Chapter 110 The three wandered through the bustling...
The three strolled through the bustling streets, the faint light of lanterns casting a soft glow, and the colorful glass reflecting this bizarre and fantastical world.
To avoid getting lost in the crowded streets, Xie Baoqiong, with a gray and white bird-shaped ornament on her head and a red fox in her arms, squeezed through the gaps between people and headed in the direction Su Xiaochun had mentioned where snow geese had appeared.
The two-tailed fox, Xueyan with her human-like expression, and the seemingly human boy were just an ordinary pair in this space.
"Xiaochun, there are so many people around here."
Xie Baoqiong, who had just emerged from the crowd, used one hand to steady Xueyan, whose feathers were ruffled from being jostled on her head. With his other hand, he held the fox, which was flattened and pressed against his chest.
The red fox brushed aside the strands of hair stuck to its muzzle, rubbed its ruffled fur against its face with its front paws, and then complained:
"Today seems to be some kind of mooncake festival for humans, and there are rumors of a secret realm nearby, so everyone's gathered here. They're all cultivating immortality, yet humans still celebrate festivals every year. I really don't know why they love crowding together so much..."
Su Xiaochun's voice clearly rang in his chest, but it was muffled in the noisy environment. Apart from Shi Tou and Xue Yan who were listening attentively, it did not attract any hostility from others.
"A festival for eating cakes?" Xie Baoqiong tiptoed, trying to peer through the gaps in the crowd to see if there were cakes piled up like moon platters in the center.
But the sea of people shoulder to shoulder completely blocked his view.
"Probably, the people with me ate the pancakes."
Suddenly, a snow goose poked its head out from among the strands of hair, a striking patch of bright color emerging from the black strands:
"Arjun, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Although we eat mooncakes, it is a day for humans to celebrate family reunion."
As the only one of the three who grew up among humans, Qi Gui quickly intervened to bring the increasingly strange topic back on track.
Reunion...
Xie Baoqiong paused for a moment, recalling a topic that Su Xiaochun had mentioned not long ago, but which he had vaguely brushed aside using Xin Xuan as an excuse.
"You're thinking about those mortals again."
The faint sound dispelled the figures that appeared in his thoughts.
"I am clearly with you."
After squeezing out of the crowd, its fluffy tail swept against his wrist in dissatisfaction, and when it lowered its eyes, it revealed the deep, all-seeing gaze of a fox.
Xie Baoqiong wasn't embarrassed at all, and simply said frankly, "Xiaochun, he's different."
The fox's round, brown eyes gave off a "you're done for" look; its front paws braced against the fabric in front of it, and its two soft ears snapped back.
"Humans are no different; they can cunningly deceive monsters until they finally rip out their hearts..."
Seeing the conversation heading in a bad direction, Xie Baoqiong hurriedly and awkwardly changed the subject:
"Doesn't Xiaochun miss her older sister?"
The fox tilted its head and fell into the human boy's arms, its eyes reflecting the hazy light of the lanterns overhead, unmoved by his words:
"Anyway, we'll meet again someday..."
The fox's furry paws hooked onto the boy's robe at the chest: "Besides, that person isn't your biological father, why does it have to be him? If you really want a father, I can be your father too..."
The moment the words left his mouth, the fox's head was suddenly punched. Su Xiaochun shook his head, which didn't hurt, and tilted his head back. His long snout gently bit the boy's hand before he could retract it.
Watching the two playfully fighting, Xueyan above belatedly realized:
"Ah-Jung, are you thinking about Lord Xie?"
"..."
"Thinking of a mortal is incredibly stupid." Su Xiaochun pressed her white canine teeth against the skin harder, making a muffled sound.
"Ah-Jung, shall we go back?"
Qi Gui's sudden voice seemed to stop the flickering lights of the lanterns for a moment, and the dazzling world seemed to turn gray for a instant.
Xie Baoqiong pulled her bitten hand away and asked in a daze, "Why?"
"Yes, little duck, we're helping you find someone now."
The fox, having released its grip, jumped onto Xie Baoqiong's shoulder, its long snout almost poking into the white mass.
Qi Gui couldn't explain why, whether it was the tension of finally getting an answer, the feeling that he was a burden to Xie Baoqiong, or some other hidden emotions.
"Ah-Qiong, hurry up and finish your work so you can see Lord Xie sooner..."
"It would be best if he and that human never saw each other again in this lifetime," Su Xiaochun said angrily. Why do they all seem to like humans so much...?
The long, thin whiskers on its beak poked at the snow goose's feathers. Despite knowing that Su Xiaochun wouldn't hurt it, the snow goose couldn't help but instinctively shrink into a small ball in the face of the predator's scent.
"Xiaochun..."
One hand stroked the red fox's fur, then lifted the fox from the shoulder and gently patted the frightened snow goose on the head.
"Qi Gui, I still haven't found the person I'm looking for, but we've got a lead on the Snow Goose clan you're looking for. Maybe we'll run into them on the way..."
"Why are you looking for the Snow Goose's clan?"
A faint sound approached them from the noisy environment.
Xie Baoqiong turned around, and three pairs of eyes simultaneously focused on the newcomer. A feathered robe was the first thing that caught the eye, and equally striking were the woman's long hair, which had turned from white to black. The hair was piled high on her head, and the color of her hair was as pure white as the feathers of a snow goose, while the ends of her hair were like ebony.
The snow goose overhead immediately stretched its neck to meet the woman's gaze:
"So there's a fledgling here. Which tribe's cub are you? How can you manage to fly south with such downy feathers that haven't completely fallen off?"
