Blood debts must be repaid in blood; we will never forgive!
Shen Zhizhou woke up groggily and saw Sheyang's face looming in front of him, her eyes filled with worry. Shen Zhizhou asked in a hoarse voice, "How is Shuyi?"
His vocal cords felt like they were being torn apart. Shen Zhizhou thought it must be because he had inhaled too much smoke and burned his vocal cords. Despite his weak body, he struggled to get up and go see Shuyi.
She Yang quickly helped Shen Zhizhou up and stopped him from getting out of bed: "Xiao Zhou, I have something to tell you, you must hold on!"
Shen Zhizhou looked at Sheyang, who was extremely serious and had a sorrowful expression, clenched his fists, and said hoarsely, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
"Godfather is gone?"
"What?!" Shen Zhizhou's legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground, clutching She Yang's collar in disbelief. "I didn't think Dad was that bad before. He could even play chess and riddles with me... What happened? What on earth happened?!"
"My godfather committed suicide and set fire to the house, and my godmother's flower field was almost completely burned down..."
Before Sheyang could finish speaking, Shen Zhizhou coughed up blood and collapsed.
Now he truly has no home; he's an orphan...
In the emergency room, Shen Zhizhou opened his eyes slightly, stimulated by the pacemaker. A melodious song rang in his ears. Following the sound, he saw his mother singing in a flower field when he was a child, while his father smiled and clapped beside her, counting the beats for her.
He wanted to go over and hug his father, to ask him why he had left him all alone in this world. But he couldn't move; his legs felt like lead. Shen Zhizhou looked down and finally saw that he was in the middle of a swamp, his feet sinking to his knees. He desperately tried to climb out and grab onto something, then he shouted, "Dad, Mom, save me! I'm here!"
But no matter how much he shouted, his parents ignored him. He watched as the swamp gradually swallowed his waist and was about to engulf his neck when he heard his father's voice.
"Do you like Sister Ji that much? You've been playing all day, and you still need her to stay with you to sleep at night?"
"Yes, I like Sister Ji. I want Sister Ji to tell me stories for the rest of my life!"
"Look, if it weren't for you, your mother wouldn't have died. Your mother shielded you from disaster. If you hadn't been so playful and curious, none of this would have happened..." A man with the exact same face as Shen Zhizhou appeared in the swamp and mocked Shen Zhizhou, who was about to be swallowed by the swamp.
"It wasn't me... I don't know, it wasn't me!" Shen Zhizhou, who was about to be swallowed by the swamp, shouted painfully at another man with the same face as himself.
"Don't know? How could you not know... You've always been a fool. You always trust others blindly, always love to show off your ridiculous compassion, and love to play the knight in shining armor and perform those low-class rescue acts. Look how pathetic you are now. Because of your stupidity, your mother died in your arms, and your father was so disappointed in you that he didn't want to see his son one last time, even if it meant setting himself on fire. If you're not pathetic and stupid, then who can compare to you?"
The "Shen Zhizhou" in the swamp seemed unsatisfied with his insults and continued to stab Shen Zhizhou in the heart: "Oh, right, I forgot, you've also fallen for a monster! Hahahaha, how ridiculous! A mystery eraser falls in love with his nemesis? Do you think she really loves you? No, no one will refuse a toy offered to them, especially a completely stupid one..."
“If I were you, I wouldn’t struggle anymore. You’re already so pathetic, what’s the point of living… Death is the best relief for you! Listen to me, stop struggling, it won’t hurt. Close your eyes, you’ll be free in just one second…”
"Shen Zhizhou" tempted and persuaded Shen Zhizhou to give up struggling. Shen Zhizhou was stunned and did not resist. The swamp swallowed most of Shen Zhizhou's body, leaving only his head not completely swallowed. But in a few more minutes, Shen Zhizhou would be completely swallowed by the swamp.
"Xiao Zhou, Mom has never blamed you..."
"Xiao Zhou, it must have been tiring supporting the Shen family all this time. I'm sorry, but you will always be my pride!"
"Xiao Zhou, wake up, please wake up!"
Upon hearing his parents' voices, Shen Zhizhou's previously closed eyes suddenly snapped open. The swamp that had almost engulfed his head receded to his chest. "Shen Zhizhou" looked fierce upon hearing the voices and secretly exerted his strength, wanting to engulf Shen Zhizhou as soon as possible.
"Xiao Zhou, I'm sorry to leave you all alone, but Dad... really loves you! Dad knows you don't like being an Oddity Clearer. If Dad's guessing correctly, you want to open a flower shop, right?"
"I know that Xiaozhou has never had many friends since she was little because of her family's special circumstances. That's why you cherish sincerity so much and want to make friends with others. Having a pure heart is not a bad thing, Xiaozhou. On the contrary, I think that because of this, Xiaozhou might be able to do things that none of us adults have been able to do. Because of your existence, it's possible for transvestites and humanoids to coexist harmoniously..."
"I've seen that girl named Shuyi. I think she's quite nice. You said her true form is the divine beast Treasure-Spitting Rat, right? That's great. The moment you walked in, I knew you'd like her. I've seen her and approve of her. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given you the bracelets that belonged to your mother and me. Your mother and I both approve of that girl. Treat her well from now on, and try to tone down your unreliable personality..."
