š Chapter 1066 - Baobao
I was born on the day that the clouds fell from the sky.
My mother told me that a fire broke out that day, burning the clouds and engulfing all of heaven and earth in flames.
More than half of my tribe died in the fire. That was the day that I was born.
I donāt have a name. In my tribe, names donāt seem to be of any use. The only important thing isā¦ how to survive in this cruel world!
I donāt know why, but we, who never kill anyone, always become the prey of others. Humans like to hunt us and peel off our skin to turn into clothes.
The blood on the skin can be washed off, but will the stench of death ever truly disappearā¦?
They like to cut off our antlers to make into trophies.
But we are so weak. How do we qualify to become trophies?
They like to drink our blood raw. Apparently, it can cure them of illnesses.
But when they plunge their daggers into our hearts, what seeps out isnāt just medicinal blood but our very lives!
Thus, ever since I was born, I had always been fearful. I always made sure to hide myself away and always had to remain vigilant. But all of this wasnāt enoughā¦ because this world belongs to iron, to human beings, and to the majestic cities built one after another.
Moreover, I myself seem to be a bit unique. The fur on my body is white, which is different from all my tribesmen. My horns are also white, and even my eyes are the same!
And once someone discovered it, this uniqueness brought me endless catastropheā¦
It was also because of this catastrophe that I finally learned why fire appeared on the day that I was born. It was because of a weapon, a weapon that was saidā¦ to be capable of destroying the world.
The reason I know this is because my tribe told me on the day they left. In the end, I couldnāt escape fateās machinations. When catastrophe struck, my tribe abandoned me, and even my mother abandoned me. That was because they thought that my existence would cause the entire tribe to perish.
I wanted to call out to them, to run after them, but I didnāt dareā¦ I have been cautious ever since I was born, so I donāt dare to call out loudly, nor do I dare to run at full speed. Thatās because the sound of my footsteps will only put me in greater danger.
And then, after being abandoned, I became the trophy of a man whose name I donāt know.
What the man needed wasnāt a skin filled with the stench of death, nor warm blood directly from my heart. Instead, what he needed was me, the living me. I was a gift for the city lord.
And soā¦ after going hungry for a long time, I was sent to the city and became one of the so-called auspicious beasts in the city lordās courtyard.
I sometimes think that I am very fortunate. Although I have lost my freedom, lost my tribe, and become a captive in this placeā¦ Here, I donāt need to hide, I donāt need to be afraid, and I donāt need to run away. Besides, I have also made some friends here.
Among my friends, there is the wise old ape, the aggressive little tiger, and the charming liāl fox. As for the othersā¦ I donāt really like them. They are too vicious.
The old ape is a strange fellow. He is very old, and his aged body is full of wrinkles. He likes to sit cross-legged on a hill, likes arranging rocks around himself, and has a fixed day every year where he calls us for a celebration.
He says that this is called celebrating a birthday.
And he seems to have been around for a long time. He knows a lot of things, and everyone in the courtyard looks up to him as an omniscient existence.
The little tiger is different from him. He is belligerent and likes to fight, and he seems to be trying to become the king of the yard. Heās also the one who protects me from being bullied. The little tiger likes to look into water, and he once said that when he grows old and dies, it would be nice to be buried beneath a waterfall.
As for the liāl foxā¦ although she is my friend, there are some things about her that I donāt like very much. She came here after me, and she likes gifting her fur to the other auspicious beasts. The beasts that get her fur always seem very happy.
But I am worried that one day, sheāll turn bald. I also discovered a certain secret; the ones who she gives a lot of fur to often die silently soon after.
But in any case, weāre friends, so I wonāt accept the fur she offers me.
ā¦
I originally thought that my whole life might be spent walking around in the courtyard. I thought that maybe one day, I would become a wise sage like the old ape. But thenā¦ I met her.
She was a little girl who seemed to be only five years old. Her expression was very cute. She tried to look serious like an adult, but her pudgy face ruined the effect.
As for her eyesā¦ they were bright like stars.
Beside her was a middle-aged man with white hair. Their clothes were different from everyone else I had seen. I donāt know how to describe them, but the wise old ape told me that they were immortals.
I donāt know what an immortal is, but I do know that the white-haired manās arrival made the city lord, who was like a god to me, kneel down like a servant.
Maybe this alone wouldnāt be a big deal, but what if it wasnāt just one city lord, but all the city lords in this world kneeling down?
āMy daughter wants to write a book, so I brought her here to find some material.ā Those were the words that the white-haired man spoke in front of the countless kneeling city lords.
I knew what a book was, but I didnāt understand the meaning of the word āmaterialā. But that didnāt matter, because the old ape explained everything to me anyway. Unfortunatelyā¦ no matter how hard I tried to look at the little girl, she didnāt even notice me when she passed by the courtyard.
This was our first meeting, and also the beginning of my life with herā¦ Unexpectedly, the little girl who I thought would disappear from my sight suddenly fell down while prancing around.
Her father didnāt help her up, but watched her pick herself up with a gentle gaze. But at that momentā¦ I donāt know what force propelled me. Maybe it was the little girlās innocence, or maybe it was the way tears flowed down her face after standing up despite her efforts to hold them back. In any case, to the astonishment of the friends around me and the panic of the city lords in the surroundings, Iā¦ walked over to her side and licked away her tears.
Apparently, my tongue was ticklish, and the little girl let out giggles of laughter. There was some curiosity in her eyes as she stroked the fur on my head with her little hands.
It was a very pleasant feeling.
āDaddy, can I have this little white deer?ā The little girl turned her head and looked at the white-haired middle-aged man. I also turned my head to look at him just the same.
In the white-haired middle-aged manās eyes, I saw the reflection of my own figure. A young white deer.
This was me. Perhaps it was because of the weapon that appeared on the day I was born, but after reaching a certain point, I stopped growing any further. I knew that I would maintain this juvenile state forever.
But for some reason, the eyes of the white-haired middle-aged man seemed to contain some hidden meanings. However, that didnāt matter, because he still nodded.
And so, for the first time since I arrived, I left the courtyard.
Before I left, I bade farewell to the old ape, and I told him that I might not be back for the next birthday celebration. The old ape told me that it was alright and that we would meet again.
When he said this, the old apeās eyes became very deep, as if he was looking into a future far, far, awayā¦ But I didnāt think much about it, because I knew that his eyesight was never very good in the first place.
The little tiger had gone to fight someone, so I wasnāt able to say farewell to him. As for the liāl fox, she cried when I went to her place. She was probably very sad because I still didnāt take her fur when we parted.
But I wasnāt sad. After leaving the city lordās mansion and wandering through the world with the little girl and her father, I finally got a name.
āLittle white deer, let me give you a name. Little white, little whiteā¦ your name is Little Bai[1]!ā
I liked this name a lot, so I was about to nod, but her father suddenly interjected from the side.
"No."
"Why, Daddy?"
āā¦ā The middle-aged man didnāt speak, but the little girl kept asking. Finally, he replied with a helpless expression.
āBecause Dad doesnāt like the name āBaiā.ā
āThen letās call you Baobao[2].ā The little girl pouted, but she quickly thought of a new name and hugged my head.
And so I came to have a name. My name is Baobao.