Little Alpaca – Chapter 164

Volume 4: Immeasurable

Gods and immortals cannot fall in love with demons.

At this very moment, the expression on every person in the room was incredibly grim.

To those who knew what was happening, it was clear someone was injured. To those who didn’t, it looked like they were preparing for someone’s funeral tomorrow.

What’s with this suffocating atmosphere?

Could it be that the unlucky male lead of the 《Thin, Withered Branches》 Novel was about to receive a bento box¹ ahead of schedule?

“Jiang Yuyao, what happened in the dream? The formation is broken, so why is the little pig trotter still lying there?” Yi Qiu couldn’t help but ask. “Did you manage to bring him out?”

Before they entered the dream, Chao Yun had given a thousand warnings and ten thousand instructions², telling Jiang Yuyao more than once that if she encountered any danger, she must prioritize her own life.

Whether Jiang Yuyao had brought Luo Mingyuan out of the nightmare or not, as long as she herself was still alive, there was still hope. There was no need to be so dejected.

“I don’t know.” Jiang Yuyao’s voice was low and somewhat hoarse. “I don’t know why he hasn’t woken up…”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened. Her voice, tinged with a sob, dissolved into a frantic, repetitive explanation, her words without order³. “I don’t know… I didn’t leave him behind. I clearly… I clearly brought him out with me…”

This explanation seemed less for the benefit of others and more like she was afraid—a kind of terror that came from the bottom of her heart.

If Jiang Yuyao truly hadn’t left Luo Mingyuan alone in the dream, no matter what happened, and if she really had brought him out before the dreamscape collapsed, then her breakdown now, facing the still-unconscious Luo Mingyuan, was understandable.

I tried so hard, and I still couldn’t save him.

Who could possibly accept such a cruel truth?

Yi Qiu frowned, suddenly realizing her question had undoubtedly just been adding frost to snow⁴ for Jiang Yuyao.

With Luo Mingyuan unconscious and Chao Yun in a coma, the panic in Jiang Yuyao’s heart had likely reached its limit. The last thing she needed was someone else unsettling her.

Yi Qiu thought for a moment, then said, “Don’t be so anxious. It’s not that bad. Didn’t you bring him out of the dream? As long as he’s out, he’ll be fine!”

“But…”

“Just because the nightmare is gone doesn’t mean a person will wake up right away.” Yi Qiu walked over quickly and sat down beside Jiang Yuyao. “During the time You Yan and I were missing, we were trapped by that Yi Bird in a dream-creating Floating Dream Pearl. When the nightmare dissipated, we were still stuck in the dream. It took a lot of effort to fight our way out later.”

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope appeared in Jiang Yuyao’s eyes.

Yi Qiu continued, “Besides, once the nightmare is gone, even if you’re still in the dreamscape, there’s no more danger to your life!”

Jiang Yuyao asked, “Really?”

Yi Qiu nodded. “Why would I lie to you? If you don’t believe me, you can ask You Yan.”

Just as her words fell, You Yan walked in from outside.

Jiang Yuyao’s gaze instantly shifted to You Yan, her eyes full of expectation, as if a single word of reassurance could save her from her guilt and self-blame.

You Yan was silent for a moment before saying flatly, “That’s right.”

At her words, Jiang Yuyao seemed to let out a huge sigh of relief, her gaze turning back to the still-unconscious Luo Mingyuan.

Seeing this, You Yan said no more and walked straight to the bedside.

Xun Chi saw her approach and took half a step to the side.

The next second, You Yan gently placed the tip of her right index finger on Luo Mingyuan’s brow. A dark green spiritual power⁵ flowed from her slender fingertip into the sleeping man’s spiritual meridians⁶. After a few seconds of silence, You Yan slowly withdrew her hand, turned, and said coolly, “He’s fine now.”

Yue Zhuo asked, “He’s really fine?”

You Yan gave a soft “Mm,” and looked up at Xun Chi.

Xun Chi nodded as well, turning to the others. “I think something terrible must have happened in the dream. Luo Mingyuan’s consciousness suddenly began to violently assault the formation Chao Yun set up. That’s why the formation collapsed before you two even got out.”

Yue Zhuo listened and nodded seriously. “Right. I suddenly felt a huge fluctuation in spiritual power over here, so I came to take a look. I had just gotten inside when the formation exploded!”

The little hot dog’s voice was already as tender as a child’s. Now, that milky voice and air⁷ saying “exploded,” though spoken with utmost seriousness, sounded like a joke, making it impossible for anyone to feel tense.

Yi Qiu couldn’t hold it in and let out a pfft of laughter.

But the atmosphere in the room was still far from light. Realizing her laugh was too abrupt, she quickly frowned, bit her lip, and forced back the amusement bubbling up inside her.

Yue Zhuo pouted and looked at Yi Qiu. “Are you laughing at me?”

“No, no!” Yi Qiu instantly shook her head, her two long braids swinging like a pellet drum⁸.

How could she dare offend this little hot dog?

Yue Zhuo frowned slightly, looking like she wanted to press the issue.

Jian Li gently tugged on Yue Zhuo’s sleeve and leaned in to whisper something in her ear, which finally made her close her mouth.

“In any case, it’s good that he’s okay. It’s almost dawn outside. I’ll go prepare some breakfast. If everyone eats a little, you’ll feel better,” Jian Li said, turning to leave the room.

Yue Zhuo made a ghost face⁹ at Yi Qiu before quickly turning to chase after her.

Yi Qiu shrugged and looked down at Chao Yun, who was leaning lightly in Jiang Yuyao’s arms.

