The Birds Keep Ringing Chapter 2
byChapter 2: Defeated Before the Battle Even Began – The Sole Heir of the Yun Family, the Future Legend of the Jianghu…
Why do people sleep?
Yun Zhen had pondered this for a long time. Some said it was to recuperate and gather strength, while others claimed sleep was for dreaming. He found the latter more plausible. After all, only in dreams could one achieve things they wouldn’t dare to think about normally.
For instance, making Jiang Zhi kneel.
In his dream, Jiang Zhi’s perpetually frozen iceberg face finally displayed vivid emotion, crying so hard it was like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting. He clung to Yun Zhen’s thigh, tears streaming down his face, pleading: “Big Brother, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have ignored your brilliance, nor overlooked your handsomeness. I have mortal eyes and failed to see that you are a banished immortal descended to the world. I am guilty.”
Yun Zhen cleared his throat: “Little Jiang, seeing as we are fellow disciples, I can spare you the death penalty. I can let you live, but there are two conditions. First, you must wash my clothes for a month. Second, hang a sign on your door that reads: ‘From today onward, I am renamed Jiang Buzhi (Jiang Stop-Not).'”
Just as he was about to instruct Jiang Zhi to kowtow and complete the ritual to put the matter behind them.
He woke up.
Yun Zhen opened his eyes and felt something heavy pressing down on him. It was weighty, and he instinctively tried to kick it away, only to find his limbs were unresponsive.
His father’s expensive huanghuali wood bed was still there, but it seemed overly grand. The bedposts were as thick as the pillars the Dragon King used to stabilize the sea, and the blanket had become a continuous mountain range. He looked down and saw a fluffy, round chest and two pitifully slender claws.
Yun Zhen: “???”
His brain raced, trying to comprehend the situation. Perhaps he was still dreaming?
Yun Zhen tried to shout: “Jiang Zhi! You despicable villain!”
The sound that came out was: “Chirp chirp.”
Yun Zhen tried again: “I can leave whenever I want! What business is it of yours!”
“Chirp! Chirp chirp!”
“…”
Yun Zhen, the Chief Disciple of the Flowing Cloud Sect (self-proclaimed), the sole heir of the Yun family, and the future legend of the Jianghu, had now turned into a plump little finch.
After the initial shock, the first thought that popped into Yun Zhen’s mind was: Thank goodness I didn’t leave last night. If I had, I would probably have been snatched up by a wild cat in the mountains by now. And that wild cat would probably complain that the bird was too fat and greasy.
The second thought: Which bastard cursed me with such a dark spell?! Jiang Zhi?! It must be him! Senior Sister was right, he is my bane. Staying in the same place as him will shorten my lifespan sooner or later.
Well, now my lifespan hasn’t been shortened, but my species has changed first.
How insidious! People of the martial world should settle grudges openly. What kind of hero uses such underhanded tactics!
Amidst his grief and indignation, his stomach let out a rumbling protest. Yun Zhen flapped his wings and struggled laboriously out of the blanket. The process was extremely clumsy, like a duck learning to walk.
Finally climbing out of the brocade quilt, he stood on the edge of the bed, staring down at the abyss below, lost in thought.
Don’t the heroes in the storybooks all fly over roofs and walk on snow without leaving a trace? Aren’t birds born knowing how to fly?
He gave himself a pep talk: Yun Zhen, you are a future great hero. You aren’t even afraid of Jiang Zhi, how can you be afraid of this small height?
Yun Zhen closed his eyes, imagining the sight of an eagle soaring through the sky, and leaped down.
Then, with a “thud,” he landed face-first.
His head was ringing, and he saw stars. In the stars, he saw an apparition of his mother, who asked him worriedly: “My dear child, how did you manage to flatten yourself into a bird-meat patty?”
Fortunately, his feathers were thick, so he wasn’t seriously injured. But his face was stinging, probably swollen. His butt hurt, his legs hurt, and his wings seemed to hurt a little too.
Yun Zhen lay on the ground for a long time, recovering, and realized a truth: the key to Lightness Skill might not be in the “skill,” but in the “lightness.” Given this bird’s physique, he was likely destined to be without Lightness Skill for the rest of his life.
This also explained why all true masters were as thin as bamboo poles. It wasn’t that they were ascetic; reality simply didn’t allow them to be fat, or the Internal Energy consumption for flying would be too great.
The tranquility of the Flowing Cloud Sect’s morning was broken by a strange series of chirps.
