Chapter 489 – Return – Waiting for the Rabbit (02)
Bai Tang’s journey north went fairly smoothly.
From time to time, he spotted groups of people flying overhead, but each time he transformed back into a little squirrel and successfully avoided them.
After all, this was the wilderness, where animals and plants were everywhere.
When the Heavenly soldiers had first encountered Qiu’er and Xiao A, both systems had been in their human forms. Now, even if they happened to see two puppies and a little squirrel together, they would never associate them with the fugitives they were searching for. Unable to find any trace of their targets, the Heavenly soldiers naturally moved on to search elsewhere.
Despite a few close calls, Bai Tang reached the northern forest safely.
For some reason, however, the place felt strangely familiar.
It was clearly his first time here, yet he somehow knew which fork in the path led to a water source and which one was home to dangerous beasts that should never be provoked.
Could it be that I’ve been here before?
Bai Tang recalled what Xiao A had said—that they were currently in a period from the past preserved within the Memory Secret Realm.
Maybe I came here long ago and simply forgot after so much time had passed.
Since he couldn’t remember, he decided not to dwell on it.
Right now, the most urgent priority was finding food before they starved.
When he had left the cultivation world, he had believed he was going to die. Before leaving, he had transferred almost everything from his small storage pouch into the pocket dimension for Pei Boyi—food, medicinal pills, rare treasures, priceless artifacts—practically everything.
As a result, there wasn’t much left in his storage pouch now. It only contained a few blankets, clothes, and other daily necessities.
But blankets and clothes couldn’t fill an empty stomach.
Besides, he still had two systems to take care of.
After setting his short-term goal, Bai Tang found a hollow tree.
It wasn’t very spacious, but it was large enough to accommodate Qiu’er, Xiao A, and himself while he was in his squirrel form.
“Xiao A, stay here with Qiu’er. I’m going to look for something to eat.”
Xiao A instinctively wanted to object.
“No. Let’s go together. We can look out for each other. We don’t know what’s happening outside. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone, Host.”
Just then, Qiu’er suddenly pounced on Xiao A and said weakly,
“I… I don’t feel very well.”
Bai Tang immediately examined Qiu’er once again, but the result was the same as before—nothing appeared to be wrong.
“I’m familiar with this forest,” Bai Tang reassured them. “I’ll be fine on my own. Xiao A, stay here and take care of Qiu’er. I’ll be back soon. If I run into any danger, I’ll contact you immediately.”
Moving together made them a much larger target.
Acting alone would make it far easier to conceal his whereabouts.
Xiao A understood that as well.
On one side was his host.
On the other was Qiu’er.
He couldn’t bring himself to abandon either of them.
In the end, Qiu’er’s weak groans tipped the scales.
Looking apologetically at Bai Tang, he said,
“Then I’ll stay behind and look after Qiu’er. Host, come back as soon as you can. If you run into danger, run immediately. Don’t try to be a hero.”
“Got it.”
Bai Tang smiled reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. Just stay inside the tree hollow and don’t wander off. Wait for me to come back.”
The little squirrel jumped down from the tree hollow.
Xiao A moved to the entrance of the hollow and watched as the yellowish-brown figure gradually disappeared into the dense undergrowth.
He let out a quiet sigh before turning to Qiu’er.
“Qiu’er, why did you pretend to be sick?”
Qiu’er’s acting might have fooled Bai Tang, but it couldn’t fool the one who knew him best.
Xiao A was familiar with all of Qiu’er’s habits. Whenever Qiu’er lied, his eyes would unconsciously dart around.
“Qiu’er, you deliberately sent our host away. Do you know something?” Xiao A asked gently. “You can tell me. I’ll cooperate with you.”
He wasn’t blaming Qiu’er.
He simply didn’t like being kept in the dark.
Qiu’er let out a few soft whines.
“Woof… woof…”
Lowering his head, he didn’t dare meet Xiao A’s eyes after being so accurately exposed.
“You can’t tell me?” Xiao A murmured dejectedly. “Or… you just don’t want to tell me?”
He lowered his gaze.
“I thought we were the closest people to each other. But I suppose that’s only natural. You were born in the highest plane, while I’m just a system from one of the higher-ranked worlds in the lower realms…”
“Our statuses were never comparable to begin with.”
