Panda Cub – Chapter 72

Filial Piety

He Ying raised her head to look at her. Before she could say anything, Jing Dan quickly walked downstairs to He Yuan and asked earnestly, “Is he not dead?”

He Yuan was silent for a moment before saying, “I can’t go down to the bottom of the lake. I don’t believe he would just die like that!”

Even if he really died, she wanted to see his remains with her own eyes, wishing to tear him apart a thousand times!

Hearing her words, Jing Dan’s expression became serious. She turned to He Ying and said, “Then let’s go back now and drag him out of the lake!”

Clearly, she saw him dead at that time, right?

He Ying nodded, about to agree, but was interrupted by He Yuan who said, “Let’s deal with the Black Snake first, then worry about finding his bones. He’s been lying there for over two hundred years, a little more time won’t make a difference.”

Thinking it over, Jing Dan realized it made sense. Without even eating breakfast, they hurried towards the Gulong Mountain Range with He Ying, eager to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

Arriving once again at the outskirts of the Gulong Mountain Range, Jing Dan turned to He Ying and said seriously, “I’ll handle it this time, you just watch from the sidelines.”

Now that she had the ability to protect her, she wouldn’t let her be in danger anymore.

Seeing Jing Dan’s serious expression, He Ying finally nodded in agreement with her words.

“But…” Jing Dan remembered something and suddenly transformed back into her original form, hanging on He Ying, “Today, you must carry me inside!”

Jing Dan lightly hummed to herself, recalling how He Yuan had carried them flying out last time, so this time He Ying should be able to fly too! With her around, there was no need to fear any targets.

He Ying: “…” I didn’t expect you to remember that.

Looking at the panda cub in her arms, she sighed softly, then transformed back into her original form and flew towards the inside with Jing Dan.

On the snow-white back of the white crane sat a panda cub with fluffy fur, who happily exclaimed, “You’re so white too!”

Although smaller in size compared to He Yuan, this white panda cub was just as white, and the fact that Jing Dan’s original form was sitting on top of it fit perfectly.

He Ying was at a loss whether to cry or laugh, speeding up towards the inside with her.

The fur on the panda cub’s body fluttered in the direction of the wind, its fluffy fur blowing flat, showing that it didn’t care about its appearance this time.

Sitting on He Ying’s back, Jing Dan looked at the tall trees below, feeling the wind blowing on her face. She sighed, “If only I had wings to fly too.”

He Ying: “…” What are you talking about?

In her mind, she imagined Jing Dan with wings and nearly laughed so hard that she almost lost balance and fell, “Stop thinking about it.”

He Ying suppressed her laughter, picked up speed, and tried to let the wind blow away the image in her mind.

“Why can’t I think about it?” Jing Dan muttered quietly, feeling a bit dissatisfied. She just wanted a pair of wings, was that wrong?

This time the flight into the inner area was much faster than before. In just over a day, the two of them had reached the place where they had encountered the Black Snake. The remains of the previous battle could still be seen, but the Black Snake’s tracks were covered by new growth of grass and trees.

“The Gulong Mountain Range is so vast, how are we going to find him?” He Ying frowned. Last time they happened to come across him, but this time, they weren’t sure if they would be that lucky again.

“Didn’t Mom say his snake den is all underneath here? I’ll just turn this whole area upside down. I don’t believe he won’t come out!” Jing Dan was now angry. The thought of the Black Snake fixating on her in her past life infuriated her. If it weren’t for him, would she have died like that?

He Ying: “… Isn’t this a bit too extreme?”

Turning the entire area upside down, not only might they not find the Black Snake, but other wild beasts might come up and challenge them too, right?

Jing Dan turned to her, “Then what other choice do we have?”

If they flew in the sky looking for him, what if the Black Snake was hiding underground where they couldn’t see?

He Ying frowned. Even within the Gulong Mountain Range, the area was too vast. If they used their senses to cover and search, it would consume too much energy, which wouldn’t be good for dealing with the Black Snake later.

“Don’t rush, let’s just wander around here and wait for the rabbit at the tree stump.”

This was actually the Black Snake’s main base, so he definitely knew more than them. It might not take long before the Black Snake found out about their return. It was uncertain if the Black Snake would come out easily this time.

However, it all depended on whether he could resist the panda’s temptation.

She had Jing Dan transform back into her original form, then carried her as they strolled around the mountains. Of course, they weren’t just wandering aimlessly. Along the way, they also searched for some herbs to bring back for Lady He.

