Chapter 327 Zhu Shifa Tianxiangdi 1
Even though I saw Xiao Zhu Shi and Xiao Wan looking exactly alike in my dream, I wasn't entirely sure they looked the same in reality, because it was still a scene I witnessed in a dream. Although it was Yin Yue and Chang An's dream, since I was an outsider involved, it was hard to guarantee that information from my memories wouldn't have seeped in, thus replacing Xiao Zhu Shi's appearance with the appearance of Xiao Wan that I had seen in the photograph I had read.
However, if the white box seen in the dream could be found in the Zhu family in the real world, the credibility of the matter would undergo a real qualitative change.
In fact, the Zhu family did have such a white box.
I had initially worried that the box might have been caught up in the attack on the Zhu family mansion by Chenlong and become scrap. In fact, the white box wasn't even placed at the Zhu family mansion during the attack; it was placed in Zhu Jiu's ward at the military hospital.
After that, Zhu Jiu—Zhu Shi's mother—was moved from the military hospital to a safer and more secluded location. Once Mr. Zhu and Zhu Shi were settled in their villa in the city center, Zhu Jiu was also taken to a room on the second floor of the villa, where the two of them personally cared for her.
After we arrived at the room on the second floor, I saw Zhu Jiu lying on the bed.
In the past, during the Fallen Witcher incident, in order to remotely monitor the changes around Chang'an, I used "Fireflies" to follow him into the military hospital, and I also saw Zhu Jiu at that time. But this is the first time that we have been formally in the same room as each other like this.
Zhu Jiu should be around forty years old this year. Perhaps because of her demon hunter cultivation, she looks like Zhu Shi's senior in college. Her posture with her eyes closed and leaning against the pillow is like Sleeping Beauty in a fairy tale.
Zhu Shi then took out an item from the bottom of the wardrobe—a white box.
This box is almost identical to the white box I saw in the spiritual worlds of Yinyue and Chang'an. I say "almost" not because it possesses features that make it feel like a different item, but simply because it bears the marks of time. The white box I saw in that dream was, after all, an item from many years ago; after so much time, it would inevitably show signs of age.
If it weren't for the contrast between the old and new, and my incredibly sharp memory, it would be hard to doubt that this white box was brand new, which shows that it had been well maintained over the years.
Zhu Shi opened the white box, which was filled with rag dolls that had been carefully cared for and cherished.
"—Is this the box?" Zhu Shi looked at me nervously.
I said firmly, "This is it."
Ma Zao looked dazed, staring blankly at Zhu Shi, and said, "So, Zhu Shi really is Xiao Wan..."
"May I see a photo of Zhu Shi when he was a child?" I asked Mr. Zhu.
Mr. Zhu nodded and was about to turn around to get something when Ma Zao quickly summoned the photo-writing tool. Mr. Zhu then took the photo-writing tool and printed out Zhu Shi's childhood appearance from his memory, while Ma Zao and I also used the photo-writing tool to print out Xiao Wan's appearance.
Just in case, I even asked Mr. Zhu to print out Zhu Jiu's childhood appearance.
Because I had previously suspected that Zhu Jiu might be Xiao Wan, and this possibility has not been completely ruled out even now.
The souls of those suffering from amnesia may have traveled to the apocalyptic era—we currently have no evidence to refute this hypothesis (although there is also no evidence to confirm it). At present, among the Zhu family members suffering from amnesia, only Zhu Jiu is still alive and kicking in front of us.
Admittedly, even if Zhu Jiu really did turn into a young girl in the apocalypse, she shouldn't look exactly like her own daughter when she was little, but that's just a generalization. Parents and children who look exactly alike must exist somewhere in this world. Since we now have the conditions to confirm this, why not do it?
Mr. Zhu handed over a photo of Zhu Jiu when she was a child. Ma Zao and I looked at it at the same time, and even Zhu Shi couldn't help but lean his head over and stand close to Ma Zao.
In the past, Mazao might have shown a slightly disgusted expression and kept her distance, but now she paused slightly and did nothing.
I carefully observed the little girl in the photo.
When placed side-by-side with a photo of Zhu Shi, Zhu Jiu does indeed bear a striking resemblance to her, about 90%. Of course, strictly speaking, it should be said that Zhu Shi is 90% similar to Zhu Jiu. However, anyone with a discerning eye can easily tell that these are two completely different children.