“N-No, it’s not like that!” Qiu’er hurriedly denied, flustered. “I’ve never thought that!”
He had never looked down on Xiao A.
He simply wanted his master to find Tang Tang as soon as possible so they could all return together.
Qiu’er rushed over and hugged Xiao A tightly.
“I… I just can’t tell you yet. Ever since we got together, I’ve never once thought about leaving you.”
“My master is a really good person. He’ll definitely let you stay. And even if he doesn’t… then I’ll leave with you.”
Qiu’er’s heartfelt confession deeply moved Xiao A.
But the act had already begun.
He couldn’t stop now.
So Xiao A casually continued probing.
“The master you keep talking about… who exactly is he?”
Qiu’er shook his head.
“I can’t tell you my master’s name yet. But I can tell you this—he’s incredibly powerful. He governs the lands bordering the Netherworld, overseeing it and preventing its inhabitants from causing chaos.”
When they had first arrived in the Upper Realm, Xiao A had known absolutely nothing about it. Qiu’er had even shown him reference materials about the realm before.
Combining everything Qiu’er had said with the Netherworld Aura on Bai Tang’s body, as well as Qiu’er’s attitude toward the male lead in the later stages, Xiao A gradually formed a vague suspicion about his master’s identity.
His master’s true identity was probably…
Still, since Qiu’er had said it couldn’t be revealed, Xiao A decided to keep his speculation to himself for the time being.
By borrowing the pitiful, downcast expression he had learned from watching the male lead, Xiao A successfully coaxed information about the male lead’s identity out of Qiu’er.
Meanwhile, poor Qiu’er remained completely oblivious that he had practically exposed his master’s background himself. Instead, he was still racking his brain, trying to figure out how to convince Xiao A to stay.
Knowing not to push his luck, Xiao A decided he’d already learned more than enough.
He stopped pressing Qiu’er and gently patted him on the back.
“I was overthinking things.”
“I know you’re not someone who values status or wealth, Qiu’er.”
“Even if your master doesn’t want me to stay, I’ve already come to the Upper Realm. I’m not going back.”
“At worst, I’ll find a mountain to settle on and cultivate diligently until I can establish myself here.”
“Then… I’ll be with you again.”
“Xiao A, you’re the best~”
The simple-minded Qiu’er had practically sold himself without realizing it, and still thought the buyer was a good person. He threw himself into Xiao A’s arms with a silly grin, tears still clinging to the corners of his eyes.
“As long as you don’t give up on me, I’ll never leave you.”
Xiao A gently stroked Qiu’er’s back and murmured so quietly that only he could hear it.
“After all… I’ve been looking for you for a very long time, you little fool.”
…
Meanwhile, in the forest, Bai Tang relied on his inexplicable familiarity with the surroundings.
Wandering through the woods felt as natural as strolling through his own backyard.
As he climbed a tree to pick fruit, a rabbit suddenly dashed straight into the trunk with a loud thud.
Bai Tang blinked.
This rabbit seems even clumsier than I am.
Before he could climb down to collect the unexpected prize, another surprise followed.
A chicken came flapping over and slammed headfirst into the very same spot on the tree trunk where the rabbit had crashed.
Bai Tang was stunned.
This forest is so strange.
The animals living here don’t seem very bright…
Having learned from the first incident, he decided not to climb down immediately.
Instead, he stayed in the tree, curious to see whether any more “free meals” would come knocking.
Apparently, only those two had been that foolish.
He waited until dusk, but no other animals showed up.
Only then did he climb down, picking up the rabbit and the chicken.
After examining them more closely—their sturdy builds, glossy fur and feathers, and overall appearance—he realized they weren’t wild animals at all.
They were domesticated.
No wonder they were dumb enough to run headfirst into a tree.
With that level of survival instinct, they probably wouldn’t last long in the wild.
…
As night fell, the air grew pleasantly cool.
Thinking about Qiu’er and Xiao A waiting for him, Bai Tang hurried back with the day’s unexpected harvest.
Not long after he left, a handsome man with an air of unquestionable nobility appeared beneath the very tree where Bai Tang had been.
