Little Alpaca – Chapter 8

Volume 1: Little Alpaca

What on Earth Did the Alpaca Do Wrong?

Yi Qiu swore to the heavens that from childhood to adulthood, she had always been a good student in the eyes of her teachers and parents. If she accidentally broke a water glass, she would proactively face the wall and reflect on her mistakes. She had truly never done a single thing that a bratty kid would do.

The appalling mess that came later was absolutely not her intention!

The fruit forced her to do it! It was all the fruit’s fault!

If she could speak, she would willingly explain it all to You Yan, but right now, she could only make “hmm hmm” sounds, completely unable to communicate with her normally.

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Yi Qiu couldn’t help but feel that in the dark corner where the light couldn’t reach, You Yan’s slender eyes, which were fixed upon her, held a cold glint. The slight upward curve of her lips looked extremely dangerous, as if in the next second, she would be slaughtered and stewed.

The little alpaca guiltily shrank her neck, unconsciously taking a small step back.

Unexpectedly, for every step she took back, You Yan took one forward. For every step she retreated, You Yan advanced. After a bit of back and forth, the distance between them not only failed to increase but actually grew a tiny bit shorter.

Yi Qiu trembled uncontrollably for a moment. While backing away, she stepped on a mushy banana peel and slipped on the spot, falling sideways onto the sticky floor.

“It only took the time to cook a few dishes, yet you managed to wreck the room like this.” You Yan’s tone was calm as she mocked the little alpaca who had fallen to the ground. “You’re quite capable, aren’t you.”

Hearing this, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but shiver.

“You’ve gotten yourself dirty again.” You Yan casually chided as she walked to the table and set down the food container. Lowering her gaze, she saw the little alpaca’s face was written with apprehension and couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle. “Let’s eat first.” With that, she flicked her sleeve, closing the door behind her.

The light in the room was finally no longer blinding, and only then could Yi Qiu see You Yan’s expression clearly.

So the cold glint and dangerous curve of her lips were just her scaring herself. Where was there even a trace of anger on You Yan’s face?

That made sense. How could a Demon Lord lower herself to the level of a little alpaca with not even the strength to peel a tangerine?

But… did You Yan just say, “it only took the time to cook a few dishes”? Could it be that You Yan had personally cooked all these dishes?

If that was really the case, then… then the great villain’s cooking skills were pretty decent, better than a lot of the takeout near her old home.

No, no, that’s not right. Yi Qiu’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly put a stop to her wild thoughts.

With her heart in her throat, she stood up from the floor and cautiously walked to You Yan’s feet. She gazed up at You Yan from a forty-five-degree angle, and after a brief, dazed moment, she leveled her gaze at the food on the table.

Based on the pattern of the last two days, she would probably have to suffer a bit of bullying before she could get a full meal. But today, You Yan seemed to have no intention of toying with her at all, which directly caused her to eat this meal with extreme nervousness.

Yi Qiu felt she must be sick. Otherwise, why would her heart be pounding abnormally even while eating? She felt uneasy when she was bullied, and she felt uneasy when she wasn’t. She was constantly worried that this villain, whose emotions never showed on her face, would stew her whenever she was in a bad mood, and she couldn’t even figure out what on earth she had done wrong. All she could say was that this feeling of living with her head tied to her waistband¹ truly gave the little alpaca a headache.

Yi Qiu ate this lunch trembling with trepidation, yet nothing happened.

After she was full, Yi Qiu turned her head away and slowly walked to the side to lie down.

She watched You Yan cautiously, her mind consumed by a single question—why hasn’t this person left yet? You’ve finished feeding me, so why are you still standing here like a post?

As a newly minted “scumbag alpaca” who would eat from a bowl and then curse the one who filled it², Yi Qiu was wishing on the stars and moon, hoping with all her heart that You Yan would leave quickly.

However, it was as if You Yan could see right through the anxiety in her heart, deliberately sitting in this filthy room to create psychological pressure for her. Judging by her leisurely expression, she even seemed to be enjoying it.

But the Yi Qiu of today was not the Yi Qiu of two days ago. Today, she was a tiny bit braver than before.

