CH 73

Translator: XiaoWu

Under Bai Yue Hu’s strange gaze, Lu Qingjiu hurriedly explained that this wasn’t their strange fetish but it was the black umbrella who had chased after them.

Bai Yue Hu nodded faintly after hearing this and grabbed the black umbrella. With a pull, the umbrella was forcibly removed from Yin Xun’s head and began to screech miserably. It’s miserable cries were like a screeching child, causing one’s scalp to grow numb. Lu Qingjiu stood by the side and watched. The moment he saw Yin Xun’s head once more, he noticed that something seemed to have fallen to the ground with a thud. Taking a closer look, he realised it was the black umbrella’s eyeballs that had rolled on the ground.

Having seen the light of day, Yin Xun breathed a sigh of relief and was also given a fright by the eyeball. The scariest part was when the eyeball stared focusedly at Bai Yue Hu as if it were alive; this scene was extremely terrifying.

Bai Yue Hu threw the umbrella to the ground and the instant it landed, the eyeball that had rolled into a corner immediately shot towards the umbrella. It was immediately wrapped up by the umbrella.

“What on earth is this thing?” Lu Qingjiu had never seen such a strange creature and he was also sure that he’d never read of such a thing in the Classics of Mountain and sea.

Bai Yue Hu didn’t speak. Instead, he bent forward and picked up something from under his foot. Lu Qingjiu waited for him to stand up and realised that it was an eyeball in his hands. This eyeball was similar to the one he had seen before; it was round with blood-red nerves trailing behind it. Whether it were the nerves or the eyeball, they were both alive. At this moment, it was trembling like a small animal in Bai Yue Hu’s hands.

“It’s a technique.” Bai Yue Hu said, “It’s purpose is unknown.”

“Are these human eyes?” Lu Qingjiu felt that having so many eyeballs truly made one feel uncomfortable.

“No,” Bai Yue Hu replied. “These are all living creatures…” He threw the eyeball, as if wanting to see its reaction as it fell. However, he never expected for the foxkit, who’d originally been lying obediently and watching the show from a corner, to suddenly charge over upon seeing the eyeball. None of them had time to react before the foxkit gave a howl and swallowed the eyeball after several crunching sounds could be heard.

“Ah Ah Ah! Su Xi, what did you eat?!” Yin Xun shrieked.

“Quick spit it out!” Lu Qingjiu was faster. He picked up the foxkit and pried open its mouth, wanting to grab the eye out. It was evidently too late. Su Xi revealed two rows of small white teeth, its blue eyes stared innocently at Lu Qingjiu as if asking him what was the meaning of this.

Lu Qingjiu asked bitterly, “Did you really eat it? If something were to happen, how would I answer to your father?” Last year, it had become a poodle and this year, it got food poisoning… he truly felt ashamed of meeting the fox kit’s parent.

Su Xi obviously didn’t understand Lu Qingjiu’s heartache and even used its pink tongue to lick its mouth. Its gaze fell on the black umbrella with an expression that showed that it thought that eyeball’s taste was pretty good and wanted another.

Being stared at by Su Xi, the black umbrella unexpectedly retreated slowly. If it wasn’t for Lu Qingjiu watching it, he might have thought that he’d seen wrongly.

“Will it be fine after eating it?” Lu Qingjiu asked Bai Yue Hu anxiously.

Bai Yue Hu glanced at the fox kit and thought for a moment before picking the umbrella up. Then, he reached a hand in and forcibly grabbed another eyeball from within.

“What are you…” Before Lu Qingjiu could finish his words, he watched Bai Yue Hu stuff the eyeball into his own mouth and crunched it. Just like this, he ate the eyeball.

Yin Xun and Lu Qingjiu both suffered a fright. They stared at Bai Yue Hu with wide eyes, not daring to make a sound until Bai Yue Hu had swallowed it and slowly licked his lips. Lu Qingjiu asked in a small voice, “Is it tasty?”

Bai Yue Hu, “It is.” He thought for a moment before saying another terrifying sentence. “It’s not human’s eyes.”

