Little Alpaca – Chapter 149

by Little Panda

Volume 4: Immeasurable

You’re too good at comforting people.

So, digging into the skull¹ wasn’t to help restore memories after all.

I could only blame myself for watching too many novels and TV shows. I always thought that in this kind of fantasy world, digging into someone’s skull was the standard configuration² for helping restore memories.

But after messing around for half a day, not only were her memories not restored, but a segment was even erased.

So, was that whole conversation just a waste of effort?

Yi Qiu looked up at You Yan, her eyes filled with confusion. “You Yan, I don’t really get it…”

“What don’t you get?” You Yan asked, continuing before Yi Qiu could respond. “We can’t let her face the Yi Bird with that memory. The Yi Bird would discover that we haven’t left yet.”

“But isn’t this just a waste of effort? We said so much to her and she was already starting to waver, but then you just went and erased her memory…”

Yi Qiu really couldn’t understand what the point of doing this was.

“It wasn’t a complete waste of effort,” You Yan said, finding a place to sit down.

Yi Qiu pouted, took a few steps to catch up, and plopped down beside You Yan.

She propped up her chin, looking at You Yan with curiosity. “Do you have another plan?”

It doesn’t matter if I understand or not, she thought, as long as You Yan does. The only thing I need to do is figure out her plan and try my best not to be dragging the back leg.³

Anyway, no matter what trouble they ran into, You Yan always had her own ideas and had never let her down.

“Today was just to scout the situation; it wasn’t a good time to beat the grass to startle the snake,”⁴ You Yan said. “If we want to leave Snake Mountain, we’ll have to forcefully break the outermost barrier⁵ sealing the mountain. I have the ability to do it, but it would definitely alert the Yi Bird.”

“How are your injuries recovering?”

“Not well,” You Yan said flatly. “Breaking the barrier itself consumes a lot of spiritual energy⁶. Beyond Snake Mountain is a sea that is as far as the eye can see⁷, with nowhere to rest or hide. If I have to bring you and Chao Yun along, I’m not confident I can escape from here.”

As You Yan spoke, she happened to see a flicker of disappointment in Yi Qiu’s eyes.

After a brief hesitation, she reached out and patted Yi Qiu’s head. “You’re not a burden to me.”

“You don’t have to comfort me. I know… I’m completely useless.” Yi Qiu lowered her head dejectedly, unconsciously fiddling with her braided hair and muttering under her breath, “But it’s not like I had a choice. Who told you to raise an alpaca? If you’d raised a bird, couldn’t I fly? If I could fly, then…”

“You still wouldn’t be able to keep up with my speed. You’d be caught by the Yi Bird.”

“…” Yi Qiu unconsciously gritted her teeth.

Who was it that just said I wasn’t a burden to her? It really was just a half-hearted attempt to comfort me.

Seeing the change in Yi Qiu’s expression, You Yan chuckled lightly. “So what if you’re a burden? Am I afraid of you being a burden?”

Yi Qiu: “You’re not?”

You Yan: “Only useless people blame their own failures on others.”

Yi Qiu’s gaze toward You Yan brightened. After a moment of silence, she couldn’t help but purse her lips, lowering her eyes and letting out a couple of soft laughs.

“What’re you laughing at?”

“Nothing, it’s just that those words sound a little familiar… I heard them before when I used to play games.”

“Hm?” You Yan didn’t hide the curiosity in her eyes at all.

Yi Qiu thought for a moment, hugged her knees, and looked up at the distant sky.

“I used to like playing games online. I was bad but loves to play⁸. Because I would just muddle through⁹, I’d get yelled at by my teammates from time to time, as if it was my fault we lost because I was the pit¹⁰… But later, I met a big boss¹¹, and he played with me for a few days.” As she spoke, Yi Qiu turned her gaze to You Yan. “For those few days, I was on a constant winning streak. I’d maybe only lose once every six or seven matches.”

“Oh?”

“That big boss never yelled at me. At most, he’d just tell me when to do what, and that as long as I didn’t feed randomly, he could carry me to lie down and win¹².” A hint of joy appeared in Yi Qiu’s eyes as she spoke. “He told me that, unless you’re opening the black¹³, everyone is in a random matchmaking¹⁴ battle. In a game, if there’s a big boss, there’s also a vegetable bird¹⁵. How could every teammate be amazing? If our side has vegetables, the other side will too. When you’re in a headwind¹⁶, you can’t win by blaming your teammates. Only by working together can you turn the disadvantage around and expand your advantage.”

