Chapter 44: Beast God’s Envoy, Little Hedgehog

Shen Yijing didn’t know why his little one seemed so happy, but he didn’t ask further. He still loved seeing Jiujiu so lively and active, especially when he wiggled his chubby Little Chubby Bird butt.

The young king fulfilled his promise to Shen Yijing, never interfering with his private decisions, just as the positions of marshal and king had been independent when they first came into being.

If anyone maliciously spread rumors about the marshal, he would actively step forward to debunk them.

Even after Shen Yijing retired, and the next marshal wasn’t his idol, he didn’t change his attitude. And when he had an heir, he educated them in the same way.

With Jiujiu by his side, Shen Yijing lived a very long life, but no matter how healthy his body was, there would eventually be a day when he had to leave.

Feeling his body failing, he piloted his mech one last time to the place where he had carried out his first mission. He hadn’t intended to bring Jiujiu, but then he worried that no one would take care of him if he wasn’t there.

Just as he was thinking of letting Jiujiu return to the wild and he himself would rest eternally in his mech, Jiujiu struggled and squeezed his way in.

Sitting on his dad’s shoulder, he looked forward to meeting his dad in the next world. He also thought that since he had been such a hardworking Little Chubby Bird in this world, Star Lord would surely praise him well when he returned.

The peach he had brought for his dad was already gone on the way, leaving only a pit, which his dad planted in the yard where he spent his retirement. Every spring, the peach tree would bloom with beautiful flowers, but unfortunately, it didn’t bear much fruit.

When Jiujiu returned to Heavenly Realm this time, he saw Star Lord waiting for him there. He quickly flew over and sat down in front of Star Lord.

“Jiujiu is so tired…”

Star Lord understood his meaning just by looking at him and took out the pastries he had prepared long ago, offering them to him.

“And now?”

“Not as tired as just now.”

The implication was that although he had accepted this small bribe, he was still not satisfied and needed more to soothe his weary body.

Star Lord didn’t tease him deliberately and took out all the food he had prepared for him, slowly feeding him bit by bit.

“Little Highness, in the next world, do you want to continue as you are, or change your appearance?”

Star Lord was also very busy in Heavenly Realm. The reason he stayed here waiting for Jiujiu this time was because there was something important he needed to explain.

“Huh? Jiujiu is just like this, this looks better!”

“But in the next world, you can’t go like this.”

“Then why did you ask!”

Pouting, Jiujiu folded his wings, feeling that this Star Lord had changed. Before, he wouldn wouldn’t deliberately tease him with something that already had a clear outcome.

“Little Highness, how about being a Little Hedgehog in the next world? Emperor Lord can stick wild fruits on your quills.”

Star Lord’s words made Jiujiu think of the cartoon his dad had watched with him before, where hedgehogs would carry fruits on their quills, but in reality, it wasn’t like that at all.

After pestering his dad to take him to see a real hedgehog, Jiujiu felt a surge of anger, feeling he had been deceived.

“Hedgehog quills can’t stick fruit.”

“But the hedgehog Little Highness becomes can.”

Jiujiu admitted he was tempted by Star Lord’s words. He stared at Star Lord with a suspicious gaze, then softly said:

“Then I’ll try?”

A Little Hedgehog covered in fruits, Jiujiu thought, would make him happy enough to fly.

Other Little Hedgehogs couldn’t stick fruits, only his dad’s precious Jiujiu could!

“Little Highness, in the next world, you are the Beast God’s Emissary, remember?”

“Ah? But I don’t know that Beast God.”

Jiujiu had been staying here obediently recently and hadn’t gone out to make friends, so he wasn’t sure who the Beast God Star Lord was talking about.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know him, you just need to remember that you are his emissary. And this book, you must remember it well and tell everything to Emperor Lord then.”

As Star Lord spoke, he handed a thin book to Little Highness. Before Little Highness returned, he had spent several days and nights condensing a thick book into this.

Little Highness loved to be lazy; if it were too thick, he would simply give up.

“Oh.”

Jiujiu sat there, flipping through the pages with his wings. It contained information on how to raise animals, how to plant crops, as well as salt drying, and cooking meat using fire.

There was even a very special material in that plane, similar to iron, that could be used to boil or stir-fry food.

“Is there cilantro?”

After reading it once, Jiujiu didn’t find his favorite cilantro in the book, so he asked Star Lord.

Although his dad didn’t like it, he still loved it. Even if his dad didn’t like it, he would still make it for him, holding his nose.

“Yes, on the second page, Little Highness, you have limited time, so hurry up and remember it.”

Star Lord occasionally fed Little Highness a piece of food. Jiujiu chewed while reciting, and by the end, although he hadn’t memorized everything, his stomach was full.

