The Little Peacock Raises a Snake (GL) Chapter 8

Qu Linyan knew everything was a dream.
The plain, steady life was a dream. Her carefree childhood was a dream. A-Qing was a dream. Of everything before her, only that foolish little peacock was not a dream.
But she began to linger in this dream.
From the night Fu Xiaoba told her that after they got out, they would go find A-Qing together, Qu Linyan allowed herself to become a child for a while. She sank into a dream and became briefly free of worry.
That freedom came from A-Qing, and also from the peacock whose courage was growing fatter by the day.
That was right. Fu Xiaoba had become bolder and bolder lately.
Her attitude toward Qu Linyan seemed to return to the days when they had first met. Every day, she held her head high and puffed out her chest, putting on the air of, I am stronger than you, so you have to listen to me.
If Qu Linyan wanted to sleep in one morning, she would definitely see Fu Xiaoba flapping her wings by the bed and hopping back and forth, calling her to wake like an old mother.
If Qu Linyan lost focus while cultivating, she would definitely see Fu Xiaoba act like a little teacher, seriously copying A-Qing’s tone and nagging this way and that.
The key point was that Fu Xiaoba always controlled others and never herself. She was clearly the one who loved sleeping late and slacking off most on normal days, yet every time she found a chance, she lifted her little wing and pointed at Qu Linyan as if giving orders.
Fu Xiaoba’s world had always been simple.
From childhood to now, only Fu Zhuochen had been able to talk with her.
But in the past, she had not needed to talk to anyone all the time. When Fu Zhuochen had time to deal with her, she would cling to him and make him tell her stories. When Fu Zhuochen had no time for her, she would find a place to stare into space alone.
In truth, she wanted someone to play with too. She simply could not find anyone.
Because of that, when that little peacock who could not even care for herself first picked up the little black snake, she looked after her every day with great care. She only hoped that after the little black snake healed, she would stay and keep her company.
But in the end, the little black snake became a huge black flood dragon. The distance between Fu Xiaoba and a powerful demon appeared all at once.
Whether Fu Zhuochen or Qu Linyan, to Fu Xiaoba, they were both people she could only look up to. She did not even dare be wild in front of them.
And now, facing the tiny Qu Linyan, everything seemed to change.
So a tiny, unimportant little demon like her could play and fool around with the great demon she should have feared and looked up to.
This feeling was wonderful. Someone who had once seemed far out of reach suddenly felt much closer.
To put it plainly, Fu Xiaoba had noticed that Qu Linyan’s body and cultivation were now limited by this dream, and Qu Linyan could not punish her at all. So she seized the time and acted as wild as she pleased.
How wild?
Every time Qu Linyan helped Fu Xiaoba bathe, Fu Xiaoba splashed her all over.
Qu Linyan always felt that the little peacock who once would lie down if she could, stand still if she had to stand, and never take half a step if she could avoid it, had changed without anyone noticing. She had become a little… spoiled by favor?
Yes, that had to be it.
This fellow had been spoiled by A-Qing. She knew she had A-Qing’s protection and was using it to bully Qu Linyan!
When they first entered the dream, Qu Linyan held Fu Xiaoba at night and kneaded her, and Fu Xiaoba did not dare let out even a sound.
Later, if Qu Linyan pinched Fu Xiaoba once, Fu Xiaoba dared jump up and claw at her hair.
Now, not only did the little thing refuse to let Qu Linyan rub her, she also burrowed into Qu Linyan’s blanket every night. One moment, she used Qu Linyan’s arm as a pillow. The next, she used her belly. Sometimes she even used Qu Linyan’s chest as a pillow.
Using it as a pillow was one thing, but she even said, “I heard proper massage can make this place bigger. Yours is so small right now and not as comfortable as outside. When I take human form, how about I massage it for you?”
“Fu Xiaoba!” Qu Linyan raised her right hand on the spot as if to hit her.
Fu Xiaoba quickly jumped back several steps. “Why are you being fierce? I am caring about your development!”
“Ha. Then I truly thank you.”
Regarding this, Qu Linyan said no, she did not need it. She truly did not need it.
In the past, if anyone dared say such a thing to her, she would have swallowed them alive and skinned them. If not for the fact that this peacock was an ignorant little demon, how could Qu Linyan allow her to act so boldly?
However…
It was strange. This little peacock was so bold, yet Qu Linyan did not feel angry. The reason she put on a fierce look was only that she was more than two thousand seven hundred years old and had been teased by a little peacock who had not even taken human form yet. She could not keep her face.
That feeling was truly hard to describe.
*
Fu Xiaoba took human form on a day so ordinary it could not have been more ordinary.
Qu Linyan had only gone hunting outside the cavern with A-Qing. How could she have expected that when she returned, a “bird-person” hiding in the passage would suddenly rush out and make a face at her, startling her badly?
The large fish in Qu Linyan’s hand was frightened right out of her grip. It fell onto the damp stone floor, rolled its eyes, and flopped twice in its dying struggle.
This “bird-person” had a head of black hair falling loose behind her. Her brows and eyes curved. Behind her back was a pair of muddy yellow wings.
She was much taller than Qu Linyan. The “territory” before her chest, covered by yellow feathers, was actually rather impressive. Standing with her hands behind her back, those high curves right in front made the little girl instantly frown and blush.
“Hahahaha, I scared you, didn’t I, Little Black!”
That familiar voice. It was Fu Xiaoba, without a doubt.
“Why are you not wearing clothes?” Qu Linyan’s narrow eyes almost widened into circles.
“I do not have clothes to wear.” Fu Xiaoba tilted her head, her clear and pretty face full of innocence.
Hearing this, A-Qing curved her brows and covered her lips, laughing softly at the side.
