Little Alpaca – Chapter 107

Volume 3: Old Tales of Kunlun

No One Likes Me.

——But, I just feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.

Such a light and airy sentence, yet it had unintentionally crashed right into Yi Qiu’s heart.

From childhood to now, she had always been one to easily trust others. Because of this, her friends had even made fun of her, saying her brain must be especially expensive. When she asked why, her friends said it was because it was so new—it looked like it had barely been used.

But no matter what she went through, she was still willing to place her trust in someone.

At the very least, before she handed over that trust from the bottom of her heart, the other person must have given her a reason to be moved. These things were always mutual.

Just like You Yan.

No matter how much she had once despised this character from the book, no matter how much she had once believed You Yan was a great villain, guilty of ten evils, unpardonable¹, when You Yan truly began treating her better day by day, she could no longer hold on to her reason and became completely and utterly dependent on her.

What does it feel like to have your trust betrayed?

Perhaps it couldn’t be considered a betrayal, but when she arrived in this illusory realm alone, running and shouting all the while, unable to find You Yan no matter what, she did feel shamefully heartbroken.

She understood perfectly well that she shouldn’t have expected You Yan to enter this godforsaken place with her. After all, compared to foolishly choosing to never abandon, never give up² and ending up stranded here together, it was definitely the better choice for You Yan to escape alone and then come back to save her.

But she just couldn’t help but care—care about whether You Yan had truly abandoned her that night.

It was for this very reason that she so desperately wanted to know if the You Yan before her was the same You Yan she knew.

If she was, then she had never been abandoned.

If she was, then You Yan had truly braved danger to come here for her…

“You… why do you have that feeling?”

“I don’t know either.” You Yan said as she ran with the alpaca on her back. “The night before last, I saw you on the mountainside. Even from far away, you looked so familiar… But when I ran closer to get a better look, I realized I’d never seen you before. I’d never even seen a little lamb that looked like you.”

“Because I’m not a lamb, I’m an alpaca…” Yi Qiu mumbled under her breath.

You Yan gave an indifferent laugh and continued, “I wasn’t planning on bothering with you at first. After all, in these mountains, any living creature that has gained spiritual awareness would consider it bad luck to run into me. I didn’t dare touch you.”

“Then why did you bring me back to the tree hollow later?” Yi Qiu couldn’t help but ask curiously.

“I saw that the fur around your eyes was all wet. You must have been crying. I couldn’t rest easy, so I hid nearby and waited for a while… I was just thinking that if there was really no one else to help you, it wouldn’t be too late for me to step in.” As You Yan spoke, a hint of warmth entered her tone. She went on, “But I never expected that you would call out my name, and even tell me not to leave you… Growing up, no one has ever said anything like that to me. I thought…”

“You thought what?” Yi Qiu quickly pressed.

You Yan was silent for a moment before replying softly, “I thought I was an unwanted freak.”

“How can you say that!” Yi Qiu frowned and gently squeezed You Yan’s neck, displeased. “Where does that put Little Red Flower?!”

“Little Red Flower can’t even talk yet. I’ve been waiting for it to grow up, and it’s been trying very hard to grow.” You Yan said. “When I first took it in, it wasn’t even as big as a fingernail!”

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but smile. Because her throat was so hoarse, even her laughter sounded awful.

She closed her mouth, stopping herself from making that unpleasant sound, but the corners of her lips curled up unconsciously.

It seemed she could suddenly be certain that the You Yan before her was the one she knew.

So, she really hadn’t been abandoned.

This bird woman whose mouth says yes, heart says no³—no matter how nasty her words were, she had never once left her behind when they truly faced danger.

She was just a helpless alpaca. How could she ever repay what she owed this bird woman…

“If it’s possible…” the little alpaca rested her chin gently on the girl’s head and said in a low voice, “let me stay with you for the rest of my life.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

You Yan thought for a moment, then said seriously, “You’d better not be lying to me. I’m believing you.”

Yi Qiu: “If I’m lying, you can stew and eat me. That should be proof enough, right?”

“Why would I eat you…” You Yan said, shaking her head thoughtfully. The little alpaca’s head moved along with hers.

After a brief, awkward moment, they both couldn’t help but laugh.

Yi Qiu lay on You Yan’s back just like that. She didn’t know how far You Yan had carried her, but finally, as the sun began to dip westward, they found a clear spring deep in the mountain forest.

The place was exceptionally secluded. There were no fluctuations of spiritual energy around, only some ordinary creatures that had not yet gained spiritual awareness.

You Yan crouched down, lowering her body. The little alpaca instantly hopped off her back, bounded over to the edge of the spring in a few leaps, and dipped a forehoof in to test the water.

So clear, and so cool!

She carefully stepped on the smooth little stones at the bottom of the spring, moving little by little toward a slightly deeper spot. She stopped only when she reached a place where she could lie down and still keep her little head above water, then turned back to look at You Yan. “This water feels so good!”

