Grasshopper Dark Room
rustling, rustling.
Before I could even muster enough strength to kick Xie Jinhui, that dead grasshopper, off the ground...
Suddenly, a whirlwind, a black wall of five fingers, swept over with a whoosh, and swept Xie Jinhui and me away in a flash.
Then came an extreme spin as it slid downwards.
I think I fell into a bag that seemed to contain paralyzing powder for mosquitoes, snakes, and ants.
Upon first smelling it, I felt somewhat dazed.
Oh, I heard grasshoppers are also meat, and they're very crispy when deep-fried...
I think I'm probably going to get caught. Anyway, I failed to hide, so dying would be better, but...
Before a wave of dizziness and disorientation washed over me, I suddenly remembered Xie Jinhui.
What will he do? What will he be thinking? Will he be terrified by his inability to resist...?
Outside the bag, the murderer, hurrying along, chuckled hoarsely and excitedly.
"Hahaha, great, great, we've caught another pair of incredibly clever little creatures."
With a worried heart, I tried to contact Xie Jinhui. I sent a message using the voicemail feature that had been working fine, but there was no reply...
Eager to unleash my divine power, uh.
It's locked...
The bag was completely opaque, and a foul stench emanated from its bottom. The constant jolting and shaking completely disoriented me, like a flailing grasshopper.
...
When I opened my eyes again, I felt that my vision had changed; it was no longer the vision of a deity.
Everything looked as if it had been painted with red; nothing was as I remembered it, as I was used to it.
I moved my feet, stretched my wings, and rolled my eyes. ...
At that moment, this inexplicable agility and naturalness stunned me.
Does this mean I am now completely like a grasshopper?
Aside from the brain, are the rest of the body completely subject to its natural instincts and limitations?
My goodness, "Myriad Phenomena of Fantasy Transformation"—I, the student, have surpassed the master; I've even created my own web of traps!
Fortunately, I still know my kind; fortunately, the grasshoppers haven't turned into a bunch yet.
I saw Xie Jinhui's grasshopper, hovering a few hops away from me.
With its tail drooping and its bright, bulging eyes tilted to one side, it stared at something...
What is that?
I can't see clearly.
Out of curiosity and excitement, I jumped up and down behind him, making heartbeats.
"Xie Jinhui, what are you looking at? What are you looking at? What are you looking at...?"
Jumping back and forth between various positions.
"What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?"
He ignores me.
But I was in the shadow reflected from the thing he was staring at, and on the curved surface in all directions.
They all saw me jump, and then several grasshoppers "birds" appeared.
Is that thing a mirror? Glass? Or something else?
Sigh? There's a word that fits perfectly, but just thinking about it makes me feel uncomfortable.
Xie Jinhui ignored me, so I went to explore on my own.
I kicked my leg and jumped onto something on the other side.
Go, go! Go, go, go!
Oh dear, as soon as I landed parallel to the curve, I almost twisted my leg; it was so slippery.
I slid down that thing, and, not satisfied, I tried a few more times.
So I kept scratching at my blurry shadow opposite me, frustrated and desperate...
Slippery, slippery, slippery.
After persisting in this struggle for a while, I finally realized that my brain might have been controlled by the grasshopper's instincts.
I despise myself; I'm such an idiot.
The situation is so obvious right now. Xie Jinhui and I, two legendary grasshoppers, have been caught in some kind of mess.
This thing is quite tall. I looked up and couldn't even see the top of it clearly.
It was a hazy red, like the sky of a magical realm in a book or painting.
Suddenly, I saw several grasshoppers jumping around on the round, transparent cover.
He finally moved.
I turned around abruptly and jumped to his side.
What are you doing?
The grasshopper's bright eyes swirled, its antennae swaying, as if it were communicating with me.
My heart sank. Oh no, could it be that my heartbeat has completely failed?
I'm getting a little anxious. How do grasshoppers communicate?
The familiar Xie Jinhui, and the feeling of staring into the eyes of this unfamiliar grasshopper who couldn't speak, made me feel suffocated.
I paced back and forth in front of Xie Mazha.
He, on the other hand, used me as a mobile high jump platform, jumping around in all directions.
Those little brats are so carefree and always causing trouble; can't they just stay quiet for a moment?
I was so angry and embarrassed that I looked up and yelled at him.
What are you doing?
Just as I uttered the word "what," he landed in front of me, and the tip of my antennae lashed out at his ahoge.