Lu Qingjiu, “…” What did he mean by it’s not human eyes? Wasn’t the implication that Bai Yue Hu had eaten human eyes before in order for him to be able to tell the difference?

“It’s really not bad.” Probably noticing Lu Qingjiu’s alarmed expression, Bai Yue Hu kindly continued, “It’s crispy and not too bloody. It’s also very juicy.”

Lu Qingjiu, “…” If you weren’t talking about eyeballs, I really would like to try some.

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“No need no need.” Lu Qingjiu politely refused Bai Yue Hu’s goodwill.

Bai Yue Hu looked at Yin Xun who hurriedly waved his hands like a window wiper.

“Alright.” Bai Yue Hu’s tone seemed to carry a faint hint of regret. “I’ll eat it by myself then.”

As if it could understand their words, the black umbrella wanted to bind itself tighter to resist the evil and tyrannical demon lord, Bai Yue Hu. But in Bai Yue Hu’s eyes, its resistance was merely like a mantis hoping to stop a car. In the next second, Bai Yue Hu took out another eyeball and crunched on it.

Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun were both stupefied after witnessing such a cruel and stimulating scene.

After settling the strange umbrella, Lu Qingjiu silently turned around and went to prepare dinner. Yin Xun followed behind him, his trembling appearance resembled the black umbrella.

Tonight’s dinner was simple. Lu Qingjiu fried a big plate of beef patties, cold salad, eight treasure soup, and finally cut up the steak stewed in soy sauce. He placed some chilli on the side as a condiment.

Lu Qingjiu put the porridge on the table and called Bai Yue Hu over to eat.

Bai Yue Hu nodded and put the black umbrella aside. The umbrella stayed silent by his side without making a single sound. But the instant Bai Yue Hu picked up his chopsticks, the black umbrella abruptly opened and began to roll towards the door like a wheel.

The umbrella was actually planning to escape!

Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun stared with open mouths.

But Bai Yue Hu was faster. The umbrella had yet to roll twice before he had appeared before it and grabbed it with a cold laugh. “Where are you going?”

The black umbrella: “…”

“Coming whenever you please and leaving whenever you please. Do you treat this place as a hotel?” Bai Yue Hu pinched the umbrella and said, “If you want to leave, you should at least leave behind all your eyeballs.”

Once it heard this, the black umbrella began to cry pitifully. The sound was extremely ear-piercing and resembled a bullied child. This made Lu Qingjiu feel even more ashamed as if he had picked on a small child.

However, Bai Yue Hu’s heart was made of stone. Not only did he not budge, he even went into the kitchen and brought out a thick rope to bind the black umbrella. Then, he tossed it onto the ground. “I’m full today, we’ll continue tomorrow.”

The black umbrella: “…” Wuwuwu, what evil had it committed! The scariest part was that the little fox had also shown interest in it, using its snout to rub against it as if it were about to take a bite anytime.

Yin Xun stared at the black umbrella and whispered to Lu Qingjiu, “Why do I seem to see my own future in the black umbrella?”

Lu Qingjiu replied, “Don’t think too much. If Bai Yue Hu really wants to eat you, you’d be gone in one bite. It’ll be quick and painless.”

Yin Xun: “…” Thank you very much for your comfort, my good friend.

After eating, Yin Xun returned home while Lu Qingjiu went back into his room. Neither of them talked about the umbrella again, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Therefore, during the next two days, the black umbrella became Bai Yue Hu’s personal snack. Lu Qingjiu watched his family’s fox spirit sit in his rocking chair with the umbrella by his side. Once in a while, he would reach his hand in and fish out an eyeball, put it in his mouth and crunch. This scene was truly cruel to the extent that people couldn’t bear to watch.

The weather during the last few days was pretty good. Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun would usually find a spot in the courtyard to bask in the sun but they dared not now. Because in the courtyard, one could hear the scalp-numbing crunch. After listening for a long time, one’s mentality would gradually become fuzzy… it was clear to see how great of an impact it had.

