Chapter 42 "Chi Wan is so small now, so cute..."
"What is it?" Meng Chiwan asked, breaking free from her father's hand.
“It’s a blessing.” Father smiled, but the smile looked strange no matter how you looked at it, as if he had been bewitched by something and had lost his mind.
Meng Chiwan watched her father's dazed expression without showing any emotion, realizing that the matter might not be as simple as she thought.
We must go out and see what it is; perhaps this is the chance to break free from the illusion.
"Father, since it's a gift, why can't I have it too? And why won't you even let me see it?" Meng Chiwan asked tentatively.
"Chi Wan, be good, when you grow up a bit more..." Father's voice was soft and slow, with a hint of seduction in his words.
But he only got halfway through his sentence and refused to continue no matter what.
Helpless, Meng Chiwan held the book pages up, her back to her father, her little face stubborn, and let out a heavy "humph" to express her dissatisfaction.
Father also came to his senses at this moment, and returned to his normal appearance. He then removed the pages of the book from her head, walked over to face her, and coaxed, "But Chi Wan hasn't eaten the meat I brought you. Why don't you go and eat the meat first?"
Meng Chiwan: "...I'll continue with my body training."
The more I think about that meat, the more suspicious I feel.
The illusion depicted her parents, and their personalities matched. Yet, something strange remained about it all.
Because her father was watching her the whole time, she couldn't sneak out to see what her mother was cleaning. She could only stand with the pages of the book on her head for an hour or two.
I was almost dizzy from standing, but my father didn't say anything.
In that instant, she became even more certain that her father's temperament was correct.
I still remember when my father used to punish me, he wouldn't soften his heart as long as I hadn't fainted. In those cases, my mother would usually give me a few words of advice before I could be saved.
Although it's not a punishment now, given her father's personality, he'll eventually push her to her limits.
"Father, is it alright today?" she said weakly, her voice pleading.
The only response I received was a cold rejection.
After thinking about it carefully, she decided it was a good idea. She could treat it as exercise. After all, Yun Xianqing had given her plenty of training like this back at the Lin residence.
As a result, another hour passed during this training session.
What awaited them was not freedom, but the setting sun.
Her father brought out another plate of meat from the kitchen and told her she had to eat it.
Meng Chiwan sat at the table, staring at the flickering candlelight. She exhaled a heavy breath, gritted her teeth, and thought, "Maybe I should try a bite." After tasting it, she secretly spat it out.
His eyes and brows were filled with a stern and resolute expression, as if he were about to face death.
But in an instant, a question suddenly occurred to her: "Father, where did Mother go?"
"Today is a bit tricky. Your father will be going to help your mother later. You should finish your food and go to bed to rest. Don't go running around. If I find you running around, I won't let you off the hook." Father seemed to have thought of something, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes, but in the end he just answered as usual.
"Is Father going out?" Meng Chiwan asked.
It's good to go out.
"Then I'll definitely rest early and not wander around," she said, suppressing a smile.
No wonder they ran away!
Her small face was full of sincerity.
Strangely enough, although she was no longer a child, her body had shrunk, and her behavior and mannerisms also seemed to have shrunk, with a childlike quality to her whole being.
If an outsider were to look at her, they would never be able to tell that she is no longer a child of that age.
But she was too happy too soon.
After finally managing to escape eating meat by using various excuses, they discovered that their father had locked the door when he left.
Meng Chiwan: ...
As expected of her father, he knows her too well.
She looked at her small body and decisively decided to climb over the wall.
Although the walls of the farmhouse weren't high, it wasn't easy for a child as young as her to climb over them.
She moved a stool over and tried to reach the top of the wall, but suddenly felt a warm touch on her hand.
It doesn't feel like a wall.
It looks like someone's hand.
hand?
How can it have hands!
She was startled and immediately tried to shake him off.
"Little Chi Wan, don't you want to go out?"
The familiar Wen Qingyin.
Yun Xianqing sat on the wall and gently took her hand.
Her body was so small that her tiny hand looked even smaller in Yun Xianqing's palm.
Meng Chiwan found it a bit strange.
The strange thing is that she and Yun Xianqing were in an ambiguous relationship not long ago, and even kissed, but now she has inexplicably turned into a child.
