Chapter 16 "I feel like I'm not human."...

With Sun Wukong's message in mind, Jiang Huaisu was quickly accepted by the monkey troop and officially settled down on Flower Fruit Mountain.

When he was expelled from the Cave of the Crescent Moon and Three Stars, it was too sudden. He forgot to discuss more details with Sun Wukong and went straight to Flower Fruit Mountain all by himself.

Others wield power like a feather, but she had none. She relied entirely on her silver tongue, talking for a long time before finally convincing the monkeys that she was a friend Sun Wukong met on his journey to learn, and that she had a permit to stay at the Water Curtain Cave!

"Your king instructed you to take good care of me." She practically swore an oath to the heavens. "If you don't believe me, wait until he returns and ask him."

Given her relationship with Monkey King, it should be okay for her to act first and ask for permission later, right?

Judging by the time, Sun Wukong should be back in two or three years. Jiang Huaisu believed that he was kind-hearted and would accept this "message".

Huaguo Mountain was much as she had imagined. True to its name, it was indeed filled with the fragrance of flowers and fruits, with green mountains and clear waters, and so rich in spiritual energy that it was almost tangible. No wonder Sun Wukong was able to be born from here.

The current plan is to stay here and cultivate diligently, while waiting for Sun Wukong's return. It's been a while since she last saw him, and she misses him quite a bit. It's no longer just about wanting to curry favor with him; Jiang Huaisu genuinely considers him a precious friend in this world.

With seven years of friendship as classmates, if she had to name the person she's closest to right now, it would only be Sun Wukong.

However, there was another person with whom she had spent a considerable amount of time.

She once said, "If there's anything, we can contact each other via text message, so there's no need to make a special trip." He clearly ignored her, or perhaps he felt that text wasn't enough to convey his feelings and that face-to-face communication was necessary.

It was quite a feat for Zhen Miaolian, who was still dragging her injured leg. No one knew how she found Flower Fruit Mountain on the vast sea. But as time went on, she became more and more frequent in her visits. Eventually, even the monkeys got used to her sudden, unannounced visits.

The sharp-eared and sharp-eyed old monkey seemed to have noticed something and whispered something to Jiang Huaisu:

"This person always uses trivial matters as an excuse to come to you. He probably just wants to come to Flower Fruit Mountain. Why don't you let him live in the mountains?"

Jiang Huaisu shook her head repeatedly: That won't do.

Zhen Miaolian is a pampered young master, and letting him live in this remote mountain village would inevitably cause a lot of trouble. The Water Curtain Cave is indeed a nice place, but it's one thing for her to shamelessly move in, but how could she possibly invite him to stay at someone else's expense?

Besides, with his parents dead, he is now the head of the family. The Zhen Mansion isn't just an empty shell; it still needs him to manage it, right?

But Miaolian acted as if she were carefree and thoughtless, coming and going as she pleased, truly embodying the spirit of doing whatever she wanted, unlike her who had many concerns.

He seemed to genuinely enjoy being here, chasing leopards and teasing tigers in the mountains, having a wonderful time.

More than half a year has passed, and Miaolian has maintained a frequency of coming once a week, making the transmission of characters a mere formality.

He came to visit again today, but unlike usual, he didn't pester Jiang Huaisu to play this or that. After saying hello, he ran off in a flash.

Several little monkeys hid behind the rocks, looking suspicious. Only when they were sure Miaolian was gone did they dare to peek out. Usually, this person would use the excuse of disciplining children to pick them up, rub and squeeze them, saying they were too naughty climbing up and down and deserved a spanking to learn their lesson.

This is pure nitpicking! What monkey doesn't climb trees? This time, they took precautions and hid, preparing to ambush him and let him taste the feeling of getting a spanking.

Unfortunately, this guy didn't play by the rules. He showed up at the Water Curtain Cave, made a brief appearance, and then ran off, running off to the stream to skip stones in the mud. Sister Susu, however, was terrified he might cause trouble, so she went with him.

The little monkeys, with their fluffy heads, looked at each other, unable to guess what kind of person this was.

