The Birds Keep Ringing Chapter 3
byChapter 3: Third Arc: Great Hero Yun Sacrifices Himself to Squeeze Through a Crack, While Saint of Love Xiao Fakes…
The night wind was biting, deliberately seeking out the gaps in his feathers. Yun Zhen stood on the bare, crooked tree outside Jiang Zhi’s courtyard for a long time, shivering from the cold.
He was originally a man of great integrity.
A true man stands between heaven and earth; how could he bend his back for a mere pittance, much less bow his head beneath a roof? He would rather freeze to death outside, falling from this tree, than squeeze inside for warmth!
Integrity, however, was something you talked about during the day; it couldn’t be used as a blanket at night.
Another gust of wind blew through the courtyard, and Yun Zhen shivered. His two claws were numb with cold, and he nearly lost his grip and tumbled from the tree. He cautiously peered toward the dark house. The door was shut tightly, but years of wind and rain had finally rotted a gap beneath the door panel.
This clearly exposed the widespread problem of cutting corners in the carpentry industry, and also proved that his stingy Master must have saved money again when building the house.
Yun Zhen consoled himself: A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, provided the gentleman survives the night first.
Flapping his wings, he awkwardly landed on the ground and scurried like a ball of fluff toward the crack in the door. The gap was extremely narrow—not at all friendly to a plump, well-fed pearl bird.
Yun Zhen took a deep breath, sucked in his stomach, retracted his chest, and used all his might to squeeze through.
“Chirp!”—He was stuck.
Just as he was caught between advancing and retreating, despairing of his bird life, he somehow applied force at the right angle and was launched inside like a marble, propelled by his own fat body.
The room was pitch black, but much warmer than outside. Yun Zhen steadied himself and surveyed his surroundings by the faint moonlight filtering through the window.
Jiang Zhi’s room, like the man himself, was unremarkable. Besides a bed, a table and chairs, and a sword rack, there wasn’t even an extra teacup. So-called minimalism was often just another word for poverty.
Terrible taste. Yun Zhen grumbled internally, then began to ponder where to sleep tonight.
The bed was out of the question. If Jiang Zhi returned and rolled over and crushed him, it would be a terrible injustice. Dying in his enemy’s bed—if that got out, it would severely damage his reputation in the martial world.
The floor was too cold, the table too hard… Yun Zhen’s gaze finally settled on the open book on the table. The pages were spread wide. Although the paper wasn’t thick, it was better than lying directly on the table.
He hopped onto the pages, curled into a ball of fluff, and tucked his head under his wing. Before falling asleep, Yun Zhen thought: He, the eldest young master of the Yun Family, used to sleep on a huanghuali wood bed and cover himself with Suzhou silk quilts. Now he was reduced to sleeping on a tattered book.
Truly, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. He was only eighteen, not yet thirty years, and he had already rolled from the east to the west, and then from the west right into the river.
As for why he didn’t return to his own room to sleep? Of course, it was because the quality of his room was too good; it had no cracks.
Such is life.
He didn’t know how much time passed before the sound of the door opening startled him awake. Yun Zhen snapped his eyes open, all sleepiness gone.
Jiang Zhi was back.
Yun Zhen thought, why couldn’t this person have a normal nightlife? Insisting on running off to practice swordplay in the middle of the night—it was practically an illness. Shouldn’t normal people be sleeping right now? Or perhaps like Senior Disciple Brother…
Forget it, practicing the sword was better.
Yun Zhen would rather Jiang Zhi practice his sword until he suffered Cultivation Deviation than see him adopt Senior Disciple Brother’s flirtatious ways. Just the thought made the entire bird uncomfortable. Moreover, if Jiang Zhi also learned Senior Disciple Brother’s sweet talk, and girls or young men came knocking every few days crying their eyes out, how would he ever get any sleep?
Thinking about it now, Jiang Zhi probably relied on this kind of dedication to achieve his skills, while he himself, apart from his excellent verbal skills, seemed to have room for improvement in other areas.
Jiang Zhi entered, bringing the chill of the late night with him, but his movements were quiet. He didn’t light a lamp, merely using the moonlight to unbuckle his sword and hang it on the rack, then began to undo his belt.
Yun Zhen immediately grew alert, his entire body tense.
Was this person going to take off his clothes? Should he look away? Although he was a bird now, he felt it was improper to watch someone undress…
Countless thoughts flashed through Yun Zhen’s mind, but in the end, he couldn’t resist and secretly opened one eye for a peek.
Oh, he still had clothes on underneath. False alarm.
Jiang Zhi’s movements paused, and his gaze fell upon the table.
