Chapter 54: Brothers Through Hardship
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
Yun Yingzhi patted the little egg and pointed to the next material vending machine. The little egg understood immediately. A wave of spatial energy enveloped Yun Yingzhi and him, and the next moment, one person and one egg appeared in front of another material vending machine.
Yun Yingzhi pointed at the materials inside. Using his spatial esper powers, the little egg emptied the vending machine in an instant. In the livestream chat, viewers reacted:
“…Wait, didn’t they say no child labor?”
“No surprise there, the big tough guy is shameless as an adult!”
“I mean, I’m amazed. That little white egg is incredible, and I’m totally blown away. My jaw literally dropped. But that doesn’t stop me from typing out my shock…”
The chat was flooded with people expressing their awe at the little egg. Yun Yingzhi kissed a little egg and continued directing him to empty the second vending machine. Spatial esper powers were just too convenient. The little egg carried Yun Yingzhi from place to place through space, moving so fast that the staff couldn’t keep up at all.
The livestream chat erupted with speculation about the astonishing little egg. Who exactly was the “big tough guy”? Was the little egg really his child? And if so, who was the little egg’s mother?
“I figure the little egg must be amazing. If the big tough guy is the father, then the mother must be a very powerful esper soldier, right?”
“Knowing his tastes, the person he likes has to be a hardcore character too!”
“If the little egg is his child, then what about that little bunny?”
“That little bunny must be a companion the big tough guy gave to the little egg, right?”
Meanwhile, the little kit sat in Master Tang’s hands, staring at Yun Yingzhi and the little egg with wide eyes. “Da?”
Master Tang looked down at the tiny, soft little kit. It was only his second day seeing little kit, and after two days of contact, he knew better than anyone just how well-behaved this little bunny was. He also knew that the little kit wasn’t a mere pet—this was a human child born in a second form.
Looking at the small, helpless little kit, his heart ached. Even though little egg and little kit were both Yun Yingzhi’s children, it was clear that, compared to little egg, who had awakened as an esper before hatching, the little kit was smaller and weaker, utterly overshadowed in every way…
Against this stark contrast, it was obvious that the parent favored little egg. This really was a biased household. Master Ted leaned toward Master Tang and whispered, “He looks so sad… what should we do? He’s pitiful.”
Suddenly, both masters received private terminal notifications. They were astonished: the notice came from the competition organizers. They didn’t know the background of participant A13167, yet somehow this person had convinced the Yaoming Group and the Source Weapon Association to provide two little buns, accommodating nearly all of A13167’s requests.
Yun Yingzhi directed the little egg, and a wave of spatial energy transported the pair back to the workspace. Meanwhile, most livestream viewers split their screen into two halves: one showing Yun Yingzhi and little egg, the other showing the little kit in Master Tang’s hands.
“Look at that little bunny. I suspect he’s not just a cute pet; he must be a human child.”
“If he really was born in a second form, he should be the little egg’s biological brother, right?”
“I hope he’s not a human child. If he is… it’s too sad. One is a powerless second-form bunny, the other is an unhatched egg controlling a spatial esper. Of course the parent would favor the egg!”
At this point, viewers were filled with sympathy for the little kit. What broke their hearts even more was that little kit tilted his head, his dark eyes full of innocence as he looked at Yun Yingzhi. And Yun Yingzhi? The biased father cradled the prized little egg in his arms, letting it spin happily.
The staff approached, occasionally glancing at the little egg. “Normally, using an esper to empty vending machines isn’t allowed. But to save the participant time, the organizers will permit it—though you need to check out first.”
Yun Yingzhi nodded. “Fine.”
He scanned the array of materials, picked out the ones he didn’t need, and said, “I don’t need these. You can take them back.”
Little egg rolled back into Yun Yingzhi’s chest. Yun Yingzhi never once looked at the little kit in Master Tang’s hands. Everyone present, and the viewers who already felt sorry for little kit, felt their hearts break even more.
“If that little bunny is really the big tough guy’s child… it’s so sad. Yesterday I thought he liked cute pets… now I realize I was wrong. So mad!”
Then something even sadder happened. Little kit stood up from Master Tang’s hands, still staring longingly at the unresponsive big tough guy. At that moment, everyone felt the world wasn’t worth it. Little kit, unable to bear the big tough guy’s favoritism, wobbled on his tiny legs and fell over again.
“Poor thing… I can’t stand this. I’m tearing up watching him.”
