Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Shengsheng stared blankly at the balls of feathers in every imaginable color circling overhead.
For one moment, she wondered whether she had transmigrated again.
*Reborn as the Mother of Ten Thousand Birds.*
She pushed herself upright and examined her dark fingers.
Those were unquestionably the hands she had coated with potion the night before, not some strange pair of wings.
Several of the bolder birds circling the cavern flew down. They landed on Shengsheng’s shoulders, tilted their heads, and stared at her with tiny black-bead eyes.
Her heart melted.
Fine. She admitted it.
She adored birds.
“You are so adorable, babies! Where did you all come from?”
Grinning, she stroked the soft feathers of a small green bird.
Naturally, it could not answer. It tilted its head once more, then flew back to the enormous flock.
The other bird escaped before Shengsheng could touch it.
Now she had no birds left to pet.
She still wore the clothes in which she had gone to sleep. Beneath her lay an unfamiliar straw-like plant that smelled faintly sweet.
Shengsheng stood and walked barefoot from the cavern.
The sight outside stopped her cold.
An endless sea of flowers swayed beneath the breeze. Ancient trees of unknowable age rose on every side, lush and green beneath curtains of hanging vines.
Birds in every color wheeled and chased one another through the sky.
This place looked even more like a hidden paradise than Moonbank Forest.
No.
It resembled the realm of immortals.
The grass tickled the soles of Shengsheng’s feet. She stopped after only a few steps.
In the distance, a man in red approached with perfect composure.
A huge white bird stood upon his shoulder. Brilliant colors patterned its long wings, making it appear like a creature from legend.
“You are awake.”
Fusheng raised an eyebrow at the dark-skinned young woman staring stupidly before him.
Only then did Shengsheng return to herself.
There were so many questions that she did not know which to ask first.
The great bird on Fusheng’s shoulder suddenly spread its wings and flew away.
“It left.” Shengsheng pointed after it.
Fusheng nodded without concern. “Mm.”
“Your Grace… Why is this servant here?”
Her toes curled into the grass.
“I brought you.”
A concise answer, perfectly characteristic of Fusheng.
Shengsheng tried again.
“Why did Your Grace bring this servant here? And what is this place?”
Fusheng answered each question with unusual patience.
“Because you will be useful. As for this place… you have no need to know yet.”
Shengsheng drew a deep breath.
*Thank you for responding to my questions with an official non-answer.*
You are welcome.
Fusheng answered silently inside his mind, his lips curving.
“Come. We have serious business.”
He turned and walked away.
Shengsheng had no idea what he meant, but she hurried after him.
In a completely unknown environment, clinging to Fusheng’s powerful thigh was her only option.
She had no shoes and moved slowly across the weed-covered ground.
Fusheng, who had been walking swiftly, abruptly stopped and looked back.
Seeing impatience on his face, Shengsheng immediately said, “Your Grace should go ahead. This servant will… catch up soon!”
Her feet suddenly left the ground.
Startled, Shengsheng wrapped both arms around the clean, elegant line of his neck.
When she realized she was holding him too tightly, she loosened her grip and rested her hands lightly against him instead.
His distinctive incense surrounded her.
Shengsheng knew that Fusheng disdained even the most precious fragrances. Every incense he used was blended by his own hand.
His exacting taste was justified.
Though Shengsheng had traveled across three kingdoms, she had never encountered another scent like it.
It was singular.
It belonged to Fusheng alone.
For once, no thoughts passed through Shengsheng’s mind.
Shengsheng had been too dizzy to think.
Only after Fusheng carried her for an unknown length of time did she finally come to her senses.
“Your Grace, this servant… can walk on her own.”
The moment she said it, Fusheng actually set her down.
Then he folded both arms, stood to one side, and drawled, “Walk.”
Shengsheng stared at him.
Pursing her lips, she marched onward with a stubborn expression. She could have sworn she was moving quickly.
Fusheng still caught up in two or three effortless strides.
The more Shengsheng thought about it, the angrier she became.
Was she an idiot?
That lazy man had finally offered to carry her. Why not let him? She would not have to walk and could enjoy the comfort.
Once she understood the situation, Shengsheng–who knew perfectly well when to bend–promptly and efficiently sat down on the ground.
She called after the tall figure ahead.
“Your Grace, this servant cannot walk any farther.”
In the end, Shengsheng happily enjoyed being carried again.
It was so comfortable that she accidentally buried her face in Fusheng’s chest. Surrounded by his familiar scent, she fell asleep.
***
“Shengsheng Zhou, someone stole your money.”
A faint voice drifted past her ear while she slept soundly.
Her tightly closed eyes flew open.
“Who?!”
The shout woke her completely.
Fusheng looked entirely unsurprised by her foolish reaction.
Shengsheng instinctively touched the corner of her mouth.
*Good. No drool.*
“Put this on.”
A pale-blue dress fell over her.
Only then did Shengsheng realize she was sitting on a bed.
The room appeared to be part of a wooden cottage. It held only a few simple pieces of furniture, but a closer look revealed that each was more exquisitely made than the last.
Holding the dress, Shengsheng looked up at Fusheng.
He raised one eyebrow, silently asking what she wanted.
She pressed her lips together.
“Your Grace, this servant needs to change.”
“And?”
“Could you… look away?”
*If you dare peek, I will make you take responsibility for me!*
Fusheng’s gaze slid down to her chest. He drew out an amused, teasing sound.
“Ah. I had nearly forgotten that our Tail is still a girl.”
He stood, smoothed his sleeves, and walked outside.
Shengsheng nearly kicked him.
What did he mean, he had nearly forgotten that their Tail was still a girl?
She mimicked his affected tone, grinding her back teeth hard enough to crack them.
Then she looked at the dress.
The thought that Fusheng had carried her all this way made her cheeks heat. Perhaps the room was simply too warm.
But did Fusheng not suffer from an obsession with cleanliness?
Unable to make sense of it, Shengsheng turned her attention to the garment.
Fusheng might be impossibly fussy, but his taste had never disappointed her.
The pale, gauzy satin dress was embroidered with a hundred butterflies in gold thread. It was the most beautiful thing Shengsheng had worn since transmigrating.
Girls truly should dress in brighter colors.
After admiring herself through a spin, Shengsheng opened the door.
Fusheng leaned against a crabapple tree in the courtyard, holding a petal between his fingers. His head was lowered, his thoughts unknown.
At the sound of the door, he slowly looked up.
When the young woman in the doorway smiled at him, an indistinct emotion entered his deep, dark eyes.
“Wash that black filth from your skin before wearing this dress,” he said evenly.
Shengsheng, who had been lifting her skirt to twirl for him, froze.
Of course he had to possess a mouth.