Chapter 13 "Heaven is going to take her away."

"Jiang Huaisu." The boy's voice carried a hint of gritted teeth. "I recognized your voice a long time ago. Didn't you recognize mine?"

"Uh...you?"

When addressed by his first name, Jiang Huaisu panicked and immediately tried to recall her sparse network of contacts, but she couldn't remember ever knowing this person.

But the boy's features did look somewhat familiar to her, and a bad feeling immediately arose in her heart.

"We ate and lived together for several years, how could you forget me so quickly?" The boy glared at her unhappily.

Jiang Huaisu took a few steps back, alarm bells ringing in her mind. After hesitating for a moment, she tentatively asked, "How old are you this year?"

"Younger than you."

...This conversation just won't go on. But that sharp, cutting speaking style really did remind her of that person, which solidified her suspicions.

Even after so many years, those three words still made her feel a stomachache. Jiang Huaisu gave a dry laugh:

"...What a coincidence, young master."

Miaolian persisted, "Why didn't you recognize me before?"

You've changed so much.

"Hmph, excuse. You've changed a lot too, how could I possibly recognize you? Ultimately, it's because you're heartless, forgetting your old friends as soon as you make new ones."

Miaolian, being rather irresponsible, reached out to lift her veil. "Now that you can transform, why don't you show your face?"

He froze halfway through lifting it.

He thought she'd have a beautiful face... but he was wrong. Jiang Huaisu wore the veil not because she was shy, but to cover up her bird-like head.

Jiang Huaisu said somewhat uncertainly, "My transformation is still not very stable, but it's already quite good that I've been able to cultivate to this level!"

Miao Lian didn't argue with her anymore, but raised an eyebrow: "Can your friend also take human form now?"

Which friend?

"Who else could it be? That monkey, wasn't you with him back then?"

Jiang Huaisu was shocked: "How did you know?"

Miaolian replied absentmindedly, "I guessed."

Mentioning what happened back then, Jiang Huaisu felt inexplicably guilty. The situation was too chaotic at the time, and she was only focused on leaving, so there were many things she didn't have time to say.

In her heart, Miaolian was a lawless little rascal, but since he knew she had run away with the monkey but didn't choose to chase after her, did it mean he wasn't so autocratic? At least he still considered her situation.

The next second, Miaolian shattered her fantasy: "Damn it, if my leg hadn't been injured, I would have dragged you back and plucked all your feathers."

Jiang Huaisu remained silent, but her eyes held a hint of reproach.

Miaolian played with the short sword in her hand, saying, "Just kidding."

“But back then, if you wanted to leave, I really couldn’t stop you.” His tone was light, and he didn’t show any emotion when talking about the setback he suffered back then. “It’s because my leg was broken that even if I chased after you, I could only watch helplessly as you ran away with someone else.”

On that shallow beach, Miaolian encountered Sun Wukong. The latter was not very good at acting. When Miaolian asked him if he had seen a bird with an injured wing, he insisted that he had never seen Jiang Huaisu, but the hesitation in his eyes betrayed him.

Miaolian pretended to say goodbye to the monkey, then concealed herself and quietly followed him ashore. Sure enough, she saw a monkey and a bird traveling together.

Looking back on her childhood, Miaolian was a little confused about her own psychological journey, and she just let them leave like that.

His broken leg was just an excuse he made up for himself. If you really wanted to stop her... maybe you could have kept her.

I kind of regret it.

Jiang Huaisu, of course, had no idea what he was thinking. She lowered her gaze and focused her attention on his legs.

"You make it sound so tragic..."

“What do you mean by making it sound so bad? It’s just as bad as it is.” Miao Lian lifted her hem and showed her her bent right knee. “I broke my leg when I fell on the rocks. I have an old injury here, and I can’t run fast now.”

That was a bit of an exaggeration, but Jiang Huaisu really did go closer to take a look.

Looking at it from left to right, she couldn't find anything wrong with the leg. The only thing she could tell was that he had grown quite a bit taller over the years. Even though his calves were encased in boots, their lines were still long and well-proportioned. There were straps tied above the knee, which was probably where he hid his weapons.

It's a bit strange. The little kid who was just a tiny bean back then has grown so tall now. I wonder what he eats every day. He's growing faster than the chives in the field.

Miaolian irritably lowered her robe: "I told you to look at my legs, not anything else. What are you daydreaming about?"

“I’m just feeling a bit sentimental…” Jiang Huaisu gestured to her waist. “You were only this tall when I left. Speaking of which, you had a leg injury at such a young age. Didn’t it affect your development? Will one leg be longer than the other when you stand up straight?”

"It only affects your walking speed and nothing else... wait, is that all your reaction is?"

Jiang Huaisu said weakly, "There's nothing I can do. I'm not good at healing magic. If it's a stubborn old ailment, I'm helpless..."

