So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 134
by Little PandaConcerning My Cultivation and Turning My Wife into a Rabbit
Oh No
She had turned her shijie into a rabbit!
Green mountains surrounded them, wreathed in ethereal mist.
Long-necked cranes cried out, their melodious voices carrying a leisurely, carefree grace. A breeze blew past, causing the plump ears of grain to sway. A few sparrows fluttered down, their round bodies proving that this place was highly suitable for small creatures to thrive in.
Spiritual energy lingered in the mountains, drifting leisurely into the distance.
The spirit vein looked like this, and the sect built upon it was much the same. People carried their loads while chatting at an unhurried pace, not even noticing that Shi Jinlan and Chi Qian had disappeared.
Two silhouettes streaked across the vast sky, their azure robes fluttering in the wind.
Under Shi Jinlan’s guidance, Chi Qian finally experienced flying on a sword1.
She trampled the suspended midair winds beneath her feet, and everything around her grew small and indistinct.
Looking down, she saw that the flat land carved out among the mountains was planted full of crops, alongside raised livestock. One didn’t even need to look closely to see how rich the resources of this mountain were.
However, this wasn’t just a stroke of temporary good luck for their sect to stumble upon such a prime location.
It was the result of the tireless efforts of countless predecessors who had transformed this wilderness into such an excellent place.
The sect Chi Qian and Shi Jinlan currently belonged to was an unranked branch sect under the renowned Shangyun Heavenly Prefecture of the Cultivation World, named Gucheng Hollow.
None of the sect names were chosen at random. Any name bearing the word “gu”—meaning valley or grain—could be explained in modern terms as the agricultural college of the Cultivation World.
In the past, Gucheng Hollow had made a name for itself by cultivating spiritual herbs and spiritual pets. But everything that rises must fall. As times changed, Gucheng Hollow suffered a gap between generations2 and gradually declined.
Still, relying on their substantial foundational wealth, this impoverished sect of formerly wealthy ancestors managed to preserve itself. Even now, amidst a massive invasion by the Demon Realm that left the common people in absolute misery, they could still keep themselves safe and even lend a helping hand to the mortals at the foot of the mountain from time to time.
After catching up on this backstory, Chi Qian couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. Shi Jinlan had truly chosen an excellent place for her to experience.
After flying for a distance, the white mist of the mountain stream gradually swarmed toward Chi Qian.
Shi Jinlan sheathed her sword and landed. She stepped lightly upon the clear breeze, her skirt billowing upwards as it bore her weight, allowing her to stand firmly on the flat ground by the river.
Following behind, Chi Qian mimicked her actions, her toes touching down gracefully.
The soft earth met the hem of her immaculate, dust-free skirt, welcoming her back into the embrace of Mother Earth.
“This environment is really nice.” Chi Qian gazed at the lush greenery all around, finding this place delightfully secluded and the air pleasantly moist.
She and Shi Jinlan had left so quietly and swiftly just now that she hadn’t even had the time to admire the snow lotus Shi Jinlan had given her.
Speaking of which, she sat down on a rock by the river, pulled the perfectly preserved snow lotus from her Treasure Pouch, and fondled it admiringly. “Shijie, did you really go to the extreme frozen lands just for this lotus?”
Watching Chi Qian’s eyes practically glue themselves to the snow lotus, Shi Jinlan took her time sitting down beside her. “Yes.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” Chi Qian marvelled at this flower, a true masterpiece of nature’s uncanny workmanship.
Her eyes were full of curiosity as she looked at this lotus overflowing with spiritual energy, and then at Shi Jinlan who had plucked it. “Shijie, what stage are you at now?”
“Late Void Refinement.” Shi Jinlan casually dropped a name that left Chi Qian speechless.
“?!”
Chi Qian was astonished. She had read plenty of such cultivation novels in the past and knew these cultivation stages by heart. She never expected that Shi Jinlan had already reached a stage that usually only appeared in the middle or late phases of a protagonist’s journey.
No wonder her nominal master had been so respectful to Shi Jinlan just now. If she had such a formidable figure under her tutelage, she would have held her in the palm of her hand and worshipped her too.
Not only was she an exceptionally gifted genius, but she was also so outstandingly beautiful—her absolute perfect type3, unforgettable at first sight.
Chi Qian couldn’t say she was jealous; rather, she mostly just wanted to secretly hide Shi Jinlan away, so that she would be her shijie alone.
