Chapter 225 The Vanishing Snow Season
Considering the fact that the souls of those suffering from amnesia are all dead, I may have gained some understanding of the uniqueness of Ma Zao.
If, from a mystical perspective, "being in a state of mental illness" can be equated with "death," then in Raoshan's view, Asahi's current state might be the same as "a person who has died and been resurrected."
Luo Shan is unlikely to know about Ma Zao's jinxed constitution at the moment, nor should he know that Ma Zao's soul comes from the apocalypse. In the eyes of the Great Impermanence, Ma Zao's greatest uniqueness might lie in this. As for why "a person who has been resurrected" is important, and why the Great Impermanence behind the Divine Gun intends to kill Ma Zao, that is another question altogether.
Regardless of whether my current thinking is correct, the most important thing now is whether or not to accept Fazheng's invitation.
First, while the possibility that Fa Zheng harbored ill will towards Ma Zao cannot be ruled out, he is probably not the mastermind behind the Divine Sniper. This conclusion is drawn from the clue of Lu Youxun.
Even if Lu Youxun abandoned his dreams, he still possessed his own integrity. Unlike other demon hunters who were likely coerced by terror, he obeyed the mastermind's orders based on his own will and decided not to reveal any information related to the mastermind. The only person who could make him do this is the Great Impermanence, who stands up for the supernatural.
However, the fact that we need some time to be safe is undeniable. At least until Ma Zao pinpoints the true identity of the hostile Great Impermanence, we can't afford to remain constantly vulnerable to detection. But if we accept Fa Zheng's invitation and go to his base, we should be temporarily safe from detection. We can switch from a "enemy in the dark, us in the light" situation to a "enemy in the dark, us in the dark" situation, and hopefully, we can switch back to "enemy in the light, us in the dark" soon. This is an ideal situation.
More importantly, during this safe period, I can also accelerate the pace of unleashing my power. Since the raid on the Great Impermanence is inevitable anyway, it would be best to launch the raid in the most perfect and peak condition.
Admittedly, Fazheng could be an enemy, but I still believe the risk is worth taking—and this isn't just because I enjoy taking risks.
The situation Asaho and I are currently in is already incredibly risky; it wouldn't be surprising if we were attacked by some unpredictable force at any moment. Add to that Asaho's jinxed nature, and it will undoubtedly exacerbate the situation from the shadows, making our predicament only worse. Any option that carries even the slightest possibility of improvement, no matter how great the risk, is worth trying.
On the other hand, I am also extremely interested in Fazheng, this great fickle man—in the Silver Moon's "illusion," because "I" caused great casualties among innocent people, I was judged as a "fallen demon hunter." It was this Fazheng who made this judgment and decided to issue a warrant for my arrest and extermination.
And now, he actually thinks highly of me and extends an olive branch—it's truly an unexpected twist of fate. There's a sense of "yesterday's enemy becoming today's friend" in this. I don't want to get involved in the potential conflicts between these unpredictable people, but I really can't resist this "dramatic development."
With that in mind, I first discussed it with Ma Zao, and after getting her consent, I replied to Mr. Zhu that I agreed.
“Then I will relay your words to Fazheng verbatim later.” Old Master Zhu nodded. “Regarding the matter of Chang’an, we will continue to advance the task of searching for the whereabouts of his soul.”
Please.
Before entering the virtual realm, I am temporarily powerless to handle this matter and can only leave it to Elder Zhu.
"There's no need for any requests or favors; he's a member of the Zhu family. I should apologize for the trouble my grandson has caused you."
Mr. Zhu first bowed his head to me, and then explained the area where the base we were going to was located, the general situation there, and the specific arrangements for subsequent contact.
After saying that, he turned and left the room to continue with the things he was doing.
Zhu Shi stayed behind, and before ending the call, she subtly reminded me of the potential harm to the public if I continued to lurk in the city. Of course, I didn't object. The reason my relationship with Zhu Shi became irreconcilable in Silver Moon's "illusion" was because I always insisted on going my own way in this regard.
Lately, I seem to keep thinking about Silvermoon's "illusion." Perhaps the impact of those real and fake experiences on my heart is more intense than I thought.
"By the way, the weather has gotten colder lately, remember to buy Ma Zao a few more autumn and winter clothes." Zhu Shi reminded her one last time, "Although you are not afraid of the cold, it looks really strange to walk outside in summer clothes in this season."
