It Turns out that I am Beautiful, Strong and Miserable [Quick Wear] - 140

 

ITOTIABSAM | The Immortal on Liuyun Mountain | 140

Lowering his gaze, Xie Ye fixedly watched the white bird exerting effort to clean his fingers, and a nonsensical thought popped into his mind.

...Could it be Gu Cong?

Before either of them realized it, they had already encountered each other, and then, passed by each other.

"System," his fingertip, almost opened to trigger the kill switch, casually ran along the white bird's feathers, sending a chill that made the bird shiver.

Maintaining his usual demeanor, Xie Ye asked, "Has the report come back yet?"

1101 shook its head. "Not yet."

The report had been sent out, but the status remained unread. This situation, losing contact with the mini-world and the quick-trangmigration bureau, had never happened before. Could it be because it secretly accompanied the host in being idle and neglectful, resulting in being blacklisted by the leadership?

"Hmm." Even though the only official channel to get an explanation was blocked, Xie Ye remained much calmer than 1101 imagined. He even felt that he was one step closer to the truth.

With a slight movement of his mind, the entangled puppet threads were instantly pulled away. Gu Cong, who had just played the role of a towel, fell sharply, flapping his wings and landing in the scent of cedarwood.

Forming his right hand into a half-circle, the young man pushed him into the layers of fabric near his arms, soft and comfortable, yet capable of preventing him from falling out, like a makeshift nest.

The treatment was too good.

Alarm bells rang in Gu Cong's mind.

He didn't feel like he had made any plot-changing moves, but it was evident that at some moment he couldn't pinpoint, Xie Ye's attitude had shifted.

As if sensing his unease, the young man rose, stroking his tail feathers, and murmured softly, "Don't be afraid."

Because of his own experience, Xie Ye hadn't looked at the original story after arriving in this world. Now, as he walked back with the white sparrow in his arms, he had the system pull up the document for "Strange Immortal."

[Swish, Song He cautiously concealed his figure, landing on the tree furthest from the strange immortal's line of sight.

He remembered, Shen Qingshu had said that the other party disliked living creatures, especially birds. Yet here he was, not only with a name that contained the word "crane," but now also transformed into a chubby white sparrow.

He must keep his distance from that monster.]

Wandering soul.

Song He.

White bird.

Confirming that there was only one fluffy creature on Mount Liuyun that matched the description from the original text, Xie Ye lowered his head to look at the silly bird in his arms, which had risked its life to get close to him. Then, considering the psychological descriptions of Shen Qingshu of the "monster" in the book, he suddenly smiled.

Time travel? Rebirth? Possession?

If he remembered correctly, this white sparrow had never truly feared him in his past before he awakened. It had even been his neighbor for a long time, occasionally hopping around and singing songs.

This Song He was not the same as the one from before, but the ending sword strike had indeed pierced him. What happened in between? Did the original owner's soul return and drive away the "impostor"?

Considering this possibility, the pressure around Xie Ye suddenly lowered.

—-It's so cold.

Unconsciously shivering, the bundled-up furball that was Gu Cong lying in Xie Ye's arms opened his alert eyes and looked around.

Birds naturally have higher body temperatures, so compared to that, the young man's hands were downright chilly. After hesitating for two seconds, Gu Cong cautiously snuggled closer to Xie Ye's palm, his fluffy feathers squeezing into the gaps between his fingers.

0028 wanted to remind him that Xie Ye has ascended, he is stronger than the old monsters undergoing tribulation. So why would he be afraid of the cold?

Deep down, it always felt like something was spying on it. Based on the countless experiences accumulated during missions, 0028 closed its mouth tightly, minimizing data fluctuations.

Checking the white bird once again from head to toe, 1101 affirmed, "Indeed, it's the real Song He. The soul lamp is still lit."

Xie Ye remained noncommittal. 

Compared to external factors, he trusted himself more. Given another chance, he had plenty of time to explore the truth. With the overlooked clues now in his hands, he could overturn the established outcome. When the time came, those who wanted him to die under the protagonist's sword, just like in the original, would naturally reveal themselves.

"Was it you who kept bothering me with the star-grass before?" Xie Ye asked, seemingly indifferent, poking at the white bird's body after reading the original work, "Why do you all love to act cute?"

Gu Cong, who was teetering on the edge of falling off the horse, felt uncertain. He wasn't sure if the other party was just casually mentioning it or intentionally probing. He also didn't know what Xie Ye's view was on the original owner, Song He. 

All he could do was pretend not to understand, innocently tilting his head and chirping, "Chirp."

Fortunately, the young man didn't dwell on this question any further. After putting him in the master bedroom and preparing water and spirit fruits, the other party picked up the umbrella again and left.

The villain had to go to the cave to carve and nourish his primary puppet every day, and today had already been delayed for quite some time.

Confirming that there was no longer Xie Ye's presence outside the door, Gu Cong felt slightly relieved and asked, "0028."

"Are all antagonists this clever?" 0028 diverted the topic, saying, "This world is a bit strange. I'll report to the bureau first."

Feeling much lighter after the young man poked around his body and feathers a few times, Gu Cong shook his tail feathers and took a sip of water to moisten his throat. "Do we have to kill people?"

"I think Xie Ye can be reasoned with."

