So I Had No Choice But to Stop Being the White Moonlight – Chapter 136
by Little PandaConcerning My Cultivation and Turning My Wife into a Rabbit
Is there anything Shijie gives Qianqian that she wouldn’t like?
What good things does Shijie not think to give Qianqian?
A long wind swept through the trees, brushing over the fine layer of downy fur on the rabbit’s back and drowning out a soft, teasing laugh.
Chi Qian stared at the spot her fingers had just skimmed over, then dragged her hand down to scratch the base of Shi Jinlan’s tail again.
That strange, intensely pleasurable sensation shot through Shi Jinlan’s body like an electric current once more, spreading in a dense, tingling wave down her spine. It made her involuntarily dig her paws into the fabric beneath her.
This was entirely beyond her control. It was the instinctual reaction of an unevolved rabbit.
“Ah… Ah Qian, stop messing around.” Shi Jinlan kept her voice taut, refusing to let the trembling numbness in her heart show.
“And what if I want to?” Chi Qian countered mischievously, giving Shi Jinlan’s tail another subtle, stealthy scrape.
The coiled tail twitched visibly—soft and easy to bully—and Shi Jinlan’s body went undeniably rigid.
Flustered and exasperated, she turned around to face this giant two-legged beast1 and pressed her head firmly against the hand that had just molested her tail.
Chi Qian’s heart skipped a beat. Heaven knew just how adorable Shi Jinlan looked right now.
Those long, drooping ears lay flat against her head. Her resentful eyes were flushed red, so shimmering and watery it looked as though they might drip, making her soft white coat seem impossibly gentle and harmless.
Looking at her like this, Chi Qian couldn’t bear to tease Shi Jinlan intentionally anymore. As if in compensation, she lifted her other hand and rubbed Shi Jinlan’s curled-up little body. “Alright, I’ll stop messing with you.”
Hearing this, Shi Jinlan shot Chi Qian a glare.
Though her small face was as soft as cotton candy, it radiated an adorably fierce2 sense of threat.
This stark contrast completely failed to intimidate Chi Qian; if anything, the amusement in her eyes only deepened.
She shifted the fingers Shi Jinlan had pinned down and deftly scratched under the rabbit’s chin. “Shijie, do you have any idea how incredibly cute you are right now?”
Shi Jinlan didn’t know, nor did she want to engage with Chi Qian.
She was only thankful that she was currently covered in a thick layer of fur, so Chi Qian couldn’t see that even her ears were burning red beneath it. Otherwise, it would truly be too great a loss of rabbit-face.
She resolved never to touch the base of Chubei Liang’s tail ever again.
“It’s getting late. Don’t make the Sect Leader wait,” Shi Jinlan reminded Chi Qian, trying to smooth out her riled emotions.
“Right.” The Sect Leader was still waiting for news of Shi Jinlan. After being prompted, Chi Qian didn’t waste any more time. She tucked the little rabbit into her robes, summoned her sword, and flew back the way she came.
Their sect had managed to preserve itself in these troubled times and wasn’t entirely swept up in the rat race3.
Classes had just ended. On the way to the main hall where the Sect Leader resided, Chi Qian ran into quite a few fellow disciples, all laughing and joking about heading down the mountain to buy novelties.
Chi Qian felt this atmosphere suited her perfectly. She was strolling leisurely along the pebble-paved path when she crossed paths with four sect-sisters. These four looked absolutely identical—they were quadruplets, named after the four seasons: Chunyi, Xia’er, Qiushan, and Dongsi.
“Qianqian, where did you run off to? We couldn’t find you anywhere.”
“What did Shijie give you this time? Whatever she gives you is always different from what we get.”
“Yeah, yeah, hurry up and show us!”
“Oh, a rabbit!”
…
The four spoke up in perfect unison, though each focused on something completely different.
So before Chi Qian could even respond, they all noticed the rabbit tucked in her robes, prompted by Xia’er’s exclamation.
“Did Shijie give you this?” Chunyi leaned in closely, highly intrigued by the rabbit.
“Uh…” Chi Qian nodded vaguely.
I guess you could say that.
Even though this IS Shijie.
“So cute.” Qiushan had a soft spot for small animals and immediately reached out to pet it.
But Shi Jinlan wasn’t about to let herself be touched. Seeing those slender fingers reaching for her, she turned around and buried herself deeper into Chi Qian’s embrace.
The fuzzy little ball ducked under the azure-blue outer robe. It felt a bit like trying to hide something only to make it more conspicuous.
But mostly, it just felt like a flat rejection.
Seeing the clear disappointment on Qiushan’s face, Chi Qian hurried to smooth things over. “She just got here, so she’s very shy around strangers.”