If You Yan wouldn’t leave, then so be it. Although sharing a room with the great villain was uncomfortable, it wasn’t as if she couldn’t do anything at all.

Yi Qiu took a deep breath and told herself silently: A normal alpaca, how could it be afraid of its master? Be composed, be calm. As long as I’m not embarrassed, the one who’s embarrassed is the other person.

Yes, that’s right. Extrapolating from a pet’s perspective, an alpaca that has eaten its fill doesn’t need to curry favor with its master to get food, so it should do whatever it wants and not pay too much attention to whether its master is present or not.

After a period of self-brainwashing, the little alpaca suddenly perked up from the corner. Head held high and chest out, she walked with a gait that recognized no relatives³, her rear end swaying as she went to the basin of water—and buried her head to drink.

Just then, a shadow loomed over her from behind.

In the basin, where the water rippled from the little alpaca’s tongue, a dark reflection faintly appeared, standing right behind the blurry white one.

The reflection reached out a hand and, in one motion, grasped the fated scruff of the little alpaca’s neck.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but shudder. Her neck instantly stiffened and tensed, and a mouthful of water was stuck in her mouth, which she could neither swallow nor spit out.

Give me a break. It’s one thing for chickens, ducks, geese, and little cats and dogs to be grabbed by the scruff, but I’m an alpaca! Can’t this inexplicable demon woman leave a little face for a “divine beast” of the new century?

Those five cold fingers casually kneaded the fluffy scruff of the little alpaca’s neck a few times before slowly moving upward, finally coming to rest on the top of her head. The pressure from the pad of her index finger suddenly intensified, and a cold spiritual energy surged from her fingertip into the alpaca’s small head, scaring the little alpaca so much that her four limbs went limp, and she collapsed to the ground with a plop.

For a split second, Yi Qiu pondered some very strange questions.

—What on earth did the alpaca do wrong? Can just drinking some water make the villain angry?

—Why is this villain picking at an alpaca’s little head?

—Are alpaca brains tasty?

Such thoughts flashed through Yi Qiu’s mind.

The pain from the top of her head lasted only an instant. Soon, she felt an indescribable sense of unimpeded flow.

【You Yan has opened your spirit meridians. All attributes have been enhanced.】

【IQ +30】
【Spirit Root +30】
【Strength +5】
【Agility +5】
【Health +10】

Yi Qiu: !!!!!

There’s such a good thing?

【You Yan Favorability -50】

Yi Qiu: ??????

Good grief, this can also reduce favorability?

There’s something wrong with this Demon Lord! She clearly did it of her own free will, so how did she end up getting unhappy?

The moment You Yan released her fingers, Yi Qiu turned around, completely bewildered. She cautiously raised her eyes to look up at her but failed to see You Yan’s expression clearly. She only saw her clasp her hands behind her back, turn, and leave behind a cold silhouette.

“That place from yesterday, do you still remember it?” You Yan walked to the door and paused for a moment, speaking faintly. “If you remember, go and wash yourself.”

“And if I don’t remember?” Yi Qiu retorted subconsciously.

The door was pushed open by You Yan, and the most glaring afternoon sunlight slipped in through the crack.

Yi Qiu instinctively narrowed her eyes. Before she could adjust to the light, she heard You Yan say eerily, “It has been a while since I’ve eaten brains.”

Hearing this, Yi Qiu scrambled to her feet and rushed to the door in a few steps to declare her stance: “I remember, I remember! My memory is excellent! I’ll go right now, immediately!”

As her words fell, she thought she saw the corner of You Yan’s mouth lift slightly, but when she tried to get a closer look, it had returned to that same ice-cold expression.

The little alpaca pouted, her head hanging low, and turned to walk toward the clear spring where she had bathed yesterday.

She had only taken two steps when she suddenly realized something and couldn’t help but stop.

She could speak!

“I can speak!” Yi Qiu asked in her heart, astonished. “How can I suddenly speak?”

【Host has met the activation conditions for “Human Language”: IQ ≥ 150, Spirit Root ≥ 100.】

So that was it…

The little alpaca couldn’t help but fall into deep thought right where she stood.

