Chapter 3-4 (1/2)
Artist: Ibuki Satsuki
Woo, I’m slowly finis.h.i.+ng up this short story after such a long delay >.< hopefully=”” part=”” 5-6=”” gets=”” done=”” soon=”” as=””>
III.
The life of rabbit A Chan is long, meeting numerous troubles, the times apologizing are as vast the sea. But Ling Xiaojun is the great G.o.d. She is only a puny rabbit immortal, let alone apologizing, even smiling apologetically has no door [no room].
Curiosity kills the rabbit, if one ignored the cause behind A Chan causing trouble, she was actually quite excited.
It's Ling Xiaojun, it's reportedly heard that Ling Xiaojun masterfully controlled the four seasons…
“Can I go visit the Purple Haze Mountain first?” A Chan asked when the immortal official marched her to go descend to the mortal realm.
“For what?” The immortal official shot a glance at her.
A Chan blushed, “I feel bad being empty-handed, Purple Haze Mountain has a lot of radishes/carrots, large and sweet ……”
“Ling Xiaojun does not eat radishes/carrots.” The immortal official coldly said.
The night fell, the silver moon wrapped the quiet sounds of the Three Realms, [and they]rode the clouds down to a garden in the outskirts of the capital. A Chan looked and only saw moonlight gleamed on the snow, and a delicately made tower before one's eyes.
“Go.” The immortal official said to A Chan..
A Chan looked at the lights upstairs on the tower, and hesitantly looked in the direction of the immortal official.
The immortal displayed a bit of revere and said, “Ling Xiaojun is here.”
A Chan answered, summon her courage, and directed the clouds toward the tower.
The wind whistled in the ears, and seeing that the bright lights on the balcony is getting closer, A Chan suddenly felt a burst of astral wind[1] coming, as if her soul is pulling out and it has become lighter.
[1] Astral wind that immortals may ride according to Daoism
The next moment, she was shocked.
A Chan has transformed to her rabbit form, four hanging paws, and her ears are firmly held by hands.
The youth standing in front, bent down to look at her, and the moonlight shone on his white, but cold face that was as bright as jade.
Four eyes staring face to face, A Chan looked at him and he looked at her, within those beautiful eyes rose a flabbergast or perhaps… excitement?
“Duke! Don't stand near the cold window, come in!” A tapering sound came from the room.
Duke Guangling, no, Ling Xiaojun, turned around and looked at the side to loudly speak, ”En, I've caught… ah!”
While he was distracted, A Chan quickly struggled to come down, and as fast as lightning, ran to hide under the bed.
Footsteps came hastily, “What?”
“A rabbit.” Ling Xiaojun's voice revealed happiness, “Before I was gazing at the moon by the window, and then suddenly a gust of wind blew, and I reached to block yet ended up catching a rabbit!”
“Rabbit?” A tapering voice was confused, “Where?”
“It hid under the bed!”
Rustling noises came near, A Chan huddled in the corner.
“There is no rabbit.”
“But…”
“Oh my, dear little immortal Duke of mine! You want to keep a rabbit, xiao ren[2]knows. But you cannot stand near the window and catch a cold ya! Let me see… Ai ya, the forehead is hot! If this reaches the ears of the prince, will this xiao ren be able to keep his life? Please go back with xiao ren to the room, I beg of you my lord…”
[2] self-address of someone at a low social status during ancient times
The sounds of nagging and footsteps drew away, and A Chan waited for the surroundings to be quiet before crawling out from under the bed.
Ling Xiaojun…she was surprised, not knowing what to do. A youth with no rhetoric or appearance, is he really an immortal G.o.d?,
A Chan thought while shaking off the dust in her fur, internally chanted the spell to turn to human form.
But after chanting several time, she is still an animal.
En? A Chan was fl.u.s.tered, and continued to chant…
“Useless, little sprite.” A lazy voiced sounded, “The heavenly barrier of Ling Xiaojun is determined by the heaven, once a small immortal come close, magic powers will be lost.”
A Chan was surprised and turned around, saw a puppy lying down near the draperies, long golden ears, and eyes like bells.
“Who are you?” A Chan instinctively retreated two steps, her paws in defense were protecting her front.
The puppy did not answered, and sniffed the air, ”En, the smell of the Jade Lake, there is still that Yue Lao… You are part of Yue Lao Palace?”
A Chan's ears straighten up, her two red eyes glared, and she stammered, ”You… in the end who are you?”
“I?” The puppy stretched, smoothed his golden fur, cleared his throat, and proudly said, ”I am the servant protecting Ling Xiaojun, the heavenly animal guardian Dun Yi!”
A Chan, “…”
Moonlight shone through the window, the room was warm and quiet.
On the bed, the youth is sleeping, his breathing lightly blew up and down on the quilt.
A Chan clung to the bed, and carefully pulled out his wrist. She chanted the spell to remove the red string, tried again and again, but no result came.
“Useless,” The puppy that claimed himself as the heavenly animal Dun Yi lied on the side while slowly speaking, ”The magic of the power was erected by the Queen Mother, can you not see even a heavenly animal like I have become like this?”
“Why try to create a barrier? What is wrong with xiaojun?”
“Ling Xiaojun is sick.” Dun Yi's eyes fell, it seems quite distressed.
“Sick?” A Chan was puzzled.
Dun Yi sighed, “It's a long story, do you know Tian Zhu?”
A Chan nodded, “I know.” Tianzhu at Kunlun, is heavenly and G.o.dly object[3]
[3] It's an object that helps protect the balance between the Three Realms
Dun Yi said, “… Last year Tian Zhu started cracking, the world tilted, Xuan Ming wind from the north blew in. Ling Xiaojun was ordered to repair, exhausted his power yet, was eroded by arctic, and after returning to the heaven realm, immediately slept without waking up.”
“Sleeping without waking up” A Chan was surprised as she looked over the person sleeping on the bed, “Then…”
“Immortal G.o.ds have spiritual souls. In order to avoid the arctic poison, Ling Xiaojun's spiritual soul separated from the body, and then came to the mortal realm.”
A Chan's eyes were wide open, and then for a while, said, ”With Ling Xiaojun like this, in the heaven realm with so many G.o.ds are there not any G.o.ds caring? The Jade Queen Mother, Taishang Laojun are all mighty G.o.ds!”
Dun Yi smiled, “Xiaojun is also mighty, the arctic poison that can attack xiaojun is the evil energy left behind when the world was in chaos. Even if the Jade Queen Mother is there, cannot help and only xiaojun himself can disperse it.”
A Chan gazed at the falling snow, and whispered, “Then Ling Xiaojun … ah, I mean Duke Guang Ling, does he know who he is?”
Dun Yi shook his head, “He does not know who he is, has no G.o.dly powers.”
A Chan bowed her head in silence.
Dun Yi looked at her, “If not, I can let you pay a formal visit to Queen Mother?”
If meeting the Queen Mother, then the situation that the immortal officials and underworld tried to conceal will be brought to light.
A Chan drooped her ears and whispered, “No need.”
IV.
When the youth woke up, he saw a rabbit lying on the bed, its fur white like snow, like a white dumpling.
He sat up, and looked at the white rabbit in alarm and fondness, ”It's you! You are the rabbit that I've caught last night?”
The white rabbit looked at him, two s.h.i.+ny red eyes, like rubies given as tribute from overseas.
The youth looked and like it even more. He raised his hand to hug the white rabbit. The white rabbit did not struggle, and was hugged in his embrace, only its two ears moved.
“Obedient, even more so than A Huang[4]!” The youth smiled.