Little Alpaca – Chapter 57

Volume 1: Little Alpaca

【Important plot node! Please pay attention!】

Having inexplicably escaped You Yan’s questioning, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but let out a breath of relief. She stood by the window’s edge, gazing blankly for a good while, the bottom of her eyes completely full of bewilderment.

She also didn’t know what that streak of light and shadow just now was. The bird woman saw it and unexpectedly flew away in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing behind except for the phrase 「Wait for me」.

In this Moshui City, besides Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan who were right under her eyelids, what else could make You Yan so concerned?

Could it be that Yi Bird?

Yi Qiu subconsciously recalled the novel’s content, but as she thought and thought, she discovered that there was no paragraph in the novel that could correspond with the current plot at all.

In the original text, the male lead won the martial arts competition, and naturally received the opportunity to go down the mountain for experience.

However, his own power was not stable, and the female lead, afraid that some accident might happen, always traveled with him.

After descending the mountain, the two of them had originally wanted to travel to the farther north for experience, but unexpectedly, before leaving, they once again discovered traces of demonic creatures in Moshui City.

These demonic creatures were coincidentally very similar to the one they had previously slain together with Bai Jianyou.

At this time, Bai Jianyou appeared again, bringing along his own little alpaca with a sensitive nose, and along the way tricked the two protagonists into investigating this matter.

Just like that, they followed the various spider silk and horse tracks¹ left by this drama spirit² villain, Bai Jianyou, and wandered around Moshui City for a full five days. During this period, they slew three demonized people³, but still had not caught the behind-the-scenes culprit.

Bai Jianyou said that this demon seed was extremely insidious and poisonous. Once it was planted into the heart-meridian⁴, there was no medicine to save them. If they were not slain before being completely demonized, after demonization, they would break away from the six paths⁵ and be unable to enter reincarnation again.

Hearing this, the male and female leads were both alarmed by it, and vowed to capture the behind-the-scenes demon person.

In the blink of an eye, time arrived at the deep night of the sixth day. Demonic energy reappeared, and moreover appeared separately in two directions.

Bai Jianyou immediately pulled the male lead, pointed to one direction, and very naturally assigned the other direction to the female lead.

The female lead rushed all the way to the source of the demonic energy, and as luck would have it, it was precisely the place where the male lead’s adoptive parents resided.

At that time, a demonic creature was harming people. The female lead slew it, saving the male lead’s adoptive parents, but she never thought that a demon seed had also been planted in their bodies.

Not until this moment did the female lead finally understand why the person behind the scenes had come—Jiang Xuan had once told her that the yao power⁶ inside Luo Mingyuan’s body was very special, most adept at attracting yin and inviting evil, and easily coveted by yaomo⁷.

Because of Bai Jianyou’s earlier words, the female lead hesitated again and again, and finally, amidst the middle-aged couple’s extremely panicked cries for help, she struck a painful and ruthless blow.

As luck would have it, the male lead also happened to be at this time, following Bai Jianyou and her little alpaca, led to this place by another wisp of demonic energy. He personally witnessed this scene, and his reason completely collapsed in an instant.

The enemy was in the dark and I was in the light⁸. In order not to let the male lead, whose mind was clouded by hatred, run off to give his life away for nothing⁹, the female lead resolutely shouldered all the blame.

Just like that, the misunderstanding that pulled along all the subsequent angst points began on that night.

Now, the demon seed is gone, Moshui City is exceptionally peaceful, Luo Mingyuan is seriously injured because of the Yi Bird, and Jiang Yuyao is taking care of him from the side.

That bit of minor suspense from the original text about tracking the demonic creatures is gone, replaced by simple little daily routines. This plot, ah, has long since been eight poles unable to strike together¹⁰.

This broken original work has no reference value, it would be better to just clear it from my brain.

As Yi Qiu was thinking this, she suddenly heard some movement outside the house, and not knowing why, she rushed out as if driven by ghosts and gods¹¹.

