The Godlike Jade Rabbit Chapter 50

Some startling news from Eldest Master…

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Ch. 50 | Eldest Master’s reply

 
Song Lin and Dandan walked with shoulders touching through the bustling marketplace. Neither of them said anything for a while, perhaps because they had been asked earlier to buy romantic products and a slight awkwardness lingered between them.

Just then, a cart laden with goods swept towards them so Song Lin wrapped an arm round Dandan’s waist and pulled him out of harm’s way.

‘Not looking where you’re going?’ The voice teased from above his head.

Dandan didn’t have to look to know what Song Lin’s expression was like just then.

He said, ‘Not like any collision would hurt me, so there’s no need to dodge it.’

Song Lin did not reply, he seemed to be thinking about something else.

After a while, Dandan heard him ask, ‘Just now Phantom said that you almost evolved on the day that Yu Huan died?’

‘I don’t know. I wasn’t really aware of what state I was in back then, it was all a muddle.’

‘An extreme emotional state will give impetus to an evolution. Your emotions must have been at their most intense back then.’

‘Perhaps.’

‘Would you be equally upset if I died?’

This sudden question left Dandan at a loss for an answer. He was silent for a while.

‘Answer me, would you be equally upset if I died?’

‘You?’ Dandan thought carefully for a while before shaking his head.

Seeing this, some light in Song Lin’s eyes seemed to fade.

Dandan immediately added, ‘You’re not the same as Yu Huan. I won’t let you die.’

‘What?’ Song Lin didn’t hear him clearly at first.

‘I said —’ Dandan stood on tiptoe and said very earnestly into his ear, ‘I won’t let you die. Even if it costs me my life, I will defend you.’

These words were said softly but staunchly and Song Lin could feel Dandan’s breath tickling his earlobe. At length, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly and he said in a deliberately cool tone, ‘Yeah, got it.’ There and then, he found himself to be incredibly childish.

When they returned to the manor sometime around noon, Styx and Troy were currently pruning the plants in the courtyard. Yep, just like two retirees, both were holding a pair of shears each and clipping leaves and flowers. Dandan couldn’t help feeling that if the two of them were given a plough then, they would immediately start tilling the soil…

‘Ah, you’re back,’ Troy noticed their return, called out a greeting and wiped his perspiring forehead.

‘What are you doing?’ Dandan asked.

‘The rainy season is over and it’s a rare sunny day so His Excellency Styx is teaching me the art of topiary.’ Troy pointed at a plant which had been shaped by Styx into a galloping steed.

‘By golly!’ Dandan stared open-mouthed at first before he applauded mechanically and asked Styx, ‘So is there anything you can’t do, Mr Virtuous Artist?’

Styx put down the shears and considered the matter carefully before gazing at Dandan with a poker face, ‘At present, I can’t give birth.’ His tone was serious, as if in the near future there arose such a need, he would be able to learn how to and pop a baby out.

‘…’ Dandan gave up on talking to this abnormal steward.

At this point, Styx noticed Song Lin and although the latter was not smiling, his happiness was obvious. After Old Master’s passing, it was very rare to see Second Master so cheerful.

Styx looked at Dandan next… Hmm, his expression seemed normal so he waved him over and asked, ‘Did you two find Phantom?’

‘Yep, in a very… warm shop.’

‘Did you all discover a way to defeat the lu-shu?’

‘No, we only got an idea of what the lu-shu is capable of but we haven’t come up with any strategies.’

Styx stroked his chin while pondering: Then why is Second Master so happy? He looks like he’s in love.

‘Your Excellency Styx.’ A servant girl walked over and handed him something.

‘A letter for you.’

Styx took it and saw that it was from Eldest Master which startled him somewhat. Song Fuyan was very busy¹ and normally only replied at night, so why… unless it was something urgent? He opened the envelope and saw a note which had been beautifully written with a fountain pen: A patrol discovered Colonel Chen Yang’s body on the beach. Photo attached. Chen Yang’s body is charred and he appears to have been burnt to death.

Chen Yang… was dead? Shocked beyond words, Styx turned round to report this news to Song Lin and showed him the photo.

Song Lin asked with a frown, ‘I definitely let Chen Yang off that night so how could he be dead?’ He scrutinised the photo and then observed with narrowed eyes, ‘A syringe of tranquilliser couldn’t have been so lethal and judging from his charred corpse, it’s obvious that someone showed up after we had left and killed him.’

Styx muttered to himself, ‘Who could it have been?’

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After walking over and taking a look, Dandan blurted out, ‘The Crone.’

‘The Crone? What makes you so sure?’

‘From the photo, it looks like that old hag’s modus operandi. Yu Huan was also burnt to death in the same way. But the photo is a little blurry so I can’t be a hundred percent sure. I’ll have to see the body first before making a conclusive judgement.’

‘The body has already been taken back to the League so it will be very difficult to view it,’ Styx said.

‘Then I’ll go to the seaside to see if there might be any clues²,’ Dandan decided. ‘If the scene looks the same as it did when Yu Huan died, then it must have been the Crone who did it.’

‘I’ll come with you, Brother Dandan,’ Troy volunteered bravely.

‘Okay,’ Dandan answered then told Song Lin, ‘we’ll be going now then.’

Song Lin thought for a moment before saying, ‘I’ll come with you.’

Troy promptly said, ‘Second Master, you just came back so it’s better to rest first. Let me go with Dandan.’