“That little bunny has to be a human child. A real pet wouldn’t have such complex emotions.”
Master Tang looked at the little kit with concern, stroking his soft fur. “Sweetie, Grandpa will get you a toy, okay?”
Little kit still stared longingly at Yun Yingzhi. Then the pitiful little kit climbed down from Master Tang’s hands and waddled toward Yun Yingzhi. Though tiny, he walked with determination, two short legs carrying all the love a child could have for a father—love no legs could stop.
Master Tang took a couple of steps and scooped up the little kit. Little kit blinked his big dark eyes at Master Tang. “Da,” he said, pointing at Yun Yingzhi.
“Little kit might not have strong esper powers like the little egg, but he’s clever. He already knows how to act cute and get people to carry him.”
Master Tang thought to himself: second-form little bunnies were fragile, but a person’s worth shouldn’t be measured by such external factors. Only Yun Yingzhi, whose eyes seemed to see nothing but the little egg, could be so unfair.
Master Tang sighed silently. Meanwhile, Yun Yingzhi had already returned to his busy work. Yun Yingzhi needed some materials. He only had to point, and the little egg could precisely manipulate his esper powers to bring whatever Yun Yingzhi wanted right under his nose—or even directly into his hands. There was no denying it: having the little egg as a child labor assistant made Yun Yingzhi’s work efficiency skyrocket. The little egg’s body bubbled with delight, occasionally spinning in circles along Yun Yingzhi’s chest.
Finally, Master Tang walked up holding the little kit. Yun Yingzhi’s full attention was on the work in his hands, completely unaware of the little kit’s arrival. Little kit jumped down from Master Tang’s hands, climbed onto the workbench, and approached Yun Yingzhi. Yun Yingzhi paused mid-motion and looked at the little kit. Little kit glanced at the little egg, then back at Yun Yingzhi. “Da da!”
Hearing the sound, Yun Yingzhi looked down at the little kit and patted his head. “Jiaojiao, aren’t you going to play with Grandpa?”
“The big tough guy was so unfair. One child he let strangers hold, the other he kept close to his chest the entire time. Too much.”
Little kit blinked, staring at the little egg as if lost in thought.
“Poor little bunny… I just can’t. I’ve been crying nonstop…”
Little kit shifted his tiny little feet and tapped Yun Yingzhi. Yun Yingzhi looked at him, puzzled. Little kit blinked his big eyes and, under Yun Yingzhi’s gaze, curled himself into a round little ball.
Yun Yingzhi’s brain slowly processed a massive question mark. He didn’t understand—why was the little kit curling up like a ball? Yun Yingzhi couldn’t get what the little kit meant at all. But on the other side, Yun Yinghui, watching the livestream, immediately understood.
The little kit was mimicking the little egg’s sulky, spoiled behavior from yesterday—completely coddled by Yun Yingzhi. Of course, viewers on the livestream had their own interpretation of little kit’s behavior.
“This little bunny is just too pitiful. He’s so tiny, and he’s already learned how to please his dad?”
“He must get ignored a lot at home, that’s why he acts like this! Seriously, my mom and I have been crying nonstop since this started. Who would’ve thought the big tough guy was like this? It’s just too much!”
…
Angry eyes stared at Yun Yingzhi. He glanced down at the little kit, curled up motionless like a ball, thought for a moment, and finally understood. He figured the little kit must be sleepy. Still, the sleeping position the little kit had chosen today was… unusual. But then again, kids often slept in all sorts of strange, whimsical ways.
With that in mind, Yun Yingzhi scooped up the curled-up little kit. Little kit’s eyes lit up. Tiny, almost tangible bubbles popped up around him, and he looked at Yun Yingzhi with sparkling eyes.
“Look! Just being held by the big tough guy makes the little bunny this happy. Normally, he must be completely ignored…”
Yun Yingzhi tucked the little kit into his chest and went back to his work. Little kit poked out a small half-head, pouting as he looked at the little egg, lost in thought. After thinking for a moment, the little kit climbed from Yun Yingzhi’s chest up to the workbench and tapped him with his tiny paws.
Having successfully caught Yun Yingzhi’s attention a second time, the little kit curled himself into a ball again. Yun Yingzhi looked at the little kit and realized he was trying to say he wanted to sleep curled up like this today.
After a brief hesitation, Yun Yingzhi rummaged through his bag, pulled out a small blanket meant for the little kit, and covered half of the curled-up ball.
