Volume 2: Fuzhu Huodou
That Bird Woman Really Only Liked Her Fur!
The mattress beneath her was soft enough, and sleeping on the floor in the summer was actually quite cool.
If she won’t let me sleep on the bed, then I won’t sleep on the bed. As if I care.
That bird woman was so strange. There were clearly many times when she was incredibly good to her, so good that Yi Qiu felt she could probably get away with climbing onto the roof and removing the tiles1 without getting a beating, but in the next moment, she would be cruelly slapped in the face2.
Just like today. Before You Yan gave her the Blood Coagulation Pearl, she had been exceptionally gentle. Both her gaze and her tone were so gentle it could make one want to cry.
But after handing over the pearl, she had suddenly reverted to her old, annoying self.
That bird woman was probably made of eel3.
As Yi Qiu thought this, she sighed with frustration.
There was no movement from You Yan after she got into bed. Yi Qiu couldn’t help but stealthily4 turn over and raise her eyes to look at You Yan, who was sitting on the bed, meditating and regulating her breath.
A ghostly green spiritual light swirled around her. Her brows were slightly furrowed, her lips were pale, and her breathing was a little disordered. It was obvious that her internal and external injuries were not as insignificant as she made them out to be.
Yi Qiu couldn’t help but think, I really shouldn’t be angry with You Yan.
At least, until You Yan’s injuries get a little better, I should be more obedient instead of acting so fierce over a small grievance.
Moreover, and perhaps she was overthinking it, Yi Qiu always felt that although You Yan never said anything, she didn’t seem to like the current her very much.
It was like how, in the past, whenever You Yan was idle, she would reach out and rub her—sometimes her forehead, ears, or neck, other times her back, belly, or limbs. Basically, any place that could be rubbed, You Yan loved to rub.
But today, You Yan had only ruffled her hair.
Was her hair as soft as her old fur?
Yi Qiu subconsciously reached up to touch the hair on her forehead. Finding that her bandaged hand couldn’t feel its softness, she used her wrist to feel it instead.
Yi Qiu: “…”
She suddenly understood why You Yan’s attitude towards her had changed so drastically.
If she were to take her heart and compare it to my own5, if she had raised a cat or dog whose fur she could squish6 every day, and one day it turned into a person, no longer so soft and cute, she would probably be very disappointed too, right?
But if the bird woman was disappointed, she was disappointed too.
She had thought their revolutionary friendship7 was already profound. Who would have thought that no matter how profound it was, it couldn’t be thicker than a little alpaca’s fleece?
As Yi Qiu thought this, she didn’t know if it was the disappointment playing tricks on her mind, but she suddenly felt that the room was very dim, so dim it made her a little unhappy.
She bit her lip, and after a moment of thought, she propped herself up with her wrists and stood up, walking lightly and quietly towards the window.
Hearing the sound, You Yan opened her eyes, her gaze following the small, thin figure.
Yi Qiu didn’t notice the eyes on her from behind. Frowning and enduring the pain, she carefully walked to the tightly shut window, raised her right hand, and pushed one of the shutters open with the back of her hand.
The afternoon sun instantly spilled into the dim room.
The momentary brightness was piercing, making her squint. After a brief adjustment, she stretched her arms out in the sunlight and gave a big, long stretch.
You Yan quietly watched that back, not moving her gaze away, no matter how dazzling the sunlight was.
After finishing her stretch, Yi Qiu turned around, yawning.
The misty haze that blurred her vision from the yawn had not yet dissipated when she met You Yan’s complicated gaze.
W-what kind of look is that?
They say when a person looks down on you, even your breathing is wrong in their eyes.
No way, no way. It can’t be that after the little alpaca turned into a person, just opening a window could make the bird woman unhappy, right?
Yi Qiu stood awkwardly by the window, her two little white zongzi resting obediently in front of her stomach. She blinked her eyes innocently at You Yan, trying to beg for mercy.
But You Yan didn’t speak, only watching her quietly.
She subconsciously shifted her body to the side.
“Um, uh… if Master thinks it’s, it’s too bright, I can close it, I’ll close it right now…” Yi Qiu said, reaching out to shut the window.
“Leave it open. It’s nice,” You Yan said softly.
Yi Qiu hesitated for a moment, retracted her outstretched hand, and once again turned back to face You Yan, lowering her head guiltily.
You Yan watched Yi Qiu for a long time before suddenly saying in a low voice, “Since you already have a human body, you no longer need to call me Master. Don’t let others hear and find it strange.”
Today was Yi Qiu’s first day of being human again.
In less than two shichen (4 hours), You Yan had already twice extended her index finger at her, the “I’m going to turn you back into an alpaca” finger.
She had every right to suspect that You Yan was regretting it now, wanting to find an excuse at any given moment to change her back.
Because of this, You Yan’s words just now had terrified Yi Qiu.
The more she thought about it, the more it felt like a trap. She was deeply afraid that if she stepped into it, she would immediately fall for this bird woman’s fishing law enforcement8.
Thus, she humbly chose to refuse: “No, absolutely not! The hierarchy between the superior and the inferior cannot be transgressed!”
You Yan couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh, raising an eyebrow. “That’s not what you say when you gain an inch and advance a foot9 and climb onto the roof and remove the tiles.”
Yi Qiu performed a tactical lean-back. She frowned and remained silent for a moment, only to find that she couldn’t refute You Yan’s words at all, and was momentarily at a loss.
She took a deep breath and boldly leaned forward a few steps. From a relatively close distance, she carefully studied You Yan’s facial expression—she seemed to be in a good mood.
Then it probably isn’t a trap, right?
After a moment’s hesitation, Yi Qiu asked cautiously, “Then, should I… also call you You Yan in front of others from now on?”
You Yan’s eyebrows curved. “You may.”
