Chapter 104 Paper Town Guanyu Never Grows Up
The group headed to Changle Mountain again. The last time Chang Xile climbed Changle Mountain without external help (including but not limited to Wessel's help, or his soul leaving his body), was when he and Yang Guisi and Anping got separated halfway up the mountain.
As a college student with a fragile constitution, Chang Xile felt that climbing a mountain at four in the morning was too much.
Tang You remained calm as she looked at Yang Guisi, Yang Junyi, and the lion cat, all of whom remained calm. Then, she looked at Chang Xile, who looked pale, panting, and even had her smartwatch emitting a heartbeat warning. Her eyebrows twitched as she asked, "Are you really my niece? Were you switched?"
Chang Xile looked at Tang You with grief and anger, and asked her, "You are the fake aunt, right? I have always been this weak since I was a child!"
Tang You recalled for a moment, then felt relieved: "That's right."
Chang Xile became even more sad and angry - although he said he had won, for some reason he felt like he had lost.
But this would slow their progress up the mountain. Tang You glanced at Chang Xile, or rather, the cat at her feet, and said, "It's not like she doesn't recognize you. Stop pretending. She's almost dying."
When Chang Xile blinked, Anping had already turned back into the handsome white-haired young man. He stood beside Chang Xile and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey! Anping, what's wrong with you?" Chang Xile panicked as soon as she saw him. She reached out her hands to cover Anping's face and said in a low voice, "Change back quickly!"
Anping smiled at her, took her hand, slowly put it down, and asked softly, "Can I take you directly up the mountain? We don't have to climb the mountain road."
Chang Xile looked at Tang You with some worry.
The person on the other side didn't understand what she was doing and said in confusion: "I have practiced for so many years. If I can't even recognize a nine-life cat, then all my practice must have been wasted."
Chang Xile thought it made sense, but her worries remained, and she stammered, "Then... if you saw a monster like that, wouldn't you destroy it for the sake of justice?"
Tang You sneered, "Acting for Heaven's sake? What kind of justice are you doing? I think Heaven's sake has been unhappy for a long time."
As soon as he finished speaking, several deep purple lightning bolts shot out from the dense dark clouds in the sky, making a rumbling sound. Chang Xile shuddered with fear, thinking that to be able to hear such a conversation, this wall-like ear must be too sensitive.
Tang You, however, didn't take it seriously: "Don't you check the weather forecast before going out? It's going to rain. Let's meet at the finish line. Do you know where it is?"
She said the last words to Anping. After Anping nodded, Tang You disappeared into the woods with Yang Guisi and Yang Junyi.
"What about me? Can't you take me with you?" Chang Xile was shocked again. She shouted to the front, "I will definitely complain to your sister when I go back!"
Anping couldn't help but chuckle. Chang Xile asked him angrily, "What are you laughing at? Which side are you on?"
"Of course it's on your side." An Ping suppressed the curve of his lips, but a smile still escaped from his eyes. He held Chang Xile's shoulders with both hands, asked her to face east, and said, "Aunt went in that direction."
Chang Xile was filled with anger, but couldn't find any other way to blame her. She could only mutter, "That's my aunt, how can you call her aunt..."
Anping didn't argue with her, but just asked, "Let me take you. I can walk very fast."
Chang Xile's first reaction was worry: "Do you have enough magical power? How is your body recovering now?"
"It's more than enough to take you up the mountain." Anping didn't try to be too aggressive this time. He had maintained his original form for a long time the last time he transformed, and his magic power had been greatly replenished.
Chang Xile's second concern was: "If you walk too fast, will I get carsick?"
The last time, Weissel took him twice, we didn't even climb a mountain, we just crossed a river, and Chang Xile felt dizzy and retched continuously.
Anping didn't know what Chang Xile had been through. He tilted his head and said, "Probably not."
He put his arm around Chang Xile's shoulders and whispered, "Close your eyes."
Chang Xile closed her eyes obediently. In the next ten seconds, she seemed to feel the sound of wind whistling past her ears, and occasionally a few birds chirping, but soon these sounds became very distant, and in the end, only the steady breathing of the person next to her was left.
About half a minute later, Anping released his grip on Chang Xile's shoulders and told her, "You can open your eyes now."
Chang Xile then slowly opened his eyes, and what came into view was no longer the forest that blocked out the sun. Instead, they seemed to have reached the top of Changle Mountain, on a grassy slope.
The heavy clouds had been blown away by the wind, revealing a full moon. The moonlight shone on them, allowing them to see each other clearly.
