Cultivating Farmland in a Fluffy S-Rank Game – CH38

Chapter 38: Partners

The Bodo bird rushed up to Chu Jiu, stretched out its neck and gave a cry like it always did, then crouched steadily on the ground, waiting for Chu Jiu to climb on.

As Chu Jiu swung himself onto its back, he scooped up Little Can and gave it a kiss on the forehead:

“Little Can! Thank goodness you’re okay!”
“Did I scare you just now?”
“I’m fine too, don’t worry…”

As he spoke, Chu Jiu suddenly noticed something: why did this little one, usually soft and pliable, feel so stiff today?

And just a few days ago, whenever he kissed it, it would nuzzle up to him sweetly—why wasn’t it reacting at all now?

Could it be something’s still not right, or maybe it’s still scared and hasn’t calmed down?

With that thought, Chu Jiu hurriedly brought the little guy up close to examine it carefully—

!

It was worse than he thought—Little Can really was stiff!

Its tail was sticking straight up without moving, the whole cat was frozen like it’d just been pulled from a freezer set to minus 50 degrees!

Chu Jiu’s voice changed from worry: “Little Can, what’s wrong? Are—are you cold? Should we stop and light a fire?”

Little Can stared blankly at him for a moment, then shivered all over.

Next, its icy-blue round eyes blinked once, then it looked away, gaze wandering somewhere else, muttering softly: “I’m fine.”

Chu Jiu didn’t believe it for a second: “You’re fine? You’ve basically turned into a cat-stick.”

Little Can curled its tail slightly and flicked its ears, seemingly trying to prove it was okay.

Its gaze wandered around. “I really am fine.”

It rubbed its paw over its forehead where Chu Jiu had kissed it. “It’s just…”

Chu Jiu: “Just…?”

Little Can: “Just don’t… suddenly kiss me like that.”

Chu Jiu: “…Huh?”

Little Can pawed at its face again, then said seriously, “Anyway, don’t kiss cats without warning.”

Chu Jiu looked utterly shocked. What was going on with Little Can? Was it upset about something again? Or was it just in a weird mood?

He thought for a moment and decided not to reason with a clearly shaken little cat. Instead, he said gently,  “Alright, I won’t kiss you unexpectedly again. For now… how about a nap?”

With that, he tried to tuck Little Can into his pocket.

But Little Can leapt forward and jumped onto the Bodo bird’s head instead.

Then the little cat turned its head and, using a tone Chu Jiu had never heard before—almost commanding—said: “I don’t need a nap.”

“Bodo knows the way back. You can sleep on it.”

“I’ll keep wat—I’ll keep an eye out for monsters.”

With that, the little cat sat upright on top of the blue-gray bird’s head, scanning the surroundings with vigilance.

Chu Jiu blinked, stunned. He couldn’t help but feel that something about Little Can had changed.
But what, exactly?

It had always been a bit stubborn, protective, and adorably tsundere, hadn’t it?

Hugging the Bodo bird’s neck, Chu Jiu felt a strange sense of confusion well up.

Just then, a system notification popped up:

[Area Development Progress increased to 7.5%]
[Congratulations, Host has triggered the special scene “Perilous Situation”!]
[Congratulations, Host has leveled up. You are now a Level 7 Pioneer.]
[New active skill acquired: “Enemy Detection”. Please use it wisely.]
[Enemy Detection: When encountering monsters not recorded in the Bestiary Card, you may expend Spirit Energy to probe their behavior, preferences, and weaknesses. Success rate is affected by the Host’s condition, the monster’s state, and the surrounding environment.]

Huh? A rare active skill that’s actually combat-related this time!

Nice, very nice.

Until now, his existing skills—[Concealment] and [Greased Soles]—were only good for running away. They were totally useless against high-level monsters like the Aberrant Worm.

This time, if Lu Qingyan hadn’t happened to show up for a seal inspection, Chu Jiu would’ve been hanging on a cliff next to three squirrels right now.

So next time, rather than scrambling to escape, being able to scout a monster’s weakness first might actually help him form a real battle plan.

…Well, granted, his combat power right now was still pitiful, and his weapons and gear were lacking.

But that’s okay! He was planning to commission the dwarf beastmen soon for better weapons and traps—gear that would actually give him confidence even against something like the Aberrant Worm!

Distracted by the shiny new system rewards, Chu Jiu temporarily forgot to dwell on Little Can’s strange behavior.

Not long after, overwhelmed by exhaustion, he really did doze off against the Bodo bird’s back.

