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Song Lin has a strong suspicion…
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Ch. 16 | Running away
When he awoke from his memories, the blanket was a little damp. Embarrassed, Dandan used his sleeves to wipe his eyes and pretended nothing had happened.
Yu Huan, oh Yu Huan, if the all the tenderness in the world is worth ten points, then you would have eight. One more point for that afternoon when you called my name. The last point can be shared out among everyone else in the world for all I care.
The door opened with a creak. Someone strolled in unhurriedly.
Dandan smelled food and thought it was the servant girl so he said softly, ‘Just leave it there.’
There was a pause which was followed by the sound of a tray being placed on the table. Then that person walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Only then did Dandan realise it was not a servant girl. The next moment, the blanket was twitched aside and Song Lin’s face came into view.
Dandan blinked a little doubtfully. What is he doing here, shouldn’t he be keeping watch by Troy’s bedside now? Also, why is he sitting on my bed and not saying a word?
Erm…
A strange silence hung over them.
Dandan wondered: … Why does he keep staring at me? Have I got something on my face? He reached out and patted his face, looked at Song Lin again then thought that he had better start talking about something, otherwise it was really awkward.
‘Er, well… how is Troy?’
‘Styx is treating his wounds now.’
Dandan nodded. ‘What about you?’
‘Me?’
‘Weren’t you injured as well?’
‘You’re worried about me?’
‘… I… ahem, was just making conversation…’
Song Lin gazed out the window at the sky which would be brightening soon and said, ‘I’ll be fine after tonight.’
After tonight? In other words, once the first day of the fifth lunar month was over, he would recover his spiritual power?
‘Song Lin, can I ask you something?’ Dandan asked with a frown. ‘Why do you lose all your spiritual power on the first day of the fifth lunar month?’
Song Lin regarded him calmly. ‘Little one, are you aware that we humans have a rule where a secret is either bought with money or bartered for another secret?’
Dandan’s heart skipped a beat. At length he said in a small voice, ‘I don’t have money.’
‘Then use your secret to barter.’
‘I… I don’t really have secrets.’
‘I wouldn’t mind hearing about your background.’
‘I’m just an ordinary rabbit. There’s nothing earth-shattering¹ about my background or past, so I really can’t tell you anything.’
A light seemed to go out in Song Lin’s eyes. If this youth could bring himself to be candid just for once, Song Lin would willingly put aside his ill feeling and trust him a little more.
But until now, he had not spoken a single word of the truth.
They were doomed to mutual mistrust.
¹ 驚天動地 jīngtiān-dòngdì. If you’re not reading this chapter at hiding in plain sight, it has been stolen and reproduced by novelscraping sites.
After an interval, he reached out and lightly stroked Dandan’s head. ‘Forget it. No matter what, I should still thank you this time.’
Dandan ducked and asked, ‘For what?’
‘It wasn’t actually Styx who asked you to look for me. You were the one who insisted on it, right?’
Dandan scratched his head. ‘It’s almost the same anyway. Styx was worried about you but had to guard the house. I happen to have your Blood Weapon inside me, which makes it easier to look for you, and it was on the way so I popped in. No big deal really. In any case, you’ve fed me for more than half a month so even though we don’t have a pact, I still treat you as my partial owner.’
‘Is that really all it is?’ asked Song Lin. ‘Meaning that no matter who it is, as long as someone feeds you, you’ll set your heart on that person?’
‘… Mm.’ Dandan lowered his eyes, not daring to look at him. ‘I’m a rabbit with a conscience.’
Song Lin sighed imperceptibly and presently said in a different tone, ‘Looks like those thirteen pounds of roasted lamb legs were a good investment.’
‘I’ve eaten almost thirteen pounds of meat??’
‘Did you think otherwise?’
‘…’
At this juncture, Styx’s voice sounded from outside the room. ‘Second Master, Troy is awake and would like to see you.’
‘All right, got it.’ Song Lin then said to Dandan, ‘You saved my life this time so you can have anything you like as reward.’
‘Anything at all?’
‘Yes.’
Dandan figured that since he had already decided to leave, he might as well go the whole hog and do whatever he pleased.
He thus took a deep breath and clutched Song Lin’s hand.
‘I…’
‘?’
‘I want to hug you!’
Styx outside the door: !!
Song Lin’s eyes widened a fraction but after a long pause, he stated, ‘I don’t grant physical rewards.’
Crestfallen, Dandan let go of him. The next thing he knew, Song Lin had pulled him into a hug and that magnetic voice sounded in his ear, ‘Never mind, I’ll make an exception.’
This hug caught Dandan unawares² and he was immediately reminded of that long-forgotten tenderness. Each had a feeling that the other was somehow familiar.
Dandan, hugging that person tightly, wondered silently: Yu Huan, is it really you?
Styx, who was at the door and looking in from outside through the glass, saw their two shadows entwined and got a terrible shock. The deuce, what’s going on in there? I need to go in and take a look before the situation gets out of control!
Song Lin spoke just then. ‘Have we… met before?’
‘?’ Dandan was somewhat taken aback that Song Lin would even ask such a question. Was it possible that Song Lin still had some memories of him?
Styx, who had just pushed open the door a crack, overheard this and was dismayed. Good grief, Second Master actually used such a hackneyed line! Don’t tell me my honourable and high-minded Second Master has been hooked by this rabbit?