She stood on the corridor of the inn’s second floor and saw the hurriedly moving Jiang Yuyao downstairs with a single glance.

“Jiang-guniang!”

Jiang Yuyao stopped her steps, turned back to glance at the second floor, her eyes clearly showing some anxiety: “Xiao Yang¹²?”

“Where are you going?” Yi Qiu asked while hopping downstairs with awkward posture.

“There is demonic energy in the city, very similar to last time. I have to go take a look!” Jiang Yuyao said with a frown, “What about Bai-guniang? Has she gone to sleep?”

“Just now there was a shadow that suddenly flew past our window, and You… You, she immediately chased after it!” Yi Qiu said, finally running down the stairs with difficulty.

Hearing this, Jiang Yuyao pondered for two seconds and said: “Xiao Yang, you watch my shidi. No matter what movement there is outside, tell him not to bother and not to worry. I will go and come right back.”

“Eh? I…” Before Yi Qiu’s voice had fallen, she saw Jiang Yuyao run out of the inn, leap onto the roof using qinggong¹³, and disappear from sight in two or three moves.

What was it Jiang Yuyao just said? There is demonic energy in the city, very similar to last time…

There is demonic energy in the city?!

“If you say that, then I’m not sleepy anymore, ah…”

Yi Qiu mumbled in a low voice and ran to the inn’s entrance, her small, round eyes gazing at the silent night outside, her mind completely filled with the two words 「demonic energy」.

Jiang Yuyao’s senses wouldn’t be wrong. She said it was very similar to last time, so it must be the demon seed, that’s right!

The demon seed is still here. Is it that You Yan didn’t throw it away, or… or was it picked up by someone who wants to borrow a knife to kill someone¹⁴, and then turn around and frame another?

Wait a minute, my brain is a bit of a mess.

Yi Qiu took a deep breath, tried hard to calm her mind, and recalled the things that had happened in the past.

She suddenly discovered that although everything had deviated from the original text, at certain nodes, there were always similarities as if destined by fate.

Just like, the first time You Yan used the demon seed, it was indeed as written in the novel, in order to gain the trust of Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan, and thereby go to the Xianlu Sect.

Just like, Luo Mingyuan was not brainwashed by You Yan, nor did he proactively go to register for the Trial Assembly, but as long as his name appeared on the registration form, he would definitely meet He Xiuzhu in the first match.

Since it is so, does it mean that no matter how much the plot deviates, as long as the protagonist appears at the key plot trigger location during the key time period, then some things will definitely happen!

Right, that’s not wrong!

Thinking about it carefully, this plot node in the novel occurred on the sixth night after the protagonist descended the mountain, and the time the protagonist descended the mountain was two days after the Trial Assembly ended.

In the current plotline, at this very moment, it is the eighth night since Jiang Yuyao and Luo Mingyuan descended the mountain, and the time they descended the mountain was the same day the Trial Assembly ended.

This two-day difference, no more and no less, happens to match up perfectly.

Therefore, tonight is the night in the original novel when all the misunderstandings occurred.

Demonic energy appears in Moshui City, Jiang Yuyao gives chase alone…

Two plotlines that were running in almost opposite directions¹⁵ have unexpectedly overlapped tonight.

No wonder, no wonder the system said there was still hope and told her not to give up!

This garbage system, apart from data statistics and a pile of broken restrictions, is of no fart use!

It said something about knowing everything and speaking everything, but in the end, it hid everything from her, causing her to nearly scare herself to death!

“Do I not have to die?”

Seeing hope again, Yi Qiu was momentarily overjoyed beyond expectations, so excited that she started hopping on the spot.

Just as she was feeling joyful, the sound of a wooden crutch striking the ground came from behind her.

Yi Qiu turned to look, only to see Luo Mingyuan standing on the second-floor corridor, looking at her with a worried expression.

