CH 67

Chapter 67: Sports Festival

After sharing the delicious fat bird with his companions, Yunzhao patted his belly with a satisfied expression and headed home.

In the courtyard, Bai Ze held a few notices and said, "Kongming and Xiaguang sent a message, saying that they will visit the mountain in a few days to see the divine beasts. Baiyu and the others will also come."

Upon hearing this, Yunzhao naturally felt happy. He looked around at the cubs lying on the blanket and suddenly proposed, "Well then, why not hold a sports festival?"

Wu Mu raised his eyes in confusion. What on earth was a sports festival?

When Ao Yu returned, Yunzhao approached him and explained his plan. Without much thought, Ao Yu readily agreed.

Bai Ze lay on the rocking chair and frowned. Just because Yunzhao suggested having a divine celebration, this guy could immediately go to the higher realm and bring all those deities here if needed. 

Yunzhao wasted no time. The next day, they found an open space halfway up the mountain and the rabbits set up a makeshift platform. The rabbits busily arranged ribbons, and their round fluffy tails quivered with excitement behind them.

Luo Xue rubbed against his older brother and curiously asked, "What's a sports festival?"

One of Wu Mu's ears flicked backward as he recalled, "Yunzhao said it's some kind of competition and wants us to participate."

Upon hearing that it was a competition, Le Huang immediately perked up and said, "Then I must be the champion!"

As he spoke, he proudly spread open his tail feathers and then let them fall, casting a golden glow over Wu Mu.

Wu Mu shook his head helplessly, "Come on, it's a sports competition, not a beauty pageant!"

"Oh?" Le Huang raised his head, excitement shining in his eyes. He coughed lightly and said, "If you want to compliment my beauty, there's no need to beat around the bush."

"..." Wu Mu was speechless. He covered his eyes with his paw. Was this phoenix crazy?

...

When Kongming and the others arrived at the mountain, they saw the festive atmosphere with lanterns and decorations everywhere. After contemplating for a moment, Kongming tentatively asked, "Um... Is there another feast being held?"

"Yunzhao, you better come and explain before you scare the guests away."

Xiaguang watched him carefully sizing up his surroundings and sniffing the wine glass on the table. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh.

"It's organized for the divine beasts, but it's also a way to divert their attention from playing around and wreaking havoc in the house," Yunzhao explained.

Yunzhao received a special gift of spiritual herbs from Baiyu and led them towards the halfway point up the mountain, noticing the apprehensive look on Kongming's face reminiscent of a feast-related PTSD.

Baiyu was curious, "Are they really so eager to participate?"

Yunzhao nodded, "Very eager. Probably because they really like the prizes I've prepared for them."

This piqued Kongming's interest, "What kind of prizes?"

He wondered whether it was spiritually abundant herbs that aided cultivation, splendid and precious gemstones, or exotic and delicious demon beast meat.

Kongming didn't know about the other divine beasts, but he was certain that without generous prizes, Wu Mu would not obediently participate in any competition.

Seeing everyone looking curious, Yunzhao scratched his face and said, "It's... a month's supply of flavored bubble water (carbonated water or drinks) that you can exchange for different flavors."

Everyone: "..." Just that?

They arrived at the platform with different expressions and took their seats along with Ao Yu.

Below them was a spacious open space, with rabbits having drawn several tracks around the outer perimeter, giving it a formal look.

In the center of the platform's wall hung a banner that read, "Yuming Mountain's 1st Divine Beast Kindergarten Sports Festival," with red fabric and golden letters that shone brightly, impossible to overlook.

Yunzhao held a cucumber handed to him by one of the rabbits, serving as a makeshift microphone, and delivered a speech to the obediently squatting divine beast cubs below.

He reminisced about the difficulties of establishing the kindergarten, expressed gratitude to everyone present for their support, and also looked forward to a bright future. Listening to him, the cubs couldn't help but be moved to tears and couldn't wait to showcase their talents in the competition.

Yunzhao concluded the speech satisfactorily and asked the system in his mind, "How was it?"

The system admired, [Wonderful! Are you sure you don't have any side business in the mortal world?]

