SLLBTT Chapter 41
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
⋇⊶⊰Chapter 41⊱⊷⋇
"Why would the palace call me?" Liu Jiao felt puzzled. "Could it be Jiao'er?"
After the phone was fixed, Liu Jiao dialed the number on the note and called the palace.
The call was quickly answered on the other end.
Liu Jiao asked, "Hello? Is this Jiao'er?"
"...Who is Jiao'er?"
The voice of the Snow Wolf King came through.
Liu Jiao's heart skipped a beat. "Great King? Why is it you?"
"Of course, it's me. Who else could it be?"
"I thought it was Leng Jiao," Liu Jiao truthfully replied.
The Snow Wolf King, however, was displeased. "Why him?"
"Because I asked him to find out what happened to Suisui for me."
"You asked him? Why didn't you ask me?"
Liu Jiao was stunned. "R-Right, indeed!"
The Snow Wolf King sighed somewhat helplessly.
Liu Jiao asked again, "Then, could you go find out?"
The Snow Wolf King became even more helpless. "No need to inquire. I can tell you directly. Suisui has been sentenced to a year of service on the border."
Liu Jiao was greatly alarmed. "Why? Is it that serious?"
"Even the Queen Dowager's powers has been revoked. Serving on the border is not a big deal."
"But... he's so delicate..."
"Delicate where? He's a demon anyway, so he'll get through it," the Snow Wolf King comforted Liu Jiao.
Liu Jiao couldn't wrap his head around the situation. "Then why am I not guilty?"
"You're certainly guilty and have been punished. You've lost your position as Beautiful Lady and have been sent to the temple for cultivation."
Liu Jiao hesitated, thought for a while, and earnestly replied, "Yes, I will diligently cultivate in the temple."
The Snow Wolf King smiled. "Good."
Liu Jiao thought for a moment and then asked, "Great King, what is your name?"
The Snow Wolf King asked in surprise, "Why do you want to know that?"
"I want to offer you a prayer for longevity."
"Longevity is unnecessary. But if you want to know my name, I can tell you."
Liu Jiao perked up his ears. "What is it?"
"Our divine wolf clan all have the surname Bai."
"Bai is your surname?" Liu Jiao said, "Sounds nice."
The Snow Wolf King smiled. "I was born on a full moon night, and my father was reminded of a line of poetry, 'Round moon in the sky so full and bright.'"
"Your name is Tuantuan?"
"I haven't finish—'Round moon in the sky so full and bright. White clouds gleam in soft radiant light.' My name is Bai Xiaoxiao."
Liu Jiao, realizing he might have to write "Bai Xiaoxiao/白皛皛" a hundred times every day, felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. "Why not Bai Tuantuan/白团团?"
The Snow Wolf King thought for a moment, then said, "If you like, you can also call me Tuantuan."
Liu Jiao was dumbfounded. "Is this some kind of joke?"
The Snow Wolf King laughed. "It's our special way of addressing each other. If you like it, that's fine."
Liu Jiao thought for a moment and asked, "What do your friends call you? 'Xiaoxiao'?"
"They call me Xiao Baizi," the Snow Wolf King said, "Because my name has many small 'bai' characters."
"Xiao Baizi is good! What a nice name!" Liu Jiao mainly liked it because of the fewer strokes in "Xiao Baizi/小白字."
After hanging up the phone, Liu Jiao asked the abbot for the tools needed for the longevity prayer. The abbot replied, "The paper and ink used for prayers are specialized and blessed, so there is a fee. There's also a maintenance fee for the sacred fire furnace."
Liu Jiao was startled. "I don't have money on me."
The abbot smiled. "It's okay. We'll deduct it from your living expenses."
"How much is that?"
"No worries. It's bottomless."
Liu Jiao thought for a moment and said, "Is it deducted now? I'll have Da Huangya pick up the supplies."
"No need. As long as we charge an extra 2% service fee, we can deliver the goods to your doorstep."
Shortly after receiving the prayer supplies in the temple, a young monk came to deliver a menu to Liu Jiao, asking what he liked to eat.
Liu Jiao said he liked big fish and meat, and the young monk said, "No problem, you can order whatever you want, just sign the bill."
Liu Jiao frowned, thinking, "Why does everything in this temple cost money?"
