Chapter 157 Despite repeated attempts to appease her, she still doesn't appreciate the sweetness...
Mainkun started trembling after crawling under the bed, but remembered it after a few seconds.
No, this isn't a bird. It looks like a noble immortal from Liyue, a specialty of Liyue that Zhongli and I mentioned.
Oh my god! I almost bit the fairy's neck just now!
The cat nervously peeked out from under the bed. Mainkun, taking full responsibility for his actions, immediately apologized: "I..."
Are you cold? Hungry? Thirsty? In pain? Tired?
The questions came in rapid succession, and the slender neck of the True Lord Liuyun Jiefeng was slightly raised, his immortal majesty naturally revealed:
"Then hurry up and get up from the ground! Do you need me to help you up?"
"!?"
The imposing gaze terrified the cat, and by the time Mainkun regained consciousness, his body had already obediently returned to the bed.
"???"
[She looks like just a crane... so why do I become as obedient as a kitten being grabbed by the scruff of its neck the moment she glares at me?]
"Um, I..."
Startled and uncertain, Mainkuen sat up in bed again, only to see the fairy bird pull out a large pot from somewhere.
"I wonder if this cooking machine can make fish soup? I'm sick, so I need to eat something easy to digest... No recipe? It can't?"
"Um, I bit your neck, didn't I..."
"Hey, little cat, let me ask you, do you usually like wearing leather jackets? Never mind, I'll sew you one when we get back!"
Mainkuhn: "???...No need, thank you?"
Are these the aloof and dignity-conscious colleagues Zhongli mentioned? Why don't I sense that? Instead, they seem to have a domineering enthusiasm?
"Mr. Xiao En, how are you feeling?"
A familiar figure appeared at the door, and Zhong Li's appearance put Mainkuen at ease.
“Zhong, Zhongli…”
Mainkuhn beckoned to him pleadingly, his vertical pupils glancing toward the crane.
"This feels weird... I'm not used to it..."
"Um."
Zhongli pondered for a while, then suddenly turned around and pretended not to see him, and started talking to the dragon-horned man behind him.
"The weather is really nice today."
"yes."
King Ruoduo echoed the nonsense.
"A season perfect for enjoying the company of grandchildren and the joys of family life."
"Zhong, Zhongli!" Get her away!
Just as Mainkun was at a loss, another little white sprite, wiping its eyes, followed the traveler in. "Waaah... Wow! You're awake, Mainkun, cough! Mr. Mainkun!"
"Hmm..."
Mainkuhn assumed that Zhongli had already introduced him to the others while he was unconscious, so he leaned against the bed and nodded slightly in agreement, then shifted most of his attention to Kong.
[Humans…]
"I'm Paimon, and he's the traveler Kong. Hehe, nice to meet you all! Please take care of me from now on!"
[It's a human... Damn it, I don't know where the mask went...]
[He's just one person, bear with it a little, come on Mainkun, show the aura of a king.]
Mainkuhn slightly lowered his ears, his expression remaining unchanged.
Please take care of me.
Kong looked at his ears and suddenly asked, "Does my presence make you uneasy?"
[?!]
The cat was so startled by the words that his pupils dilated. His feigned composure was completely useless, and he stared at the traveler in astonishment.
"No, why would you think that?"
The stammering explanation was hardly convincing, but the traveler merely blinked, seemingly oblivious.
"No? That's great, but it's okay to feel uneasy."
The clear, youthful voice seemed to contain a gentle smile.
"When a stranger of the same kind enters one's surroundings, wariness is a biological instinct. No one should feel ashamed of their unease, because it is a sign of alertness."
“You, you’re making people sound like animals, sir.”
"Humans have one unparalleled advantage over animals. Do you know why?"
“…I don’t care.” Mainkun said this, but the tips of his ears unconsciously turned towards the empty space.
“That’s language, Mr. En. When animals accidentally trespass into someone else’s territory or feel threatened, they cannot express their harmlessness and goodwill in a clear language. They often have to rely on more primitive methods, such as fear, aggression, or escape. But we are different.”
"Mr. En, please listen carefully to my voice."
