Little Alpaca – Chapter 12

Volume 1: Little Alpaca

She’s toying with me.

The Underworld was shrouded in a perennial gloom. The waters of the River of the Underworld were a sinister, chilling green, its surface veiled in a thin layer of mist.

Poling the boat that carried souls between the two realms was a mute old man, his hair white, his face withered.

On the way here, Yi Qiu had heard that this old man had been ferrying the souls of the living and the dead for several millennia, day after day, without rest. No matter their race, status, wealth, or grievances, once they boarded his boat, they were nothing more than ordinary river-crossers.

The wooden boat drifted in the middle of the River of the Underworld. Peering through the thin mist, one could faintly see the green river lanterns tethered to soul-lights, scattered and adrift in this serene, silent place.

You Yan said that both banks of the River of the Underworld were covered in Red Spider Lilies¹ that guided the souls of the dead, but they weren’t in bloom at the moment. If one were to see them in full bloom, it would be like watching the morning glow of the mortal realm dissolve into deep ink—a sight that, paired with the river’s ghostly green, possessed an exceedingly bewitching beauty.

Yi Qiu, draped over the edge of the wooden boat, twitched her little ears. She had clearly heard You Yan’s words but had no intention of responding.

She was, after all, just that petty.

The mere thought that this great villain would rather walk for over ten days than fly her for a bit of the journey gravely wounded her pride.

She was not going to acknowledge You Yan anymore, at least not today!

The old man rowed with his oar, indifferent to the joys and sorrows of others.

With the speaker receiving no reply, the atmosphere on the boat inevitably grew awkward.

A few seconds later, You Yan smiled nonchalantly. As if bored, she held up one sleeve and dipped her other hand into the river.

Her slender fingers gently stirred the ghostly green water, and a smoke-like spiritual light coiled above the viridian waves, like a cold mist embracing satin—soft, yet icy.

Yi Qiu sulked for a good while, only to discover that the person who had angered her couldn’t even be bothered to coax her. She couldn’t help but steal a glance toward You Yan.

Good grief, that cold-blooded woman was nonchalantly playing with the water!

Yi Qiu was instantly so aggrieved that her heart ached. Her small, furry face scrunched up as she twisted back around, resting her little head on the boat’s edge to sulk by herself.

The great villain was having fun on her own, while she was fuming for nothing. This was just too humiliating…

After a brief silence, the little alpaca refused to be outdone.

How could she be the only one suffering in awkward silence? She was going to have some fun too!

With this thought, Yi Qiu turned her head and shot You Yan a glare. Seeing that her attention wasn’t on her at all, she rolled her eyes and turned back, humming a little tune to feign nonchalance.

Then, she stretched her four limbs with a bit of effort and tentatively extended a foreleg, reaching toward the water’s surface.

But just as the little alpaca hoof with its mere two toes was about to touch the water, a water-colored whip lashed out from behind her, instantly coiling around the skinny little leg. With a sharp tug, it yanked the tiny alpaca backward, sending her tumbling half a circle and landing sprawled flat on her back.

The commotion caused the wooden boat to rock, yet the old ferryman stood firm, his feet seemingly rooted to the small boat, not swaying in the slightest.

Yi Qiu saw stars from the fall, her consciousness hazy as she lay limp for a long moment.

These past few days of travel had already left her utterly exhausted, and now this fall made her feel as if her fragile little body was about to fall apart.

She had reason to suspect that if You Yan didn’t hate her, then she must have a nasty penchant for abusing small animals.

The alpaca was suffering, but the alpaca dared not speak.

She fought back the tears welling in her eyes, lying as still as a corpse. Her shimmering, tear-filled eyes were glazed over, as if she were questioning her very existence.

You Yan withdrew the long whip, rose, and walked over. She crouched beside her, grabbed Yi Qiu’s two forelegs with both hands, and narrowed her long, slender eyes. After swaying her back and forth a couple of times, the displeasure in her eyes vanished in a flash, and a faint smile touched her lips.

【You Yan’s Favorability +50】

This favorability increase is so exhausting…

She’s toying with me, Yi Qiu thought. This Demon Lord really loves toying with me”

“Does it hurt?” After speaking, You Yan gently kneaded the little leg that had just been wrapped by the whip, her movements exceedingly gentle.

Finally, seeing Yi Qiu’s aggrieved face and her refusal to speak, she couldn’t help but gently tap the little one’s nose with the pad of her index finger and said with a smile, “I did it for your own good. Don’t you be a dog biting Lü Dongbin.”²

Seeing You Yan’s complete lack of guilt, Yi Qiu’s grievances burst forth.

“You tied me up! And you threw me!” she yelled, refusing to get up from the floor, her red, teary eyes glaring fiercely at You Yan. “And you say it was for my own good! How was this for my own good?!”

She was just a little alpaca! It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her delicate, weak, and unable to withstand a single blow. How could she endure being manhandled by such a great demoness?

And after all that manhandling, she even claimed it was for her own good?

How exactly was it for her good? More falls and beatings to strengthen her bones and muscles? Such kindness was too heavy a burden; she really couldn’t bear it!

If she were just a little more fragile, she might have thrown herself into the river by now.

You Yan suppressed a smile and asked seriously, “Will you let me explain?”

Ha, how rare. Would the great villain actually explain her actions to the little alpaca she just thrashed?

Yi Qiu gritted her teeth and remained silent, quietly waiting for You Yan’s explanation.

But as time ticked by, You Yan never opened her mouth. She just held Yi Qiu’s two forelegs, aimlessly drawing circles in the air out of boredom, as if waiting for something.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but take a deep breath. “Well, explain then!”

