden movement.
Through the not-so-thin winterwear, the man's well-defined hand slowly touched his left chest—the location of one of the most critical areas in a human body. Su Zui couldn't help but slightly contract his pupils.
As the man pressed his fingertip down on the soft fabric, through the clothes and ribs, that extra bone hidden beside the heart became unbearably hot for a moment, as if it had been directly touched through all barriers.
The terrifying sense of one’s vulnerability being seized sent a shudder through Su Zui. His vision blurred momentarily and his breath grew rapid.
Under this direct threat, his body instinctively moved toward the scent he trusted most.
More specifically, he suddenly burrowed into the man's embrace.
The man’s movement seemed to stiffen for a moment. Looking at Su Zui who had become pliant like a small animal seeking comfort in his arms, he quickly retracted his hand.
He appeared contemplative as he watched Su Zui still catching his breath, wrapping an arm around his suddenly approaching shoulder. His thin lips moved slightly: "You are my Tao partner."
The statement was not a question—it was a declaration.
His naked state upon waking (memory loss lowered his IQ and he'd forgotten to illusionize clothing), his fondness for the young man (unrequited love), and the other's unconditional trust (he looks like his ex-husband's)...
Body instincts don't lie, and all the signs indicate that the relationship between him and this young man before me is extraordinary.
And as for this extraordinary relationship...
He racked his brains and could only come up with this one term.
Su Zui: ???
Su Zui stopped panting and his eyes widened slightly, as if he saw something truly bizarre.
How on earth did he arrive at this conclusion?
________________________
No matter what confusion the man's thought process had been through, Su Zui found it impossible to reason with him in his currently strange state, which seemed like possession but not quite.
He could only go along with it.
These past few days, the man's possessiveness had ballooned to unimaginable levels, strictly prohibiting Su Zui from leaving the room.
Fortunately for Su Zui, as a "bird kidnapper" who needed to stay under the radar, he preferred not venturing out anyway.
Since the man wouldn't let him go out, he took the opportunity to rest and recover from the injuries incurred from overexerting himself in the illusionary formation.
Medicine could heal most of the injury, but the small remaining part still required plenty of rest and nurturing for a full recovery.
Meanwhile, he could take the time to replenish his stock of used talismans.
Su Zui was living quite comfortably in this little confinement.
In fact, he was a bit worried at the start.
What if... the man proposed dual cultivation? How would he refuse?
After all, in the man's mind, it was set in stone that they were Tao companions.
However, after staying vigilant for a few days, he noticed the man didn't seem to have that intention.
Most of the time, the man lay weak on the bed, moving only his two beady, black eyes to observe his actions.
Perhaps noticing his suspicions, the man thoughtfully explained, "Your physique is unique. Dual cultivation could damage your foundation before your root bone fully grows."
Su Zui: ".................."
Good, a self-taught bug fixer. The system should certainly learn this advanced skill.
He thought calmly, debating whether a strong adhesive produced by the system or 502 Super Glue would be best for sealing the bird's beaky mouth.
To stop the incessant squawking!
The man didn't remain immobile all the time. Besides observing Su Zui's behavior, from time to time, he would suddenly rise, take a few bites from Su Zui, stealing a few sips of his blood, before lazily laying back down.
At first, Su Zui was symbolically on guard. But after it happened a few times, he grew numb.
The longer they spent together, the clearer a certain feeling in his heart became.
Among countless falsehoods, there was always a hint of reality to be grasped.
________________________
The two people were so engrossed in playing "The Little Black Room" in their motel room that they were oblivious to the outside chaos engulfing the cultivation world.
One was Xu family's illusion array.
The array suddenly malfunctioned. If it hadn't been for Su Zui saving so many people, nearly all promising young cultivators would've perished right there.
Even though their potential stars were saved, the seriousness of this incident demanded answers—it couldn't simply be brushed under the rug.
The Xu family was in charge of the array. Even though they strenuously explained their inability to have full control over it, they had still agreed to the plan involving the ancient array without questioning the risks. So when it came time to assign blame, as the family in charge, they were, without a doubt, the main target of affected victims.
