Little Alpaca – Chapter 178
by Little PandaVolume 5: Tribulation of All Beings
She Must Be Crazy.
Yi Qiu lay on the ground, grimacing for a good while, but eventually stood up. Wiggling her sore bottom, she walked toward You Yan.
“You could have at least warned me instead of letting me fall from the window.”
“That is another lesson,” You Yan said lightly. “You must learn to be on your guard. Even with those you love and trust, you should always be wary.”
As she spoke, she tossed the teacup back onto the table. Lowering her gaze, she smiled. “When you can change back into human form on your own, I will naturally teach you how to channel spiritual energy to protect the body.”
“Don’t be so serious like that, I’m really not used to it,” Yi Qiu said, hopping onto the bed and sticking her rear out in front of You Yan. “It hurts from the fall. You have to rub it for me…”
“So delicate.”
“Delicate, very delicate! Hurry up and rub it for me!” Yi Qiu shouted, twisting her head.
Yi Qiu always felt that her voice was much louder as an alpaca than as a human. Maybe it was because a longer neck made for a deeper, fuller breath.
Then again, she never would have dared to yell at the bird woman1 so confidently before. I guess this is what it means to become arrogant because of favor2, huh?
As she was thinking this, You Yan, who was beside her, had already begun to rub her bruised backside and her little alpaca waist.
You Yan’s fingers were always cool, but this chilly sensation had always been very comfortable for Yi Qiu.
Those cool fingers gently kneaded the sore spot, feeling like skin dampened on a summer day just as a light breeze passed over it—gentle and silent.
After some time, those slender fingers slowly stroked the little alpaca’s fluffy nape, smoothing it twice before giving it a little squeeze.
Yi Qiu couldn’t help but perk up her pair of small, pointed ears. She leaned forward, shrinking her neck and muttering, “That tickles!”
You Yan chuckled and flicked one of the perked-up ears, asking softly, “Does it still hurt now?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore…”
“Then why are you still pointing your rear at me?” You Yan said, giving the little alpaca’s fluffy, pom-pom-like tail a tug.
Yi Qiu instantly jolted, twisting around to get her alpaca butt away from You Yan.
She raised her head and asked seriously, “In this state, how do I change back?”
“Gather your spiritual energy at your heart-meridian3, then guide it with your will.”
“That’s like saying nothing at all.”
“Gather it here.” As You Yan spoke, she flipped the little alpaca over in an instant. Her long fingers pressed firmly on a spot on its body. Only then did she ask, “Remembered?”
“I remember, I remember… Can you be a little gentler?” Yi Qiu had been poked quite hard by You Yan. She immediately flipped back over, tucking her two front hooves under her and flopping onto the bed pitifully.
“If I were any gentler, I’m afraid you wouldn’t remember,” You Yan said, ruffling Yi Qiu’s head.
After ruffling it once, it seemed like it wasn’t enough. She paused for a moment, then began ruffling it again.
Yi Qiu finally understood. This bird woman was doing it on purpose.
She just wants to pet the alpaca’s fluff but is too embarrassed to say it directly, so she’s making things so complicated…
If you want to pet me, just pet me. It’s not that embarrassing to say it out loud.
Thinking this, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but mumble, “If you like me in this form, just say so. When I can change back and forth on my own, I’ll let you pet me whenever you want. You don’t have to be so roundabout.4“
“I am teaching you in all seriousness,” You Yan said lightly. “Shapeshifting is the transformation from a demon body to a human one. For a demon, it is the most fundamental skill, yet also the most difficult.”
“…I don’t get it.”
“A demon that can take on human form generally does not have a low cultivation base,” You Yan said. “These past few days, I have given it much thought. I still feel your foundation is too weak. It is most appropriate to start cultivating from the very beginning.”
Yi Qiu took a deep breath. For a moment, she had bitterness that couldn’t be spoken.5
You Yan added, “Go on and try. Gather your spiritual energy at the spot I just indicated.”
Yi Qiu closed her eyes and tried to sense the spiritual veins6 throughout her body. She wanted to gather them at her heart-meridian, just as she had gathered them at her fingertips, but she found that the spiritual energy flowed in its own directions, completely ignoring her commands.
She pondered for a moment, then raised an alpaca hoof, wanting to blow out the candles in the room, only to discover she couldn’t use any of the magical arts she had previously memorized.
“For a demon, its strongest attacks and defenses can only be unleashed in its demon body. The demon body is the form a demon feels most comfortable in, yet you cannot even control your own,” You Yan said lightly from the side. “Although you were once human, you are a demon now. Shouldn’t you at least try to understand yourself?”
“…”
“First, you must understand how spiritual energy circulates within your body before you can better release it,” You Yan said. “I am merely teaching you how to adapt to your demon body and how to channel spiritual energy while in this state. This will bring you all benefits and no harm7 for your future cultivation. There is no other meaning to it.”
