Little Alpaca – Chapter 144

Volume 4: Immeasurable

I’ll Tidy Her Up For You, That’s All.

You Yan smiled. It was the same way she always did when teasing Yi Qiu, with that utterly nonchalant tone as a soft laugh escaped her nose.

Yi Qiu had thought You Yan had changed, but in the end, she was still wrong.

The Bird Woman¹, after all, was still the Bird Woman. She could be gentle for a day or two, but could she be gentle for a lifetime?

With that Bamboo Shoot Mouth² of You Yan’s, if you didn’t consider reincarnating and being remade³, then this life was basically hopeless.

Fortunately, she had long since gotten used to it, so she didn’t feel angry. She just mumbled under her breath a couple of times, then reached out and tore off a piece of piping hot fish, carefully avoiding the bones before popping it into her mouth.

“How is it?” You Yan’s eyebrows curved as she watched Yi Qiu, her eyes full of warmth.

“Hmm… so-so.” This was the answer Yi Qiu gave after a moment of deliberation.

I have to say, You Yan’s spirit pouch⁴ always has so many strange yet practical things hidden inside. She’s just like a Doraemon⁵, never letting her own Nobita suffer.

For example, the seasonings laid out on the ground right now were each stored in a small, labeled porcelain bottle, ready to be used at a moment’s notice. Even in the deep mountains and wild forests, she could whip up something delicious.

This roasted fish was incredible, almost identical to how it tasted in the dream.

But delicious or not, she had no intention of giving You Yan even half a compliment today.

After all, she was used to You Yan’s daily disdain. It was time for a counterattack; she couldn’t let this narcissistic Bird Woman have her way in everything.

So, not only did she refrain from putting on her usual happy face at mealtime, she even furrowed her brow slightly, licked her lips, and said critically, “What’s going on? Your skills have regressed this much since we left the dream?”

Sure enough, the Bird Woman’s expression changed.

“So-so?” She frowned, leaning in to smell the fish. She then tore off a piece and tasted it.

The next second, the doubt in her eyes deepened, as if they were screaming the words, “This is so-so?”

Yi Qiu fought to hold back her laughter, widening her eyes to sell the bluff. “I wasn’t wrong, was I? The taste really is a lot worse!”

After a brief hesitation, You Yan couldn’t help but reach out and touch Yi Qiu’s forehead, as if she suspected the little alpaca demon before her was sick.

She remembered that during the few days the little alpaca was sick in the dream, her appetite had been poor, and she’d claimed everything was tasteless. Today, the little girl just so happened to have caught a chill by the spirit pond on the mountaintop. Maybe she really was sick.

Seeing You Yan’s worried expression, Yi Qiu couldn’t hold it in any longer. With a “pfft,” she broke through her defense⁶, her eyes curving as she burst out laughing.

You Yan realized she’d been tricked. She frowned for a moment, and after a brief silence, she slapped the little head that was leaning forward and backward⁷ with laughter.

“Oof…” Yi Qiu covered her forehead with one hand. After a short pause, she let out another “pfft” of laughter.

“…”

“You Yan, you… you actually fell for my prank for once?” Yi Qiu was laughing so hard she could barely speak. “Are… are you… is it that to care is to be confused?⁸“

You Yan was speechless, quietly watching Yi Qiu, who was grinning from ear to ear.

She had to admit it. She truly was confused because she cared.

She’d been bluffed by Yi Qiu countless times, yet she had always seen through the clumsy lies.

But this time, she didn’t see it right away.

The reason was simple: she thought Yi Qiu was sick.

After all, aside from those few days she was sick in the dream, Yi Qiu had never once disliked her cooking. Even the simplest home-cooked dishes earned endless praise from the little girl.

She’d never imagined Yi Qiu would joke with her about something like this.

However, she wasn’t angry. After a brief silence, she reached out with her clean hand and gently rubbed the forehead she had just slapped.

“It doesn’t hurt!” Yi Qiu said, using her oil-free pinky and wrist to pull You Yan’s hand away. She lowered her head and resumed eating the roasted fish. “I was just joking, don’t be so serious. The number of times your mouth says yes but your heart says no⁹ is way higher than mine!”

Seeing this, You Yan couldn’t help but smile. “Eat slowly. Don’t get a bone stuck in your throat.”

“I know.” Yi Qiu’s gaze swept over the fish in You Yan’s hand as she urged, “You eat too. Don’t just watch me.”

You Yan gave a soft “en” and lowered her eyes to eat as well.

After filling her stomach, Yi Qiu suddenly remembered the important business she’d neglected.

She and You Yan had been in the dreamscape for over a month. During that time, the System was completely unable to monitor the outside world, effectively cutting her off from everything.

Now that she had left the dreamscape, she could finally check on things through the System. But because life in the dream had been so comfortable, she’d completely forgotten her main mission.

The ones I should have been most worried about were never Chao Yun, but the current situation of Luo Mingyuan and Jiang Yuyao…

Aiya! How could I have really forgotten!

“Baocai?” Yi Qiu immediately called out.

【Here.】

“Hm?” You Yan couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

I got so excited I used the wrong frequency¹⁰. A bit awkward…

“Er, not you. I’m calling the System.”

“…Oh.” You Yan’s tone was a little displeased.

Yi Qiu froze for a moment, then quickly tried to make up for it¹¹. “You Yan, you’re the one who said it! You said I can’t whisper secrets to the System and that I have to ask everything in front of you!”

