CHAPTER 1445: THE LITTLE SEEDLING II

The air that was stagnant suddenly shifted. A moment later, Zhao Li Xin returned, his silhouette cutting through the dim light. Girsha stirred, feathers rustling weakly as his massive head lifted.

His emerald eyes blinked open, and then widened in disbelief.

In Zhao Li Xin’s grip, dangling by the collar like a wayward chick, was a child.

"Who... is that?" Girsha’s voice was hoarse, but laced with astonishment.

The boy looked up at him, eyes sparkling like twin stars. Then, his face split into the widest grin imaginable. "Zhao Papa!"

Zhao Li Xin’s gaze turned sharp, his lips thinning into a grim line. But the child, oblivious to the growing tension, kicked his legs with wild excitement, chanting again and again, "Zhao Papa! Zhao Papa!"

A dry laugh rumbled in Girsha’s chest. "You’d better have a good explanation for Lory..."

"This," Zhao Li Xin said flatly, "is the Scion. The creature I extracted from the King’s body. It was a black seed, until I burned it. Then it became a green seed and... this."

He lowered the boy to the ground, and the little boy didn’t hesitate. Bare feet slapped against the cold ground as he darted toward Girsha, laughter ringing out like tiny silver chimes.

He grabbed one of Girsha’s vast wings and clung to it with fearless joy, his small hands sinking into the soft membrane as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Girsha’s golden eyes somehow widened further. "This child... he’s the seed? A fragment of Zalchana? The one the box was pointing to?"

"Yes," Zhao Li Xin replied, his voice sharp and unwavering.

"But..." Girsha’s gaze lingered on the boy, who now pressed his cheek against his feathers, smiling as though he’d found the safest place in the world. "I don’t sense anything vile. He feels... pure. Are you certain?"

"I saw it myself," Zhao Li Xin said firmly. "He transformed before my eyes. He even called the statue of a woman, one I assumed to be Zalchana ’Mama.’ Whether he’s truly her child in the literal sense or... something else entirely, I don’t know for sure."

Girsha’s golden avian eyes flickered with a strange mix of curiosity and unease, but before he could speak, his vast wings sagged, and his head slumped heavily against the ground.

"Girsha," Zhao Li Xin called sharply, stepping closer.

"Mm... just... tired..." Girsha murmured, his eyelids drooping.

From beneath the soft plumage, a small head poked out. The boy’s ember-bright eyes stared at Girsha with innocent concern. He reached out his chubby hand and patted Girsha’s great beak.

"Biddie...?"

He could feel Girsha’s faint, weakening heartbeat. Then he turned toward Zhao Li Xin, his face crumpled with sadness.

"Papa?"

Zhao Li Xin’s gaze shifted to the countless doors surrounding them, and he sighed. "Maintaining these doors... It’s draining you. You know you can’t hold out much longer, don’t you?"

"I don’t mind," Girsha’s voice was low, almost tender. "I’m just... worried. My girl will be sad."

A shadow of grief crossed Zhao Li Xin’s face. He didn’t know if he could save Girsha, nor how he would explain this to Lory.

The boy looked from Girsha to Zhao Li Xin. Then, without a word, his eyes fixed on the doors. His tiny brows furrowed with sudden determination.

He stepped forward on wobbly legs, each step deliberate. Then, kneeling, he pressed his small hands against the cold ground.

All of a sudden, the ground beneath them trembled. Then a single sprout erupted from beneath, glowing faintly, as if it carried the essence of life itself. In an instant, it surged upward, twisting into a great tree. Its roots spread like veins of emerald fire, racing across the dark ground surface.

Vines burst forth, slithering and coiling with supernatural speed. They crawled over the ancient doors, wrapping them in a living seal. Thorned tendrils locked in place with a sound like whispering steel, binding the gateways shut one by one until nearly all of them were swallowed beneath an unyielding wall of green.

They could feel the air shift, heavier, older. The vines pulsed faintly, alive, as if breathing.

Zhao Li Xin’s eyes widened, while Girsha stared at the child with something between awe and disbelief, and in the midst of it all, the boy stood there, hands still on the ground, his ember-bright eyes glowing faintly as if lit from within.

When the last vine settled and the ground grew still, the boy turned on his heel and looked at Zhao Li Xin. He grinned from ear to ear, his little chest puffed out as if expecting a reward.

Zhao Li Xin stared momentarily, at a loss for words. "Did he... shut all of them?"

"No," Girsha rumbled, his voice still heavy with astonishment. "Not all. But almost half of the doors." His round emerald eyes swept over the doors, then back to the boy. "I suppose it’s because he’s still young. His power is... immature."

Zhao Li Xin’s sharp gaze lit up. "Then, if we manage to bring Zalchana here..."

For the first time in ages, hope flickered in Girsha’s avian eyes. "If she could lock them all... I could finally leave this place." But just as quickly, the light dimmed. "Yet... that would mean she must take my place. I don’t know if she would be willing."

Zhao Li Xin exhaled, his expression unreadable but resolute. "We’ll have to try."

He crooked his fingers in a beckoning gesture.

The boy immediately leapt to his feet and bolted toward him, giggling, before throwing his tiny arms around Zhao Li Xin’s leg with unrestrained joy. Zhao Li Xin stared down at him, and something tugged faintly at his heart.

Perhaps it was because this foolish little thing had helped Girsha. Or perhaps he had helped him fulfill his promise to his wife; suddenly, the little boy didn’t look so foolish after all.

He reached down and patted the boy’s head. "Good."

The boy laughed brightly, almost glowing with pride. "Zhao Papa, g-g-good!"

Zhao Li Xin smirked faintly, then turned his gaze to Girsha. "How about you? Do you feel any better?"