Who could blame her, when the fact that they were already married was temporarily unpresentable in this world?
Thinking of this, Chi Qian grew curious about her own stage. “What about me?”
Even now, she was still a bit clueless about how to circulate the spiritual energy in her body, nor had she figured out what level she had cultivated to.
Shi Jinlan didn’t give Chi Qian a direct answer. Instead, she guided her. “You can try to feel it for yourself.”
Hearing this, Chi Qian put the snow lotus away. Eager to follow Shi Jinlan’s instructions, she attempted to calm her mind.
A long breeze blew in from some unknown place, lifting the strands of hair falling by Chi Qian’s cheeks.
She felt as though she could sense everything within a hundred-mile radius. The wind that brushed the tips of her hair also swept across the distant treetops; the leaves rustled gently, tracing trembling arcs.
Chi Qian realized she could clearly see the veins of the leaves, and the little squirrels leaping through the forest…
She also felt that her inner world was like a mirror of water, upon which a snow lotus was currently suspended. It was quiet and peaceful. The water rippled, and in the spreading circles, two petals drifted down.
To be precise, this wasn’t just her inner world—it was her Spiritual Palace.
This place not only represented her cultivation base, but it could also be used for…
At this thought, Chi Qian couldn’t help but press her lips lightly together, swallowing the words ‘spiritual communion4‘.
But just because she didn’t want to think about it didn’t mean others didn’t know.
Immediately after, a wisp of azure smoke drifted into her Spiritual Palace. It ground and entwined itself, finely rubbing against each of her petals…
Having never experienced it before, she had no idea it would feel like this.
Following the caress of this azure smoke, Chi Qian felt an itch in her chest. The wind winding past her ears didn’t cool her down; instead, it weighed heavily on her heart, and her breathing gradually changed its rhythm.
Chi Qian felt as though she had been pinned in place, unable to move, unable to resist.
And just as she was about to sink into another kind of trembling ecstasy, the azure smoke abruptly withdrew.
It was replaced by Shi Jinlan’s laughter, teasingly falling by her ear. “You’re already at the Soul Formation stage. How can you still be so lax?”
Hearing this, Chi Qian’s already reddened face suddenly burned even hotter.
She instantly realized that the wisp of azure smoke just now was Shi Jinlan’s Spiritual Sense5. This eldest shijie, who was so aloof and arrogant in front of everyone else, had just been teasing her!
Whether it was due to her own negligence or Shi Jinlan’s teasing, Chi Qian flew into a humiliated rage. “Shijie! How could you take advantage of my vulnerability!”
“It was clearly your own defenses that were too weak.” Shi Jinlan chuckled softly. The azure smoke she had just withdrawn hadn’t gone far at all. It quietly emerged from a place Chi Qian couldn’t sense.
It morphed, hooking out slender tentacles—one, two… just like that, light and slow, seemingly languid yet incredibly provocative as they hooked onto Chi Qian’s petals.
Chi Qian, who had been indignant a second ago, now had a trembling heart. The silver hairpin held her hair tightly in place, and every taut nerve tingled with a numbness that made her breathing sink.
No.
She was someone at the Soul Formation stage, at any rate. How could she be subdued by Shi Jinlan just like this!
Holding onto her pride, Chi Qian aimed to expel Shi Jinlan from her Spiritual Palace and express her dissatisfaction at the same time. She stood up with a swish. “This isn’t fair! We clearly came here together. Why are you at Late Void Refinement, while I’ve only just reached Soul Formation!”
“It might have something to do with System contribution points,” Shi Jinlan said, unhurriedly retracting her Spiritual Sense. As she explained it to Chi Qian, she also seemed a bit troubled. “I deliberately lowered my contribution points before coming here, too.”
“Hmph, I bet the System was just flattering you and gave you such a powerful realm.” Chi Qian saw right through the System’s petty schemes at a glance. Those fence-sitters6 were always so used to currying favor with their masters!
Seeing Chi Qian’s righteous indignation, Shi Jinlan continued to remind her, “Perhaps shimei should first think about how to deal with the Sect Leader’s spot checks. As a disciple personally selected by the Sect Leader, you are supposed to be an exceptionally gifted genius.”
“But alas, I am lazy by nature, a rascal who needs constant supervision?” Chi Qian leaned sideways, propping herself up on her arm, very self-aware as she finished the second half of Shi Jinlan’s unspoken sentence.
