Little Alpaca – Chapter 87

Volume 2: Fuzhu Huodou

Fuzhu Might Not Be Beyond Saving.

Those countless branches grew wildly toward the distance, intertwining with one another until they finally formed an incredibly sturdy wooden bridge between the cliffs.

Seeing this, Fuzhu also quickly summoned rain to protect the area above the wooden bridge, allowing people to cross.

“Go!” Jiang Yuyao shouted.

The disciples of the Xianlu Sect snapped out of their terror. Without a moment’s hesitation, they helped each other onto the bridge.

Jiang Xuan stared blankly at Jiang Yuyao, staggering two steps closer to her involuntarily.

His only daughter was now in this half-human, half-tree state, and Jiang Xuan’s eyes were filled with fear. He wasn’t afraid of her current appearance; he was afraid that she would remain rooted to this cliff that was about to be consumed by a sea of fire, and that once he, her father, left, he would never be able to protect her again.

“Yuyao, you…”

Jiang Yuyao looked up at the complex expression on Jiang Xuan’s face and couldn’t help but frown. “Father, and you two Shishu¹, you should all hurry and cross. I can’t hold on for much longer!”

Jiang Yuyao’s current situation was actually quite similar to Luo Mingyuan’s. Neither of them had successfully passed their tribulation; they had merely awakened a portion of their divine power ahead of time and were unable to fully control it.

She truly couldn’t maintain this bridge for too long.

“If Father goes, what will you do?”

“I’ll be fine!”

Mu Qingshuang stepped forward to support Jiang Xuan and asked with a frown, “You two young ladies, what exactly happened to Yuyao? Why has she become like this…”

“Miss Jiang is a god, not a demon. She came to the mortal realm only to undergo a tribulation. Her divine power has now awakened, so this fire won’t be able to harm her for a while!” Yi Qiu said as she helped You Yan up, urging them forward. “Sect Master Jiang, hurry up and go! The sooner you all get across, the more strength she’ll have left to pull herself out of the ground!”

“…Is, is that true?” Jiang Xuan was taken aback, the grief in his eyes finally fading a little.

“Why would I lie to you? It’s not like we can turn a person into a demon, can we?” Yi Qiu said, supporting You Yan as she walked to the edge of the bridge and followed the Xianlu Sect members toward the other side.

As they walked, a soft chuckle suddenly sounded by her ear.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but frown. “You can still laugh at a time like this!”

“The last two times we crossed this place, you were scared to death and insisted that I carry you…” You Yan said, coughing lightly twice.

“Don’t say another word, my legs are about to turn to jelly again!” Yi Qiu said through gritted teeth, her gaze fixed on the distance.

At this moment, Luo Mingyuan no longer had the strength to hold on and had fainted beside Fuzhu.

And on the other side of the cliff, the scene had completely transformed into a massive ink wash painting.

The pouring rain, the surrounding vegetation, and even the flames of the Huodou had all been reduced to strokes of ink within this scroll. Countless ink dots swirled from all directions, tangling with the Huodou’s enormous form.

“What kind of technique is this…” Yi Qiu marveled, thinking it looked incredibly powerful.

However, in the next second, the Huodou proved a simple truth with its actions: all flashy techniques were less effective than the most unadorned attack.

Within Xun Chi’s ink wash domain, anyone’s spiritual energy would be greatly diminished. But the Huodou simply pounced forward like a fierce beast, attacking the person before it in the most primitive way. In no time, it had pinned him underfoot, its sharp claws piercing through Xun Chi’s shoulder.

The gentle ink wash dissipated from the world in an instant.

“Stop testing my patience! Don’t force me to kill you!” the Huodou snarled, forcefully knocking Xun Chi several meters away.

The Huodou turned back to look at the Fuzhu who was still guarding the wooden bridge and took a deep breath. “You really are persistent… The way you protect these mortals is exactly the same as when you sealed me all those years ago.”

“Yue Zhuo, stop creating more slaughter!” Fuzhu pleaded sorrowfully, shielding the people behind her. “This time, if you want to go to the Demon Realm, I’ll go with you. If you want to return to Ao’an, I’ll take you back! The world is vast; it’s not like we have nowhere to go. Don’t let yourself be used by others anymore!”

“How am I supposed to believe you?”