Yunzhao was puzzled, "What side business?"

The system replied, [A motivational speaker with a deep understanding of human nature in the modern era.]

Yunzhao: "..."

Bai Ze went down to the open space to serve as a referee, followed by a string of rabbits acting as rabbit-eye monitors.

Ao Yu, responsible for the commentary, pushed away the cucumber that Yunzhao handed to him with a disgusted look and performed a spell on a jade lamp, turning it into a microphone for amplification.

White Jade (Bai Yu) cracked melon seeds, thinking that this playful competition among the cubs would bore Si Wuchen. However, when he looked over, he found that Si Wuchen had disappeared without a trace.

Perplexed, he stood up and only then noticed that Si Wuchen had quietly moved to the side of the track and expressionlessly instructed Xuanming, "Get first place."

Xuanming understood and raised his claw to indicate that he got the message.

White Jade leaned on the railing, supporting his forehead. These two damn competitive spirits probably wouldn't let the nature of the competition dampen their desire for victory.

Ao Yu recited a spell and cast it into the air, causing golden sparks to burst and scatter, illuminating the open space. The rabbits hurriedly gathered around Bai Ze.

The open ground suddenly began to tremble, jagged rocks protruded, and countless vines and branches grew rapidly, transforming the area into a lush forest in the blink of an eye.

Yunzhao, who had envisioned an athletics race, looked dumbfounded as it turned into a rainforest obstacle course. He turned to Ao Yu and said, "I wanted them to race..."

"It is a race," Ao Yu nodded, pointing to the white lines within the forest, "The tracks are still there."

Yunzhao looked over and suddenly felt a tremendous headache. The tracks were indeed there, but the transformed forest made them rugged and extremely challenging.

He turned around to see that everyone, including the cubs, had calm expressions. He rubbed his nose, feeling like the sports festival was turning out to be different from what he had imagined...

Since it was a competition among divine beasts, it was decided that all events would be based on their prototypes. Upon hearing this rule, Ao Jing looked at the rugged forest and decided to withdraw from the race.

Bai Ze was somewhat surprised, but he let Ao Jing sit on the high chair beside him. He then mounted his immortal crane and announced loudly, "Once you hear the bell ring, the first one to reach the finish line and strike the copper gong will be the winner! Everyone must follow the track marked by the white line. Deviating from the path will be considered a violation!"

After the cubs expressed their agreement, Bai Ze nodded to Yunzhao, who happily accepted the bell handed to him by the rabbits. Amidst the cheering of the crowd, he shook the bell, creating a ceremonial sound.

"Ding—"

As the bell rang, Sun Yang and Xuanming dashed straight out from the starting point, with the kittens closely following behind. Even the little ferret agilely started running with the encouragement of Xiaguang Fairy.

Ao Yu, in charge of the commentary, spoke calmly, "Taking the lead are Sun Yang and Xuanming. They have reached the first obstacle, the rocky barrier. Following closely behind in the second group are the short-legged kittens."

Luo Xue ran along in a daze, unable to take his eyes off the sleek muscles of the black panther.

Upon hearing Ao Yu's commentary, Wu Mu ran angrily towards the platform and exclaimed, "Please refrain from personal bias!"

Ao Yu pretended not to hear and turned his head, playing with Yunzhao's hair.

Xiaguang Fairy leaned on the platform railing and shouted, "Go, little ferret!"

The little ferret gasped, "Jiji! (I'm running, I'm running!)"

Yunzhao also leaned forward and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, Sun Yang has fallen behind!"

Watching the black panther elegantly leap between the rocks, quickly leaving the somewhat clumsy Sun Yang behind, Ao Yu frowned and said, "Now Xuanming is in the lead. Sun Yang isn't good at jumping; he needs to practice for half an hour more in the future."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yang's paw slipped, almost causing him to step into the air. He looked resentfully at the people on the platform.

Ao Yu continued to ignore him, turning his head to the other side and saying, "Wu Mu and Luo Xue are close behind, but short legs are a disadvantage. Luo Xue couldn't climb up the first boulder... Oh, he's crying."