Kong suddenly nodded slightly and spoke earnestly into Maine's eyes, which were filled with undisguised worry.
"I am Sora, a traveler passing through this place. I am basically harmless and have no intention of harming anyone. It's nice to meet you... Would this ease your unease?"
"..."
[cannot! ]
Mainkuen pursed his lips, staring intently at the traveler's radiant blond hair.
[This arrogant young man seems to underestimate the suffering in this world.]
[If words truly have omnipotence, why must Nata's mediators possess exceptional physical strength?]
Even in my speechless youth, I never lost the help of others.
[Therefore, what can soften all things is clearly a heart that understands one another and genuine affection.]
Mainkuhn turned his head away, avoiding the traveler's face, which made his speech flow more smoothly.
“I am En, this name is not my real name, but it is more important than my real name.”
This is the response to the empty self-introduction.
"The Traveler is amazing!" Paimon clapped his hands and floated up. "He even managed to handle such a difficult person!"
Before she could be happy for long, she saw Mainkuhn start talking to the corner of the wall with a string of words.
"Keep a distance of more than three meters from me, don't look me directly in the eye, and don't yell or shout..."
"Uh, these are the precautions? There are so many..." Paimon scratched his head, "Does this mean we've got it?"
[No, this is my last line of defense for human safety.]
Mainkuhn stood with his shoulders slumped and his back to them.
[If you make an exception, I will be very uneasy.]
"OK."
The traveler took a step back, maintaining a distance of three meters, and raised his hand to the young man who was visibly relieved.
"But if you and I maintain a distance of three meters, how am I supposed to place this crown on your head?"
[!? Oh, it was with you!]
"Zhong... Zhongli?"
He hoped that Zhongli would take the crown and place it on his head, but he saw that Zhongli and Ruoduo were staring intently at the sky outside the window, paying no attention to anything else.
Well……
"Looking at me won't help!" Little Paimon waved his hands repeatedly, his eyes darting around. "I'm so small, I can't lift me!"
The fairy bird had no hands, and Mainkun looked at his only remaining left hand, unsure if he could securely hold the crown in place.
"..."
Looking up, the traveler held up the crown and smiled kindly.
He said nothing, yet it was as if he had said everything.
[This guy is really pushing his luck!]
The beautiful young man pressed down his downy ears, revealing an expression that was somewhat vulnerable, somewhat helpless, yet also expectant.
"Just this once..."
"Don't worry, the traveler will be fast and light!"
After only a brief encounter with the Traveler and Liu Yun, Mainkun showed obvious signs of fatigue. Wearing his crown, he remained silent no matter how much the Traveler tried to amuse him.
"Cat-eared boy".
Liu Yun flapped his wings at him, trying to get him to get up and eat something, but to no avail. "Aren't you hungry at all?"
The cat didn't eat the porridge she offered, but instead squinted its eyes and subtly rubbed its soft interior against her head as its wing brushed against it.
[Such a gentle...touch.]
[Strange, it's just an ordinary feather, so why does it make me want to cry?]
Mother……
Mainkun slept peacefully for a while longer, and when he woke up, all that was left in front of him was the monarch of the Rock Kingdom.
"Zhongli...why were you just staring...?"
Mainkuen sat up unsteadily from the bed, rubbed his head against the god's waist, and mumbled a complaint.
"How mean of you! You know perfectly well I hate humans... yet you still let that traveler bully me..."
Zhongli lowered his eyes, watching the fluffy silver-gray head rubbing against his waist dependently, like a young animal whimpering softly and aggrievedly. The colorful crown, forged from the hearts of all people, was slightly tilted, adding to its pitiful childishness.
Perhaps at this point, there should be some preaching about "forgetting the past and striving forward"? Or some factual explanation that "associating with travelers is good for you"? But Zhongli chose neither.
"Mr. En, you are truly a very strong life."
"Praise me, then change the subject?"
"No, a rock cannot produce false praise."
He calmly lowered his palm, transferring the enduring and steady temperature of the rock through his glove.
The warmth swept across his neck, where the scars had faded, over his back, where the whip marks had disappeared, and brushed against the frozen, rocky cut on his forearm, but didn't touch the short tail hidden behind his waist.