“Seal my power. I won’t resist at all!” Fuzhu said, mustering her courage once more to walk toward the Huodou.

The Huodou remained silent for a long time before asking coldly, “And what if I go back on my word? What will you do then, having lost your power?”

“You won’t!” Fuzhu said, stepping forward. “I know you. I’m familiar with you. You wouldn’t lie to me, right?”

“…”

“Give me one more chance. Forgive me for what I did in the past… Let’s go back to how things were, okay?” As Fuzhu spoke, a soft glow enveloped her. With each step forward, she transformed into a slender human form, dressed in white, just like in the old days.

A trace of confusion appeared in the Huodou’s crimson pupils.

The slender woman approached the Huodou step by step, finally stopping beside its immense body.

She extended her right hand, her fingertips gently brushing against the fur on the Huodou’s leg, which was soaked from the heavy rain. It was a gesture so gentle, yet so cautious.

“You’ve gotten so tall,” the woman said, looking up at the Huodou’s lowered eyes with a soft laugh. “I can’t even wrap my arms around you anymore.” As she spoke, she gently hugged the Huodou’s foreleg.

The Huodou’s body trembled slightly, and the fury in its eyes gradually dissipated.

Everyone held their breath, watching the massive creature. No one dared to make a sound at this moment, for fear of startling it.

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly swallowed the heavenly fire from all directions into her belly, transforming into a ball of fire that snatched the woman away from everyone’s sight.

That night, the Huodou took Fuzhu away, leaving behind only a night of incessant rain.

Yi Qiu squinted, watching them disappear into the distance. When she looked back, the wooden bridge had vanished. Jiang Yuyao stood on the other side of the cliff, with nothing but the scorched ruins of a great fire behind her.

Xun Chi stood up, clutching the wound on his shoulder. He walked slowly to stand before Yi Qiu and You Yan and said with a bitter smile, “That child, Yue Zhuo, is always causing trouble everywhere…”

“She’s not a child anymore,” You Yan said faintly.

Xun Chi was at a loss for words. After a long moment, he took a deep breath and said, “I know. Yue Zhuo doesn’t understand good and evil, nor can she distinguish right from wrong. In her eyes and heart, there is only Jian Li. As long as Jian Li is around, there is still a guiding light for her in this world… But I’m afraid Jian Li doesn’t have much time left.”

Water and fire are incompatible. Fuzhu and the Huodou were destined to be mortal enemies. When their powers were imbalanced, the stronger would devour the weaker. When their powers were balanced, they would only harm each other.

More than two thousand years ago, the Huodou’s power was weaker than Fuzhu’s, and it was nearly consumed by Fuzhu’s power.

Today, the Huodou has broken its seal and re-entered the world, its heart filled with resentment. Its power is far greater than in the past, and Fuzhu has already damaged half of her own cultivation base. By going with the Huodou now, she is bound to be the one who is consumed.

Back then, Fuzhu had already learned how to control and restrain her innate power, which was how she was able to greatly slow the rate at which she harmed the Huodou.

But the Huodou was different. From beginning to end, the Huodou never learned how to control its power. Now that it was so much stronger than Fuzhu, the speed at which it would harm her was bound to be much faster than during their peaceful days on Ao’an Mountain more than two thousand years ago.

Given Fuzhu’s temperament, she probably still wouldn’t tell the Huodou the truth. She would just accompany the Huodou nonchalantly, just as she did back then, waiting for a departure that was destined to come.

But the Huodou would eventually find out the truth. When that time comes, how will it cope?

It doesn’t want to live alone, yet it is destined not to be with the one it loves… When that happens, it will likely descend into madness once again.

“What’s the use of High God² Xun Chi telling me all this?” You Yan said, looking up toward the distant point where the Huodou had disappeared. “What does the Huodou’s chaos in the mortal realm have to do with me? You should apologize to whomever’s home it burned down.”

“Yes, yes… I will certainly give the Xianlu Sect a proper account for today’s events,” Xun Chi said in a low voice. He turned and bowed to Jiang Xuan and the others. “I will help you all rebuild your mountain gate. I will cover all the necessary expenses, and I will also repair the severed cloud bridge and the damaged barrier.”

For a moment, the people of the Xianlu Sect looked at one another, none of them knowing how to respond.