Xie Jinhui crawled toward me as if he had been electrocuted, his tentacles wrapping tightly around me.
"What did you say?" he roared.
That shout was like that of a grumpy old man who'd been deaf for half his life; it was like he was going to deafen me the moment he opened his mouth.
However, Xie Mazha was indeed clever and thoughtful, and he solved the major problem of not being able to communicate effectively.
I was just about to praise him when I heard him tangle my tentacles and say something.
"Goddess Yuan'e, please stop your supernatural powers and quickly dispel the transformation spell."
"ah?"
I asked him in surprise, "You've become unable to solve it yourself? I'm counting on you."
I could sense his astonishment and gritted teeth even from his tentacles.
"Rely on me? Didn't you change yourself too?" he said.
"We'll see..."
He paused noticeably, like the useless grinding of teeth after gritting them.
"I copied it exactly as you said."
A resounding statement!
Copy me? I thought to myself.
He blurted out, "Yeah."
I'm furious.
"Xie Jinhui, you are the dignified Crown Prince of Moxu Chenyuan, with extraordinary innate immortal power. You even have to copy me to transform into a grasshopper. Saying you are ignorant and incompetent is an underestimation of you."
His tentacles, which had been clinging to me, wilted a little, and he looked like he desperately needed an explanation.
“Yuan’e, even with great immortal power, you still need magic to support you. You’ve forgotten again, I only took human form thirty-seven days ago.”
How many books can I read, how many techniques can I master? Without copying, what can I possibly know?
Oh dear, the pitiful grasshopper seemed to have suddenly become sullen and had even forgotten to touch me with its antennae.
Forget it, I won't argue with him. Otherwise, he'll find out the truth later and get too worked up about it.
"It's okay, it's okay." I had to take the initiative to call him.
"Being able to copy is a good skill, but copying perfectly is even better, it's just that..."
I changed the subject.
"Xie Jinhui, have you realized that you're just a grasshopper right now, unable to use even a trace of immortal power?"
He needs to confirm.
I sighed.
"If you hadn't insisted on bothering me, why would I have become so drastic?"
But what's the use of that? How did you even find me?
Xie Mazha closed his eyes, sensing something.
“Yuanhe, I didn’t look for you.”
Because as soon as I focus my thoughts on you, I can immediately see where you are.
?
This time I was deflated. The "Myriad Phenomena and Profound Observations" that I had worked so hard to learn was nothing compared to my natural talent.
Xie Jinhui comforted me by patting my tentacles once in turn.
“Yuanhe, look, we’ve all been captured and can’t use our magic power. When the one who captured us comes back, he’ll have ulterior motives against us, and we’ll be powerless to resist.”
So, don't keep your backup plan hidden.
"Goddess, please save us from this sea of suffering and restore our celestial forms!"
"How did you know I had a backup plan!" I blocked his second slap.
"I have analyzed Yuan'e's transformation technique, and it is indeed exquisite. Not only is the transformation meticulous, but there are also no loopholes or flaws in its concealment method."
Given her ability to accomplish all this on her own, how could the clever Yuan'e possibly make a mistake and leave herself no way out?
Or rather, because I was there, Yuanhe's backup plan was never intended to be used from the very beginning.
My mind went completely blank. In the face of his intellectual prowess, I shouldn't even have a sense of existence.
"Yes, there is a backup plan. It's not that we don't want to use it, but that we need to use it in a way that is valuable."
For example, wouldn't you get very anxious if you couldn't figure it out?
Hehe, I started teasing the grasshopper. He probably wanted to touch its chin, but since its legs were misstructured, it pointed at its legs instead.
"That's right. How about using it as leverage to get a 30-day agreement that you won't bother me?"
Xie Mazha hesitated for a long time before raising his leg high.
“Ten days,” he said.
"Deal!" I immediately approved.
The grasshopper he glanced at had a disdainful look in its eyes, like a flirtatious glance; both were quite unsightly.
Since you've agreed, I'll kindly answer your question.
"Lady Jieyu once gave me 50,000 years of immortal power, and I used 10,000 years to split the marriage certificate before that."
I hid the rest in the Butterfly Dream Bell.
When I have no other choice, I will use my senses to draw them out.
With the help of this divine power, the transformation spell can be broken.
I spoke with great confidence and pride.
Xie Mazha got excited by what I said, and his antennae gripped tightly as he asked, "Yuan He, where is the Butterfly Dream Bell hidden?"