Crap, I was so busy being happy, I almost forgot what this plot means for Luo Mingyuan…

Yi Qiu: “You, why are you awake?”

Luo Mingyuan: “There is demonic energy in the city.”

The pale-faced youth frowned, leaning on that crutch, and walked down from the second floor step by step with difficulty.

Seeing him in this state, Yi Qiu subconsciously wanted to persuade him to go back and rest, but as the words reached the tip of her tongue, the system suddenly began to repeatedly prompt in her ear.

【Important plot node! Please pay attention!】

【Important plot node! Please pay attention!】

【Important plot node! Please pay attention!】

Right, this is an important plot node…

【Host must be sure to send the male lead to the plot trigger point!】

People are all selfish. If she couldn’t reach this plotline, she could quietly wait for death.

But at this moment, the two plotlines had already overlapped, and she no longer wanted to die.

In that moment, the selfishness that suddenly arose from the bottom of her heart abruptly submerged her like a tide. All words of persuasion were swallowed back into her stomach.

She told herself that she needed, especially, especially… especially needed Luo Mingyuan to go to that place.

Perhaps, she should say to the little pig trotter that her master and Jiang Yuyao have disappeared together, that she is very worried and wants to go find them, but she doesn’t quite dare to go out.

This little pig trotter is usually foolishly dazed, he should go with her…

“My, my master… and, and Jiang-guniang have disappeared together…” Yi Qiu said with incomparable struggle in her heart, “Before Jiang-guniang left, she also said there was demonic energy in the city, and it was the same as last time… I, I’m very scared, I’m scared…”

She raised her head and saw Luo Mingyuan grit his teeth against the pain and walk in front of her, saying to her with a resolute expression: “Go, I will take you to find her. Don’t be afraid, I will protect you.”

Although it was a result she had long guessed, Yi Qiu was still stunned for a moment.

She didn’t know what was wrong with her, but her vision was suddenly blurred by a layer of watery mist.

This fool had no idea what he was about to face, and she was like a swindler, clearly knowing the road ahead was overgrown with thorns¹⁶, yet still deceiving him into going.

“You… what can you protect me from? Your legs and feet aren’t even as nimble as mine! Can you just rest properly and not go and drag others down¹⁷?!”

In the end, she still couldn’t bring herself to say any more words that went against her heart.

But the youth before her completely refused to listen to persuasion, hopping to the doorway with a limp and turning his head to shout: “If you don’t go now, I won’t wait for you!”

“Are you stupid! What use is it for you to go!” Yi Qiu chased after him.

“Isn’t your nose sensitive? Do you know which direction the demonic energy is in?” Luo Mingyuan asked.

Yi Qiu choked for a moment.

Her nose is sensitive? Her nose is sensitive a fart!

How could she possibly know which direction the demonic energy was in? The little pig trotter suddenly asked this, could it be that he doesn’t know the way?

Then is this ultimately a good thing or a bad thing, ah?

Yi Qiu felt like her brain might have broken, after all, there had never been a moment when she was as conflicted as she was now.

This feeling was like there were two of herself pulling at one heart, one side holding onto life, the other holding onto conscience. No matter who won, she wouldn’t be too happy…

Just as she was feeling bewildered, Luo Mingyuan suddenly continued speaking.

He said, that was a direction he had to go.

He was very scared, the first time he had been so scared since he was little, even more scared than when he was pierced through the body by the Yi Bird and thought he was about to die…

In that moment, Yi Qiu finally understood that regardless of whether she spoke to deceive him, this kid would go to that place.

She didn’t need to be conflicted, much less pull herself apart. She couldn’t change anything…

But can she really not change anything?

No, there must be something that can be changed…

“Hey! Little pig trotter!”

“Do you know that Jiang Yuyao likes you!”

“You, what do you understand?”

“I understand everything!” Yi Qiu said with great seriousness, chasing after his hurried steps, “She is the person in this world who cares about you the most!”

“No matter what happens, please believe her!”

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