Yun Zhen screamed internally: What are you looking at! Haven’t you ever seen a bird sleeping! Go to sleep!
Jiang Zhi ignored him, as expected, and turned to wash up.
Yun Zhen breathed a sigh of relief. His energy was mostly restored, and the anger he had suppressed all day began to burn fiercely again. Most importantly, why should he, a seven-foot man (though currently only seven inches), have to live under the thumb of an enemy?
So, just as Jiang Zhi was about to lie down, Yun Zhen cleared his throat, gathered his emotions, and opened his beak.
“Chirp—!”
A clear, loud, and highly penetrating bird call exploded in the silent night.
Jiang Zhi paused in the act of lifting his blanket.
Seeing the effect, Yun Zhen redoubled his efforts: “Chirp! Chirp chirp! Chirp—!”
He poured all the grievances and resentment of his life into his calls, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes short and sharp, sometimes melodious.
Jiang Zhi lay down and turned over, presenting his back to Yun Zhen.
Yun Zhen called even more vigorously, flapping his wings to the edge of the table, facing the back of Jiang Zhi’s head, and began his solo performance at the top of his lungs.
Just at the moment he was most engrossed in his singing, the world suddenly went dark.
A piece of black cloth descended from the sky, accurately covering him. The world instantly became pitch black, and his voice was muffled.
Yun Zhen: “Chirp… hmm?”
He was stunned for a long moment before realizing what had happened.
Jiang Zhi had covered him with a black cloth! Just like covering a parrot!
Yun Zhen trembled with rage, struggling desperately underneath, scratching and pecking until he finally managed to squeeze out. Furious, he stormed out of the room and flew back to the branch outside.
The cold wind hit him, instantly sobering him up, and then came the regret.
Inside the room, Jiang Zhi seemed to have fallen asleep, his breathing steady. Yun Zhen stood alone in the cold wind, a massive sense of grievance welling up inside him.
Three years ago, he was living in luxury, surrounded by attendants wherever he went. Since being tricked into coming here, he hadn’t had a single good day, and now he was a bird, being bullied by his enemy like this. If his parents knew, they would surely die of heartbreak.
Finally, Yun Zhen drooped his head and flew back inside dejectedly. When he landed, he noticed that on the book where he had slept, there was now a small cushion folded from soft cloth.
The soft cloth was folded neatly, like a tiny bird’s nest.
He hopped onto it; it was soft and warm.
Yun Zhen sulked for a while longer, but the sulking eventually gave way to sleep.
The next morning, when he woke up, Jiang Zhi was gone again.
This person woke up to practice swordplay before dawn every day. Yun Zhen seriously suspected he was a rooster in his past life, one who never missed crowing time.
On the table was a small dish of soaked millet, and next to it, a cup of clear water. The water had just been changed and was still steaming.
Yun Zhen curled his lip, muttered “hypocrite,” and then, lacking any self-respect, buried his head in the dish.
Hmm, the taste was acceptable. Although he would prefer braised pork.
Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate. Yun Zhen raised his head alertly, a grain of millet still clinging to his beak.
Jiang Zhi walked in first, followed by two figures—Senior Disciple Brother Xiao Fengzhi and Senior Disciple Sister Wen Wan.
“This is terrible, Second Disciple Brother!” Wen Wan looked anxious. “Zhenzhen is gone!”
Xiao Fengzhi added gravely, “He also left a letter saying he was going to roam the martial world and that we shouldn’t worry.”
What letter? When did he leave a letter?
Oh, before he turned into a bird, he did write a letter saying he was going to roam the martial world and make a name for himself. Yun Zhen still remembered the last line of the letter: “The martial road is long, we shall meet again. All Senior Disciple Brothers and Sisters, take care. When I achieve fame and fortune, I shall return in glory!”
He had felt incredibly heroic and chivalrous when he wrote it, but hearing it read aloud now was embarrassing.
Jiang Zhi’s expression didn’t change at all. He walked to the table and poured himself a cup of water: “Let him go.”
Yun Zhen, who was preening his feathers on the windowsill, froze at those two words.
Let him go?
He was so angry he nearly fell off the windowsill. How dare you, Jiang Zhi! Cold-blooded and heartless! We are fellow disciples, and you are so eager for me to leave? You didn’t even offer a polite word of retention!
“Chirp chirp chirp!” Yun Zhen cursed at Jiang Zhi’s back.
Just then, Xiao Fengzhi glanced over and spotted the ruffled, angry pearl bird on the windowsill. He mused, “Disciple Brother, where did you get this bird?”
“Master gave it to me.”