“‘If you’re really skilled, then don’t go throwing the pot¹⁷ at your teammates. Work hard and be the one carrying to flight¹⁸ for the whole team. If you can’t do that, it just means you’re not strong enough. And people who aren’t strong enough shouldn’t be pointing fingers at others; that’s just messing with a teammate’s mentality¹⁹.’ He said that I wasn’t very good, but he could carry me, so he did it on the side, treating it as a way to add a little difficulty to his game experience.” After finishing, Yi Qiu stared quietly at You Yan for several seconds, then tilted her head and asked, “You Yan, is that what you think, too?”

“What about that person?”

“Huh?”

“The person who carried you. What was your relationship with him afterward?” You Yan’s tone was cold, as if she were conducting an investigation.

Yi Qiu was at a point of not knowing whether to laugh or cry and quickly explained, “He was just a random friend I added. He only carried me for a few days before turning around to carry other girls…”

As she spoke, as if afraid You Yan wouldn’t be satisfied, she added, “I didn’t really play that game much after that. I kept losing, so it wasn’t fun.”

“Mm,” You Yan replied faintly, her expression no longer as serious as before.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Yi Qiu pressed. “Are you like that person, thinking that being able to be killing in all four directions²⁰ even with a burden is what makes someone truly strong?”

“This ‘net,’ ‘vegetable,’ and ‘muddling through’ you speak of… I don’t quite understand it, but I can get the general idea,” You Yan said, reaching out to pinch Yi Qiu’s still slightly chubby face with its baby fat²¹. “I don’t care what that person thought. I’ve never felt that you were a burden to me.”

“But I clearly…”

“I said I would protect you. It’s only because I want to protect you, not because I want to prove myself. Because every day and night I’ve had you by my side, I’ve…”

You Yan paused.

“You’ve…?” Yi Qiu couldn’t help but blink, asking curiously, “You’ve what?”

“I’ve…” You Yan considered for a moment, then couldn’t help but take Yi Qiu’s hands and say earnestly, “…been extremely happy.”

“Happy enough not to mind that I’ve been harming you this whole time?” Yi Qiu couldn’t help but retort.

“When have you ever harmed me?” You Yan smiled, leaning back against the tree behind her and unconsciously squeezing the small hands in her grasp.

“If it weren’t for me… If you hadn’t refined the Blood Coagulation Pearl for me, if you hadn’t stayed behind to cover our retreat, the Huodou²² probably wouldn’t have been able to injure you.” Yi Qiu lowered her eyes and shook her head. “And you used so much spiritual energy to awaken Chao Yun’s divine power for my sake… And the matter with the Floating Dream Pearl was also caused by me recklessly using my powers.”

“Regarding the Huodou, it was my mistake for misjudging the gap in our strengths first. When I was on the verge of death, if you hadn’t insisted on coming back to save me and delayed for that moment, I would no longer exist in this world.” You Yan continued, “And that night at Xianlu Sect, although you acted on a whim, it managed to cause trouble for the Yi Bird, so it wasn’t a waste of effort.”

“As for the Floating Dream Pearl’s illusory realm, even if you hadn’t found it, it’s not certain I wouldn’t have. That was a trap the Yi Bird had set long ago. It’s not your fault you fell for it when you were completely unprepared.” At this point, You Yan gently rubbed Yi Qiu’s head. “Besides, I entered the dream because of you, and I woke up because of you. You don’t owe me anything.”

“You… you’re too good at comforting people,” Yi Qiu mumbled, unable to stop herself from shaking her head. “Don’t always pat my head. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“You still look very young,” You Yan said, but she still took her hand off Yi Qiu’s head.

Yi Qiu felt quite pleased hearing that, but she couldn’t help but mutter, “I wonder who it was that called me ‘old’ not too long ago.”

You Yan smiled. “By human lifespans, that’s true. But you’re a Yao²³ now.”

For a moment, Yi Qiu couldn’t suppress the corners of her mouth from turning up, but she was afraid You Yan would see her small joy as a joke. She could only quickly turn her face away, deliberately pouting as she mumbled, “I’m a little not used to it.”

You Yan asked, “Not used to what?”

Yi Qiu said, “You never used to talk so nicely before.”

You Yan smiled, her tone calm as she said, “You weren’t as important to me before.”

The tone she used when she said this was as casual as a decisive person deciding what to eat for breakfast—not the least bit cautious, but also not the least bit hesitant.

It was as if it were just an ordinary sentence, so ordinary that it was as a matter of course, completely beyond question.

Words like that weren’t exactly nice to hear, but in that second, Yi Qiu just couldn’t hold it in.

She couldn’t say why, but she clearly felt something in her heart involuntarily go Putong.²⁴

“Don’t say any more,” Yi Qiu said, turning her head even further away. Her gaze struggled to focus on the distance, wishing she could show You Yan nothing but the back of her head.

“Hm?” You Yan tilted her head slightly, her slender eyes quietly watching as the profile of the woman before her grew redder.

