Volume 1: Little Alpaca
I don’t like it, I really don’t.
What a garbage system. It says it will tell me everything it knows without holding back1, but when it comes to answering questions, it knows nothing at all2.
Yi Qiu couldn’t hold it in and rolled her eyes3 at the empty air.
After a brief silence, she decided not to ask the system any more questions. She just lay prone where she was, staring blankly at the tightly closed door.
You Yan returned quickly, and the inn’s cooks weren’t slow either. Before long, dishes were brought up one after another.
This morning, all Yi Qiu had in front of her were sliced apples and a torn-up meat bun4. The lack of variety, coupled with her bad mood, meant she barely ate anything.
At this moment, smelling the aroma of the food, her little belly, which had been empty since morning, suddenly began to clamor.
With delicious food before her, the little alpaca put away the chaotic-seven-messy-eight5 thoughts in the bottom of her heart, got up, and hopped a few steps to the side of the table. She stretched her neck, wanting to eat, but You Yan pressed a pair of chopsticks against her mouth.
You Yan was always like this, not allowing the little alpaca to eat by herself, insisting on feeding her one mouthful at a time.
The reason was simple: alpacas don’t have hands. If no one fed her, she could only press her head forcefully against the dish to eat. In the end, not only would she spill food all over the table, but she would also get oil all over her face.
The few times Yi Qiu had tried to eat by herself before, this was exactly what happened. Every time she made such a mess, You Yan would drag her to the side of a water basin and make her wash herself clean.
It was precisely because of this that the twenty-first-century salted fish6 corporate livestock7, who was originally capable of handling all her own basic needs, had suddenly turned into a delicate baby who even needed to be fed.
While eating lunch, Yi Qiu gazed at You Yan, her little head unable to stop its reckless and wild thoughts.
Being a pet is actually pretty nice, she thought. Back when I was a person, no one ever took care of me like this, not even my relatives.
No wonder people used to say things like “a person is not as good as a cat” or “a person is not as good as a dog.”8 When a little pet meets a good owner, don’t they live a more carefree life than people?
However, she still wanted to be a person. Not only did she want to be a person, but she was also afraid that after being a pet for too long, she wouldn’t be good at being a person in the future.
Speaking of which, right now I’m an alpaca, so I can muddle through by being cute9. But in the future, if my favorability rating is high enough and I gain a human form, how will I get along with You Yan?
Would You Yan like my human appearance?
Or perhaps, this owner, whose words were always harsh, would poke my nose with an index finger10, then raise that most dangerous of smiles and issue a warning in the calmest of tones: “I’m raising a pet, not a piece of trash.”
You know, that was a real possibility.
Both spend their days at home eating, drinking, pooping, peeing, and sleeping, but little animals like cats and dogs are considered cute, even when they make trouble. An unemployed adult child, however, is just seen as gnawing on the old11; even if they do chores, they’re still gnawing on the old.
Let alone a great demon lord who is not close to human feelings12, even if it were Yi Qiu herself, she couldn’t really accept the idea of her own pet turning into a person.
As Yi Qiu was thinking this, she failed to notice that her gaze towards You Yan was becoming more and more dazed.
Suddenly, the piece of chicken that was at her mouth was moved away by You Yan.
Yi Qiu couldn’t help but be stunned. She subconsciously stretched her neck forward, trying to chase after the piece of meat, but You Yan pressed her index finger against her glabella13.
What is she doing now?
Yi Qiu couldn’t help but glare at You Yan, her small, round eyes filled with bewilderment.
You Yan: “Eat. Be more focused.”
Yi Qiu: “……”
The little alpaca immediately straightened her posture. Her appearance of forcing herself to be well-behaved was just like a student who had been caught letting their mind wander14 and called upon by the teacher in class.
After lunch, Yi Qiu lay in the brightest spot in the guest room, sunbathing with her eyes squinted.
You Yan seemed to be in a good mood, humming an unknown little tune15 to the side.
The lyrics were something about mountains, water, wind, and sand. The melody, however, was quite light, so it was probably a nursery rhyme from somewhere.
