Another of Yu Huan’s spirit beasts makes an appearance and he’s quite the character.
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Ch. 49 | Phantom
‘This is the place, hurry up and come in,’ Dandan beckoned to him.
Fighting back his disgust with real difficulty, Song Lin followed him into the shop.
‘Welcome!’ The youthful shop owner behind the counter looked up. He was wearing a loud purple shirt and white trousers, not unlike a circus master. His shirt buttons were unbuttoned flirtatiously all the way to his chest while around his neck hung a pink garland from goodness knew where.
…
Such a get-up was just about rescued by that delicately pretty face, otherwise it really was too appalling for words.
When the young shop owner spotted Dandan, he first stared in astonishment before flipping up the counter and going over where he cradled Dandan’s face between his hands, scrutinising every inch before saying, ‘Well well, look who this is!’
Dandan said, ‘Long time no see, Phantom.’
‘Long time no see.’ Phantom patted him caressingly on the shoulder, remarking, ‘You’re still as…’ He looked Dandan up and down¹, searching for an adjective and at last blurted out, ‘Still as cute as ever! Feel like kissing you ~’
Dandan: ‘…’
¹ 上下打量. If you’re not reading this chapter at hiding in plain sight, it has been stolen and reproduced by novelscraping sites.
Just then, Phantom noticed Song Lin standing to one side and after staring in surprise at him, suddenly went very near and sniffed him, then greeted him with: ‘Hi, gorgeous.’
Song Lin was forced to take a step back. Gazing at the face which was suddenly looming before him, he felt somewhat unused to it and so asked coldly, ‘What are you doing?’
‘There’s a very familiar scent about you. Have we met before?’ Phantom took another step closer.
Song Lin had no choice but to lean away slightly and he answered frowningly, ‘No.’ It was a pretty resolute denial.
Phantom turned his head to look at Dandan and whispered, ‘Friend of yours? Mighty stand-offish.’
Dandan dragged him aside. ‘Yu Huan’s reincarnation.’
‘Cripes, him??’
‘Yep, but keep it down. He doesn’t like people to call him Yu Huan’s reincarnation.’
‘Wouldn’t any normal person be over the moon if they heard they were the Arch-Guardian’s reincarnation?’
‘He’s not normal so don’t mind him.’
Phantom asked, ‘Didn’t Yu Huan die on Dragon Ridge? You, Scythe and I saw him die in that fire with our very own eyes. So… what, he didn’t die completely then?’
‘He did, but he reincarnated. I can’t really explain it to you right now.’
‘Well, well… truly a scourge of the ages…’ Phantom concluded.
Dandan nodded in agreement. ‘Scourge of the ages.’
While the two spirit beasts were talking bad about their previous owner, a very bored Song Lin was studying the shop interior.
Unlike other shops, this shop’s decor was very girly, giving the impression of pink bubbles everywhere; moreover, he had never seen most of the products on the display counter.
He happened to pick up a soft pink ball with a wavy surface and asked, ‘What’s this?’
‘Oh, now this one…’ The young shop owner loved nothing better than introducing his products to customers and he walked up smilingly. ‘This is specially made for male dragons’ use.’
‘… How does it work?’
‘Well, you know, dragons are a lusty lot and absolute terrors when they’re ready to mate: they’ll do it with any creature they catch… this gives their owners no end of headaches because it’s a real problem if they start spawning everywhere, so they come to my shop to buy this.’ Phantom squeezed the small soft ball slightly and only then did Song Lin notice a hole as wide as a finger at the top. Worried that he still didn’t understand, Phantom thrust his finger in and out of the hole a few times.
Song Lin’s face instantly darkened and he put back the small ball, then took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands.
‘Would you like to buy one for Dandan? I have different sizes. In Dandan’s case… hmm… the smallest one will do.’
‘Will you shut up!’ Dandan’s voice said from behind.
‘Eh? Why not, don’t you have those needs?’ Phantom asked in surprise. ‘No matter what, you’re a young man and full of animal spirits…’
‘… Never you mind,’ Dandan randomly picked up a long object from the table and waved it at him. ‘Even if I do use one, it’ll be the biggest size, THE BIGGEST SIZE!’
‘Hey, watch it, that’s for female dragons’ use, don’t break it,’ Phantom warned.
Dandan: ‘…’
‘What exactly do you sell here?’ Song Lin asked doubtfully.
‘I sell everything. Whatever spirit beasts need, I have. Take this for example…’ Phantom pointed out a mist-covered water vat in a corner.
‘What’s that?’
‘Water from freezingly cold places. Some spirit beasts born in very cold climates aren’t able to endure the sweltering summers, so their owners will come here to buy a vat of ice water. The ice is shipped from freezingly cold places and won’t melt all year round. Of course, those spirit beasts that go into heat can also do it in the water — it’s quite a different experience.’
Dandan: … So after going one big round², it’s still for THAT purpose…
Song Lin: Hng, ‘Pink Romance’, I should have realised earlier what kind of shop this is…
‘By the way, what brings you here?’ Phantom’s gaze darted from one to the other. ‘Do you need to buy some of my products back to try?’
‘No, we don’t!’ Both of them firmly rejected him in unison.
‘… Oh.’ The young shop owner was slightly disappointed.
² 繞來繞去. Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.
‘It’s like this: we’ll be taking part in the finals of the Guardians’ Tournament very soon…’ explained Dandan. ‘Our opponent will be the lu-shu. You’ve fought him before, correct?’
‘Hmm…’ Phantom sat down with chin in hand to do some recalling. ‘The lu-shu, yes, we had a fight. A real handful. He can freeze time temporarily but remain unaffected himself.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Meaning, he can freeze time for anything around him: anything such as a tiny breeze in the mountain, a brook in the forest, a butterfly flapping its wings. Absolutely everything will be suspended in time and only he himself will be able to move,’ Phantom explained. ‘The moment he uses this power, your only job is to stand there and get beaten up by him.’