“Look, after experiencing a thousand kinds of suffering from others, you still have the courage to face kindness.”
"This is truly amazing."
Such courage and determination, such courage and determination, yet it could not be achieved on fertile black soil, but rather on cracked, barren land.
"Hahaha... Is that what you think?"
The cat pressed its forehead deeper into Zhongli's waist, burrowing, twisting, and wrestling, as if venting its frustration or playing.
"But that's not the case... You're wrong, no, you've got it backwards."
"If I had never experienced the kindness of others, how could I have had the courage to face pain?"
"Um?"
Zhongli was puzzled, but Mainkuen's thoughts had already drifted across the sea.
He thought of the blue-eyed child, the love that continued to grow, his sisters with their different personalities, the comfort he received in his pain, the hand that the Grand Judge reached out to him, his longing for happiness, and his tearful farewell to the false god.
Mainkuhn.
Before we say goodbye, can I see your face?
She did not get what she wanted.
Unfortunately, Mainkuhn never turned into a cat again.
...
"Zhongli! Zhongli! Zhongli!"
He suddenly burst into tears, as if he could no longer bear it, and used his severed arm and broken arm to strangle Zhongli's waist, pressing his tears into the god's abdomen.
"I miss my brother so much! I want to go home!"
The collapse came unexpectedly, but Zhongli felt it was only natural.
Without pushing away the tight embrace or immediately offering words of comfort to the anxious traveler, Zhongli simply let Mainkuhn vent his emotions, gently stroking the young man's trembling back with both hands, one stroke at a time, as he cried violently.
Cry, cry, the rocks can hold all the tears of the world.
Because before the laughter of the future, there are always tears as a prelude.
"Zhongli, Zhongli..."
Crying with complete concentration is an exhausting and tiring task, and Mainkuhn quickly lost his strength and obediently quieted down.
I'm hungry...
Rubbing, biting, and repeatedly pressing the blanket lightly with the left hand are instinctive actions born from begging and venting.
Zhongli sometimes had the illusion that she was raising a child, or perhaps a kitten; she couldn't tell the difference, and she shook her head with a sigh.
"The porridge made by True Lord Liuyun Borrowing Wind was not wasted."
The fish porridge was bright white, with very little rice added, and the temperature was just right. Although Mainkun didn't particularly like human food, he didn't care about that at the moment and took a big gulp as soon as it was served.
Gurgle.
Pause.
"What's wrong?" Zhongli noticed his strange expression. "Doesn't it taste good?"
"It's not that, it's just that something about this porridge feels off, something's not right." Mainkuen took another swig from the bowl, struggling to compare it with his distant memories. "It seems to have a flavor, but it also seems to have no flavor... I can't taste it, I just feel that something's not right."
"Let me see."
Zhong Li ladled out a bowl, took a spoonful, and immediately covered his mouth in realization.
"Uh... they mistakenly put in powdered sugar instead of salt crystals, and the amount was quite generous."
How many years has it been since Mount Ozo was last attacked?!
The Rock King Emperor's noble tongue could not tolerate such inferior food. After swallowing a mouthful, he refused to taste it again. Turning his head, he was astonished to see Mainkuen biting a spoon and smiling at him with unusual joy.
"Judging from the crane's confident demeanor, it turns out it's not good at cooking at all? This skill... was it cooked especially for me?"
He finished laughing with a slightly hoarse voice from crying, and then awkwardly scooped up a spoonful and swallowed it.
"Look, Zhongli, yet another precious act of kindness!"
Zhongli couldn't laugh at all.
"What are you doing...?"
He rarely held his forehead, a sense of helplessness welling up in his heart.
"Can't you taste the sweetness?"
"Huh? Yes, what's wrong? Cats are all like that."
Mainkuhn wasn't surprised; he was born that way and didn't think sweetness was anything special.
"Sigh, never mind, Xiao."
Zhongli opened the Void Terminal and started a private chat.
"Could you bring me some porridge? ... It really is me, not a scammer, not an imposter, it's really me."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