"If you can convince him to give up on Shen Qingshu," seeing too many naive newcomers, 0028 remained calm and indifferent, not bothering to persuade, "Good luck."

A greenhorn is not afraid of a tiger. Only when faced with imminent failure will the other party naturally realize that complying with the plot is the most stable and effortless way.

Admiring the male lead's opponent, one is destined to be on the opposite side of the villain.

But now he’s just a bird, unable to communicate and still very weak.

With a clear understanding of his situation, Gu Cong flapped his wings and flew to the bamboo box near the bed in Xie Ye's bedroom. It took him a lot of effort to open it slightly:

There's no other choice. Know thy enemy, know thyself, a hundred battles, a hundred victories.

There is the only place in the villain’s room where things can be hidden.

Being in the world of cultivation novels, Gu Cong originally thought that after opening the bamboo box, he would see an endless mustard seed space, or perhaps enter a world of immortal mansions. However, in reality, the bamboo box was just a bamboo box, and inside were not treasures or techniques, but just some ordinary change of clothes.

At the bottom, there was a tiny sleeping phoenix bird.

Clean and lifelike, yet despite being barely considered a member of the same species, Gu Cong could clearly sense that the bird was already dead.

A chill ran down his spine, and just as Gu Cong was about to put down the clothes and close the bamboo box, the phoenix bird, not much bigger than him, suddenly opened a pair of crimson eyes.

Countless fragments, like illusions yet also like memories, crowded into his mind, causing him intense spiritual pain.

In a trance, he seemed to transform into a cold, icy moon, shining brightly, so close to the ground that he could see two children sitting and standing below.

The seated figure looked embarrassed, as if they had been fleeing from someone for a long time. His face was dirty, and his ankle was swollen, with many scratches visible where clothing failed to cover.

The standing figure, on the other hand, was full of curiosity, with disheveled hair, taking a step forward.

Gu Cong immediately recognized the latter as the young version of Xie Ye:

The boy's skin was overly pale, his lips unnaturally red as if freshly stained with blood. Due to his youthful appearance, his eyes were round and large, with pupils so dark they seemed bottomless whirlpools. Even when smiling, it sent a shiver down one's spine.

"Are you lost?" the young immortal asked, stumbling over his words after not speaking for too long.

The "fellow" being questioned didn't respond, exuding a calmness far beyond their appearance. Lips pursed, they used their hands to support themselves, slowly shuffling backward.

"Chirp!" Something restless stirred within his arms, sensing its owner's fear. Suddenly, the injured phoenix bird burst out, its sharp beak darting frenziedly toward the immortal's eyes.

But then, it was gently grasped by a frail, bony hand.

Despite the attack, there was no panic, fear, or anger on the young Xie Ye's face. He continued to smile, almost joyfully. "It's cute. It likes me," he said, as if the bird were playing a fun game with him, just like his family in the mountains used to.

However, the smile quickly faded from the young Xie Ye's face, replaced by confusion.

Because the phoenix bird in his hand had drooped its wings.

Its eyes clouded over and its shiny feathers dulled. Its legs stiffened, resembling two withered branches.

Silently, Shen Qing Shu, sitting opposite the boy, shed tears that stung as they flowed over his wounds.

He was scared. Terrified.

After being thrown from the sky by his uncle who loved him the most, the phoenix bird had been his only support.

The young Xie Ye never truly witnessed someone crying before, the vague concept became a reality. The young Xie Ye's confusion turned to panic. His fingers flipped, and in an instant, white puppet threads pierced through the phoenix's head, wings, and legs, dripping with uncoagulated blood.

"It's not dead," miraculously, the lifeless phoenix stood on the young immortal's hand, flapping its wings towards its crying little master, who resembled a frightened kitten. "See, it's still alive."

Recalling the bird's eager chirps to play with him just moments ago, the boy leaned forward, crouching down to present his new friend, his new family member, to the only other being that looked like him:

"Chirp."

Shen Qingshu's eyes widened abruptly.

As if trapped in a spider's web, accompanied by a nauseating stench, his beloved spiritual pet was nailed down, its blood saturating his fingers, flowing down like a snake. Those hands reached out to him, accompanied by the grotesque sight of the boy standing under the eerily large full moon, with countless pairs of deformed, dangling feet swaying in the air.

Was it a person?

Or a monster?

Summoning unknown strength, Shen Qingshu slapped away the boy's hand, enduring the pain, and ran away without looking back.

Silently, the sinister vines surged forth from the ground, just as they were about to pierce the boy's back, they abruptly halted.

"Behave yourself." Standing amidst the vines, the young Xie Ye absentmindedly freed one hand and patted the creature.

In the lonely night, he watched Shen Qingshu's figure gradually recede into the distance until he became a small black dot, disappearing from view.

"Let him go," for the first time he felt such negative emotions originating from his own kind. The young Xie Ye lowered his head and gently touched the stiff phoenix in his hand. "I seem to have done something wrong..."

"Next time we meet, I'll return it to him." Identical to the phoenix without visible threads.

As the vines thrashed about, the monsters crowded together in the moonlight, murmuring incoherently.

"It's okay."

Even though his heart felt heavy with a sourness, the young Xie Ye smiled. "Be obedient."

"Clear the way for him."

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