Dandan turned Song Lin’s words over in his mind several times before replying, ‘Second Master Song, you don’t seem like the type who would say something so corny.’
Song Lin’s brows knitted as he gripped Dandan by the shoulders, gazing intently into his eyes for a long moment but could not discern any emotion in them at all…
Either Dandan was a master at disguising his feelings or his own memories were confused.
After a while, he slowly let go of Dandan and said softly, ‘I suppose I’ve got it wrong.’
Dandan looked down. ‘Mm, you’ve got it wrong.’
Styx, standing in the doorway, heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, Second Master is still able to think clearly.
² 措手不及 cuòshǒu-bùjí. Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.
Dandan gave Song Lin a slight push. ‘You had better get going. Troy’s waiting for you.’
It was then that Song Lin realised something. ‘You keep mentioning Troy today.’
‘Oh, do I? I just want to tell you, if you’re worried about someone, go and see how he is instead of forcing yourself to remain here with me. When all’s said and done, Troy was so badly injured because he was trying to protect you.’
Song Lin felt that there was something amiss about what he just heard. ‘I don’t know why but I keep feeling that you’ve misunderstood something.’
‘I doubt it,’ Dandan gestured disapprovingly. ‘What’s there to misunderstand?’
Song Lin thus stood up and walked out of the room without saying another word.
Styx straightened up immediately and tried to look as if he had not heard anything at all; as though he were not the one whose heart had been on a roller coaster the whole time. To himself he muttered about how these two seemed to be talking in riddles and why he just couldn’t understand a word of it?
Song Lin came to Troy’s room and noticed that his flesh wounds were already starting to heal. He was currently leaning against the headboard drinking his medicine.
‘You wanted to talk to me?’
‘Second Master?’ Troy put down the bowl of medicine and said in agitation, ‘You came, Second Master!’
Song Lin motioned to him to stay still.
Having calmed down, Troy remembered his actual business and hastened to say, ‘It’s about what happened in the Fascinating Forest. I’ve been thinking about it over and over again³ and there’s something very strange about the whole thing.’
‘Go ahead.’
‘When the Gu scorpions were talking to Dandan in beast language, I was able to make out some of it. They were asking whether he was ‘that one’. Although I don’t know whom they meant by ‘that one’, I’m very sure it was someone they all feared.’
‘… Go on.’
‘When there’s a significant gap between the calibres of spirit beasts, the more powerful beast’s oppressive energy can definitely be sensed. Just like me when I was behind Dandan — he was in bestial form and had released all his spiritual power. I believe that just as that overwhelming power left me gasping for breath, the Gu scorpions sensed it as well and retreated hence.’
‘Oh? Your calibre is Silver yet you still felt overwhelmed? Wouldn’t that mean it was by one of Supreme calibre or higher?’
‘I’ve never seen a beast of Supreme calibre before so I don’t know. But there’s something I still can’t figure out.’
‘Let’s hear it.’
‘If it had only been one Gu scorpion which was being overwhelmed by a spirit beast of a far higher calibre, then it’s entirely possible that it would be frightened enough to run away. But there were so many Gu scorpions then that even if they met a higher-ranked beast, it wouldn’t make sense for the whole tribe to turn tail and run. Unless…’
‘Unless,’ Song Lin took over from him, ‘they recognised this higher-ranked spirit beast and knew exactly how strong he was — strong enough to annihilate all of them by himself.’
Troy had been nodding at first but then began shaking his head. ‘Does such a spirit beast actually exist?’
‘I’ve actually heard of one like this…’ Song Lin’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. ‘The Jade Rabbit of Dragon Ridge that was said to be capable of exterminating an entire tribe all by itself and was the bonded beast of the former Arch-Guardian, Yu Huan.’
³ 思前想後 sīqián-xiǎnghòu. Please consider reading from theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com rather than from novelscraping sites.
Hearing the name ‘Jade Rabbit’ was already enough to cause Troy to tremble slightly and once he heard the name ‘Yu Huan’ as well, he felt his head swimming… These two were figures of a long distant past, who existed only as two names at shrines. He had only ever heard his tribe elders speak of them when he was a child…
‘Se-second Master… are you saying… Dandan is…’ Troy did not dare say that name aloud and swallowed hard before saying derisively, ‘It’s impossible surely.’
Song Lin’s expression was unreadable and after a long interval he replied, ‘You’re right, it is.’
Dandan made his escape that night.
This night when Song Lin had completely lost his power was the perfect time for him to run away. For other than Song Lin, no one had a hope of catching him.
(Approx. 1857 words)
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Translated and edited by 12
hiding in plain sight 
Dandan thinks so highly of Yu Huan. Honestly, I couldn’t fully trust Dandan either if I was Song Lin. But he’s still so attached to him already. Was Song Lin expecting him to ask to make a pact? Oh, what a sweet hug. It makes me feel like my heart is squeezed. But why would Song Lin just walk out? Please try to communicate, even if Dandan makes it really hard. I get why Dandan’s running away, but, sigh. Thanks for the translation!
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I guess Song Lin remembered that he couldn’t trust Dandan. He probably expected Dandan to request lots more roasted lamb legs 😆 After all, he didn’t know the rabbit was planning to run away…
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