Little kit, “…”
Watching Yun Yingzhi’s smooth move via livestream, Yun Yinghui, “….” Yun Yinghui raised a hand to cover his face. He felt the little kit was about to lose it. Meanwhile, viewers watching this scene on the livestream felt even more sympathetic toward the little kit. Master Tang and Master Ted exchanged a glance and sighed silently. Master Tang couldn’t hold it in any longer. He looked at Yun Yingzhi and said, “Participant…”
Yun Yingzhi turned to Master Tang. Little kit wriggled out from under the small blanket and shook his fur, staring at the little egg spinning happily on Yun Yingzhi’s chest, radiating joy. At that moment, aside from Yun Yinghui, no one realized that little kit’s tiny paws had already stiffened.
Master Tang said, “Don’t you think you’re being a little unfair?”
Yun Yingzhi, “Huh?”
Before Master Tang could continue, Master Tang, Master Ted, and the livestream audience suddenly realized… Little kit wasn’t acting entirely normal. Previously appearing soft and weak, the little kit now showed astonishing jumping ability. With a single leap, he landed precisely on Yun Yingzhi’s chest and dove into his clothes. Everyone was a bit surprised—the little kit had a strong jumping ability. But more than that, most people’s reaction was one of sympathy.
“The big tough guy is so irresponsible. One child he cradles in his arms, the other he lets climb on his own? So unfair!”
“Is it just because the little egg has better talents than the little bunny? The big tough guy is clearly looking down on the little bunny!”
…
Amid the flurry of frantic chat messages, Yun Yingzhi glanced down at the little kit, now back inside his chest, and then looked at Master Tang. “Master Tang, did I do something wrong?” he asked.
Everything happened in an instant. The little kit flung the little egg into the air. A glossy white little egg flew dramatically into the air, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. Yun Yingzhi twitched an eyelid. The livestream chat froze.
Master Tang and Master Ted’s hearts almost leapt out of their chests. They had just received instructions to keep both Little Buns well cared for, and now the little kit had thrown the little egg!?
Yes, the little kit had made the first move. After tossing the little egg, the little kit jumped into the air as well. Clearly, his target was the little egg. Little egg reacted instantly, using spatial ability to dodge little kit’s leap. He knew that if the little kit managed to land on his shell, there was a high chance he would get a serious beating.
Spatial waves surrounded the little egg as he attempted to teleport. But in the next moment, the entire space was sealed, forcing the little egg, mid-teleport, to appear in the open. The little kit had clearly anticipated where the little egg would reappear. His tiny body landed on Yun Yingzhi’s workbench, then leapt again, flying straight at the little egg.
In the sealed space, the little egg couldn’t use spatial abilities. He could only roll his round body to dodge the little kit. Little kit’s little face looked adorably fierce as he continued his attack.
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelids twitched. Over the past several days, he had learned a lot about both Little Buns. Through his filtered vision, Yun Yinghui still thought the little kit was fragile, but Yun Yingzhi knew that, overall, the little kit’s strength surpassed the little egg.
Little egg’s spatial esper powers were useless against the little kit. When the two Little Buns fought, it was basically one-sided: the little egg was getting thoroughly beaten. Considering the little egg was still an egg, Yun Yingzhi had worried that the little kit might crush the shell—but he had been overthinking. He didn’t even know what type of egg the little egg was, but its shell was as hard as the strongest alloy.
The little egg rolled to escape, and the little kit chased relentlessly. Yun Yingzhi took a deep breath. The viewers watching the livestream were completely baffled.
“Is it just me, or did the livestream add some effect? That little bunny seems insanely fast!”
“Little egg has spatial abilities, right? Why is he running? That little bunny’s just an ordinary little rabbit!”
“Um, my friend works for Starshine Competition. He says the little bunny probably awakened abilities too. He sealed the space, so the little egg couldn’t use his powers.”
“…Wow. I’m completely blown away. My jaw just fell again.”
Then, they saw the little kit stomp his tiny feet angrily and throw a small fireball at the little egg. Little egg dodged the fireball and shot a tiny arc of lightning back at the little kit. The little kit stopped chasing, and the little egg stopped rolling. For a single suspended second, the bunny and the egg stared each other down, then began frantically hurling fireballs and lightning arcs at one another.
