The body of the magpie spirit is beautifully shaped, especially the white male magpies, with two long tail feathers that shimmer with a deep blue glow on their head, neck, and crest.
To accommodate more passengers, the magpie spirit enlarged its own size, able to carry about three adults at once.
Enlarging the size equals enlarging the beauty; the gray-blue crest feathers shimmered like metallic luster under the sunlight, capturing the attention of the little snail babies.
The little snail babies uttered soft exclamations, marveling at the sight. Belatedly, one raised their head, pointing to the magpie spirit with the longest tail feather, expressing a desire, “So beautiful! I want him to take me for a flight.”
The other little snail babies also chirped in agreement.
Grandpa Su patted Chi Yi’s small head, kindly saying, “Alright, you seven stay together. Grandpa will take another magpie spirit.” Grandpa Su pointed to a chestnut-colored magpie spirit beside him.
“Why not fly with us?” Chi Yi shook Grandpa Su’s robe. His shy and timid nature hadn’t changed; he felt insecure when away from adults.
“Because that magpie spirit grandpa is very old, almost the same age as grandpa. He can’t carry too many people at once,” Grandpa Su explained with a cheerful smile.
As magpies age, their feathers turn completely white. Magpies also have another name, “a blooming flower”. It is because they soar through the forest with their snowy long tails, resembling a flower blossoming in the dense woods.
“Wow,” Chi Yi exclaimed enviously, “so when I get old, can I be this beautiful too?”
“Of course,” the white magpie spirit grandpa kindly replied, “even more beautiful than Grandpa.”
Praised, Chi Yi instantly became happy, and even his fear of strangers vanished. He and the little snail babies walked hand in hand towards the magpie spirit grandpa, climbing up with their short little legs.
The little snail babies and Grandpa Su took a step ahead. Bai Tang and Su Siyuan also found a magpie spirit. This particular one was quite aloof, casting a faint glance with deep blue eyes at Bai Tang before looking up at the sky.
Bai Tang was relieved that this magpie spirit was aloof, meaning it wouldn’t turn around and chat with them, and wouldn’t see him being embraced by Su Siyuan.
Su Siyuan lazily wrapped his arm around Bai Tang’s waist, gently resting his chin on Bai Tang’s shoulder. Every part of Bai Tang that came into contact with Su Siyuan was surrounded by energy.
Even though the sensation of being enveloped in energy was comforting, being embraced from behind felt strange despite being frequently cradled in Su Siyuan’s hands before.
It was as if tiny feathers were tickling the back of his neck, and a tingling sensation spread like electric currents. Bai Tang couldn’t help but turn his head. He wanted to push Su Siyuan away, only to see the man’s tired sleeping face.
He was deeply asleep, long eyelashes casting a small shadow on his skin. The soft and faint sound of breath was hidden within the whistling wind. At this moment, the magpie spirit had already flown high, soaring above the blue sky and white clouds, leaving the flowing clouds behind.
The sky became colder, and a chilly wind swept in. Su Siyuan might have sensed the cold and instinctively sought warmth. He buried his face in Bai Tang’s neck, hugging him even tighter. The warm breath from Su Siyuan’s nose sprayed onto Bai Tang’s neck.
Warm and slightly ticklish.
Bai Tang instantly blushed, stiffening his neck and avoiding eye contact, gazing into the distance. The small green sprout on top of his head crazily curled into a small ball, attempting to hide in his hair, as if that could conceal him.
“Ah, this is too much, too much! Quickly push him away!” The system seemed like a landlord who discovered that their own cabbage had been rooted up by a pig. The owner angrily stomped in the field, almost grabbing a knife to slaughter the pig.
“… He’s sleeping,” Bai Tang whispered extremely softly.
“Sleep my ass! What’s wrong with sleeping while holding something? He has to hold onto you! Let him hold onto a bird’s ass for sleep!” The system was furious, “Quick! Push! Him! Away!”