"No matter what, we will always love you!" Shen Zhizhou saw Shen Ran and Wen Yi quietly appear in front of him, looking at him with gentle smiles and affection.
Shen Zhizhou's eyes turned bloodshot, and he intended to no longer conceal his strength and devour Shen Zhizhou in one fell swoop. However, Shen Zhizhou raised his head and looked directly at him, revealing his signature gentle smile.
"I've forgiven myself, but I will never forgive you!"
The next second, Shen Zhizhou slashed his palm, and the lotus-patterned dagger, carrying Shen Zhizhou's warm blood, pierced into "Shen Zhizhou's" heart.
A look of astonishment appeared in Shen Zhizhou's eyes, as if he couldn't believe that Shen Zhizhou would actually break through his magic and regain consciousness.
"You got off easy, Shen Zhizhou. Next time... I won't hold back."
"What a coincidence, me too."
Shen Zhizhou turned into a puddle of mud and fell into the swamp. As the swamp receded, Shen Zhizhou saw his parents smiling at him from the other side.
"Thank you for your hard work, I'm sorry, goodbye."
"I don't blame you anymore."
Shen Zhizhou and Shen Ran spoke at the same time. Shen Ran raised an eyebrow in surprise and said with a smile, "You've grown up..."
"You've grown up" was the last thing Shen Zhizhou heard as he watched Shen Ran and Wen Yi disappear before his eyes.
Shen Zhizhou suddenly opened his eyes.
He suddenly stood up but was stopped by the emergency doctor, who said that he had just regained consciousness and should not move around, and that he needed to cooperate with relevant examinations and treatments.
"Doctor, after the examination, can you help me get discharged? I will take full responsibility."
After quickly completing the discharge procedures, Shen Zhizhou was pale and haggard, but he forced himself not to collapse. He carried Shuyi into the car. Sheyang was worried about Shen Zhizhou's health and insisted that he drive. Shen Zhizhou sat in the passenger seat and looked at Shuyi sleeping in the back seat. He said, "Let's go back to the old house to handle the funeral arrangements first."
The Sheyang man, who was fastening his seatbelt, paused and looked up at Shen Zhizhou in confusion: "Aren't we going back to your house to settle things down first?"
“I only feel at ease when Shuyi is with me. I don’t feel at ease leaving her alone at home.”
"Why don't we just let Sister Ji go back and take care of her? Speaking of which, where is Sister Ji? I feel like I haven't seen her in ages, and with such a big event, isn't she going to come and help with the cooking?"
She Yang didn't know what had happened between Shen Zhizhou and Ji Yao, but she could sense a distance between them. Not wanting to be a peacemaker, She Yang still tried to persuade Shen Zhizhou's family that there was no need to hold grudges overnight and that they should just talk things out.
Shen Zhizhou closed his eyes as he listened. He really didn't know how to explain these things to Sheyang, and he didn't have the energy to explain at the moment. He just told Sheyang to stop talking and drive back to the old house.
Sheyang sighed and drove back to the old house. As soon as he entered, he saw a charred mess. His mother's favorite flower field was burned down to just a few dying plants, and the house was completely burned to the ground.
Sheyang didn't know how to comfort Shen Zhizhou for a moment, so he patted him on the shoulder and walked to the coffin in silence.
Shen Zhizhou dragged his body slowly to the coffin, his hands trembling as he reached out to lift the white cloth, but his hands were shaking so badly that he could only press his left hand on top of his right, forcing himself to face it.
But when Shen Zhizhou actually saw his father's charred, blackened body, he couldn't support himself and collapsed to the ground, clutching his father's remains and crying out, "Dad!"
His fingertips were clenched so tightly they turned white, and his breathing became rapid and his skin flushed, as if he had been poisoned. She Yang could tell at a glance that Shen Zhizhou was overwhelmed with grief, and he forcibly turned Shen Zhizhou's face to look at him: "Shen Zhizhou, hold on! Your godfather hopes you can get better, you can't fall!"
"I can't fall, I have to hold the Shen family together!" Shen Zhizhou murmured listlessly.
"Let's issue a bounty. Whoever can subdue Sister Ji, my Shen family can give him anything he wants."
"Are you crazy? That's Sister Ji, the sister who raised us since we were little! Even if you had a fight, you could have just talked it out. Why did you have to issue a bounty? Don't you know that once a bounty is issued, it means someone will be killed? You're really crazy..." She Yang didn't understand what had happened between Shen Zhizhou and Ji Yao, but he didn't want Shen Zhizhou to make a wrong decision while he was not thinking clearly.
“I’ve thought this through, Sheyang. If you don’t help me, I’ll issue the bounty myself.”
"Damn it! What's going on? So you all treat me like an outsider?!"
She Yang grabbed Shen Zhizhou's collar, indicating that he was also a member of the Shen family and could help Shen Zhizhou share the burden. Shen Zhizhou looked at She Yang's worried and anxious eyes and smiled, but as he smiled, tears involuntarily streamed down his face.
Why drag another innocent person into this to die? This is a war between ourselves and the monsters.
It's a fight to the death.
He wants to avenge his father, so Ji Yao... he will deal with her personally.
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