Chapter 28: The Pinecone

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaoyue immediately responded with great excitement, “Alright! Little brother, let me activate a ‘Paper Talisman’ for you to see.” With that, she swiftly retrieved a cinnabar ink brush and a stack of talisman paper from beneath the stone bed. Picking up the brush, she quickly sketched two jade bangles on a sheet of talisman paper. Then, setting the brush aside, she pinched the corner of the “Paper Talisman” with her right hand, stood up, and, channeling her inner energy, gave it a sudden shake. With a crisp rustle, the talisman burst forth in golden light, and the two jade bangles sprang out vividly. Bai Xiaoyue, quick of eye and hand, immediately caught the bangles.

Yan Chixia watched her clean, fluid movements—how, in the blink of an eye, she had used the Paper Talisman method to conjure a pair of jade bangles. He could not help but exclaim in delight, “Sister, your skill is truly remarkable—so graceful and swift, accomplished in a single stroke… It’s wonderful!”

Bai Xiaoyue laughed a little shyly. “Thank you for your praise, little brother! I know that my mastery of the Paper Talisman method is still shallow and hardly worth mentioning, but I am determined to cultivate it to the most exquisite level!” At this point, she turned her gaze to Rabbit Xiaomeng. “Xiaomeng, this pair of jade bangles is my birthday gift to you. Do you like them?”

“I love them, I really do! Thank you, Sister Bai, for the wonderful present.” Rabbit Xiaomeng beamed, immediately slipping the bangles onto her wrists.

Seeing this, Yan Chixia laughed and asked, “Xiaomeng, Sister has given you a birthday gift, and now I want to give you something too—but I don’t know what you’d like. Is there anything you want? Just tell me, and I’ll get it for you right away.”

Rabbit Xiaomeng pondered for a moment, then replied, “Brother Yan, both you and Sister Bai can write and send messages, but I can’t. It’s really scary not knowing how to read… So, I want to learn! Brother Yan, could you give me a scroll that will help me learn to read?”

“Of course,” Yan Chixia said with great approval. “Xiaomeng, you are truly thoughtful! Since you wish to study, I’ll give you a scroll of the Analects.”

He then picked up a sheet of talisman paper, and with the cinnabar brush, carefully painted a scroll of the Analects upon it. Using his method, he activated the talisman and handed it to Rabbit Xiaomeng, saying, “Xiaomeng, when I first started at the private academy, the Analects was the first thing I learned. Sister knows how to read, and since you’re together every day, she can teach you.”

“This is wonderful!” Rabbit Xiaomeng exclaimed, treasuring the scroll. “Brother Yan, I’ll study hard and make progress every day!”

Both Yan Chixia and Bai Xiaoyue laughed at her enthusiasm.

At this moment, Yan Chixia turned to Bai Xiaoyue and said, “Sister, you mentioned that today is Xiaomeng’s first day as a newly transformed human, and that we must celebrate her birthday. I agree wholeheartedly. Now, let me use the Paper Talisman method to conjure a feast, and we’ll celebrate together.”

Bai Xiaoyue and Rabbit Xiaomeng, both surprised and delighted, immediately voiced their agreement.

Yan Chixia then employed the Paper Talisman method, conjuring a table and three chairs, which he set in the stone cave. Next, he brought forth three bowls of millet rice, a dish of golden diced chicken, a plate of sautéed fish with green bamboo shoots, a platter of salt-baked green prawns, a salad of shredded carrots and cashews, and a bowl of egg drop seaweed soup—all steaming and fragrant upon the table.

Seeing Yan Chixia conjure so many dishes in one go, Bai Xiaoyue could not help but feel envious. “Little brother, your mastery of the Paper Talisman method grows stronger by the day. I truly admire you!”

“Yes, yes!” Rabbit Xiaomeng chimed in, unable to hide her awe. “Brother Yan, you’re amazing!”

But Yan Chixia waved their praise aside. “Sister, Xiaomeng, you flatter me! My current skill with the Paper Talisman method is but a drop in the ocean, a grain of sand compared to its true potential. I am still far from mastering its highest mysteries. But enough of that—let’s eat while it’s hot.”

With that, the three of them sat down and began their meal, chatting and laughing together.

Suddenly, Rabbit Xiaomeng recalled meeting She Meier and turned to Bai Xiaoyue with a mischievous grin. “Sister Bai, I have a secret to tell you—a woman named She Meier has fallen for Brother Yan!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Bai Xiaoyue’s heart skipped a beat, and she hastily asked, “Xiaomeng, how do you know?”

“I saw it with my own eyes!” Rabbit Xiaomeng replied gleefully. “Just now, on the road, Brother Yan and I met She Meier. You didn’t see her, but she’s really beautiful—bewitching, even. She blocked our way and wouldn’t let Brother Yan go, flirting with him endlessly. He nearly fell under her spell…”

“Xiaomeng, stop talking nonsense!” Yan Chixia interrupted, blushing furiously.

“I’m not making things up, Brother Yan! She Meier kept calling you ‘handsome boy’… She clearly likes you.”

“So what if she does? I don’t like her!” Yan Chixia replied, turning to Bai Xiaoyue. “Sister, don’t believe Xiaomeng’s one-sided story. The truth is, it happened like this…”

He then recounted how he had come to know She Meier.

After listening, Bai Xiaoyue breathed a quiet sigh of relief, though concern for Yan Chixia lingered. “Is that so? Then, little brother, that snake spirit carries magical artifacts and is clearly skilled in the mystical arts! Now that she has set her sights on you, she won’t give up until she gets what she wants. She’ll surely cause you more trouble… So, little brother, you must be very careful from now on!”

“I will,” Yan Chixia nodded. “Don’t worry, sister—I’ll be on my guard…”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice came from outside the cave, unable to contain itself: “Ah, what delicious-smelling food! How wonderful it would be to have a full meal!”

Startled, Yan Chixia, Bai Xiaoyue, and Rabbit Xiaomeng all turned to look outside. There, at the cave entrance, stood a boy of about five or six, with thick brows and big eyes, a golden complexion, dressed in simple green cloth. He stared hungrily at the banquet, his mouth half open, practically drooling.

The three of them rose and went over to the boy.

“Who are you?” Rabbit Xiaomeng blurted out. “What’s your name? And how did you come to be here all alone?”

The boy, taken aback by the questions, answered, “My name is Pinecone. I was originally a little squirrel on Mount Zhongnan. After centuries of cultivation, today I survived my tribulation and became human.”

“Really?” Rabbit Xiaomeng exclaimed, delighted. “What a coincidence! Pinecone, we’re the same age—I, too, just became human today. My name is ‘Rabbit Xiaomeng’!”

“Rabbit Xiaomeng?” Pinecone looked at her in surprise. “So, you were a little white rabbit before?”

“That’s right!” Rabbit Xiaomeng grinned. “Pinecone, you’re clever—since I was a white rabbit, I took the surname ‘Rabbit.’ And, if I’m not mistaken, you must have chosen ‘Pine’ as your surname because you were a squirrel, right?”

“No, you’ve got it wrong,” Pinecone replied with a guileless honesty. “I named myself Pinecone because I love pinecones and always played with them.”

Bai Xiaoyue laughed. “Pinecone, today is Xiaomeng’s birthday, and yours too. You must be starving. Since you’ve come here, come in and join us for a meal—let us celebrate your birthday as well!”