Chapter 122: Black and White World (2)

Chapter 122: Black and White World (2)

[Two in One] Bo Hui Arrives

Even if he wouldn't be eaten, he couldn't possibly bite the rope.

Shi Youqing, with the rubber stamp firmly clutched in his mouth, instinctively sucked in his stomach, fearful of accidentally falling. He stiffly allowed the group of little people to “fish” him up, cooperating perfectly.

The group, apparently not expecting him to be so compliant, hurriedly sped up the process. As they neared the final stretch, the leading “Thumbelina,” Shi Wen, donned gloves to prevent being bitten.

Seeing the rabbit’s neck fur stained bright red and its reddish eyes, the woman paused, suddenly reminded of someone...

Urged on by the small folks behind her, she shook off her thoughts and swiftly grabbed the rabbit’s forepaw, pulling Shi Youqing up with a strong tug.

Shi Youqing landed squarely on the branch, almost toppling over before the small folks hurriedly stabilized him.

Once steady on the branch, he blinked and gazed intently at the “Thumbelina” in front of him.

He wanted to speak but couldn’t produce any sound.

Shi Wen’s attention was fixed on the red-stained fur on his neck: “How severe the injury must be...”

An elderly little person behind her echoed: “Must have been captured for food, and after being gutted, this rabbit managed to escape. To still be alive is a miracle!”

Shi Youqing: “…”

The rest of the little people were alarmed by the elder's description, showing immense respect for the rabbit that had survived such a grave injury and escaped.

Shi Youqing opened his mouth to explain, but felt too weak.

Eventually, he resigned to picking up the rubber stamp again, dabbed it on his chest, and stamped it onto the tree branch in front of him.

The previously brown-gray bark now bore a new mark: Qing →

Realizing his revelation, Shi Youqing’s eyes widened... Yes, he couldn’t talk, but he could stamp!

Excitedly, he shifted his body, stood upright with paws together at the arrow, and stared intently at Shi Wen.

The little people watched, puzzled.

“What is he doing?”

“Is he performing a talent show with his own blood? Is this to make us not kill him?”

“Little chubby rabbit, we won’t kill you, rest assured.”

“So pitiful…”

“This rabbit is so badly injured, he probably won’t live much longer, right?”

“Even if he doesn’t have many days left, we should treat him well. He’s clearly not a real rabbit, using a bowl as a boat and stamping. Coming from the direction of Fairy Tale Town, he must be a victimized townsfolk like us! Let’s let him comfortably live out his last days here!”

“Ah… why is he crying?”

Shi Youqing wasn’t crying; he was just staring at Shi Wen, and as he did, his eyes involuntarily began to water.

The small folks were all talking at once, only Shi Wen stood there in a daze, as if in a trance.

The thought that had come to her mind at first sight of him was actually true!

When Shi Youqing stamped the mark and stood at the arrow, Shi Wen became completely convinced.

As she came back to her senses, she saw the “severely injured” rabbit looking at her with teary eyes.

As if struck by thunder, her face turned pale, and she stepped forward, reaching out to touch the rabbit’s head: “Youqing…”

It’s me!

Instantly, all the longing and bitter emotions overwhelmed him, and Shi Youqing’s ears almost drooped, nodding heavily.

Shi Wen, much smaller than the rabbit, still stretched her arms to embrace him, seemingly too overwhelmed to speak.

The nearby small folks were perplexed, asking what was happening.

Without elaborating, Shi Wen took another careful look at the child and said, “It’s dangerous outside, we shouldn’t stay long,” and promptly took Shi Youqing home.

The others could only follow.

Here, “home” meant returning to the tree hollow. Following Shi Wen to the tree trunk, Shi Youqing clearly saw the scenery - a massive trunk with many branches, each junction having a small entrance leading to the small folks' tree hollows.

The ordinary small entrances couldn’t accommodate Shi Youqing.

Without a second thought, Shi Wen pressed on the tree bark, which then opened like elevator doors, the previously closed bark parting to either side.

The white rabbit perked up its ears in surprise.

Shi Wen explained softly, "Sometimes we store large food items, so there are big doors like this under and above the tree, but only we can open them. Come in quickly..."

Shi Youqing followed his mother and hopped into the large entrance, while the other small people queued up to enter the tree hollow through smaller entrances.

Inside was a world of its own.

The tree was as tall as the small people’s houses, and Shi Youqing followed Shi Wen down the wooden staircase, floor by floor, almost like browsing a shopping mall.

The tree hollow was very clean, with numerous rooms, some beautiful, some grand, some simple, and others still under "renovation."

Halfway through, Shi Youqing could no longer walk; the height was overwhelming.

