Chapter 607 Meeting the Parents 1
The denser an object is, the easier it is for it to sink underwater.
As my understanding of magical density deepened, the density that constitutes my existence also increased. Now, if I wish, I can delve into deeper realms of perception and observe phenomena that were previously difficult to observe, and even accomplish things that were previously impossible.
Even when I had just become a Great Impermanence, I could see the power of jinx entangled in my destiny, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. Now I can see myself seemingly caught in an immense vortex of fate, something I was completely unaware of in the past.
On the surface, this vortex appears to have only Asao and those around her as its endpoints, but in reality, it connects to an overwhelming behemoth behind the scenes. Being within it, I feel like a speck of dust accidentally swept up in it. "Being in the mountains, one doesn't know the mountains"—this was often how others described my immense size, this great impermanence, but now it's my turn to describe the immense size of other things.
This colossal entity is the natural will of the planet. On this earth, nothing is larger than this being that symbolizes the earth itself. Even if all the great impermanent entities were added together, it would still be so. And now, this colossal entity is watching Asao, intending to push all things related to the strange and supernatural here.
The anomalies, both those close at hand and those far away, are all being drawn together by an invisible force, converging on Asahi at varying speeds. It's not just the mindless monsters; even a fickle person like myself is unconsciously drawn closer to Asahi.
The vast majority of these concentrated phenomena do not progress in a straight line. According to the distance between the physical objects and the abstract relationships, the more distant the distance, the more circuitous the path; conversely, the closer the distance, the faster and more direct the path. The most distant of these may take ten or twenty years to reach their destination, while the closest may make contact within the next day or two.
Looking at it from a long-term perspective, all the strange things on this planet will one day converge around Asahi.
It's practically a black hole of fate appearing on Earth.
At that time, either Asahi will destroy all the strange things in the world, or Asahi will be overwhelmed by them. Now I can fully understand what kind of curse the jinx power that the planet's natural will bestowed upon Asahi truly is.
Those qualified to become Great Impermanence will have the laws of Heaven and Earth manifested before they even become Great Impermanence. And if the so-called laws of Heaven and Earth are about making Heaven and Earth change for oneself, then this phenomenon of the black hole of fate is undoubtedly "the laws of Heaven and Earth manifested by Ma Zao".
Even before she became a god, she already possessed the characteristics of a goddess of calamity.
Fortunately, I can use my natural privilege as the Great Impermanence to curb this phenomenon to some extent, preventing it from affecting unrelated individuals.
Just as I said I wasn't confident I could completely suppress Asaho's fortunes in the long run, such a massive phenomenon isn't something I can simply control at will. This isn't essentially Asaho's power as a Great Impermanence, but rather the planet's natural will's instinctive self-preservation. Even I can only temporarily disable it.
Or, as the divination master observed in the past, I could use my immense presence to cover the demons, causing the attracted monsters to pass through me first. However, this method cannot prevent the spread of the jinx's power.
After I explained, Asaho was temporarily relieved, and then thought for a moment and said, "Since the jinx constitution is like the law of heaven and earth... then, if I can become the Great Impermanence, can I try to influence this self-centered phenomenon in return?"
"Perhaps," I said cautiously.
"But I can't get stronger right now, I have to heal myself completely first..." Asaha seemed to be racking her brains for a solution.
Regardless of how much effort she needs to achieve to become the Great Impermanence, in order to continue to grow stronger, she must heal the final wounds on her soul.
"Speaking of which, Xiaowan hasn't mentioned this to you yet, has she?" I raised my hand.
Asaha seemed to ask instinctively, "What is it?"
Then, her eyes widened. Black fire appeared in my hand, and within the flames was black water.
She must be able to sense the magical fluctuations emanating from this mass of black water. Perhaps she had never personally encountered the magical fluctuations of the Great Demon Xuanwu in the past, but she would most likely be able to determine what this mass of black water with such powerful magical fluctuations in my hand was based on the flow of this conversation.
"Is this... the flesh and blood of the Great Demon Xuanwu!?" she asked with delight.
Seeing her so surprised and delighted expression, I felt that all the effort I had put into obtaining this item had finally paid off.
How foolish I am, Zhuang Cheng—I laughed at myself, yet I still couldn't suppress the joy in my heart. Knowing full well that Mazao would become my enemy in the future, and that I was prepared to be her enemy, I still kept the key item that would help her become stronger, and showed it off in front of her like a little boy showing off his spoils, wanting to offer it to her. Doing something that is no different from aiding the enemy, what else is this but foolishness?