Who could stand this?
“Pull me up,” Meng Chiwan said calmly.
Her mind was racing with thoughts, but she didn't show it. The strangeness lay only in her heart. Anyway, Yun Xianqing would probably just find it amusing.
As long as she doesn't show her embarrassment, no one will know she's embarrassed!
Yun Xianqing gradually loosened her grip.
Then she was about to fall to the ground.
But just before landing, she fell into someone's arms.
She was speechless: "Did you have to do this... And why did you even get down here?"
Yun Xianqing stroked her hair: "I can lead you through the door."
Meng Chiwan was somewhat speechless.
Yun Xianqing continued, "Chi Wan is so small and cute now, I love her so much."
Meng Chiwan's expression finally crumbled: "I'm still just a child."
“Even if she’s a child, she’s still Chi Wan,” Yun Xianqing said confidently.
Meng Chiwan suddenly thought of some of her previous views on Yun Xianqing and realized that she had indeed misunderstood Yun Xianqing before.
She inexplicably thought that, thankfully, Yun Xianqing saw her before her father and mother left, not the scarred and battered woman she became later.
In front of someone they like, some people want to show more vulnerability, while others want to hide their vulnerability deeper. Meng Chiwan was clearly the latter.
She didn't want the person she loved to see her suffering, to see her being bullied, to see all her disheveled moments. She preferred that Yun Xianqing only see her happy and joyful side.
In other words, it would be wonderful if every aspect of her was perfect and radiant.
Meng Chiwan looked up at Yun Xianqing with her small face, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't.
Yun Xianqing seemed to sense that she wanted to speak, so he squatted down to look her in the eye and waited quietly and patiently for her to speak.
Even though she didn't say anything in the end, Yun Xianqing just smiled. The beauty mark by his eyelashes made him look even more gentle, like a breeze in late spring.
"Yun Xianqing, why are you so good to me?"
It's a kindness without any reason. I'll guide her in cultivating immortality, show her the sights of the world, and appear whenever she needs me.
But is it really possible for someone to be kind to another person without expecting anything in return? Meng Chiwan's years of experience clearly told her that this was almost impossible.
Everything comes at a price. Including emotions. Especially something as complex as humans.
"Because you are Meng Chiwan," Yun Xianqing smiled, giving her an answer that seemed to come out of nowhere.
But she did it willingly. Whatever the purpose, as long as it could please her, that was enough.
Besides, she has nothing, so what could she possibly have that would make anyone want her? If they wanted her true heart, she would give it away willingly.
But she didn't know. Yun Xianqing's words were absolutely true. He hadn't lied to her from beginning to end.
Because she is Meng Chiwan.
She didn't dwell on the matter any longer. She followed Yun Xianqing out the door.
I don't know how he opened the door.
So she asked, "Yun Xianqing, is this some kind of illusion? Or is it someone's dream? Do you still have any cultivation left?"
Her voice was also childish, which made Yun Xianqing smile: "It was a dream, but I don't know whose it was. I don't have much cultivation, maybe I do, but very little, so little that I used it all up as soon as I opened the door."
Meng Chiwan: "So what's the point of you insisting on leading me through the door?"
“It’s meaningless.” Yun Xianqing’s smile remained unchanged, seemingly completely immersed in the cuteness of little Chi Wan.
Meng Chiwan was speechless again.
The two wandered around aimlessly, seemingly with a specific purpose in mind.
Why was she wandering around aimlessly? Because Meng Chiwan noticed that it seemed like all the candles in the village had been extinguished, and she couldn't find anyone on the road except for herself and Yun Xianqing.
But it's been a short while since we had dinner.
Where have all the people gone?
Before long, the two had explored most of the village.
Then, suddenly, a flickering light appeared in the distance. It seemed that something was on fire.
Thick smoke disappeared into the night.
In fact, Yun Xianqing offered to carry her away, but Meng Chiwan refused.
But for now, Meng Chiwan paused for a moment, then said, "...Carry me away."
Yun Xianqing's smile deepened, and he gently picked her up, looking very happy.
Meng Chiwan couldn't understand why he was in a good mood, even though there were still a bunch of perplexing mysteries waiting for them in this dream.