It seemed that “IQ” and “Spirit Root” were truly important. She wondered if there would be any spirit pills, wondrous medicines, rare flowers, or exotic herbs in the future that could help her supplement her IQ and Spirit Root.

But then again, the phrase “supplement her IQ” was really… really hard to put into words.

It made her sound terribly stupid.

“Sunbathing?”

You Yan’s voice came from behind her. Though the sun was shining brightly, it sent a chill down Yi Qiu’s spine.

She didn’t dare say another word. Her four little legs scurried away, nimbly dashing toward the “bathtub” You Yan had designated for her.

As she ran, she noticed You Yan was no longer behind her, and the entire alpaca breathed a sigh of relief.

She slowed her pace and ambled along for a while, finally arriving at the clear spring from yesterday and soaking half her body in it.

Perhaps it was because her attributes were high enough, but Yi Qiu felt that her two front hooves were much more flexible. They could actually bend enough for her to scrub herself.

Of course, she still couldn’t reach her back. At most, she could only rub it against a rock.

As she was rubbing, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but ask the system, “Does this count as me having attained sapience?”

【Yes, it does!】

【All things in heaven and earth possess a spirit; to attain spiritual awareness is to become a yao⁴.】

【Host already possesses the ability to cultivate. After entering the main storyline, you can obtain corresponding attribute rewards based on the reasonableness of your plot adaptations!】

The word “reasonableness” gave Yi Qiu a headache.

She was silent for a moment, then asked, “I just want to know, who decides what’s reasonable?”

【The system has conducted a rigorous analysis of the big data from the comment section. All deep judgments will be based on the results of this analysis.】

“That’s like saying nothing at all,” Yi Qiu rolled her eyes and stopped communicating with the system.

She lowered her head, her gaze sinking into the clear water below as she seriously examined her two hooves.

After a few seconds, the little alpaca nodded in satisfaction.

In the novel, You Yan had tried to channel spiritual energy into the alpaca more than once, but alas, the alpaca was just an extremely ordinary alpaca and never attained sapience, even at its death. It made one sigh with emotion that some little creatures are just not fated to become yao; trying to force growth by pulling up the seedling just doesn’t work.

But she, Yi Qiu, was simply the chosen Grass-Mud Horse. She didn’t need the great villain to expend much effort at all. Her little brain was super easy to enlighten; you could say she got it with just a little hint.

All that lost confidence suddenly came rushing back!

Ever since arriving here, Yi Qiu had always had a feeling that she could die at any moment.

And not the “like a mayfly, born in the morning and dead by dusk” kind of death, but the “others are the knife and cutting board, and I am the fish”⁵ kind of death.

It was the kind of death where she could be eaten clean by You Yan at any moment.

But at this very moment, she suddenly possessed the hope of life.

Based on the author’s descriptions, the alpaca was actually a rather special one among You Yan’s many playthings.

It was precisely because it was special that You Yan would repeatedly try to open its spirit meridians and forcibly awaken its sapience.

Unfortunately, the alpaca was a disappointment; not only remained foolish and clumsy, but also had a short lifespan, which was why You Yan gradually lost interest.

Now that she had attained sapience, understood human nature, and could speak human words, she would surely hold a bit more weight in You Yan’s heart, right?

Perhaps after she grew up, she could even bring this villain an even bigger surprise?

Even if she couldn’t, her ability to escape would definitely be much stronger than it was now. If You Yan really wanted to stew her in the future, she wouldn’t be completely powerless to resist.

Mhm, the analysis was extremely reasonable and highly persuasive.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but pull up her attributes to admire them.

【Current Attributes】
IQ: 150
Strength: 65
Spirit Root: 100
Agility: 55
Health: 100
Stamina: 100
You Yan Favorability: 200

Except for Spirit Root and Favorability, all her other attributes had reached the requirements for adulthood.

It’s just… this favorability was lacking by quite a bit.

Yesterday it was still two-fifty. Today, it wasn’t even worth two-fifty.

Heavens, could some kind soul please tell her just how that fifty was deducted today?

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