“But she seems very affectionate with Xiao Qian,” Dongsi pointed out, unconvinced.
Chi Qian paused, then puffed up with a hint of pride. “Well, Shijie gave her to me, after all. Of course she’d be a bit closer to me, right?”
As she spoke, Chi Qian lifted the outer robe Shi Jinlan was hiding under and rubbed her little head.
Shi Jinlan thoroughly enjoyed the pressure, her eyes narrowing in contentment.
Being a small animal had its perks—you could express your feelings anytime, anywhere.
Shi Jinlan no longer had to restrain herself; her primal reactions had already betrayed her.
“This rabbit seems to possess a lot of spiritual energy,” Xia’er observed carefully from the side.
“Raise her well. Who knows? Maybe one day she’ll be able to take human form,” Qiushan chimed in.
Listening to the sisters, Chi Qian let out an inscrutable little laugh. “Her? She’s already turned into a human.”
“?”
The moment the words fell, question marks practically sprouted above all four heads simultaneously.
Shi Jinlan’s rationality immediately snapped back from her haze of enjoyment.
Realizing Chi Qian was being far too obvious, she aimed a foot from within the embrace and gave Chi Qian a sharp kick.
Stinging from the blow, Chi Qian hastily backpedaled. “I mean, she’s already family in my heart, regardless of whether she can transform into a human or not.”
“It seems you really love the rabbit Shijie gave you.”
“Is there anything Shijie gives Qianqian that she wouldn’t like?”
“What good things does Shijie not think to give Qianqian?”
“Exactly.”
The four took turns chiming in, exchanging knowing smiles.
Chi Qian was teased into silence, while the rabbit in her arms remained perfectly composed.
Just then, another figure rounded the foliage and approached them.
Seeing the group from afar, she called out with a teasing smile, “What are you all talking about? I could hear you laughing from a mile away.”
“Tu-shijie,” the four seasons quickly greeted the newcomer. Chi Qian followed suit a beat later.
“Hey.” The woman returned their greetings without putting on any airs, but her attention immediately landed on Chi Qian’s arms. “A rabbit!”
Unlike the four seasons, this Tu-shijie’s excitement was purely the unadulterated joy of a professional rabbit breeder.
Her entire specialization here was rabbit husbandry, and she kept a massive warren of them up on the eastern mountain.
“What an adorable rabbit.” Tu-shijie’s eyes sparkled the moment she laid eyes on Shi Jinlan curled up in Chi Qian’s arms; she literally couldn’t look away. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rabbit with such a fine coat!”
Shi Jinlan had never been the subject of such a burning gaze before. She couldn’t help but worry—would this person see through her?
Tu-shijie examined the rabbit meticulously for a long moment before looking up at Chi Qian with an ‘I’ve-seen-right-through-you’ expression. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
“N-noticed what?” Chi Qian’s heart lurched.
Tu-shijie gave a smug little hum and said with absolute certainty, “That rascal Ah Lan got this for you again, didn’t she?”
Chi Qian and Shi Jinlan let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. Chi Qian chuckled dryly and nodded in admission. “Yeah.”
Who could blame her? The entire sect knew she and Shi Jinlan were joined at the hip.
“Since your shijie isn’t here right now anyway, let me borrow this rabbit for a bit, alright?” Hearing her confirmation, Tu-shijie sidled up to Chi Qian and whispered her request.
“Ah?” Chi Qian really didn’t want to.
But Tu-shijie knew exactly where to press. “Aren’t you, Chi-shimei, on your way to the Sect Leader to have your lessons checked? If you bring this rabbit inside, he’s definitely going to scold you with that cleanliness obsession of his. You’d be better off leaving her with me. You can just pick her up when you come out.”
“This…” Chi Qian wavered, looking hesitant.
Without waiting for her to answer, Tu-shijie began directly coaxing Shi Jinlan. “Auntie has lots of delicious immortal grass over here. Do you want to come with Auntie?”
Perhaps because Tu-shijie was a professional handler, but after being gently stroked twice, Shi Jinlan went completely limp.
She had known for a long time that Tu-shijie possessed quite a few rare spiritual herbs she herself struggled to find. Hearing this offer sparked a rather sly flicker of temptation. You go on ahead, she communicated. Nothing will happen to me here.
Since Shi Jinlan herself had said so, Chi Qian had no reason to object. She nodded. “Alright then.”
Overjoyed, Tu-shijie took the rabbit from Chi Qian’s hands and promised, “Don’t worry, Shimei. Just come by my place to pick up the little bunny after you’re done.”
“Tu-shijie, you must take very good care of her.” Chi Qian was still fraught with worry. She reluctantly watched her wife being carried away in someone else’s arms, feeling an inexplicable, nagging sense of unease.