“Keeping a bird?” Xiao Fengzhi smiled faintly. “Is Disciple Brother starting to cultivate hobbies? Why the sudden interest in birds?”
“Senior Disciple Brother, what time is it? Do you still have time to look at birds!” Wen Wan was almost in tears. “How can we just let him go! Zhenzhen’s martial arts are so poor, and he’s so naive, plus he took so much money. Isn’t he just a fat sheep delivering himself to the slaughter? Which bandits or black inn owners aren’t eyeing him greedily? No, I must go down the mountain to find him!”
Yun Zhen: “…”
Yun Zhen thought: Senior Disciple Sister, I know you care about me, but could you phrase it differently? What do you mean by “martial arts are so poor” and “he’s so naive”? It makes him sound like an idiot.
Jiang Zhi put down his teacup and said calmly, “He wants to leave. The letter made that clear. If that’s the case, stopping him is useless.”
“Disciple Sister, wait.” Xiao Fengzhi used his fan to stop Wen Wan. “Don’t panic. Junior Disciple Brother is blessed by fate. Besides…”
He paused, glancing meaningfully at Jiang Zhi by the table, “Think about it. If Junior Disciple Brother truly encounters danger, who should be the most worried?”
Wen Wan was taken aback: “…Master?”
“Not quite.” Xiao Fengzhi closed his fan, becoming serious for once. “If Junior Disciple Brother is lost, our Master will at most lament the loss of income for the next few years, then consider whether to take on another wealthy disciple.”
Yun Zhen agreed; Master was indeed that kind of person.
“But Second Disciple Brother is different,” Xiao Fengzhi turned to Jiang Zhi, smiling like a fox. “According to the fortune teller our Master hired, Junior Disciple Brother is Second Disciple Brother’s nemesis. The nemesis and the afflicted are tied together like ants on a single rope—one prospers, one suffers.”
Yun Zhen listened, utterly bewildered.
What the heck? When did he become a nemesis?
“If Junior Disciple Brother perishes outside,” Xiao Fengzhi continued, “Second Disciple Brother’s luck will likely suffer. It’s possible he’ll suffer Cultivation Deviation while practicing his sword, choke while eating, drown while drinking water, or trip while walking.”
Jiang Zhi frowned, clearly unwilling to engage with this topic.
Wen Wan was confused, but somehow felt that Senior Disciple Brother made a lot of sense.
Xiao Fengzhi added, “Furthermore, Junior Disciple Brother is handsome. What if some dashing hero takes a fancy to him, whispers sweet nothings, and promises him famous swords or secret manuals? Junior Disciple Brother might be so charmed that he eagerly switches allegiance to another sect. Where would that leave our reputation? Can Second Disciple Brother truly ignore that?”
“Senior Disciple Brother!” Wen Wan blushed and interrupted him. “What nonsense are you talking about! Zhenzhen isn’t you; he doesn’t like men!”
Yun Zhen was dumbfounded. What was all this about? He felt like Senior Disciple Brother was getting increasingly outrageous. And why was he supposedly running off with someone else so eagerly?
As he pondered this, he saw Jiang Zhi raise his eyes. His gaze passed over Senior Disciple Brother and Senior Disciple Sister and landed directly on him.
The look was calm, without any ripples, yet it made Yun Zhen feel inexplicably guilty.
Jiang Zhi said, “He went home.”
Xiao Fengzhi narrowed his eyes, spinning his fan in his hand. “How can Disciple Brother be so sure?”
“I followed him down the mountain and watched him get into the carriage,” Jiang Zhi said.
Wen Wan sighed in relief. “You scared me. I thought he really ran off alone to roam the martial world.”
Xiao Fengzhi stared at Jiang Zhi for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Disciple Brother, you truly are…”
He shook his head and didn’t finish the sentence. Before leaving, he glanced back at Yun Zhen on the windowsill.
After they left, Jiang Zhi produced a plate of millet from somewhere, walked to the windowsill, and offered it to Yun Zhen.
It looked fresh.
Yun Zhen: “…”
Not only did this person not plan to look for him, but he also lied to Senior Disciple Brother and Senior Disciple Sister, saying he had gone home. What was he plotting? Yun Zhen looked at the millet, then at Jiang Zhi’s expressionless face, falling into deep confusion.
Could it be… could Jiang Zhi already know he had turned into a bird?
Impossible. If Jiang Zhi knew, he definitely wouldn’t be this nice to him.
Then what did he mean!
None of these people were normal! He couldn’t stand being here for another day! The first thing he would do when he turned back into a human was pack up and leave!
Yun Zhen thought viciously.
Then he lowered his head and pecked at the millet.