Of course, there were those who welcomed the black umbrella such as the little fox kit who sat in a corner, never taking its eyes off it.

But considering Lu Qingjiu’s concern on food safety, Bai Yue Hu stopped feeding it no matter how pitiful the little fox appeared.

Yin Xun stewed for two days before he could no longer endure it. He also dared not go straight to Bai Yue Hu but found Lu Qingjiu instead to express his utter distress. “Whenever I see Bai Yue Hu eating those eyeballs, I also feel my eyes hurting…”

Lu Qingjiu was roasting fish when he heard Yin Xun’s words and froze.

Yin Xun, “Are you also…”

Lu Qingjiu drew a deep breath and slowly nodded, “More or less.”

It would have been fine if he’d eaten anything else but the thing he had to eat was a live eyeball. Throwing them all into his mouth like this was truly horrifying.

“Can you…” Yin Xun placed all his hopes on Lu Qingjiu, “Persuade Bai Yue Hu?”

Lu Qingjiu nodded. “Okay, I’ll talk to him.:

After lunch, he went to find Bai Yue Hu before he planned to take his afternoon rest and snack, and told him about this matter including his suspicion towards the taste of those eyeballs and his discomfort towards seeing him eating those eyeballs.

Bai Yue Hu fell silent after listening. He beckoned towards Lu Qingjiu.

Lu Qingjiu thought he was about to say something but saw Bai Yue Hu leaned forward and closer to him. He didn’t expect for Bai Yue Hu to suddenly reach out a hand and hold the back of his head. Then, he felt something cold being pressed against his lips and before he could react, that thing had already been fully stuffed into his mouth.

“Wu!” Lu Qingjiu’s eyes grew round. He wanted to say something but a pang of sweetness filled his mouth, completely different from the bloodiness he had expected.

“Try it first.” Bai Yue Hu’s voice sounded.

Since the thing was already in his mouth and it wasn’t what he had thought, Lu Qingjiu suppressed his fear towards the shape of this thing and used his teeth to carefully pierce the eyeball.

With a crunch, Lu Qingjiu swallowed it. “Isn’t this a living creature’s eye?” Which creature had eyes that tasted like strawberries?

Bai Yue Hu, “No.”

“Then, what is it?” Lu Qingjiu was stunned.

“It’s probably a kind of fruit,” Bai Yue Hu told him. “It only looks like eyes to scare people.” In reality, it tastes pretty good.

After eating it, there was a lingering sweetness in his mouth. It must be said that apart from its frightening appearance, the taste of this eyeball was really good.

“Try another one?” Bai Yue Hu took out another one from the umbrella and glanced at it before giving it to Lu Qingjiu. “This one has a tangerine flavour.”

Lu Qingjiu: “…” After a brief contemplation, he still accepted it. This time, he didn’t wait for Bai Yue Hu to stuff it into his mouth before he carefully ate it.

The tangerine-flavoured eyeball wasn’t as sweet as the strawberry flavour but it had more juice. Its flesh even had tangerine pulps so it was as if he were eating a fruit gelatin, the kind that was 100% natural without preservatives. As he enjoyed his snack, Lu Qingjiu looked towards the house and saw Yin Xun’s flabbergasted expression. He clearly didn’t understand why Lu Qingjiu, who’d gone to persuade Bai Yue Hu, was now chewing on said eyeballs with him with a look of enjoyment.

Lu Qingjiu nearly wanted to laugh due to Yin Xun’s expression but after thinking, he got Bai Yue Hu to pass him one eyeball. He took it and headed for Yin Xun.

Yin Xun saw Lu Qingjiu heading towards him with the eyeball in hand and wanted to run, but was pulled back.

“Why are you running?” Lu Qingjiu asked. “It’s not like I’m going to eat you up.”

How could Yin Xun not know what Lu Qingjiu was planning to do? He began to sob, “Stay away from me, I don’t want to eat it. I don’t want to!”

