TMWTGD CH103

In Peacock Xie’s memory, there wasn’t a single trace of Lu Li, not even a tiny bit.

So this time, they had no past history; their meeting would be a first encounter.

A peacock that had attained enlightenment possessed a very long lifespan. Especially since Xie Jianwei was a rare, once-in-a-millennium wise ruler with extraordinary abilities, he lived even longer.

However, Peacock Xie’s long life could be described as incredibly tedious.

The bird tribe was undisciplined, living deep in the remote mountains, forming their own unique society. No one invaded them, and they didn’t proactively communicate with the outside world.

Peacock Xie’s daily life consisted of sleeping until he naturally woke up, spending an hour picking out clothes after getting out of bed, spending another hour eating, and after getting dressed, going out for a stroll. The bird ministers would kneel and kowtow one by one, and after a round of singing praises and flattery, court was basically dismissed.

Then he would spend another hour choosing his outfit for the midday banquet. After putting it on, he would go out and blind the other birds with his brilliance, eat, and then it was time for a nap.

After the nap, there was nothing to do in the afternoon. He would listen to the little orioles sing, watch the birds dance, and idle the time away until evening.

There were banquets in the evening, every single day, just of different scales. On ordinary days, it was a small gathering; every five days, a large gathering; and every ten days, a grand carnival for all the birds.

Anyway, after Xie Jianwei thought about it, he realized he was being quite the slacker as the Peacock King. Basically, aside from eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping every day, there was no real business to attend to.

Yet, despite being such a slacker, no one came to usurp the throne.

The reason was simple: the bird tribe had only one criterion for choosing a king—beauty, beauty, beauty.

Whoever was the most beautiful was the leader universally supported by all the people. It was fine if he didn’t do any work; as long as he groomed his feathers well every day, everything would be perfectly fine, and he could rest easy forever after.

Every race had its own worldview, and Xie Jianwei didn’t feel there was anything wrong with these birds.

He began the first great task of becoming the Peacock King—choosing his clothes.

The little orioles opened his walk-in closet, and the radiance spilling from it almost blinded the worldly-wise Military Advisor Xie.

It truly was… as bright as day.

A little oriole with a tuft of red feathers on his head helped him sit down. He had to be helped; dragging that long tail around, he needed someone to clear the path for him even when walking normally.

However, as soon as he sat down, the little orioles couldn’t help but start singing.

At first, Xie Jianwei didn’t understand the reason for this, but later he slowly realized that these little birds seemed unable to resist singing whenever they were happy.

Although it was a bit abrupt, their voices were simply too good and the melodies too beautiful, so he let them sing if they wanted to.

The little orioles were even happier, wishing they could praise their king to the heavens.

The process of choosing clothes was actually quite lengthy. Firstly, every piece was magnificent and expensive. The little orioles would carefully take one out, and if Xie Jianwei shook his head, they would have to spend ages carefully putting it back before selecting another.

Peacock Xie only needed to shake his head three or four times for most of the time allotted for choosing clothes to pass.

Xie Jianwei originally thought there was no need to be too picky and that he could just grab any piece and put it on, but upon seeing those clothes, he instantly felt he had to be picky…

String after string of garments, looking like stars hanging across the night sky; if he were to wear them, he would probably be exhausted to death!

Yet, the little orioles loved to pick out the most cumbersome and heavy ones. It seemed that only these garments, crafted by a thousand people over a thousand nights, could highlight even a thousandth of their Majesty’s beauty.

This time, choosing clothes took a quarter of an hour longer than usual, and Xie Jianwei finally settled on a garment that could barely be considered normal.

His feathers were dark green, so most of his accessories were in that color palette, best adorned with dark-colored gemstones.

Xie Jianwei chose a dark blue robe. Probably to outline his figure, it didn’t use many gemstones. Aside from the sleeves being a bit wide, the rest was relatively normal.

Xie Jianwei put on the clothes with the help of the little orioles and couldn’t help but frown when he looked in the mirror.

This outfit… was quite scheming.

It indeed wasn’t cumbersome or overly magnificent, but the waistline was drawn too distinctly. Contrasted against the pure white hem beneath the dark blue, it actually carried a touch of ethereal immortal aura. Yet, outside the hem were the beautiful tail feathers, casually trailing behind him, adding a stroke of heavy, vibrant color to all that understated elegance.

The red-tufted little oriole exclaimed, “Your Majesty, you truly look good in everything!” At first, when he saw Xie Jianwei pick this outfit, he felt somewhat wronged, but looking at it now, he was truly convinced! Too beautiful! My King’s beauty needs no adornment to shock the world!