Of course, since we're in a cooperative phase now, it would be beneficial for me if Ma Zao became stronger. Besides, I've never thought it was a bad thing for my future enemies to become stronger; it's only right that they become stronger.
Unfortunately, it's not like you can just use this piece of flesh to heal your wounds.
No matter how profound its mysteries, ultimately it's just a "material." To fully utilize it, it must undergo alchemy or other technological transformations. This is a massive, super-compressed mass of mana at the Great Demon level; it can't possibly be given to Ma Zao to eat directly. If he were to swallow it without any thought, treating it like medicine, the only consequence would be that it would burst him apart from the inside, leaving him utterly destroyed.
When Lu Chan reported to me in the morning, I also cut off a small portion of the flesh and blood of the Great Demon Xuanwu and had him send it for examination and experimentation to see if any professionals could process it into a pill.
However, just as weapons from the Great Impermanence Realm cannot be crafted by ordinary mortals, elixirs from the Great Impermanence Realm are not something that the average demon hunter group in Luoshan can research and develop. No matter how powerful Lu Chan is, he probably wouldn't be able to find professionals who could use the flesh and blood of the Great Demon Xuanwu as medicinal ingredients.
I'll likely have to go see Shui Shi Xuanwu again. As far as I know, if anyone in this world can refine pills for the Great Impermanence Domain, it's only that man who came back from the dead. I just don't know if he'll be willing to refine medicine for me and Asao again after the token from last time was used up.
If I give him a bad review for the Divine Elixir that failed to fully heal his soul burns last time, and then describe my request for the next elixir as "after-sales service" from last time, I wonder if he would accept this "order".
With this in mind, I finally arrived at the entrance of the bakery run by Asahi's mother with Asahi.
I initially thought this was my first time visiting this place, but upon closer inspection, I realized it wasn't my first time either. I've passed through this area many times in the past. During regular business hours, the bakery's vicinity is always filled with a warm, baking aroma, which sometimes tempts me to become a customer. Although I don't have a particular preference for bread, I must admit that the bread from this bakery is of decent quality.
Because it was still a holiday break, the bakery's main entrance was blocked by a gray roller shutter. However, there was a back entrance in a nearby alley. Asa and I walked around to the back entrance and were about to knock when we saw a woman in her thirties wearing a simple apron push the door open and come out carrying a black garbage bag.
She glanced at us standing outside the door, then her gaze lingered on Ma Zao's face. A second later, the black garbage bag fell from her hand, probably containing hard objects like glass bottles, making a heavy, loud thud.
A look of shock and confusion, as if she were in a dream, appeared on the woman's face.
I've seen her before when I patronized this bakery; I've also seen her face in materials related to Asahi. She's the owner of this bakery and Asahi's mother.
"...Mah?"
She uttered a tentative call, a mixture of excitement and fear, as if afraid that what appeared before her was merely a lifelike illusion made of mist. If her voice was too loud, the sound waves would shatter this unreal mist, and she would destroy the dream with her own hands.
However, this was not a dream. Ma was already standing alive beside me, and standing alive in front of her, her face still showing the unease of life, as she tentatively called out, "...Mom?"
"Good morning!" The woman's excitement was finally released.
She stumbled forward and hugged Masahisa tightly. Unlike her previous attitude of being afraid of destroying the illusion, she now held Masahisa very tightly in her arms, as if afraid that Masahisa would turn into a bird and fly away.
Asaha was at a loss, and after hesitating for two or three seconds, she finally reached out her arm and hugged the other person.
This hug seemed to trigger something, and the woman immediately burst into tears, letting out a low sob.
Just then, a hoarse male voice came from deep inside the back door: "What happened?"
Then came another series of hurried footsteps, and a man who looked to be nearly forty years old ran out of the back door, holding a wooden rolling pin with flour stains in his hand. He froze on the spot when he saw the mother and daughter hugging each other.
“Mah…” he murmured in astonishment.
Unlike Asaha's mother, who ignored me, he quickly noticed me after his daze and asked warily, "And who are you?"
"Hello, nice to meet you, I'm Zhuang Cheng," I said earnestly. "I'm your daughter's boyfriend."
Upon hearing this, Mazao's father glanced at his long-lost thirteen-year-old daughter, then looked at me, his expression one of utter disbelief: "—Huh?"
(End of this chapter)
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