Yun Xianqing led her there.
Before she even got close, Meng Chiwan was choked by a strong, fishy, and burnt smell. She began to feel unwell.
She quickly covered her mouth and nose.
Yun Xianqing also took a few steps back at the right time, his wide sleeves covering the lower half of Meng Chiwan's face.
Looking up from above her sleeve, Meng Chiwan saw her father kneeling on the ground, his body trembling with excitement.
She wanted to see more clearly. But in an instant, she met a pair of scarlet eyes!
Those eyes glanced at her casually, then looked away.
But Meng Chiwan clearly sensed that the moment she met those eyes, it was as if her heart had been gripped, and she couldn't breathe for a moment.
Only after those eyes looked away from her did she begin to gasp for breath, as if she had been drowning.
She subconsciously looked up at Yun Xianqing.
But Yun Xianqing narrowed his eyes slightly, as if scrutinizing something, and then, sensing her gaze, his expression instantly relaxed.
"What did you see?" Yun Xianqing asked.
Meng Chiwan didn't hide anything: "A pair of blood-red eyes, the blood looked like it was about to drip out. When it looked at me, I felt like I couldn't breathe."
Yun Xianqing didn't speak, but gave her a deep look before saying calmly, "That's a demonic monk. A high-ranking demon. He was just selecting his followers."
“Selecting…believers?” Meng Chiwan pondered the words.
"Want to guess who it picked?" Yun Xianqing asked her with a smile.
"...Who?" Meng Chiwan suddenly had a bad feeling.
"You."
Yun Xianqing spoke in a calm tone, as if he were saying something completely ordinary.
But these words, when they reached Meng Chiwan's ears, were undoubtedly another painful blow.
No. Why is it her again?
"What will happen if I get chosen?" Meng Chiwan asked helplessly after a moment of silence.
"Becoming a demon." Yun Xianqing's tone remained calm and even.
"The kind that eats human flesh?" Meng Chiwan asked tentatively, though she already knew the answer, but was unwilling to accept it.
"Not necessarily," Yun Xianqing said after a moment's thought.
Meng Chiwan breathed a sigh of relief: "Then..." okay.
But he hadn't finished speaking.
Yun Xianqing then added, "Sometimes I also eat other kinds of meat."
Meng Chiwan: "If you keep talking like that, I'm not going to talk to you anymore."
Hearing this, Yun Xianqing seemed even happier, as if he had received a reward. He gently patted her head with a smile and said, "Don't worry, you won't become possessed by a demon."
Meng Chiwan: "What do you mean, can you beat him?"
"We can't beat them," Yun Xianqing replied.
"What does that mean?" Meng Chiwan had lost all her strength.
"So it depends on your strong will. If you don't want to fall into demonic possession, don't listen to it," Yun Xianqing replied honestly, seemingly having complete confidence in her.
But after hearing this, Meng Chiwan felt as if her heart had been shattered.
Unwavering resolve. Who? Her? Really?
Meng Chiwan wanted to say something, but something interrupted her.
She looked up and suddenly realized that all eyes seemed to be on her and Yun Xianqing.
She thought about asking Yun Xianqing to take her away, but before she could say it, she was interrupted by something.
All I heard was a chaotic voice in my mind, indistinct in gender: "Are you willing to become my follower?"
Are you willing?
Are you willing?
"willing……"
It felt as if she would keep chanting scriptures if she didn't speak or agree.
Meng Chiwan shook her head and asked Yun Xianqing, "Did you hear that?"
“I can’t hear it. It should be in your mind right now,” Yun Xianqing replied calmly.
Meng Chiwan really wanted to ask him, "Why aren't you in a hurry? If you're not in a hurry, can't you help me? Do I have to face this alone?"
Perhaps her gaze was too melancholy, because Yun Xianqing smiled again and said to her, "As long as you have a strong will, it's alright."
Hearing this, Meng Chiwan felt a little relieved and then focused on listening to the voice in her mind's eye.
Then, Meng Chiwan clearly heard a voice, from who-knows-where, say, "I do."
The voice was exactly the same as hers. And within her mind, it was as if she had spoken it herself.
Author's Note: Second update! I've finally achieved something, posting two chapters in one day! [Sunglasses]
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