Seeing him gasping for breath, Shi Wen knew he couldn’t walk any further, stopped to pat his head, and started thinking of a solution...

Once he had rested, Shi Wen found a flat wooden board nearby. She tied the board to the stair railing with rope to prevent it from sliding down: "We can slide down on this, but you’re injured..." she said, then looked painfully at his chest.

Shi Youqing, seeing his mother still under a misunderstanding, immediately performed an act of trying to lick his neck fur with his tongue!

Shi Wen was startled and quickly stopped him: "No, let mom apply medicine to you..." She realized something was amiss when her hand touched the damp fur.

The little white rabbit stuck out its tongue and winked at her.

Mom, it’s not blood!

After a moment of shock, Shi Wen leaned in to sniff... and indeed, it smelled of tomato sauce!

"You’re alright... That’s wonderful!"

Shi Youqing proudly nodded, while also spitting out a couple of times; the tomato sauce was dirty, and he didn’t want to actually eat it...

Seeing his comically endearing appearance, Shi Wen felt both joy and heartache. Although he was not injured, his white fur was all dirty. Being frail from childhood, he must have suffered a lot on the way...

Shi Wen laid the wooden board down, asked Shi Youqing to sit on it, and then sat behind him, holding onto the rabbit's tail with one hand and a pair of scissors in the other, saying, "Youqing, we’re starting."

Shi Youqing drooped his ears, nodded, and braced himself.

Shi Wen called out a warning on the stairs to make sure no one was walking underneath their makeshift elevator. After ensuring no one was there, she snipped the rope connecting the wooden board to the railing.

The wooden board instantly slid downward.

The slope wasn't steep, so the speed was moderate and safe.

However, Shi Youqing, like riding a roller coaster, was so excited that his ears stood straight up.

Shi Wen, watching the moving ears behind him, couldn't help but laugh.

As this wooden staircase was a cargo passage and it was nighttime, there were hardly any people passing by, so the human and rabbit duo quickly slid down to the bottom of the tree.

The bottom of the tree hollow was especially spacious, almost big enough to accommodate an adult, and was already filled with small people waiting for guests.

As soon as the board stopped, Shi Youqing was surrounded by the crowd.

"Wow, is that him?"

“The rabbit can smile too?”

“Oh no, he is injured!”

“No,” Shi Wen explained, “it's tomato sauce.”

“...But he is covered in so much dust, he needs a good wash.”

“Is he really from Fairytale Town? He's not an actual rabbit, is he?”

“He is human,” Shi Wen spoke again, slightly altering Shi Youqing's identity, “he's my relative from Fairytale Town.”

Initially confused, Shi Youqing gradually understood through the small people's questioning. Shi Wen had a fixed NPC identity in this world, and if she originally came from Fairytale Town, she definitely didn’t have a son there, so naturally, she couldn’t say they were mother and son.

These small people, seeming to have come from Fairytale Town, took Shi Wen’s word without doubt, believing everything she said! Out of respect for Shi Wen, they were exceptionally polite to the rabbit, with someone already coming over to groom him and even offering to personally take him to the underground hot spring for a bath.

There’s a hot spring here? Shi Youqing was surprised.

Seeing his confusion, Shi Wen quietly explained, “Don’t be fooled by our size now, but originally, we were all normal humans, like you, and suddenly turned into this. The people of Fairytale Town labeled us as monsters and wanted to kill us, so we had to flee here... Even though we've changed, our living habits are still like humans. We originally wanted to build houses outside, but there were too many monsters in the Ghost Forest, so we had to settle in these giant trees where they wouldn’t dare to approach easily. Living in the tree long-term naturally meant solving living issues. We chose this tree after discovering the underground hot springs... As for food, our bodies are small, and so are our food requirements. Generally, gathering some fruits and grains is enough to last us a very long time.”

Shi Youqing nodded to show he understood.

But at the same time, he wasn't entirely clear. If they were all victims of "name stealing," why was he different from them?

However, he still needed a bath, especially to wash off the tomato sauce covering his body.

Shi Youqing was taken underground by several small people and soon became comfortably dazed in the warm spring water.

Fearing he might drown, the small people tied a rope around his tail. After his bath, Shi Youqing awkwardly shook off the rope and collapsed onto a blanket prepared by them.

The small people excitedly used towels to dry him off, admiring the rabbit's roundness.

Once dry, Shi Youqing slowly stood up, shook his fur, and then approached a nearby mirror.

He quietly observed his reflection—completely white, especially the fluffy fur on his chest, which looked vibrant and energetic.

Then he suddenly sneezed, appearing frail and shaky. The small people quickly covered him with a cape: "We heard you're frail, don't catch a cold."

