Chapter 76
However, it was already too late.
Both Su Zui and Phoenix had keen senses. The moment Suzaku approached, they sensed the arrival of this unexpected guest, and their gaze simultaneously focused on him.
Startled, Suzaku fluttered and fell to the ground, wings trembling. “…”
The night was dark, the wind biting, and the atmosphere heavy. It was the perfect moment for silencing a bird.
Suzaku was in a panic.
Would Phoenix really spare him after hearing that secret?
Still, he had to pretend to remain calm. “Good evening, Boss,” he stammered.
Phoenix turned to look at him silently.
The air grew so still that it felt suffocating—
Wait, no, he was a divine beast; breathing wasn’t necessary, and he wouldn’t suffocate.
Suzaka stiffened.
Why did he bother with greetings? He should have fled the moment things went south!
His legs trembled as he struggled to move out of Phoenix’s line of sight.
Under Phoenix’s deathly gaze, Suzaku no longer felt like a powerful divine beast who could command the wind and rain. Instead, he felt like a plump quail with its fate hanging by a thread.
Pathetic, weak, and chubby.
Su Zui observed the little bird on the ground, moving at a snail’s pace, trembling with each step. He pondered, “…”
Was it just his imagination, or had the cool, suave male lead from the original novel undergone some sort of mutation?
Under the dual pressure of two deathly stares, Suzaku felt like he might drop dead on the spot.
Thankfully, Qing Luan’s timely appearance saved him.
Seeing that familiar figure, an inexplicable surge of strength filled Suzaku. Flapping his wings, he chirped and launched himself like a small cannonball into Qing Luan’s arms.
His head buried under Qing Luan’s arm, only his round little bottom remained visible.
His tail feathers still twitched rhythmically.
He put on a show of self-pity.
Qing Luan stared at his squawking, wiggling colleague: …?
Should he sign up Suzaku for a psychological counseling session?
But that wasn’t his concern right now.
Seeing the intact Boss before him, Qing Luan finally relaxed.
Although the atmosphere seemed odd, it didn’t matter.
He asked gently, “Are you okay?”
At the same time, he glanced at the human standing in front of Phoenix.
The human looked familiar, someone who had performed well in the illusion array. Qing Luan remembered him disappearing around the same time as Phoenix when the illusion array shattered.
Earlier, when he detected the human’s scent at the small inn, he suspected it was this person.
Countless speculations raced through Qing Luan’s mind, but he refrained from drawing conclusions.
Although he didn’t know how this human had gained Phoenix’s approval, the fact that they stood here together meant nothing else mattered.
Divine beasts had their pride, and Phoenix wouldn’t appreciate anyone meddling in his affairs.
With just a glance, Qing Luan suppressed his curiosity and focused on the Boss, awaiting his response.
Phoenix hesitated. What should he do about his overly talkative subordinate?
Suppressing the urge to kill the bird, he took a deep breath. “…I’m fine.”
Why did these two birds arrive at such an opportune moment?
He hadn’t even had a chance to agree!
With Suzaku and Qing Luan’s interruption, the atmosphere completely dissipated.
And they missed the perfect opportunity.
Before Qing Luan could respond, Phoenix quickly said, “You go back first; I have something to attend to.”
That was a polite way of saying, “Please leave.”
Qing Luan still felt concerned, but when Phoenix told them to leave, Suzaku nudged his head under Qing Luan’s arm, like a hungry little chick.
Even the frequency of his tail feathers wagging intensified.
It was practically a frantic butt-wiggling hint!
Qing Luan: “…”
Politeness compelled Qing Luan to take his leave. After all, it wouldn’t be proper for the boss to witness a bird wiggling its behind so vigorously: “I’m glad you’re okay, sir. We were all worried. Hope you’ll be back soon.”
Phoenix needed to handle official business first.
When trouble arose in the mortal realm, the Judgment Office inevitably became chaotic. During this time of searching for the missing boss, Qing Luan had accumulated a lot of work.
Thinking about those tasks, even Qing Luan, who was accustomed to work, couldn’t help feeling a headache.
Handling it alone was indeed challenging.
…Hopefully, Phoenix would finish dealing with personal matters and return to work soon!