Surely, the Tao Association and several large families who co-hosted the event couldn't escape the blame either.
A time of disruption was inevitable for the powerful clans. It was destined to be a period of significant power shifts and reordering of ranks among the forces of the cultivation world.
The second issue was Meng Qingzhi's escape.
Under the scrutiny of all, Meng Qingzhi betrayed nearly all cultivators to further his own goals. He then gambled with the fate of the entire cultivation world to safeguard his interests. In the end, he escaped under everyone's watchful eyes. His cunning and selfish nature left an indelible impression on the elders, and he received countless curses and imprecations.
From now on, unless he performs a significant deed that saves the entire cultivation community, he can forget about regaining his reputation.
The Meng family, from which Meng Qingzhi originated, was also collectively ostracized by the cultivators due to harboring such a disgrace.
Even though the Meng family was originally powerful, they couldn't withstand the united exclusion by so many forces. One could easily predict their decline.
Because of this, the Meng family loathed Meng Qingzhi. They'd love to throw him out to take the blame, easing the redirected anger that was being taken out on their family.
Everyone wanted to find Meng Qingzhi, but he seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth, leaving no trace behind.
Under intense pressure, Meng's family decided to activate a forbidden technique that uses the bloodline of his closest relative to predict his location. They settled on Meng Heyang, his uncle.
Meng Heyang, who had lost his ability to practice cultivation, had now become an average middle-aged man, looking haggard and weary, with a bitter expression in his eyes.
They drew a tube of heart's blood from him. Even though he was still weak, no one cared for him.
Watching the back of his departing family members, he scoffed with a bitter laugh, "…how could he be such a fool?"
The Bloodline Detection Technique of Meng's family is no secret. Meng Qingzhi who planned to use so many people would certainly not leave such a glaring weakness.
From the moment Meng Qingzhi abandoned him, he saw clearly — his nephew was colder than anyone else.
Such a person might not mind sharing a piece of the pie in good times.
But when danger arrives, his companions will only serve as stepping stones and scapegoats.
As expected, Meng's bloodline detection didn't yield any results. Meng Qingzhi's whereabouts remained unknown.
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Besides Meng Qingzhi, another disappearance had also garnered significant attention.
It was Su Zui.
Unlike Meng Qingzhi, who had infuriated the entire cultivation community, this young man who saved almost all the younger generation of cultivators had, in a very short time, elevated both his and his family's reputation to a mini peak with his actions.
With exceptional talents and a vast resource in his hands, plus having saved so many people... Su Zui became an overnight sensation within the Tao community, as famous as Meng Qingzhi in terms of popularity.
However, the nature of their notoriety was starkly different: while one basked in positive reception, the other was inundated with derogatory heat.
Neither of these two subjects of widespread attention had shown themselves publicly.
Xie Yu, who had always worked with Su Zui, had been located, but he was just as clueless about Su Zui's whereabouts.
At the end, Xie Yu was packaged up and thrown out of the fray along with other children of prominent families by Su Zui. His knowledge was not more extensive than anyone else’s; the communication talisman Su Zui provided him was used up while they were in the illusory formation and couldn’t be used again.
Unlike Xie Yu, who had actively fled, the people outside could no longer see what was happening inside once the illusory formation cracked. Many speculated that Su Zui might have been severely injured, unable to escape the damaging collapse of the formation.
No matter what, Xie Yu was unwilling to believe this possibility.
In his eyes, Su Zui was the most composed and strongest individual he had ever encountered. How could he have perished for such a simple reason?
Besides, Xie Yu felt that Su Zui was not fundamentally a merciful and selfless person. If Su Zui had the strength to save so many, he wouldn't fail to secure an escape route for himself.
Xie Yu, who usually had a straightforward way of thinking, had suddenly become astoundingly astute concerning this matter.
He wasn't alone in his reasoning. The noble sons and daughters who had been saved by Su Zui shared this belief.
