Chapter 14 A Strange Dream.
Miaolian sat cross-legged, tilting her head back, squinting as the sunlight stung her eyes.
“After my mother died, my father also fell ill, living in constant fear and suspecting that I was trying to harm him. That period was truly... chaotic and unbearable. Later, he passed away, leaving me with a huge mess.”
Jiang Huaisu asked cautiously, "And why is your father...?"
“He died from eating mushrooms,” Miaolian squeezed out through gritted teeth. “He always thought I would poison his food, so he refused to eat at the same table with me and insisted on picking mushrooms and grilling them himself. He ate them before they were cooked, serves him right.”
Perhaps because she hadn't had anyone to talk to for a long time, once Miaolian started talking, she went on and on, seemingly very dissatisfied with her father's death, coldly saying:
"If I had known he would poison me, I would have really put arsenic in my food."
"..." Jiang Huaisu wanted to comfort him, but saying polite words at this time might have the opposite effect. She was not sure what Miaolian's attitude was towards her father's death. It seemed that she was mainly resentful and a little sad.
In the end, she chose to let her actions speak for themselves, steadily escorting Miaolian to his doorstep and even extending a wing to help him land, showing her utmost care.
"Thank you." He reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to pat her bird's head, but then withdrew it halfway.
They are not as close as they were when they were children, so it's not appropriate to do this.
Moreover, a bird of this size pecking at a person must hurt a lot.
After a few seconds of random thoughts, he finally resisted the urge to touch the feathers. They would certainly feel wonderful, but now was not the time to pet a bird.
He waved his hand and said nonchalantly:
"I'll take good care of myself this time. You have your own things to do too... Goodbye."
Having poured out all his grievances on the way, he seemed to have nothing more to say. After bidding farewell to Jiang Huaisu, he turned and walked inside.
Jiang Huaisu stared at his back, wondering if it was because of preconceived notions, but she felt that he walked too slowly, perhaps due to his old injury.
Just as I was lost in thought, I saw that figure stop.
Miaolian turned her head and said to her, "If you haven't eaten yet, you can eat with me..."
Before Jiang Huaisu could answer, he added, "Never mind."
This posture made it seem as if he had anticipated her refusal.
"No, I haven't eaten." She took the lead almost unconsciously, "Is your chef still the same one?"
No, it's not.
How should she respond? She originally wanted to say, "I miss the chef's cooking," and then smoothly ask to have lunch with Miaolian.
"You can come and try the new chef's cooking; it's no worse than the old one."
"Oh..." she quickly replied, "Then, would you mind having him prepare enough for one more person?"
In the end, they achieved their goal and got a free meal at Zhen's residence.
The atmosphere was so unsettling. Logically, they should have been catching up at the dinner table, but she was in a bad mood and her transformation wasn't going well. She sat at the table with a bird's head on her head, exchanging silent glances with Miaolian.
Miao Lian had dealt with demons before, so she didn't find anything strange about her appearance, but the servant who brought in the dishes was startled.
Jiang Huaisu was very free to transform into any form during the years she spent in the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave. Whether she was in human or bird form, her fellow disciples accepted it well, which is why she developed the habit of not avoiding people.
Later, he was expelled by the patriarch and returned to the crowd. He often covered his face with a veil, but he would still occasionally be careless.
For example, right now.
Realizing that her appearance was inconvenient to show to others, she quickly put the veil back on. "Don't be afraid, this bird head of mine, uh, is just a decoration that I put on my head."
Miaolian chuckled softly beside her.
However, seeing that Jiang Huaisu was indeed a little flustered, he still chivalrously came to her rescue:
"My friend has some strange quirks. Okay, Xiaozhu, you can go now, there's nothing for you here. Oh, remember to close the door behind you when you leave, so no one can come in and disturb our reunion."
Jiang Huaisu breathed a small sigh of relief. Seeing that the door to the room was closed, she turned to Miaolian and said, "Do I look really scary?"
She suspected that she had been a demon for too long, and her aesthetic sense had become completely different from that of ordinary people.
"It's not scary at all, it's quite good." Miaolian commented seriously, "Retaining only the bird's head is very ingenious."
He wasn't saying this out of consideration for Jiang Huaisu; he genuinely thought the bird's head was quite handsome, and the longer he looked at it, the more pleasing it became.
"But I thought you would become a beautiful woman when you take human form. You know, there are very few ugly demons in storybooks." Even the King of Hearts knows to create a beautiful shell for himself, which shows that all demons have a love for beauty.
"I can change my face, but it's not consistent."
Wearing the bird's head would be more comfortable, since her cultivation level was still very shallow at this stage, and she had used up a lot of energy in the fight just now. It would be quite tiring to maintain her human form.
Miaolian asked expectantly, "Can I see it? You don't need to maintain it, just conjure it up for me to see."