Lu Qingjiu, “How do you know if you haven’t tried it? This isn’t a living creature’s eyeball. Come, try it.”

Yin Xun wanted to struggle but was suppressed by Lu Qingjiu and then, a round object was stuffed into his mouth. Yin Xun was so frightened he nearly wanted to cry but in front of Lu Qingjiu, his struggles were futile. The eyeball was forced into his mouth and the instant it entered, Yin Xun thought he was going to die — until he tasted it.

“Yi?” Yin Xun asked, “Why is it grape flavoured?”

Lu Qingjiu said, “Is it tasty?”

Yin Xun immediately stopped struggling and began to chew. “It’s like a fruit jelly.”

Lu Qingjiu, “That’s right. There’s even a strawberry-flavoured one.”

Yin Xun, “Awesome.”

The two people glanced at each other before their gazes fell on the black umbrella by Bai Yue Hu’s side. As if perceiving their gaze, the umbrella began to tremble but was helpless as it laid by Bai Yue Hu’s side. It couldn’t run; Coming to Shuifu village was its biggest mistake.

Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun finally understood how the black umbrella came to be Bai Yuehu’s favourite snack in the day. This plaything was really delicious… even if it looks strange, at least its core was beautiful.

Having tasted the black umbrella, Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun finally suppressed the fear in the heart and began to sit together with Bai Yuehu as they ate the eyeballs. Of course, when they ate it, they made sure their doors were close lest a neighbour walked past and witnessed such a horrifying scene.

Just like this, they ate for another few days before someone came to their door.

On this day, there was a light shower. Lu Qingjiu had just harvested a lot of chives and was preparing to make scallion pancakes when he heard the banging on his door. After he opened it, he saw a beautiful lady standing outside. She wore a traditional chinese garment and had a head full of jet-black hair. Although she was pretty, it was complete unlike modern people.

“Hello, how may I help you?” Lu Qingjiu asked.

The lady looked at the chives in Lu Qingjiu’s hands and replied, “I lost my umbrella.”

Lu Qingjiu: “…” They’re finished. The owner had come to find them.

The lady asked, “Did you see it?”

Lu Qingjiu answered, “En… I saw it.”

The lady continued, “Can you return it to me?” She revealed a pitiful expression, the kind that would cause others to feel tender affection.

Under her gaze, Lu Qingjiu felt a little guilty. He had, after all, tied another person’s umbrella up and ate from it for nearly a week. Now that the owner had appeared, there was inevitably embarrassment and after thinking for a while, he invited the lady into the house to wait for Bai Yuehu to return.

Bai Yuehu had just taken the umbrella and headed towards the field. Usually, he wouldn’t use an umbrella but ever since he had gotten the black umbrella, he began to actively put it to use since not only could it provide shade, it even provided snacks. There was nothing better than this.

The lady entered the house. Lu Qingjiu didn’t feel it was right to simply leave her in the living room so he took the chopping board out and began to chop up the chives and meat.

The lady was curious. “What are you doing?”

“I’m making scallion pancakes,” Lu Qingjiu replied.

“Scallion pancakes?” The lady asked, “What’s that?”

“Something delicious.” Lu Qingjiu told her, “Have you not tried it before? Wait a little while. I’ll let you try it once it’s done.” He felt that this lady was probably not human.

The lady nodded and continued to wait quiety.

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“What are you doing?!” She roared.

Bai Yuehu ignored her, the corners of his lips rose to reveal a provocative expression.

The lady: “Bai Yuehu, you bastard!”

“It’s alright.” Bai Yuehu said, “Why did you come? Is this umbrella yours?”

The lady replied sarcastically, “If it’s not mine, then could it be yours?”

Bai Yuehu: “Once it’s in my house, it’s mine. If it’s not because you don’t even taste as good as pork, I would have eaten you together with it.”

The lady: “…”

From the two people’s dialogue, it was clear to see they were old acquaintances. It was just that their relationship was too bad, the kind that could go off on each other any time.

