Volume 5: Tribulation of All Beings
An insider, does insider things.1
Yi Qiu remembered a time when she was still just an alpaca, always falling asleep in You Yan’s arms—at least, that’s how it was in that Kunlun dreamscape.
But ever since she became human, You Yan had rarely touched her.
This was the first time she’d fallen asleep while holding You Yan’s arm. This simple physical contact made her feel incredibly secure, just like in her dreams when You Yan held her, filled with a deep sense of reality.
She slept soundly. When she opened her eyes, the sky outside was already beginning to darken. You Yan was sitting by the window, her chin resting on her hand as she watched the night descend.
Yi Qiu rubbed her eyes, yawned, and sat up in bed.
She wobbled over to a basin of water that had been prepared at some point. As she washed her face, she mumbled indistinctly, “I can’t believe I slept for so long. It’s almost dark. I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight…”
You Yan turned to give her a slow look and asked lightly, “What do you want to eat?”
Yi Qiu spat out her mouthwash and looked up. “Isn’t Jian Li supposed to be making dinner tonight?”
You Yan smiled. “You missed it.”
Of course. That was how communal meals worked. If you were late, you wouldn’t even get a sip of the dishwater.
Yi Qiu pouted and ran a hand through her messy hair as she walked over to You Yan. “Anything is fine.”
“Nothing you’re craving?”
“I like anything you make,” Yi Qiu said, then let out a massive yawn right where she stood.
As she wiped the water from her eyes, she caught a flicker of a smile in You Yan’s gaze. Before she could say anything, all that was left was the sight of a retreating back.
Yi Qiu stood in the doorway, stunned for a moment. She saw Yue Zhuo bouncing across the courtyard. The girl glanced her way, looking as though she wanted to speak, but then stopped,2 turned, and scurried back to her own room.
“What was that look from Little hot dog just now?” Yi Qiu muttered to herself before realizing her own state: not only were her clothes a mess, but her hair was a tangled disaster.3
The moment it hit her, she slammed the door shut, got properly dressed, and sat down at the vanity to tidy herself up.
There are too many people living in this little courtyard these days, she thought. It’s a good thing no one else saw the state I was in. If they had, I would have been utterly humiliated. How could I ever hold my head up again?
Thinking of this, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.
Before long, You Yan returned with two small dishes and a bowl of warmed rice.
“After I eat, I’ll go tell Little pig trotter and the others about what happened yesterday, okay?” Yi Qiu asked, picking up her bowl and chopsticks. She had just taken a mouthful of rice when she remembered something else and looked up at You Yan. “You Yan, do you think we should tell Chao Yun about this?”
“No need,” You Yan said. “She’s already gone.”
“Huh?” Yi Qiu’s hand, holding her chopsticks, froze. It took her a long moment to process. “Gone? When?” she asked, dazed.
“If she wants to leave, no one can stop her,” You Yan replied calmly.
“Isn’t anyone going to look for her?” Yi Qiu couldn’t help but mumble.
“And what if they find her?” You Yan said softly.
That’s true. What if they did?
Yi Qiu couldn’t help but think that after making such a decision, it would indeed be awkward for Chao Yun to stay. Perhaps that was why she’d chosen to leave quietly during the day while everyone was catching up on sleep.
Chao Yun had left without a sound, yet the courtyard remained as quiet as ever, as if nothing had happened.
This time, it was unlikely anyone would go after her.
Just as she had expected, some grudges couldn’t be so easily set aside.
If the Xianlu Sect had suffered no casualties and only needed some time to rebuild, Jiang Yuyao might have been able to forgive the Yi Bird for Chao Yun’s sake. But Luo Mingyuan could not.
The enmity between Luo Mingyuan and the Yi Bird wasn’t just about his injuries and the fire at the Xianlu Sect. Between them lay the blood debt for his adoptive parents.
No one had the right to persuade him to forgive a grudge like that.
“Chao Yun is gone. If she really goes to the Demon Realm to find the Yi Bird, then next spring, the mortal realm will undergo a massive change…” Yi Qiu began to murmur. “In springtime, the ten thousand things will not revive. Grass and trees will not sprout new buds. Many plants will struggle to grow, and animals will gradually lose their food sources, which will in turn affect the common people. As their grain stores dwindle, they too will fall into a panic. And when the hearts of men are filled with fear, the power of demons will grow, and the many demons lurking in the mortal realm will seize the opportunity to cause chaos.”