Song Lin gave him a curious look and after a pause, replied, ‘Then let Styx go with you two then.’

‘Oh, there’s no need to trouble His Excellency Styx when he has so much to see about at the manor…’ Troy said.

Song Lin and Styx calmly exchanged glances and after a long pause, Styx replied, ‘Quite true, I’m rather busy.’

Song Lin thus said, ‘Then you go with Dandan.’

‘Okay.’ Troy let out a breath.

_{² 馬迹蛛絲. Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.}

After Dandan and Troy had left, Song Lin handed the photo back to Styx with instructions, ‘Tell my brother that since Chen Yang was already involved with the Crone, then there must be some troublemakers already concealed in the League. Tell him to be extremely careful.’

Styx nodded. ‘Got it.’

‘Also,’ Song Lin mentioned flatly, ‘Troy…’

‘I understand.’

‘Do as you see fit. I trust you,’ Song Lin said before going back to his room.

Just as Styx was putting the photo back, he suddenly noticed that at the end of the letter, a line had been crossed out and only one word was written: Okay.

Styx was dumbfounded at first — ‘okay’ what? For a moment, he thought that Song Fuyan had written it by mistake. The next moment, a thought suddenly occurred to him and his eyes widened slowly — Eldest Master had actually seen the line that he had crossed out? The rainy season is long, do remember to dress more warmly. This was what he had written on an impulse before blotting it out with ink.

Had Eldest Master used the same way to reply to him? Sp-specially replied to him?

He inhaled lightly and then exhaled slowly. This was the only time that their correspondence did not involve official business. He replaced the letter with the greatest care and then tucked it inside his clothes. Yes, he was already very contented.

On the way to the seaside, Troy sneezed and Dandan asked, ‘Cold?’

‘Mm.’

‘It’s rather windy now so let’s have a rest over there first.’

‘All right.’

Both of them made for a copse of trees where they sat down out of the wind.

Troy suddenly mentioned, ‘Brother Dandan, there’s a really massive hot spring in the Fascinating Forest which is a lot more comfortable than the one in Lianxiang Pavilion.’

‘Oh really? Then we must go there one day. Never mind those Gu scorpions — they’ll detour the moment they see it’s me.’

Troy said, ‘Thank you.’ He was silent for a time before saying in a low voice, ‘Actually, you can be said to have avenged my whole tribe to a certain extent.’

‘Ah, yes,’ Dandan remembered then. ‘The White Hound tribe was wiped out by the Gu scorpions.’

‘When I was young, we were once rescued by Eldest Master and Second Master. A few years later, we still couldn’t escape the calamity of having our tribe exterminated. Maybe it was all fated and we were able to escape the first disaster but not the second one. ’

Dandan thought for a moment before saying, ‘I… don’t know how to comfort you…’ He held out his arms. ‘How about… I give you a hug?’

Troy gazed at him before snorting with laughter. ‘No need.’

Dandan began drawing circles on the ground with a twig. ‘I experienced my tribe’s massacre too, but I was too young then and don’t remember it clearly. All I remember was that countless Guardians carrying fire torches began seizing and throwing us into iron cages, chaining our limbs and necks. Finally, my father evolved into a Supreme and rescued me, then hid me on Dragon Ridge… it was so long ago that I can barely remember the despair we felt then…’

‘At least… you still have an owner so you’re not exactly homeless³,’ Troy said. ‘You now have a bonded owner, so you’re lucky.’

‘You’ll have one too, just wait.’

‘I don’t want to wait any more.’ Troy wrapped his arms round his knees, burying his head in the crook of his arm. ‘Second Master doesn’t like me, no one likes me.’

‘… Not having an owner means you don’t have to worry about losing him. That feeling of losing someone is really unpleasant.’

‘Brother Dandan, that day after our bath in the hot springs, you told me that I’m the last white hound in Ridge City and there will definitely be a Guardian who will take a liking to me. As a result, I had a dream that night. I dreamt that I was sunning myself while lying on someone’s leg and that person was stroking me very gently. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I know he was my bonded owner and I had a very comforting sense of belonging… Is that what it feels like to have a bonded owner?’

‘Pretty much.’

‘After waking up I thought that it doesn’t matter who it is as long as there’s someone who wants me — I’ll feel very contented. I just want an owner who will belong to me, just this and nothing more.’

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Dandan patted him on the shoulder after hearing this.

‘By the way, can I borrow your pendant and wear it for a while? I would like to know what it feels like to wear a weapon which Second Master bestowed,’ Troy requested.

‘Sure.’ Dandan removed the pendant and passed it to him.

Troy took it from him and very reverently fastened it round his neck. He stroked the green pendant, his eyes soft. ‘When will a Guardian bestow one of these things on me as well…’

‘Your waiting will definitely pay off.’ Dandan gazed at him, chin resting on one hand. ‘How did you survive your tribe’s extermination back then?’

‘Back then… I almost died but someone saved me.’

‘Who?’

‘… She did.’ Troy pointed ahead which had Dandan turning his head sharply to find a woman in a white qipao standing some distance away, watching them.

Dandan was so startled that he broke out in a cold sweat. When did this woman arrive? To think he hadn’t sensed her presence!

He looked from Troy to the woman. ‘What’s going on?’

Troy got up and walked over to Bai Yini’s side where he said softly, ‘I’m sorry, Brother Dandan.’

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_{(Approx. 2054 words)}

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Translated and edited by 12

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