Once Chu Jiu was asleep, Little Can turned around. Its ice-blue eyes fixated on him, reflecting the sunset, the forest, and the peaceful look on his sleeping face…

There was a mix of light and shadow in that expression that Chu Jiu had never seen before.

*

By the time they returned to the Pioneer Cabin, it was already dusk. The sun hung low, casting a golden glow over the wooden house.

Having caught some sleep on the way back, Chu Jiu jumped off the Bodo bird feeling refreshed and began preparing dinner.

Little Can, however, ran straight toward the small yard.

At first, it sprinted—fast and anxious, almost in a rush.

But the moment it truly stepped into the yard, its pace slowed.

Slower, and slower still—until it stopped completely.

Inside the yard, the unaware spirit beasts who didn’t know Chu Jiu had faced a massive monster earlier, were hopping around on the ground.

Little Can knew exactly what they were doing.

A few days ago, Chu Jiu had collected a bunch of smooth pebbles from the river and used them to create nine glowing squares on the yard’s grass. He’d even marked numbers inside each square.

Back then, as he laid down the stones, Chu Jiu had been chattering:

“You little ones can play hopscotch together now.”
“This was one of our childhood games—it’s fun!”

“Back then,” Little Can had peeked out from Chu Jiu’s pocket with curiosity, feigning disinterest: “So childish.”

Now, those same spirit beasts were joyfully playing that so-called childish game.

Rawr Rawr Rabbit jumped nimbly between the squares, then laughed as it turned around:
“Rawr Rawr I’m done! Kakaba, your turn!”

Kakaba clumsily raised its little paws and wobbled into the grid, softly counting the numbers out loud.

Meanwhile, Glup Glup had somehow already started flying using its leaf-blades.

Rawr Rawr Rabbit quickly scolded: “Rawr Rawr you can’t fly—you have to jump! Glup Glup, go back and start over!”

Glup Glup raised its little arms, embarrassed: “Glup-Glup, Glup-Glup, I got it wrong? I’ll go back now…”

Bathed in the last rays of the sun, they played the simplest of games.

Yet these three little spirit beasts were having the time of their lives.

A kind of carefree joy Lu Qingyan had never seen in them.

Little Can watched the scene in front of it without moving a paw.

The evening breeze brushed by, and for the first time, a strange, unfamiliar coolness slid down its cheek.

It raised a paw, and instinctively wiped its face—

Tears?

Could these… be tears?

Did I… just cry?

Because of such an ordinary scene?

At that moment, the playful commotion between Rawr Rawr Rabbit and Kakaba finally came to a halt as Rawr Rawr Rabbit noticed Little Can.

The little bunny joyfully hopped over. “Rawr Rawr! Little Can, you’re back! Rawr Rawr! That means Chu Jiu is back too! What are we having for dinner—”

“Huh?” The bunny suddenly froze, staring blankly at the tears on Little Can’s face. “Little Can, what’s wrong?”

“Did someone steal your dried fish? Don’t cry!”

Kakaba and Glup-Glup also hurried over:

“Little Can, Little Can? Did something sad happen to you?”

“Did a big scary bug bully you? We’ll go beat it up for you, okay?”

The little black cat lowered its head, didn’t respond, only shook it slightly.

After a long moment, it finally spoke in a soft voice: “I’m fine.”

“Everyone’s doing just fine.”

In this place I never expected, in a way no one could foresee… all of you—my dear companions, who have braved life and death alongside me—are still doing well.

The spirit beasts didn’t understand why Little Can was saying this.

Rawr Rawr Rabbit twitched its ears in confusion, Glup-Glup fluttered its leafy propeller uncertainly, and Kakaba sniffled, puzzled.

In the end, the three exchanged glances and said in unison, “We are doing fine.”

Little Can lifted its head and gave each of the three spirit beasts a hug, whispering, “Yeah… that’s really great.”

*

Night fell.

Chu Jiu lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Even though he was tired, the confusion in his mind kept him from falling asleep:

Since they left the underground mine, Little Can had been acting way too strange.

Take bath time, for example.

These days, Little Can had become less resistant to being washed. When Chu Jiu dunked him in the tub from head to tail, he’d just shake off his wet fur and grumble a few “meows,” but wouldn’t bolt.

But today…

The little guy picked up the towel and soap before Chu Jiu could even say anything, then “meowed” in a tone that was practically cold: “I’ll wash myself.”

Sure, he’d said “I can bathe myself” before too—

But never this… seriously.

Yes. Serious.

So serious that Chu Jiu couldn’t just laugh it off and scoop him up like always for a playful scrub.