This was the first time Mazao and I had seen Xiao Zhujiu's appearance. Therefore, even if my memories had flowed into Yinyue and Chang'an's dreams last time, it was impossible for me to mistake Xiao Zhushi's appearance for Xiao Zhujiu's. And it was impossible for Mazao to print Xiaowan's appearance as Xiao Zhujiu's in the photo.
Now it seems we can be completely certain.
Mr. Zhu pondered for a moment and said, "If I had to point out something's off... my granddaughter has been a bit slow-witted since she was little, but the photo of this girl named Xiaowan that you printed out looks very smart..."
"Grandpa!" Zhu Shi called out in dissatisfaction.
“Since Xiaowan is very likely the little girl that Zhu Shi turned back to childhood, and has been through so much in the post-apocalyptic era, it’s understandable that she would be smarter than the real Zhu Shi in his childhood,” I said. “However… there are still some other things that don’t add up.”
I recalled Xiaowan's performance in the virtual realm last time, and then said, "Xiaowan told me that she has possessed the power to communicate with all things in nature since she was a child..."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Shi's expression changed slightly, while the old Mr. Zhu nodded and said, "...Then it further proves that the small bowl you mentioned is indeed my granddaughter herself."
"Why is that?" I asked. "Does Zhu Shi also possess the same power?"
That shouldn't be the case. I've fought alongside Zhu Shi more than once before. If Zhu Shi really had such powerful strength, she wouldn't have kept it a secret.
Unless Zhu Shi has already lost that power.
Just then, I remembered what Ying Lingyun... or rather, the freak creator, had said to Zhu Shi when he appeared before us in the past.
"It's truly pathetic. If you had been hailed as a genius in your youth, you would have already earned the recognition to forge the Yama Sword."
Looking back now, this statement is quite problematic. He was hailed as a genius in his youth—does that mean Zhu Shi is no longer a genius now?
Under normal circumstances, I would have asked Zhu Shi about this afterward because I cared about it. However, at that time, because of the shocking twist that "the monster creator who was burned to death by his own hand was actually Zhu Shi's father," I couldn't help but ignore this information.
In most cultures, children are considered more spiritual than adults, able to see supernatural things that adults cannot. Many talented children, on whom their parents place high hopes, gradually become unremarkable adults, just like their parents, as they grow into teenagers and adults.
Perhaps influenced by such views and experiences, some fairy tales and stories from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, occasionally feature the plot that "a child who can use magical powers becomes mediocre after growing up and loses the qualification to wield incredible powers."
The ability to communicate with nature sounds somewhat like a fairy tale. Could it be that it's also a "child's magic" that gets lost as we get older?
Mr. Zhu thought for a moment, then said to Zhu Shi, "Should I explain it, or would it be better if you did?"
Zhu Shi glanced at his mother lying on the bed not far away, then sighed and said, "I'll explain it to you. Although I originally planned to wait until things were settled before saying anything..."
I've heard this claim before.
Zhu Shi lost her "romantic feelings," and the truth behind this matter is somewhat related to Chang'an. Regarding the inside story, she said she wanted to wait until things in Chang'an were settled before revealing it. Also, she asked me to keep this a secret.
"Is it okay to say this here?" I asked tactfully.
"……It doesn't matter."
Zhu Shi took a deep breath and then explained the power he once possessed.
First of all, Zhu Shi did indeed possess the ability to communicate with all things in nature. This ability is not a superpower that can be generated simply by luck, but rather a talent that only appears in the descendants of the Great Impermanence.
The reason why the Great Impermanence is regarded as a deity is because they possess the power to intervene in the operation of the natural system, thus manifesting the laws of heaven and earth. This is also the reason why they are considered to be the source of natural disasters. In other words, "manifesting the laws of heaven and earth" is the manifestation of the Great Impermanence's divinity. This divinity, in a very small probability, sometimes manifests as an innate talent in the descendants of the Great Impermanence.
Of course, unlike the Great Impermanence, the descendants of the Great Impermanence, who are born with divinity, cannot rule over all things from a superior position.
They are simply able to interact with all things in nature. Specifically, they can hear the voices of all things in nature and transmit their own voices to them. If we compare the natural world to society, then the Great Impermanence is a super-powerful figure who can mobilize social resources at will, and the descendants of the Great Impermanence who have awakened divinity are his children, who can get many forces in society to give them face.
In situations that would be difficult for ordinary people, they can get through without any obstacles. In concrete terms, they become incredibly lucky. If you give them a math test with only multiple-choice questions, they can easily score over 90 points just by randomly filling in the blanks.
In Luoshan, this talent is called "the correct alignment of heaven and earth".
(End of this chapter)
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