It was just that, while You Yan’s speaking voice was normally quite pleasant, her singing was something one dared not compliment.
Perhaps it was because of a deep-seated preconception, but Yi Qiu had always thought that birds couldn’t be too bad at singing. It wasn’t until today, when she heard You Yan humming, that she finally understood the meaning of “disillusionment16” in this world.
On second thought, it made sense. You Yan wasn’t some ordinary bird; she had stingers on her butt. It was more accurate to call her a big bee than a bird.
As You Yan hummed, she saw that Yi Qiu was about to fall asleep and quieted down.
Yi Qiu lay in the sunlight, drowsily drifting in and out of sleep. A few times, she squinted her eyes open, saw that You Yan was still in the room, and peacefully closed them again.
In a daze, she heard the sound of people talking.
Whimpering, she opened her right eye. Seeing a corner of a light blue skirt at the doorway, she realized it was about time to set off.
The little alpaca stretched its neck and stood up from the ground. It swayed towards You Yan for a couple of steps, felt dizzy, and forcefully shook its head again.
After shaking her head, she subconsciously tilted her neck back.
This single action made the two main characters at the doorway subconsciously retreat two steps.
Yi Qiu: “……”
I wasn’t going to spit. I really wasn’t going to spit.
Old Heaven be my witness17, she, Yi Qiu, had always been a law-abiding good citizen. Even now that she was an alpaca, she wasn’t the kind to spit saliva randomly.
Yi Qiu walked aggrievedly to You Yan’s side, her little head drooping, her face a picture of listlessness.
Just then, Yi Qiu suddenly remembered something.
She abruptly raised her head and puffed out her chest, letting out an extremely high-pitched “Enh——” at Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan, who were about to leave.
For a moment, three pairs of eyes with varying expressions all turned towards the fluffy little alpaca.
The next second, the little alpaca was seen stretching its neck with great effort, trying very hard to show off the sachet hanging there.
Look, look!
Look at the embroidery skills of Miss Bai Jianyou, who’s acting in a person’s shape and form18 in front of you!
“Enh——”
The little alpaca cried out again. After confirming that the two novel protagonists before her had both fixed their gazes on the sachet, she leaned against You Yan in a great mood, rubbed her head against her, and wore a proud and self-satisfied expression, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.
Jiang Yuyao: “Miss Bai, your little sheep is……”
Dear female lead, be bolder! Be more confident!
This cute little alpaca in front of you is just showing off the gift its owner gave it. Since you’ve already seen it, you must loudly “praise” “its” beauty!
“Enh!!”
The little alpaca gave another frantic hint, hating for a moment that it was inconvenient for her to speak human words in front of outsiders.
Luo Mingyuan: “It likes this sachet very much.”
You’re on the right path, little brother!
Yi Qiu immediately became smug, her little neck nearly tilting up to the sky.
Please, all of you, take a serious look at this Miss Bai’s great work, and then praise it with an awkward expression and a tactful tone.
The little alpaca, full of bad intentions, could hardly wait to see You Yan’s embarrassed expression!
Her gaze drifted back and forth across the faces of the three people before her, her own face filled with expectation.
The first to speak was Jiang Yuyao.
She asked seriously, “Miss Bai, did you embroider this?”
Before You Yan could answer, Yi Qiu was already nodding her head like a chick pecking at rice19.
Jiang Yuyao asked again, “Can I take a closer look?”
Yi Qiu instantly took two steps forward. Seeing this, Jiang Yuyao bent down, picked up the sachet, and began to seriously examine the embroidery on both sides.
“Enh?” How is it? How is it? Isn’t it super ugly!
Yi Qiu looked at Jiang Yuyao expectantly, but to her surprise, not only was there no trace of awkwardness on her face, but a hint of admiration appeared instead. “Miss Bai, you even know how to do this!”
Yi Qiu was instantly stunned.
Huh? No way, no way. Is this slightly envious tone for real?
“You flatter me, Miss Jiang. I don’t know how to do this at all. I was just idle and bored a few days ago and did it to pass the time.
