CHAPTER 354: CHAPTER 354: CLOUD WORLD (QUE ZELIAN) 2

Qing Sangbiao pointed forward with his wing: "Little Stone, the mountain cave ahead, Que Zelian is there."

Hearing this, Xiao Jinsheng ignored the quarreling Caicai and Qing Sangbiao and hurried towards the cave.

She dashed into the cave.

The cave wasn’t deep, and it was spotless.

There was also a stone bed, covered with a soft material that looked like straw, but it wasn’t straw; its material was unknown.

"Que Zelian?" Xiao Jinsheng’s panicked voice echoed in the cave.

But she couldn’t find any human silhouette.

Until a childish voice responded from her feet: "Are you calling me?"

Xiao Jinsheng looked down and saw a delicate and elegant orange-red bird.

With its wings folded, it was looking up at her.

Its eyes, the color of dusk, were filled with unfamiliarity as they fell upon her.

"Que Zelian?" Xiao Jinsheng began to doubt.

"I am Que Zelian." The orange-red bird nodded, emotionless as it asked Xiao Jinsheng: "And who are you?"

"Que Zelian, this is Stone." Qing Sangbiao also entered folding his wings and stepped in on his claws.

Standing at Xiao Jinsheng’s feet, he extended his wing to introduce Que Zelian: "This is the talking Stone, she can also fly."

"Even stones can fly now, if you learn from her, you will surely learn to fly too."

"You can fly?" Upon hearing that, the orange-red bird’s expression finally changed as it looked at Xiao Jinsheng.

"I can..." Xiao Jinsheng responded absentmindedly.

Looking at the various contractual bindings between her and the orange-red bird as seen through the Star System Map, her mood was complex.

She probed the orange-red bird that clearly didn’t recognize her: "I’m Xiao Jinsheng, don’t you remember me?"

"I’ve never met you." The orange-red bird replied.

"But you are Que Zelian." Xiao Jinsheng said, feeling aggrieved.

The Unity Contract still existed.

Memories may fade, but things like contracts can’t lie, can they?

"I am Que Zelian." The orange-red bird nodded, seeing Xiao Jinsheng’s distressed face about to cry, and for no reason, he felt a twinge of bitterness inside.

But the reply was still full of detachment: "But I haven’t seen you before; maybe the Que Zelian you know isn’t the Que Zelian I know?"

"You are the same one!" Xiao Jinsheng spoke with certainty.

"Prove it." Yet the orange-red bird wasn’t easily convinced.

"We have a couple’s representation contract, the Unity Contract, and the Contractual Totem." Xiao Jinsheng replied.

At the same time, she pulled at her collar.

Just recently on the Cloud Ladder, when Que Zelian had kissed her, the effect of the Contractual Totem had yet to wear off.

Seeing the Cloud Bird Contractual Totem, the orange-red bird was startled: "Why are you tattooed with me?"

"It’s the Contractual Totem." Xiao Jinsheng answered.

And she straightforwardly activated the mind-reading function of the Unity Contract.

The thoughts belonging to the orange-red bird immediately sounded in her mind.

Orange-red bird: She has me on her, could we really be connected?

Orange-red bird: I am Que Zelian, she is also looking for Que Zelian, but I haven’t met her?

Orange-red bird: Could it be...that I’ve seen her in the memories sealed under the glow of dusk?

"Your memories are sealed in the glow of dusk?" Xiao Jinsheng hastily asked.

The orange-red bird was taken aback, looking up at her in surprise.

She saw Xiao Jinsheng smile proudly at him: "See, you are Que Zelian, because we have the Unity Contract between us, so I can read your thoughts and know your inner thinking."

"Really?" The orange-red bird laughed as he asked: "Since you say this mind-reading is called the Unity Contract, and it’s named that, doesn’t it mean we can read each other’s minds?"

"Why can only you read my thoughts."

"I haven’t heard any of your thoughts."

"The greatest authority of this Unity Contract rests with you, does it not?" Noticing Xiao Jinsheng’s expression change, the orange-red bird spoke with certainty.

Listening to his conjecture, Xiao Jinsheng smiled even more excitedly.

Reaching out to touch him, the orange-red bird didn’t react in time and was indeed caught by her raising hand, pressing on its head.

Feeling the warm palm gently stroke his back, the whole bird stood there, stunned.

He had a cleanliness obsession and hated anything coming close to him.

Be it other birds or any creature.

But the way Xiao Jinsheng touched him made him feel like rubbing his head against her palm.

Fortunately, the orange-red bird reacted quickly, pulling back and dodging Xiao Jinsheng’s hand.

He composed himself, trying to remind Xiao Jinsheng coldly: "No more touching."

"Your mind-reading does indeed suggest that there might be something between us."

"But I have no impression of you."

"In any case, I won’t simply take your word for it."

"Then what would make you believe me?" Xiao Jinsheng asked, full of grievance, looking at the cold-faced orange-red bird: "Should I let you read my thoughts too?"

"No!" The orange-red bird hastily refused.

Realizing he had overreacted, he softened his voice to explain: "Thoughts are a person’s privacy; even if we do have a connection, I shouldn’t casually read your thoughts."

"Don’t ask me to read your thoughts." The orange-red bird cautioned, worried.

For some unknown reason.

Just one glance.

He felt that Xiao Jinsheng in front of him was filled with rebelliousness.

If you don’t remind her enough, she’d love to go against the bird.

"You’re not reading my thoughts, and now you don’t remember me, how on earth can you remember me?" Xiao Jinsheng spoke with grievance.

As she spoke, she rubbed her eyes.

The orange-red bird, seeing this, was dumbfounded.

He flapped his wings, intending to fly up to comfort her not to cry.

But after flapping for a long time, he remained in place, unable to lift off.

Seeing Xiao Jinsheng about to shed tears, he panicked, unable to control his reaction: "I will go search for memories in the glow of dusk."

"Everyone who enters the Cloud World has their memories locked in the glow of dusk."

"Only by relearning how to fly can memories be retrieved from the glow of dusk."

"If we indeed have a relationship, I will reclaim our shared memory."

"You..."

Seeing Xiao Jinsheng covering her eyes, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed.

The warm-toned feathers of the orange-red bird took on a rosy hue at this moment, awkwardly speaking: "Don’t... don’t cry."

"Then how do I help you?" Xiao Jinsheng immediately lowered her hands from her face, ready to assist the orange-red bird in reaching the glow of dusk, eager to help.

The orange-red bird looked at her clean face, even the eyelashes weren’t wet by tears, and was stunned: "You weren’t crying?"

"You were fake crying just now." The orange-red bird looked betrayed but not deeply gone.

Xiao Jinsheng pursed her lips, weakly responded: "I can cry for real now."

"Don’t cry." Seeing her brim with emotion, she was really about to weep before him.

The orange-red bird hastily said: "You can go home first, I will practice flying as best I can and enter the glow of dusk soon."

"But here, I don’t have a home." Xiao Jinsheng said dejectedly: "I came here to find you, this Cloud World feels very alien to me."

"If it weren’t for meeting Qing Sangbiao, I don’t know when I’d have found you."

"Then you have nowhere to stay?" The orange-red bird just asked, realizing what a silly question he posed.

Xiao Jinsheng, since she came to find him, appeared in human form but with the heart of a stone.

Clearly, she wasn’t from Cloud World.

And Cloud World, a human with a stone heart like Xiao Jinsheng, the orange-red bird couldn’t just let her be outside alone.

He looked at his cave, turned, and walked outside: "If you don’t mind, you can stay here."

"Rest assured, when you’re in the cave, I won’t come in." The orange-red bird promised.