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Dandan comes clean (sort of) but will that be enough to convince a sceptical Song Lin?
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Ch. 3.1 | The beast colosseum
‘I’m not peeing any more, not peeing any more!’ Dandan thumped his hind legs in protest.
‘Please yourself.’ Song Lin carried him over to the edge of the bed where he sat down.
Dandan thought he would be tossed back on to the floor, but Song Lin unexpectedly sat him on his thigh instead.
Huh? His thigh?
Dandan had no idea what this Second Master was up to but lying down on his leg was quite a comfortable and familiar sensation.
‘Do you have a name?’
‘Yeah, I’m Dandan.’
‘Dandan? That’s a very strange name. Sounds quite pathetic¹.’
‘I think so too…’
‘Who named you?’
‘My former owner…’
‘Your former owner’s literary tastes leave much to be desired…’
‘…’ Dandan stared at him somewhat dazedly, as if he could see someone else in him.
‘I was initially planning to wait until the Guardians’ Tournament was over to investigate your background, but since you’ve showed up here on your own initiative then you might as well explain how you and Ah Si are related.’
‘… Eh?’
Me and that little squirt of a spiritual assessor? We’re not related at all… Dandan flicked his ears and gazed at Song Lin in some bewilderment.
Seeing that he was not answering, Song Lin continued, ‘If not, how much did you pay Ah Si to make it worth his while to bring you back here?’
Dandan stared at him dumbfounded. Second Master, your theories are getting wilder by the minute, oi! You’re saying I bribed the spiritual assessor just so I could enter your Song Manor?
‘I don’t know Ah Si at all. I was caught on Dragon Ridge.’
‘Dragon Ridge was where the former Arch-Guardian, Yu Huan, died. No spirit beasts have dared to go near that ridge for years so how did you end up being caught there?’
‘Obviously I didn’t know that was the resting place of Arch-Guardian Yu Huan… I was just passing by but still ran into a beast trapper…’ Dandan looked highly disgruntled.
¹ 可憐兮兮 kěliánxīxī. If you’re not reading this chapter at hiding in plain sight, it has been stolen and reproduced by novelscraping sites.
Song Lin looked at him without saying a word².
Dandan saw himself reflected in those ice blue eyes and in that intervening silence, suddenly felt afraid of being exposed. There had been no finesse in the lie he had just told so where would such a clever person like Second Master buy it?
Dandan thus put up a final struggle: ‘It’s very late, so I’ll let you get some rest, Second Master…’ While saying that, his hind legs tensed and he was about to leap down but Song Lin unexpectedly pressed him back down with one hand. Before Dandan could process this development, something even stranger was happening: Song Lin was conveniently stroking his back.
That’s right, stroking him just as if he were some pet.
For some reason, that sensation raised Dandan’s goose pimples and countless questions flashed through his mind: darn it, why isn’t he letting me leave? Why is he still stroking me? And why is he stroking me so gently?! Something must be wrong… This fool must be out to kill me!
After a long interval, not only was he still alive, but he heard Song Lin suddenly remark, ‘Your fur feels nice actually.’
‘…’ Dandan did not answer, being half-frightened to death. This Second Master could go from murderous intent one minute to praising him for his soft fur the next? He really was a pervert… Dandan hated dealing with perverts most of all.
² 一言不發 yīyán-bùfā. Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.
Song Lin stated, ‘Everything you’ve said so far has been nothing but a pack of lies. I’ll give you one last chance. If you tell me the truth, I’ll let you off.’
Dandan’s eyes lit up after hearing the three words ‘let you off’ and he nodded earnestly.
‘Why did you follow Styx here in the middle of the night?’
‘To sleep with you.’
Song Lin’s face twitched slightly. Plainly, he had not been expecting such an answer. ‘Sleep… with me? What does that mean?’
‘Literally what it says.’ Dandan couldn’t understand it. This Second Master looked like a shrewd customer normally so why didn’t he get what was just said?
He thus explained everything again patiently. ‘Just now I ran into a little snake sister crying in the pavilion. She claimed that you had booted her out when she tried to get into bed with you and even said you don’t like girls. She persuaded me to try my luck. If I could catch your discerning eye, I might be lucky enough to make a pact with you and not have to end up at the Exchange.’
Having told the truth this time, Dandan sprawled on Song Lin’s leg with an expression of ‘believe it or not, up to you’ on his face.
Song Lin deliberated over this before asking, ‘You want to make a pact with me?’
‘… Everyone in the Song Manor wants to make a pact with you. You’re the ultimate meal ticket: being with you means being set for life³,’ Dandan muttered.
‘What a worldly little rabbit.’ Song Lin quirked an eyebrow and asked composedly, ‘Then do you know how you should go about making a pact with me?’
‘… I heard getting into your bed is a way.’
‘Oh? And what happens after that?’
‘After that?’
After that, that snake ran away and didn’t tell me the rest…
‘I don’t know.’
‘Shall I tell you then?’ Song Lin stroked his lower lip with a forefinger.
Dandan suddenly had a presentiment of danger and said hastily, ‘No need, no need, I don’t want to know.’ From Song Lin’s tone, it was obviously nothing good. He wasn’t about to get himself killed for the sake of a pact, period!
³ 吃穿不愁 chīchuānbùchóu. Please consider reading from theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com rather than from novelscraping sites.
Consequently, with a forceful bound, he leapt clear of Song Lin’s knee. Surprisingly, Song Lin did not stop him but said leisurely, ‘Little powder puff, once you walk out of that door, no one can protect you.’
Dandan halted in mid-step. ‘You, what do you mean?’
‘Not everyone can enter my quarters. You were only able to come in because you were following Styx and he wanted to make use of this chance to find out what your real motive was for coming to the manor. You’re not too bright though, so it’s not very likely that you’re a spy unless the one who sent you is soft in the head5. But your escaping the storehouse is very suspicious indeed and the moment you step out of here, Styx will certainly be waiting to get you. If you stay with me however, I might just be able to spare you.’
(Approx. 1091 words)
12’s notes:
⁴ 腦子進水 nǎozijìnshuǐ.
1/3/2020: Edited paragraphs for clarity.
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Translated and edited by 12
hiding in plain sight 
Interesting, who do Song Lin’s words remind Dandan of? Also, if I were Song Lin and came across a fluffy rabbit, I’m not sure I could resist petting. I guess Dandan isn’t used to it?
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Yep, Dandan’s been alone for a long time. This must feel really strange to him and he’s got good reason to be wary…
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