"My power isn’t draining as fast," Girsha admitted, his feathers rustling weakly. "But I’ve already spent too much mana. It will take time to recover."

"If I bring Lory here," Zhao Li Xin asked, "could she heal you?"

Girsha’s head tilted slightly, thoughtful. "It would help."

"Then I’ll bring her here immediately." Zhao Li Xin stepped forward, only to halt when he felt a weight clinging stubbornly to his leg. He glanced down.

’Oh yes, the boy.’

Zhao Li Xin raised a brow. "If I take him out of here," he asked Girsha, "will it affect the seal?"

Girsha pondered for a moment, his massive beak lowering slightly. "No. The tree holds a portion of his power. As long as he returns to replenish it, the seal will hold. But... don’t take him into the real world. Not yet. We still don’t know what he truly is."

Zhao Li Xin gave a curt nod, then bent down and lifted the boy, not by the collar this time, but cradling him under one arm like a sack of potatoes. The child squealed in delight, clearly unbothered by his new position.

"I’ll leave him in the Mystique World," Zhao Li Xin decided. "Hopefully, someone left new messages about this to fire spirit."

The boy giggled, entirely content in his odd perch, while Zhao Li Xin’s expression remained as unreadable as ever... though, for just a fleeting second, his grip seemed a little gentler than before.

Then, with the speed of light, he crossed the void in an instant. The crushing silence of oblivion was shattered, and in its place came the familiar warmth of the Mystique World.

The moment he arrived, a blaze of excitement erupted.

[Master! You’re back!]

The fire spirit lunged toward him like a comet of flame, only to freeze mid-air, his bright form flickering in confusion when he spotted the boy cradled in Zhao Li Xin’s arms.

[Whose child is this?] the spirit demanded, his tone sharp, scandalized, like a wife catching her husband with an illegitimate child.

Zhao Li Xin’s eyes darkened. "Shut up."

The fire spirit’s flames stuttered, shrinking instantly. He froze, remembering, far too late, that his master had no patience for jokes, except his own wife. [...Yes, Master.]

Zhao Li Xin lowered the boy to the ground. Immediately, the child bolted away, his short legs wobbling as he ran in clumsy circles, laughing and making delighted "Weee!" noises.

He poked at stones, chased his own shadow, and giggled like the world was made just for him.

Meanwhile, Zhao Li Xin explained the boy’s origin with his usual cold efficiency. The fire spirit’s bright flames dimmed, becoming serious.

[So... that thing could turn into a human? What a bizarre, magical creature...]

Zhao Li Xin turned to him with a sharp, accusing glare. [Bold words, coming from a sword that turned into an annoying spirit.]

[Master, I am not annoying!] the spirit flared indignantly.

[You are.] Zhao Li Xin insisted, then his gaze shifted to the boy, who was currently gnawing on a bamboo stalk like a starving rabbit. [...And that thing is also an idiot.]

Just then, the boy spotted a drifting leaf. Without hesitation, he threw away the bamboo and charged after it, only to trip over his own feet and land flat on his face.

The fire spirit stared in silence, then let out a flickering sigh.

[Master... perhaps your fire didn’t just burn away his impurity shell. Maybe it burned his brain, too.]

Then he froze again, remembering twice now that Zhao Li Xin didn’t like jokes. His flames curled inward like a chastised ember. [...Forgive me, Master.]

Zhao Li Xin exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple. His gaze drifted back to the boy, lingering a second longer than necessary, an unreadable glint flashing in his eyes before vanishing just as quickly.

[Have you received any message from Emperor Lei Yu... or anyone else?] Zhao Li Xin asked.

[Master, I told you, I’m not an answering machine,] the fire spirit grumbled, his flames flickering indignantly. Lately, it felt as though his dignity was melting away one insult at a time in front of his merciless master.

Zhao Li Xin snorted, a short, sharp sound, and turned away. As he walked, his voice echoed like steel on stone.

[Take care of the kid. I’m fetching my wife. I want him to at least look presentable when I return.]

[Yes, Master,] the fire spirit replied obediently, bowing in the air like a loyal ember.

But as Zhao Li Xin’s figure began to fade into the distance, the boy’s eyes widened. His small hands clenched at his tunic, panic welling in his expression.

"Zhao Papa—! Zhao Papa!"

His voice cracked, desperate and trembling. Tears welled in his ember-bright eyes as he stumbled forward, reaching out with tiny fingers that couldn’t possibly catch him.

Zhao Li Xin halted. He turned, his face as unreadable as ever, but his steps carried him back. He crouched down in front of the boy, meeting those tearful eyes head-on.

"I’m not leaving you," Zhao Li Xin said quietly, his tone firm but steady. "I’ll be back. Right away. So don’t cry. Be good." With a swift but gentle motion, he flicked the boy lightly on the forehead.

The little boy sniffled, rubbing at the spot with both hands, blinking through his tears.

Then Zhao Li Xin rose, his robes whispering against the ground as he turned and walked away without another word.

The boy stood frozen for a moment, staring at the empty space where Zhao Li Xin had been, his little lip trembling.

The fire spirit drifted closer, his flames softening into a warm, reassuring glow.

[Don’t be sad, little one. If Master says he’ll come back, he will. Our Master... he’s many things, but one thing is certain, he always keeps his word.]

The boy turned toward him, his eyes still misty but no longer hopeless. "Zhao Papa?" he asked again, this time quieter, as if seeking confirmation.

[Yes-yes, don’t cry] Soon, the fire spirit smirked faintly, a mischievous spark flickering in his fiery form.

[You really call him Papa, huh?] He chuckled under his breath. [I can’t wait to see Madam’s reaction to that.]

The boy blinked up at him, tilting his head in confusion, but the fire spirit only laughed softly, his flames dancing in quiet amusement.