The Godlike Jade Rabbit Chapter 68

A silver lining….

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Ch. 68 | In training

 

The Five Great Houses had not sat down to have a meal together for a very long time.

Was it a joyous affair?

Wrong, it was as quiet as a grave. Everyone was concentrating on eating and had no desire to speak to each other. After all, they had always been fighting each other for power but were now forced to become temporary allies in the face of an external enemy, and so had not had time to adapt to this change in relations.

Ye Ziran held his bowl, chewing on the tips of his chopsticks as he surveyed the people around him.

Song Fuyan and Song Lin were sitting near each other and although they were brothers, their relationship was somewhat distant because the older one had become head of the League very early on and never returned home after that.

Brothers who end up like that — who knows which of them is sadder? If only I had an older or younger brother myself. Recalling his parents who had died early, this only child thought reproachfully that if they had produced a brother, he would have had someone to kick a ball around with.

At this moment, the small lizard crawled up onto his shoulder so he fed it a piece of meat while thinking, You’re the only companion I have.

Bai Yini took some food for her mother, urging softly, ‘Do eat more, Mother.’

Ye Ziran’s attention was drawn back to the dinner table. Bored stiff¹, he rested his head on one hand, musing: Hmm… wasn’t this Madam Bai’s face disfigured? How come her face is so clean and fair now, her looks fully restored? To say nothing of her beauty which hasn’t faded even with age. No wonder Bai Yini is considered Ridge City’s most beautiful girl — it’s because it runs in the family.

His gaze drifted over to Wanyan Fu…

Bah, that haughty face and aloof air, especially that jade thumb ring, tsk tsk. So affected. Don’t like it, don’t like it at all.

Old Lord Liang… still looks like an antique.

_{¹ 百無聊賴. If you’re not reading this chapter at hiding in plain sight, it has been stolen and reproduced by novelscraping sites.}

Ye Ziran rolled his eyes inwardly and chomped on a mouthful of vegetables before asking, ‘High Priest, any other dining table besides this one?’

The High Priest replied, ‘Sorry, Master Ye, they’re all taken.’

‘…’ Ye Ziran could only tsk-tsk in annoyance.

Song Lin remarked, ‘Stop acting like you’re the only one who’s uncomfortable. Is there anyone at this table who isn’t?’

‘Say that again if you dare!!!’ Ye Ziran put down his bowl and stood up. ‘You want to settle this outside?’

‘I’m not interested in fighting idiots.’

‘What did you say?! Who’s the idiot?!’

‘Whoever responds is an idiot.’

‘You shut up!!’

Just then Liang Luoheng interjected, ‘That’s enough from both of you.’ Being the oldest there, his words had an unmistakable authority. ‘Is this the time for infighting? How can you still lead your clans when you’re like this? You youngsters are too thoughtless and proud!’

Wanyan Fu twisted his jade thumb ring as he asked lazily, ‘So your generation got along like a house on fire, Old Lord Liang?’

Liang Luoheng was taken aback by this question before remembering the past feuds he had had with their fathers. The Five Great Houses back then… had feuded even more fiercely than the present generation.

In order to preserve the dignity of the elders, however, he braced himself to answer, ‘That goes without saying.’

The High Priest, who had lived for very long and witnessed every generation’s feuds, did not hesitate to expose this sham.

‘No, no, their generation fought fiercely among themselves.’ He pointed a long, slender finger at Song Lin, ‘Your father…’, then at Ye Ziran, ‘and your father… used to fight the moment they laid eyes on each other.’

Liang Luoheng coughed rather sheepishly, feeling that his generation’s dignity had just collapsed with embarrassing ease. ‘All right, that’s enough, let’s eat first. Why keep bringing up all these trivial matters?’

‘Then who won?’ Ye Ziran had one foot on the table. ‘My father or his?’

Liang Luoheng: Oi… is it the time to be worrying about this now?

Song Lin also put down his chopsticks. ‘Who won?’

Liang Luoheng: Are you kidding me? Even Song Lin cares about this kind of thing? … Looks like Song Fuyan’s the only mature one, but then again it takes someone different to be the head of the League.

He had just had this thought when he heard Song Fuyan ask, ‘So who won actually?’

Liang Luoheng: …

Really a hopeless generation, so sighed the older generation.

Feng Chulian rested his head on one hand. ‘Umm… it was too long ago so I don’t remember.’

Just then —

Phantom rushed in suddenly. ‘Old fox!’

Feng Chulian’s face darkened. ‘What old fox?’ This was why he really hated running into people he knew. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Dandan’s awake!’

‘What?’

Everyone at the table was startled.

