TMWTGD CH104

Sienri was chattering away, but Xie Jianwei couldn’t take in a single word; his mind was entirely occupied by Little Lu Li.

This time he was truly small, pitifully small…

The little black snake was also looking at him. His small golden eyes were exceptionally spirited and bright, like little gold nuggets dropped into coal.

Xie Jianwei couldn’t figure out how old Little Lu Li was right now… perhaps he only had the intelligence of a two or three-year-old?

He didn’t mind raising a son, but how was he supposed to transition from “son” to “lover”? Lu Li would probably have to torture himself inside and out before he was satisfied.

Xie Jianwei hadn’t realized yet that the biggest challenge between them wasn’t this, but how to convince Lu Li that Xie Jianwei wasn’t raising him just to eat him.

Well, those were all matters for later. The first issue was how to take Lu Li away; he couldn’t just let him continue being treated as someone else’s “pet.”

Breakfast was exceedingly lavish, but the host, Sienri, sat there blankly the entire time, not eating a single thing.

The reason was simple: Xie Jianwei couldn’t possibly wear a veil hat while eating, and once he took it off, Sienri was reduced to maintaining a single posture.

Xie Jianwei was preoccupied with thoughts of how to abduct his miniaturized husband, so he didn’t pay it any mind.

Thus, this meal was quite amusing. Xie Jianwei was eating alone, while the man and snake across from him maintained the exact same posture, staring fixedly at him.

After breakfast, Sienri clapped his hands, instructing his servants to bring the thirty gold coins.

Xie Jianwei glanced at the gold coins on the tray, unconcerned.

Sienri said, “Mr. Xie, please accept this!”

Xie Jianwei thought for a moment and deliberated, “I have a presumptuous request, and I wonder if you would agree to it.”

Sienri’s eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, “Please speak your mind, Mr. Xie. As long as it is within my power, I will absolutely do my utmost.”

Xie Jianwei said, “They say a gentleman shouldn’t covet what others love, but I am truly very interested in him, so…” He paused and voiced his request, “I don’t want these thirty gold coins. Could I take this little snake away with me?”

Sienri was stunned.

Xie Jianwei’s heart tightened. Was it too abrupt? Little Li is so cute, he might be the apple of Sienri’s eye. Taking someone’s treasure away just like this seems a bit too much, doesn’t it?

Sienri said seriously, “That is absolutely unacceptable!”

Sure enough… Xie Jianwei wasn’t very happy, but there was no helping it. If the soft approach didn’t work, he’d have to use the hard one; regardless, he was definitely taking Lu Li with him.

Just as he was thinking this, Sienri spoke again: “The thirty gold coins must absolutely be returned. As for Little Li, it is his good fortune to catch your eye, Mr. Xie. Since you like him, please take him!”

This truly was a sudden turn of events, like finding a village amidst dark willows and blooming flowers. Xie Jianwei couldn’t help but light up.

Sienri’s current state of mind was: Let alone a little snake, even if you asked me to give you my whole family, I wouldn’t bat an eye!

The saying “a beauty that topples cities and nations” truly wasn’t the slightest bit of a false exaggeration!

Xie Jianwei asked cautiously, “Are you serious?”

Sienri puffed up with masculine pride: “A gentleman’s word is as hard to catch as a team of four horses.”

Xie Jianwei’s eyes curved into crescents, and he said happily, “Thank you so much.”

Sienri gasped, feeling like he was going to die from his heart exploding!

Sienri hurriedly offered the little black snake, and Xie Jianwei extended his palm. The little fellow slithered over.

Xie Jianwei stared at him for a while, still finding him super adorable.

He couldn’t help it; the moment he thought this was Big Li, his heart filled with warmth.

Sienri regretted it afterward. If he hadn’t given the little black snake to Xie Jianwei so readily, he might have been able to keep the beauty around for a few more days. But he was momentarily blinded by infatuation and handed over his trump card just like that. Naturally, Xie Jianwei had no reason to linger—he was still in a rush to find a way to help Lu Li transform!

Returning to the temporary palace, the little orioles, seeing their Majesty return, were all so happy they broke into a grand chorus.

Their voices were crisp and melodious, singing tunes that were exceedingly pleasant to the ear. The beautiful notes were like a clear spring washing the ears, making one’s mood increasingly wonderful.

Xie Jianwei instructed them, “Go look some things up for me.”

The little orioles assented in unison.

Xie Jianwei took Lu Li back into the room and said to him, “You’ll be following me from now on.”

The little black snake remained motionless, just looking at him like that.

Xie Jianwei pressed down on his forehead and said softly, “Can you understand me?”

The little black snake still didn’t move.

Xie Jianwei said, “Nod if you can understand.”

The little black snake lay in his palm and closed his eyes.

Xie Jianwei found it rather amusing. He poked him: “You clearly understand!”

The little black snake simply refused to move.

