The Godlike Jade Rabbit Chapter 41

I’m back! 😄

Will Troy be able to persuade Dandan to go back with him?

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Ch. 41 | Stolen

 
‘What are you doing sneaking around?’

‘I thought you were sleeping so I was afraid to wake you up!’ Troy pointed to the area that was being pinched and said, ‘Hurts —’

‘Oh.’ Dandan loosed his claw. ‘How did you find your way here?’

Troy’s eyes swept over the cave interior as he answered, ‘Oh, that… His Excellency Styx used the Soul Tracking Technique so I followed your spiritual energy here.’

While chewing on a blade of grass, Dandan said bitterly, ‘The Soul Tracking Technique is really the one spell I hate most.’

‘Do you have anything to eat here?’

‘Some fruits over there.’ Dandan pointed at the interior and Troy ran over to have a look before crying out in disgust, ‘They’re all rotten, how long have you had them here?’

‘Hmm… a few months, I think…’

Troy: ‘…’

Dandan flicked a glance over at the mouth of the cave. Not a leaf rustled in the wind outside and his eyes glistened for a second before he pretended to ask casually, ‘You came alone?’

‘Mm hm.’

‘That, who… didn’t come?’

‘Whom do you mean?’

‘Song… no, I mean Styx didn’t come?’

‘No, His Excellency Styx is very busy.’

‘Then… Song… forget it, it’s nothing.’ Dandan lay down listlessly.

Troy walked closer, curiosity written all over his face and asked, ‘Hey, hey, Brother Dandan, are you… really that legendary spirit beast of Yu Huan’s?’

Dandan looked up briefly. ‘Huh?’

‘When you quarrelled with Second Master Song that day, Styx and I were outside and we overheard everything.’

Troy pointed at him. ‘Y-y-you’re really that jade rabbit of Dragon Ridge? That rabbit who can exterminate an entire tribe by himself?’

Dandan was not in the mood to explain much and besides, Troy was someone trustworthy so he merely nodded his head in confirmation.

‘Yeah, I didn’t know any better when I was young so I did do something like that.’

‘No wonder you were able to frighten away the Gu scorpions just by speaking to them in the beast language last time in the Fascinating Forest — it really was because they recognised you! They knew they couldn’t defeat you so they retreated.’

Seeing another nod of confirmation, Troy became even more excited.

‘By golly, to think that I’ve actually seen Yu Huan’s spirit beast with my own eyes in my lifetime¹! And talked to him face to face! Oh, oh, oh… we even bathed together in the hot springs! I really want to burn some paper money for my mother and tell her this news!’

‘What on earth is there worth telling your mother about…’ Dandan said, bored stiff and chewing on a blade of grass.

Troy, whose eyes were full of hero worship, was just about to ask more but was interrupted.

‘Why did you come here alone? Did Song Lin ask you to?’

‘No, it was His Excellency Styx. Do go back with me, Brother Dandan. There are still the finals to be held. What’s Second Master going to do if you’re not around?’

_{¹ 有生之年 yǒushēngzhīnián. If you’re not reading this chapter at hiding in plain sight, it has been stolen and reproduced by novelscraping sites.}

As soon as he heard that it wasn’t on Song Lin’s orders, Dandan felt abandoned.

‘Your Second Master doesn’t want to see me. Even if I go back, he’ll just kick me out. I’m not going back just to be humiliated.’

‘Well, if you’re not going back, what are your plans then?’ Troy asked.

‘I’ll just grow old alone here.’ He stretched lazily.

‘Brother Dandan, your spiritual power is so strong, how can you just spend the rest of your life on this lousy mountain? Since you don’t plan on returning to the Song Manor, then have you considered… changing owners?’

‘Of the two owners I had, one is dead and the other sent me packing. You think I still need to consider a third one?’

Seeing that persuasion was useless, Troy thus said, ‘Then I’ll just go back to the manor first. If Second Master has a change of heart and wants to see you, shall I come and tell you again?’

‘No, no need, I certainly don’t care what he thinks.’

‘Oh, all right, I won’t come and tell you then.’ After saying this, Troy turned and prepared to leave the cave.

‘Hey! Wait a second,’ Dandan hailed him. ‘If Song Lin wants to see me, there’s no harm in letting me know. I might just consider going back.’

‘Okay.’

When he got back to the Song Manor, Styx asked, ‘Did you find Dandan?’

Troy shook his head. ‘No.’

Styx frowned. ‘Try again tomorrow.’

‘Okay.’

At this moment, Song Lin was reading in his bedroom. A servant girl entered with an armful of clothes.

‘Second Master, the new clothes by the tailor are here.’

Song Lin glanced at them. The colours were a little gaudy and seemed to be the kind of style only a young fellow would like so he found himself commenting, ‘Styx is choosing clothes randomly for me again.’

The startled servant girl asked, ‘Eh, Second Master, aren’t these the new clothes that you ordered made for Dandan a few days ago?’

‘…’ Song Lin was briefly taken aback before recalling that he had indeed done so.

‘Is that so? Throw them away then.’

‘… Huh? Throw them away? These were custom-made by the best tailor in Ridge City… it would be such a shame to throw them away…’

‘I said, throw them away.’

Styx walked in then, took the clothes from the servant girl and told her, ‘I’ll settle it. You can go out now.’

The servant girl hastily handed him this hot potato and withdrew from the room.

Styx placed the clothes inside the wardrobe.

Song Lin took in all his movements with a sideways glance.

‘Don’t be presumptuous.’

Styx replied, ‘The wardrobe is so big anyway, the clothes hardly take up any space.’

Song Lin listened without raising any further objections.