She watched for a long time without looking away.

If this were in the past, she would have teased the girl for blushing like a monkey’s butt²⁵. But today, she just sat there quietly, holding the girl’s slightly sweaty palm, feeling a heartbeat that was different from usual.

She truly wasn’t comforting this little girl, nor did she feel the girl had ever been dragging her back leg.

She had never once considered her a burden. She was also willing to believe that no one in this world would consider a person or thing that brought them joy to be a burden.

There wasn’t really any remarkable scenery here.

Yi Qiu, who had been craning her neck to pretend to look at the scenery, finally straightened her posture after her neck started to get sore.

As she turned back, she was caught off guard and met You Yan’s gaze, feeling a little nervous.

Has this bird woman been staring at me this whole time?

It’s so weird. I’m not even good-looking, why does she keep staring at me like this…

“You…” Yi Qiu managed to force out a single syllable.

“Hm?” You Yan responded softly.

Yi Qiu felt awkward. How am I supposed to ask this? she thought. Ask this bird woman why she keeps staring at me?

The answer probably won’t be very nice. Maybe I should just change the subject.

If she was going to change the subject, she might as well get back to the main topic.

“I, I wanted to ask… what are your plans now?” Yi Qiu said, remembering what You Yan had said earlier. “You said that today wasn’t a waste of effort.”

“Indeed,” You Yan replied quickly. “Memories can’t be easily erased. That’s why this realm has Meng Po’s Soup²⁶ and the celestial realm has the Wangchen Terrace²⁷. Other than those, one can only use spiritual energy to interfere, which isn’t a long-term solution. Chao Yun is a celestial immortal god; her will is a thousand times stronger than a mortal’s. For the Yi Bird to have caused such severe memory confusion in her, it must have expended a great deal of effort.”

“Mhm!” Yi Qiu listened with a serious expression.

“When I was interfering with Chao Yun’s memory, I could sense two seals within her body. One should be a divine power seal she placed herself, and the other is a memory seal placed by the Yi Bird—and the latter is extremely resistant to external forces.” You Yan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “But I didn’t dare to probe deeper. I can only preliminarily conclude that this seal is likely connected to the Yi Bird’s heart-soul²⁸. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have sensed such strong resistance at that moment.”

“You mean, as long as we break this seal, we can seriously injure the Yi Bird in one fell swoop?”

“If I’m not mistaken, that should be the case.”

“Mm… then how do we break this seal?” Yi Qiu’s eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge as she looked at You Yan.

But You Yan suddenly fell silent, just looking back at her quietly.

After a short silence, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but press, “Why’d you stop talking?”

“I’m leaving you some room to think,” You Yan smiled. “Didn’t you want to prove yourself?”

“…”

Is it too late to take back what I said in the dream?

Compared to being the C²⁹ myself, I much prefer to lie down and win.

The author has something to say:

As for adding a chapter³⁰, allow me to pigeon³¹ for two days. The weather has been hot and cold lately, and I’ve caught a bit of a cold. My mental state isn’t great, so two chapters a day is my limit. There are still ten days left this month, and I swear I’ll add a chapter at least three more times. Also, everyone should take good care of their health and don’t catch a cold.

