Chapter 57
My conversation with Gu Xinglian was quite pleasant. I was even certain that he also desired happiness, and for the world as a whole. We said goodbye amicably, and before I left, he gave me a deep look.
I smiled and waved to him.
The rustling sound grew louder as it approached. The monster lurked in the shadows, observing what kind of creature I truly was.
Hopefully, Gu Xinglian won't be attacked again. Whether she dies or not, pain is unavoidable.
"Why are you so interested in him?" Ward asked, puzzled. "Do you like him?"
"If you're talking about friendship, then I would definitely like him." I countered, "Wouldn't you like a friend like that?"
"But he keeps creating negative emotions for you. Every time he contacts you, he insists on going out, without considering whether you want to or not, or whether you're forcing yourself."
I smiled faintly: "If you'd rather force yourself to agree to something and then have no complaints afterward, saying you don't like him is just being stubborn, isn't it?"
He grunted a few times and then fell silent. A sudden thought struck me: "Do you have any friends?"
"Have you made any new friends?" the woman asked gently. She held the child's hand as they walked home from school. The child carried a small schoolbag and held a flower he had made in art class in his hand.
"I think so," the child thought for a moment. "I think I've made some good friends. They come to play with me after class and even ask me to go to the bathroom with them. I don't like going to the bathroom with other people, but they give me toys to play with, so I agreed."
"They're all boys."
“Girls won’t go to the toilet with me,” the child said. “They will make me flower wreaths, write me little notes, and take me to play jump rope.”
Mom smiled. "Do you like these children?"
“Of course!” the child replied without hesitation, his eyes following the fluttering butterflies. “I love them.”
"Hmm?" Mom was a little surprised. "You already know what love is. How did you know that?"
"It's just...it's just..." the child hesitated, "If I like someone, I hope they're happy. It makes me feel very hot."
"Why would you ask me that, Mother?" He looked up at the woman. "Is it wrong to do this?"
The woman gently patted his head, her warm palm calming his tense heart. She said, "How could that be? You have this feeling, it's a feeling unique to you. Mom is just surprised that a child like you might one day risk your life for the safety of others. Although I'm very proud, I can't help but worry that you might leave us because of this."
The child grabbed her hand, not yet understanding the underlying meaning. "I won't leave Mommy, Daddy, and Brother! So please don't worry anymore!"
His eyes sparkled, and butterflies fluttered around him. His mother smiled without saying a word.
"Besides Qinghe, I have no other friends."
Ward couldn't see me or hear me. Actually, it was more like the outside flow hadn't changed at the time the events occurred. I said, "Aren't you going to make more friends?"
"One is enough for me." Ever since I started looking at his face, Ward has increasingly enjoyed seeing those grayish-white hair and golden eyes flying before my eyes. "What about Qinghe? Are you the kind of person who likes many people?"
"If you like, I'll meet many people. They can all keep you company and play with you. They won't refuse you; you can spend time together anytime, day or night. But you have to give me at least half of your time..."
The ringing phone interrupted Ward. He was standing beside him, glaring angrily, spinning around erratically. Before answering the phone, I couldn't help but glance at him a few more times; he looked like someone about to be thrown through a hoop of fire.
The caller was Shimoyama Mingyu. I easily swiped to answer.
"Hua's consciousness has been invaded by a 'monster' and he's been severely injured. The residential area has been protected." The voice on the other end of the phone was urgent. "I 'cannot cure' him."
*
"Shortly after you left, a spirit... a 'monster' attacked this place," Frost Mountain Mingyu told me. "The transformed soul was unstable, so it was invaded. And in order to protect it, its stomach was slashed open."
I looked at the two people lying on the bed. Hua was already unconscious, his furrowed brows revealing his unstable dream. He, on the other hand, was enduring the pain and looking at me with an innocent expression.
"I'm sorry, Brother Qinghe. But I really didn't intend to protect him, even though it might disappoint you."
"So how did you get injured?"
“Those things use weapons.” He curled his lip in disgust. “They managed to sneak up on me from behind when I wasn’t looking. They even touched me—they’re really dirty. I’m not being sentimental. You see, I even kept their weapons.” He moved the arrow with his fingers with difficulty. “I didn’t let sentimentality interfere with what I was doing.”