The words had barely left her mouth when she saw You Yan start to take off her clothes. In just a few movements, she was down to a single undergarment. She jumped in beside her, barefoot, and plopped down unceremoniously.

Gazing at the flawless, jade-like girl beside her, the little alpaca froze in the water for a moment—the four words do not look at what is improper⁴ instantly appeared in her mind.

The next second, she came back to her senses.

She was an alpaca, a female alpaca! What was there to be shy about watching a girl bathe!

Thinking this, Yi Qiu suddenly grew bold and fixed her gaze directly on the girl playing in the water.

The girl’s figure was not yet as mature and alluring as it would be in the future, but whether it was her delicate collarbones or the fine curve of her back, her grace was on full display amidst the clear ripples of the water.

She slowly undid her two messy braids. Her long hair suddenly tumbled down over her chest and back, only to be instantly soaked by the spring water.

She raised a fair arm, gently lifting her hair and smoothing it a few times before standing up again and walking, step by step, toward the deeper part of the spring.

Oh, mother—⁵

I can’t look!

I feel like I’m committing a crime. No matter where I look, it feels wrong.

What’s wrong with me? It’s not like I’ve never been to a public bathhouse when the power and water were out at home. Where is all this guilt coming from!

——If you were a male, I would gouge out your eyeballs and, very gently, crush them.

A strange memory suddenly flooded her mind.

Yi Qiu was beginning to understand why she didn’t dare to look anymore.

She was truly afraid!

You had to understand, the You Yan of the past, despite having just stepped out of the bath and clearly wearing an outer robe, still hadn’t allowed her a single extra glance.

Now You Yan was right in front of her, bathing in just a dudou⁶. How could she dare to look?

[LP: Hehe, you’re so gay]

What if, after they left this illusory realm, the bird woman still remembered this incident and insisted on settling the score with her? She couldn’t afford that!

Thinking this, the little alpaca started scrubbing her own fur in the water.

But as she was scrubbing, she suddenly heard a sound behind her. Before she could turn around, she felt her nape being grabbed once again.

The girl behind her said softly, “You look like you’re having a hard time washing yourself. Let me help you!”

The little alpaca couldn’t help but shiver. She wanted to refuse but was afraid You Yan would misunderstand, so she just habitually shrank her neck. With no idea where to look, she simply squeezed her eyes shut.

“You sure know how to enjoy yourself, using bath time to close your eyes to nurture the spirit⁷.” You Yan said with a laugh as she scrubbed Yi Qiu’s whole body.

“…” I’ve been wronged! It’s because I don’t dare to look, okay?

“You’re so skinny. So this is how small you are once all your fur is wet,” You Yan continued.

Hearing this, Yi Qiu couldn’t hold it in and laughed out loud.

You Yan was curious. “What are you laughing at?”

Yi Qiu shook her head. “I was just thinking of a mean person. Every time I finished a bath, she would call me ugly!”

“That really is a mean person. You’re not ugly at all,” You Yan said, cupping the little alpaca’s soaking wet head. “It’s just that you look so skinny like this… You have to eat more from now on!”

“I can eat a ton. I’m just afraid you won’t be able to afford to feed me!” Yi Qiu said seriously, her eyes still closed.

“I can afford it! From now on, when I cook for Father every day, I’ll just make some extra for you!” You Yan said. She patted Yi Qiu’s nape, walked to the edge of the spring, and pulled her tattered clothes into the water to wash them.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but ask, “Are you dressed?”

You Yan: “They’re dirty, so I’m washing them. I’ll put them on when I’m done, and they’ll dry soon enough.”

Yi Qiu was speechless for a moment. After a few seconds, she asked, “You don’t have any other clothes?”

You Yan: “Mm… they’re at home.”

Yi Qiu: “Can’t yaoguai⁸ transform their fur into clothes?”

You Yan was silent for a moment. “Father doesn’t like it. He hates the color of my spirit feathers…”

“I’m sorry…” Yi Qiu apologized in a small voice, opening her eyes to gaze into the distance.

“It’s nothing.” You Yan shook her head and went back to washing her clothes. “You don’t know. I’m a Qinyuan⁹. A Qinyuan’s feathers have always been yellowish-brown… but I was born with dark red ones.”

“I’m so strange. I caused my mother’s death right after I was born. Everyone says my father hates me to death… Actually, I think so too.” You Yan said softly. She paused for a few seconds, then continued, “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have the name I have now, would I?”

“…”

“I forgot to tell you. The ‘Yan’ in my name is the ‘yan’ for loathing.¹⁰”

“…”

“In this world, everyone detests me. No one likes me.”

“Nonsense!” The little alpaca couldn’t help but grit her teeth and turn her head to shout, “I’m not a person!”

As her voice fell, she saw You Yan’s astonished gaze.

The next second, after a moment of thought, she realized something.

At this very moment, she really wasn’t a person.

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