Chapter 112 Nobles 10
Lu Xuejin listened contentedly to the faint wailing coming from downstairs while upstairs, biting into a plate of pastries given to him by the landlord, and happily smiling, revealing her tiny, rice-grain-like teeth.
Lu Yangfeng hung a string of pearls on Lu Xuejin's body. Lu Xuejin held the chain, the full and round pearls shimmering between her chubby fingers. "Mom, where did this come from?"
Lu Yangfeng hugged him, their foreheads touching intimately, and he grinned mischievously, "Just like you, I tricked you into it."
"Mom, I like this. Try to trick me into giving you more." Lu Xuejin likes sparkly things.
"My little devil, my little angel... Wait a little longer, and Mommy will take you to live in a big house, wear a little suit, and go to a prestigious school."
"No!" Lu Xuejin shouted immediately, "Don't go to school!"
He doesn't want to spend all day in the classroom, let alone studying all day, because it's not fun at all.
"My little illiterate, if you don't go to school, who will play with you, and who will lie to you?"
Lu Xuejin pouted: "I'll stay at home, Mom, you stay with me."
"Mom has to work, so you'll be home alone then."
It's too boring to be alone. Everyone else in this building has been playing around for so long, it's definitely getting a bit tiresome.
Lu Xuejin hesitated, but studying was not good for him either; he got a headache as soon as he looked at a book.
Lu Yangfeng squeezed his fingers, "Baby, you don't need to study hard or take exams. Aren't you bored lately? There are lots of people at school who can play with you."
Lu Xuejin tilted her head and thought for a moment: "What if someone bullies me?"
Lu Yangfeng grabbed his other hand and waved both hands at each other: "How could that be? Baby is best at winning affection, isn't he?"
The two, one big and one small, stared at each other for a few seconds, then revealed identical wicked smiles.
After washing up, Lu Xuejin snuggled into bed, holding the puppy in one arm and clutching the pearl necklace in the other. He blinked quietly, "Mommy, aren't you going to sleep yet?"
"Mommy will go to sleep once the baby falls asleep."
Lu Yangfeng sat by the window with his back to him, looking up at the sky, his hands clasped together, his lips moving silently.
Lu Xuejin knew she was talking to a deity.
The mother said that it was the gods who helped her escape, that the gods gave her the baby, and that the gods have been watching over her and the baby.
Shh.
His mother cupped his cheeks and whispered, "Baby, don't tell anyone about this. If people find out, Mommy will be taken away."
Foreigners.
Lu Xue later found out the official names and descriptions of people like Lu Yangfeng.
Those who worship the invisible have already entrusted their spirits to another chaotic realm, only their material shell remains in this world. They yearn for the invisible paradise and are willing to dedicate everything for it.
In more colloquial documents, they are referred to as "cultists".
Lu Xuejin grew up in Lu Yangfeng's wholehearted love, living a life of immense contentment without a single regret.
They gleefully manipulate the world, playing with human emotions and desires, utterly ignorant of truth, goodness, and beauty, and unaware of law and morality. Everyone is blinded by their intricate web, and no one can see through their true nature.
Before he came of age, Lu Yangfeng said he would take him back to the mountain village.
"A knock-off?" Lu Xuejin was turning a sapphire, a gift from a lady to Lu Yangfeng, but no matter how clear the blue of the gemstone was, it couldn't compare to the captivating look in his eyes.
Lu Yangfeng leaned gracefully against the white wall, a half-smile on her face, and said, "That was Mom's old home."
"...I've been on the run for so many years, it's time for me to go back."
“Baby, your coming-of-age ceremony is coming soon. When we go back this time, Mommy wants to give you a gift.” Lu Yangfeng smiled deeply.
That winter, the snow was heavier than usual, and the mountain village was on the verge of collapse in the wind and snow. When they saw Lu Yangfeng, the Lu family members were either surprised or angry. They surrounded Lu Yangfeng and Lu Xuejin.
The leader's expression was icy: "Ah Feng, you actually dare to come back."
"Will those who disrespect and blaspheme return to face death?"
Upon seeing Lu Xuejin beside her, the leader's expression softened, a fervent glint appearing in his eyes: "You have a son, very good, very good. Yin and Yang, mother and child, the mountain god will be pleased..."
Lu Yangfeng lifted his eyelids and said with a faint smile, "What gods? Ignorant trash. You guys are just perfect to accompany my baby's coming-of-age ceremony."
The Lu family members remained expressionless, completely ignoring what Lu Yangfeng said. This sacrificial offering had been gone for so many years, causing the mountain god to withdraw its favor, but now it had returned on its own. Perfect, they could once again pray for divine protection.
A pair of eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness, their gazes fixed greedily on the mother and child.
them--
them?
Lu Yangfeng squatted down, stroking Lu Xuejin's cheek with lingering affection, murmuring again and again, "Baby, baby..."
She smeared the red fluid on Lu Xuejin's body, his hot genitals surrounding him as they danced and sang wildly.
Lu Xuejin was in a daze. Her fingernails brushed against the boiling blood, across a still-beating heart, and she grabbed a string of black and white pearls.