However, their faith in Su Zui's survival was not rooted in deep knowledge of him; it was partly out of adoration and partly out of veneration.
“Once he’s found, I owe him a personal thank you.”
"And an apology. Previously, in the Secret Realm, I sided with Meng Qingzhi against him..."
________________________
The last matter concerned the disappearance of Phoenix.
This issue was more critical than the other three, but hardly anyone knew about it except for the Judgement Office.
Only a few elder-level figures in the Tao community had a vague idea that a person of high rank from the Judgement Office got entangled in this upheaval.
Given Phoenix's distinguished status and the uniqueness of the current situation, spreading the news too broadly would not only be unhelpful but would also cause uneasiness among people. If someone were to expose the image of Phoenix being possessed, it would only increase the danger to Phoenix. Therefore, Qing Luan opted for a low-key approach.
However, a low-profile approach didn't mean that the search effort would be less rigorous.
Divine beasts had their unique ways of searching for their companions. Like how Suzaku's aura could open up space forcefully to create a second entry point into the Fan Tian secret realm to guide Phoenix there, the sensing abilities among divine beasts were potent.
Their species was on the decline, and if they fought alone, accidents would be more likely to occur. This was a blessing bestowed upon them by the law of nature.
In particular, as Phoenix's follower, Qing Luan had an unimaginably close bond with Phoenix. Qing Luan was confident that if Phoenix was still alive in this world, he would surely find some clues.
However, reality soon slapped him in the face.
For half a month, he had achieved nothing, not even a single feather of Phoenix was found.
Under these circumstances, there were only two possibilities.
One was that Phoenix had already died.
However, given that there were no signs of death on Phoenix's suppressed true form at the Judgement Office, this possibility could be easily ruled out.
The only other option was that Phoenix's aura had been fully concealed.
But it was unclear whether someone else had done it, or Phoenix had done it himself.
If Phoenix had done it, it wouldn't be a big issue. Phoenix could have been in seclusion to heal and didn't want to be disturbed.
If someone else had concealed the aura, then it would be a grave matter.
Only a stronger party could completely cover up someone else's aura.
But is there really somebody more formidable than Phoenix, who has been infiltrated by an evil spirit, in this world?
Upon learning about this, Suzaku's suspicions deepened.
With his often reckless thinking, he derived a "scientific" conclusion -
Qing Luan is just too rigid! Clearly, Phoenix is out there having a great time and just doesn't want to return!
Why bother thinking so much!
However, he dared not speak these words to Qing Luan. He had come to realize that Qing Luan was nothing but an mindless admirer of Phoenix. In Qing Luan's eyes, Phoenix is fair, unselfish, imposing, and composed — certainly not capable of engaging in something as character-breaking as playing hooky.
So, Suzaku refrained from saying anything bad about Phoenix. Instead, he blinked his little black eyes, clattered his way over to Qing Luan, and puffed up his fiery red tail feathers — only a few slender ones in his baby bird form.
He showed them off and said, "Qing Luan, look at my tail. It was a little painful yesterday, but I didn't want to disturb you. Today, I really can't bear it anymore. Look, I'm worried — will my tail feathers fall out?"
Upon hearing this, Qing Luan was immediately concerned.
A tail was quite important to many birds, especially male birds, as it was a significant part of their image. Beautiful tail feathers could be a significant advantage when courting a mate.
The most famous example of this is the peacock displaying its tail feathers. An eye-catching tail fundamentally determines a male bird's status in the community.
In relative terms, the importance was equivalent to hair for humans.
Qing Luan was gently ruffling the feathers near Suzaku's tail root with his slender, pale fingers, checking for any signs of injury. His voice was a bit cold as he asserted, "You should have told me about this yesterday."
Enduring the ticklish feeling at the base of his tail, Suzaku quietly lifted his tail even higher. It seemed redder and even brighter, "No, I saw you were very busy, and I didn't want to disturb you. I'm a good little bird. I just couldn't bear it anymore today."
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Thanks for the update!! 🤣🤣🤣
ReplyDeleteGood little bird lmao 😂😂
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chapter 💖