Chapter 35 – Slipping Away.

After speaking, Bai Ruan grabbed the rabbit shoes in Lang Jing Feng’s hand and opened the special shoe box—this box was originally used for storing Mahjong1 tiles. The small lattices inside were now used to store shoes—putting in the four small shoes scattered outside.

Lang Jing Feng looked at the box full of new and old small wool-like shoes, and the huge word, “steal”, appeared on his face.

It could be described as a wolf’s ambition, which was obvious.

Bai Ruan glanced at him, and cautiously lowered his head to count.

Lang Jing Feng said disappointedly, “Don’t count them.”

Bai Ruan not only insisted on counting, but also reported the number, “Taking out the worn out ones, there are 56 of them.”

Lang Jing Feng sighed, unhappy that he couldn’t get hold of Teacher Xiao Bai’s white shoes.

After helping Bai Ruan clean up the house, Lang Jing Feng called for a car to go home to pick up all the things he needed to go to school tomorrow, while Bai Ruan anxiously prepared for the battle in the study room.

There were a variety of commonly used basic talismans Bai Ruan usually drew and hoarded when his demon powers were in surplus, the same as the basic cold and diarrhea medicines in human homes. He had a thick pile of purification talismans that could absorb turbid energy to help people stabilize their mood and assist in cultivation. The essence of the monster was turbid energy, so it could be injured by the purification talismans. Although this degree of damage was of little significance, it was better than nothing, and could be used to weaken it.

After drawing the Purification Talisman, Bai Ruan drew the San Qing2 Talisman. The advantage of this was that the person who used it didn’t have to be the one who drew it. Once it was drawn, a person like Lang Jing Feng who knew nothing about Taoism could use it.

Bai Ruan drew a talisman while munching on a carrot stick that Lang Jing Feng had personally cut. By the time his demon powers were almost exhausted, there was nothing left of the cake.

Bai Ruan put the two stacks of talismans together, rubbed his full stomach, and felt warm in his heart. He couldn’t help but wonder if he should also be courteous when celebrating Lang Jing Feng’s birthday. He could pile a cake with ribs, chicken legs, pork belly or something.

But for a teacher to take the initiative to celebrate a student’s birthday, especially Lang Jing Feng… Bai Ruan’s ears became a little hot, and he thought about it for a moment, thinking that as long as he put aside those teenagers’ passionate emotions3, he could have a good birthday with a learning atmosphere. It would have a stimulating effect, and should be harmless.

Two hours later, Lang Jing Feng returned after taking his things. The posture of big and small bags didn’t look like he was staying for two days, but rather like he was moving house.

“Grandma will pack more things for you. Firstly, take up and use a place in his house.” Grandmother Zhang smiled and squeezed her eyes at the little young master who looked wild and unruly but was quite innocent at home. She taught him her experiences, “Putting your belongings in his house will always remind him to think of you, and it will be convenient for you when you stay over the next time.”

Lang Jing Feng was elated. “Yeah, you know so much ah.”

Grandmother Zhang folded the clothes and boxes for Lang Jing Feng. “Your Grandma has experienced such things. You asked me to carve the water radish for him in the morning? Is it a little male rabbit? Rabbit demons are really rare.”

Lang Jing Feng smiled and replied, “It’s a little white rabbit.”

Grandmother Zhang suddenly thought of something. Her joy diminished and her expression was worried. “I don’t know what a rabbit demon is like, but rabbits are pretty good… You’ll suffer if you find a little male rabbit. Grandma will give you more fried lamb kidneys4 to eat.”

Lang Jing Feng, “…”

He wanted to.

But before graduating from high school, Teacher Xiao Bai didn’t seem to be giving him any chances.

“New school mate? He’s not afraid of you?” Grandmother Zhang cheerfully continued to gossip.

“…Well, sort of. He was afraid before, but now he isn’t.” Lang Jing Feng said vaguely, “Don’t tell my parents yet, or my mother will beat me up.”