"I understand. But... it's getting colder?" I didn't feel that way.
“Maybe the temperature hasn’t started to drop over there yet, but it’s already getting cooler here in Xianshui City.” Zhu Shi seemed a little puzzled. “...It’s a bit strange, the temperature in Xianshui City has been rather abnormal in recent years, it shouldn’t be getting cooler so quickly this year...maybe we’ll finally see snowfall this year.”
After she said that, I also started to miss snowfall.
In my memory, every winter when I was a child, Xianshui City would be covered with thick layers of snow and ice. I know this might be unfair to the sanitation workers who worked so hard shoveling snow, but I loved playing in the snow as a child. But then—I think it started sometime during middle school—Xianshui City suddenly stopped snowing. I wonder if it's due to global warming; even the winters have become less cold.
As soon as I left, there were signs that it might snow in Saltwater City, which gave me a sense of astonishment, like when I had just graduated from school and the school suddenly decided to completely renovate the campus.
I grumbled a couple of times to Zhu Shi, and she smiled and said, "The province where the base you're going to is located, I remember, is a northern province with a very cold winter. It's only colder there now than in Xianshui City, and there's only more snow in winter. Since you like snow so much, it shouldn't disappoint you."
The call ended shortly afterward. I pulled my attention away from Xianshui City, which was thousands of miles away, and went to check out of the hotel. Then, following Zhu Shi's advice, I took Ma Zao to buy some autumn and winter clothes.
Earlier, Ma had been trying to get to the bottom of my true feelings for her, but after I made that almost confessional "hint," she acted as if nothing had happened. I didn't know how to continue the conversation, and she tacitly avoided bringing it up again.
However, it wasn't entirely untrue that nothing had actually happened. Her attitude had become somewhat awkward, and she would glance at me every now and then. But when I looked back, she would quickly look away. To be honest, although I had indeed said in my heart that deceiving an innocent girl's feelings was a shameful act, seeing Asa's current reaction only fueled a wicked desire to relentlessly pursue her.
While I was itching to do something, I also felt uneasy.
Did I do something irreversible? Although I rarely read romance stories, I've seen similar plots in other stories. Two people of the opposite sex who were getting along well suddenly find themselves unable to remain friends because one of them confesses their feelings.
As early as the first few days after we met, Ma had mentioned to me that she initially suspected I might be a pervert who was attracted to her body, but she was relieved after finding out that wasn't the case. This shows that although she doesn't usually see herself as "a woman who might be looked at that way by men," she at least knows that there are people in the world who like girls her age.
Now that things have come to this point, I have to bravely admit it to myself. Although I really don't want to admit it, the fact that I have sexual feelings for Asahaha means that I may indeed have a perverted side.
Based on this, I still want to say a few more words. Perhaps if others heard these words, they might think I'm making excuses, but I'm serious. It's true that Asa is still young in both appearance and body; but walking on a dangerous road with such a beautiful girl, eating and living together, even sharing a bed, entrusting each other with our backs, as a man, I really find it hard to imagine myself remaining unmoved even under such circumstances.
I might be a pervert for being attracted to Asahina, but if I were truly able to remain unmoved by her, then in another sense, it would be hard to say that I'm normal.
Now, back to the original topic. Even if I realize I have a twisted side, I will accept myself as I am without hesitation. But how will Asahi view me? Once she realizes what kind of person I am, will she feel contempt and disgust towards me?
Now she occasionally glances at me furtively, then subtly avoids my gaze, which could be interpreted as shyness or something else entirely. Perhaps she'll soon suggest sleeping in separate beds, or even ask me to keep my distance. Right now, she's just figuring out how to bring it up tactfully.
After buying the clothes, Ma Zao and I left the clothing store. The atmosphere was still a bit awkward, and we didn't know what to say. We had only exchanged a few words while buying the clothes, and I couldn't discern her true emotions from her tone. Now, rather than worrying about whether we would ever encounter the winter snow and ice, we probably needed to find a way to break the ice between us first.
Let's try to find a topic first. It's best to talk about something serious, so we can naturally talk more about it. Maybe the atmosphere will soften as we chat... After racking my brains, I brought up a topic with Ma Zao.
"How is your soul recovering now?" I asked.
(End of this chapter)
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