Is This Your Relative?

"Sir, is this your relative?"

"No... How many times have I said it? I just look like a rabbit."

"Then why is there such a huge rabbit here?" Xiao Qing said, pointing at a large pink-and-white rabbit by the base of the Castle wall.

"I don't know the answer to that either. Maybe this is what they call waiting for a rabbit to run into a stump. Still, the culprit who wrecked my fence should be this rabbit."

Ye Qing had fenced off a large stretch of open land outside his Castle to grow strange plants, such as Potato Chip Trees, Pasta Grass, Rainbow Fruits, Chocolate Bananas, Bento Coconut Trees, and so on. Some trees even bore high-grade meat as fruit. When Self-Discipline No. 3 had given him those Seeds, he had been utterly stunned.

"Where did you get something like this...?"

"The neighboring world."

"Then at least give me some seasoning Seeds."

"Seed types are completely random. If needed, please wait for the Marketplace to open and purchase them yourself."

"Where's the Marketplace?"

"Not activated. It will automatically trigger after contact with a key individual."

That answer made Ye Qing lose all interest in continuing the conversation. Fortunately, one type of Seed was called Snow Salt Chandelier Grass. It grew exclusively in winter, and every fruit contained the finest snow salt. It had been the source of salt in Ye Qing's kitchen over the years.

But when Ye Qing returned today, pulling his cart behind him, he unexpectedly discovered that something had intruded. Although the heavy snow had covered the tracks left behind, Ye Qing still directly sensed the lingering aura. Following it, he arrived beneath the wall of his Castle.

There, he found a white rabbit even larger than himself. That was how Xiao Qing had ended up teasing him. Ye Qing had become increasingly proficient at controlling his aura and pressure. If he did not reveal himself, creatures before him could not sense the slightest trace of him. Combined with his size, he probably looked like nothing more than an ordinary ten-year Spirit Beast to others.

He did this for Xiao Qing's sake as well. After all, even an unconscious release of pressure from him made Xiao Qing extremely uncomfortable. That might not change until Xiao Qing's cultivation reached one hundred thousand years. Still, Ye Qing naturally had ways of marking his territory. Though he possessed a human soul, he had watched Animal World before, so the roots and stones around the area all bore marks he had left behind.

This rabbit was the first unfamiliar Spirit Beast to trespass since Xiao Qing.

"But why isn't this rabbit waking up when I'm already standing beside it? With that level of vigilance, how did it even make it this far? Hey, wake up. Time to go home." Ye Qing walked over and patted the rabbit, but it did not react at all.

"Brother Qing, this rabbit seems to have fainted."

"Uh, is that so? I didn't notice. Carry it into the living room." Looking at the rabbit that had fainted in his home, Ye Qing could not help thinking of a little white cat he had kept in his previous life. That cat had also run into his home during winter and later became part of his family. Unfortunately, it died of old age in the year Ye Qing graduated from university. After that, Ye Qing never kept another living creature.

"All right, Xiao Qing, go light the fire. We bought everything we needed. Today, I'll show you what real good food tastes like."

"So warm... I'm still alive..." The rabbit Ye Qing had carried into the house slowly opened her eyes. She was an ordinary three-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit. Soft Bone Rabbits were an extremely common race in the forest, but few lived beyond a thousand years. This Soft Bone Rabbit had managed it through her greater intelligence.

Yet every winter was difficult for her, especially after she had children. Her food consumption had grown even greater. Winter had come rather suddenly to the Star Dou Great Forest this year, so she had not stored much food. As her supplies were about to run out, she decided to venture outside in search of food.

But the snowy ground in winter still concealed endless dangers. Although many natural enemies had gone into hibernation, plenty of predators remained active. Withered grass beneath the snow, underground roots and stems—she had even stolen from human granaries in previous years. But she was not lucky today. After searching for a long time, she not only failed to find enough food, but was also spotted by a Rock Fox.

Rock Foxes were one of the Soft Bone Rabbit's natural enemies. In summer, they could perfectly disguise themselves as rocks and wait for prey to come to them. In winter, they changed the color of their fur and disguised themselves as clumps of snow. The Rock Fox had discovered her while she was trying to pick fruit left on a tree, and the fox and rabbit had begun their chase.

The fox had been hungry for a long time, so hungry that he pursued the rabbit like a madman, hoping to fill his empty stomach. The rabbit was unwilling to give up as well. She knew that if she could not escape, the young in her burrow likely would not survive the winter either. Thus, her potential erupted to an extreme degree. During the long run, she did not dare look back even once, and the two Spirit Beasts gradually reached the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The rabbit's potential had reached its limit. She was running purely on instinct until she collapsed beneath a stone wall. The Rock Fox had stopped chasing long before that, when the rabbit crossed the fence.

He had sensed a terrifying aura from there. He did not know whether he could catch the rabbit, but he knew that if he angered the master of that territory, he might never return. Watching the rabbit gradually vanish from sight, he ultimately gave up.

But the awakened rabbit fell into a new panic. She climbed onto the windowsill and, through the window, saw a human outside lighting a fire and boiling water.

Why is there a human here? Did I run out of the forest and get captured by humans? No, I have to escape quickly! Humans hunted and killed Spirit Beasts. Spirit Rings, Spirit Bones, even fur, blood, and flesh were all things humans wanted. This was common knowledge among all Spirit Beasts. Most weak Spirit Beasts' first reaction upon seeing a human was to flee.

Ye Qing had not installed anything like security bars on the windows, and the windows were built quite large. Thus, the Soft Bone Rabbit easily climbed out through the rear window. Then she saw Ye Qing in the storeroom, holding ingredients and preparing to cook.

A fellow kind here to steal food? Before she could think further, Xiao Qing's voice reached her.

"Brother Qing! The water's boiling! Why are you so slow? Let me help you." Hearing that, she did not have time to think any further. She even forgot that she could not understand human speech, and grabbed Ye Qing to pull him away.

Ye Qing was somewhat confused as well. He had just taken stored supplies out of the storeroom when he saw the rabbit climb out through the Castle's rear window. Upon hearing Xiao Qing's voice, she became even more frantic, rushed up, bit him, and dragged him outside with an extremely anxious expression.

Seeing Ye Qing remain unmoved, she thought he had been frightened stiff.

"Don't just stand there! The humans are coming! Hurry and run with your big sister! If they catch you, they'll eat you!" As she spoke, she pushed Ye Qing toward the outside.

"Big sister? Run?" Ye Qing did not react for a moment. Over the years, quite a few had treated him as a weak Spirit Beast, but this was the first one to call herself his big sister and try to take him away.

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The delivery tracking says it has already reached Shanghai. The status should update soon, so anyone who wants to invest should hurry.

And this really isn't padding. The plot is just transitioning, and the characters who need to appear are about to show up.

PS1: One update today. Once the status changes, updates will resume with a small burst. Please bear with me.

PS2: There will be romantic scenes in a few chapters. If they cause major issues... I may consider giving up on writing that kind of content in the future.

Thank you all for your support.