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On the way back, Suzaku buried himself halfway under Qing Luan’s arm. Qing Luan stroked his damp feathers for a while before he finally pulled his head out.
Qing Luan couldn’t fathom why Suzaku suddenly seemed so despondent: “What’s wrong with you?”
Suzaku couldn’t explain the situation. Right now, he was just a bird facing danger, and he had informed Qing Luan that both of them were in trouble.
For the sake of peace in the Judgment Office, he could only silently endure this pain that his small body shouldn’t be experiencing.
After all, he already had enough on his plate.
Suzaku grew sadder the more he thought about it. Eventually, he started hiccuping: “Chirp, chirp…”
Why did his little bird life have to be so miserable?
Reflecting on it, Suzaku realized that ever since he was awakened in the Secret Realm and gave those gifts to the human named Meng Qingzhi, he had either been unlucky or on an unlucky path every day.
Suzaku came to a conclusion:
That human must be carrying an excessive amount of bad luck, and it was rubbing off on him!
Next time he saw that person, he’d run far away.
Qing Luan looked at the dewy-eyed bird in his arms: “…”
Sigh.
Suzaku’s inner world was truly mysterious.
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The two meddlesome birds had left, but the atmosphere had been thoroughly disrupted.
Su Zui got his answer and put the Phoenix Spirit Jade back on.
Seeing his actions, Phoenix’s gaze deepened.
He wanted to say something, but his lips moved, and yet nothing came out.
Su Zui was used to it. He took the initiative to greet him: “Do you have something to attend to?”
That bird seemed to be hinting that Phoenix should go back to work?
Coincidentally, Su Zui also needed to deal with Meng Qingzhi. It was better for both of them to be busy separately.
Although separating right after confirming their relationship wasn’t ideal, Su Zui was no longer a starry-eyed youth. He accepted it quite well.
He didn’t see any problem with it.
In his previous world, he and Fu Shijun each had their careers. They weren’t glued to each other every day. Sometimes they went on business trips, and they wouldn’t see each other for half a month.
They were mature men who didn’t engage in clingy behavior.
But Phoenix didn’t see it that way.
As a bird who hadn’t had a partner before, he didn’t want to be separated from his prospective mate even for a second.
To forget the subordinate’s hint for even a second, he firmly declared, “No, I’ll be with you.”
One could say they were being quite clingy!
Su Zui: “…”
And so, a few minutes later, a round, chubby little bird perched on Su Zui’s shoulder.
The entire body of feathers is black and red, resembling a rose-filled dumpling. The small beak is a delicate shade of yellow, and its tiny eyes are deep black, with a hint of dampness.
Whether due to nervousness or excitement, its feathers puff up, making it look like a dandelion. When it lowers its head, it buries itself in the fluffy feathers, becoming a complete round ball.
It’s a classic chubby bird!
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When Xie Yu saw Su Zui, he first nervously inquired about his health. He had been extremely anxious during this period.
After confirming that Su Zui was okay, Xie Yu’s gaze fell on the little bird perched on his shoulder, and he looked surprised. “Is this… your contracted spirit beast?”
He knew that although Su Zui had the Su family’s beast-taming technique, he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about contracting spirit beasts. Xie Yu rarely saw him interact closely with any of them.
Had he finally come to terms with contracting a spirit beast?
Xie Yu was curious. What kind of special spirit beast could make Su Zui break his usual indifference? After all, when that highly talented black cat had persistently approached him, Su Zui had remained aloof and eventually declined the contract.
Xie Yu scrutinized this “spirit beast.”
It was covered in fluffy, round feathers, exquisitely cute. It looked harmless, like a small plush toy hanging from Su Zui’s shoulder. Its spiritual energy fluctuation was almost negligible. It seemed quite ordinary.
Would the girls in their class react to it like they did with the previous black cat, showering it with “so cute” screams?
As Xie Yu pondered this, the little bird sensed his gaze and suddenly looked up at him. In its originally innocent bean-like eyes, there was an inscrutable depth.
Their eyes met, and it felt as if a top predator had locked onto him, enveloping him in a chilling aura.
As if it could make him disappear from this world at any moment, and no one would notice.
Su Zui shook his head and absentmindedly rubbed the bird’s head on his shoulder. “No.”
The bird’s head tilted from his touch.
