Chapter 46: Wounded

Rabbit Little Sprout and Pine Cone immediately agreed and followed White Moon out of the study. As White Moon was leaving, she noticed the “spirit stone” lying on the desk and picked it up without thinking.

Rabbit Little Sprout, curious, asked,
“Sister White, we're going to see Brother Yan—why are you taking the ‘spirit stone’?”

White Moon replied,
“Little Sprout, I want to bring the ‘spirit stone’ to Clear Void Temple so Brother Yan can absorb some spiritual energy, too. He practices Daoist arts every day and works so hard; if he can absorb more spiritual energy, it will make cultivation much easier for him.”

“Oh, Sister White, you really think of everything!” Rabbit Little Sprout laughed. “This ‘spirit stone’ was discovered by Brother Yan, and we’ve been able to absorb spiritual energy from it many times every day, but he’s hardly used it at all. Today, we’ll bring it to him so he can benefit from it, too.”

“Exactly!” Pine Cone chimed in with a smile, “Sister White, carrying the ‘spirit stone’ is heavy work—let me take it for you.”

“Alright!” White Moon nodded and handed the “spirit stone” to Pine Cone.

Rabbit Little Sprout and Pine Cone followed White Moon out of the wooden cabin, leaving the cave behind. The three of them walked single file along the passageway. Soon, they exited the cave and stepped outside.

It was the heart of winter, a world of ice and snow, the cold biting and relentless. Rabbit Little Sprout and Pine Cone had been living in the spring-like warmth of the “barrier”; now, suddenly exposed to the outside, both felt the chill deeply. Rabbit Little Sprout shivered and exclaimed,
“Heavens, it’s so cold! Pine Cone, aren’t you cold?”

“I’m a bit cold, but it’s alright,” Pine Cone replied, hugging the “spirit stone.” “Little Sprout, if you’re cold, I’ll take my jacket off and let you wear it.” With that, he stopped, set down the “spirit stone,” and began to remove his jacket.

Rabbit Little Sprout was deeply touched and quickly stopped him,
“Don’t! Pine Cone, you can’t take your jacket off in this freezing weather—what if you catch cold?”

“No worries! I’m a man, I can handle the cold,” Pine Cone laughed as he continued to undress.

Rabbit Little Sprout grew anxious, widened her eyes, and shouted,
“No way! Pine Cone, I won’t let you take it off, and even if you do, I won’t wear it!”

Pine Cone had never seen Rabbit Little Sprout glare at him before; now, startled, he quickly stopped and said,
“Little Sprout, don’t be angry! I’ll listen to you—I won’t take it off.”

Rabbit Little Sprout laughed,
“Good! Pine Cone, thank you for caring about me. It’s wonderful to have a classmate like you! Though I glared at you just now, I wasn’t actually angry—I was happy inside! Hee hee...”

---

“Heh heh...” Pine Cone chuckled, “I’m glad you’re not angry! Little Sprout, when you glare at me, I really get scared—please don’t do that again!”

“Sure!” Rabbit Little Sprout agreed cheerfully, “Pine Cone, I won’t glare at you anymore. But you have to promise you’ll always listen to me!”

“Alright!” Pine Cone nodded, “Little Sprout, I promise—whatever you say, I’ll do. If you tell me to go east, I’ll go east; if you tell me to go west, I’ll go west; if you tell me to chase a dog, I’ll chase a dog; if you tell me to shoo a chicken, I’ll shoo a chicken.”

“Hee hee... That’s great, Pine Cone! Your tongue’s grown sharp, your words flow so well—you’ve improved!” Rabbit Little Sprout praised him. “Since you listen to me so well, I’ll be sure to help you with your studies so we can both make progress together!”

White Moon couldn’t help but laugh,
“Wonderful! Little Sprout, Pine Cone, it’s good to see you care for and protect each other. It shows that my teaching these past days hasn’t been wasted! Remember always: living in this world, one cannot be selfish. You must have a loving heart, care for others, protect others, and strive to be someone of noble character and integrity!”

“Sister White, that’s so true—I’ll remember your words!” Rabbit Little Sprout shouted.

“So will I!” Pine Cone added loudly.

White Moon was delighted,
“Good! Little Sprout, Pine Cone, let’s pick up the pace. Walking faster generates heat—you’ll feel less cold!”

Rabbit Little Sprout perked up,
“That’s great! Pine Cone, shall we run?”

“Heh heh...” Pine Cone chuckled, “If we run, won’t we leave Sister White behind?”

Rabbit Little Sprout rolled her eyes at him,
“Are you silly? Sister White knows the Lightness Technique; with us two amateurs, no matter how hard we run, we’d never leave her behind. Sister White, am I right?”

White Moon smiled,
“Yes, Little Sprout is right. Pine Cone, you and Little Sprout run as fast as you like—don’t tire yourselves out. I’ll follow behind. You two will have to put up with me today!”

Rabbit Little Sprout waved her hand,
“No need to put up with anything. Sister White, being with you makes us happy! Pine Cone, let’s not waste any more time—let’s run!”

Pine Cone agreed, picked up the “spirit stone,” and dashed off with Rabbit Little Sprout. White Moon followed briskly behind.

Originally, Rabbit Little Sprout started off in front, but before long Pine Cone overtook her.

---

Seeing Pine Cone pass her, Rabbit Little Sprout felt indignant and tried to catch up, but not only couldn’t she keep up, she was falling further and further behind. Anxious, she shouted loudly,
“Pine Cone, who said you could run so fast? Slow down right now and let me lead!”

Pine Cone immediately slowed, turned his head, and laughed,
“Little Sprout, you run in front.”

“Okay!” Rabbit Little Sprout nodded, hurried ahead, and happily took the lead. Pine Cone followed closely behind.

White Moon watched and thought to herself,
“Little Sprout is really a handful. Lucky for her, Pine Cone is gentle and always gives way to her—otherwise, if they were both stubborn, things would be difficult.”

Even though Rabbit Little Sprout wasn’t as fast as Pine Cone, her speed was still considerable. She moved her legs quickly, like a little windmill, running out in front; Pine Cone, carrying the “spirit stone,” chased close behind, and White Moon followed at a steady distance... Thus, the three made their way through the rugged, snow-covered mountain path, heading towards Clear Void Temple.

About half an hour later, the temple appeared ahead.

Beneath the ancient pine before the temple, Yan Red Hero sat cross-legged on the grass, focused intently on cultivating his Daoist arts.

Rabbit Little Sprout saw him from afar, broke into a radiant smile, and shouted,
“Brother Yan, Brother Yan, you’re practicing—we’ve come to see you!”

Yan Red Hero looked up quickly, seeing Rabbit Little Sprout, Pine Cone, and White Moon running toward him, and was overjoyed. He stopped cultivating and stood to greet them,
“Little Sprout, Pine Cone, Sister, you’ve come at just the right time—I was just missing you all!”

Suddenly, he remembered that his master had set up a “barrier” around the temple. Seeing Rabbit Little Sprout about to cross it, his expression changed and he shouted,
“Little Sprout, don’t run—there’s danger!”

But before Yan Red Hero could finish, Rabbit Little Sprout, at the front, crashed into the barrier. With a shriek, she was flung back by the invisible shield, shooting dozens of steps away like a pellet, crashing hard against a tree trunk, and falling to the ground, motionless.