Initially, Liu Jiao felt uncomfortable, but over time, he lost the concept of money. After all, his treatment in the temple was better than in the palace. In the palace, he had to follow a set meal plan, but in the temple, whatever he casually mentioned was promptly delivered to him — of course, followed by a bill to sign.
Da Huangya and Ah Ye originally expected a tough time in the temple, but to their surprise, they enjoyed good food, slept comfortably, didn't have to clock in or work. Life was exceptionally easy.
"Heavens, is cultivating so enjoyable?" Ah Ye and Da Huangya couldn't contain their joy. They even had the young monk set up a gaming console in their hall, playing games every day and having a great time.
While Ah Ye and Da Huangya played games, Liu Jiao, in the meditation room, burned incense and wrote rows of neat "Xiao Baizi" with sacred ink.
Originally, he thought that a hundred times was quite a lot, but in reality, it wasn't much at all.
Whenever he thought of the Snow Wolf King, he would come to the meditation room and write. In less than half a day, a hundred names were filled on the paper. The densely written characters resembled silk threads, winding around the pen tip and peacefully turning into light smoke in the sacred furnace.
Recently, it seemed like the Snow Wolf King was busy with other matters.
The Great King always had many affairs to attend to.
Liu Jiao was concerned but didn't dare to disturb.
Despite having the direct line to the Great King's chamber, Liu Jiao hesitated to dial.
Throughout the whole day, he had already written out a hundred names. As midnight approached, when he thought of the Snow Wolf King, he didn't know what to do. At this moment, he might sit next to the telephone, press the number ingrained in his memory, but then hesitate at the last moment, unwilling to dial.
Liu Jiao then started reading current affairs news.
Because it was the quickest and most convenient way for him to know about the Great King.
Sometimes, he would pick up a poetry collection, turn to the page with "Round moon in the sky so full and bright. White clouds gleam in soft radiant light."
Liu Jiao stayed in the Temple of Heavenly Emperor for a month.
The food was good, and even Da Huangya gained weight, not to mention Ah Ye, a neutered cat who was prone to getting chubby. Ah Ye now transformed daily, napping under the eaves or occasionally going outside to play by chasing birds or rabbits in the yard.
However, Da Huangya didn't dare to run out anymore. Last time, he followed the river and encountered a group of goose demons. These goose demons were wild and ruthless, indiscriminately beating Da Huangya. He returned crying, and Ah Ye, upon hearing what happened, sought revenge but also got a beating from the goose demons.
Now, neither of them dared to go near the river.
They didn't dare to tell Liu Jiao about being beaten when sneaking out, but Liu Jiao noticed their low spirits and asked, "What's wrong with you two? Have you been eating too much lately and feeling unwell?"
"No..." Da Huangya thought for a moment, deciding to change the subject. "It's actually you, Master. You seem down lately, have you been unwell?"
"I haven't been unwell. I just..." Liu Jiao's tail drooped, "I just miss the Great King."
Da Huangya felt a bit sad at this admission. "Is that so? Then why don't you go find the Great King?"
Liu Jiao shook his head. "I can't. It was the Great King who asked me to leave the palace. How can I go find him? Besides, he's busy according to the news I read every day. I can't disturb him."
Da Huangya insisted, "This won't do. If you miss the Great King but don't say anything, you'll suffocate."
Liu Jiao, however, lay still.
After a while, the phone in the room unexpectedly rang.
Liu Jiao jolted up, rushed over, and answered the phone, "Is... is this Xiao Baizi?"
"Who's Xiao Baizi?" Leng Jiao asked in confusion.
"Ah? Jiao'er?" Liu Jiao hesitated, "Why is it you? Is something wrong?"
Leng Jiao said, "Didn't you ask me to find out about Suisui's whereabouts?"
"Oh, yes..."
"I've found out. He's currently in service."
"I see," Liu Jiao, feeling gloomy, added, "Thank you. Um, could you...?"
"Could I what?"
"Could you find out if the Great King is doing well recently?" Liu Jiao cautiously asked.
"There's no need and no way to inquire about the Great King's affairs."
"Oh..." Liu Jiao's tail drooped again.
"What's wrong? You still don't know?"
"I don't know what?" Liu Jiao asked in confusion.
"The Great King is going to the Temple of Heavenly Emperor."
Liu Jiao leaped thirty feet high at this news. "Really? Why?"
"Maybe to ask you why you spent five hundred thousand in a single month."
"Five hundred thousand???!!!"