Song Fuyan delivers an ultimatum…
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Ch. 27 | The Hunting Ground
After hearing Dandan’s crazy, cocky statement, Song Lin thought for a moment before asking, ‘As a being with a fluffy appearance, don’t you think your words are too savage?’
‘You’re discriminating against fluffy beings.’ Dandan pillowed his hands behind his head and propped his legs on the pillow. ‘It’s not as if there’s a law stating that all fluffy beings must be cute, right?’
A corner of Song Lin’s mouth curved upwards ever so slightly — it looked like he had provoked a ‘disobedient’ fellow.
It was rather… stimulating.
‘Well, Troy also has a coat of white fur but at least he’s much cuter.’ While saying this, Song Lin deliberately laid stress on Troy’s name and then took in the reaction he had desired from Dandan: shock. This fellow revealed all his emotions so openly, from shock to contemplation, then passing to unwillingness and finally proudly tossing his head — all displayed without anything held back.
‘Fine, go look for Troy then. Since he’s so cute, take him to participate in the Guardians’ Tournament instead.’ Dandan vowed to himself that if Song Lin dared to answer ‘okay’, he would use his claws to tear that preposterously handsome face to ribbons.
Finding that a certain rabbit was very cute when he ‘doth protest too much’, Song Lin felt an irresistible urge to tease him and played along by saying, ‘Your suggestion isn’t entirely impractical, but I’ve already made a pact with you so how can I make another one with Troy?’
‘There’s no rule against Guardians having more than one spirit beast.’ Seeing that Song Lin really did have such an intention made Dandan feel like his heart was being weighed down by a rock; he turned over, lay down, wrapped himself in the blanket up to his head and said moodily, ‘Go ahead and make a pact with Troy. You can take him with you to the Guardians’ Tournament, I don’t mind.’
Song Lin felt that he had teased him enough and it was best not to go too far¹. ‘I won’t make any pact with Troy. Dandan, as far as I’m concerned, you’re the only one who can help me win the title of Arch-Guardian.’
The fellow cocooned inside the blanket was silent for a while before poking his head halfway out to ask, ‘My spiritual power is zero and my calibre is Chrysalis. Why do you still have so much faith in me?’
‘You said so yourself…’ Song Lin said slowly. ‘You’re pretty strong.’
Dandan was floored. He had indeed said that.
‘I’m pretty strong.’ That had been his self-assessment, hardly a modest one. Hearing it from Song Lin’s mouth now made him feel rather embarrassed.
He mumbled to himself, ‘That’s true.’
Not boasting, but when he was mixing with Yu Huan there weren’t many who could go toe to toe with him.
At this juncture, Styx’s voice sounded from outside: ‘Second Master, Eldest Master is returning to the League.’
Song Lin hesitated before saying, ‘I’ll go and see him off.’
¹ 見好就收 jiànhǎo-jiùshōu. If you’re not reading this chapter at hiding in plain sight, it has been stolen and reproduced by novelscraping sites.
When he came to the front gate of the main courtyard, it was drizzling. Song Fuyan’s attendants had made every effort to shelter him with an umbrella to the point that not a single drop landed on his exquisitely-tailored Western suit.
‘You’re returning to the League already?’ Song Lin hailed him.
Song Fuyan’s footsteps halted and turned round, his expression slightly forbidding. ‘Since when have you had the right to question my comings and goings?’ His tone was as unfriendly as it had always been²; ever since Old Master’s passing, Eldest Master had never had a kind word for Second Master.
Listening to them, Styx sighed inwardly.
Song Lin was holding an umbrella but at an angle so a few drops of rain quivered on the ends of his fringe. ‘I just thought that since it’s so late, why not spend the night here and return tomorrow instead. That way, at least we can…’ The words got stuck in his throat for he encountered Song Fuyan’s cold gaze and couldn’t quite bring himself to continue.
‘Can what?’ Song Fuyan asked.
‘Can… have breakfast together.’ Having been pressed for an answer, Song Lin finally gave a low cough and answered rather uncomfortably.
‘The Guardians’ Tournament will be held soon and you should be thinking about how to win, not about having breakfast with me,’ Song Fuyan said coldly.
After hearing this, Song Lin did not say anything more. Under the glow of the streetlamps outside, a light in his pale blue eyes seemed to flicker out.