The next plane was special; the Beast God truly existed and was the only god in that world.

Although it wasn’t very obvious in the previous worlds, Jiujiu was indeed a god. In the entire Heavenly Realm, even Emperor Lord couldn’t compare to the amount of merit he possessed.

If he wanted to be a Little Chubby Bird again, Little Highness simply couldn’t enter that plane, let alone stay by Emperor Lord’s side.

Jiujiu, who thought he had remembered everything, wiped his mouth and began to discuss with Star Lord what kind of hedgehog he wanted to become.

He chose a hedgehog with light yellow quills, which clearly wasn’t a “proper” hedgehog, but because its appearance and color were similar to his own, Jiujiu liked it very much.

The Beast God’s Emissary was a result Star Lord had specifically negotiated with the Beast God. Coincidentally, the Beast God also wanted to change the plane he controlled but didn’t know where to start.

In the Sky Tribe, the chief Jing suddenly had a dream. In his dream, he saw the great Beast God. The Beast God said that because they were diligent and brave, he would send his emissary to help their tribe develop.

Jing saw the light yellow Little Hedgehog by the Beast God’s side, with many wild fruits stuck on its quills, and a round nose and small paws, looking very cute.

“In the entire tribe, only you have the ability to communicate with him. I hope you cherish this.”

The Beast God thought of the man who had come to him before and also explained some details to Jing. Since they were doing well, he naturally couldn’t do poorly either.

When Jing woke up the next day, he saw a yellow Little Hedgehog sleeping soundly in the most prominent spot in his cave, with fruits still stuck on its quills.

He stood up and walked towards the Little Hedgehog. As he got closer, he could see that with the rhythm of its breathing, the fruits on its back swayed slightly.

Jing remembered seeing an animal similar in appearance to this Little Hedgehog when he had gone out with his tribe members before.

Some beastmen wanted to catch one to taste, but ended up getting their paws pricked and bleeding.

Jing’s beast form was a lion. He was very strong, and being in the prime of his life as a young adult, he was the most outstanding beastman in the entire tribe.

He extended his paw, wanting to gently nudge the Little Hedgehog, but was afraid of being pricked. He could only let out a low growl, hoping to wake it up and ask if it was indeed the Beast God’s Emissary.

For Shen Yijing, it was a restrained roar, but for Jiujiu, it still startled him.

Jiujiu, who was sleeping soundly, was startled awake and looked around blankly. When he saw a lion’s head magnified in front of him, he thought he had become the lion’s food and quickly curled himself into a small hedgehog ball.

His paws and head were tucked inside, making him look like a chestnut shell from the outside.

“Are you the Beast God’s Emissary?”

Hearing a somewhat familiar voice, Jiujiu cautiously opened a small gap in his ball. The more he looked, the more familiar the big lion that had just scared him seemed.

“Daddy?”

Jing had never heard this address before. Seeing that his “daddy” wasn’t responding, Jiujiu remembered that this world was different from the places he had been with his dad before, so he spoke again:

“Father~”

“I am not your father.”

“No, you are.”

“I’m not.”

“You are!”

Seeing the Little Hedgehog standing there, pouting with his paws folded, Jing felt he shouldn’t argue such a childish matter with him anymore.

“Are you the Beast God’s Emissary?”

“Jiujiu doesn’t talk to people who aren’t his father.”

After turning into a Little Hedgehog, Jiujiu’s temper seemed to have become a bit more irritable. At this moment, all his quills stood up. If his father dared to touch him, he would fiercely poke him with the fruits he had brought on his back.

Jing transformed back into human form and bent down to meet the Little Hedgehog’s gaze.

“Look, I am a beastman, and you are just a… a ball of quills. I cannot be your father.”

Jing liked this Little Hedgehog very much, but liking it didn’t mean he was willing to accept something incorrect. He thought it might be a misunderstanding because he was the first person the Beast God’s Emissary saw after waking up.

“No, you are.”

Jiujiu felt a bit tired standing with the fruits on his back, so he sat down again. As he sat, he could hear the sound of his quills rubbing, and couldn’t help but feel relieved in his heart that the quills didn’t prick him.

“I am not your biological father, but if you wish, you can consider me your father.”

Jing watched this ball of quills throwing a tantrum and, after some thought, decided this was the most appropriate way to handle it.

“Alright, I guess.”

Anyway, Jiujiu had always known he wasn’t his dad’s biological child, but he and his dad had a father-son bond, which was deeper than a biological connection in Heavenly Realm, so whether they were biological or not didn’t really matter.

“Are you the Beast God’s Emissary?”

Jiujiu heard his father constantly dwelling on this question. He stood up, extended his paws towards his father, and mumbled:

“Father doesn’t even hug Jiujiu when we meet, only asks Jiujiu questions.”