Footnotes

Hanzi: 抠脑壳 | Pinyin: kōu nǎo ké | Meaning: A slang term referring to a trope in Chinese media where touching, hitting, or magically probing someone’s head can restore lost memories.
Hanzi: 标配 | Pinyin: biāo pèi | Meaning: A slang term derived from “standard equipment” on products. It means something is a given, a default feature, or an expected part of a situation.
Hanzi: 拖后腿 | Pinyin: tuō hòu tuǐ | Meaning: A common idiom that means to be a burden, to hold someone or a group back from progress.
Hanzi: 打草惊蛇 | Pinyin: dǎ cǎo jīng shé | Meaning: A chengyu (four-character idiom) that means to act rashly and alert the enemy to your presence or intentions.
Hanzi: 结界 | Pinyin: jié jiè | Meaning: A magical field, seal, or spiritual boundary commonly found in Chinese fantasy (Xianxia/Xuanhuan). It’s used for protection, containment, or concealment.
Hanzi: 灵力 | Pinyin: líng lì | Meaning: Spiritual Power/Energy. A fundamental concept in Chinese fantasy, representing the mystical energy cultivated and used by practitioners to perform supernatural feats.
Hanzi: 一望无际 | Pinyin: yī wàng wú jì | Meaning: A chengyu (four-character idiom) meaning “boundless” or “vast,” describing a view that stretches to the horizon without obstruction.
Hanzi: 又菜又爱玩 | Pinyin: yòu cài yòu ài wán | Meaning: A popular gaming slang phrase. “Cai” (菜, vegetable) is slang for being unskilled or a “noob.” The phrase describes someone who is bad at a game but plays it a lot anyway because they enjoy it.
Hanzi: 混 | Pinyin: hùn | Meaning: In a gaming context, this means to get by without contributing much, to be carried by teammates, or to play passively.
Hanzi: 坑 | Pinyin: kēng | Meaning: Literally “pit” or “hole.” In gaming slang, it’s used as a verb to describe a player who is a liability and drags their team down, as if throwing them into a pit.
Hanzi: 大佬 | Pinyin: dà lǎo | Meaning: A slang term for a powerful, respected, or highly skilled person in a particular field, especially in gaming. It’s similar to “pro” or “expert.”
Hanzi: 躺赢 | Pinyin: tǎng yíng | Meaning: A popular gaming term that means to win a match while putting in little to no effort, essentially being “carried” to victory by highly skilled teammates.
Hanzi: 开黑 | Pinyin: kāi hēi | Meaning: Gaming slang for forming a pre-made party with friends to play a game, often communicating via voice chat. It contrasts with playing with randoms.
Hanzi: 随机匹配 | Pinyin: suí jī pǐ pèi | Meaning: The system in online multiplayer games that automatically pairs random, unacquainted players together for a match.
Hanzi: 菜鸟 | Pinyin: cài niǎo | Meaning: Literally “vegetable bird.” This is the most common Chinese slang for a “noob,” “newbie,” or an unskilled player.
Hanzi: 逆风 | Pinyin: nì fēng | Meaning: Literally “against the wind.” In gaming, this term describes a situation where one’s team is at a disadvantage, losing, or on the back foot.
Hanzi: 甩锅 | Pinyin: shuǎi guō | Meaning: Literally “to throw the pot.” A popular slang term for shifting blame or passing responsibility for a mistake onto someone else.
Hanzi: 带飞 | Pinyin: dài fēi | Meaning: Literally “to carry and fly.” Gaming slang for when a highly skilled player (the “carry”) single-handedly leads their less-skilled team to victory.
Hanzi: 搞队友心态 | Pinyin: gǎo duì yǒu xīn tài | Meaning: A gaming phrase that means to frustrate a teammate, causing them to become tilted, angry, and play poorly.
Hanzi: 大杀四方 | Pinyin: dà shā sì fāng | Meaning: A chengyu (four-character idiom) that means to dominate completely in a battle or competition, achieving an overwhelming victory.
Hanzi: 婴儿肥 | Pinyin: yīng’ér féi | Meaning: A common term for the round, chubby cheeks often seen on babies and young people, which can be considered a cute feature.
Hanzi: 祸斗 | Pinyin: huò dǒu | Context: A mythological beast from the Chinese classic “Shan Hai Jing” (Classic of Mountains and Seas). It is a dog-like creature associated with fire and is considered an omen of misfortune.
Hanzi: 妖 | Pinyin: yāo | Context: A broad category of non-human beings in Chinese folklore and fantasy. It can encompass demons, monsters, spirits, or animals/objects that have gained spiritual power and intelligence through cultivation.
Hanzi: 噗通 | Pinyin: pū tōng | Meaning: An onomatopoeia for a thumping or splashing sound, often used to represent a heartbeat skipping a beat due to surprise or affection.
Hanzi: 猴屁股 | Pinyin: hóu pì gu | Meaning: A common and humorous slang comparison for a very red face, either from blushing, embarrassment, or anger.
Hanzi: 孟婆汤 | Pinyin: Mèng Pó tāng | Context: In Chinese mythology, Meng Po is the “Lady of Forgetfulness” who serves a soup to souls in the underworld (Diyu) before they are reincarnated, causing them to forget their past lives.
Hanzi: 忘尘台 | Pinyin: wàng chén tái | Meaning: A made-up mythological place. The name literally means “Terrace of Forgetting the Mundane/Dust.”
Hanzi: 心魂 | Pinyin: xīn hún | Meaning: A term combining “heart” (心) and “soul” (魂). It refers to the core of one’s consciousness, spirit, or life essence.
Context: Short for “Carry,” a term originating from MOBA games like League of Legends or Dota. The “Carry” is a player, typically a high-damage dealer, whose primary role is to lead the team to victory in the later stages of the game.
Hanzi: 加更 | Pinyin: jiā gēng | Context: A common term in the Chinese web novel community. It means for an author to release an extra chapter beyond their regular, scheduled updates, often as a reward for reader support (e.g., donations, high rankings).
Hanzi: 鸽 | Pinyin: gē | Context: Net-speak for bailing on a promise, delaying, or standing someone up. It comes from the phrase “to release pigeons” (放鸽子 fàng gēzi), which is slang for the same thing.

Volume 4: Immeasurable

Footnotes

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