Styx looked out the window and at the raindrops pattering on the eaves and observed, ‘The rainy season is here.’

Song Lin also looked up and out the window.

‘It looks like this rain will last for a few days. I wonder where Dandan is taking shelter?’

Song Lin put down his book. ‘Since when did you learn to make innuendos?’

‘I didn’t mean anything by it.’ Styx produced a picture album. ‘These are the spirit beasts captured by the beast trappers of the North. Would you please take a look and see if any of them interest you?’

‘New spirit beasts? … What for?’

‘Dandan has left but you still need a spirit beast with you for the Guardians’ Tournament. The League wrote this morning, informing us of the results of the next round’s draw.’

Song Lin turned his head to ask, ‘Who’s my opponent?’

‘The House of Bai…’

The Bai clan…

Ranked second among the Five Great Houses, although that was during Old Master Song Ranxiu’s era. Following the changes to family members, some families declined while others rose to prominence. The Bai clan of today was very different from the past² and it would not do to underestimate them.

‘Second Master, to prepare for all contingencies, do let the beast trappers look for some new spirit beasts.’

Song Lin frowned. He was not in the mood to choose a new spirit beast but Styx had placed the picture album on the table and appeared to have no intention of leaving. Normally, if he expressed his reluctance, Styx would not force the issue so his persistence today was most probably because Brother had insisted on it.

Not surprising, Styx is Brother’s right-hand man so he would have informed the latter about Dandan’s leaving… hence they’re so anxious to find me a new spirit beast.

Song Lin picked up the picture album and flipped through the pages, figuring that if he didn’t pick out at least a few, he wouldn’t be able to get rid of Styx. He thus pointed at a few drawings.

‘This one, this one… and this one are not bad.’

Styx made a note beside each drawing and said, ‘Very well, Second Master,’ and then withdrew.

Neither of them noticed a small black shadow under the window which twitched and then vanished in a flash.

_{² 今非昔比 jīnfēi-xībǐ. Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.}

Dandan, in his original form, leapt over the walls and left the Song Manor but found it hard to control his feelings.

What the hell, I left not too long ago yet Song Lin is already looking for a new spirit beast?

He had missed Song Lin so much that he couldn’t resist coming down the mountain to steal a look at him but never thought he would find him selecting new spirit beasts.

The little rabbit kicked especially hard at a pebble in a puddle.

There I am, leading a wretched life in my cave and here you are, so damn ungrateful and heartless! Fickle in love… and lascivious³!
… Wait, is lascivious the right word?
Who cares.

Dandan was so wrapped up in his misery at being abandoned that he didn’t realise someone was stealthily following him.

Pitter-patter…

At this point, there came the sound of shoes squelching in the mud, the footsteps were unhurried, like they belonged to someone who was leisurely passing by…

It was only after walking a great distance that it dawned on Dandan that this person had been on the same route as him for a long time.

A robbery?
Can’t be, I’m a rabbit now. Who would rob a rabbit?
Seduction?
Even less likely, normal people don’t have such fetishes…

The footsteps drew nearer and nearer. He turned his head suddenly but before he could get a good look at the figure behind him, a gun went off and something small and thin was fired into his thigh.

His four limbs turned to jelly instantly and he collapsed bonelessly into a puddle of mud. He gazed at the syringe on his leg in stupefaction — tran-tranquilliser??

The pair of black boots drew near steadily. They belonged to a man wearing the uniform of the League; he also carried a whip on his belt. The man was holding an umbrella as he squatted down, pushed up the brim of his hat with the gun and said smilingly, ‘Hello, little rabbit, nice to meet you. I’m Chen Yang.’

_{³ 水性杨花 shuǐxìngyánghuā. Please consider reading from theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com rather than from novelscraping sites.}

Chen… Yang? Dandan gasped for air, his head swimming. I’ve never heard of this name…

‘You may not know who I am so I’ll just introduce myself. I’m a colonel from the League.’

Dandan frowned: I don’t… give a damn who you are!!

He tried to move his legs to stand up but he just couldn’t do it — his legs felt leaden and completely numb.

The man in black boots stood savouring the sight of his futile struggles for a while before saying, ‘Stop wasting your time. I gave you a triple dose of tranquilliser.’

‘Triple dose…?’
What the hell, you think you’re after a bear?!

‘Can’t be helped. The legendary Supreme Jade Rabbit of Dragon Ridge is so powerful that I was afraid I couldn’t take you out without a larger dosage.’

Dandan swore silently.

Chen Yang’s big hand seized him by the ears and held him up in mid-air.

‘I didn’t manage to capture you the last time but I’ve got you at last.’

Dandan’s eyelids flicked up. ‘Why do you want to capture me?’

‘I like rearing rabbits best. I’ve been looking for you for a long time but too bad Song Lin beat me to it first. Now I hear that the two of you have had a falling-out, so I’ve come specially to take you in.’

‘How do you know we’ve had a falling-out?’

‘Naturally someone told me.’

‘Who told you?’

‘You don’t need to know who.’

Chen Yang raised a hand and a car immediately drove over. The driver got out of the car and took out a sack from the back seat.

Dandan got a fright: No way, I’m really being kidnapped?? He struggled with all his might but he couldn’t even lift his legs in the slightest.

Chen Yang, still holding him by his ears, was about to toss him into the sack.

‘Let go of me!!’ Dandan bellowed.

‘Song Lin doesn’t want you any more so why not come with me? I’ll treat you well.’

‘I don’t want to come with you! You freak of nature!’

… Freak.of.nature!

Chen Yang’s face twisted strangely. This was plainly the first time someone had called him that and anger suddenly welled up in his heart.

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_{(Approx. 2077 words)}

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Translated and edited by 12

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