Seeing his reaction, my heart clenched. I'd been on tenterhooks the whole way, thinking I could finally relax, but then this happened in another place. They were obedient children; once they were told to stay home, they never went out again. What were they thinking when they were stabbed and attacked? "Thank goodness I wasn't here?"
I said dryly, "I know you're not being dramatic."
He grinned again, a smile completely different from his usual sweet one. He comforted me, "Don't worry, Qinghe. Trust me, this will give me the courage to persevere no matter where I am."
I clenched my fists. Frost Mountain Mingyu tugged at my sleeve: "I already did some basic bandaging for their wounds." He looked like a puppy begging for a reward.
"That's pretty strange," he muttered to himself. "I feel like I'm healing pretty quickly. Are they just too useless?"
Wound. Healing. The seed works on others too. I snapped back to reality and abruptly grasped You's hand. He looked surprised: "What, what are you doing...? Is there something you've been meaning to say to me, who looks like she's about to die?" He suddenly became expectant, sitting up straight with all his might, and said reservedly, "Ah—I'm ready. What do you want to say to me?"
His eyes were full of affection. Normally, I would slap him on the head.
It also had a remarkably high acceptance rate for seeds. Roots spread throughout its body, quickly closing the wound. Frost Mountain Mingyu said with displeasure, "Why did you hold his hand? Do you know he still looks like a child? You—"
"Shut up!" I yelled at him. "When can you be quiet for a moment? Don't you have anywhere to talk to?"
He was startled by me, and dared not say anything more nonsense. Feeling a warm, itchy sensation in his stomach, he looked at me strangely: "You..."
I decisively released him, placing my palm completely against Hua's skin. Since it was only a physical injury, the attempt was relatively easy, but Hua's spirit had also been affected; I didn't know if it would still be effective.
I secretly regretted not having saved the infected first. Contamination only worsens over time, but wounds don't. In fact, no one knows whether the wounds actually aggravated after the attack. I can only console myself that at least I brought some safety.
The seed continued to burrow into his flesh without hindrance, though at a noticeably slower pace. The growing roots were almost wriggling, but thankfully their target was clear: his head. There, a wisp of black mist was moving about.
I will not use this power; I can only let the seed develop freely.
Some transparent little creatures came again, mimicking my actions and reaching out their "hands" towards me, their tiny, round tentacles emitting a faint fluorescence. Others jumped onto my shoulders, stroking my neck and cheeks with their soft bodies.
I also wanted to relax under their soothing influence. But it was clear that I couldn't let go of the tension until the seeds purified this monster that was good at mental attacks.
I was sitting on the bed in a daze when Shuangshan Mingyu walked up behind me and said unhappily, "Why are you working so hard?"
I'm annoyed too: "Didn't you call me? Don't you care about them?"
Shuangshan Mingyu forcefully grabbed one of my hands, her tone puzzled: "I just informed you, who knew you would come over in such a hurry? It's not hot anymore, and I even saw you sweating when you opened the door. Were you that worried? I didn't care at all."
He scratched my palm with his fingertips, his voice very soft: "I really don't understand why you do this. Why do you help these people who are deceiving you?"
"Qingyu!" she cried out, both anxious and angry. "What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Did I lie?" Shuangshan Mingyu said nonchalantly. "Aren't you all liars?"
"You're the liar! You even lied about your name!" she cried, her anger escalating. "How dare you say that to others?"
"It's better than those guys who deliberately wait in one place to ambush people," said Shuangshan Mingyu lazily. "Among those who pretend to be pitiful, are there any good people among them?"
I couldn't stand their arguing any longer. Shuangshan Mingyu was still loosely gripping my wrist, but I shook him off: "And then? What exactly are you trying to say?"
He looked at me in astonishment and said incredulously, "Aren't you angry? They were lying to you!"
I glanced at him again; he didn't dare look me in the eye, his face flushed.
Hua was still unconscious, but I confirmed that the seed was indeed working and the black mist was slowly dissipating, which was a small relief.
I said coldly, "We're both equally bad, what's there to argue about?"
I said calmly, “Of course I know they’re lying to me. The two cats aren’t pretending very well at all. And you,” I looked him up and down, “you’re just a fox.”
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