The two of them aimlessly wandered around for two days, but there was still no sign of the Black Snake. Jing Dan was itching to just turn the whole place upside down immediately!

“Let’s wait a little longer.” He Ying whispered, looking at a small yellow flower on a nearby cliff, her eyes brightening. “Mom should be very happy when we get back this time.”

“Life Bone Flower.” Just by its name, you could tell what effects it had. Lady He had mentioned it to Jing Dan before, saying that if used correctly, it could bring dead bones back to life. He Ying led Jing Dan over to pick some, but they found two huge pythons guarding the flowers. When the pythons spotted them approaching, they raised their heads and hissed at them. Their long, whip-like tongues were enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

“I hate snakes the most!” Jing Dan’s scalp felt like it was about to explode. The sound of the snakes made her extremely uncomfortable, like the sound of nails scratching on a wall, especially disgusting.

“Hold on.” He Ying restrained her urge to act. Maybe the Black Snake was nearby watching them. If he saw Jing Dan easily deal with these two snakes, he might never dare to come out again.

Jing Dan raised her hand to cover her ears, but in her true form, she could cover her eyes, but covering her ears was difficult.

He Ying didn’t attack. After looking at the two snakes, she turned and left, saying, “Can’t beat them, let’s go.”

Jing Dan understood what she meant. She grabbed He Ying’s clothes with her claws and said, “Then let’s hurry and go, we can look for others.”

“Yeah.”

The two of them briskly walked in another direction. The pythons behind them did not chase after them once they saw that they weren’t approaching the Life Bone Flower. As night fell, He Ying carried Jing Dan up a large tree and leaned against the trunk. She took out a bottle of milk and offered it to Jing Dan’s mouth.

To prepare for their trip to the Gulong Mountain Range, He Ying had prepped several bottles of milk in advance, just so she could easily give some to Jing Dan whenever needed.

Watching Jing Dan contentedly drinking from the milk bottle, He Ying couldn’t help but want to laugh. She had thought that after Jing Dan went through the soul merging, she wouldn’t accept drinking from a bottle anymore. However, when she first took it out, Jing Dan was momentarily stunned but then naturally took it and started drinking.

Jing Dan’s ears twitched, her gaze shifting towards a direction. Just now, she heard a faint rustling sound coming from that direction, sounding like the scales of a snake sliding across the ground.

He Ying also noticed it, and they both became alert. Even though Jing Dan was holding the milk bottle, she stopped drinking. After waiting for a while, there was suddenly no more movement from that direction. Jing Dan seemed to relax and resumed holding the bottle to drink.

He Ying lowered her head to groom the fur on Jing Dan’s head, playfully tugging at her stray hairs. The scene of the two of them looked incredibly warm and peaceful.

Just as the two of them were relaxing, suddenly a black snake swung its giant tail towards them!

He Ying’s lips gently curved into a smile. Sure enough, the next moment, the giant tail was instantly struck back!

He Ying squinted to see clearly. Where the tail was hit, scales flew off, revealing a bloody and fuzzy area, even deeply sunken down.

The black snake let out a painful cry. However, that blow just made him realize that the two of them now were not someone he could handle. Decisively, he transformed into a small snake, trying to flee towards a distance!

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jing Dan’s cool voice rang out. She put away the milk bottle, transforming back into her human form. With the chain of her meteor hammer in hand, she released her spiritual power to immobilize the black snake in place, preventing it from escaping.

He Ying jumped down from the tree and walked closer to the black snake alongside Jing Dan. However, upon seeing Jing Dan taking action, the black snake’s eyes filled with astonishment as he hissed, “It’s you, it’s really you!”

But the last time they met, he had sensed that aura coming from the woman next to her. Why had it now transferred to her?!

No, that’s not right. The black snake shook his head. No, this aura was even stronger than the one coming from the woman next to her; thus, she must be the real one!

“It’s me.” Jing Dan’s voice was calm. “Surprised to meet my next life, aren’t you?”

Black snake: “…”

He Ying turned her head and chuckled softly on the side, finding Jing Dan’s current way of speaking quite amusing.

“You forced me to burn my life as the price, I was very angry,” Jing Dan said very seriously. Especially after she didn’t want to die, but he forced her to die; now when she thought about it, it made her furious!

“So, I won’t give you any chances.” Jing Dan slowly smiled, then forcefully swung the meteor hammer towards the black snake! The black snake, trapped by her, could only watch as the spiked meteor hammer got closer and closer, until everything went black before his eyes!

