Little Alpaca – Chapter 99

Volume 3: Old Tales of Kunlun

The Heart and Mouth Do Not Agree.¹

It was common for xianshen² and yaoshou³ to form a blood pact. Once the pact was made, the yaoshou would be bound by divine power and would no longer easily bring disaster to the mortal realm.

Jiang Yuyao had been born human in this life and had never imagined that she would one day be able to form a blood pact with two such powerful fierce beasts. Had it been any other xianshen, they would have likely begged for the power these ancient remnants possessed, yet she had ultimately chosen to set them free.

But she didn’t care for such power, nor did she want Jian Li and Yue Zhuo to spend the next thousand, ten thousand years having to act as an ox and a dog⁴ for her alone, and to not shirk from ten thousand deaths.

What she wanted was very simple. As long as these two fierce beasts turned to good with a sincere heart and were willing to use their immense power to protect this fragile mortal world from now on, she would be content.

Three days later, the pact formation was complete. Under everyone’s watch, Jian Li and Yue Zhuo formed a blood pact with Jiang Yuyao. The Fuzhu, now possessing the power of the Fusang, finally stopped harming the Huodou.

Seeing this, Yi Qiu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. “How wonderful!”

In the vast Three Realms, they had never been accepted by the world, nor had they been treated kindly by fate. They had finally muddled through tens of thousands of years of loneliness and, after more than two thousand years of mistakes and missed chances, let go of it all, able to truly embrace a future where they could have each other’s company.

Xun Chi said that Yue Zhuo had committed many sins of slaughter in her life and must atone for them with the rest of her days. However, she was not yet able to control her terrifying power as well as Jian Li could. He wanted to take Yue Zhuo back to Mount Ao’an first. Once he taught her how to control her power, he would let her leave with Jian Li to travel the mountains and rivers of the mortal realm, protecting it with their strength to atone for their pasts, one by one.

And he himself would probably do the same after receiving his punishment from the Celestial Realm.

However, Jian Li’s body was still too weak to travel for the time being, so he and Yue Zhuo stayed with her in the mountain forest for now.

You Yan had wanted to leave directly, but Luo Mingyuan quietly reminded her, “Chao Yun-shijie might be on her way here. If we happen to miss her…”

If they missed her on the way back, then Chao Yun would have made another trip for nothing.

So as not to make Chao Yun’s trip a waste, everyone chose to rest in the forest for two more days.

Speaking of which, Luo Mingyuan and Jiang Yuyao still didn’t know Chao Yun’s true identity. Yi Qiu hesitated for a long time. Considering that Chao Yun had indeed been silently protecting the two of them and had tried very hard to stop the Yi Bird, she finally glossed over the matter in three words and two phrases, for the time being not revealing Chao Yun’s past with the Yi Bird, nor the suspicions she and You Yan held in their hearts.

As the evening sun slanted west, You Yan was again resting with her eyes closed nearby.

Yi Qiu whined and fidgeted beside her for a good while without getting a response. She finally just stood up, patted the dirt from her dress, and, in an incomparably eight-trigrams⁵ way, sought out Jiang Yuyao.

Jiang Yuyao had been sitting by the stream, chin in hand, her pretty eyes staring blankly at the water. When she saw Yi Qiu suddenly sit down beside her, she quickly snapped out of it. Her gaze was a little awkward, and the way her eyes darted away was just like a student caught slacking off in class by the head teacher.

“What are you thinking about? You’re so serious!”

“It’s nothing…”

“Nothing?” Yi Qiu thought for a moment, then couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “You must know how powerful the Fuzhu and Huodou are. If you could subdue them both and keep them by your side, it would be difficult for anyone in the Three Realms to harm a single hair on your head. You’d never have to fear the world’s demons again, to say nothing of a single Yi Bird pulling strings behind the scenes… Why would you give up an opportunity like that?”

Jiang Yuyao pondered for a moment before saying earnestly, “They should be free. Or rather… all living beings in this world should be born with the right to freedom.”

Whether it was the Fuzhu or the Huodou, the world had never shown them any kindness before they met Xun Chi.

This vast, floating world had wronged them too much. She didn’t want to bind them any further.

“So you’re not going to pursue the matter with Xianlu Sect either?” Yi Qiu said, muttering under her breath, “Even though no one’s life was lost, the damages were pretty substantial, you know.”

“Immortal Xun Chi said he would compensate Xianlu Sect for all their losses from that day. Since I’m not a mortal, he can’t get out of it.” As Jiang Yuyao spoke, the corners of her lips suddenly lifted. She unconsciously lowered her lashes, a faint blush rising on her cheeks, and asked in a hushed voice, “Yi Qiu, I heard you all say that there’s a past connection between the Golden Crow and the Fusang. I’m the Fusang, so is my shidi… really the Three-legged Golden Crow you were talking about?”

As she said this, as if afraid of being overheard, she subconsciously glanced over at Luo Mingyuan, who was busy gathering firewood and starting a fire to cook in the distance.

Yi Qiu’s eyebrows shot up. “The Golden Crow rested on the Fusang for thousands of years. He and the Fusang share a fate decreed by heaven; they’re destined to be together. But…”

“But?” Jiang Yuyao instantly grew nervous.

Yi Qiu bent her knees, tilted her head, and propped her chin on one hand, pretending to think for a moment. “That little pig trotter is not a Three-legged Golden Crow.”

In that instant, Jiang Yuyao couldn’t help but furrow her brow. Her eyes filled with resistance, and just as she seemed about to say something, she saw Yi Qiu covering her mouth and snickering.