Yi Qiu asked in disbelief, “I really don’t have to call you Master anymore?”
You Yan smiled. “In the past, you only ever called me Master when you were apologizing.”
Her tone held not a hint of blame.
Hearing this, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.
If I don’t have to call her Master anymore, does that mean You Yan no longer sees me as a little pet?
Unbelievable. How did that bird woman suddenly figure it out?
“What are you thinking about?”
“I, I was thinking…” Yi Qiu hesitated for a moment, then said honestly, “I was thinking, how did you suddenly stop disliking me?”
“When did I ever dislike you?” You Yan asked.
“Well, not dislike, exactly. I just feel… compared to the me now, you liked the me from before more,” Yi Qiu said in a small voice, a hint of grievance in her eyes. “You gave me the Blood Coagulation Pearl, saw me transform into a human, and I wasn’t as soft as before, so you suddenly regretted it…”
You Yan was silent for a few seconds, then said, “You’re right.”
Yi Qiu: “…”
You Yan: “How about you change back?”
Yi Qiu: “No way!”
She knew it. This bird woman, she really only liked her fur!
Because of the encounter with the Huodou, everyone was badly injured, so for the time being, they could only recuperate in the small courtyard they had rented.
The little spirit pet beside You Yan that loved to spit on people had suddenly turned into a little girl. Although everyone was surprised, they all had a tacit understanding to not ask why, giving each other plenty of respect. Hearts reflect, no need to announce10.
Yi Qiu’s minor burns, healed by You Yan’s spiritual power, naturally recovered faster than anyone else’s. In just a few days, she became the most lively one, trying hard to find things for herself to do every day. It was unclear if she was trying to prove to You Yan that she wasn’t completely useless.
Seeing the little girl was bored with nothing to do, You Yan gave her some silver taels11 and told her to go buy some clothes and jewelry on the street.
Everyone in the world loves wealth. The first time Yi Qiu received money from this world, she was so happy she couldn’t contain herself, circling around You Yan for a long time.
Seeing her still loitering around after taking the money, You Yan couldn’t help but frown and ask, “What, not enough?”
Yi Qiu quickly shook her head. “No, it’s just… I was hoping you’d go with me to buy them?”
You Yan was silent for a moment, then extended an index finger towards her.
“Ah, I’ll go by myself!”
As the words fell, the young girl vanished in a flash.
The next day, a fine drizzle began to fall over Xi City12, continuing from morning till night without stopping.
For the past few days, it had always been Chao Yun who brought the medicine to the room, but today it was Jiang Yuyao.
When Yi Qiu took the medicine, she asked curiously, only to see Jiang Yuyao sigh softly, a worried look in her eyes. “Chao Yun said the Huodou is a vicious beast, and it cannot be allowed to bring disaster to the mortal realm. She wants to find its whereabouts and then find a way to to subdue it.”
“Huh?” Yi Qiu frowned. “That’s… that’s very dangerous, isn’t it?”
“I’m also worried something might happen to her, but she’s right. We were the ones who let the Huodou out. If it brings disaster to the mortal realm, then we are to blame… Besides, the person who lured us to Wuzhou and released the Huodou has yet to appear. We have to find him.”
“…”
“Once our injuries are better, my junior martial brother and I will also go. We cannot find peace until this matter is resolved.”
With that, Jiang Yuyao turned and left.
Yi Qiu habitually kicked the door shut with her foot and placed the medicine Jiang Yuyao had brought on the table.
She turned and sat back down by the bed, humming a little tune as she tried on the new clothes she had bought on the street yesterday.
You Yan sat leaning against the window, watching the rain fall rustling outside. After a long while, she finally couldn’t resist speaking with scorn, “These heavenly gods, they really love to proclaim themselves as righteous, slaying demons and defending the Dao.”
“Is that wrong?” Yi Qiu muttered softly from the side. “That big black dog is so scary. It burns everything wherever it goes. If an ordinary human encountered it, they probably wouldn’t even have a chance to escape before being buried in a sea of fire.”
Hearing this, You Yan asked faintly, “If the Huodou is truly some vicious beast of ten evils which cannot be pardoned13, then how has it lived for tens of thousands of years without burning this mortal realm to a fiery hell?”
Yi Qiu was stunned for a long moment, then frowned. “But that black dog…”
“If we’re talking about bringing disaster upon the world, this Huodou can’t compare to the Heavenly Emperor’s precious son.” As You Yan spoke, her gaze subconsciously drifted towards Luo Mingyuan’s room. “Those ten suns a thousand years ago nearly turned the mortal realm into scorched earth.”
“…”
“These gods. When they commit a crime, it’s called descending to the mortal realm to face a tribulation and reflect on their misdeeds. But when demons commit a crime, they must be subdued, sealed, or executed.” As You Yan spoke, she couldn’t help but sneer. “In any case, the rules of the Three Realms are all set by them. If they say someone is evil, then that person is evil. What chance is there to argue?”
Every time You Yan mentioned the Heavenly Realm, she would speak with this yin-yang strange air14. Yi Qiu pouted and didn’t even dare to fart once15.
After a few seconds of silence, Yi Qiu felt she needed to lighten the atmosphere.
So she changed into a new set of clothes, called out You Yan’s name, and trotted over to her, lifting the hem of her skirt and twirling around.
“Is it pretty?”
“…” You Yan couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.
Yi Qiu waited for a long time without a response and couldn’t help but frown, muttering softly, “It’s not pretty?”
You Yan came back to her senses and turned her head towards the window.
“Say something!” Yi Qiu reached out and nudged You Yan.
You Yan glanced back at her, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
After that brief surprise, she finally spoke.
“You…”
“Hm?” Yi Qiu’s face was full of expectation.
“Your looks and color are flat and common16.”
“…”
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