Xie Jianwei thought for a moment and suddenly felt a bit displeased: “Could it be you’re reluctant to part with Sienri?”

The little black snake coiled up, pretending to doze with his eyes closed.

Xie Jianwei felt a rare pang of jealousy: “He casually gave you away, he’s not worth your missing him!”

Seeing the little black snake still didn’t move, Xie Jianwei secretly resolved that he would never see Sienri again in this lifetime, lest the stubborn Lu Li insist on looking for his “old master”!

The little orioles flew in, and upon seeing the little black snake in Xie Jianwei’s palm, they immediately exclaimed with excitement: “Your Majesty, you are too kind! You actually brought us a gift.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

A little oriole chattered, “What kind of bug is this? We’ve never seen it before. Is the meat tender? Does it taste good?”

Another little oriole said, “Your Majesty didn’t just buy one, did you? There are six of us, how are we supposed to split it?”

“Who said it was going to be given to you? I saw it first, His Majesty is definitely going to give it to me!”

“You just got a forehead pearl last time, it should be my turn this time.”

“Didn’t His Majesty reward you with osmanthus cake that time? This little snack is definitely mine!”

Xie Jianwei listened to the whole exchange, utterly speechless.

Mili in his head was already quacking with laughter like a silly goose.

Looking at the little black snake again, he saw him staring at those massive natural enemies, an expression of utter hopelessness on his face.

His life hadn’t been easy. He didn’t know how many times he had narrowly escaped death in the forest to make it to this day, which was why he saw his true form the very first time he met Xie Jianwei.

What a beautiful bird, so beautiful that even a rainbow after the rain can’t compare to him.

But the more beautiful something was, the more dangerous it was; the little black snake understood this principle perfectly.

Even though he understood it perfectly, when Xie Jianwei said he wanted him, he actually thought: Dying in his stomach would be the most wonderful thing in the world.

Sometimes it was just that ridiculous. He had struggled to survive countless times, fighting desperately to live no matter the peril, but after seeing him, all his desire to survive vanished.

If he could stay by his side, death would become something he willingly embraced.

The little black snake had already mentally prepared himself, waiting to be eaten, but when it came down to it, his heart still ached terribly.

So he didn’t want to eat me. So he brought me back to be a snack for other birds.

So I didn’t even have the chance to die in his stomach.

The little black snake felt very down. He waited for the god of death’s verdict, waited for him to hand him over…

Xie Jianwei raised his voice, “Alright, stop arguing. There’s a gift for everyone.”

The little orioles immediately cheered, “Your Majesty is the best!”

The little black snake: “…” His sesame-seed-sized heart instantly shattered into several pieces.

The little orioles were eager to try it, clearly wanting to taste this new type of snack.

Who knew Xie Jianwei would actually tuck the little black snake into his sleeve, then magically produce a small pouch filled with many little trinkets.

The little orioles’ attention was instantly diverted, and they happily began scrambling for them.

Staying in the dark sleeve, the little black snake’s mood was very complicated: He’s probably hard to divide. After all, there’s only one of him, but there are six birds. He could be divided into six portions, but that would be too small, not even enough to get stuck between their teeth, so he had to put him away for now.

Despite Lu Li the snake being small, his imagination was vast. He couldn’t help but think: Maybe he wants to raise me for a bit, yeah, wait until I grow bigger before eating me…

How could Xie Jianwei possibly know about his husband’s fragile glass heart? His mind was entirely focused on how to make Lu Li transform into a human.

Although it was a cross-species matter, it didn’t matter. It was a chaotic fantasy world anyway; if birds could turn into humans, why couldn’t snakes? Speaking of which… A-Li was a snake, not a bug, right?

Regardless of whether he was a snake or a bug, transforming into human form meant he would be human!

Xie Jianwei earnestly researched information. But the bird tribe was undisciplined and had never known what cultivation was. Their primary occupation was comparing beauty, and their secondary occupation was making clothes. It was truly unreasonable that such a slacker race hadn’t gone extinct!

Xie Jianwei flipped through various texts. The great history of the bird tribe only recorded a few sparse sentences: “…When the time comes, they will naturally transform.”

What does ‘when the time comes’ mean? How do you determine ‘when the time comes’?

Xie Jianwei recalled his own past. He was considered quite ambitious within the bird tribe, only taking ten years as a peacock to transform into a human. Because his true form was already exceptionally beautiful, he became even more breathtaking after taking human form. At an election (beauty) assembly, he was unanimously elected as the King of a Hundred Birds.

Recalling the little orioles around him, those little things were even lazier. Most of them would just be sleeping and then, suddenly, turn into humans—absolutely zero reference value!

The other bird ministers were much the same. There was one guy whose bird life was nearing its end. He was about to die of old age but wasn’t in a hurry to transform. He just waited and waited, and a second before he breathed his last, he suddenly turned into a human.

And then continued to live lazily.

Xie Jianwei felt this method of the bird tribe definitely couldn’t apply to A-Li.

