“How do I do that?” Ge Nianlan asked.

“Just ask.”

“…He’s a bird.” Ge Nianlan said.

“Spiritual animals are different from regular animals,” Baili Liuye calmly explained. “For one, he can understand human speech. Offer him a name. If he accepts, then he is yours.”

“…Sesame.”

The bird looked at Ge Nianlan as if he were an idiot and squeaked.

Ge Nianlan looked at Baili Liuye hopelessly.

“Ahem. You’ll have to coax it then. Get on his good side,” Baili Liuye said. “I think this is a good exercise for you anyway.”

The bird reminded him too much of Baili Liuye, but on the flip side, Baili Liuye really felt like this Ashen Phoenix truly matched Ge Nianlan.

The pudgy bird’s rejection sparked the competitive streak in Ge Nianlan.

He sat down at the table of the library and started to recite any kind of name he could think of to this bird. Baili Liuye took a seat nearby and eventually drifted off to dreamland again, leaving Ge Nianlan to struggle.

When the sun finally set, Ye Mingxi came around to look for Baili Liuye, only to stumble upon this sight.

Ge Nianlan’s frustrations had reached its climax. Just as he was about to yell at the stupid bird, he paused upon seeing the newcomer.

He stood immediately and bowed.

“Lord Weidan.”

“Oh, hello,” Ye Mingxi grinned. He looked at the napping Baili Liuye, then to the red-in-the-face Ge Nianlan. “Did you two…talk at all?”

Ge Nianlan stiffened. Did he know everything between him and Baili Liuye or was this just an offhanded question?

“He isn’t coming with us,” Baili Liuye murmured, as if he were still asleep.

Ye Mingxi’s awkwardness faded into shock. “Huh?! Why?”

Ge Nianlan frowned slightly as Baili Liuye rose from his sleep.

“He doesn’t want to.”

“But—but—” Ye Mingxi looked at Baili Liuye pleadingly.

“If he doesn’t want to, how could I possibly force him?” Baili Liuye continued, as if none of this concerned him. He stretched his neck and glanced at Ge Nianlan. “Have you thought of a name for it?”

“This dumb bird won’t accept anything,” Ge Nianlan grumbled.

“Well, you just have to keep trying then,” Baili Liuye said.

Ye Mingxi came closer and looked at the plump bird in Ge Nianlan’s hand. His eyes widened. “You—are you crazy? He isn’t coming with you and you gave him an Ashen Phoenix?”

“Ashen Phoenix?” Ge Nianlan curiously glanced at Baili Liuye.

“Do you know what a phoenix is?”

Ge Nianlan nodded.

“This kind of phoenix is what you would call a sub-breed,” Baili Liuye said. “Legend has it, this type of phoenix is born from the ashes of corpses.”

Ge Nianlan stared at him speechlessly.

“The person must have been someone with a pure soul,” Baili Liuye continued to explain. “Their desires and hope for the world are conjured into this. An Ashen Phoenix takes a long time to grow up. Even well into their first phase of adulthood, they have this black coat. But after they molt in their second phase of adulthood, they come out as a bird with beautiful, fiery feathers.”

Baili Liuye glanced at Ge Nianlan, whose initial shock had faded somewhat.

“Learn from him.”

“Learn from this burnt chicken?” Ge Nianlan asked.

The bird squawked.

“Yes, learn from him,” Baili Liuye said. He stood and stretched his waist. “And give him a good name. He will probably outlive you.”

“Are you cursing me?” Ge Nianlan snapped.

“Then, learn to be smart,” Baili Liuye shrugged. He glanced at Ge Nianlan. His voice echoed in the boy’s ears. “You’re my son. I know that will be all too easy for you.”

Ge Nianlan hesitated as he looked at the burnt chicken in his hand. He glanced at Baili Liuye. “So, you think names are important?”

“I think names aren’t something that should be used as a joke,” Baili Liuye said.

“Then…what do you think of my name…?” Ge Nianlan asked with another cautious glance.

“I like your name.”

Ge Nianlan tried to hide his disappointment. He hummed. “I like it too. It has a lot of meaning behind it.”

“It sure does,” Baili Liuye agreed. “I thought about it for a while.”

“…What?”

“Baili Yihong (百里一红),” Baili Liuye said. His silvery eyes met Ge Nianlan’s. “That is my child’s name.”

Ge Nianlan stared at Baili Liuye for a disconcerting amount of time.

“Do you dislike it?” Ye Mingxi cautiously asked. He scratched his cheek. “I told him it’d be a bit much for a boy, but he didn’t listen.”

“What does it mean?” Ge Nianlan dazedly asked.

“He was ruminating over the saying ‘a dot of red amidst a forest of trees’ for a long time,” Ye Mingxi explained. “He wanted his child to be someone who was outstanding and eye-catching.”

Although the name felt ostentatious, the meaning was pure. Ge Nianlan couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. If this was a person who put so much thought into his child’s name, then why on earth had he casted Ge Nianlan aside so easily in the future that he saw? And how come he hadn’t come to look for him for so long?

Ye Mingxi glanced at Baili Liuye, who was watching Ge Nianlan intently. He softly cleared his throat. “It’s okay if you don’t like the name. It—”

“It wouldn’t matter if I don’t like that name, since that isn’t my name,” Ge Nianlan said.

Ye Mingxi stared at the little boy, then turned back to Baili Liuye.

Baili Liuye hummed. “That is true. It’s the name of my son.”

“Wait, hold on now—”

“Mingxi, let’s go,” Baili Liuye said.

Ye Mingxi’s mouth hung open. Were they just going to leave things like this? At such an awkward rejection?!

Ye Mingxi hesitated between Baili Liuye and Ge Nianlan.

“Unfortunately, my son has his own plans, so he is not yet by my side,” Baili Liuye said. He glanced at Ge Nianlan.

“Perhaps he will return to you in the future,” Ge Nianlan said.

“I hope so.”

“…May it go as you wish.”

“Thank you, Young Lord,” Baili Liuye said with a prompt nod.

Ye Mingxi was left flabbergasted, but he hastily followed Baili Liuye out, leaving Ge Nianlan in the large library by himself.

Ge Nianlan sat down. He gently poked at the sleeping pile of burnt chicken on the table and pressed his cheek to his palm. He stared dazedly at the door that had fallen closed again.

“Baili Yihong,” Ge Nianlan mumbled. He glanced at the Ashen Phoenix and poked it. “I’ll name you…Sigu （思故）. How is that?”

The Ashen Phoenix stirred slightly and opened one eye. Without another second of hesitation, it nipped Ge Nianlan’s outstretched hand.

Ge Nianlan yelped and was about to yell at the burnt chicken when he felt something warm touch his wound. He watched as the little bird lapped away the blood on his finger and as that single red droplet caused the bird to glow.

“…Whoa.”