Chapter Fifteen: A Swollen Rabbit Head
After muttering to himself, Fu Lin walked towards his alchemy furnace and beckoned to Bai Xuci.
“What are you staring at? Come over here.” His tone was lazy, a far cry from his cold demeanor in the grand hall. He raised an eyebrow, looking like a mischievous fairy.
Bai Xuci secretly thought so, forgetting that Fu Lin was, in fact, a fairy.
“The Venerable Lord wants me to examine you… I really don’t know what’s so interesting about you, little demon,” Fu Lin gathered his green sleeves, pulling the slowly moving rabbit closer. “Sit still.”
His tone wasn’t particularly gentle, reminding Bai Xuci of doctor visits. He felt like he was about to get an injection.
Fu Lin intended to examine his meridians, but glancing at the rabbit sitting perfectly still, surprisingly well-behaved, he clicked his tongue.
“Come on, come on, change back, change back,” he urged.
Bai Xuci was puzzled but figured the fairy might be playing the role of a “doctor” and needed him to transform for the examination. Hesitantly, he cast a spell.
“Bang!”
The “person” on the vine chair vanished, replaced by a rabbit. It twitched its ears, tucked its legs, and involuntarily shifted backward. This fairy seemed even less reliable than Qu San.
Fu Lin was amused. He cleared his throat and said seriously, “Uh, your fur, um…” He paused, delaying the rest of his sentence.
Bai Xuci felt uneasy. He should continue! Why the pause? He hung his head, carefully examining his fur. It looked fluffy enough.
After an indeterminate time—
“Not bad,” Fu Lin said with a sly tone.
Bai Xuci: “…” What was that? He’d thought the fairy was incredibly powerful. Now, it seemed rather cheeky.
Seeing the rabbit trying to escape, Fu Lin quickly grabbed its leg, becoming serious again.
“Where do you think you’re going? I’m doing a physical examination… are you unhappy?”
He carefully examined the rabbit’s paw, then commented, “Your paw shape is good, but your nails are long! You clearly haven’t taken care of them!”
Bai Xuci couldn’t bear it anymore. This strange fairy was a pervert! He kicked out.
And… left a long scratch.
“…” “…”
Bai Xuci nervously retreated, standing by the chair, ready to escape.
“Uh, that… was an instinctive reaction… it’s not my fault,” he mumbled, turning his head away with a haughty air.
He waited, but there was no sound. He worried he might have injured the fairy. He turned to check, but—
He was lifted up, forced to meet the fairy’s green eyes.
“No, you—”
Bai Xuci noticed the scratch was gone. He rolled his eyes, speechless. Of course, as a fairy, it wouldn’t be injured by a tiny scratch.
“Little bunny, shall we trim your nails?” Fu Lin’s tone was slow, with a hint of gritted teeth.
Bai Xuci: “…” He silently shrank his legs.
Finally—
Bai Xuci sat on the vine chair, examining his legs. While trimming his nails, Fu Lin snipped off a clump of fur. He was furious!
“Nice nails, soft fur, open your mouth,” Fu Lin said happily, seeing the rabbit’s frustration. “Let’s see if your teeth have grown in properly.” He bent down to touch them.
“Pfft!” A jet of blood spattered Fu Lin’s face.
Bai Xuci was fed up. He jumped away, transforming back into human form, arms crossed.
“We rabbits bite,” he said cutely.
“…”
Fu Lin tried to maintain his composure, but the blood kept flowing. He raised his hand to stop it. But—
A finger covered the wound, and a surprised voice said, “My teeth are that strong?”
Fu Lin: “…” Yes, yes, your teeth are the strongest.
Now accepting that everyone was a demon, Bai Xuci examined the wound, poking it.
Fu Lin: “…”
“Is that fun?” he asked, looking at the audacious rabbit, trying to smile. He was easily healed, but was this a reason to bite so hard?
“It’s okay,” Bai Xuci mumbled, not thinking he’d bitten that hard. He’d just been checking the rabbit’s teeth…
He was certain it was a pervert.
