Pei Du’s words prompted Shen Jiujiu to look back and reassess the life of the old Shen Xinian.
All of a sudden, he realized that he had truly squandered a winning hand in his previous life.
Even without throwing in his lot with Pei Du, back then, if he hadn’t been so fixated on his birth father and the prestige of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, things couldn’t have gone so badly that he died so young—and so ignobly.
He’d had real leverage, after all!!!
Shen Xinian hadn’t been lacking in the slightest!!
And Shen Jiujiu sure as hell wouldn’t be either!!
From that day forward, Shen Jiujiu threw himself into his studies with the fervor of a man possessed. Every morning, he dragged himself to the study as if his hair were tied to the rafters and an awl were pricking his thighs, dashing off essays in a frenzy of ink. He even set his sights on conquering his fear of heights and his utter inability to fly.
To that end, he even wheedled Pei Du and Zhong Bo into borrowing the haidongqing falcon named A Sa from the Sui Mansion.
Zhong Bo watched the hyper little bird’s uncharacteristic frenzy with deep concern, but Pei Du—rather than talking him down as he might have before—merely told Zhong Bo, “No need to fret. He’ll burn out soon enough.”
Zhong Bo chuckled. “Who teaches a little bird like that?”
Pei Du neither confirmed nor denied it. “That’s exactly how I taught Ziming.”
Indeed, Sui Ziming’s lessons had been Pei Du’s doing.
The two were cousins, true, but separated by six years in age. Back when Sui Ziming had thrown tantrums about joining the army instead of cracking his books, it was Pei Du who had whipped the unruly boy into shape and gotten him to study properly.
Zhong Bo mulled it over. It didn’t quite sit right with him, but he held his tongue. Instead, he peered out into the courtyard with a cheerful grin at the little bird dumpling straining to flap his wings.
“Think Jiujiu will manage to fly today?”
Lord Pei, brimming with confidence just moments before, fell silent.
Out in the courtyard, Shen Jiujiu had spared no effort to learn how to fly. He’d pulled every string to summon the master instructor haidongqing and rounded up a dozen chattering little sparrows to cheer him on—a spectacle of epic proportions.
The plump gray-white birdling took a deep breath, clambered up the tall tree trunk, and perched on a branch. He spread his wings wide, squeezed his eyes shut, gritted his nonexistent teeth, and leaped.
Midair weightlessness hit him like a thunderbolt. He nearly flew apart at the seams, his chirp turning into a wail of pure terror—until a streak of lightning sliced through the air. A Sa swooped in and caught the failed fledgling squarely on his back.
Still shaking from the ordeal, Shen Jiujiu slid down the haidongqing’s back on trembling bird legs and bolted shakily toward the nearby platter of snacks.
Pei Du sighed. “…We’ll try again later.”
By the time Pei Du emerged to console his defeated pupil, Shen Jiujiu was standing alone in the courtyard. The dying rays of the sunset bathed the little bird in a glow that lent him an air of quiet melancholy.
Off to the side, A Sa and the little sparrows—blissfully born with the gift of flight—munched away at their jerky and corn kernels without a care, the crunching sounds echoing all around. They hadn’t the foggiest notion of Shen Jiujiu’s frustration.
Shen Jiujiu, the late-bloomer bird, drooped his tail feathers and looked utterly dejected.
Pei Du knelt down and gently scooped the dusty little dumpling into his palm. With a soft handkerchief, he wiped him clean.
Though still moping, Shen Jiujiu cooperated fully, letting Pei Du buff him to a shine.
Maybe a bath later. Tonight, he still wanted to snuggle up with his benefactor.
Pei Du’s finger trailed lightly down Shen Jiujiu’s back. “Man is born in awe of the heavens. Don’t force it—let it come naturally.”
Shen Jiujiu nuzzled Pei Du’s finger with his beak.
He got it, rationally speaking. A guy who’d lived two lifetimes, suddenly tasked with mastering a skill no human ever learned? Yeah, that was gonna be rough.
But frustration was frustration, plain and simple.
Shen Jiujiu wallowed for a bit, then shook it off. He patted Pei Du’s hand with his wing and pointed its tip toward the tray on the low table in the courtyard.
Pei Du set him down.
Shen Jiujiu tugged open the pouch atop the tray, unleashing a torrent of sesame seeds, soybeans, black beans, and bits of meat.
These weren’t the scraps a common household would toss to birds—they were premium treats. A Sa, accustomed to the good life, wasn’t particularly hungry and barely reacted. But the little sparrows? They swarmed the bounty at the irresistible aroma.
Zhong Bo had prepared it all at Shen Jiujiu’s request, a reward for his cheering squad. Now perched on the table’s edge, Shen Jiujiu got to divvying it up.
Sparrows get a pile, I get a pile.
Sparrows get one, I get one.
Sparrows get a kernel, I get a kernel…
Before long, a veritable mountain loomed before Shen Jiujiu—several times the size of the others’ shares.