Miaolian couldn't stand the silence. After skipping stones for a while, she noticed the hoofprints in the mud and was quickly distracted.

Following the trail, we found a small deer at the end of the stream, munching on grass.

Jiang Huaisu caught up a step later and saw him hugging the deer's neck and rubbing against it. At first glance, it looked like a beautiful scene of harmony between man and nature.

He cheerfully asked, "How about we have this tonight?"

“No, this is a neighbor.” Jiang Huaisu made a big X with her hands.

Xiao Lu spoke clearly and distinctly, her voice surprisingly deep and resonant, a stark contrast to her appearance: "Get out of here."

Caught off guard, Miaolian was nudged away by the deer's antlers and watched the fawn run away with a dark expression on her face.

"You can't eat this, you can't eat that, are you all vegetarians on Flower Fruit Mountain?" he said angrily.

"It's your fault for always eating with the neighbors. How can I eat with acquaintances? Go somewhere farther away."

"Are you kicking me out?"

Jiang Huaisu said helplessly, "We're just stating the facts, please don't overinterpret it."

"......snort."

Miaolian glared at her, said nothing more, and walked away listlessly.

Sensing his bad mood, Jiang Huaisu didn't follow him, choosing instead to watch from a distance. She was familiar with his unpredictable temper, and didn't want to become the target of his anger at times like this.

Just keep him in sight and make sure he doesn't do anything out of line.

But Miaolian's eyes quickly swept over: "Why are you standing so far away? Are you afraid I won't be able to eat venison and will have to eat magpie instead?"

Jiang Huaisu said honestly, "You don't seem too happy right now, so I don't want to upset you."

Miao Lian relaxed her brow: "...I'm not upset."

Jiang Huaisu didn't believe it. She could feel his oppressive aura even from several feet away, and her instinct to avoid danger made her dare not approach.

This was an unusual sign. In the past, when he hunted, he did not include intelligent animals in his diet.

But just now, he could clearly see that the deer already possessed supernatural powers, yet it still revealed murderous intent.

Miaolian squinted her eyes and waved to her with a grin: "What are you standing there for? Come here."

In some ways, the smiling Miaolian is more terrifying than the angry Miaolian. It's as if we've returned to our first meeting, when he held her in his hands, taking pleasure in her fear and trembling.

Seeing her standing still, looking like she wanted to leave but didn't dare, Miaolian's smile disappeared.

He simply stood up and walked towards her. But for every step he took, she took a step back, and even on her mannequin-like, expressionless face, three hints of panic could be seen.

He pressed closer and closer until he cornered her against a narrow cliff with nowhere left to retreat. Then, with swift and decisive movement, he reached out and braced himself against the rock behind her, cutting off her escape route.

"Run!" he said smugly.

Jiang Huaisu's lips twitched slightly at his gesture and speech, and she turned her head away to avoid bumping into his chest. Inappropriately, she thought of some old-fashioned domineering CEO romance novels, but under Miao Lian's wall-slamming attack, she couldn't muster any romantic thoughts; her mind was only focused on how to deal with him.

"What are you hiding for? Watch me!"

This aggressive command made her thoughts wander for a moment. If this were a romance drama, Miao Lian's face would be good enough to be the male lead.

中途发散的脑洞意外有效地冲淡了她的恐慌，此时妙莲周身骇人的杀气也已经收起来了，很欠揍地对着她眨眼，仿佛只是一个惯爱捉弄人的顽皮少年。

Even if she couldn't run away, she could still fly, but this wasn't a game of chase; she wanted to talk to him.

Mustering her courage, she held her arm in front of him, as if to push him away: "Young Master, could you take two steps back so we can maintain a normal social distance?"

Completely unaware of Jiang Huaisu's inner monologue, Miaolian only felt that this posture would better prevent her from escaping. Upon hearing this, she not only did not retreat, but instead raised her eyebrows and looked at her provocatively.

Why were you avoiding me just now?

"......"

If you saw someone walking towards you with a machete, you wouldn't be able to resist running away.

Although this person didn't have a machete, his expression and murderous aura made it no different from if he did.