Such a beautiful rabbit; they must persuade him to stay. Just one glance a day would uplift their spirits!

Cleaned up, Shi Youqing was led to Tree Hole 201 on the second floor—Shi Wen’s residence.

Unfortunately, the door was too small for him to enter.

Seeing this, Shi Wen promptly dismantled her door, creating an opening large enough for Shi Youqing.

The rabbit blinked and peeked inside, surprised to find a three-room setup.

"Make do for tonight, I'll have someone build a grander door tomorrow," Shi Wen declared, guiding him to a bedroom, "This is your room, just prepared. Luckily, the second floor has enough height, or I would have had to build on the first floor."

The bedroom had a green bed just big enough for his rabbit size, a table with miniature books about rabbits, and his rubber stamp strung with a colorful cord hung by the bed.

Nearby, there was a bottle of red wild fruit juice for him to continue stamping.

"…Squeak!"

Shi Youqing’s eyes welled up, and he affectionately nuzzled Shi Wen’s face with his head.

Shi Wen, smiling ear to ear, joined him inside.

Shi Youqing leaped onto the bed, looking around curiously.

Shi Wen sat by the bed, her gaze soft: "Youqing, mom missed you too."

Hearing this, the rabbit paused, his bright eyes twinkling, mouth opening as if he had countless things to say, like his visits to the butterfly park and trips with Bo Huai. But in his eagerness, he could only produce a few weak squeaks.

Seeing Shi Youqing's eyes welling up with tears, Shi Wen quickly stroked his head, comforting, "Mom knows everything. Don't worry, you just stay here for now. We'll figure out the rest later."

Shi Youqing nodded seriously.

Shi Wen added, "There are many monsters in the Ghost Forest, and only inside the tree is safe. Remember, never go out on your own."

It appeared the tree was akin to a safe house.

Shi Youqing nodded, reassuringly.

The mother and son, reunited after a long separation, were both excited. Shi Wen stayed with him for a while but eventually encouraged him to rest as it was getting late.

Despite being tired, Shi Youqing couldn't fall asleep quickly. He lay on the soft bed, his thoughts growing complex – where exactly were Bo Huai and the others? Could they really have ended up on some distant coast?

With such worries in mind, he slowly drifted into sleep.

As soon as it was daylight, Shi Youqing sensed many people in the house. Thinking Shi Wen had called someone to fix the door, he rubbed his eyes with his paws and hopped out of bed.

In the spacious living room, he saw a group of small people busily sewing something on the sofa, while outside, indeed, two elderly people were installing a new grand door.

The new door was indeed majestic!

As he entered, everyone in the living room turned to look at him.

Shi Youqing glanced around and noticed that the clothes being made seemed to be for a rabbit...

One auntie said, "Oh my, such a handsome rabbit! My husband brought back some carrots the day before yesterday. Here, have some for your little bunny!"

Shi Youqing: "..."

Another lady, appearing affluent, said, "That fur needs good care. How pretty! Little rabbit, you can join me for grooming sessions. I’m sure the beauty salon upstairs will soon offer rabbit fur care..."

Shi Youqing: "..."

"That’s all useless," a young woman interjected, "His health is weak; we should focus on nourishment first. My family's underground medicinal spring has added a massage service. We have a rabbit massage session tonight..."

The crowd immediately glared at her. Offering a rabbit massage as a guise to pet him and make money? Everyone saw through her ploy!

Unbeknownst to Shi Youqing, he had become the adorable mascot for the tree residents overnight.

It was inevitable. In the ferocious Ghost Forest filled with monsters, gentle creatures like rabbits had long been extinct.

Shi Youqing's arrival seemed to add unprecedented excitement to the residents' gloomy and hopeless lives!

That morning, the little people’s food-gathering troop wanted to see the rabbit before leaving but were scolded by their captain. Reluctantly departing, the captain, fearing their distraction, offered, "Perform well, and the one who brings back the most food gets to be the rabbit's playmate for a day!"

This instantly ignited everyone's spirit.

In the living room, overwhelmed by the little people's enthusiasm, Shi Youqing gestured to Shi Wen, indicating his desire to walk in the trees.

Shi Wen then removed the eraser stamp from his room, placed it around his neck, and packed a small backpack with half a carrot, three lettuce leaves, and some fruit, advising, "Don't starve yourself."

Thank you, Mom.

With a nod, Shi Youqing left under the watchful eyes of many little people.

On the first floor, small windows allowed a clear view outside. Shi Youqing, with his backpack, stared out of one of these windows for a long time but saw nothing unusual.

The nearby little people, thinking Shi Youqing was scouting, chuckled, "Monsters rarely appear during the day, but it's still dangerous. You can't go out; a single encounter with a wild beast could be your end."