Fu Xiaoba had only just taken human form. Her two hands and feet were still shaped like wings and peacock claws, and the feathers on her body had not fully shed. Though she was not wearing a single stitch right now, she was hardly showing any skin at all. At first glance, she was simply an odd half-bird, half-person.
Whether she wore clothes or not truly did not make much difference.
But no matter what, she had half a human form now. Having no clothes on her body was still strange, making Qu Linyan unable to decide where to put her eyes.
A-Qing stepped forward and took Fu Xiaoba’s wing, which had not yet changed into a human hand. She led her into her own room and shut the door.
Qu Linyan bent down to pick up the fish from the floor. She had meant to hurry after them, but when she neared the door, A-Qing used a spell to block her outside the bead curtain.
Qu Linyan could not help drawing in a stuffy breath. She bit her lower lip, sat by the door hugging her knees, and felt sour for no reason.
Qu Linyan sat quietly outside with puffed cheeks for a good while. At last, the barrier was removed, and the bead curtain lifted.
She stood and looked inside. Fu Xiaoba had already shed her long feathers. Dressed in white, she stood graceful and bright, with an apricot face, peach cheeks, and brows like a painting.
For one instant, Qu Linyan felt she had seen this face somewhere before.
But as soon as that thought rose, she denied it in her heart.
She was only a little demon who had just taken human form. How could she ever have entered Qu Linyan’s eyes?
Seeing Qu Linyan stare at her as if dazed, Fu Xiaoba pinched the edge of her skirt, turned lightly in a circle, and smiled with pursed lips. “How is it, Little Black?”
“Mm…” Qu Linyan pursed her lips and said, “I did not expect this pheasant of yours to have some beauty.”
When Fu Xiaoba heard this, she strode forward in a few steps, stretched out both hands, and forcefully pinched Qu Linyan’s little face, which still had not lost its baby fat. Under Qu Linyan’s shocked and angry gaze, Fu Xiaoba corrected her seriously. “Peacock, not pheasant!”
Outrageous! She had been face-pinched by a little demon!
Qu Linyan was just about to flare up when Fu Xiaoba suddenly took both her hands and lightly crouched before her. “Do not be angry. I will let you pinch me back.”
After speaking, she puffed out her cheeks, her eyes clear as spring water.
Qu Linyan lost focus for a moment. After several seconds of staring blankly, her ears red, she stretched out her soft little hands and lightly pinched Fu Xiaoba’s cheeks.
Cool and soft.
Her brows curved, and a trace of laughter rippled in her eyes. She truly looked like a child who had not grown up, especially easy to coax.
Seeing she was not angry anymore, Fu Xiaoba grinned and foolishly laughed along with her.
That night, Fu Xiaoba slept in the same bed as Qu Linyan for the first time in human form.
Qu Linyan was not old in this dream, and the bed A-Qing had made for her was already somewhat small. Before, with one person and one peacock, it had been spacious. Now that they had become two people, it was naturally a little crowded.
Qu Linyan rarely lay so straight. Both her hands were placed properly on her belly, and her eyes were squeezed tightly shut.
Fu Xiaoba tossed and turned on the outer side of the bed for a long while. No matter what, she could not sleep. So she simply turned onto her side, looked at Qu Linyan’s profile, and asked softly, “Little Black, are you asleep?”
After two seconds of silence, Qu Linyan answered in a low voice, “Not yet.”
“How strange. I cannot sleep.” Fu Xiaoba reached out and hugged Qu Linyan’s arm. “Clearly I only changed bodies and sleeping positions, yet I cannot sleep… Are you sleepy? Can you talk with me?”
“Go ahead.” Qu Linyan opened her eyes.
Fu Xiaoba thought for a moment and said, “Little Black, I miss Brother.”
Hearing this sudden sentence, Qu Linyan instantly grew angry. “Why miss that turkey?”
This little pheasant had spent dozens of years with her in the dream, yet she still thought about a wild man outside the dream. Truly, no matter how one raised her, she could not be raised familiar.
Fu Xiaoba asked back, “Are you snakes born with names?”
“Of course.” After answering, Qu Linyan suddenly felt something was not quite right and silently corrected, “I am a flood dragon, not a snake.”
“But little wild demons like us do not have them,” Fu Xiaoba said seriously. “I was the eighth peacock to break my shell at home, so I was called Xiaoba.”
Qu Linyan froze. “That casual?”
“You were born a great demon, so of course you do not know that little demons like us only deserve names after we cultivate human form. Brother said that once I took human form, he would give me a name. But now I have taken human form, and he is not beside me.” As Fu Xiaoba spoke, she lightly shook Qu Linyan’s arm. “How about… you give me one?”
Qu Linyan turned her head and stared at Fu Xiaoba for several seconds. She bit the inside of her lip, thought for a moment, then nodded.
She lifted one index finger and drew a few strokes in the air. The spiritual power left behind by her fingertip glowed in the night, forming three syllables.
Fu Xiaoba happily clapped her hands and pointed at the first one. “What is this?”
“Fu, your family name.”
“Oh!” Fu Xiaoba suddenly understood and quickly pointed at the second one. “What about this?”
Qu Linyan said, “Jade bones, graceful and light, bright like dew. This is Shan. It means light and lovely.”
“I like it, I like it!” Fu Xiaoba pointed at the last one and pressed, “Then what is this?”
“In the human world, this word is a way to refer to a beautiful woman.” At this point, the corner of Qu Linyan’s mouth could not stop lifting. “It is read Ji.”
“Very good, very good!” Fu Xiaoba clapped and praised it.
As she laughed, she suddenly felt something was not quite right.
After staring blankly for two seconds, the smile on her face gradually froze.
“Pfft…” No, Qu Linyan could not hold it in. “Hahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahaha, hic…”
Qu Linyan suddenly clutched her belly and laughed with great arrogance.