“Y-you, what are you laughing at…”

“He’s not a Three-legged Golden Crow anymore!” Yi Qiu gently covered one side of her face with her right hand, leaned close to Jiang Yuyao’s ear, and whispered, “Back when Hou Yi⁶ shot down the nine suns, he rushed to the azure sea and broke off one of his legs. Your fated lover doesn’t have three legs anymore!”

“You! Oh, you’re making fun of me…” Jiang Yuyao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She gave Yi Qiu a few forceful shoves as her own cheeks burned red amidst Yi Qiu’s unstoppable laughter. “Stop laughing! Stop it!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop!” Yi Qiu said, quickly covering her mouth and nose with both hands. But the laughter in her eyes was too strong to be contained.

Jiang Yuyao, mortified, turned her head away. She knitted her brows and fell silent, the blush on her cheeks now spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

Yi Qiu couldn’t resist asking, “Oh, right, did you give him your Mandarin ducks?”

Jiang Yuyao lowered her head. “I… I did. I don’t know how to make any of those scented sachets, so I just gave it to him after I finished embroidering it.”

“A handkerchief is good too!” Yi Qiu was instantly in gossip mode. “Hey, so what was that little pig trotter’s reaction when he got it?”

“He… he didn’t say anything for a long time. After a while, he stammered and gave… back…”

“Gave it back to you?”

“No, he gave me a wooden hairpin in return.”

Yi Qiu subconsciously glanced at Jiang Yuyao’s hair bun and, sure enough, saw a wooden hairpin. She couldn’t help but press on, “So why do you like him?”

Jiang Yuyao pressed her lips together. Without daring to turn her head, she lowered her eyes and replied, “Th-there’s no… why…”

“How could there not be a ‘why’?” Yi Qiu was suddenly energized. She stood up and, in a few quick steps, hopped in front of Jiang Yuyao again. “C’mon, tell me. What do you like about that little pig trotter? Is it his good looks? Or that he’s hardworking and knows how to cook?”

“H-how could it be those things…”

“Does he have any other good qualities?” Yi Qiu propped her chin on her hand and tried to recall.

“He’s resolute and kindhearted. He never boasts about the things he does for others, and he rarely complains about the hardships he suffers… No matter what happens, no matter how badly he’s hurt, as long as he has a breath left in him, he won’t give up easily…” Jiang Yuyao said softly, shaking her head. “Maybe that doesn’t seem like much to you, but if you asked me to name something else, I wouldn’t know what to say… I just know he’s a good person. Others may not see it, but I do.”

“In a lover’s eyes, a Xi Shi appears⁷, I suppose. That makes sense.” Yi Qiu nodded and couldn’t help but let out a long, emotional sigh.

Actually, back when she was reading 《Thin, Withered Branch》, she had always wondered how Luo Mingyuan could possibly be worthy of Jiang Yuyao. Was it just because he was the male lead, the reincarnation of the Golden Crow, and the only son of the Celestial Emperor that, no matter how much of a scumbag he was, he was still worth Jiang Yuyao giving everything to love him?

But looking at them now, she wasn’t so dissatisfied anymore.

Maybe that little pig trotter really wasn’t good enough, but at least in this timeline, he and Jiang Yuyao were no longer hurting each other, but had been supporting each other all along.

But then again, never boasting about things done for others and never complaining about one’s own suffering… that seemed to be the style of that bird woman, You Yan, as well.

If nothing else, that point alone could easily stir up a person’s protective instincts.

Yi Qiu couldn’t help but think, If only I weren’t so weak. If only I could share more of You Yan’s burdens, how great would that be.

As she thought this, her gaze drifted involuntarily toward You Yan in the distance.

And with that glance, she discovered that You Yan had been watching her the whole time.

Their eyes met for an instant, and she lost her composure, completely unsure of where to put her gaze.

Should I look away? But that would make me seem too guilty.

Maybe I should just keep staring blankly at that bird woman. I could even make my glare a little fiercer. After all, you can lose the person but not the formation⁸.

Just as she was thinking this and about to furrow her brow and glare, she saw You Yan silently close her eyes.

Great. The bird woman couldn’t be bothered to look at me first.

Makes sense. I’m just a plain-looking alpaca demon, while that bird woman has a natural beauty that’s hard to abandon⁹; of course she wouldn’t have any interest in me.

If she doesn’t want to look, then fine. So arrogant. As if anyone’s dying to look at some bird.

As Yi Qiu thought this, she pressed her lips into a pout and rolled her eyes dramatically at the air.

“You should go keep Miss You company,” Jiang Yuyao said softly from the side.

“Why would I keep her company? She doesn’t even like to talk!” Yi Qiu said, glancing at You Yan again without realizing it.

Jiang Yuyao: “If you’re with her, she’ll talk.”

Yi Qiu: “Oh, please. With that bamboo shoot mouth¹⁰ of hers, it’s better if she stays quiet…”

It’s not just that the bird woman doesn’t like to talk. When she finally does say a few words, she’s either fishing for information or insulting someone.

I’ve really revealed a lot these past two days. If You Yan suddenly brought it up, I’d have no idea how to explain myself.

“She was just watching you the whole time. Are you sure you don’t want to go keep her company?” Jiang Yuyao asked.

She was watching me!

Thinking this, Yi Qiu still couldn’t help but stand up, pat the dirt off her bottom, and turn to walk toward You Yan.

She told herself that Jiang Yuyao had told her to go. She didn’t want to keep that bird woman company at all.

Not one bit!

---

The author has something to say:

Volume 3 begins. This volume is You Yan’s story.

---

---