Shi Youqing hopped down, and as he approached, one of the little people scratched a question mark on the ground, pondering for a moment before realizing his intent, "You want to know... what those monsters look like? Well, they vary greatly, but the most formidable one... probably looks like this!"

Saying this, the person started drawing on the ground.

The rabbit glanced down, his expression turning grave.

The monster depicted was distorted, with numerous limbs but no head, and its body covered in eyes.

"This type of monster is extremely dangerous. If you encounter it, there's almost no chance of returning alive."

Shi Youqing drew another question mark.

The person explained, "Put it this way, if you encounter it, you must return to the trees quickly. Otherwise, no matter where you hide, it'll know your location instantly. It moves fast, and once spotted, survival is unlikely."

What exactly is this thing? Shi Youqing raised a paw to his chin, deep in thought.

Mistaking his gesture for licking his paw, the person laughed, "The ground's dirty, let me clean it for you. Clean it first, then you can lick!"

Ignoring the rabbit's shaking head, they approached with a handkerchief, "Don’t be shy! Oh, why are you running away?"

"…Squeak." Frustrated, Shi Youqing turned and hopped away, deciding to explore elsewhere.

After wandering around the "skyscrapers" for a while, Shi Youqing grew weak and rested on a wooden staircase.

A few playful little boys passed by, and upon seeing him resting, huddled together, whispering.

Shi Youqing, lost in thought, noticed the boys bringing over a cardboard box, "Little rabbit... no, I heard you’re called Youqing. Youqing, little rabbit, are you in trouble?"

Confused, Shi Youqing shook his head.

"Oh look, he’s so tired he's shaking his head!"

“……”

Before Shi Youqing could react, the little people lifted him into the cardboard box and then each grabbed a corner, carrying him downstairs.

Sitting in the box, Shi Youqing was momentarily stunned, then started patting the cardboard with his paws.

He could slide out.

But the boys, seemingly oblivious to his actions, happily carried him down, quickly attracting a crowd of little onlookers.

"Make way for the rabbit chariot, don't block the path!" a boy boasted proudly. "We got here first, you all can carry him when he’s tired tomorrow. Don't even think about it today!"

Shi Youqing: "..."

Unable to resist and exhausted, Shi Youqing let them have their way, rubbing his face and lying down in the cardboard box. As long as they could safely bring him home.

Bored, he pulled out a small fruit from his bag, bit into it, savoring the sweet juice, and then slowly chewed it.

The taste was nice, and he was about to eat another when...

Suddenly, the giant tree started shaking, and the previously laughing boys stopped abruptly.

"What's going on?!"

Someone shouted, "Trouble! A wild beast is coming!"

Shi Wen, in the house, also heard the commotion and came out, leaning against the wall to ask, "What kind of beast?"

"A black wolf! It’s heading straight for our tree!"

"Just a wolf, what’s there to fear? Get the bows and arrows ready..."

"No, it's different! It's bringing hostages with it!"

“？”

"Two hostages, same size as us, one keeps cursing, and the other, darker-skinned, seems quite calm..."

The fruit in Shi Youqing’s mouth dropped with a "pop."

The description of those two... sounded like Feng Bin and Hao Tianshuo!!!

Where was Bo Huai?

As the person continued, the rabbit in the cardboard box suddenly rolled out and leaped, bounding in two hops towards the entrance to the tree branches.

The crowd gasped in surprise, rushing over to intercept...

With a wolf outside, this rabbit venturing out was like a delivery to the beast!

The next moment, those who had sprinted to the entrance, including Shi Wen, were left stunned.

The black wolf, which had been relentlessly ramming the tree after spotting the red stamp on its branches, suddenly narrowed its eyes and sprang forward, leaping onto a lower branch upon seeing the rabbit emerge.

At the same time, the two little people on the wolf's back shouted loudly, "Youqing/Qingqing brother!"

It was indeed Feng Bin and Hao Tianshuo.

Clearly, this black wolf was Bo Huai.

Shi Youqing tried to remain calm. He pointed at the eraser stamp on his chest, nodded at the black wolf, and then turned around, gesturing to his bewildered mother and the others to reassure them. The next second, he felt a sudden warmth envelop him.

The black wolf carefully held him in its mouth.

Shi Youqing, with only his rabbit head sticking out: "..."

Feng Bin quickly explained, "We're all human, turned into this against our will. This wolf and rabbit are friends. They followed the stamps left behind... don't misunderstand!"

Hao Tianshuo, fuming with anger, insisted, "Let my Qingqing brother go—"

[?Author's Note]

Thanks to the little angel who sent a rocket: --Waiting for Aurora-- 1;

Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to do my best!