The request wasn't difficult, and Jiang Huaisu readily agreed, "Sure."
A menacing white mist rose around her, and when it dissipated, she had transformed into a standard human girl.
The problem is that it's a bit too "standard." The nose, eyebrows, and eyes are so stiff, they look like they were carved from wood.
There's no way around it; of all her body parts, her head is the hardest to change. Every time she transforms into this, she has to readjust for a while.
Having been a bird for so long, she'd almost forgotten how to use her facial muscles in a human form. Her solution was to avoid making any expressions, which only made her already expressionless face even more wooden.
This is not her original appearance. Her features after transformation need to be carefully crafted. She is just following her own heart and referring to the mannequin in her memory to create a human face that will not go wrong.
Miaolian stared intently for half a minute before finally concluding, "The bird's head is still prettier."
It seems that this person's aesthetic sense has become quite out of touch with reality.
However, this interruption eased the previously awkward atmosphere. Jiang Huaisu transformed back into her bird head and rolled her eyes, seemingly unconcerned about Miaolian's comments.
The meal went fairly well, and considering that it was inconvenient for Jiang Huaisu to drink soup, Miaolian even brought her a special small teapot with a narrow spout.
The initial parting was chaotic, but the reunion was peaceful, allowing us to sit together for a meal and tea. Isn't that a kind of growth?
Unfortunately, although the food tasted good, Jiang Huaisu wasn't in the mood to appreciate its flavors.
Regardless, Nezha was one of her childhood idols. Although her illusions about him shattered at times, she still felt a little sorry to see him all alone now.
After finishing her meal, she sat at the table, glancing at him again and again.
"What are you looking at? Is there food on my face?"
"......without."
According to the information previously provided by the King of Understanding, Nezha spent his entire life as a human being to temper his resentment and ease the tension between father and son. Now it seems the relationship hasn't improved; in fact, it's gotten worse.
When his mother's death was mentioned, Miaolian's eyes would unconsciously reveal sadness, but there was no resentment in them. However, when his father's death was mentioned, the sarcasm in his words was impossible to hide.
They started their family life from scratch, abandoning the past, and even had warm and harmonious times, but in the end, they all ended up like this, with their father-son relationship deteriorating. This time, even Taibai Jinxing (Venus) probably can't do anything about it when they return to Heaven; they'll just have to make do.
Jiang Huaisu had a premonition that after returning to his original position, he would definitely seize on the matter of "Li Jing poisoning himself" and make a big fuss about it, mocking his father mercilessly.
However, she doesn't really know what kind of personality Nezha is in his original form; perhaps the original Nezha would be a little more lenient and forgiving. After all, Miaolian isn't the complete Nezha; she only inherited the most extreme part of the original's personality.
"As payment for this meal," she said, taking out a sachet and placing it on the table. "Here, take this. It can repel mosquitoes and help you sleep."
She had bought the sachet from a merchant from the Western Regions, after much haggling. Giving it away now felt a bit painful, but she didn't have any other decent gifts on her at the moment.
"Then I'll take it. I haven't been sleeping well lately and need some external help." Miaolian unceremoniously stuffed the sachet into her bosom.
"Do you have insomnia?" That was a very timely message.
"No, it's not insomnia, it's nightmares." He slumped onto the table, looking listless. "To be honest, I suspect the old man is performing some kind of ritual on me, otherwise why do I keep dreaming about him lately?"
"Old man..." Jiang Huaisu was taken aback, "You mean your father?"
"Hmm." Seemingly afraid that Jiang Huaisu would misunderstand, he added, "It's not that I'm thinking about it all the time. This dream is really strange. I dream about the same thing almost every night. It's so annoying."
This situation does sound rather strange. Considering that his father is no ordinary person, it's quite possible that his father could influence his dreams.
Jiang Huaisu couldn't offer any practical advice for the time being, and she figured that if it really was Li Tianwang entering her dream, even the most sleep-aiding sachet probably wouldn't be effective.
"What kind of nightmare is it..." she asked curiously. "It's not like your dad is chasing you with a knife in your dream, is it?"
"On the contrary."
"ah?"
"I chased after him with a knife and slashed at him."
Jiang Huaisu was stunned. What kind of nightmare was this? From the description, it seemed that his father was the one being persecuted, and he, as the one who was killing people, should feel relieved.
“The process of chasing him was anything but comfortable.” Miaolian saw right through her thoughts and added, “In the dream, it was more like a third-person perspective. I knew it was me, but I couldn’t control my actions.”
Jiang Huaisu blurted out: "Like watching a movie?"
What is a movie?
"It's like... a high-level shadow puppet show, which can make the story seem so real. As viewers, we can't change the course of events."
"More or less," he said dejectedly. "It's like watching someone else's memory. But there's a difference. I can feel all the emotions and pain of the 'me' in the dream."
What a wonderful 4D immersive viewing experience!