When I was embroidering, I didn’t think much of it, but when I finished, I saw it was too ugly. I was originally going to throw it away, but who knew this little stupid sheep would actually like it so much, insisting on keeping it no matter what.”
You Yan said this with a smiling curve of her brows. “This little fellow has never seen anything good in her life, so she wants everything. But since she likes it, I sewed it into a sachet for her. It’s fine to just let her wear it every day.”
The little alpaca instantly fell silent.
She had never, ever expected You Yan’s skill level20 to be so high. With just a couple of casual sentences, she had kicked the “embarrassment” right onto the innocent little alpaca.
It was clearly You Yan who was full from eating and bloated21 and made such an ugly gift, hanging it on her neck without a second word.
How did it end up becoming her who had never seen the world and clamored for any old thing……
Jiang Yuyao: “Miss Bai, you’re being modest. The bee on this sachet…… should be a bird. It’s very majestic. And that little sheep is also very cute and lifelike, exactly like your little sheep. No wonder it likes it so much.”
The corner of Yi Qiu’s eye couldn’t help but twitch.
I don’t like it. I really don’t like it.
Female lead, if you’ve been kidnapped, just blink. There’s really no need to say I look like that crooked, frizzy-furred22 alpaca with your eyes closed!
Jiang Yuyao was, after all, the daughter of the Xianlu Sect’s Sect Leader. What could she possibly want that she couldn’t have?
How could such an ugly thing possibly catch her eye?
Just as Yi Qiu was feeling dumbfounded, she heard Jiang Yuyao speak again.
Jiang Yuyao: “Miss Bai, is this very difficult?”
You Yan shook her head and said, “I don’t have the patience to do it a second time.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yuyao nodded thoughtfully, but her gaze lingered on the sachet on Yi Qiu’s neck for a moment longer. Only then did she smile and say, “It’s getting late. Let’s set off quickly. Any later and the sky will be dark.”
“En!” You Yan responded, deliberately giving the back of Yi Qiu’s head a forceful pat.
Yi Qiu raised her head and glared at You Yan. Seeing You Yan’s smug expression, she let out a dissatisfied “hng.”
Dissatisfaction was one thing, but in the end, the little alpaca still had to obediently follow behind her owner.
Jiang Yuyao’s reaction just now really seemed like she was genuinely praising this ugly thing……
Yi Qiu couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
In the novel, Jiang Yuyao, as the Sect Leader’s daughter and the Da Shijie23 with the greatest strength among the younger generation of the Xianlu Sect, had been held in high esteem by her father and Shishubos24 since she was a child.
In terms of blades, swords, riding, and archery, or comparing immortal arts25 and talisman techniques26, she was a leader among her peers in every aspect.
But precisely because of this, her life was always scheduled to the brim. She rarely interacted with people since she was young, and by the time she grew up, she had become that solitary, aloof, and cold Flower of the High Mountains27 in the Xianlu Sect.
I haven’t seen any of that solitary aloofness and coldness, but the greenness28 of someone who has not yet waded deep into the world and not good at socializing is quite strong.
Nineteen years old wasn’t young in ancient times, but in the modern era, she’d just be a girl29 still in school.
At this age, having not experienced any great winds and great waves30, she probably couldn’t be all that solitary and cold.
Forget it. Perhaps she’s never touched such girlish things in her entire life, and her maidenly heart was suddenly intrigued.
It was similar to a clean31, well-behaved child seeing other kids their age catching bugs and playing in the mud outside. Even though they know it’s dirty, they still feel a sense of yearning.
Therefore, Jiang Yuyao’s praise was indeed sincere.
Damn it! The hope of seeing Ghost-Sees-Sorrow32 get embarrassed in front of the protagonists had been dashed. Yi Qiu couldn’t help but lower her head and glare hatefully at the sachet hanging from her neck.
The sachet swayed on her neck, one moment the frizzy-furred alpaca facing up, the next the frizzy-furred Qinyuan facing up.
She didn’t know if it was just her imagination.
After looking at them for a while, these two frizzy-furred monsters were actually a bit cute……
A bit like……
The kind of addictively weird33 emoji packs one would use when chatting online.
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