Chapter 30: Give Me Your Dried Radishes
His struggles proving useless, Bai Xuzi relented. It was a bit strange, but it wasn’t as if he were going to lose a piece of his rabbit meat over it.
Xiao Yunhe glanced down at the compass in his hand and noticed that the needle had stopped trembling. It was now pointing steadfastly at—
“Is there something else?” The voice was flat, with a hint of cold indifference.
Xiao Yunhe hastily tore his gaze away from the compass and looked up at the man across from him. The man in black robes was tall and carried himself with an air of nobility in every gesture, not at all like a commoner. Besides, the compass had already led him here.
Xiao Yunhe pressed his lips together, deciding to probe him a little. He focused his energy at his fingertips, and a faint, shimmering light seeped out…
In an instant—
The light returned, and an expression of utter disbelief appeared on Xiao Yunhe’s face.
He was a mortal?
Fan Yue glanced down, his eyes filled with a faint disdain for such a low-level trick. He paid it no mind.
Just then, a very soft sigh came from beside him.
“…”
Now what?
The little demon was standing obediently before him, the paper bag of buns still cradled in his arm. His cheeks were puffed out, and he looked deeply worried.
Inner monologue: They’re getting cold. What bad luck. Next time, I have to eat them in one bite! I absolutely won’t let the broth squirt out!
Fan Yue: “…”
He stared at him impassively until Bai Xuzi looked over, completely bewildered.
“B-Big Brother,” he stammered, his voice trembling. Bai Xuzi carefully reviewed his recent actions. He was pretty sure he hadn’t caused any more trouble, so why was he looking at him like that? He pouted, lowered his eyes, and put on his most innocent expression.
He waited a moment, wanting to see if the man was still staring at him.
He mustered his courage.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he lifted his eyes to peek…
Their eyes met.
Fan Yue watched as he immediately ducked his head back down, a look of helplessness in his eyes. Weren’t you the one who insisted on looking?
“Hold this.”
Bai Xuzi suddenly felt a weight in his hands, which stopped him from cringing so hard he was digging his toes into his soles. He looked down.
It was a huge silver ingot!
He immediately looked up, his eyes widening slightly, about to ask what it was for.
“Give it to him.” The tone was gentle, and one could even detect a hint of indulgence in it.
Understanding dawned on Bai Xuzi. He clutched the silver and was about to walk over to the other man, but before he could even take a small step, he felt a pull at his waist. He was yanked back two steps, like a little spring.
Alright then.
He opted to hold out the silver, trying to hand it over. But with the large bag of buns in his arm, it was awkward, and he almost dropped them on the ground.
So, he had to look up at Fan Yue again. He moved a little closer, his gaze sincere, and was just about to speak—
“Fine.”
He was cut off mid-sentence.
Fan Yue took the bag of buns from Bai Xuzi, holding it between two fingers as if it were suspended in mid-air. A bit of grease had seeped through the paper, and he looked at it with some disgust.
But Bai Xuzi was watching him with wide, worried eyes, afraid that he would drop it. He started to reach for it.
A single glance shot his way…
He whipped his head around, bowed slightly, and presented the silver with both hands, saying with utmost sincerity, “I’m sorry, I got your clothes dirty. This is to compensate you. You can use it to buy a new set of clothes.”
The whole sequence was surprisingly smooth.
Xiao Yunhe had been lost in the shock of discovering the man in black was a mortal. The sight of the silver being offered to him finally snapped him back to reality.
“No, no, you mustn’t. It’s not a big deal, I can handle it myself,” he said, his tone a bit rushed. Seeing the young man still bowing, he felt terrible and reached out to help him up.
But before he could even touch him…
The young man “automatically” retreated, perfectly evading his outstretched hand. The distance between them was maintained at exactly one inch.
Xiao Yunhe suspected he had seen wrong and was about to try again. But just then, he felt a silver streak flash through the air, getting closer and closer. He instinctively reached out to catch it.
A slight weight settled in his palm. It was the silver ingot.
He looked up. The young man had already been pulled back to the other man’s side, a look of confusion on his face.
“Whether you accept it or not is your business. Whether we give it or not is ours. As for anything else, do as you please.” After saying his piece, the man in black turned and walked away without so much as a backward glance.
For a rare moment, Xiao Yunhe was completely baffled. He stared blankly at their retreating backs…
That’s… that’s it?
More than once, Bai Xuzi tried to turn his head to look back at Xiao Yunhe, but he was caught every time. So, he could only lower his eyes and do his best to be a “good little bunny.”
But you couldn’t blame him. Who wouldn’t be curious? This was the person closest to the protagonist. The entire plot of the story hinged on him…
His companion suddenly stopped walking. Bai Xuzi didn’t react in time, and the buns in his arms tilted forward from the momentum, a few of them tumbling into the air.
“!!”
A dog darted out from an alley and leaped gracefully.
Chomp, chomp, chomp. It ate three in a row.
“Ah!” Bai Xuzi cried out in pain, quickly righting the bag. But the dog had already accomplished its mission and trotted off, wagging its tail, leaving Bai Xuzi heartbroken.
Wuu-wuu-wuu-wuu, I only got to eat half of one!!!!
Fan Yue frowned. He had noticed the problem again. He couldn’t quite hear all of it. What was he “curious” about?
He was about to turn and ask when he saw a “grief-stricken” rabbit, looking at him with teary eyes.
“…”
Never mind. It didn’t look like he could get anything out of him anyway.