Xueyan's outstretched neck stiffened for a moment before shrinking back into her body, curling up into a ball.
“Qi Gui can transform into human form and doesn’t need wings; he can fly by controlling objects,” Xie Baoqiong said, sensing the movement above her.
Qi Gui, feeling embarrassed, lightly pecked the boy on the head; the boy hadn't yet learned how to fly.
The young man, full of youthful arrogance, ignored the sensation on his head and stared directly at the woman who was two heads taller than him.
Are you also a snow goose?
"Asking about someone's true form is not a polite thing to do. Didn't your elders teach you that?" The woman's gaze swept over the white hair in her black hair. Her tone was still kind, and she did not deny Xie Baoqiong's words.
"My name is Bai Dongyi."
After exchanging names, Xie Baoqiong answered Bai Dongyi's first question:
"We want to find Qi Gui's mother."
Bai Dongyi stroked his chin, staring at those grayish-white, expectant, beady eyes:
“We have never heard of anyone in our tribe losing their cubs.”
The eyes, which had just been as bright as lanterns, instantly lost their light, and even the white feathers on Xueyan's body seemed listless. The fox, lying in Xie Baoqiong's arms, lazily yawned.
"You're not the only snow geese that have stopped here."
“That’s right.” Bai Dongyi then noticed that the fox being held in the boy’s arms had two tails. “I can take you to ask about it tomorrow.”
Thank you.
Since Xie Baoqiong and Qi Gui did not have a jade token for communication between cultivators, Su Xiaochun ultimately exchanged spiritual consciousness with someone using a jade token.
—
The next morning.
In the dimly lit room, the jade pendant placed on the bedside table shone brightly, and a fox paw emerged from the quilt, rummaging through the jade pendant.
The glowing jade pendant shone even brighter in the pitch-black quilt.
"Xiaochun, it's dawn."
Xie Baoqiong rubbed her face against the fox beside her, her dazed mind still thinking she was back in Sishui Mountain.
It wasn't until they saw their current surroundings that they realized they were in Fenghai City.
"Xiaochun, is this a message from Fellow Daoist Bai?"
The fluffy fox paws scratched at the jade pendant, and after reading the message on it, its sleepy eyes widened suddenly:
"Xiao Bao, I have to go now."
The red fox jumped off the bed, flicked its tail, and tossed the jade pendant to the boy on the bed:
"The secret realm has opened, and I need to go in with it. I'll leave this jade token with you; send me a message if anything happens."
Before the words had even finished, the window made a soft sound, and the red fox disappeared into the room.
"Ah-Qiong." After a few knocks, the door was pushed open. "I saw Young Master Su leave in a hurry. Did something happen?"
Morning light streamed in through the open door and window, casting a gentle glow on the boy standing by the window. Xie Baoqiong, while putting on her coat, replied:
"He had to leave early, but he left the jade token with me. Let's go find Fellow Daoist Bai."
—
Qi Gui, now in human form, appeared before Bai Dongyi, who was slightly taken aback.
"Fellow Daoist Bai, is there any news about my mother?" Qi Gui asked cautiously. After the blow last night, he tried his best not to have any expectations, but the hope and tension had already emerged from his clear eyes.
Bai Dongyi paused before he could finish speaking: "Several groups have already set off..."
The hand hanging by her side was touched. "Qi Gui, we can look elsewhere."
His eyes curved into a smile, and he forced a laugh: "It's alright, thank you Ah-Qiong for helping me search for so long." I've already gained so much, so it's okay if I can't have more.
Bai Dongyi stood there, watching the figure in plain clothes disappear into the crowd, lost in thought.
...
The secret realm has been opened, and the market that was bustling yesterday has suddenly become deserted today. The shops on both sides are empty, but the colorful lanterns overhead remain unchanged.
The intricate colors fell on Qi Gui's face, which was paler than most people's, and rippled across his face along with the patterns painted on the lanterns.
"Qi Gui." Xie Baoqiong's call made the boy turn his head to look at her: "Why don't you cry if you're sad?"
A vivid look of surprise appeared on the boy's pale face. The lantern above his head swayed more violently in the wind, and the wrinkles on Qi Gui's face became even more chaotic. His lips moved, but words that were as lively as those of a bird could not fly out of his mouth.
He hesitated for a long time, his pale face and lips turning slightly red: "I... I just don't want to cry every time I'm with you..." The boy's voice was very soft: "That way, Ah-Qiong will only remember me crying."
The cold, hard stone seemed far more eloquent than the agile bird; Xie Baoqiong's eyes, reflecting the white bird's shadow, were filled with sincerity.
“Memory isn’t just a fleeting moment. I won’t just remember the way you cried. Besides, shedding tears is a powerful skill that can influence the thoughts of those who care about you…” Just like when Xie Zhuo cried, he thought he didn’t want the moon anymore.
Xie Baoqiong raised his eyebrows, his eyes filled with anticipation: "Qi Gui, teach me how to cry!" He was born without tears and couldn't cry, but he wanted to know what Xie Zhuo would think if he shed tears in front of him.
Xie Baoqiong's interference made all her sadness disappear. Qi Gui pursed her lips and relaxed her brows and eyes again: "You still say you don't remember what I looked like when I cried."
The boy beside her nimbly darted forward a step, then turned around and retreated, saying slyly, "I meant I won't just remember the way you cried."
...
As the two were laughing and joking, a loud explosion suddenly erupted around them.
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