Chang Xile was a little surprised: "How did you do it? I didn't feel dizzy at all."
Anping raised his hand and demonstrated it to her. A faint light appeared on Chang Xile's heart. He explained, "Heart Protection Mantra."
Chang Xile nodded with emotion. It turned out that her own kitten was the most caring one.
Then she remembered to look around: "Auntie, where are they?"
Anping sat on the grass by himself. He looked at the moonlight and suddenly had a bad idea. He turned around and pulled Chang Xile's wrist.
Chang Xile looked down at him, and the next second she felt her feet slip and she was about to fall on the lawn.
Damn! She closed her eyes, expecting a hard fall on her buttocks, but the pain she imagined didn't come. Instead, she felt as if she was caught by a soft cloud, and finally sat down steadily on the thick grass.
She opened her eyes carefully and met Anping's bright eyes.
Chang Xile punched him in anger. Anping smiled so hard that his teeth were visible, tugged at her sleeve, and said, "They're all still on the way."
The moonlight fell on his white hair like a layer of gauze, as if a layer of frost had suddenly formed on his hair, shining like stars scattered on the earth.
Chang Xile was a little distracted for a moment, then she secretly blamed herself for her bad habit of being seduced by beauty. She suppressed a smile and asked, "Well, what next?"
Anping pursed his lips, reached out to pick off the grass leaves stuck in her hair, smiled brightly, and said, "So, let's go bask in the moonlight?"
Why!
Chang Xile sighed deeply in his heart.
It is human nature for a ruler to become a tyrant when faced with beauty. Moreover, most people do not have the conditions to become a tyrant.
She couldn't help laughing and said, "Okay then."
It was as if she had returned to her childhood, she was curled up at her desk, reading intermittently, while the unfriendly little white cat lay on the windowsill, basking in the sun. The person and the cat did not interfere with each other, yet they kept each other company.
They sat like this for a while, their heads leaning against each other, before they heard clapping from behind them: "Get up."
Chang Xile turned around and saw Anping had already stood up, extending his arm to her. She held onto his arm and stood up, brushing off the grass debris stuck to her body. She said proudly, "We both won!"
Tang You was almost used to Chang Xile's cocky demeanor, and instead glanced meaningfully at An Ping beside him. Even now, he was still laughing at Chang Xile's antics.
Just like just now, Chang Xile was concentrating on appreciating the moon, but Anping was staring at Chang Xile.
Tang You thought about it, and without saying anything, she just said, "Come with me."
Yang Junyi happily walked with little skipping steps, saying as he walked, "Let's go play with Brother Shunian~"
Chang Xile's thoughts wandered. She couldn't help but think that although Yang Junyi looked very young and her mind was stuck in the year of her death, she was actually the same age as Chang Xile and Yang Guisi. In this case, calling Shunian "brother" seemed like a strange bug.
Chang Xile turned around, somewhat curious about the details of Yang Guisi and Yang Junyi's relationship over the years. However, she noticed that Yang Guisi's expression seemed a little too calm compared to before, and she didn't know what he was thinking about.
Maybe he was in a bad mood because of the mystery of his life tonight. This is normal, anyone would be like this.
She then left Yang Guisi some space to herself and turned to ask Tang You, "Speaking of which, has Shu Nian grown taller in the recent period?"
Although only a few months had passed, children of this age had endless possibilities. Chang Xile had seen some children who, at the end of the semester, were sitting in the front row because of their short stature, only to grow like a willow tree as soon as summer vacation ended.
Chang Xile, who has not grown taller since junior high school, expressed great envy of this.
Tang You glanced at her and didn't answer directly. Instead, she said, "You'll know in a moment."
Chang Xile hadn't actually realized why their destination was the top of the mountain. Confused, she followed Tang You and asked after a moment, "But if we're going to see Shunian and the others, shouldn't we go to Changleguan?"
The answer is still the same - you will know it in a moment.
As they walked, a thick fog suddenly descended. Chang Xile suddenly recalled the time she, Yang Guisi, and An Ping had gotten separated, and she panicked for a moment. The next moment, An Ping grasped her hand.
She looked at the figure next to her in the fog, and felt the warmth of Anping's palm, and felt a little relieved.
I don't know if it was just a psychological effect, but as soon as I entered the mist, Chang Xile felt the temperature drop several degrees. It was already chilly in November, and now it was early morning, on the top of a mountain. All these factors combined made Chang Xile think only of asking Master Renxin for some clothes once he reached his destination.
However, as the fog gradually dissipated, what came into view was - Chang Optimism?