As she crossed the small bridge arching over the stream, Chi Qian looked back over her shoulder every three steps.
Her withdrawal symptoms were severe. Right now, she just wanted to snatch Shi Jinlan back.
Although their branch had declined significantly by the time it reached Chi Qian’s Master, its foundational roots remained, and the main hall was still quite imposing.
The moment Chi Qian stepped inside, she was struck by the vast, ethereal atmosphere.
At the far end of the hall stood several elders with long beards. Their white robes flowed gracefully, giving them an air of transcendent immortal bone4. Only one of them completely flouted convention—his pant legs were rolled up, and his hem was splattered with mud spots. He was a bit of an eyesore, but undeniably a practical man.
It seemed this particular elder gave Chi Qian a sliver of courage. Taking a deep breath, she carried the task Shi Jinlan had entrusted to her and approached the elders. “Master. Honored Elders.”
The Sect Leader looked slightly surprised to see Chi Qian, having assumed Shi Jinlan would be the first to arrive. “Have you seen your shijie?”
“I have. Shijie encountered some difficulties on her journey and has entered into seclusion ahead of schedule,” Chi Qian recited exactly as Shi Jinlan had instructed.
“Seclusion.” Hearing the word, the Sect Leader furrowed his brow.
He stared heavily at Chi Qian for a long while—so long that Chi Qian’s scalp went numb—before finally asking, “Did your shijie have any instructions for you? How did she look?”
“No, and she didn’t seem to have any major issues. Perhaps she just ran into a minor snag. A day or two of seclusion should fix it,” Chi Qian answered fluidly.
“Jinlan isn’t the sort of child to cause us worry,” another elder interjected.
“The news she brought back is sufficient. We’ll handle the rest,” a third elder agreed.
Hearing their words, Chi Qian’s Master, the Sect Leader, gave a reluctant nod. “I suppose that’s true. When the child comes out of seclusion, I really must have a word with her. She shouldn’t push herself so hard.”
“Indeed,” the others echoed.
With the matter of Shi Jinlan’s seclusion effectively smoothed over, the Sect Leader turned his attention back to Chi Qian. “Go wait for me in the east wing. Once I’ve finished discussing matters with the elders, I’ll come test your lessons.”
“Oh.” Chi Qian had barely let out a sigh of relief before the dreadful mention of tests wiped every trace of ease from her face.
She respectfully bowed to her Master and the elders once more, then lifted her feet with heavy, trudging steps.
But just as she turned to leave, she saw Dongsi running frantically through the doorway.
“This is bad, Sect Leader!”
“What’s wrong? Why the rush?” The Sect Leader was taken aback by Dongsi’s panicked state and quickly urged her to catch her breath.
But Dongsi didn’t stop. Her face was a portrait of extreme urgency. “Sect Leader, Master! A group from the Demon Realm just arrived!”
“The Demon Realm? We’ve never had any dealings with the Demon Realm. Why would they come here? Are there casualties? Was anything stolen?” The elders were aghast.
Chi Qian knew full well that, while the world at large was in turmoil, their sect had always remained far from the center of conflict. Why would people from the Demon Realm suddenly barge in?
“They injured a few shijie and shixiong, and… and they captured all the rabbits we had here,” Dongsi reported.
“What?!” Hearing this, Chi Qian reacted far more violently than any of the seniors. She instantly lost all composure. “All the rabbits?!”
“Yes.” Dongsi nodded. “Tu-shijie was injured the most trying to protect them. She had to take a Golden Core Pill just to stabilize her breath.”
Chi Qian’s mind exploded with a resounding buzz. The Sect Leader was equally baffled. “Rabbits? What on earth do they want with our rabbits?”
Dongsi answered, “I heard one of their foot soldiers rambling… It seems the Demon Venerable’s pet rabbit has reached mating season, and he hasn’t been able to find a suitable match, so… so they came here.”
M-mating?
Chi Qian turned to stone right then and there.
The author has something to say:
Qianqian: That’s my wife! My wife!
Footnotes
- Humorous Chinese internet slang used from the perspective of an animal—often a cat or dog—to refer to humans.
- Nǎi xiōng, literally 'milk fierce'. Internet slang used to describe someone or something trying to be intimidating but ending up looking overwhelmingly cute, like an angry kitten.
- Juǎn, literally 'to roll' or 'curl inward', referring to 'involution'—an internet slang term describing intense, irrational competition or a grueling rat race where everyone works harder for diminishing returns.
- An idiom (xiānfēng-dàogǔ) describing someone who looks ethereal, possessing the bearing and 'immortal bones' of a transcendent cultivator.
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