“Why are you like this? Just heal yourself,” Bai Xuci created a gentle light, healing Fu Lin’s finger. “It was just a bite; you were being careless.”
The finger healed instantly.
“See? It’s nothing—” he said proudly. But suddenly, Bai Xuci uncontrollably transformed back into a rabbit.
“Thing,” he added belatedly. What happened? He hadn’t used any magic! His ears were flopped back. He tried again, but nothing worked.
“Why?” he whispered.
Fu Lin frowned, picking up Bai Xuci, finally becoming serious.
“You used up your magical power,” he explained concisely.
Bai Xuci tilted his head, trying to understand. He’d just healed a small wound… and used all his power?
“What kind of ‘funnel’ are you?” Fu Lin clicked his tongue, sending magical power into the rabbit’s core. His brow remained furrowed.
Fu Lin’s expression turned incredulous. He looked at the hand Bai Xuci had used to heal him—smooth skin, not a single scratch. He looked at the rabbit with pity.
Bai Xuci: “…”
“Please don’t look at me like that,” he pleaded sincerely.
Fu Lin was puzzled. “How am I looking at you?”
“Um, like you’re looking at a dead rabbit.”
Fu Lin fell silent. It was that obvious?
“Am I about to die?” Bai Xuci anxiously hopped forward, looking up.
Fu Lin touched his nose, picked up the rabbit, and walked out.
“This… I need to report this to the Venerable Lord.”
Bai Xuci: “…” What kind of obsessed fan was this? Shouldn’t they tell the “patient” first?
But after silently complaining, Bai Xuci was still confused. He felt perfectly fine. Was using magical power quickly a disease?
“Bang!” Bai Xuci’s eyes went blurry as his head hit the doorframe; his ears drooped.
“Are you blind? Watch where you’re going!” he grumbled.
Fu Lin, carrying the rabbit, hadn’t noticed. He apologized, touched the rabbit’s head, and sent more magical power. Bai Xuci remained dazed.
Fu Lin saw the tray, placed the rabbit on it, and carried it away.
“Not broken, right?” he muttered, touching the rabbit’s head.
With no magical power left, Bai Xuci felt dizzy. He lay on the tray, listless.
Grand Hall—
Fu Lin knelt, unable to look up. The tray had been taken. It was now in the Venerable Lord’s hands.
“We must be wary of the Qingyun Sect. This constitution is rare. The Venerable Lord should keep him as a purifier…”
“This one understands. Be silent.”
Fu Lin: “…”
Fan Yue looked at the tray. The rabbit was stirring. Its ears twitched, and it slowly lifted its front legs. It was dazed; its head was swollen.
“How did this happen?” he asked calmly, supporting the rabbit’s head with a finger.
Bai Xuci had been asleep or unconscious… Fu Lin had rushed out, not noticing the rabbit, and had bumped it against the doorframe. He’d thought his head would crack.
“Hit the doorframe,” he mumbled, adjusting his ears.
Fu Lin trembled slightly. Fan Yue saw the ears that wouldn’t stand up straight. He felt annoyed.
How long had it been? A bump on its head, less fur on its legs, and droopy ears.
“Fu Lin,” he called calmly.
Bai Xuci regained consciousness, wanting to yawn but unable to open his mouth wide. He patted his head with a paw, his ears moving. So that was his name… He tried to look, but a finger stopped him.
“Eh?” He tried to remove the finger, but failed.
“Venerable Lord, I’m here,” Fu Lin bowed, feeling guilty. He hadn’t been paying attention. The bump seemed serious. He glanced up and saw the swollen rabbit head.
“…”
“Venerable Lord, I can prepare some medicine—” he tried to salvage the situation.
“Leave and accept your punishment.”
Fu Lin felt miserable. But before leaving, he glanced at the rabbit. Its head was held still, unable to turn. At least the Venerable Lord was interested; maybe it wouldn’t be too bad. He hoped so.