Hearing this, You Yan suddenly tapped her two little furry legs together. Then, she raised a willow-like eyebrow, glanced at the water of the River of the Underworld, and said coolly, “The waters of the River of the Underworld absorb all the evils of heaven and earth. Without a boat, even gods and demons cannot cross. You little fool, you wanted to play in the water, but do you have any idea how many vengeful souls and malevolent ghosts, unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation, are sealed beneath this seemingly calm surface?”

Hearing this, Yi Qiu’s gaze turned vacant.

You Yan released her two little legs and cupped her small, fluffy head with both hands. “Down there,” she said earnestly, “are countless hands. They crave fresh blood and love nothing more than to drag any living being that passes by to the riverbed to gnaw on their flesh and soul. I have spiritual power protecting my body, so I do not fear them. You are different.”

“If I had acted a second later, you would have lost this leg at the very least.” As You Yan spoke, she casually dropped a silk handkerchief into the river.

In an instant, the handkerchief was shredded into a thousand strands. Then, it turned from white to black, and every single thread, as if consumed by fire, completely dissipated.

Seeing this, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but gasp, her small body shrinking toward the center of the boat, trembling uncontrollably.

You Yan felt the little one’s trembling frequency through her fluffed-up fur, a faint smile in her eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, the boat finally reached the horizon where the water met the sky.

A blinding light flashed before her eyes. Yi Qiu instinctively shut them, and when she opened them again, her surroundings were no longer dark.

Above her was a blue sky with white clouds, and below was a clear river. Both banks were shaded by green willows. Although the afternoon sun was a bit glaring, the chirping of insects and birds was incessant, and a faint floral scent wafted from an unknown source. Everywhere was filled with a long-missed vitality.

The mute old man poled the small boat to the bank. Yi Qiu followed You Yan off the boat, and when she looked back, both the old man and the wooden boat had vanished.

Yi Qiu cautiously dipped a hoof into the water by the riverbank. The heat of the Demon Realm was a distant memory, replaced by a refreshing coolness that swept over her. The river water was still cool, and she was so happy that she soaked both her tired little hooves in it.

Tiny fish, the size of a pinky finger, swam in schools around her little feet, leisurely passing by. The little alpaca unconsciously wiggled her little bottom, her eyes filled with delight.

This is the Human Realm!

As expected of the place where humans live, every blade of grass and every tree here was different from the Demon Realm. It felt so welcoming!

You Yan crouched down, gazing at the fish in the river for a moment in thought. Then, she patted the back of Yi Qiu’s head, stood up, and said languidly, “Let’s go. We need to find a place to stay before dark.”

Yi Qiu followed behind You Yan with a whimper, her wandering gaze inevitably landing on You Yan’s head of red hair.

She remembered that in the novel, You Yan had put on a disguise when she came to the Human Realm.

You Yan’s current appearance was far too ostentatious, no matter how you looked at it. It was just short of having “I’m a demoness” written on her face.

Should I remind her? Maybe I can farm some favorability points.

In that moment, Yi Qiu suddenly forgot the decision she had secretly made not long ago—she was not going to acknowledge You Yan anymore, at least not today.

She trailed after You Yan, pondering for a good while, before finally hopping a few steps in front of her, bouncing from side to side to block her path.

“Master, Master!” The little alpaca, exceptionally practiced, prepared to suck up, her small eyes wide and round.

You Yan looked down at the little alpaca blocking her way. She wasn’t angry, nor did she speak, simply waiting quietly for what would come next.

After a brief silence, having received no verbal cooperation from You Yan, Yi Qiu pouted. Suppressing the awkwardness in her heart, she smiled, revealing her front teeth. “Master, this is the Human Realm. Perhaps we should disguise ourselves?”

After listening, You Yan nodded thoughtfully and reached out with a smile to pat Yi Qiu’s head.

“What a clever little thing.” With that, she looked down to inspect her own attire.

After a moment of thought, You Yan seemed to have an idea. With a sudden shimmer, the spiritual light that concealed her eyes dissipated, and she had already hidden the demonic mark on her brow.

Yi Qiu saw the woman before her transform. Dressed in white robes like a celestial being, her black hair was like a waterfall, tied up in a bun. Her makeup was so subtle it was as if she had a new face, and her once soul-snatching eyes had changed to an ordinary color. At a glance, not a trace of her former bewitching allure remained. She could even be described as transcendent and otherworldly. Where was there any hint of a villain?

The little alpaca stared, dumbfounded. When she came to her senses, she couldn’t help but swallow.

She suddenly didn’t blame the male lead for being brainless.

Honestly, faced with such a femme fatale disguised as a white lotus, what man could keep his wits about him?

While Yi Qiu was sighing with emotion in her heart, You Yan had already chosen her name for the human world, exactly as it was written in the novel—Bai Jianyou.³

Yi Qiu pouted. In a daze, she accidentally spoke her inner monologue⁴ out loud.

“Bai Jianyou… more like ‘Ghosts-See-and-Despair.'” [LP: This is a pun. The name You Yan chooses, 白見幽 (Bái Jiànyōu), sounds similar to “ghosts see and despair,” 鬼見愁 (guǐ jiàn chóu), a common nickname for something fearsome. The pun is on the similar sounds of 幽 (yōu) and 愁 (chóu).]

The moment the words left her mouth, she gasped, looking at You Yan in terror. “No, no, it wasn’t me… no, I wasn’t…”

However, You Yan gave her no chance to explain.

Her eyes held a hint of a smile as she gently tapped a finger on the spot between Yi Qiu’s brows.

“Maa! Maa~~” Yi Qiu’s eyes widened in shock. “Maa maa maa!!!”

“In the Human Realm, little pets don’t talk,” You Yan said with a smile. “This is a disguise.”

Yi Qiu’s face was a mask of exhaustion.

She was tired, truly tired. After finally gaining the ability to speak human words, she was now back to only making alpaca noises.

---

---