After a brief silence, Jiang Xuan stepped forward. “Immortal, you need not feel so guilty. In this calamity, none of my sect’s disciples were killed or injured. For an immortal to come to our aid was already a blessing in our misfortune… Today, I have learned that my humble daughter is actually a heavenly deity. Since she came here to undergo a tribulation, I fear this was an unavoidable disaster.”

“Regardless, this matter is related to me. If the Xianlu Sect needs anything in the future, you have only to ask,” Xun Chi said. He then raised a barrier to shield everyone from the wind and rain, turned around with a long sigh, and stood there in deep thought for a long time, saying no more.

Jiang Yuyao flew across the chasm and helped up the heavily injured Luo Mingyuan. The members of the Xianlu Sect also began to tend to each other’s wounds.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but step forward and ask, “Then Jian Li and Yue Zhuo…”

“I will find them. Some things must be brought to a conclusion. This all began because of a moment of compassion on my part, and I will not let it be… However, I hope they can live a simple and peaceful life for a final period. When Jian Li can no longer hold on, I will execute Yue Zhuo and then return to the Celestial Realm to receive my punishment. From then on, I will also leave Ao’an and travel the mortal realm to atone for their pasts…”

You Yan was silent for a long while. She closed her eyes, feeling the rain that was finally, gradually, growing colder.

Finally, she said softly, “Fuzhu might not be beyond saving.”

A flicker of light suddenly flashed in Xun Chi’s dim eyes. “Demon Lord’s meaning is that there truly is a way for them to coexist?”

You Yan opened her eyes and looked at Yi Qiu. “Didn’t she say she had a way?”

Xun Chi: “…”

Yi Qiu paused for a moment, then looked up and said, “I do! Of course, I do!”

Previously, she had been confused by the system’s hint, but just now, when she saw that the heavenly fire couldn’t ignite the Fusang wood, she understood instantly.

That Treasure System might be useless, but its hints were quite on point. The key to breaking the destiny of eternal incompatibility between the Fuzhu’s water and the Huodou’s fire lay with the Fusang!

“Water and fire are mutually destructive, but everyone just saw that the Fusang is not afraid of fierce flames. Is there some way to allow Jian Li to obtain the Fusang’s protection?”

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The author has something to say:

Adding an author’s note. Everyone’s asking why Fuzhu doesn’t just explain things clearly, but it was actually written quite clearly before. Back then, it was because she wasn’t afraid of the Huodou resenting or misunderstanding her; she was afraid that if the Huodou knew the truth, it would willingly die by her side. But she didn’t know that avoidance and concealment would lead to such a terrible outcome later on. If she had known, she wouldn’t have done it back then. And the reason she continues to hide it now is that she already knows the Huodou will go crazy without her. She’s afraid that if she tells the truth, the Huodou will on the spot smash a cracked pot since it’s already broken³ and drag everyone down for accompaniment, so she’s just delaying for as long as she can.

This is all due to her personality. Fuzhu is gentle but also timid, while the Huodou is a fierce beast in the truest sense. If a god could ever tame it, then to it, the only god in the world is Fuzhu.

Some people keep saying the Huodou doesn’t deserve a HE, but what if you try to think about it from its perspective?

It was mentioned before, the mortal realm is divided into three realms. The gods occupy the heavens, the demons occupy the earth, and the human realm originally had no people, only demon beasts. It was Nuwa⁴ who created humans and, in order to protect them, continuously drove out and even killed demon beasts. Whether it’s Fuzhu or the Huodou, they are like You Yan—defined as “evil” because they possess great power. Regardless of whether they harm people or not, the “good” of this world never intended to let them go. Who is truly innocent? The Huodou was an existence rejected by the world from the moment it was born, so why should it be expected to hold any goodwill toward the world? If You Yan had never met Yi Qiu, she wouldn’t hold any goodwill toward the world either.

If we’re talking about innocence, Fuzhu has harmed people, You Yan has harmed people, and the Golden Crows also created ten suns that harmed people. This story just happens to write about the Huodou’s past. If you were to really drag out everyone who has ever been harmed by all of them and compare, who is more deserving of a good ending than anyone else?

Demons have no empathy for humans to begin with. In other words, before a tiger eats a person, it doesn’t consider whether that person is innocent. The humanity of demons is something that must be cultivated.

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