A round-headed, panicked finch was making its way toward the Sect Master’s dilapidated small courtyard in a desperate, clumsy state of rolling, crawling, flying, and running.
He finally scrambled to Master’s courtyard gate, where the old man was sitting leisurely on a stone stool, eating porridge with a dish of pickled vegetables. As he ate, he carefully picked out some grains of rice from his bowl and neatly arranged them in a row on the table.
Yun Zhen suddenly remembered something.
Senior Disciple said that their sect was not originally called the Flowing Cloud Sect, but the Ragtag Sect. It was supposedly named by the founding patriarch, who believed that people should be honest, and sects should be honest. If it was already dilapidated, why pretend to be grand? Calling it the Ragtag Sect saved people from saying their name didn’t match reality and earned them a reputation for frankness.
Later, Master changed it to the Flowing Cloud Sect to please Yun Zhen’s father, calling it “The Yun family’s wealth flows like water, endless and continuous.” In truth, Yun Zhen suspected it meant “The Yun family’s money flows into the sect like water.”
His father was delighted upon hearing this and immediately added three thousand taels. Master took the silver and promptly spent one hundred and fifty taels hiring someone to carve the three characters “Flowing Cloud Sect” onto the mountain gate. The remaining two thousand eight hundred and fifty taels, he claimed, were used to improve the food. But Yun Zhen had yet to notice any improvement in the food, except that pickled vegetables went from being served daily to every other day.
Yun Zhen had thought at the time, those three characters cost one hundred and fifty taels, where did the remaining two thousand eight hundred and fifty go? Later, he understood: they all went into Master’s pocket. It was clear that all rules, and even beliefs, in the world could hardly escape the influence of human sentiment and money, and his Master was a grandmaster in this art.
“Chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!”
Yun Zhen fluttered onto the stone table, anxiously hopping right under Master’s nose.
Master was startled by the sudden intrusion of the little ball of fluff and squinted at him: “Oh? Where did this fat chirp come from?”
He reached out and poked Yun Zhen’s round belly: “Quite plump. It’s rare for a bird to get this fat these days.”
“Chirp! Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp chirp!”
Yun Zhen spun around in agitation, trying to gesture with his wings. Unfortunately, his wings were too short, making his attempts look like a comical, tiny roc spreading its wings.
He now realized that language was only effective among the same species. This proved that Jiang Zhi was definitely not human either; they had always been communicating across species. Every time Yun Zhen chattered on, Jiang Zhi would only utter a few words, a clear case of species isolation.
Now that neither of them was human, perhaps they could finally communicate.
Master watched for a while, then suddenly extended two fingers, pinched Yun Zhen by the back of his neck, and lifted him up for a closer look. Yun Zhen was too terrified to move, afraid that Master would accidentally drop him into the bowl as a side dish.
After examining him for a moment, Master showed a look of sudden understanding: “Oh, Soul Separation, attached to the body of a Spiritual Sparrow, eh?”
Yun Zhen nodded frantically: “Chirp!” (Yes! It’s me!)
“A small matter, a small matter, my disciple, do not panic,” Master said calmly. “I happen to be leaving for a period of wandering soon. When I return, I will have a solution. Hmm… it might take three to five days, or perhaps seven or eight years.”
“Chirp???” Yun Zhen was dumbfounded.
He could tolerate three to five days, but seven or eight years? In seven or eight years, he could learn to write with bird claws! In seven or eight years, he could establish his own sect and create avian martial arts!
Wait.
Was he male or female now?
Yun Zhen suddenly started contemplating strange questions. If he was female, would he lay a clutch of eggs in seven or eight years? Would those little birds be his children?
Master stroked his bird head and said earnestly: “Zhen’er, this is the will of the Heavenly Dao. When Heaven is about to confer a great mission upon a person, it must first make them change species, settle their mind, observe the world from a different perspective, and gain insight.” He pointed to the row of rice grains on the table and added profoundly: “A Heavenly Secret is hidden here. If you can decipher it, you will be freed sooner.”
Yun Zhen: “…” Insight my ass!
Yun Zhen stared at the row of rice grains, thinking, what insight could he gain from this? Insight into Master’s messy eating, or his obsessive-compulsive disorder?
Seeing his poor comprehension, Master patiently guided him: “Look, they were all in the bowl originally, crowded together, each unwilling to yield to the other. Now that I’ve arranged them, they form a whole. What does this show? It shows that sometimes people need to step out of their familiar environment to see themselves clearly. You’ve become a bird; haven’t you stepped out?”