In her prime, Jing Dan, how could the black snake be her match? Even his prideful defense seemed so fragile in front of Jing Dan. After she moved the meteor hammer away, all that was left of the black snake in its previous position was a pool of rotten flesh.

However, as Jing Dan’s eyes shifted, she coldly said, “Where do you think you can run to?”

She raised her hand and gently clenched it. The soul that had been trying to escape while she attacked was enveloped by Jing Dan’s spiritual power, unable to escape in the slightest.

He Ying looked at the dark energy within the spiritual power, once again deeply sensing the uniqueness of Jing Dan’s soul. While other souls would only disperse into dark energy after leaving the body, Jing Dan’s could solidify into a tangible form. Besides being nourished by her soul force, there must be something special about Jing Dan herself.

Jing Dan stared at the dark energy and said coolly, “I don’t like leaving potential threats behind.”

Ignoring the black snake’s desperate pleas, she clenched her fist, destroying the dark energy completely. There wouldn’t even be a next life for the black snake.

He Ying turned to look at Jing Dan with eyes devoid of warmth and softly asked, “Shouldn’t you come to your senses now?”

She wasn’t some saint who couldn’t bear to see the black snake vanquished; she just didn’t want her Jing Xiaodan to be trapped in those chilly emotions.

Jing Dan looked at her quietly, and gradually warmth filled her eyes. Not long after, a bright smile appeared on her face. She transformed back into her true form, clinging to He Ying. After being embraced, she took out her bottle and resumed drinking.

Watching Jing Dan like this, He Ying smiled gently. She held her and led her a bit away from the scene, finding another tree to rest under for the night. They planned to continue their journey through the Gulong Mountain Range early the next morning.

“Tomorrow, let’s pick the Life Bone Flower and bring it back to please Mom!” Before sleeping, Jing Dan didn’t forget about this task and wanted to remind He Ying.

“Eh?” He Ying raised an eyebrow, unable to hold back a smile. “How can we say we’re trying to please her?”

Why did this matter suddenly sound unpleasant in her words?

“Why not say pleasing?” Jing Dan innocently asked. Weren’t they just trying to make He Yuan happy? So, their actions were for that purpose, right?

He Ying lightly cleared her throat and whispered, “It’s called showing filial piety!”

When juniors give gifts to seniors, how could one use such an unpleasant term as “pleasing”? It should be described as showing respect.

“Oh!” Jing Dan realized. “Then we’ll bring it back to show filial piety to mom!”

In the past, she had always been the elder that others showed filial piety to, never the one showing it to others. That’s why she initially lacked this awareness, thinking it was about pleasing.

He Ying chuckled softly, placing a hand over Jing Dan’s eyes and whispering, “Time to sleep.”

If Lady He knew that Jing Dan was intentionally bringing something back to please her, she might wonder if her daughter position should be adjusted.

After both fell silent, only the sounds of insects and birds remained in the surroundings. They settled into the barrier and peacefully drifted off to sleep.

The next day, waking up to the faint light filtering through the leaves, Jing Dan lazily turned over in He Ying’s embrace, not feeling very eager to get up.

He Ying reached out to rub Jing Dan’s head, a soft smile playing on her lips as she said, “You’ll get your butt sunburnt if you don’t get up soon.”

“I won’t!” Jing Dan mumbled, “The sun can’t reach my butt here!”

He Ying: “…” At least Jing Dan knew where they were.

She tousled Jing Dan’s hair and asked, “Was your weapon in the past life also a Meteor Hammer?”

“No, why do you ask?” Jing Dan lazily shifted her body, burying her head in He Ying’s neck. Her voice sounded muffled as she said, “I used to use spiritual energy to form swords and such.”

But in this lifetime, she realized the benefits of having a weapon, especially this Meteor Hammer, with its tremendous killing power!

He Ying chuckled softly. No wonder Jing shiyue and the others didn’t doubt Jing Dan’s reincarnation from the beginning, considering their weapons were different now.

“Well, in that case, are you considered robbing the cradle?” He Ying asked with a suppressed smile. After all, once Jing Dan regained her memories, she had lived much longer than her.

Jing Dan jolted, her drowsiness instantly dispelled. She raised her head and looked at He Ying, defiantly saying, “Not at all! You’re the one robbing the cradle! I’m only 102 years old this year, while you’re already 204 years old!”

“You’re just 102 years older than me!” She emphasized at the end.

“But you didn’t know how long you lived in the previous life,” He Ying said softly.

