Regarding Bai Maomao’s odd behavior, Lang Junxian tactfully didn’t ask, silently keeping his thoughts to himself.
Several days after the wild pheasant incident, Bai Maomao suddenly sneaked into his room.
“Xiao Hei, what should I do?”
Bai Maomao crawled into the bed with a distressed look, burying himself under the covers.
“What’s wrong?”
“My fur is all gone.”
At the mention of it, Bai Maomao was utterly heartbroken.
“After I turned human, all my fur fell out.”
Lang Junxian fell into a suspicious silence as he remembered the whole room full of flying fur.
Bai Maomao continued,
“I thought it would grow back in a few days, but it’s been so long and I’m still bald.”
“Maybe it’s just growing slowly?”
Bai Maomao puffed up his cheeks and suddenly turned back into his original form—a chubby, sleek, snow-white duck.
Lang Junxian paused, then forced himself to comfort him.
“Maybe it just hasn’t started growing yet…”
Bai Maomao, sensitive to Xiao Hei’s tone, looked up and caught him smiling!
“You’re laughing at me! You think I’m ugly too, don’t you!?”
Lang Junxian quickly put on a serious face and rubbed his smooth head.
“No way, senior brother is always adorable no matter what.”
Bai Maomao tilted his head and gave him a doubtful look.
After staring for a moment, he turned back into human form again.
“What if it never grows back?”
Bai Maomao looked seriously distressed.
Seeing how worried he was, Lang Junxian pulled him closer and gently patted his back.
“Don’t be afraid. If it still doesn’t grow back in a while, we’ll go find A-Mu. A-Mu will know what to do.”
Bai Maomao nodded earnestly.
A-Mu would definitely know what to do.
Although it would be a bit embarrassing to let her see him without fur, it was worth it if it meant getting it back.
Days passed one after another.
To Bai Maomao’s great anticipation, new fur finally started growing.
Unlike the fluffy down from his infancy, the new fur was pure white and sleek to the touch.
Bai Maomao had finally grown up a bit—from a palm-sized baby duck, he had shed his down and grown into a big…duck?
Or maybe not a duck?
Su Yao circled around Bai Maomao several times, looking confused.
She had always thought he was a duck, but now that he had grown new feathers, he didn’t look like one anymore.
His entire body was snow white, with a vivid red mark on his forehead; a slender neck, thin legs, and a bright orange beak with sharp serrated edges.
His round black eyes looked innocently at A-Mu as she circled him, muttering to herself.
“…Maybe he’s actually a goose?”
Lang Junxian said uncertainly.
Su Yao clapped her hands.
“Yes, he’s a goose.”
Ducklings and goslings do look alike when they’re little.
That’s how she got confused.
She stroked Bai Maomao’s sleek new feathers.
“Maomao has finally grown up.”
She sounded very pleased.
“Quack~”
Bai Maomao cried, spreading his wings and flapping hard, trying to fly.
Though not large, his wings had already grown flight feathers.
He flapped with great effort, and after a long struggle, he managed to lift off the ground—barely half a meter—before flopping down with a thud.
Lang Junxian came over, picked him up, and patted the dust off.
He didn’t have the heart to tell him…geese can’t fly.
Bai Maomao turned back into human form.
His white feathers transformed into white clothes.
The pure color, combined with his stunning features, gave him a delicate, pitiable appearance.
Completely unaware of his own devastating looks, Bai Maomao stared longingly at Lang Junxian.
Lang Junxian earnestly lectured him,
“From now on, aside from me and A-Mu, don’t smile at others when you’re outside. You have to look fierce.”
Bai Maomao bared his teeth in a fierce expression.
“Like this?”
He somehow looked even cuter…
Lang Junxian frowned with concern.
“Better not make any expression at all. Just keep a straight face.”
Bai Maomao obediently straightened his expression.
Lang Junxian nodded in satisfaction.
With a straight face, he looked much less enticing.
He praised him,
“That’s how you should go out—stern-faced. Looks very imposing.”
“Really?”
Bai Maomao’s eyes lit up.
“Keeping a straight face looks more imposing?”
Lang Junxian nodded firmly.
Bai Maomao started to grin, but halfway through remembered and held it back, deliberately straightening his face again as he walked off, looking cold and aloof.
Lang Junxian: During this time, Lang Junxian also made some progress in his cultivation.
Following the meditation techniques and mental chants taught by Su Yao, he practiced daily.
The spiritual energy in his body accumulated quickly, and he gradually gained better control over his body—eventually mastering the transformation of his beast form.
Lang Junxian circulated his spiritual energy through a small cycle, let out a long breath, and the furry ears on top of his head instantly disappeared.
His fluffy tail also vanished at the same time.
He happily looked at his now normal hands, no longer ending in clawed fingertips, his eyes shining with excitement.
He had finally succeeded!
That evening at dinner, Su Yao noticed his now bare head and was surprised for a moment before smiling.
“Didn’t expect you to gain control so soon.”
Lang Junxian smiled calmly.
“I didn’t expect it to be so quick either.”