Though You Yan said this, her hands never stopped stroking the fluffy little alpaca before her.
Yi Qiu thought for a moment and said no more. She just closed her eyes and once again tried to sense the spiritual energy flowing slowly through the spiritual veins in her body.
You Yan was right. This is like mastering the basic skills. If you haven’t even practiced the fundamentals, you definitely won’t have a solid grasp of the more advanced stuff.
She figured that just learning to control her spiritual energy in this alpaca body would be enough to keep her busy for a long time.
Night fell. You Yan waved her sleeve, extinguishing the candles in the room, and lay flat on the inner side of the bed as usual.
The past few days, Yi Qiu had always liked to hug one of her arms. Today, with no one hugging her, she actually felt a little unused to it.
She couldn’t help but turn slightly to the side, quietly gazing at the little alpaca who was diligently cultivating beside her.
Moonlight drifted in from the window. In its faint glow, the little alpaca’s pointed ears would perk up, then droop down, and occasionally give a slight tremble.
My little Yi Qiu is so endearing, no matter what form she takes.
After a long moment of silence, You Yan couldn’t resist reaching out and pulling the fluffy little creature beside her into her arms.
This action undoubtedly startled Yi Qiu, who was focused on her cultivation. She snapped out of it with a bewildered expression, only to find herself held tightly in You Yan’s embrace.
You Yan hadn’t held her like this in a long time.
This feeling was like returning to that Kunlun dreamscape.
In a daze, she quietly watched You Yan’s closed eyes. The dreamscape and reality seemed to overlap.
You Yan seemed like the child from the dream who had never grown up, embracing the one alpaca that could dispel the loneliness in her heart.
The truth was, she had always loved being held by You Yan while she slept. It felt incredibly safe, but she was always too embarrassed to say it out loud…
At this thought, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but take a deep breath and boldly snuggle a little deeper into You Yan’s embrace.
Anyway, I’m just an alpaca right now, she thought. It’s perfectly normal for a small animal to be a little affectionate with a person.
And so, she buried her head in the crook of You Yan’s neck and told herself, “Let’s just sleep like this tonight. It won’t be too late to practice tomorrow.”
Actually, if You Yan likes it, it wouldn’t be so bad to just stay an alpaca.
After all, You Yan only holds her so quietly to sleep when she’s an alpaca.
In the end, You Yan has a strong sense of vigilance towards everyone. Perhaps she still hasn’t fully adapted to the idea of having someone by her side for the long term.
She had approached You Yan step by step in this form, so You Yan’s wariness towards this appearance should be much lower than it is for her human form.
It seems that getting You Yan to completely adapt to her presence won’t be an easy task.
Thinking about it carefully, being an alpaca has its perks. Since I’m less capable of taking care of myself, I get more attention…
It’s like… I suddenly don’t really want to be human anymore.
The instant that thought flashed through her mind, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but curse herself in her heart.
—How could you be so disappointing?
—You get one hug and suddenly you don’t want to be human anymore?
—Can’t you have some ambition? You’re the woman who’s going to marry the Demon Lord in the future! How can you be in this alpaca state!
She must be crazy, she thought. That was probably the only moment in her life she had ever felt it was better to be an alpaca than a human.
I can’t have this thought!
I have to get it out of my head!
I’m an alpaca with ambition! I have to rely on my own abilities to change back into a human. How can I let a thought like this stand in my way?
Sleep, sleep, no more letting my imagination run wild!
Footnotes
- Hanzi: 鸟女人 | Pinyin: niǎo nǚrén | Context / Meaning: A familiar, slightly derogatory nickname for You Yan, referencing her bird-like nature.
- Hanzi: 恃宠而骄 | Pinyin: shì chǒng ér jiāo | Context / Meaning: An idiom describing someone who acts presumptuously or becomes conceited due to being spoiled or favored by another person.
- Hanzi: 心脉 | Pinyin: xīnmài | Context / Meaning: A central point or channel for spiritual energy within the body, often related to the heart.
- Hanzi: 拐弯抹角 | Pinyin: guǎiwānmòjiǎo | Context / Meaning: An idiom for speaking or acting in a roundabout or indirect way, avoiding getting straight to the point.
- Hanzi: 有苦说不出 | Pinyin: yǒu kǔ shuō bu chū | Context / Meaning: An idiom describing a situation of suffering or grievance that one is unable to voice or explain.
- Hanzi: 灵脉 | Pinyin: língmài | Context / Meaning: Channels within the body through which spiritual energy (灵力) flows.
- Hanzi: 百利而无一害 | Pinyin: bǎi lì ér wú yī hài | Context / Meaning: An idiom describing something that is completely beneficial with no drawbacks whatsoever.
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