"You probably think I deserve it."

She immediately replied, "No."

After a moment of silence, Miaolian lowered her voice:

“You were injured at that time, so it’s not surprising that you resented me. But I must say, it wasn’t my intention to hurt you; it was just a temporary measure. I know you and Spider aren’t on the same side. That sword strike wasn’t meant to kill you, but to kill him.”

Jiang Huaisu wasn't prepared for her past grievances to be brought up. After struggling for a while, she could only manage a few dry words: "I guessed so."

"You'll get hurt, but the spider will die. Isn't that a good deal? If you're still angry afterward, you can stab me with your sword."

It seems pointless to talk about this now, since the spider demon, who was the culprit, has long since gone to see the King of Hell, leaving not even a complete corpse behind.

The misunderstanding back then wasn't a huge problem, but it wasn't insignificant either. Ultimately, it stemmed from their lack of a solid foundation of trust, which led to that situation. Besides, Jiang Huaisu had already been planning to escape. Although jumping off the cliff was impulsive, it was exactly the outcome she had hoped for.

Overall, it seems that Miaolian suffered more. Her injury didn't leave any lasting effects, unlike Miaolian, a handsome young man who became lame—a flaw in a beautiful jade.

"Have you tried finding someone else to treat you?"

"No." He snorted. "Anyway, I know the Shrinking Earth Technique, so I can travel even if I lose my legs."

Jiang Huaisu suspected he was just putting on a brave face. A mortal body shouldn't be very resilient. Although it didn't seem too serious, it was still a problem. If there was an opportunity in the future, she would have to find a capable person to take a look.

When Sun Wukong returns after completing his training, perhaps we can try to leverage his connections. After all, he's a demon king, and his influence is definitely greater than hers.

Miaolian said dejectedly, "I came to the seaside to relax, but I've ended up with another new injury."

Jiang Huaisu looked at the wound on his shoulder and concluded, "If you take good care of yourself at home this time, you won't have any lasting effects."

Are you free now?

"how."

"I'm injured and it's inconvenient for me to travel. Can you take me home? ... If not, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Jiang Huaisu hesitated for a moment, not giving an immediate answer, and glanced at Miaolian, thinking she was being discreet. His handsome face was expressionless; he simply lowered his head listlessly in the face of her probing gaze, making it impossible to tell whether he was showing weakness or putting on a brave face.

“Sure,” she agreed. “I’ll walk you to your door.”

Speaking of which, Miaolian's injury is also related to her, so she should help her out.

"Thank you very much then." Miao Lian smiled.

There was something he didn't tell her.

Back when the "King of Understanding" sowed discord and accused Jiang Huaisu of being the mastermind, he wavered for a moment. Although he quickly put that suspicion aside, he wasn't really confident that Jiang Huaisu would stand firmly on his side.

In hindsight, it was all an overreaction. With Jiang Huaisu's personality, she would lend a helping hand even to people she had previously grudges against, making it highly unlikely that she would harm anyone.

Jiang Huaisu had already transformed into a bird, its size growing to be as large as a small boat, more than enough to carry a beautiful lotus.

"Sigh... why did you come to a place so far from home?" she muttered as she flew.

"Just trying to clear my head," Miao Lian said in a flat voice. "I was in a bad mood, so I walked along the coast and ended up here without realizing it."

"If we go back at this hour, it will be past dinner time."

"It's alright, there's no one at home waiting for me to eat." His voice sounded particularly ethereal in the wind. "My parents are both dead."

"!"

He calmly uttered some incredible words!

Jiang Huaisu's pupils dilated in shock, and she dared not ask any more questions. When she left the Zhen family a few years ago, weren't Madam Qiao and Master Zhen both perfectly fine, not showing any signs of illness?

Seemingly sensing her doubt, Miaolian continued, "It happened about a year or two ago. My mother's hysteria worsened, and she would often have delirious episodes, saying that her daughter was still young and needed someone to stay by her side. But she didn't have a daughter."

“When she was in a daze, she liked to wander around. That day, my father and I were not at home. She slipped and fell into the small pond. When we pulled her out, she was already dead.”

“It was very strange. The maid managed to pull my mother out in time, and she didn’t choke on much water or have any external injuries, but she still died. It was as if heaven wanted to take her away and couldn’t keep her.” He recalled, “On the day of the burial, her complexion was still very rosy. Except for not having a heartbeat or breathing, she was no different from a living person.”

Jiang Huaisu knew a little about the inside story and knew that once the lady died, she must have gone to heaven. In a sense, it was indeed "heaven's will to take her away".

But he couldn't tell Miaolian about this; his life wasn't over yet. An immersive murder mystery game, where only the players remained unaware.

"The lady... she'll be doing well in heaven." That was the only hint one could offer.

Miaolian, thinking she was being comforted, gave a curt "hmm" without any reaction.

A note from the author:

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