Chao Yun’s brows were tightly furrowed, and her complexion was even worse than it had been in the past few days. Though she was unconscious, her breathing was uneven. It was clear that even without awareness, the pain in her body was still tormenting her.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help asking, “Is she badly hurt?”

Xun Chi shook his head, sighing. “The Wood God already had a serious internal injury¹⁰. Now, to protect Jiang Yuyao, she forced open the support formation for this nightmare and suffered some backlash¹¹ from the dreamscape. It’s a case of adding injury upon injury.”

Jiang Yuyao couldn’t help but lower her gaze, her fingertips subconsciously straightening Chao Yun’s collar.

You Yan said coolly, “A god from the Heavenly Realm shouldn’t have such a delicate body and weak constitution. She’ll be fine after a period of rest.”

Though the words weren’t pleasant, they made sense.

Forget Chao Yun, who had recovered her divine power; even the little pig trotter, whose divine power had yet to fully awaken, had been constantly getting injured, hadn’t he? Each time, he was left hanging on by a thread, stubbornly surviving.

Yi Qiu gently patted Jiang Yuyao’s back. When she looked up, she saw You Yan glaring at her. She pouted and obediently pulled her hand back.

She thought for a moment, then looked up and asked, “Jiang Yuyao, in the little pig trotter’s dream… what did you see?”

The question made Jiang Yuyao’s brows knit together.

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Yuyao pressed her lips together and said softly, “I saw his nine lives and nine worlds¹²…”

“Everyone knows that,” Yi Qiu said, pressing on. “What else?”

“In all nine tribulations¹³, he was obstructed by Yi Bird…” Jiang Yuyao said, gritting her teeth. “If Yi Bird hadn’t used any means necessary¹⁴ to harm him, he should have returned to the Heavenly Realm long ago…”

“Just as I thought,” Yi Qiu said, looking over at You Yan, who was leaning against the bed.

“Not surprising,” You Yan replied with an indifferent expression.

Xun Chi frowned. “What on earth is that Yi Bird trying to do? Logically speaking, after Snake Mountain was burned, she stayed in Jade Sea for over three hundred years. The Golden Crow and Fusang took her in at one point. How could she develop such a deep grudge?”

“I told you before, it’s hate born from love¹⁵. None of you believed me,” Yi Qiu said with a pout.

A moment later, she found both Jiang Yuyao and Xun Chi staring at her.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m telling the truth…” Yi Qiu said, propping her chin on her hand.

“You did say that Yi Bird was in love with… in love with…” Jiang Yuyao glanced down at Chao Yun in her arms, hesitated for a moment, then frowned and continued, “In love with the Wood God, Goumang. But the Wood God was devoted to protecting the Golden Crow and Fusang, so she… developed hate born from love?”

Xun Chi found this hard to accept. “That’s utterly ridiculous.”

“What’s so ridiculous about it?”

“Doesn’t she know? The Heavenly Realm has its rules. Gods and immortals cannot fall in love with demons,” Xun Chi said, shaking his head. “Even if she could kill the Golden Crow and Fusang, even if she could kill everyone the Wood God cares about, would the Wood God then be with her?”

“Of course she knows!” Yi Qiu said, rolling her eyes¹⁶ dramatically. “But what good does knowing do?”

“It’s like this,” Yi Qiu nodded. “Chao Yun went missing, right? During that time, she was captured by Yi Bird and imprisoned back on Snake Mountain.”

“What?” Xun Chi exclaimed in shock. “To privately imprison a heavenly god¹⁷ is a major crime in the Heavenly Realm! How… how could she dare?”

“She dared. Not only did she dare, but she also sealed Chao Yun’s original memories and made up a fake story to deceive her!” Yi Qiu shook her head and sighed. “They started to call each other ‘wife’. They were living quite comfortably, you know.”

A complex emotion flickered in Jiang Yuyao’s eyes.

You Yan added, “The night we rescued Chao Yun, Yi Bird developed a heart devil¹⁸. I’m afraid she has now completely fallen into the demonic path¹⁹.”

Jiang Yuyao asked, “Then Chao Yun… why did she not mention a single word²⁰ about this after she came here?”

Yi Qiu was about to say something when she heard You Yan speak. “You’ll have to ask her that.”

Jiang Yuyao was silent for a moment, then said in a hoarse, heavy voice, “Chao Yun has been protecting us in secret this whole time.”

You Yan: “Indeed.”

Jiang Yuyao: “At the foot of Xianlu Mountain, that cave sealed by vines… was that her divine power at work?”

You Yan: “Yes.”

For some reason, Yi Qiu was afraid Jiang Yuyao would misunderstand. She quickly jumped in to explain, “That was after she drove Yi Bird away. To prevent any other evil creatures from getting in, she had no choice but to set up that seal…”

“Yi Qiu, you and Miss You… you’ve known everything all along, haven’t you?” Jiang Yuyao asked, looking up.

Yi Qiu frowned but finally nodded.

Jiang Yuyao wasn’t old, but she wasn’t stupid either. Once she had a few clues, she could piece things together herself.

Chao Yun had been protecting them while also hiding the truth about Yi Bird. If they were to dig into the reasons why, it would inevitably lead to conflict.

After a long silence, she sighed softly. “Forget it. No matter what, she’s still injured. We can talk about it when she wakes up.”

Whatever the reasons for all this, Chao Yun had never once hurt them. In fact, she was now gravely injured because of them.

No matter what, she had to wait for Chao Yun to wake up and hear the explanation from her own lips.

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