Grandmother Zhang patted her chest and promised, “Don’t worry. When have you ever seen your grandma expose you… So, in the future, we won’t be eating rabbit meat?”

“I won’t eat it for the rest of my life,” Lang Jing Feng smiled. “Don’t buy it in the future.”

Lang Qian and Lang Yuan Shan usually didn’t care about these trivial housework matters, what ingredients they used at home, and what they had for their three meals a day. It was all Grandmother Zhang’s decision. It was a very simple task not to serve rabbit meat at the table.

“Okay.” Grandmother Zhang’s eyes were firm. “In the future, our whole family will quit eating rabbit meat… After everything is packed, you can go. If your mother comes back, I’ll say you’re staying over at a classmate’s house for two days, and then I will inform you. If she is just slightly angry, just answer her phone and coax her. If she is particularly furious, don’t answer it first, and wait until she calms down.”

Lang Jing Feng restrained his laughter. “Okay.”

Bai Ruan looked at Lang Jing Feng’s big bag, and his expression was slightly stiff. “You’re… just staying here for two days, why did you bring so many things?”

Lang Jing Feng threw his pride away and said, “I usually change eight sets of clothes at home per night.”

Bai Ruan, “…”

Lang Jing Feng set up his luggage and expanded his territory in Bai Ruan’s house contentedly. After putting away his luggage, the two went to a nearby commercial street to find a hot pot restaurant for lunch. While they were out, Bai Ruan looked towards the direction of Luo Xia Temple in the north, and found that the black smoke soaring into the sky had disappeared, but he didn’t know how the situation of the two uncles in the Temple and the heart monster were.

Bai Ruan didn’t place much confidence on the two uncles. Because suppressing demons was a matter that consumed huge spiritual power, with the power of the two uncles, at best, they could barely control most of the power of the heart monster in the Luo Xia Temple.

It was said that “most of” could only be controlled because the monsters didn’t exist in entity, but only as a turbid energy with abundant energy—In the eyes of people with celestial eyes, the monster was a large cloud of vacillating black smoke—the turbid energy could be transformed. Dispersion could also converge, so the demon could separate a part of itself to form a clone connected with the subject’s consciousness, and the power of the clone would be weaker than that of the subject.

When there were only two people defending the enemy, the avatar could be said to be indefensible, so this monster would release a part of itself to cause chaos.

Thinking of an attack that might come at any time, the strings in Bai Ruan’s brain became tense. As he ate hot pot, he continued to feel nervous when he saw the black kelp swaying at the bottom of the pot. If it weren’t for the evil god, Lang Jing Feng standing by his side, Bai Ruan would have been hysterical.

After the two returned home after lunch, Lang Jing Feng was urged by Bai Ruan to go to the study to do his homework and do the wrongly-attempted questions. The desk in the study was large, and Bai Ruan also divided half of the desk with books and notebooks to prepare for lessons.

The weather in June was already hot, and the sun shone into the study in the afternoon. The temperature in this small space continued to rise, and Bai Ruan’s forehead was sweating. As he was in his own home, without thinking too much, he habitually popped out his two rabbit ears to aid in heat dissipation.

Bai Ruan’s original form was only as big as Lang Jing Feng’s palm, and his ears and tail were pitifully small. However, when his whole body was in a human form, parts such as his ears and tails appearing as part of the original shape would automatically adapt to the volume and be proportional to the human form. The size was much more appropriate, so the two rabbit ears that Bai Ruan put out alone were longer than 20 cm in length.

Bai Ruan’s ears were upright for a while. After feeling sore, he drooped them on his shoulders.

At this time, Lang Jing Feng used the corner of his eye to steal a glance and felt as if something was wrong. He turned his head to see that his Teacher Xiao Bai actually didn’t know that his two rabbit ears had appeared.