Master grew more animated: “And look, even though these rice grains have left the bowl, they are still rice grains; their essence hasn’t changed. This is the so-called ‘ten thousand changes do not depart from the fundamental.’ Although you’ve become a bird, you are still you. Yun Zhen is still Yun Zhen. Isn’t that the principle?”
Yun Zhen thought: I can’t even speak now, and you call me Yun Zhen? I think I should be called Yun Fake, or Yun Bird. Let’s just call me Fake Bird.
“Master.”
A voice came from outside the courtyard. Yun Zhen’s feathers instantly bristled, and the entire bird puffed up another size.
It was Jiang Zhi!
Master called out: “Second Disciple, come here.”
Jiang Zhi was walking along the path not far away, still wearing that irritatingly expressionless face. Hearing Master’s voice, he changed direction and walked over, his gaze sweeping the stone table and pausing for a moment on the finch that had exploded into a ball of fluff.
Yun Zhen screamed internally: Don’t see me, don’t see me… I’m just an innocent little bird passing by… Amitabha, the Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao…
Master cleared his throat and sat up straight: “Second Disciple, last night I observed the celestial phenomena and performed a divination, and suddenly realized the Heavenly Dao was calling me.”
“Get to the point.” Jiang Zhi always had zero tolerance for Master’s nonsense.
Master pointed at Yun Zhen and smiled: “This little creature is quite spiritual and has a connection with me. Unfortunately, I must travel far, so you will temporarily look after it for me. Remember to feed it on time; don’t let it starve.”
Jiang Zhi was clearly displeased with this task. He was silent for a moment before uttering two words: “A bother.”
Yun Zhen thought: Excellent! If it’s a bother, then release me! Even being thrown into the woods to be eaten by a wild cat is better than falling into your hands!
“This bird is very clever; it will survive with minimal care,” Master patted his rear and stood up, carrying his bowl toward the house. As he walked, he said, “Besides, it doesn’t eat much, just two meals a day is enough.”
Yun Zhen: “Chirp?” (I eat a lot! Even though I’m smaller now, my appetite is still there!)
Master had already walked far away. Before entering the house, he added: “Oh, and it seems to enjoy listening to people talk. You can chat with it when you have nothing to do.”
Jiang Zhi: “…”
In the morning courtyard, only the finch, with nowhere to escape, remained on the stone table, facing the cold-faced King of Hell beside it.
Two species, four eyes met.
Jiang Zhi’s gaze rested on Yun Zhen. After about the time it takes to steep half a cup of tea, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the bird from the table.
Yun Zhen was forced to admire Jiang Zhi’s expressionless face up close. If this face were in a storybook, it would be the type that would make countless heroines fall head over heels, willing to abandon everything to elope with him. If it weren’t attached to Jiang Zhi, Yun Zhen might have taken a second look or even offered a compliment.
Now?
Now Yun Zhen just wanted to peck out those eyes.
Then, Jiang Zhi did something Yun Zhen would never forget.
He let go.
Just like that, without warning, he let go.
The entire bird suddenly lost its support and began free-falling. The wind whistled in his ears, and the ground magnified before his eyes. It turned out that a person’s height was truly high for a bird.
His bird life flashed before Yun Zhen’s eyes like a revolving lantern. Wait, why was the revolving lantern filled with Jiang Zhi’s deadpan face? It must be that his brain capacity shrank after turning into a bird! Yes! That must be it!
Just as Yun Zhen thought he was about to crash and die, becoming the first finch in Jianghu history to die of murder, his survival instinct suddenly erupted.
His wings “swooshed” open, instinctively flapping.
Once, twice, thrice.
He was suspended in mid-air!
He was flying!
“This devil!” Yun Zhen thought.
An incredibly bold idea surged up. He could fly! And Jiang Zhi couldn’t possibly commit murder—no, bird-slaughter—in broad daylight, could he?
If I don’t avenge this, I am no gentleman… no gentleman bird!
Malice fueled his courage. Yun Zhen targeted his goal, mustered all his strength, executed a sudden dive, then pulled up, accurately and steadily landing on top of Jiang Zhi’s head.
Jiang Zhi seemed to freeze, ever so slightly. All his muscles tensed for a moment, as if he had been struck by a pressure point. It was subtle, but Yun Zhen felt it.
Yun Zhen didn’t care about his reaction. He triumphantly stomped on Jiang Zhi’s meticulously combed ponytail. Stomping wasn’t enough; he had to leave a souvenir. Yun Zhen grabbed his hair with his beak and pulled, thinking as he tugged: That’s for acting superior! That’s for giving me the cold shoulder! That’s for throwing me down!