“Return my umbrella to me.” The lady knew that it wasn’t advantageous for her to quarrel with Bai Yuehu over this matter and simply ignored his comment about her and pork. “You’ve already eaten it for over five days! Aren’t you afraid of getting a stomach ache?!”

Bai Yuehu ignored her and pulled out another eyeball, eating it with a crunch.

The lady instantly exploded but Bai Yuehu still didn’t pay her any attention.

Seeing that Bai Yuehu wouldn’t bend to either soft or hard approaches, she could only swallow her anger. She gritted her teeth and asked, “Tell me, what do I need to get you to return my umbrella?”

Bai Yuehu: “Wait for me to finish eating it.”

“You damned—” The lady was forced into cursing. But under Bai Yuehu’s icy-cold gaze, she had to swallow these dirty words back.

Bai Yuehu said, “Since you’ve sent the umbrella here, don’t think about getting it back.”

The lady replied, “It came out on its own!”

Bai Yuehu mused, “This is the first time I heard that the Spring God’s umbrella can come out on its own.”

When Lu Qingjiu heard this, he was surprised. He didn’t expect that the lady in front of him was the Spring God from the legends. Rumor has it that the four gods of the seasons were Spring God, Gou Mang, Summer God, Zhu Rong, Autumn God, Ru Shou, and Winter God, Xuan Ming. In the legends, all the gods were depicted as men and the lady in front of him didn’t look like a man. Lu Qingjiu was wondering when he heard Gou Mang crying loudly. Her beautiful tears like pear blossoms could provoke pity in those who saw it.

Unfortunately, his family’s fox spirit didn’t have the slightest bit of tender feelings for the fairer sex. He heartlessly said, “I’ll kick you out if you continue to cry.”

Gou Mang immediately became silent.

Bai Yuehu continued, “It’s not impossible if you want to take your umbrella back.”

A suspicious expression appeared on Gou Mang’s face. She was evidently doubtful of Bai Yuehu.

“But you must leave the seeds behind.”

“What seeds?” Gou Mang asked.

“Of course it’s the eyeballs seeds.” Bai Yuehu said, “This mythical umbrella can plant any thing, no matter what type of seeds it is. They would definitely grow in the umbrella. These eyeballs are a plant, right?”

Gou Mang snorted softly, “I can give the seed to you but whether or not you can let it grow is your problem.”

Bai Yuehu replied, “En.”

Gou Mang continued, “You’ll return my umbrella if I give those seeds to you?”

Bai Yuehu nodded.

Gou Mang, “Deal.” She stood up and left the courtyard, seemingly going to find those seeds for Bai Yuehu.

Lu Qingjiu watched Gou Mang leave and asked, “Is she the God of Spring from the legends? Isn’t the Spring God a man?”

Bai Yuehu glanced at Lu Qingjiu and said something astonishing, “Who said that’s a woman?”

Lu Qingjiu: “…”

Bai Yuehu, “That’s a man.”

Lu Qingjiu: “…”

Bai Yuehu, “Doesn’t seem like a man?”

Gou Mang’s clothes and that coy snort… No matter how he looked, it didn’t seem like a… forget it. He was clearly a cute boy.

Perhaps Lu Qingjiu seemed as if he’d suffered a huge shock but Bai Yuehu gave him a comforting sentence. He said now that it was spring, the Spring God wore sacrificial garments. Once summer comes, he’d wear short-sleeved garments and by then, he should be able to tell Gou Mang’s gender.

Lu Qingjiu asked, “How did the umbrella come about?”

Bai Yuehu answered, “That’s a seed. No matter if it’s dead or alive, it’ll be able to grow in the umbrella but it must be a type of plant.”

Lu Qingjiu, “So you already knew from the start?” No wonder he could eat it with a peace of heart.

Bai Yuehu hummed in agreement.

“But why did that umbrella come over to Shuifu?” Lu Qingjiu glanced at the black umbrella, “Did it get lost?”

Bai Yuehu laughed coldly. “It’s the Spring God’s umbrella. How could it get lost?”

All these gods were extremely troublesome.