Chang Xile rubbed his eyes, almost unable to believe what he saw.
But no matter how carefully she looked, the Taoist temple before her was indeed Changleguan. This magnificent temple, the tall, tiered steps, and the little Taoist boy intently sweeping the floor on the steps were exactly the same as before.
Shunen hadn't grown at all. He still looked as young as ever, diligently sweeping the floor.
He noticed someone approaching from the corner of his eye, and when he looked up, he saw Tang You and the others. He threw away his broom, ran down the stairs happily, and shouted: "Master Kuxin - Sister Xile - Sister Junyi -"
Strangely, when Shunian reached the edge of the fog, he seemed to be stopped by an invisible barrier. He kicked his foot unhappily, but instead covered his toe in pain.
Chang Xile stared blankly at all the irrational things in front of him, feeling that incredible guesses were growing wildly in his mind like vines in summer.
There is a folk rumor that if you are bitten by a poisonous snake in the woods, you must catch it and take it to a doctor or someone knowledgeable about it. Because as long as you know what kind of snake it is, you will definitely find herbs that can detoxify it in that area of the woods.
Chang Xile turned his head and looked at Yang Junyi who was running towards Shu Nian happily, and suddenly he came to his senses as if he had been enlightened.
What kind of person will never grow up as if they were frozen in time?
Yang Junyi pulled Shunian's sleeve and said to him, "You haven't finished reading the book you gave me last time. When will you continue reading it?"
Isn't it the soul of the dead who have passed away?
Chang Xile stared blankly at Shu Nian, then at the Taoist temple. It was so tall, yet it seemed like a paperweight, casually placed in a corner of the mountain.
There should be many Taoist nuns living in the Taoist temple. Chang Xile has seen them, seen them laughing and scolding, seen them competing to entertain crickets and avoid the examinations of their teachers.
But at this moment, Chang Xile felt that there was no trace of life in the building in front of him.
Tang You didn't explain. She simply extended her hand to the group, signaling them to continue walking inside. "It's almost dawn. If you're tired, find a room to rest later."
Chang Xile followed them into the Taoist temple. At this time, many Taoist nuns had already gotten up. Some of them were reading, some were meditating, and some were chatting.
When they saw Tang You coming back, they all greeted her. They saw the people following Tang You, especially Chang Xile, who they hadn't seen for a long time, and they all started chattering, "Xile, you're finally here! Shunian's been talking about you all the time."
"We missed you too! When can we fight crickets together? I recently raised an invincible cricket king!"
"Come on, just keep bragging!"
Then there was another burst of laughter.
It was only after Tang You coughed that everyone fell silent, leaving only a few particularly lively ones who made faces at each other for a while.
They are alive.
The more Chang Xile watched, the sadder she felt. This was because she was no longer the ignorant, ordinary Chang Xile who didn't believe in ghosts. She had seen so many ghosts that she couldn't still distinguish between humans and ghosts.
Only then did she realize that she had been forgetting a very important point - all temples are naturally dedicated to gods. Just like the Xiaoyu Temple, no matter how dilapidated and deserted it was, it still enshrined the Goddess of Xiaoyu.
However, Chang Xile had never heard of the name of the god that Chang Leguan worshipped.
Also, if no one has ever come to Changleguan to worship, then how could Changleguan become famous in the mountain city without any believers, and even the mountain was named Changle Mountain because of Changleguan.
Chang Xile turned around with some difficulty and asked Tang You, "Which deity is enshrined in this temple?"
Tang You didn't look at her, but just put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky, saying, "Offer to all living beings."
Chang Xile continued, her voice choking, "Shunian, will he never be able to come down the mountain?"
Tang You seemed to have anticipated this, and before she could utter a word, she raised her hands to cover Shunian's ears. Shunian blinked, not understanding why Sister Xile, who was always smiling, was so serious today.
"I said, as long as he grows up, he can come down the mountain." Tang You said calmly.
"But he won't grow up!" Chang Xile fought back tears. She met Shunian's gaze, still unaware of what was happening, and felt a sense of despair, almost empathizing with him. "Why did you lie to him like this?"
Tang You tilted her head. "He won't notice. A day in the mountains is like a year on earth. He'll just feel that time is slowing down. When he grows up, he'll be able to accept this."
Chang Xile took a deep breath, took a few steps back, and slowly sat down on the steps.
She suddenly remembered what Li Chuanliu had said to her a long time ago, which she had thought was nonsense at the time:
[You have come into close contact with at least three hundred ghosts.]
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