Bai Maomao nodded solemnly and added,
“Congratulations.”
Lang Junxian: “……”
He suddenly had the feeling he’d just dug himself into a hole.
Now that Lang Junxian had learned to control his beast form, and the New Year was approaching, Su Yao began thinking about taking the two kids down the mountain to shop for New Year’s supplies.
She didn’t often go down the mountain, only slightly more frequently in the past few years since Bai Maomao hatched.
But with the New Year approaching, some purchases were necessary.
Besides, compared to those overbearing cultivators, ordinary people were actually easier to deal with.
So this year, she decided to bring her two little cubs down the mountain to experience the world.
Early in the morning, Bai Maomao had already gotten dressed and ran to Lang Junxian’s room to wake him up.
Expressionless and stern-faced, Bai Maomao said,
“Xiao Hei, get up—we’re going down the mountain today.”
His cold, crisp voice pierced Lang Junxian’s ears and startled him awake.
Opening his eyes, he was met with Bai Maomao’s icy and stunning face.
“……”
Lang Junxian gritted his teeth and pinched his cheek.
“I told you this act is for strangers. Why are you giving me the cold face?”
Bai Maomao blinked innocently and gave him a big cheerful smile.
“I need more practice~”
Lang Junxian couldn’t do anything about him and got up briskly to wash up and get ready.
The little family of three bustled down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain lay Yuze Village, named after the Rainy Marsh Mountain itself.
As the New Year neared, many people came to the foot of the mountain to worship and make vows.
The small temple was filled with incense and bustling activity.
Bai Maomao held Lang Junxian’s hand, curiously turning his head in every direction.
After spending so many years on the mountain, this was his very first trip down, and everything he saw amazed him.
The people passing through the village were all familiar with one another.
Seeing Bai Maomao and the others—each of them strikingly good-looking—some curious villagers whispered amongst themselves, wondering where these outsiders had come from.
Feeling all the stares around him, Bai Maomao tensed up and squeezed Lang Junxian’s hand tightly.
Lang Junxian wasn’t doing much better himself.
Although he hadn’t grown up on the mountain, his family, the Lang Clan, held high status in Shangjing (Upper Capital).
His mother was a demon cultivator, and after giving birth to him, in order to avoid shaming the family, she and Lang Junxian had always lived secluded in the Lang Clan’s old estate.
Until he was around ten, Lang Junxian hadn’t met anyone outside the estate and knew nothing of the outside world.
So truthfully, this trip down the mountain = three country bumpkins.
Su Yao led the way, while Bai Maomao and Lang Junxian held hands and trailed a step behind.
All three kept calm faces, but inwardly they were staring at the street stalls in wide-eyed wonder.
Bai Maomao’s eyes were glued to a steaming cart of meat buns, his feet unable to move forward.
“Hey there, handsome boy! Want a couple?” the vendor called out warmly.
Bai Maomao swallowed hard and nodded in a daze.
“Alright then!”
The vendor efficiently bagged two large meat buns in plastic and handed them over.
“Here you go, careful—they’re hot. That’ll be three yuan.”
Bai Maomao stood there hugging the buns, looking utterly bewildered.
Lang Junxian immediately sensed something was wrong—they had just come down from the mountain, with no money.
He quickly returned the buns and apologized,
“Sorry, we’re not buying these.”
The vendor looked at them with disdain.
“Then why did you order them? Dressed all fancy, can’t even afford a bun…”
“Li Si, shut it already!”
A nearby auntie selling sesame pancakes couldn’t bear to watch and cut him off.
Bai Maomao looked around in confusion, realizing he had done something wrong.
He took a nervous step back and hid behind Lang Junxian.
Su Yao, who had been picking things at another stall, heard the commotion and rushed over.
Seeing Bai Maomao hiding behind Lang Junxian with a wronged expression, her heart ached.
She quickly stood in front of them protectively.
“You’re an adult—bullying two little kids, what’s wrong with you?”
Others in the crowd also began scolding the vendor.
As the number of onlookers grew, the vendor realized he’d gone too far and fell silent, returning to sell his buns quietly.
The auntie who had stepped in earlier handed two sesame pancakes to Lang Junxian.
“Here, fresh from the pan—let the boys have a taste.”
Lang Junxian took them with a somewhat overwhelmed expression.
Su Yao politely thanked her, stuffed some money into the auntie’s hand, and quickly led the two still-dazed boys away.
Once they reached a secluded spot, Su Yao cast a small spell to hide their presence.
Finally, Bai Maomao, who had been timidly hiding the whole time, let out a sigh of relief.
“People down the mountain are so scary…”
Su Yao gently rubbed the little tuft of hair on Bai Maomao’s head with affection.
“There are bad people down the mountain—but there are also many good ones. You must remember that.”
As she said this, her expression was serious.
Bai Maomao pressed his lips together and nodded solemnly.
Su Yao patted his shoulder, still keeping their concealment spell active, and led them back into the bustling market streets.
Maomao was still young.
She couldn’t help but want to protect him.
Just a few more years, she thought.
When he’s a bit older, then she’ll teach him all the ways of the world.
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