“My child, my darling.” Lu Yangfeng hugged him warmly. “I know that’s not the king you worship, not the paradise you seek… Mom really wants to love you forever.”
"But I am leaving. I have waited too long for this day. Forgive me, my child."
She hugged Lu Xuejin tightly, almost crushing herself in the process.
“Remember, you are the son of the monarch. You will be incredibly powerful and immortal. Your mother will always watch over you, for all eternity.”
"Bless him, bless our children, my Lord."
Lu Xue sat reclining on the stone slab. Now that the wind and snow had passed, they could no longer steal away the warmth; the full moon shone down, but it could not reflect the shape of a mortal.
He knew Lu Yangfeng's feelings, knew that she stayed in this world for his sake, and now that she was finally able to leave to accompany her beloved god, he did not forget to give his all to Lu Xuejin before leaving.
Her love burned brighter and brighter until it reached its peak.
There's just too much of it, it's too full.
Lu Xuejin touched his chest, his heart beating or stopping as he pleased.
He closed his eyes, feeling utterly exhausted.
As the wind and snow gradually subsided, Lu Xuejin slowly emerged from the mountain cave.
Under the deep night sky, the lights in the mountain stronghold were dim, and everyone huddled in their rooms to keep warm. No one noticed anything unusual outside, and no one remembered the arrival of Lu Yangfeng and Lu Xuejin.
Lu Xuejin left the mountain village, which was steeped in fear and superstition, and returned to Bainan. Countless returning students brushed past him, but no one could realize that the beloved chief student had already returned.
The classmates' faces, whether beaming with excitement or looking sad and distressed, were like faded paintings, no longer evoking any emotional ripples.
Lu Xuejin simply watched in silence. With Lu Yangfeng's blessing, he had completely shed his frail human body, was indifferent to cold, heat, pain, and aging, and looked down upon the entire academy with a completely indifferent perspective.
People come and go.
He could not find any trace of Zhu Can.
The unseen object of unknown origin vanished without a trace after a short winter break, as if swept away by a blizzard.
Lu Xuejin didn't know what she was looking for until she walked to the outside of the deserted chapel and glimpsed the nun's devout prayer through the half-open door.
Overwhelmed by a sense of weariness, Lu Xuejin turned away, no longer lingering in the bustling human world. He took a step forward and transformed into a spirit cat, rushing into the vast, cold mountains.
That place is a paradise for the intangible.
They only return to humans occasionally when they crave warmth, seeking human affection to alleviate the boredom that accumulates in the cold forest.
Human emotions and desires are the best food; when you swallow them, you taste the sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy flavors, the wind and snow, and other things as well.
Lu Xuejin could always easily captivate his prey in a short time. Their passionate or subtle emotions would surge and swell, instantly taking him back to his pre-adult days. Back then, he had not yet shaken off his fragile human body, nor his immature and numb emotions, and was still immersed in a game of playing house with a dried-up corpse.
However, he was fickle and no one could win his favor for long.
"Sir, you have helped me so much. May I have the honor of knowing your name and inviting you to my home?"
The enthusiastic and cheerful son of a general hides his obsessive curiosity and possessiveness beneath his bright smile. He is not satisfied with the few meetings he has had that he cannot control, and he longs to build a more solid and closer relationship.
Lu Xuejin once loved his abundant emotions, which could almost burn people, but she soon grew tired of them.
"You look no more than twenty years old, don't speak like an old man."
The boy sitting in the tree hollow raised his chin arrogantly, unable to resist glancing at the young man leaning against the tree trunk at his feet. "You're from another land too, right?"
The boy, unable to properly distinguish scents, had lived alone in the forest for too long, and placed his hopes for a friend in a passerby. Little did he know that the passerby was just passing by, and would not turn back no matter how much he cried and begged.
Faces passed through Lu Xuejin's life one by one. Their encounters were always full of beauty and fantastical coincidences. Unfortunately, they could not continue into a special relationship. They could only bring Lu Xuejin a moment of novelty.
Until a cold, stern face entered my field of vision.
The brown-skinned youth held a hunting rifle, his facial features, framed by black curly hair, resembled those of a wild beast. His dark uniform encased his strong, muscular physique, and his steps through the forest were silent.
Despite having absolutely no resemblance, they reminded Lu Xuejin of the thin man who had suddenly disappeared before she had even finished playing with him.
Then I'll use you as a substitute.
Whether you are an invisible being, a foreigner, or something else, it doesn't matter.
You are just my toy now.
Now, the toy himself stood before me, upright and tall, like a silent pine tree in winter. He was meticulously reporting on the preparations for Silver Oak Academy's next important event, his voice steady and clear, his logic rigorous, covering everything from resource allocation to route planning, down to the smallest detail.
"...The initially selected area has been cleared, seven more emergency supply points have been added, and the medical team will be on standby at any time. The group list has been preliminarily confirmed, and this is the detailed list." Silently placed a document with a silver oak emblem on the low table next to Lu Xuejin.
Lu Xuejin lazily hummed an "hmm" through her nose, which meant she had heard it.
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