"It was just an instinctive reaction." Jiang Huaisu resignedly lowered her hand. "You knew you were showing murderous intent just now. Young Master, if you really have something on your mind, you can talk to me. Don't scare me."

"I wasn't trying to scare you."

“Okay, you didn’t scare me.” She said good-naturedly, “But you really have something on your mind, don’t you? You didn’t bother those little monkeys today and came here all by yourself.”

Miao Lian avoided eye contact and turned her head slightly away, but Jiang Huaisu still keenly caught the change in her eyes.

She became even more certain of her guess; the young master was indeed in a bad mood today.

Sigh, I'm getting a subtle sense of the feeling that being around a king is like walking on thin ice. It's really stressful to be around this kid. Just half a year ago, she was saying that he had grown up and matured a lot, but she didn't keep up the act for long before his true colors came out. Deep down, he's still that unruly brat.

If Sun Wukong were here, he could suppress the rebellion with force after completing his studies, instead of her having to act as a guardian here in fear.

...But what if Sun Wukong and Nezha become enemies?

Monkey King will have to go on his journey to the West in the future! If I remember correctly, there are a few stages where Nezha will need to help. Thinking of this, she dared not instigate or stir up trouble. If she couldn't prevent the two from meeting early, she should at least avoid ruining their relationship.

She said carefully, "You can tell me if there's anything you need, although I might not be able to help."

“Jiang Huaisu.” Miao Lian looked at her intently, took two steps back to free her from the narrow stone wall, and said, “I told you, don’t think I’m crazy.”

Seeing his serious expression, Jiang Huaisu couldn't help but feel nervous: "Is it that serious?"

He took two deep breaths, as if he had finally made up his mind: "I don't think I'm human."

"Huh?" Jiang Huaisu was dumbfounded. "What happened? You don't need to berate yourself like this."

"...I meant it literally!"

Miao Lian's eyes seemed to be spitting fire, but he held back, rolling up his sleeves to reveal a section of his forearm. His fair skin was covered with mottled knife scars, a shocking sight.

“I cut it open and examined it; this body is indeed made of flesh and blood.”

Using this method to verify an unknown and absurd conjecture is far too cruel; this person doesn't seem to care much about themselves.

Jiang Huaisu glanced at him and then looked away. If this were modern society, she would have advised him to see a psychologist.

But the situation in this world is far more complex. Supernatural and bizarre phenomena certainly exist, and upon deeper reflection, Miao Lian's suspicions are not entirely unfounded. After all, he is a divine being's avatar in the human world, and this human body is merely a temporary refuge for him.

Perhaps it was the memories of her past life that troubled Miaolian, causing her to fall into confusion.

His recent emotional instability is probably due to this.

Jiang Huaisu softened her tone: "Didn't you get injured before? The blood flowing from your wounds was genuine human blood. Why are you suddenly doubting your human identity?"

Seeing that she didn't show any disgust, Miaolian lowered her sleeves:

"It's... a feeling. It's like my body isn't made up of bones and flesh, but something else. If I weren't going to die, I'd love to cut myself open and see."

So you knew you could die. Jiang Huaisu had a bit of a headache, so she could only comfort him first: "Don't overthink it. As long as you're alive, that's enough. Even if you're not human, so what? As long as you can eat and sleep, that's fine."

The words may be rough, but the reasoning is sound. Miaolian didn't refute them and simply hummed in agreement.

However, this person is clearly not one to listen to reason. He may seem obedient now, but he might use himself as a human experiment again once he gets back.

"I thought you'd say I'm crazy. No, you wouldn't say it, you'd probably just curse me in your heart."

"..." Jiang Huaisu felt a little guilty and chuckled, "No, no. Doesn't your wound hurt?"

"A little bit."

"Now that it's confirmed to be flesh and blood, let's stop experimenting. Why make things harder on ourselves?" Jiang Huaisu adopted the demeanor of a caring older sister.

Aren't you curious about what I really am?

"What else could it be? Human, demon, ghost, god, monster... there are only a few kinds. What do you want to be?"