The system rarely got so agitated, and Bai Tang didn’t want to provoke it further. He mentally prepared himself, cautiously extending his hand. When it was about to touch Su Siyuan, Bai Tang’s hand halted.
The other person was in a deep sleep; he must be very tired.
Bai Tang used his index finger to gently tap Su Siyuan’s forehead. The skin on his forehead was smooth and warm, a comfortable touch, like touching premium warm jade.
The index finger moved slowly, landing on Su Siyuan’s slightly raised eyebrow, then moved down slowly, outlining his deep eye sockets and prominent nose.
Su Siyuan’s mouth was also quite attractive, and thin, with the corners naturally upturned. Even when not smiling, it seemed to carry a hint of a smile.
Bai Tang’s index finger landed on Su Siyuan’s lips as delicately as a dragonfly touching the water. “What are you doing?” The sudden voice of the system startled Bai Tang, making his finger, placed on Su Siyuan’s lips, drop heavily in surprise, awakening the sleeping Su Siyuan.
His eyelashes lifted instantly, revealing amber eyes. The eyes still carried a trace of lingering sleepiness. Su Siyuan slowly yawned, and a layer of moisture appeared in his eyes.
Bai Tang quickly withdrew his hand, intensely focused on Su Siyuan, afraid that he might notice something.
“Sorry, I suddenly felt sleepy and just dozed off.” Fortunately, it seemed like Su Siyuan was in such a deep sleep that he hadn’t noticed anything. Bai Tang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is your shoulder sore? Let me massage it for you.” Su Siyuan offered, starting to knead Bai Tang’s shoulders. Bai Tang intended to politely decline, but Su Siyuan’s massage felt too comfortable. After a few polite refusals, Bai Tang surrendered.
After massaging the small shoulders, Su Siyuan moved on to the neck, then to the back, followed by a gentle pounding on the back, and a subtle exploration of the waist. He skillfully enjoyed his tofu without a word, finally revealing a lazy smile.
The system: “…”
Ah, ah, ah, I’m going to chop this pig!
Just as the system was about to explode in place, Bai Tang and Su Siyuan arrived at their destination – the “Rabbit Training Camp.”
Under a big banyan tree, a rabbit spirit lying on a recliner turned over, presenting its fluffy little bottom to Bai Tang. The sound of magpie spirits flapping their wings startled her awake. Chu Li, with a lazy stretch, transformed from the recliner into a humanoid form.
She was a mature lady with a well-endowed chest, slender waist, and long legs. Snow-white waves of large curls cascaded over her shoulders. Chu Li sat up straight, using her crimson eyes to gaze at the new students at the entrance, giving them a casual look.
She nonchalantly swept her eyes over Su Siyuan, then nonchalantly looked at Bai Tang… The wolfberry tea in the thermos almost spilled out.
Chu Li got excited on the spot and bounced over to Bai Tang. “Hello, fellow student! Are you the new student in our training camp?” The sweet loli voice was quite contradictory to her mature appearance.
Bai Tang nodded; he found it a bit challenging to deal with overly enthusiastic people, so he sought help from Su Siyuan.
At some point, Bai Tang had become accustomed to looking at this man. Because he always had a calm and steady demeanor, efficiently organizing things without panic, and handling everything slowly but reliably.
Sure enough, Su Siyuan stepped forward and effortlessly redirected Chu Li’s attention with a few words.
Many new students arrived at the entrance of the training camp. They descended from the magpie spirits, including palm-sized hamster spirits, swaggering pigeon spirits, athletic praying mantis spirits, and even a stone spirit held by someone. Chu Li quickly went forward to greet the new students.
Su Siyuan and Bai Tang stood at the entrance. Su Siyuan reached out, tucking a strand of loose hair behind Bai Tang’s ear, and whispered, “I’m leaving now. Pay attention in class. I’ll come to pick you up after school in the afternoon.”