Jing Dan: “…But, but that was in the previous life! Anyway, I’m already in this life, so I should go by this life’s count! Basically, you’re the one eating young grass!”

At the beginning, she stumbled a bit in her speech, but as she continued, she grew more confident, and even her tousled hair seemed to have some attitude.

He Ying couldn’t help but chuckle at her, flicking the spirited lock of hair, “How can someone shamelessly refer to themselves as a young grass?”

Jing Dan snorted lightly. She didn’t care; she was younger than He Ying now, so she was indeed a young grass!

“Woke up? Shall we go pick flowers and head home?” He Ying carried her down from the tree, seeing her alertness and a hint of triumphant smile on her face.

Jing Dan: “…” That speech just now was to wake me up!

“He Ying, you’re full of schemes!” Jing Dan said softly, surprised that He Ying used the “robbing the cradle” phrase to stir her up!

“Heh,” He Ying didn’t deny it.

They quickly arrived back at the cliff they had seen yesterday. Now that they didn’t need to hide their abilities, Jing Dan used her spiritual power to fend off the two snakes, preventing them from approaching, while He Ying swiftly picked the Life Bone Flower. They then flew away towards the outskirts, avoiding further confrontation with the snakes.

Jing Dan remained perched on He Ying’s back, muttering softly, “I never want to see those snakes again!”

They were really ugly.

He Ying fell silent, thinking that maybe it would be best to avoid Jing Dan meeting Xu Yu again, especially in their true forms. She was afraid Xu Yu might end up like the two snakes from earlier, getting swatted away by Jing Dan…

This time, instead of heading straight back to the Panda Clan, the two rushed towards He Ying’s hometown, Lanjiang City. The Chilian Lake was located nearby.

Returning to the villa in the deep mountain forest, Jing Dan couldn’t help but wonder about He Yuan’s intention to build her home in this location. Perhaps she wanted to guard the Chilian Lake, keeping watch over that cursed place.

He Yuan left the Panda Clan with them but chose to head back to Lanjiang City instead of accompanying them to the Gulong Mountain Range after they left. With Jing Dan’s current strength, she didn’t have much to worry about.

When they returned, He Yuan made hot tea for them. “You’ve been rushing all the way, take a rest first.”

Jing Dan looked at the cup of hot tea handed to her, pouting reluctantly, “I want to drink milk, not tea.”

He Yuan: “…”

She glanced at He Ying. Jing Dan only drank the milk He Ying made, so she would only reluctantly drink other milk when He Ying wasn’t present.

He Ying chuckled. Jing Dan was becoming more and more casual in front of He Yuan and no longer cared if He Yuan thought it was childish to still enjoy drinking milk.

She got up to make milk for Jing Dan, who looked a bit smug and laid out a bunch of herbs on the ground, saying with a light smile, “He Ying said you would like these!”

He Yuan, looking at the herbs, was momentarily surprised but then gently smiled, saying softly, “I really like them.”

He Ying emerged from the kitchen at that moment, seeing Jing Dan’s setup, and raised an eyebrow, “So eager to present them, huh?”

Jing Dan just snorted lightly, ignoring her teasing, and then handed over the Life Bone Flower to He Yuan, saying, “He Ying said to pick this to please you!”

He Ying: “…”

She gazed softly at Jing Dan, who pretended not to see her gaze, and murmured, “Wasn’t it you who said that?”

“I didn’t say that!” Jing Dan turned her head, refusing to admit it.

“Heh,” He Ying smirked, then drank all the milk she had just made without any expression. After finishing it, she placed the empty cup on the coffee table and calmly said, “Milk’s gone.”

Jing Dan turned incredulously to He Ying, demanding, “How could you do this! That milk was mine!”

“I drank it,” He Ying had a smug expression, as if daring Jing Dan to do something about it.

Jing Dan: “…”

She immediately lunged forward to tickle He Ying, teasing her about her milk.

He Yuan watched the two young people playfully bickering, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She held the Life Bone Flower in her hand, gazing at it for a while, the fleeting passion in her eyes gone in an instant. She then got up, gathered all the herbs on the ground, leaving the space to the two of them.

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The author has something to say:

I’ve checked my remaining outline, and it looks like the main story will end soon (if my prediction is wrong, just forget I said anything; it also means I’m not cut out for forecasting jobs (T ^ T)). Does anyone have any ideas for bonus chapters they’d like to see? If there’s interest, I can use this time to think about how to write them.

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