‘You offended all the clan elders today and I haven’t punished you for it. I’ll settle this score with you after the Guardians’ Tournament is over. As for that rabbit of questionable background, his existence is an abnormality. Some at the League have already proposed that we arrest and detain him. Taking into account that he’s your bonded spirit beast, I’ve quashed that proposal for now. You have three days to decide whether he’ll be handed over to the League to be detained or if you’ll take him with you to the Guardians’ Tournament. Give me your answer in three days’ time.’ After saying that, Song Fuyan turned and strode out of the front gate.
Song Lin gazed after his departing back: tall, broad and intimidating, with the innate aura of a sovereign.
² 一如既往 yīrú-jìwǎng. Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.
Styx walked over to Song Lin and said, ‘Perhaps Eldest Master has been too busy with work lately, hence his tone was a little harsh. Don’t take it to heart, Second Master.’
‘Styx, the concern for me now is that someone in the League is already thinking of trying to get Dandan.’
Styx was taken aback. ‘You mean that the proposal by the League to detain him was actually an attempt to seize him for themselves? … Could it be Wanyan Fu? He didn’t succeed in snatching Dandan away from here last time and he’s not the type to take defeat lying down³.’
‘He is one possibility but there may well be others.’
‘Others?’ Styx frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘At today’s spiritual appraisal, some people only noticed that Dandan’s spiritual power was zero but it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that Dandan’s power has already exceeded the Surveying Spring’s capacity which is why things happened the way they did.’
Styx pondered this with a frown. ‘The way Mr Jing’s Surveying Spring works is that the taller the fountain, the greater the spiritual power. After evaluating Dandan, the fountain punctured the entire ceiling, meaning that… Dandan’s spiritual strength is so powerful that it’s beyond what the Surveying Spring can bear?’
Song Lin nodded. ‘A spirit beast with spiritual strength that exceeds the Surveying Spring’s limits. Think about how many people would want a spirit beast like that?’
Styx cautioned, ‘Even if he is a very rare high-level spirit beast, the fact remains that he concealed his identity and came to the Song Manor, both of which are very suspicious actions so you cannot fully trust him, Second Master.’
Song Lin’s eyes darkened slightly before he looked down. ‘I know.’ He paused then added, ‘Styx, have the hunting ground prepared.’
‘The hunting ground? Second Master, don’t tell me you’re planning to…’
‘Just so,’ Song Lin replied blandly.
‘… All right, I understand.’
Styx had no choice but to comply.
³ 善罷甘休 shànbà-gānxiū. Please consider reading from hiding in plain sight rather than from novelscraping sites.
In the wee hours of the morning, a faint orange glow came from a lamp that was still turned on at the League Manor. Song Fuyan was holding Dandan’s information tablet which had the following carved under three columns:
Classification: Jade Rabbit
Spiritual power: Three hundred
Spiritual calibre: Supreme
Mr Jing had just despatched someone to deliver this amended tablet to him. Dandan’s spiritual power had been initially recorded as zero and his calibre as Chrysalis. After the Surveying Spring and Surveying Clock had been put out of order, Mr Jing had hurried over. What had happened after that was a mystery but this amended result was the conclusion.
A deep frown knit Song Fuyan’s brow. No spirit beast of the Jade Rabbit species had appeared in Ridge City for a very long time. The only one had been the bonded spirit beast of the Arch-Guardian Yu Huan a century ago. After Yu Huan’s death, all three of his spirit beasts had vanished without a trace.
His thumb stroked the tablet for a while as he gazed at the words and muttered to himself, ‘A Supreme Jade Rabbit… is such a coincidence possible?’
The more he thought, the more confused he felt. Song Fuyan put down the tablet and leaned back against the chair, rather tiredly massaging the space between his brows. He then pulled open a drawer where a photo frame was lying face down. He paused for a moment before turning it over. It held a yellowed photograph of two little boys smiling innocently.
At length, he placed the photo face down again and locked the drawer.
Early the next morning, a half-asleep Dandan was dragged out of bed by Styx and bundled into the car.
‘Where are we going? Where’s Song Lin?’ Dandan asked bewilderedly.
‘Second Master is already waiting for you at the hunting ground,’ Styx told him.
Dandan’s eyes opened fully and he woke up properly. ‘Hunt… hunting ground?! What are we going there for?’
While driving, Styx coldly informed him, ‘Second Master already said that from today onwards, you’ll be put through… training hell.’
(Approx. 1566 words)
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