Bai Tang waved his hand, watching Su Siyuan leave. When Su Siyuan’s figure completely disappeared from his line of sight, Bai Tang unexpectedly felt a sense of reluctance.
“Are you trying to become a statue waiting for a husband?” the system complained.
Bai Tang awkwardly shifted his gaze, landing on the new students not far away. Various-sized and shaped monsters gathered together, a mix of original and humanoid forms. Bai Tang noticed that, apart from humanoid forms, all the animal-shaped ones looked cute when plump—
Like the round little hamster and another chubby chipmunk.
The monsters crowded around in the sunlight looked incredibly adorable. Everything appeared harmonious as if nothing could disturb the tranquility, except for a burst of screams that shattered the peace.
Only the small area in the middle saw a burst of screams from the monsters. They cried out while scattering in all directions.
As the monsters ran away, the motionless shota at the original spot became particularly conspicuous.
He was a cactus spirit who couldn’t fully transform due to insufficient cultivation. He wore a green coat covered in spikes and long gloves. Well, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that the spikes seemed to pierce through the clothes and gloves, revealing them, including the pants.
The scattered monsters, screaming in pain from being pricked by the cactus spirit’s spikes, avoided this little monster.
Bai Tang took a few steps forward, getting a clearer view of the creature. It was a very small monster, around seven or eight years old, with a fair, young face and big watery eyes.
But at this moment, those big eyes were filled with mist. The little monster remained silent, lying on the ground, burying his face in his arms. His shoulders trembled slightly as if he was crying.
Tong Lingshu was very sad.
He was an unpopular little monster; all the monsters of his age went to kindergarten, but he was the only one who was persuaded to leave by the kindergarten teacher.
The kindergarten teacher said that little kids should often play together, hold hands, and hug. Monsters like him, who don’t fit well with intimate contact, were not suitable for such activities.
He had always been an unpopular little monster. When he accidentally fell, no one dared to help him up. When he cried in pain, no one hugged and comforted him. As expected, this time when he fell, no one cared about him.
His dad was discussing with the kindergarten teacher. He sneaked out and went to another class on this street – the “Bunny Training Camp.”
The monsters in this class were all big. It shouldn’t be a problem if he pricked them a bit, right…?
With this somewhat hopeful mindset, he quietly slipped out, mixed in, and unexpectedly found the crowd too crowded. He had tried hard to avoid everyone but still collided with someone.
In the end, everyone ran away in a commotion.
Indeed, no matter where he went, he was an unwelcome nuisance…
Tears soaked his sleeves. He had been trying hard to hold back his tears, but those tear drops didn’t listen. They kept emerging like his thorns, uncontrollably.
To prevent his thorns from pricking others, he had tried many ways. He even endured the pain of plucking each thorn one by one, but for some reason, the thorns would always return the next day.
‘Don’t cry, little crybaby covered in thorns. No one will comfort you. Tong Tong, wipe away your tears by yourself and leave on your own.’
As the little monster thought of this with such sadness, he suddenly found himself in a warm embrace. It was an adult’s hug that could hold him tightly. The diverse scent of grass and wood surrounded the teary-eyed little cactus spirit. Tong Lingshu raised his head in confusion, locking eyes with a gentle smiling face.
It was a gentle and clean smile, vaguely carrying the fragrance of spring.
Author’s note:
A big thanks to the following contributors for the characters:
Bunny Spirit by 凉巷以叶1Liang Xiang Yi Ye(Cool Lane with Leaves)
Cactus Spirit by shiro
Hamster Spirit and Chipmunk Spirit by 甜甜我的爱2Tian Tian Wo de Ai. (Sweet My Love)
Stone Spirit by 墨路醉酒3Mo Lu Zuijiu(Ink Road Drunk)
Praying Mantis Spirit by 星&月的悄悄话4Xing & Yue de Qiaoqiao Hua(Whispers of Stars & Moon)