Everyone hastily made for the treatment room where they found Dandan sitting on the bed and looking glassily at them.

Feng Chulian went over to examine his wound and said, ‘That’s a really amazing healing ability. How many more wonderful surprises can the Jade Rabbit tribe produce, I wonder?’

Dandan was scanning the crowd for one face.

‘Song Lin,’ he called.

‘I’m here,’ Song Lin stepped out from the crowd.

Dandan opened his arms and merely requested, ‘Hug.’

Song Lin blinked in surprise but then walked over and hugged him with his broad shoulders, saying softly, ‘You’ve had a hard time of it.’

Dandan shook his head. ‘It wasn’t that bad.’

Feng Chulian facepalmed and turned his back on them. Really can’t stand them.

Ye Ziran squeezed his way through the crowd. ‘I wasn’t paying attention the last time. Today I must take a good look at the legendary Yu Huan’s spirit beast, the Jade Rabbit of Dragon Ridge.’

Song Lin’s voice suddenly sounded glacial as he corrected him, ‘Mine.’

‘Huh?’

‘My spirit beast.’

Ye Ziran was so startled by his repressive aura which had come out of nowhere that he only blinked in stupefaction for a few seconds before conceding, ‘Fine, fine, fine, yours, all right, yours.’ Then he muttered under his breath, ‘What’s there to fight over with someone who’s already dead, crazy.’

He then stooped and studied Dandan critically. ‘I heard that your heart receptacle is empty? Does it mean that if I blow lightly on you, you’ll collapse?’

Dandan: ‘…’ He suddenly had no desire to speak to this idiot.

‘Hey, hey, what’s it like to have an empty heart receptacle?’

‘Umm… just feels like I have no more strength left,’ Dandan moved his wrists slightly.

‘For real?’ Ye Ziran cast a glance at the Nine Star Halberd beside the bed. ‘Can you lift that thing now?’

‘Believe me, not even you can lift that,’ said Dandan.

Ye Ziran didn’t believe him and even went to try — but he really couldn’t lift it. He was somewhat embarrassed* and quietly let go of the weapon, saying, ‘I’ll try again another day… another day.’

‘Up to you.’

Just then, Ye Ziran suddenly placed a finger on Dandan’s chest.

‘What are you doing?’ Song Lin asked coldly, shifting into a protective stance.

‘I’m trying to feel if his heart receptacle is really empty.’

Dandan patted Song Lin. ‘It’s all right, let him try.’

Song Lin hesitated for a moment before stepping aside.

Ye Ziran closed his eyes, focused his spiritual energy through his fingertips and expelled a faint blue glow which entered Dandan’s heart receptacle and rattled around inside, echoing loudly.

‘Deuce, there’s really nothing in there. Never seen such a weak spirit beast as you. I suggest you close the windows tonight when you sleep lest the wind freezes you to death.’

Song Lin shot him a look and said, ‘Right, you can remove your paw now.’

‘Tch, I know.’ Ye Ziran was just about to do so when a sudden force drew in the spiritual energy from his fingers. ‘The hell!’ His eyes widened and he grabbed hold of his own wrist and jerked it backwards but his spiritual power was still being absorbed uninterrupted. ‘Hey! How come you’re absorbing my spiritual power?!’ he shouted.

Song Lin had also noticed something amiss and quickly grabbed Ye Ziran and flung him aside.

Dandan had a hand over his own heart and looked just as bewildered as everyone else.

Feng Chulian observed, ‘So it’s true after all, what was written in The Ancient Book of Spells.’

‘What do you mean?’ Ye Ziran was still badly rattled.

‘The purest heart receptacle is like a fledgling crying out to be fed, and simply thirsting to absorb new spiritual power, all comers welcome², not to mention that… its appetite knows no bounds. Whoever gets close may have their power absorbed. Dandan is like a newborn right now with infinite potential and no one knows what his future growth will be like.’

_{² 來者不拒. Translation belongs to theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com.}

‘Does that mean that Dandan has the potential to help us defeat the Shuren?’ someone asked in a small voice.

Song Fuyan said, ‘The most troublesome thing about the Shuren is their ability to regenerate themselves continuously but this regeneration requires certain conditions: they require a certain amount of black fluid which is the essential component of their becoming humans. If we can stop the black fluid from converging, then we can prevent them from coalescing into human forms.’

‘But there are just too many of them; stop one lot here and another lot has already grown back there,’ Liang Luoheng pointed out.

‘Unless we can exterminate all the Shuren simultaneously.’

‘That’s even more impossible. Besides the fact that there are so many of them, the Soul Reviving Fire is itself a real headache.’

Phantom pondered, ‘I can extinguish the Soul Reviving Fire for a while. If you can use that window of time to exterminate all the Shuren, then the situation might take a turn for the better.’