Yi Qiu continued, trying hard to recall the novel’s plot. “It’ll go on like that until around the Summer Solstice.4 Then, in the place where suffering is deepest, the Ferocious Beast Fei will be resurrected from the collected resentment of all the world’s pain. After that, the mortal realm will face a great drought and a great plague. A time will come when the people have no means to live…5”
As she spoke, Yi Qiu began to frighten herself.
She had only ever seen such plots on television and in novels. To actually experience it herself… she couldn’t imagine what it would be like.
“It’s still a long way off. No need to scare yourself,” You Yan said coolly.
Yi Qiu heard her and nodded quickly.
It was currently the end of September. The mortal realm hadn’t even entered winter yet. From a time perspective, it was indeed still early.
A whole winter. If nothing unlucky or accidental happened in the meantime, it should be enough time for You Yan to recover from her injuries.
Yi Qiu frowned as she thought, absently eating her white rice, so lost in thought that she didn’t even touch the dishes on the table.
You Yan couldn’t help but ask, “Is the food not good?”
Yi Qiu snapped back to reality and shook her head vigorously. “No, no!”
“Then stop thinking and eat properly.” You Yan’s tone was as stern as a teacher’s.
Yi Qiu pouted, lowered her head, and put a piece of food into her bowl, only to sink into a new round of contemplation.
Just then, she felt You Yan sit down next to her. A faint smile touched her lips. “What’s wrong? Does the food not suit your taste, or do you want me to feed you?”
“No, no! I don’t, it’s delicious!” Yi Qiu said, tossing all those chaotic thoughts beyond the Nine Heavens.6 She quickly buried her head in her bowl and began to eat with gusto.
She finished her dinner in a few quick bites, then rushed to the kitchen, insisting on doing the chore. Wiping the water from her hands, she walked into the courtyard, stretched luxuriously, and waved at You Yan, who was sitting by the window.
Yi Qiu’s intention was to call You Yan outside, but You Yan only gave her a faint smile, completely unmoved.
After an awkward moment, Yi Qiu couldn’t stand it anymore and ran to the window. “You have to come with me,” she whispered.
“Hm?” You Yan hummed a question through her nose.
Yi Qiu opened her mouth, struggling to organize her words for a moment before lowering her voice again. “That thing from last night… don’t we have to tell everyone?”
“Mm.”
“You have to come with me…” Yi Qiu said, her brow furrowing.
She wanted to go and explain things clearly, but if You Yan wasn’t there, she wouldn’t have a shred of confidence.
But You Yan was acting completely oblivious, forcing her to spell it out so plainly.
She had every right to suspect that You Yan was waiting for her to beg!
That suspicion was confirmed a second later by a soft chuckle in her ear. She glanced up and saw You Yan’s eyes brimming with mirth.
As expected. This Bird woman would never miss an opportunity to tease her. It was true before, and it was true now.
But it was a good thing she was already used to it…
At that moment, she simply reached out, tugged on the arm You Yan had resting on the windowsill, and grumbled, “Come out. Hurry up and come out.”
Her posture was like someone trying to pull up a radish, desperate to yank You Yan right out of the window.
Annoyed by Yi Qiu’s persistence, You Yan finally stood up and walked out of the room, lightly tapping her on the back of the head.
“You hit me again!” Yi Qiu said, rubbing the spot with a look of dissatisfaction.
“That was so light. You call that hitting?” You Yan retorted.
“How is that not hitting?” Yi Qiu crossed her arms, her eyes full of protest.
“Delic…”
“Delicate!” Yi Qiu cut in, stealing You Yan’s line. She jutted out her chin and said righteously, “So what if I’m delicate?”
With that, she ran to Jiang Yuyao’s door and knocked lightly.
“Jiang Yuyao, it’s Yi Qiu! I have something I need to talk to you and Little pig trotter about!” As she spoke, Yi Qiu instinctively took two steps back.
“One moment!” Jiang Yuyao’s voice came from inside.
After a short wait, Jiang Yuyao gently pulled the door open, her face full of curiosity as she looked at the two people standing outside.
“Are you two…”
“We have something to discuss. Go get Luo Mingyuan,” You Yan said, and without waiting for an invitation, she pulled Yi Qiu into the room.
She had never been one for pleasantries, and Jiang Yuyao seemed to have grown accustomed to her style. Without another word, she went to fetch Luo Mingyuan.
It had to be said, whether they were gods or beasts on Ao’an Mountain, every last one of them was a gossip.