Ignoring Jiang Huaisu's attempts to lighten the mood, Miaolian continued speaking to herself:

“I overheard Xiaozhu whispering to the maids in the manor, saying that I am not like a human, but more like a ghost in the mountains, and sometimes I am so clever that I am almost demonic, which makes him feel scared. Even Xiaozhu can realize this, I don’t believe you didn’t notice it.”

She recognized the name Xiaozhu; she had met him once when she dined at Zhen's residence. He was a capable young man, skilled in both serving dishes and repairing doors.

They actually gossiped about their owner behind their back... and got caught red-handed.

Jiang Huaisu looked at Miaolian with a somewhat subtle expression.

He's definitely not as indifferent as he seems; how could he feel good about being suspected by those around him?

"Xiao Zhu... is she still working at Zhenfu?"

"Yes, he was crying and begging me to let him stay. Tears and snot were streaming down his face. I threw money at him, but he wouldn't leave." Miaolian said, somewhat annoyed.

"Knowing that something is wrong with you, she is still willing to stay by your side. Perhaps Xiaozhu cares about you more than you think, young master."

"Whatever, I don't care."

"Oh, okay." You're just being stubborn!

"And you, are you the same as Xiaozhu?"

Jiang Huaisu was taken aback: "Huh?"

This statement has multiple possible meanings. Is it asking her if she is willing to stay in Zhenfu like Xiaozhu, or is it asking if she shares the same thoughts as Xiaozhu and is afraid of him?

“You’re not an ordinary person; you understand me better than they do. Yet he’s willing to stay by my side, but you’re not?”

It seems to be the former.

Jiang Huaisu was not ashamed: "My original destination was Huaguo Mountain, unlike Xiaozhu, who stayed in Zhenfu to work from the beginning. Of course, I would prefer to stay there."

"That's a real shame," Miaolian pouted. "I really hoped you would stay."

Was she looking for a playmate for herself...? Jiang Huaisu belatedly thought that back then, Miaolian insisted on keeping her by her side, perhaps because she had no one to talk to and was bored talking to herself all day.

"Just kidding. There are so many magpies in the world, we don't need you. If I don't keep you, I can keep other birds."

"..." But you haven't raised it all these years.

Not every magpie is so unlucky as to fly over his head and then be shot down by an arrow.

She couldn't help but start dredging up old grievances in her mind again. Jiang Huaisu silently grumbled to herself, but didn't show it on her face.

Unlike Xiaozhu, she was well aware of Miaolian's identity; she couldn't afford to offend her, nor could she avoid her, so she could only treat her with respect.

Hopefully, once this powerful figure returns to his rightful place, he won't bother her anymore. Out of consideration for past favors, he might even lend a hand... but forget it, I'm not counting on that.

Miaolian suddenly turned to her and asked, "Can I spend the night at Flower Fruit Mountain tonight?"

"Sure, I'm not the owner of Flower Fruit Mountain, so you don't need to ask for my permission."

"What if I want to live in the Water Curtain Cave?"

"The master of the Water Curtain Cave hasn't returned, so I can't make the decision. Go find the Red-Bottomed Macaque..."

This person's mood changed faster than flipping through a book. Not long ago, he was dismissively saying something like, "There are so many magpies in the world, we don't need you." Now, he can act coquettishly with her without any reservations, which makes Jiang Huaisu's skin crawl.

"Don't shout along with those little monkeys."

"Just call her 'Sister Susu, Sister Susu'."

"...Then you'll have to sleep with the monkeys; there aren't any extra rooms."

"Can't I sleep with you?"

Jiang Huaisu waved her hand weakly: "No, there's a difference between men and women."

"We weren't in the same room before..."

"In the past, there was no choice."

"Tch, forget it then, I'll go back to my place." Miao Lian decisively gave up.

The young master's requirements for accommodation are indeed very high.

Of course, he also had high expectations for dinner. With the venison feast out of the question, and not wanting to stay for a fruit and vegetable banquet, he boarded a small boat and returned, his departing figure showing no sign of lingering affection.

Unexpectedly, after leaving, Miaolian vanished without a trace, as if she had evaporated from the face of the earth.

He didn't come the following month, nor the month after that.

For a long time, Jiang Huaisu did not receive any further news from him.

A note from the author:

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