However, if Shi Jinlan was the one constantly supervising this rascal, Chi Qian was still more than happy to oblige.
With such a formidable shijie tutoring her, she wouldn’t have to wail over failing her master’s spot checks.
Moreover, Chi Qian had used her own Spiritual Sense to scan the area and confirmed that very few people ever came here. Feeling even more reassured, she pulled Shi Jinlan along to give her private tutoring7.
A stream of water was enveloped by a spell. A fish that had been preparing to swim upstream flicked its tail and soared into the air.
Being a newcomer, Chi Qian wasn’t very proficient with spells. She looked at what was written in the book, then gave another wave of her hand. The frail-looking fish, at a speed visible to the naked eye, slowly transformed into a much more succulent breed.
Watching this miraculous change, Chi Qian excitedly turned her head to look at Shi Jinlan. “Shijie, look! Aren’t I amazing!”
“Not bad.” Shi Jinlan nodded. Mastering such a spell in this short amount of time could be considered passing for a Soul Formation cultivator.
“If I had this kind of skill back when we fell into the mountain ravine, we wouldn’t have had to worry about Chubei Liang being eaten,” Chi Qian said, looking at her handiwork with immense pride. As she spoke, she tried to increase the intensity of the spell.
If she could directly conjure up a top-tier golden fish, maybe it could substitute for a punishment the next time her master checked up on her.
But right under Chi Qian’s eager gaze, her spell lost control.
The fish wrapped in the glowing water suddenly began to struggle violently, its strong, vigorous tail looking as though it were trying to shatter the water itself.
Chi Qian’s eyes immediately tightened. She raised her hand, attempting to cast a spell to control it, but her magic was swatted away by its tail. Along with the glowing water, it hurtled straight towards Shi Jinlan.
“Shijie!” Chi Qian hurriedly cried out a warning as she saw the direction the water was rushing.
But it all happened too fast. Shi Jinlan had just let her guard down around Chi Qian to handle something else and hadn’t been paying attention to the changes over here at all.
Unable to dodge in time, she was hit squarely.
The brilliant sun shone down into the mountain stream. Splashes of water scattered in the air, glowing like stars refracting the sunlight.
The azure dress was drenched. In the blink of an eye, it lost its support and collapsed into a short pile on the damp ground.
Chi Qian stared at the scene before her, completely dumbfounded. Her voice trembled. “Shi… shijie…”
“Rustle, rustle.”
The subtle sound of fabric shifting reached Chi Qian’s ears. The soaked clothes tumbled, heavy with water.
Before Chi Qian could react, a pair of snow-white ears popped out from the garments. They even bounced with elastic springiness as they broke free from their confinement.
“Ah Qian, what kind of spell is this? Why can’t I undo it!”
Below the snow-white ears was a perfectly round little head.
The head that poked out of the clothes had a pair of red eyes, looking around at the scene nervously and blankly. It seemed she didn’t even know what she had turned into yet.
And Chi Qian, listening to the voice coming from beside her ears, found the sight before her even more unbelievable.
Oh no, she had turned her shijie into a rabbit!
The author has something to say:
Chubei Liang: I knew my master was the same species as me!
This is a side story of about ten chapters, this pigeon will tell it slowly OvO
Footnotes
- Yùjiàn fēixíng. A quintessential mode of transport in Chinese cultivation fantasy, where cultivators travel by flying through the air while standing on their enchanted swords.
- Qīnghuáng-bùjiē. A Chinese idiom literally meaning 'the yellow (ripe crops) have not yet connected with the green (new crops).' It refers to a temporary shortage or a gap between generations, which humorously fits Gucheng Hollow's agricultural theme.
- Tiāncài. Internet slang literally meaning 'heavenly dish' or 'heavenly vegetable,' used to describe someone who is exactly one's perfect type.
- Shénjiāo. In xianxia novels, this refers to the dual cultivation of the soul, or spiritual communion. It is a highly intimate act where two cultivators merge their spiritual consciousness, often described as more profound than physical intercourse.
- Shénshí. A cultivator's extended spiritual sense or divine consciousness, used to scan surroundings, manipulate objects, or interact directly with another's mind and soul.
- Qiángtóucǎo. A Chinese idiom literally meaning 'grass on top of a wall,' used to describe fence-sitters who easily sway whichever way the wind blows.
- Kāi xiǎozào. A Chinese phrase literally meaning 'to open a small stove,' referring to receiving special treatment or private tutoring outside of regular instruction.
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