Although I was planning to ask secretly, since I messed up the frequency, I might as well pretend I did it on purpose. That should make You Yan feel more secure.

Sure enough, hearing Yi Qiu’s explanation, You Yan’s expression softened considerably.

Yi Qiu pouted and asked aloud, “Baocai, what’s the situation with Luo Mingyuan and Jiang Yuyao right now? Do you know?”

【Currently checking characters for you, please wait.】

【Check complete.】

【Jiang Yuyao: Mood Index – Low. Physical Status – Healthy.】

【Luo Mingyuan: Mood Index – Low. Physical Status – Injuries not yet healed.】

After a month, Jiang Yuyao’s injuries should have healed. As for Luo Mingyuan, his wounds were too severe to recover from so quickly, so there was nothing unusual about their physical conditions.

But their moods… why are they both low?

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but frown. You Yan, watching from the side, frowned as well.

After a moment of deep thought, Yi Qiu bit her lower lip and took an unconscious breath, her eyes filled with doubt.

Speaking of which, Chao Yun’s whereabouts were unknown that day. It was eighty percent likely¹² he was captured by the Yi Bird. Since You Yan and I entered the Floating Dream Pearl’s illusionary realm¹³, we were powerless to stop the Yi Bird’s actions. With its abilities, finding a way to take care of Luo Mingyuan and Jiang Yuyao during this past month shouldn’t have been difficult.

But the Yi Bird has now returned to Snake Mountain… Did something happen?

Don’t tell me they were all captured and taken to Snake Mountain? But if that were the case, the Yi Bird would have killed them…

But if they weren’t taken to Snake Mountain, where could they have hidden? The Yi Bird’s cultivation base¹⁴ isn’t weak, and it can command the demon horde of Snake Mountain. They shouldn’t have been able to contend with that, not having fully awakened their powers yet.

“Um… what else?” Yi Qiu couldn’t help but ask.

【What else is there?】

“Did any major events happen this past month?”

【Apologies, due to interference from the illusionary realm, monitoring for this time period is missing.】

“…” Yi Qiu took a deep breath. “Then where are they now? Can you send a location?”

【They are currently within Mount Ao’an.】

Hearing this, Yi Qiu instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

You Yan’s brows, however, tightened. “What did that Bucket Demon say?”

“Pfft…” Yi Qiu swore she couldn’t hold it in. The name “Bucket Demon” was just too funny.

“Why do you call it a Bucket Demon? It’s not a bucket, and it’s not a demon. It’s called a System!” Yi Qiu picked up a small stone and wrote the two characters for “System” on the ground. “Baocai is the nickname I gave it. You can call it that too.”

The next second, seeing You Yan’s unfriendly expression, she quickly wiped the smile off her face.

“Okay, so I asked the System about their recent situation and where they are,” Yi Qiu explained, sitting up straight.

“I can hear you,” You Yan said faintly. “What did it say?”

“Oh, right! It said they’re fine and are currently at Ao’an.”

“They went to Ao’an…” You Yan pondered for a moment, then sighed softly. “That’s good. The Yi Bird wouldn’t dare stir up trouble at Ao’an.”

“Yeah,” Yi Qiu said, pressing her lips together. “I was so afraid that if something happened to them while we were gone, my mission would have failed. Thankfully, they were taken back by Xun Chi. With Jian Li and Yue Zhuo there, the Yi Bird can’t cause any trouble.”

Actually, this doesn’t count as a huge favor for me. I’m not You Yan; I don’t have the face¹⁵ to make a High God of the Heavenly Realm lend a hand. The ones Xun Chi helped were Luo Mingyuan and Jiang Yuyao.

Especially Jiang Yuyao. She’s now the Blood Contract Master¹⁶ of the Fuzhu and the Huodou. If she died, those two unlucky fierce beasts who finally managed to get together would also go ‘wu hu’ with one life¹⁷. For that reason alone, if they were in trouble, Xun Chi could never just tuck his hands in his sleeves and watch from the side.¹⁸

“He would rather break the rules of the Heavenly Realm to bring them back to Ao’an. It seems this Yi Bird must have done something truly outrageous.”

You Yan’s words made Yi Qiu realize the gravity of the situation.

When a heavenly god undergoes a tribulation¹⁹, no one from the Heavenly Realm may use divine power to help or disturb them. This was a rule that hadn’t changed for millions of years.

Xun Chi was already burdened with sins awaiting redemption, and now he’d been forced to break this rule. When the Heavenly Realm eventually assigns blame, his punishment would surely be severe. Yet he still insisted on bringing them to Ao’an. It was likely that something truly major had happened in the mortal realm while they were gone.

In the original work, the Yi Bird was viciously malicious, capable of any cruelty. Could it be that tricking the Huodou into setting fire to the mountain once wasn’t enough, and it followed the original plotline and led the demon horde to slaughter the Xianlu Sect?

That’s… not impossible…

Yi Qiu grew anxious. “You Yan… should… shouldn’t we go back to Moshui and check?”

“No rush.”

“But what if the plot from the original text…”

“If something really happened, rushing is useless. As long as the people you need to protect are alive, that’s enough. As for the others, if they’re really dead, rushing over now will only let you visit a grave²⁰.” Seeing the worry in Yi Qiu’s eyes, You Yan offered a word of comfort. “No matter what happened, I’ll tidy her up²¹ for you, that’s all.”

“…” Yi Qiu was momentarily choked up.

She found she had no way to refute anything You Yan had just said.

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