What should I do?

Xie Jianwei stroked the little black snake’s forehead, deep in thought.

The little black snake watched him quietly, as if admiring a beautiful poisonous flower, knowing full well that getting close meant death, yet lingering on this beauty.

While busy researching how to make Lu Li transform, Xie Jianwei also earnestly raised the little black snake.

Maybe if he grows a bit bigger, Lu Li will be able to turn into a human on his own. Xie Jianwei thought this earnestly.

Two months flew by. Xie Jianwei hadn’t found a single clue about transforming, but he had raised the little black snake quite well, seeming to have grown considerably.

Xie Jianwei said happily, “Little Li, you’ve grown so much!”

Lu Li: “…”

A little oriole chimed in, “His Majesty is truly wise. You only get more meat if you raise it for a bit. It will definitely taste better too!”

Another one added profoundly, “But don’t raise it for too long. If it gets old, it won’t be tender anymore!”

Xie Jianwei: “…” Could you little bastards stop coveting my husband’s body!

The little black snake felt so stifled he refused to eat for two whole days, forcefully starving himself a size smaller.

Xie Jianwei’s heart ached terribly: “What’s wrong? No appetite?”

That shouldn’t be right. Snakes don’t eat when they hibernate, but shouldn’t they eat a lot when they’re awake?

The little black snake wouldn’t look at him.

Xie Jianwei asked again, “Is the recent food not to your taste? I’ll have someone change it for you.”

The little black snake opened his golden eyes, looked at the anxiety between his brows, and began to give up on himself again.

I’ll eat, I’ll eat. I just hope I eat until I’m round and plump, becoming delicious enough that he won’t bear to share me with anyone else.

Seeing that Lu Li was willing to eat again, Xie Jianwei finally felt relieved. He said softly to him, “You have to grow up quickly.”

Lu Li instantly lost his appetite again.

Xie Jianwei remained completely unaware, his mind entirely focused on how to make him turn into a human faster.

When autumn arrived, Xie Jianwei finally witnessed why the bird tribe could live so well despite being so lazy.

In late October, a grand market opened by the Posuo Sea. Lasting for fifteen days, it was a massive gathering for all the races.

During this period, the elite of the bird tribe turned out in full force to attend this market.

The things they sold rendered Xie Jianwei quite speechless.

In a year, he changed outfits three times a day, and basically never wore an outfit a second time after wearing it once. So over a year, the number of clothes he discarded was quite staggering.

And all these clothes would be taken to the market to be sold in October.

The price set for each piece was enough to feed and water the entire bird tribe for a year…

You ask if they sell out?

Heh heh. The market opened for ten days, and the bird tribe’s clothes were generally snatched up and sold out within the first quarter of the first hour of the first day.

Does the whole continent just love beauty? Not really.

There were those among them who loved beauty, but to be honest, ordinary people truly couldn’t pull off the bird tribe’s grand attire. Wearing it might not make them look beautiful, but rather quite scary.

Most people bought the clothes for the gemstones on them.

The bird tribe loved beauty and clothes, and the garments they sewed for their king with all their hearts contained formidable power.

Those gemstones could be bought elsewhere, but the ones containing the “blood, sweat, and tears” of the bird tribe were something one could only encounter by chance, not seek out.

They had a wide variety of attributes and were highly beneficial to most cultivators.

Because the bird tribe formed their own country and it was difficult for outsiders to enter, people eagerly awaited the opening of the Posuo Market to go in and buy a set of the bird tribe’s clothes. Their cultivation for the next year would definitely yield twice the result with half the effort!

With such highly sought-after “commodities,” it was exceedingly difficult for the bird tribe not to be filthy rich.

Actually, it made perfect sense for the bird tribe to elect the most beautiful person as their king. If it weren’t the most beautiful person, the bird tribe wouldn’t have the motivation to make clothes, and without motivation, those gemstones would just be ordinary gemstones. It was a virtuous cycle.

Therefore, the King of a Hundred Birds didn’t need to know how to handle political affairs, but absolutely had to be adored by a hundred birds.

Now that the Posuo Market was open, Xie Jianwei also wanted to come “shopping.” He had to find a way to find some secret manual for transforming for Lu Li.

He spent half an hour finding an outfit that could be considered plain, put on a veil hat, and went out.

The market was huge, but as it had just opened, a crowd of people were only waiting to snatch up the bird tribe’s clothes.

Xie Jianwei took his guards and strolled around everywhere, seeing many interesting things. He was very curious about the alchemy of this world. This method of altering the structure of matter still followed a certain logic and wasn’t entirely nonsense.

The composition of power in every world was different, as was its operational form. For example, the alchemy here; even if Xie Jianwei learned it, he couldn’t take it to the interstellar era to use, because his plane naturally lacked an important element used in alchemy.

Without this, alchemy was just empty talk.

But this world was full of this element, so as long as one mastered the technique, one could easily exert 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!