Yunzhao facepalmed and signaled to Bai Ze, who immediately had the rabbits coax the little white cat that had fallen on its bottom off the field.

Wu Mu sighed and firmly looked ahead at the race course. It's okay, Luo Xue. Brother will carry your wishes forward!

The black kitten suddenly accelerated, using Sun Yang's head as a stepping stone to propel himself upward.

"Wu Mu has picked up the pace, successfully leaping over the pile of rocks. Sun Yang, what are you doing? Add another half hour to your training time."

Sun Yang: "..."

As if realizing that something had been forgotten, Ao Yu furrowed his brow and looked towards the starting point, his lips curling with a hint of mockery. "And at the very end is a phoenix from Danxue Mountain. How rare! It turns out this is how birds run. Thanks to this contestant for showcasing the running style of birds in this competition."

Everyone followed the sound and saw the reddish-golden little phoenix running wildly through the forest, its long tail feathers trailing behind. From a distance, it looked like an angry running chicken.

Le Huang was frustrated and exclaimed, "I'm a phoenix! It's already unfair that you won't let me fly! And now you're mocking my elegant running style!"

Bai Ze glanced at Ao Jing, who was drinking tea beside him, and guessed, "Is that why you withdrew from the race?"

Ao Jing took a sip of tea and nodded, holding the teacup, "Yes, don't you think it would be quite awkward to see a dragon running on all fours in the forest?"

Bai Ze imagined the scene for a moment... It looked strange. It was probably better not to imagine it.

Yunzhao became nervous seeing Wu Mu, Sun Yang, and Xuanming racing ahead of each other.

He was about to discuss with White Jade who would win the championship when he realized that there was no one beside him.

He turned around and saw White Jade and the others gathered around a table. "Come on, place your bets! I bet on our Xuanming!"

"Then I'll bet on Sun Yang!"

"Master, you're not betting on your own Wu Mu?"

Master Kongming stroked his beard and sighed, "Forget it, he has short legs."

Xiaguang Fairy directly said, "Then I bet on the little ferret! Our little ferret has been silently accumulating strength and will surely come from behind!"

Yunzhao looked up at the sky speechlessly. This group of immortals didn't seem very serious.

In the forest, the black panther leaped through the air from a fallen tree trunk, and the splashing gravel passed by Sun Yang's eyes.

Sun Yang instinctively turned his head to avoid it, and in that moment, the black cat leaped over his head.

"It seems that the top three have entered the final sprint stage. The winner will likely come from among them," Ao Yu said as he ate a green plum that Yunzhao had brought to his mouth, chewing twice before continuing the commentary.

Upon hearing this, Xiaguang Fairy jumped down from the platform and headed straight for the little ferret still flipping on tree branches.

"Little ferret, go! Are you out of energy? Come on, let sister give you a lovely hug!"

Xiaguang Fairy excitedly ran towards the little ferret, extending her arms with a big smile. "Hehehe... my little sweetheart... let sister give you a hug!"

The little ferret paused for a moment, then swiftly flipped over the branch and dashed forward, its speed increased by more than ten times compared to before.

Xiaguang Fairy, who missed her target, persistently chased after, "Come on, come on! Don't be shy, let sister give you a hug!"

The little ferret dared not look back and could only desperately run forward, making chaotic squeaks from its mouth. Its frantic dash didn't resemble a race but rather an escape from an immortal.

Ao Yu waved his hand, signaling for Bai Ze to step forward and pull Xiaguang out. He coldly said, "Please respect fair competition and refrain from seeking external assistance."

The rescued little ferret collapsed on the ground like a limp noodle, mustering the last of its strength to utter a few words, "Jiji... (Thank you...)"

Author's note:

Regarding the understanding of the sports festival:

Yunzhao: Kindergarten-style running and jumping, friendship first, competition second!

Ao Yu: A cultivation version of the Ironman Triathlon!

White Jade: Opening the betting, place your bets!

The divine beast cubs: Everything is for the bubble water (a reference to their favorite prize)!

****

Translator’s note: I can’t help but smile while I translated this. So cute.