Xie Jianwei still felt it was a bit awkward, but looking at the room full of blindingly sparkling things, he could only resign himself to it.

Who told him to become a peacock this time, where being low-key was still high-key?

The entire bird tribe seemed like a bunch of characters with too much time on their hands, but they were incredibly wealthy. Everything was resplendent and magnificent, and various exquisite gemstones were piled up indiscriminately as if they cost nothing.

Xie Jianwei walked all the way to the morning assembly hall.

As soon as he entered, everyone below knelt on the ground. Xie Jianwei looked up and was almost blinded.

Could you be any brighter!

Each and every one of them dressed less like they were attending court and more like they were participating in a beauty pageant…

But considering the bird tribe’s ridiculous setting, he was understanding.

Standing before the King’s throne, he didn’t sit down. Instead, the little orioles moved his tail feathers to one side, and then helped him sit down.

“Rise,” Xie Jianwei said in a clear voice.

The circle of bird-people kneeling below raised their heads one after another to look at their beautiful King.

With this single glance, they were instantly dumbfounded.

Their Majesty was the most beautiful person in the whole world, but today he seemed even more beautiful.

He was clearly dressed very plainly (they truly didn’t understand the real meaning of the word “plain”), yet he was exceptionally dazzling. It seemed that by shedding the magnificent attire, his beauty became even more outstanding.

Xie Jianwei felt the tail was a bit in the way, so he turned slightly sideways, resting one hand on the armrest. This single posture was painted into a picture that very afternoon and spread throughout the bird tribe’s territory.

The beauty in the painting was like jade, his dark blue long hair trailing behind him, making his skin look even paler. The waist-cinching long robe outlined his waistline beautifully, and beneath the long hem were the magnificent tail feathers, azure interwoven with vibrant rose red, like dazzling stars dotting the horizon.

What was even more fatal was the posture. The wrist resting on the armrest was as white as cold jade. Beneath the arrogant demeanor unique to the peacock tribe was a languid casualness that made one’s heart tremble.

When the birds who attended court that day returned and saw this painting, they all stated, “It fails to capture even a thousandth of His Majesty’s beauty.”

This made the flock of birds so excited they started a grand chorus.

Xie Jianwei truly didn’t know that he had accidentally brought a new era of “minimalism” trend to the bird tribe…

It was a good thing he didn’t know; if he did, he would definitely roast the word “minimalism”—he truly couldn’t see what was minimal about it.

The process of the morning assembly was comparable to a concert.

The only real business the ministers had was praising their King; everything else was a minor matter.

Xie Jianwei heard it so much his ears grew calluses, but Mili even reminded him, “Hold steady, this is the setting. For the bird tribe, neglecting one’s proper duties is the greatest proper duty!”

Xie Jianwei paused for a moment. “It must have been hard for you to find such a plane.”

Mili said gleefully, “The better ones are yet to come!”

Xie Jianwei: “Lu Li isn’t a bird, is he?”

Mili said, “Of course not. If you two were the same species, he would have tied you up and hid you at home long ago!”

Xie Jianwei asked casually, “What is he?”

Mili said, “He’s…” It almost spilled the beans in excitement, but luckily it slammed on the brakes and changed its tune, “Anyway, it’s very interesting!”

Xie Jianwei didn’t expect it to tell him anyway. It was definitely a species that made dating inconvenient.

What was a peacock’s natural enemy?

Large carnivores? Like tigers, lions, or leopards?

Thinking of Lu Li turning into a fluffy, large feline, Xie Jianwei actually thought it would be quite cute…

He was quite looking forward to his encounter with Big Li, but after listening to four “concerts” in the bird tribe, he still hadn’t waited for Big Li to show up.

Xie Jianwei was getting a bit impatient. God knew what his poor Lu Li was doing without him.

If Lu Li wasn’t coming to find him, then he would go find him!

Anyway, in his memories, he was very capricious, so he didn’t hesitate now. While the ministers were still holding their concert, Xie Jianwei stood up and said, “Tomorrow is a day of rest, I shall go out for a walk.”

The ministers’ faces instantly displayed undisguised loss, disappointment, and regret.

Those who knew would know Xie Jianwei was giving them a day off; those who didn’t would think the boss was making them work overtime!

Even though you don’t do any real work, you guys really love going to work!

The bird ministers were all whimpering internally: We won’t be able to see our beautiful King tomorrow… So sad, I don’t want to sing when I go back tonight!

Xie Jianwei was focused on finding his husband and couldn’t be bothered with this bunch of idle birds.

The next day, the little orioles picked out clothes for him again. He had finally figured it out: all the clothes in his closet were completely replaced every three days. Although he was too embarrassed to ask, Xie Jianwei felt this bird country must be exhausting its national treasury just to make clothes for him!