Watching the young man’s retreating figure, a gentle smile spread across his lips.
What an adorable little fellow.
This was the Northern Forest.
Beyond its northern edge lay a bottomless chasm leading directly to the dreaded Netherworld.
The master of the Northern Forest was the Northern Emperor, Jiang Liangwu, whose duty was to guard the border and prevent the Netherworld from descending into chaos.
Today, as part of his routine patrol, Jiang Liangwu had unexpectedly come across a charming young man climbing a tree to pick fruit.
The trees here were all centuries—if not millennia—old. Looking up at them, they seemed to pierce the clouds themselves.
The young man had climbed remarkably high.
The moment Jiang Liangwu first saw him, he couldn’t help but worry that the youth might fall.
But after taking a closer look, he immediately recognized the young man’s true form.
A squirrel.
No wonder he was so comfortable climbing that high.
As the young man picked fruit, he chatted to himself the whole time.
“Fruit isn’t filling enough…”
“Qiu’er and Xiao A need something more nutritious…”
“It’d be great if I could find some meat…”
Jiang Liangwu found the sight irresistibly amusing.
On a whim, he caught a few domesticated animals and quietly drove them toward the tree, making them crash into the trunk so the young man could take them home for a proper meal.
Unfortunately…
He had been a little too enthusiastic.
The young man was obviously suspicious and refused to come down from the tree.
Jiang Liangwu could only stand off to the side and watch, not daring to interfere again for fear of frightening the timid little squirrel.
Only when the sky was nearly dark did the squirrel-like youth finally dare climb down, pick up the effortlessly acquired prey, and head home.
The young man left with a smile on his face, clearly in an excellent mood.
“I’m so lucky. I can find things just by going out…” Bai Tang muttered to himself, feeling that his luck was unusually good.
But as he walked, he suddenly stopped.
Behind him, the Northern Emperor’s heart skipped a beat.
Have I been discovered?
Instead, the young man frowned thoughtfully and said,
“But why are there domesticated animals in the middle of a forest? That doesn’t make any sense. If they’re domesticated, someone must be raising them nearby. Doesn’t that mean I’ve taken someone else’s property?”
“!!!”
Bai Tang immediately grew uneasy.
He patted his chest and tried to comfort himself.
“They ran into me on their own, so… that probably doesn’t count as stealing, right?”
“No, no. I still took someone else’s belongings without the owner’s permission.”
“How about tomorrow I come back and see if anyone lives nearby? If I find the owner, I’ll compensate them.”
Having made up his mind, Bai Tang rummaged through his small storage pouch.
Most of his gold, silver, and valuable treasures were gone, but he still had a few pieces of jewelry and other small valuables.
Buying two domesticated animals shouldn’t be a problem.
Having found a solution, the young man let out a relieved sigh and happily carried the rabbit and chicken toward the tree hollow.
Along the way, he didn’t forget to gather a bundle of dry branches.
“Tonight we’ll have roast chicken and rabbit soup. Too bad there’s no goat’s milk. That would’ve made the meal even better…”
Jiang Liangwu watched the young man disappear into the distance, happily discussing tonight’s menu with himself.
This time, he didn’t follow.
Instead, he casually pointed a finger at a small wildflower growing by the roadside.
A soft green glow surrounded it, and a crisp, childlike voice rang out.
“Greetings, Northern Emperor.”
“Follow that little squirrel,” Jiang Liangwu instructed. “If he comes back tomorrow, notify me immediately.”
“Yes! Little Flower will complete the mission!”
The Northern Forest never lacked flowers or plants.
Jiang Liangwu had granted this little flower sentience, and out of gratitude, it enthusiastically rallied the surrounding plants to keep watch over the young man.
Anyone important enough to catch the Northern Emperor’s attention can’t possibly be an ordinary person.
We have to take this seriously. Very seriously. We absolutely can’t make any mistakes, Little Flower repeatedly reminded its companions.
…
Back at the tree hollow, Qiu’er and Xiao A stared anxiously at the darkening sky, worrying about Bai Tang.
They had just begun talking about him when a familiar, soft, youthful voice sounded from outside.
“I’m back!”
“Tonight we’re having meat and soup~”