Yun Yingzhi, recalling the disastrous aftermath of scolding two bear cubs before, decided to handle the two Little Buns more gently this time. He said, “Jiaojiao, Taotao, stop fighting, okay?” His voice was as soft and soothing as he could make it.
“Still, the big tough guy was too weak when dealing with the two Little Buns. He wouldn’t be able to control them at all.”
“Both Little Buns were already at war, and he was still speaking softly. He was definitely going to be a lax, indulgent dad.”
Just as everyone thought, Yun Yingzhi’s gentle words had absolutely no effect. Little kit’s tiny flames successfully struck the little egg’s shell, blackening a small patch, but without causing any damage. Little egg launched a lightning arc at little kit, who dodged with incredible speed. While dodging, the little kit spun one paw in the air as if showing off, a proud grin on his face as he watched the little egg.
“Look at that! Little kit spinning just one paw around—doesn’t it look like the Cute Little Battle Rabbit from the Yaoming Battle Arena?”
“Aside from size, they’re practically identical!”
Meanwhile, Yun Yinghui received a private message from Jia Qingwan.
Jia Qingwan: “The Cute Little Battle Rabbit from the Yaoming Battle Arena?”
Yun Yinghui: Not entirely sure, but seems to be famous in the Yaoming Battle Arena.
Seeing the resemblance to the little kit, along with so many people recognizing it, Yun Yinghui and his friends immediately became fascinated with the Yaoming Group’s Cute Little Battle Rabbit. Especially after hearing rumors that the Cute Little Battle Rabbit was the second son of General Yun’s family—their curiosity peaked.
Back on the livestream: Little egg, apparently furious, bounced in place, mimicking little kit’s stomping. Little kit, seeing the little egg copy him, grew even angrier. He lifted a pile of materials—heavy, no doubt—and hurled it at the little egg. The little egg immediately rolled to escape. Little kit chased after him without hesitation.
Yun Yingzhi anxiously tried to intervene again. “Jiaojiao, Taotao, be good. Stop fighting, okay?”
“Useless!”
“This dad is hopeless. He spoils the kids so much that these already unruly cubs are completely out of control.”
“I never expected that I’d get to watch a live broadcast of two bear cubs fighting today. This is… too entertaining.”
At this point, neither the people present nor the viewers on the livestream remembered their previous misunderstandings of Yun Yingzhi. Too much had happened in such a short time. Watching the two Little Buns, it was clear that little egg, angered by constantly being chased by little kit, refused to escape this time. Little egg stomped his egg furiously and rolled wildly toward the little kit. Finally, the little kit and little egg collided head-on, bouncing and tumbling everywhere.
Little kit, fur all messy, shouted, “Ao!” Little egg’s glossy shell was streaked with scorch marks from fire, but he bounced energetically.
Yun Yingzhi yelled, “No, Jiaojiao, Taotao! I told you not to fight! Why aren’t you listening?” His voice trembled with worry. Others were even more anxious than Yun Yingzhi.
“Big tough guy, this isn’t working. Let me tell you how to handle it!”
“First, you need to…”
The two Little Buns completely ignored Yun Yingzhi’s warnings. Yun Yingzhi lost his patience. These two Little Buns were impossible. He inhaled sharply, trying to hold back, but he couldn’t. One hand slammed heavily onto the workbench. Immediately, the workbench let out a tremendous crack, wood splintering everywhere—thud, thud, thud. Debris collapsed all around.
At the same time, the fighting Little Buns froze. Little kit looked stiffly at Yun Yingzhi and the shattered table in front of him. Master Tang twitched his mouth and said, “Am I imagining things, or are the two Little Buns… shaking?”
“Not imagining things. I see it too. They’re trembling.”
“These two bear cubs… they actually know fear?”
The little kit stiffly turned toward the little egg, who was half a meter away. The little egg’s small body trembled violently. In that instant, both Little Buns looked incredibly sentient. Yun Yingzhi, “Heh.”
Hearing Yun Yingzhi’s voice, they trembled even harder. Then… The little kit suddenly opened his skinny little arms toward the little egg. In response, the little egg quickly rolled into the little kit’s embrace. The two Little Buns hugged, shivering together, looking incredibly fragile and helpless.
Everyone present: “….” The livestream viewers: “….”
“What a pair of children, bonded through hardship.”
“I have to say, the big tough guy really is a powerhouse.”
“No wonder these two are his Little Buns. They’re both incredibly strong fighters.”
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