Chapter Nine: Caiyao - Part One

As soon as he stepped into the room, the rainbow-feathered bird impatiently poked its head out. Seeing no one inside, it fluttered its wings twice and flew out, landing on the tea table. Li Sibai hurriedly took out the packed pork belly and placed it on the table. The bird wasted no time, gobbling up the meat with great appetite, soon polishing off the entire plate. Yet she seemed unsatisfied; after wiping her beak, she gazed longingly at Li Sibai.

Li Sibai assumed she was still hungry and asked, “Are you not full yet?”

The rainbow bird nodded pitifully.

Li Sibai chuckled, “I have no more meat. What else would you like to eat?”

The bird shook her head, sniffed around with her tiny nose, searching for something. She hopped and fluttered to the cabinet by the wall. On top of it rested a square brocade box—Li Sibai’s storage for medicinal pills and herbs. He hesitated briefly, then brought the box to the tea table. Taking the key from his side, he unlocked it, and the fragrance of herbs filled the room. Inside lay all his worldly possessions: a yellow pouch with more than a dozen Xuantian Jade Purity Pills, and a smaller box containing his prized herbs.

The rainbow bird flapped her wings to point at the herb box. Li Sibai gave a wry smile and opened it.

Inside was a thousand-year-old Snow Lotus, pure white and crystalline, tranquil and graceful. Its stamen was as large as a lotus pod, its stem purple-red, petals thin as silk and unblemished. Judging by its appearance, if not a thousand years old, it must be at least nine hundred.

The rainbow bird seemed ecstatic. She pointed at the Snow Lotus, then at herself. Li Sibai understood her meaning.

“So you don’t just eat meat. You eat whatever is most precious, do you?” he teased, but nodded nonetheless. “Go ahead. In the Dark Forest, you saved my life. Without you, I would have fallen and shattered to pieces. This Snow Lotus is nothing compared to that.”

The bird gave him a grateful glance and began to eat the Snow Lotus. This time, unlike her ravenous devouring of meat, she took her time, slowly savoring each bite, as if trying to absorb every essence the Snow Lotus offered. She chewed bit by bit, taking nearly half an hour to finish the entire flower.

She burped contentedly, asked Li Sibai for some water, drank, and then flew to his bed, promptly falling asleep.

Li Sibai could only smile wryly. The thousand-year-old Snow Lotus had been found during a herb-gathering mission, deep in a bottomless gorge. He nearly lost his life that day, but fortune favored him, and he managed to retrieve the lotus. He hadn’t the heart to hand it in as required by the mission—such a rare herb didn’t serve much practical use for him now, yet it was the first of its kind he’d ever picked, so he kept it as a memento, going against the task's directives.

By the looks of it, the lotus could have been exchanged for ten Xuantian Jade Purity Pills—a hundred times more valuable than the regular Jade Purity Pills. Still, Li Sibai believed its worth exceeded even that, so he kept it till today, only for it to be eaten by the rainbow bird.

He mulled over his situation: on this last trip, the entire snake had been devoured by the bird, and he received no reward for the mission. Now, his sole Snow Lotus had been consumed as well. How could he afford to feed this bird in the future? Perhaps, when she awoke, she would leave on her own. If she stayed, just feeding her would be headache enough.

As he thought, drowsiness overcame him. He hadn’t slept well the previous night, his nerves strained to the limit. Now, with food and drink and in his familiar, cozy bedroom, sleep beckoned, and Li Sibai collapsed onto his bed.

He slept straight through to the next morning...

Upon awakening, Li Sibai’s first instinct was to check if the rainbow bird was still there. To his shock, she was gone. He searched the room, but found no sign of her. His feelings were complicated—relieved he no longer needed to fret over feeding her, but a little lost, too. After all, they had survived life and death together, and now she had vanished without a word. It left him unsettled.

Just then, the door creaked open. In walked a little girl of six or seven, her cheeks round and childlike, brows long and elegant, eyes bright as stars. Beneath her petite nose was a small mouth, lips thin, corners faintly upturned in a bittersweet smile. She wore a rainbow-colored, gold-trimmed blouse with a heart motif at her waist. Her delicate hands gleamed like jade, her hair, jet-black, styled in a princess bun adorned with a pearl hairpin and tassels. She radiated a multicolored glow, her features exquisitely pure and fresh—utterly ethereal.

She entered with a gentle smile, looping her arms around Li Sibai’s, and chirped mischievously, “Big brother!”

“Big brother...???” Li Sibai was utterly baffled. Where had this beautiful girl come from?

“Of course, big brother! Don’t you recognize me? I’m Caiyao!”

“Who is Caiyao?”

“We faced mortal peril together just yesterday, and today you’ve forgotten me?”

Li Sibai was speechless.

“Could it be... the rainbow bird?” he muttered to himself.

“At least you remember me. I am a Rainbow Mystical Bird. My name is Caiyao. Don’t forget it.”

Li Sibai finally came to his senses. He examined the girl’s attire and the rainbow light emanating from her, understanding at last. He stepped back warily and asked, “How did you turn into a human? Are you a spirit beast?”

Caiyao pouted, “Have you ever seen such a beautiful spirit beast?”

“Well... no, but that doesn’t really prove anything. Besides, wasn’t the legendary Azure Luan pursuing you? How do you explain that?”

Caiyao sighed, unwilling to argue further. She spun around, her arms swirling, and the rainbow radiance intensified.

“Then prepare yourself—let me eat you first!”

Li Sibai was startled, reaching behind for his short sword, but the rainbow glow instantly enveloped his feet, wrapping him in its midst. He found himself unable to move.