Xie Jianwei chose an outfit that could barely pass for outdoor wear, and then hid his tail.

The little orioles also wanted to go along, and Xie Jianwei didn’t stop them. His guards also wanted to follow, and Xie Jianwei allowed it as well.

In the end, the traveling entourage was exceptionally grand. Eight people carrying the palanquin, two people inside keeping him company to eat, drink, and sing, twelve people outside attending to him, plus twelve guards. Not to mention the falcons and hawks flying in the sky in their true forms.

In short, it was a mighty and highly conspicuous procession.

Xie Jianwei thought about the time he took a whole three hundred birds with him for a stroll, and looking at the few dozen birds before him now, he felt relieved.

This continent was a mixed habitation; humans, beastmen, and fairies lived together without any major conflicts. In fact, many of them belonged to the same country. Just like the great fusion of the fifty-six ethnic groups in Country Z, they were all compatriots, loved each other, and lived quite harmoniously.

There wasn’t much difference in strength either. Beastmen had great physical strength but simple minds; humans were relatively weaker physically, but their high intelligence and the things they researched always managed to thoroughly convince the beastmen.

Fairies were born from plants and trees. They generally had very long lifespans, but their natures were pure, and their desires and ambitions were very faint. They either lived in seclusion or played around in the human world. They had poor organizational discipline and acted on whims, but most were inherently kind and rarely did bad things.

To say there was absolutely no prejudice between them wouldn’t be true, as there are also barriers between the fifty-six major ethnic groups, but this barrier was controllable. It wouldn’t lead to generations of enmity, nor would it make the beastmen raise their arms and shout, “Beastmen will never be slaves!”

Although it was a great racial fusion, Xie Jianwei’s procession was still very eye-catching walking down the road.

Being wealthy and noble was one thing, but the key point was that every single one of them possessed world-toppling beauty. Even the little servant girls in attendance left the dim-witted minotaurs staring dumbfounded.

With such a string of beauties setting out, countless human statues were instantly erected on the streets of this small city.

Xie Jianwei looked around through the window but didn’t spot Big Li.

After moving into the pre-booked temporary palace, Xie Jianwei decided to downsize his entourage.

At first, the guards refused to agree, but later Xie Jianwei said, “You can all follow me, but you must take your true forms and fly in the sky.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the eagles, falcons, and hawks all nodded in agreement.

The little orioles also wanted to follow. Xie Jianwei said, “You don’t need to follow me, go out and play by yourselves. Buy whatever you want, and bring the bills to me when you get back.”

The group of little birds instantly chirped with joy.

After making the arrangements, Xie Jianwei changed into a very ordinary set of white clothes and put on a veil hat, finally able to go out in peace.

The technology in this world wasn’t very developed; it belonged to a realm of swords and magic.

Among humans, there were swordsmen and mages. The former had better physical fitness, while the latter were physically weaker due to the long-term use of their bodies to channel magical elements.

But a mage’s power could not be underestimated. Archmages were all formidable figures capable of taking on ten enemies at once.

With swordsmen and mages, there were other affiliated professions. For instance, this small city was abundant in iron ore and Nankang wood. One was a sharp material for making swords, the other an essential item for making staffs. So there were many blacksmith shops in this city, specializing in selling various weapons.

Xie Jianwei strolled around and found it quite novel; after all, it was a form of power entirely different from the things he usually came into contact with.

Those swords and staffs, the low-quality ones seemed to be just ordinary cold weapons, but the higher-quality ones were truly amazing.

Although the external form didn’t change much, the internal structure had undergone a massive change, and the composition of matter had ascended from the realm Xie Jianwei understood to a rather subtle dimension…

The elements contained within, due to a special refining technique, formed a self-contained power cycle that could better adapt to the user, and also imbued the weapon itself with immense power.

Xie Jianwei was quite engrossed in watching, until an argument broke out nearby.

“I set my eyes on this Frost Staff first! I’ve already paid for it, how can you sell it to someone else!”

“You paid for it, but the boss hasn’t accepted your money yet, so the deal hasn’t been made. Why should it count as you buying it?”

“You’re just using twisted logic!”

“When buying things, naturally it goes to the highest bidder. If you’re not convinced, then take out more money than me!”

The boss was caught in the middle, neither agreeing with one nor the other, clearly wanting the customers to argue it out themselves.

His Frost Staff was of good quality, but the first young man hadn’t offered a low price either—five gold coins was very fair. However, the tall man who came later had directly doubled it, insisting on buying a staff that was at best considered high quality for ten gold coins.