Hell’s bells, there was actually such an unfair ability?
Dandan couldn’t help asking, ‘Is there a way to counter his ability?’
‘Nope. Not unless you kill him before he makes his move. But the lu-shu tribe are masters of self-defence so you can’t hope to kill him off quickly.’
‘Then how did you escape unscathed back then?’
‘Back then, our two tribes were only fighting over territory and not some life-and-death struggle so once my tribe gave up on that piece of land, we were able to escape unscathed.’ Phantom added, ‘Take my advice, you’ll never beat him in an open fight, never!’
‘What if… it’s a godlike spirit beast?’ Dandan asked.
‘Godlike?’ Phantom laughed. ‘Dear me, does the little Supreme rabbit want to force himself to evolve? Aren’t you afraid of death? It’s mighty painful when your heart explodes!’
Dandan patted his own heart and looked thoughtful.
Just then, Song Lin rested a hand on his shoulder and said softly, ‘We’ll find another way.’
Startled, Dandan looked up at him. Song Lin’s expression was impassive but somehow his words sounded very gentle. He could sense that Song Lin was reluctant for him to evolve. He mumbled, ‘But, supposing we really can’t defeat the lu-shu, you won’t be able to become Arch-Guardian…’
Song Lin said quietly, ‘I don’t wish to sacrifice you just for the sake of winning the title of Arch-Guardian.’
When Dandan heard this, a feeling of warmth suddenly swept over him; he had a feeling that it was unreal. So, compared with the title of Arch-Guardian, I’m more important…?
‘Still, if you’re forced³ to really try evolving…’ Phantom spoke suddenly, breaking into Dandan’s train of thought. ‘You can consider removing your suppressant.’
Song Lin looked at Phantom. ‘What does a suppressant have to do with his evolving?’
‘Back then, when those Guardians were slaughtering his father’s tribe, it was the impetus for Dandan’s father to push himself to evolve from Silver to Supreme. It’s said that when feelings are running the highest, it can help with the evolution… doesn’t matter if it’s love or hate, as long as it reaches maximum intensity.’ Phantom hesitated before continuing, ‘Of course, this is all just speculation. I only mentioned it because when Yu Huan died that day, Dandan almost…’
‘All right, stop bringing up the past.’ Dandan plainly did not want to talk about the day Yu Huan died.
Phantom shrugged, ‘Forget I said anything then.’
Perceiving Dandan’s mood, Song Lin said, ‘It’s time we were getting back.’
‘Okay.’
³ 迫不得已. Please consider reading from hiding in plain sight rather than from novelscraping sites.
Dandan was just about to leave when Phantom caught hold of his hand and said softly, ‘Hey, if you have any problems, you can always look for me.’
‘Okay.’
‘If you need that suppressant removed, I can help too.’
‘Okay, thanks.’
‘Take care and come see me another time.’ Phantom let go of Dandan and began seeing his guests out with a smile. Just as Song Lin was walking past him, he suddenly said, ‘Hey, Your Lordship, what’s your name?’
Song Lin looked at him bemused before answering, ‘Song Lin.’
‘Oh.’ Phantom patted him on the shoulder. ‘It’s been a real pleasure seeing you.’ Yu Huan, I’m really happy to have seen you again, my owner.
Song Lin glanced at him but did not reply, merely inclining his head politely before leaving with Dandan.
The youthful proprietor leaned against the doorway and shouted after them, ‘You really don’t need any romantic products?’
‘We already said no!’ The two of them yelled back in unison.
Phantom laughed. He turned round and went back into the shop where he sat down behind the counter, whistling while he leisurely counted money, counting until his fingers slowed down. He suddenly recalled that green-eyed fellow with his perennially detached, serene smile, who had always appeared wholly unconcerned about everything and yet seemed to be able to see right through to the depths of your heart.
He remembered those carefree days on Dragon Ridge. That irresponsible owner frequently forgot to feed them so the three of them had once secretly put worms inside Yu Huan’s rice. Yu Huan though did not so much as turn a hair as he ate it all and even crinkled his green eyes smilingly after everything, saying, ‘Yum, thank you for the extra food.’
Honestly, he was the most infuriating person ever. But given how he was hardly a satisfactory owner, why then do I still remember him so clearly? Dandan said he had erected a tombstone for him on Dragon Ridge… hmm, maybe I’ll go take a look another day.
Phantom’s long lashes quivered and he murmured, ‘Make sure you lead a good life this time round… Yu Huan.’
(Approx. 1808 words)
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Translated and edited by 12
hiding in plain sight 
HAHA PHANTOM. A+ I LIKE YOU. YES, DANDAN IS A CUTE RABBIT.
Wow, dragons are interesting too. But uh, Phantom, I see what kind of shop you’re running now and it’s hilarious. And Dandan, you would pick up the giant dildo… :’)
I’m crying, Song Lin being soft. Yes, please be soft with my ridiculous rabbit. ;O; I know Dandan will destroy the moment the next second, but it’s still nice, okay. Phantom is also super supportive, and it’s just nice that Dandan has a friend who knows exactly what he’s been through. I was toootally right about the suppressant foreshadowing–not that it was… a very long foreshadow… anyway…
Thank you so much for the translations!!
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There’s been a lot of foreshadowing already so there’s going to be some action very soon! rubs hands
It’s interesting that Phantom didn’t bother to look for a new owner. I sometimes wonder whether it was because he wanted his freedom or if he felt nobody could hold a candle to Yu Huan.
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