The sparrows didn’t mind a bit. They just kept their heads down and stuffed themselves.
Shen Jiujiu paused, then applied the same method to the remaining hoard.
By the time his share was gone, the sparrows were mostly stuffed and chirping for their families to come finish it off. Only then did Shen Jiujiu hop and tumble back indoors to beg Pei Du for a drink of water.
Pei Du poured him some, then produced a tiny teacup brimming with perfectly shelled pine nuts. “These are for Shen Jiujiu.”
“You worked hard today.”
What little bird could resist such blatant favoritism?
Especially one like Shen Jiujiu, who lived for it.
He flapped his wings in delight and dove beak-first into the cup, sprawling amid the nuts and pecking away in bliss.
The sparrows in the yard perked up at the commotion and craned their necks to peek inside.
Even knowing the good stuff was happening, though, they didn’t dare come closer.
Wild birds knew better than anyone how to avoid trouble. They weren’t fooled by appearances like Shen Jiujiu was.
They’d flock to him, to Ziming—even pester the latter shamelessly. But Pei Du? With his innate aura of icy deterrence? Not a chance.
That night, reeking deliciously of pine nuts, Shen Jiujiu nestled against Pei Du’s cheek in his pillow nest and slept like a log, toasty warm.
Yet for days on end, no more dreams of his missing memories surfaced.
Shen Jiujiu kept the little sparrows on surveillance duty while he hammered away at his policy essay and practiced flying with his wings.
Until the morning Pei Du was summoned to the palace by imperial decree—and didn’t return all day.
Shen Jiujiu had just put the finishing stroke on his essay and was meticulously checking for errors and citations when a little sparrow flapped down onto the windowsill.
“Chirp chirp chirp! Tweet tweet—”
【Several large carriages have pulled up outside that big mansion! They’re loading huge crates onto them!】
This was the sparrow he’d posted at the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.
Shen Jiujiu’s heart leaped into his throat. Tonight must be when they planned to move the silver.
But as the sun dipped below the horizon, Pei Du still hadn’t returned from the palace. Even Zhong Bo had slipped away from the Pei Mansion at some point.
Anxious as could be, Shen Jiujiu paced circles on the table.
It wasn’t until the other little sparrow tailing Sui Ziming relayed its message—that Sui Ziming had followed the convoy into the woods—that Shen Jiujiu knew he could wait no longer.
Regardless of whether Pei Du was aware of the situation, the world plot clearly had its own mechanisms for self-correction.
—It had directly restricted everyone who might intervene to save Sui Ziming!!
Shen Jiujiu forced himself to calm down and steady his nerves. He addressed the little sparrow that had been watching the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion: 【Do you recognize the person who’s often with me?】
The sparrows took turns on surveillance duty, since they needed to rotate shifts for dates, meals, and looking after the fledglings.
The little sparrow tilted its head: 【The fierce one?】
Shen Jiujiu wasn’t sure if it was referring to Pei Du. He mimicked Pei Du’s usual gait, straightening his back and sauntering a few leisurely steps: 【The one whose walk is especially graceful—】
Inspiration suddenly struck Shen Jiujiu.
【The one in red, with the big bird on his clothes!!】
Pei Du had gone to the palace that day in scarlet official robes, complete with a crane emblem on his chest—the most distinctive sight for any little bird.
The little sparrow’s voice immediately sharpened: “Chirp!!”
Shen Jiujiu said: 【Fly to the largest cluster of buildings, find him, and do whatever he tells you afterward. Can you manage it?】
【If you pull it off, I’ll cover meals for your whole family from now on!】
The little sparrow got the message. Even its silhouette as it turned and flew away radiated determination.
This was the most effective messenger method Shen Jiujiu could devise. Success hinged entirely on the little sparrow’s dependability and the rapport between him and Pei Du.
But Shen Jiujiu had no intention of sitting on his talons.
He might be just a little bird at the moment, but he was the very person Pei Du had once singled out as a prospective student. Even as a bird, he would prove himself capable and utterly reliable!
Shen Jiujiu scampered out of the room and glanced at A Sa, who was pacing restlessly on the eagle perch in the courtyard.
Sui Ziming needed to mask his identity for the silver heist, and Shen Jiujiu had been practicing flight lately anyway, so he’d simply left A Sa at the Pei Mansion and asked Zhong Bo to help look after it.
After days of effort, Shen Jiujiu still couldn’t fly, but his sprinting and climbing had reached new heights of proficiency from all those tree-scaling attempts.
Shen Jiujiu sprang onto A Sa’s perch, ducked his head, and without hesitation pecked open the leg ring clamped around A Sa’s talon.
【A Sa, you can find your master, right?】
A Sa’s cry was rough but resolute.
【Good.】
Shen Jiujiu clambered onto A Sa’s head, clamping his talons tightly to secure himself on its body. He twisted around and chirped once, signaling the little sparrow that had trailed Sui Ziming to hop aboard and guide them.
【Let’s go!】
【Let’s find him!】