Late at night, upon hearing that You Yan and Yi Qiu had something to say to Luo Mingyuan and Jiang Yuyao, they all came running, crowding around the window with faces full of curiosity, openly planning to eavesdrop.
Seeing three people squeezed into one small window, Yi Qiu was left not knowing whether to laugh or cry.7
She stood up and called out to them, “It’s not a secret! Everyone can come in!”
The three outside were just waiting for those words. The moment they heard them, they filed into the room in a bizarrely neat line ordered by height, each finding an empty seat at the table.
In an instant, every person in the room was staring at You Yan with wide, curious eyes.
Clearly, they had picked the wrong person.
Normally, one would assume that the speaker at this kind of “small meeting” would be the one with the higher status, but this time, the true spokesperson was the inconspicuous Little Alpaca Demon next to the Demon Lord.
Yi Qiu cleared her throat, but still failed to capture everyone’s attention.
She sighed softly, picked up a teacup, and poured herself some warm tea. “What I’m about to say might sound a little outrageous,” she began, “but I swear on my life, every word is the absolute truth!”
At last, all eyes finally converged on Yi Qiu.
“The god Xun Chi said before that the Wood God’s identity is special, that she is tied to the spring revival of all living things in the Heavenly and Mortal Realms, so the Heavenly Realm would never allow her to fall in love with a demon, right?” Yi Qiu asked.
“That is correct,” Xun Chi replied.
“Then, does the god Xun Chi know what would happen if the mortal realm were to lose the Wood God?” Yi Qiu asked again.
Xun Chi was silent for a moment, then shook his head with a lost expression.
Yi Qiu took a deep breath. “If the mortal realm loses the Wood God, then once winter passes, the people will discover that they will never welcome another spring… If there is no spring in this world, the ten thousand things will no longer flourish. Over time, many forms of life will not be able to continue, and it won’t be long before disaster descends upon the mortal realm.”
As Yi Qiu’s words fell, everyone except You Yan and Yue Zhuo seemed to suck in a sharp breath.
Yue Zhuo rested her chin on her hand and asked, “Why?”
Yi Qiu wanted to explain, but after a moment’s thought, she realized she couldn’t quite articulate the principle behind it. After all, the story was written by Little Bird Coo Coo Fly. How would a slacker like her know so much?
Children are such a headache. Why do they have to ask questions the “teacher” can’t answer…
Yi Qiu frowned. “Why does there have to be a ‘why’? You just need to know that this is a very serious matter!”
Yue Zhuo pressed, “How serious is ‘very serious’?”
“It’s… it’s…” Yi Qiu thought for a moment, then said earnestly, “It’s probably as serious as ten suns rising in the sky…”
“What’s so serious about ten suns? Imagine how bright the day would be…” Yue Zhuo hadn’t finished speaking before Jian Li tugged on the corner of her sleeve. She pursed her lips and fell silent.
Yi Qiu subconsciously glanced at Luo Mingyuan and saw the Little pig trotter awkwardly squeezing his knees.
Clearly, even without his memories, he knew that was a “good deed” he had done in the past. Now that it was suddenly brought up, he couldn’t quite get over it.
Yi Qiu cleared her throat and continued, “And next summer, the resentment born from the suffering of all beings will continue to gather, eventually giving birth to an Ancient Ferocious Beast8 named ‘Fei’.”
Xun Chi said, “Fei… wasn’t it killed long ago?”
“People can be resurrected!” Yi Qiu said with immense gravity. “I have no proof for what I’m saying, but I’m really not lying to you. If the Wood God leaves the mortal realm, then next summer will be the time of Fei’s revival.”
“What is that?” Jiang Yuyao asked with a frown.
Xun Chi’s brows knitted. “It is a Ferocious Beast that symbolizes calamity. Legend says of it: where it walks, waters dry up; where it passes, grass dies; its appearance brings a great plague to the world.9 Once it manifests, it is certain to bring an enormous disaster to the mortal realm…”
As Xun Chi finished, a silence fell over the room.
After a moment, Yue Zhuo said breezily, “So it’s a plague? Then can’t we just burn it all?”
Jian Li added, “Right.”
Yi Qiu was momentarily stunned.
Is this how all Ancient Ferocious Beasts solve problems?
If the Bird woman heard this, wouldn’t she be silently calling them insiders?
The author has something to say:
Little Alpaca: Let me tell you, there’s a summer boss next year.
Little hot dog: Burn it!
Little Alpaca: ???
Little Bird Coo Coo Fly: Please give the boss some face.
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