And it wasn’t just bath time—bedtime was weird too.

This little cat who usually ended up on his pillow, then eventually rolled into his arms and laid across his chest, had curled up in his own little cat bed tonight.

The only slightly reassuring thing was that Little Can still ate his grilled fish with gusto during dinner—maybe even more than usual.

So at least the little guy still had a healthy appetite?

But then… what was going on?

Maybe he’d ask him properly tomorrow.

Chu Jiu sighed and turned over in bed.

He was just too sleepy.

Halfway through rolling over, he didn’t even pull the blanket up—just flopped face-down onto the pillow and fell asleep.

Fifteen minutes later.

The room was filled with the soft sounds of Chu Jiu’s even breathing, Rawr Rawr Rabbit’s snores, Glup-Glup’s quiet whirring, and Kakaba’s gentle puffs.

Only Little Can’s cat bed remained completely silent.

From it, a small, serious-looking black cat stepped out without a sound, leapt nimbly onto Chu Jiu’s bed, and stared at the bundled blanket beside him.

Expressionless, the cat tugged at the edge of the blanket with its teeth, pulling it up to cover the boy snugly.

After making sure he was properly tucked in, the little cat quietly opened the locked window and leapt out.

*

The sky glittered with stars.

But Little Can didn’t head for the Forgotten Forest, nor the groves or pasture.

Instead, it ran into Bean Village.

As it passed Cheng Yue’s wooden cabin, the creaking of her loom could be heard inside.

Leaping past Grandpa Du’s window, it could hear the illiterate old man “reciting” the Beekeeping Manual in his own way, over and over again.

Jumping over the village chief’s rooftop, it could hear the elderly caretaker of the village calculating what to plant next year, and how to do it.

Eventually, it reached the back mountain.

At the foot of the hill was the “apiary” Chu Jiu had been working on for quite some time.

Truth be told, Douglas and the others worked fast. In just two days, five beehives with movable frames had been neatly set up.

At this rate, the apiary would be ready to open tomorrow.

Little Can took one glance at it and continued climbing.

At last, it stood under the canopy of stars, overlooking the ancient village of this strange otherworld from the mountaintop.

With the chirping of autumn insects and the crisp rustling of fall winds all around, Little Can stood still, thinking, quietly reflecting for a long time.

*

The next morning.

As usual, Chu Jiu prepared different breakfast dishes for everyone.

The other three spirit beasts finished eating early—Glup-Glup and Kakaba went to wash dishes, and Rawr Rawr Rabbit started sweeping the floor.

Only Little Can still had a plate half-full of dried fish.

Chu Jiu sighed inwardly and asked gently, “Little Can? Have you… been feeling down these past couple days? Something bothering you?”

Little Can slightly shook its head and “meowed” softly: “Not really.”

“Maybe just got spooked in the mine.”

“I’ll be fine after a couple more days of rest.”

Chu Jiu frowned, unconvinced. “…Really?”

Is it really that simple?

Little Can looked up at Chu Jiu, its ice-blue eyes clear as glass. “Of course.”

The little cat paused for a moment, then added, “Oh, I just remembered something…”

Chu Jiu: “Hmm?”

Little Can: “Yesterday, there was a human in black clothing—the ability-user who ran into the cave…”

Chu Jiu: “Ah, that ‘beautiful and powerful’ one…”

Halfway through speaking, Chu Jiu swallowed his words.

Because he had promised that person not to mention that nickname to anyone else.

But… Little Can was just a kitten, right? Did that promise not count when it came to Little Can?

Little Can narrowed its round eyes slightly, flicked its tail behind it, and pretended not to have heard anything, continuing on as if nothing had happened:

“He ran into me again when he was leaving.”

“I don’t know if he could tell I could communicate with you, but he told me to pass on a few things to you—”

“He said it was really important to pay attention to these details…”

After Little Can rattled off a list of those details, Chu Jiu at first looked completely confused, then gradually started to piece things together.

He hadn’t expected that ability-user to care about things that had nothing to do with fighting monsters or combat…

But, to be fair, everything he said did make a lot of sense…

Still—why would he bother reminding me about these things?

Chu Jiu was about to ask what else Lu Qingyan had told Little Can, when suddenly the urgent clanging of a bell rang out from outside.

The sound was frantic—clearly something was wrong.

Chu Jiu rushed out of the cabin and saw that the one ringing the bell was Aman.

The child was in such a panic he looked like he was about to cry. He cried out anxiously:

“Brother Chu Jiu! Our beekeeping field—the one we worked so hard to build—is about to be taken over by wasps!”