The outside of the ears were covered with a layer of snow-white soft rabbit fur, the inside was very clean, the matte finish was like a ripe peach. It made one yearn to touch Bai Ruan’s slightly longer hair. This Japanese beauty boy hairstyle and the bunny ears were a natural fit, making Bai Ruan look like a character from a comic book, completely adorable and almost unreal.

Bai Ruan didn’t notice that Lang Jing Feng was staring at him and kept working with his hands. One ear was lazily draped over his shoulders, the other ear was half upright, and the tip of the drooping ear went up and down gently swinging with the rhythm of his writing.

Lang Jing Feng’s Adam’s Apple rolled. His eyes were greedy as if he wanted to eat him. “…Fuck, Teacher Bai.”

Bai Ruan’s ears trembled, as if he had only remembered that there was another person next to him, turned his head to look at Lang Jing Feng’s extremely aggressive gaze, and said with embarrassment, “…how much have you written for your homework?”

As he said, Bai Ruan was guided by his intuition of sensing danger and tried to hide his ears.

Lang Jing Feng’s eyes were quick, and he grabbed the ear that was closest to him, and said hoarsely, “Dare to try and keep one?”

“You…” Bai Ruan made a little effort to resist and was afraid of hurting his ears. Like the weaver girl whose clothes were stolen by a cowherd, he frowned and replied, “Let go.”

The touch in his hands was as smooth as warm silk satin. Lang Jing Feng’s mouth was dry and he shamelessly replied like a gangster, “I can’t let go, it’s very rigid.”

Bai Ruan, “…”

“Teacher Bai,” Lang Jing Feng licked his lips and frankly continued, “You’re too adorable with your ears exposed.”

Being praised as being adorable by his students, Bai Ruan was embarrassed and retorted, “I just want to cool down. How can I be adorable when I show my ears? Who doesn’t have ears?”

Lang Jing Feng was silent for a moment and said, “I believe you are a straight man.”

Lang Jing Feng was using the wolf’s brain to think about what he should do to Bai Ruan by making use of this opportunity, when Bai Ruan’s eyes suddenly widened, and his two rabbit ears became upright. He said in a serious voice, “The heart monster is here!”

“Really?” Lang Jing Feng raised his eyebrows, “Don’t lie to me…”

Before he finished speaking, a pair of wolf eyes, like small green lanterns, suddenly lit up in the space under the desk.

“Wolves! There are wolves, there are wolves!” Lang Jing Feng quickly let go, Bai Ruan yelled and jumped onto the table, picked up the San Qing talisman and put it on Lang Jing Feng and himself. His two rabbit ears stood straight-up like two javelins.

As soon as Bai Ruan’s scream settled, three more wolves appeared out of thin air in the study room.

Lang Jing Feng didn’t say anything, he just started to make a move and fight. A big, well-defined hand grabbed the wolf’s muzzle under the desk, dragged it out, and slammed it on the other wolf like a swinging stick. The muffled sound of broken bones made Bai Ruan’s teeth clench until they ached.

At the same time, a cloud of black smoke that could only be seen with the celestial eyes, condensed into the shape of a person’s head, and he was looking at the battle with half a blurry face from the window. Upon seeing Bai Ruan throwing a purification talisman toward himself, the black smoke condensed into two small legs under the head again, ignoring gravity and ran toward the window, the strength interpretation of what was meant by “slipping away”.5

The author has something to say: 　

Bai Ruan Ruan: I’m afraid of wolves, what are you afraid of?

Lang Jing Crazy: …My mother. 

1

A four person tile game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahjong

2

(Actual words: 三清) (Chinese: “Three Pure Ones”)Pinyin Sanqing, highest triad of deities in the generalized pantheon of sectarian religious Taoism. https://www.britannica.com/topic/San-ching

3

(Actual words:儿女情长) Refers to be immersed in love.

4

Known to have power boosting properties.

5

(Actual words:“溜了溜了”) This is an internet buzzword that has the meaning of retreating right away when you see a wrong situation. It is a more playful way of talking about this shameful behavior.