The boss not giving it directly to the tall man was considered having a conscience, but clearly, he was also tempted at this moment. Who didn’t want to earn a bit more money?

The first young man said angrily, “I only brought five gold coins with me when I left the house. I clearly had already negotiated the deal, how can you just step in halfway and snatch things!”

“Snatch?” The tall man sneered, “My ten gold coins are sitting right here, how is it snatching?”

Their argument attracted more and more people, but everyone was just there for the show; no one was genuinely offering any ideas.

The tall man seemed determined to get the Frost Staff, only hearing him say, “I bid fifteen gold coins! Boss, sell it to me!”

The people around couldn’t help but gasp. Fifteen gold coins, that was tripled! This tall man must be a fool!

The young man was so angry his face and neck turned red. He said indignantly, “You wait, I’m going back to get the money right now!”

“Who’s going to wait for you? Leaving the house without money and still wanting to buy things, it serves you right you can’t buy it.”

The young man didn’t dare to leave, terrified that if he left, the staff would be completely gone.

Seeing this, Xie Jianwei suddenly had a thought. He raised his voice, “How about I lend you fifteen gold coins?”

As soon as he spoke, the people present were stunned for a moment, then all turned to look at him.

What a beautiful voice, was the thought in everyone’s mind. They were eager to see what this person looked like, but unfortunately, they could only see a white veil hat.

The crowd couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment, feeling as if they had missed out on a hundred million.

The young man was also stunned for a moment, but quickly said happily, “Thank you, sir! Rest assured, sir, my house is just in the city. You can come with me to get the money in a bit!”

Why would Xie Jianwei care about these ten or eight gold coins? The bird tribe was wealthy, filthy rich. A single piece of his clothing was enough to buy this entire small city.

The tall man grew anxious, “How can you do this!”

The young man got energized, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say it goes to the highest bidder?”

The tall man was unconvinced, “I bid twenty gold coins!”

The young man flared up, “Xiro, that’s enough! Is this how you spend your money?”

The one called Xiro said stubbornly, “I just won’t let you buy this Frost Staff.”

Xie Jianwei raised an eyebrow. “You two know each other?”

The young man said, “As if!”

The tall man also echoed the same sentiment.

Xie Jianwei: “…” I really don’t understand you young people.

Later, the young man borrowed thirty gold coins from Xie Jianwei and finally defeated the tall man. The boss selling the Frost Staff almost fainted from joy. The cost was only two gold coins, yet he had earned over thirty gold coins! Enough to live on for a year!

The young man waved the Frost Staff in front of the tall man for a long time, and the tall man turned and walked away in anger.

The young man finally vented his anger, although he felt a bit of a pinch in his wallet.

He turned to look at Xie Jianwei, “Sir, please come with me to get the money!”

There was a reason why Xie Jianwei helped him.

Because this young man had a trace of Lu Li’s aura on him. It was quite bizarre, but Xie Jianwei had genuinely sensed it.

Mili hmphed, “Lu Li is not human.”

Xie Jianwei said, “It’s a clue, nonetheless.”

Along the way, the young man introduced himself. His name was Sienri, an apprentice mage preparing to take the entrance exam for the Midgard Magic Academy this year, so he needed a handy staff. And this Frost Staff was particularly suitable for him. Even if it wasn’t worth thirty gold coins, he insisted on buying it—anyway, he would absolutely not admit that he had just gotten hot-headed and competed with someone, throwing away so much money for nothing.

Xie Jianwei listened to him speak and observed him carefully for a while, feeling certain that the young man was not Lu Li, but he must have had contact with Lu Li, and they were quite close.

Family members or something similar, perhaps?

Xie Jianwei actually wanted to go to his house to take a look.

Sienri’s family background was good, and his house was quite large. Having such a residence in the center of the city was enough to show his noble status.

He welcomed Xie Jianwei into the house. Out of politeness, Xie Jianwei took off his veil hat. As a result, the moment he took it off, the entire house fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

A few eagles flying in the sky hurriedly swooped down, picked up the veil hat in their beaks, and put it back on their King.

What kind of bird country joke is this! How can these mortals withstand the number one beauty of our Majesty!

Xie Jianwei: “…” It feels like I’ve returned to that heartthrob plane.

Although the veil hat was back on, Sienri had already seen it. After being stunned for a long time, he said, “Sir, please stay for dinner!”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Are the people in this world all reincarnations of beauty-obsessed maniacs?

Sienri was already extremely enthusiastic towards him, and now he was overly enthusiastic. In order to make Xie Jianwei stay for dinner, he didn’t mention the gold coins at all, as if Xie Jianwei not eating meant he wouldn’t return the money, which was also a very slick move.