"The sea of consciousness," I said.
He began to tremble slightly.
"So, Yuan'e thinks that sensing ability doesn't require immortal power?"
I kicked my hind leg confidently, demonstrating my strength.
"certainly."
I don't know how grasshoppers sigh, but Xie the grasshopper definitely deflated.
He said, "Yuan'e, entering the sea of consciousness requires immortal power, and the ability to sense also requires a small amount of immortal power."
Actually, I couldn't sense you anymore when I was in the bag thinking about you.
Boom!
Butterfly Bell can't be produced now!
I'm stuck like a grasshopper; I've trapped myself in a dead end because of my pursuit of absolute perfection...
Xie Jinhui trembled even more violently. Was he laughing?
"You clever little fool, you might as well keep the magic pills on your lips and lick them whenever you want, like dew."
I was so embarrassed that I spun around in circles, and he followed me, afraid of losing connection.
Four large characters suddenly appeared in my blank mind: Lady Jieyu.
I quickly entangled myself with Xie the grasshopper.
"Xie Jinhui, did Lady Jieyu also give you immortal power? Where did you hide it? Is it easy to get? Why don't you try?"
Please, please.
“I gave it to you,” he said.
"Fifteen thousand years of immortal power," he added.
I suddenly didn't want to listen anymore, and I was furious.
She shook him off and jumped aside.
Is he really that good-looking? He gained 150,000 years of immortal power in just 37 days of immortal life.
I sat with Lady Jieyu and let her scribble nonsense for a thousand years, only to gain fifty thousand years of immortal power in return.
It's definitely not a matter of his looks; it's because he has powerful connections, and people are eager to give him gifts.
Waaaaaah...
However, in this critical moment, how could I afford to be sentimental?
I extended my tentacles again, allowing Xie Jinhui to touch them.
"Yuan'e, I will make it up to you for the matter of the immortal power."
"Where is your magical power?"
The two pieces of information were intertwined, and we stared at each other.
He tentatively said, "I ate it a long time ago, there's no use keeping it."
Is it useless? Is he trying to sarcastic or mock me?
I don't care.
Scanning the surroundings, all that remained was darkness beyond a shimmering barrier.
The transparent barrier must be very fragile; perhaps it doesn't even need any magical power, and could be destroyed with a simple punch.
Without realizing it, I wanted to put my hand on Chen Yi's shoulder and tell him my thoughts, just like I would when I put my arm around him.
Hey, listen up!
I thought of two more ideas. The first is that we smash that thing and escape.
"Don't we have wings? Let's fly back to the sky."
Xie Mazha seemed to be absentmindedly grunting in response.
Regardless, I continued, "As for how to fly, I've already thought it through. I'll carry you first, and when I get tired, you can carry me."
That way, sooner or later, we'll be able to fly back.
Xie Mazha listened to me very patiently, without making a sound.
He didn't come to his senses until I kicked him with my hind leg, making him run and charge towards the barrier with me.
"How could that thing possibly break through?"
He questioned me.
I scoffed dismissively, "That thing is just ice, what good is it?"
Saying that word makes me feel choked up and increasingly depressed.
I saw Xie Mazha tremble with fear, stammering, "Yuan He, how...how could you...say that forbidden...word!"
"Which word?" My throat hurt, and I started to panic.
Xie Mazha suddenly collapsed to the ground, as if he was desperately trying to tell me the truth.
His tentacles formed waves, emitting information waves like ripples on water.
"Summer insects...cannot be spoken of—ice."
Hearing that word again, everything went black before my eyes. This darkness shrank into a cage, and it fell down my tight throat and into my heart.
Then three broken characters appeared: "Little Dark Room".
And so, that eternal, unspeakable word resided within it.
It became a thorn in my heart, a forbidden thorn.
I couldn't pull it out, and I was filled with anguish and grief.
Is this some kind of damn species attribute suppression again?
The discomfort subsided after I completely surrendered to the rules and couldn't remember what the word was.
Xie Jinhui struggled to his feet and shook his wings.
"Yuan'e, what is the second method?"
I crossed my fingers with his tentacles and asked, puzzled, "Aren't you considering the first one?"
He stared into the void and said, "Pass."
Okay, that method is indeed quite tiring, but the second one must be... quite painful.
"The second method is simpler."
I climbed up to him and tried to make eye contact with him.
"die!
By dying, one naturally sheds the grasshopper's body and regains one's true self.
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