Song Lin gazed consideringly at Bai Yini who covered her chest with both hands and demanded, ‘What are you looking at!’

Song Lin asked, ‘Is your spirit beast the ice type?’

‘Huh?’ Bai Yini was startled. ‘Yes, he is.’

‘Then, there may be a way,’ said Song Lin.

‘What way?’

‘We don’t have to worry about that now,’ Song Lin replied gravely. ‘The most troublesome one right now is the Crone. Her spiritual power is too strong and even if we take care of the Shuren, who will deal with the Crone?’

As soon as the question was posed, everyone looked as one man over at Dandan.

Dandan: ‘…’

He raised a hand and pointed at himself. ‘Me?’

Feng Chulian patted his shoulder lightly. ‘We’ll leave it to you then.’

Dandan gulped. Hang on, hey, what are you leaving to me? What are you suddenly leaving to me?!!

‘Just a reminder to all of you: the Crone is adept at shape-shifting. Make sure you know the watchword by heart; don’t leave the mountain for the time being and don’t allow any outsiders in. Observe your companions as well and don’t trust them blindly,’ Song Fuyan instructed. ‘It’s late, so let’s all go back and get some rest. The Five Great Houses are to arrange for people to stay up on watch throughout the night.’

‘Okay.’

The next morning, Bi An brought over a schedule which was crammed full of training classes.

‘What’s this?’ asked Dandan.

Bi An announced, ‘From now on, you are to start cultivating spiritual power from scratch.’

Looking at the densely written schedule, Dandan asked, ‘… Can I… sleep for a while more?’

Bi An wagged a finger. ‘Teacher said… no.’

As a result, Bi An and Feng Chulian brought Dandan to the top of the mountain where they found Liang Luoheng waiting.

‘Achoo!’ Dandan sneezed. ‘What’s he doing here?’

‘The spiritual power cultivated from Old Lord Liang doesn’t come from within himself. Rather, it draws from the natural world. You have no spiritual power at all now so this is the best time to start cultivating that sort of power,’ Feng Chulian explained. ‘Power from the natural world is very strong.’

‘Power… from… the natural world…’ Dandan repeated unconsciously.

At the other end, Kleidi and Phantom were also in training beside a waterfall.

‘Hey, watch out, don’t hurt me,’ Kleidi said frowningly.

‘Don’t worry, I’m very gentle with women,’ Phantom responded.

A small fireball then appeared in Keidi’s palm. She directed it at a row of trees which caught fire.

Phantom transformed into a dragon and suddenly flew up into the sky. He waved his tail which immediately caused a heavy downpour³.

_{³ 傾盆大雨. Please consider reading from theresanother(DOT)wordpress(DOT)com rather than from novelscraping sites.}

Song Fuyan was observing them from one side.

‘What are you all doing?’ asked Bai Yini.

‘Taking note of the timing.’

‘The timing?’

‘I’m timing how long it takes Phantom’s rain to extinguish the Soul Reviving Fire, and how long it takes the Soul Reviving Fire to start burning again. That way, I’ll know how much time we have to deal with the Shuren.’

Bai Yini looked at Song Fuyan’s side profile and was suddenly reminded of how as a child, she had been brought by her mother to the Song Manor for the first time. She had got lost in the garden and it had been Song Fuyan who had led her out. From then on, she had been silently aware of him but he never noticed her. She lowered her head and sighed.

‘Why are you sighing?’

‘Huh? Nothing really.’ Bai Yini shook herself mentally and changed the subject, asking, ‘By the way, when will Styx wake up?’

‘At the fastest a month, the slowest a year.’

‘If… he can’t wake up, what will you do?’

Song Fuyan’s face was unreadable as he said blandly, ‘I’ll keep watch over him until he does.’

His tone was perfectly ordinary but why did it sound so tender?

Bai Yini looked down and said softly, ‘Um, I hope he wakes up soon.’

Just then, they heard a shout from Dandan. ‘Waaahh! It’s moving, it’s moving!’ A shoot in the palm of his hand suddenly grew a few inches longer and sprouted very healthy branches and leaves.

Liang Luoheng was highly astonished. ‘The Jade Rabbit tribe has a prodigious power of comprehension.’

The next moment, the plant which Dandan was holding actually flowered.

Liang Luoheng suddenly wanted a jade rabbit for a spirit beast. ‘Are there any other rabbits left in your tribe?’

‘Forget it, I’m the last of my kind,’ Dandan said, callously dashing his hopes.

Liang Luoheng: ‘…’

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_{(Approx. 2415 words)}

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Translated and edited by 12

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