"Pain?" Jiang Huaisu grasped the key word, "Why does it hurt when someone is chopped?"
Could it be that the knife was too heavy, causing numbness in the hand when wielding the weapon?
"Who knows?" Miaolian shifted her shoulders uncomfortably, stretching her joints. Recalling that terrible dream, the phantom pain seemed to still linger.
"That pain...it felt like my whole body was being torn apart and reassembled. For some reason, I was furious in my dream, ignoring my physical pain, only wanting to kill Li..."
As soon as he finished speaking, his mind went blank for a moment. Li? Li what?
Jiang Huaisu's heart trembled slightly. When she heard the word "Li," she almost thought that Miaolian was about to reveal her immortal father's name.
This was clearly not the product of nonsense, but rather something he had genuinely remembered.
As for the "pain like the body being torn apart and reassembled" that Miao Lian mentioned, there are clues to follow. It is well known that Nezha did indeed reassemble his body; after dying once, he was no longer in his original physical form.
"Anyway, that's it." Miaolian assumed it was a slip of the tongue and changed the subject, saying, "Actually, I also dreamed about my mother. I won't go into the details, but it wasn't a good dream."
He still remembered the woman's sad, pained eyes in his dream. More than the physical pain, this was what he didn't want to recall.
Facing that gaze, he felt as if he were in an endless rainy day, feeling depressed and uncomfortable.
The salty smell of tears and the metallic stench of blood mingled together. The woman held his mangled body, helpless, as if she couldn't piece together a pile of broken building blocks.
Jiang Huaisu nodded understandingly and did not ask any further questions.
Anyway, she already understood the general situation. This was something she couldn't control; according to the timeline, Nezha's suicide was a thing of the past. The problem was that he had no memory now, which was why he was troubled by his past.
From Miaolian's perspective, the content of his dream made him feel confused and distressed.
What's going on? Did the immortals who descended to earth and were reincarnated skip the underworld procedures and bypass the Meng Po soup? Come to think of it, it seems that Master Zhen and Madam Qiao were also troubled by memories of their past lives, which indirectly affected their mental state.
The quality of reincarnations these days is so poor. How can they possibly die a natural death? People need to be happy to live a long life. Jiang Huaisu secretly complained about the inaction of the relevant authorities and cast a pitying glance at Miaolian.
Miaolian met her gaze and suddenly asked, "Are you leaving?"
"Hmm... I'll sit for a while before I leave."
Although her original intention was to leave after finishing her meal, she felt embarrassed to just pack up and leave after discussing such a heavy topic.
Miao Lian appeared perfectly fine on the surface, but she might just be putting on a brave face. Her "you can go, I'm fine" attitude stirred a rare feeling of pity in Jiang Huaisu.
"Where are you going after you leave here?"
"Huaguo Mountain isn't too far from here." Jiang Huaisu scratched his head. "If there's a chance in the future, we might be able to meet again."
Miaolian gave a somewhat indifferent "hmm".
The atmosphere became awkward again, and Jiang Huaisu chose to ease the tension by drinking tea. She wondered what kind of tea Zhenjia used; it smelled quite fragrant, and she didn't feel any bitterness in her mouth even after drinking it for a while.
She sat there for almost an hour, calculating that it was time to leave; the food on the table was practically cold, and it was time to end the meal. Staying a little longer than expected was no big deal.
Now she and Miaolian have reconciled, and all the misunderstandings from before have been cleared up. This meal was well worth it. After all, Miaolian's previous incarnation was a powerful deity with a strong background, so maintaining a friendly relationship is never a bad thing.
She used to dislike Miaolian for many things, but now, looking back, those things didn't seem like such a big deal. People always grow up, and the Miaolian of today is much more mature and knows how to conduct herself appropriately.
“Then I will…” Jiang Huaisu stood up, and had just begun to say goodbye when she suddenly felt dizzy. She reached out and supported herself on the edge of the table to keep from falling.
But her consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred, and her vision was dimming. She knew this was a sign that she was about to fall into a coma.
Finally unable to resist the strange drowsiness, she fell backward and into a soft, cold embrace.
"So tired?" Miaolian seemed unaware of the unusual situation. She put her arm around her shoulder, thought for a moment, and said, "Then I'll take you to your room to rest for a while... Hmm, it's time to take a nap."
Carrying Jiang Huaisu out the door, he glanced at Xiaozhu waiting outside and said, "You can have someone go in and tidy up now."
"Alright, young master. Hey? What's up with this young lady...?"
"It's alright, she's asleep." Miaolian took a couple of steps, then remembered something and turned back to remind her, "Oh, and throw away the rest of the tea and tea leaves. Don't drink any of it."
The dosage of medicine is enough to knock out a demon; an ordinary person would definitely be in trouble if they drank it.
Xiao Zhu was a little confused, but still obediently agreed: "Yes, young master."
A note from the author:
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