The cool and aloof expression it had just worn naturally dissipated.
Xie Yu stared blankly. Was it his imagination?
Why did he feel an irresistible aura of dominance emanating from this chubby bird?
In fact, he had almost been frightened out of his wits by it.
Watching Su Zui pet the bird, Xie Yu’s heart nearly skipped a beat. “Don’t—”
This bird had given him such a fierce look after just one glance. It seemed irritable, ready to peck him on the spot!
But just as he was about to warn Su Zui to be careful, he saw the bird, which had previously given him a death stare, not only refraining from pecking but also nuzzling Su Zui’s neck with its fluffy little head.
Even Xie Yu, a straight guy, had to admit that at this moment, he found the bird’s actions adorable.
Xie Yu: …?
Wasn’t this differential treatment too obvious?!
Xie Yu’s voice gradually faded…
Su Zui looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Xie Yu felt an inexplicable calmness. “Nothing. I suddenly can’t remember what I wanted to say.”
Su Zui hadn’t introduced Phoenix’s identity. Phoenix’s awakening had been kept secret within the Tao community, so he wouldn’t casually reveal it.
He changed the topic. “I apologize for worrying you these past few days.”
Given the phoenix’s unique situation, he couldn’t expose any traces and hadn’t contacted anyone.
Xie Yu replied, “It’s okay. Your safe return is what matters most. Do you need to visit the Tao Association? They’ve been looking for you for a while.”
After all, everyone had their secrets.
Su Zui originally intended to deal with Meng Qingzhi’s matter first. Suddenly, he had another idea and nodded in agreement, saying, ‘Sure, wait for me while I freshen up.’
On his way, Su Zui inquired about the situation. Due to Meng Qingzhi’s action of breaking the illusion array, almost everyone in the Tao community now harbored deep resentment towards him.
Although Su Zui was accustomed to solitude, the nature of his mission in this world required him to constantly improve his public image.
Therefore, before settling the score with Meng Qingzhi completely, he decided to mobilize the power of the masses and teach him a lesson. It would be a win-win situation.
Xie Yu glanced at the bloodstains on Su Zui’s clothes and nodded knowingly.
He was still curious about the peculiar bird perched on Su Zui’s shoulder. However, Su Zui clearly didn’t want to discuss it further, and the bird itself was quite odd. After some consideration, Xie Yu refrained from asking more questions.
But… whether it was his imagination or not, Xie Yu felt that after Su Zui changed the topic, the bird’s eyes seemed to darken slightly.
A disappointed expression, perhaps?
Phoenix felt somewhat dejected. Su Zui didn’t seem inclined to reveal its identity.
In the Phoenix’s memory, its kind possessed strong possessiveness. When their predecessors found someone they admired, the pursuit, relationship confirmation, and even a specific, incredibly elaborate dance performed within their clan were all grand affairs. The goal was to make all other mythical creatures aware of their partner’s affiliation.
But now…
In its beast form, Phoenix’s self-control was weak. The more it thought about it, the more suffocated it felt. It was almost ready to reveal its true identity.
However, considering that Su Zui might get angry, it suppressed the urge.
Xie Yu: ‘…’ The bird’s gaze was quite eerie.
Although he didn’t know what had happened, it felt a bit unsettling!
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The phoenix endured until Xie Yu left.
After Xie Yu’s figure disappeared, Su Zui was about to take a bath when he heard a soft “chirp” from the little bird on his shoulder. It then fluttered down to the ground.
Looking up at him, its tiny eyes radiated intense focus.
Su Zui’s hand, which was pulling at his clothes, froze: ?
Phoenix spread its wings, raised its tail, and elegantly spun in place.
The wings and tail feathers were the most beautiful parts of the phoenix’s body. When it danced, they were particularly eye-catching.
But it had forgotten that it was currently just a little bird.
Its body was round, wings short, and tail relatively long. Compared to its majestic and elegant original form, it could only be described as cute.
As it danced, it resembled a rolling dumpling.
Su Zui was utterly bewildered: ??
Why was his boyfriend suddenly breakdancing?
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Author’s note:
Fat.Chirp: Su Zui, when should we go public? (Cute head tilt.jpg)"
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Thanks for the chapter 😘
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