Shen Residence—
“Rest assured, we are disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect. We will certainly be able to handle that demon mountain. You have nothing to worry about.” The man spoke with absolute confidence, though the smell of garlic occasionally wafted from his mouth. It seemed they had spent the night at a tavern…
Shen Yuanzhi sat in the main seat, his eyes scanning the Azure Cloud Sect disciples in the room, feeling more at ease. Although it was just for show, safety was still the most important thing. It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard of the matters concerning Lin Shan; it would be impossible not to have concerns. What if there really was some evil demon there? He was here to be an official and enjoy life, not to get himself killed.
He looked up and offered another cup of tea to the leading disciple, his face once again breaking into a warm smile.
“I am truly grateful. Please rest assured, for the peace of our Yunde Town, this official will be sure to reward you handsomely!” His tone sounded so sincere that any outsider would have thought him a magistrate who truly cared for his people.
The leading disciple nodded pretentiously, feeling quite pleased with himself. That Xiao Yunhe kid was just short-sighted. What was the use of finding some useless fish? It couldn’t compare to a comfortable mission like this. He could just put on a little show later, and it would definitely be enough to fool this small-town magistrate.
“Then, at that time, I will have to trouble you for your help,” Shen Yuanzhi said, rising and cupping his hands as a gesture of courtesy. He really couldn’t stand it any longer. Why was there a sour, foul smell lingering in the air?
The leading disciple also stood up, gave a slight nod, and then said, “These are small matters not worth mentioning, but Your Excellency… my martial brothers and I are quite exhausted from our journey. We were hoping—”
He didn’t finish his sentence, but his eyes darted toward Shen Yuanzhi, the implication thick.
Although Shen Yuanzhi was very reluctant, his expression remained serene. “Please, do not worry. The residence has the finest guest rooms. If you have any needs, please do not hesitate to ask. Just make yourselves at home,” he said generously.
The other disciples in the room immediately relaxed, some even starting to chat among themselves.
“Then we thank you, Your Excellency.” After saying this, the leading disciple’s posture became much more arrogant. Not only did he sit back down in his chair, but he even reached for the melon seeds on the table, preparing to snack on them. He looked completely at ease.
But before the melon seed even reached his mouth, the disciple seemed to realize something and looked toward the entrance.
“Your Excellency, is there something else?” His tone was no longer as polite, carrying a hint of impatience.
Shen Yuanzhi’s eye twitched. Although he was highly suspicious of the authenticity of these Azure Cloud Sect disciples, he didn’t let it show.
“No, no, please rest well.” With that, Shen Yuanzhi turned and left. The moment he turned his back, his expression changed.
Once he was in the courtyard, he couldn’t be bothered to pretend anymore. He fanned the air in front of his face with his hand.
“What kind of cultivators are these? They stink…”
With every bun Bai Xuzi ate, he recalled the scene of that big yellow dog snatching three of them right in front of him. It was pure torture.
“Is it that upsetting?” Fan Yue asked, his voice full of confusion. He knitted his brows as he looked at the little demon beside him, his cheeks puffed out. It was one thing that he couldn’t transcend mortal food, but why did he have such a strong attachment to it?
Hearing that tone, Bai Xuzi felt a surge of indignation. He struggled to swallow the mouthful of food and retorted, “Of course it’s upsetting! I had only eaten half a bun, and that big yellow dog—it swallowed three of mine right in front of me!”
“And after it finished, it just turned and left, without a shred of shame!”
The more he spoke, the angrier he got, to the point that even the buns didn’t taste good anymore.
Fan Yue just listened, letting the little demon vent his frustrations. It was nothing to him. He gently stroked the teacup with his finger, suddenly remembering something interesting…
“Are you finished eating?” he asked.
Bai Xuzi was taken aback, wondering why the topic had suddenly changed. He looked down at the paper bag and saw there was one left. He picked it up and tossed it into his mouth.
“Now I am,” he answered, his voice muffled.
Fan Yue looked at the little demon with oil smudged on his mouth and suddenly felt a flicker of interest. He reached out and pinched his chin.
“Was it good?” he asked lightly, his pupils faintly glowing gold.
Bai Xuzi blinked, his cheeks still moving up and down as he chewed intently. He didn’t have a free moment to speak.
“…”
Fan Yue narrowed his eyes slightly. With a wave of his hand, a small, white-furred rabbit suddenly appeared in his palm.
The chewing stopped. The rabbit’s ears stood up straight.
It looked up at Fan Yue, a bit confused.
Fan Yue raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently.
But the little rabbit in his hand only paused for a moment before it started chewing again. It didn’t seem to mind being turned back into its original form and was still focused on eating its bun. It even stretched out its front paws and rested them on his hand, as if that were more comfortable.
A smile tugged at the corner of Fan Yue’s lips. He hadn’t expected this outcome.
He’s not afraid anymore…
Just then, the rabbit’s head stretched upward, as if it were struggling to swallow. It didn’t look very comfortable, as if it were choking.
Fan Yue glanced at him, then reached for his own teacup.
“Drink.”
The rabbit’s head immediately lowered, and it began to take small sips. A small cloud of black mist immediately formed around its ears, dutifully acting as a “hair tie.”
After he finished drinking, Bai Xuzi moved his rabbit head away, finally feeling a bit better. What was wrong with him? He had chewed for so long, how could he still choke?
So embarrassing, so embarrassing!
But before he could finish berating himself, he felt his rabbit mouth being wiped with considerable force.
“Are you full now?” Fan Yue asked again, his expression unreadable.
Bai Xuzi’s ears flattened back. He tried his best to understand the meaning of the question and finally said tentatively, “I think… so.”
A soft chuckle was heard—
Bai Xuzi felt instantly humiliated and struggled to get free, but just then…
“A promise is a promise. Give me your dried radishes.”
The rabbit’s eyes widened in disbelief!
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