The surrounding temperature plummeted instantly, as if jumping from early spring directly to the dead of winter.
Yun Zhen belatedly sensed something was wrong, and his movements froze.
Jiang Zhi’s hand was slowly, slowly moving toward the sword at his waist.
Yun Zhen recognized that sword; it was the infamous “Fuzhou,” feared throughout the Jianghu, capable of slicing through iron and cutting hair blown across its edge. He had once watched Jiang Zhi use that sword to chop firewood; with one stroke, an entire bundle of wood was neatly severed in two.
At the time, Yun Zhen had said admiringly: “Second Senior Brother, your sword is so fast!”
Jiang Zhi glanced at him: “It can be faster.”
Thinking back now, there was a hidden meaning in those words!
Just before the sword was fully drawn, Yun Zhen kicked with all his might, his wings flapping desperately. He “whooshed” away from Jiang Zhi’s head, flying erratically to a nearby tree branch. He landed unsteadily, nearly rolling off, and had to cling desperately to the bark with his claws to save his bird life.
Yun Zhen lay on the branch, panting in shock, feeling his heart was about to burst.
Jiang Zhi’s sword was only three inches out of the sheath, its cold light sharp. He slightly raised his eyes, his finger still pressed on the hilt, his icy gaze locked onto the trembling ball of fluff.
Three seconds later, Jiang Zhi withdrew his hand, the sword returned to its sheath, and he turned and walked away.
Yun Zhen calmed himself down and thought: This guy is clearly worried about something! Master entrusted me to him. No matter how much he wants to kill me, he has to respect Master’s face!
Yun Zhen triumphantly scratched the branch with his claws, then turned his back to Jiang Zhi’s retreating figure and performed a highly provocative action: he wiggled the feathers on his tail.
Perhaps being a bird wasn’t so bad after all; at least he could lord it over his enemy’s head. Thinking this, Yun Zhen felt a little better. Maybe Master was right; this really was the will of the Heavenly Dao.
But an hour later, he couldn’t smile anymore.
Because he was hungry, extremely hungry.
Yun Zhen flew to the entrance of Jiang Zhi’s courtyard and engaged in an intense internal struggle. Going in meant bowing to evil forces, losing his integrity, and giving Jiang Zhi a chance to enslave him. Not going in meant starving himself.
Ultimately, appetite triumphed over dignity.
After all, dignity couldn’t be eaten, but millet could. Besides, better to live miserably than die well. As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn. Once he was full, there would be plenty of opportunities for revenge.
Jiang Zhi was standing in front of the stone table, holding a bowl filled with golden millet.
Yun Zhen hesitated, then landed on the table. His landing was not graceful; he nearly face-planted. He steadied himself and raised his head haughtily. Jiang Zhi glanced at him and pushed the bowl closer.
Yun Zhen eyed the bowl suspiciously, then looked up at Jiang Zhi, wondering if the millet was poisoned. But his stomach’s protests grew louder. Poison or not, he decided to eat first.
Just as he was about to bury his head in the food, he heard Jiang Zhi say: “From now on, chirp three times when you are hungry.”
What kind of strange rule was this? Why three chirps? Couldn’t it be two? Or four?
To express his dissatisfaction, Yun Zhen deliberately chirped four times: “Chirp chirp chirp chirp!”
Jiang Zhi’s mouth twitched.
“…”
Yun Zhen’s eyes widened. Although it was just a tiny movement at the corner of his mouth, an amplitude so small it was almost negligible, Yun Zhen was sure he hadn’t mistaken it. Jiang Zhi, this cold-blooded creature, this man with dead facial nerves, actually smiled! He smiled at a bird!
This realization made all the feathers on Yun Zhen’s body stand on end. He had previously gone to great lengths to get attention from Jiang Zhi, only for the man to barely spare him a glance. Now that he was a bird, a couple of chirps made Jiang Zhi smile.
While Yun Zhen was lost in wild speculation, Jiang Zhi suddenly pressed lightly on his round head.
Yun Zhen reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, his feathers bristling again, glaring at him warily.
Had this person taken the wrong medicine today? Or did Jiang Zhi have a special preference for birds? If that was the case… Yun Zhen shook his head, casting out the absurd thought.
Impossible, absolutely impossible! He refused to be a bird for the rest of his life.
Author’s Note:
Please support this little bird hero in beating up his Second Senior Brother [pat head]