Xie Jianwei also wanted to stay a bit longer. He hadn’t found Lu Li yet, how could he leave just like that.

Eating it is, he didn’t mind anyway.

Sienri bustled about for ages, preparing an incredibly lavish dinner. The two-to-three-meter-long table was fully packed, which was a bit too grand.

Sienri still felt it wasn’t enough, terrified of wronging Xie Jianwei.

Xie Jianwei had no choice but to say, “You’ve spent too much.”

Sienri happily bounced on the spot.

Xie Jianwei: “…” I’d better just pretend I didn’t see that.

Dinner was very enjoyable, and after the meal, Xie Jianwei chatted with him.

“Do you live alone?”

Sienri said, “My parents went to our estate outside the city and won’t be back for another two days.”

Xie Jianwei asked again, “Do you have any siblings?”

Sienri said, “I’m an only child, but I have a cousin.”

Xie Jianwei’s ears twitched. “Why haven’t I seen your cousin…”

Sienri continued, “My cousin is a half-tiger beastman. Every month he has a few days where he has to revert to his true form, so he hasn’t come out.”

Xie Jianwei’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. A half-tiger beastman? Is it Big Li? A Big Li with fluffy ears?

Because this world was a great melting pot of races, there were many mixed-bloods. Even though Sienri was human, his uncle had married a tiger tribe girl, and the son they had naturally possessed tiger tribe blood…

Xie Jianwei was just pondering how to meet Sienri’s cousin.

Sienri struggled for a long time before finally bravely saying, “Mr. Xie, if you haven’t booked an inn, why not rest here for the night?”

This fell right into Xie Jianwei’s lap, and he said, “Won’t that be too much of an intrusion?”

“No, no!” Sienri said excitedly, “Absolutely not!”

Xie Jianwei said, “Then I will trouble you.”

Sienri couldn’t hold back and bounced three times again.

What could Xie Jianwei do? He could only pretend he didn’t see it. After all, this was his future cousin-in-law, he had to give him some face.

After dinner, Sienri showed him to his room to rest. Xie Jianwei pretended to go to sleep, then got up again, intending to go find Lu Li.

He had the falcons scout the direction, and after confirming the location, headed straight there.

He thought he would see a Lu Li-brand big cat… As a result, he did see a big cat, but it wasn’t Lu Li.

Xie Jianwei confirmed it again and again.

“This is really Sienri’s cousin?”

The eagle guard, with a serious face, stated, “One hundred percent!”

Xie Jianwei said, “You didn’t mistake him?”

The eagle guard said, “Your Majesty, please do not doubt my true Hawkeye!”

Xie Jianwei: “…” So disappointed, it’s not Big Li.

If the cousin wasn’t Lu Li, then where was Lu Li?

Xie Jianwei wandered around the courtyard for most of the night without any gains. The next day, he got up a bit late, and Sienri came personally to invite him: “Sir, it’s time for breakfast.”

Xie Jianwei responded, “One moment, I’ll be right there.”

The little orioles weren’t by his side, so he hadn’t tied his hair up. His dark green long hair cascaded entirely down his back, reaching straight down to his ankles. He threw on an outer robe, put on his veil hat, and exited the room. Sienri was completely mesmerized.

So beautiful… how could he be this beautiful!

Xie Jianwei was also stunned. He very clearly felt Lu Li’s aura, extremely strongly.

Could it be that Sienri was Lu Li?

That’s not right, his aura hadn’t been this strong yesterday…

What exactly is going on?

Filled with doubt, Xie Jianwei stared at Sienri for a long time, looking at him so intensely that Sienri was almost looking down and twisting his fingers.

The two stood together for a while. Suddenly, Sienri’s collar moved.

Then, a small black thing darted out.

Xie Jianwei took one look and was dumbfounded.

Sienri hurriedly pressed down on the small thing’s head: “A-Li, why did you follow me?”

The little thing was pressed down but popped its head back up, its small golden eyes staring unblinkingly at Xie Jianwei.

Xie Jianwei was also looking at it, and the more he looked, the more…

Mili: “Quack quack quack! Surprised? Unexpected?”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Mili felt it was simply a genius! Let’s see how they manage to get together now!

Seeing Xie Jianwei staring, Sienri hurriedly explained, “This is Little Li, a little snake.”

The “little snake” coiled around Sienri’s fingertip, looking up at Xie Jianwei.

Xie Jianwei’s mood was extremely complicated.

This didn’t look like a snake; it looked more like a little bug.

If this Lu Li went back to the bird country with him, he’d probably be swallowed whole by the little orioles!