Chapter 126 If it weren't for seeing the young boy on the top of Qunyu Mountain.
She struggled to her feet, supporting herself on her knees. A tearing force gripped her brain, causing it to spin. After a brief period of tinnitus, she lost her hearing again.
Perhaps it was because too much force was used at once.
My body is starting to give out.
After all, she had never seen so much blood flowing from such a frail body.
Ying Huo seemed to always be standing to her left, a silent shadow always looming over that spot.
Because she couldn't hear clearly, she could only see Ying Ya grab Yun Jiu and shove her while saying something to her. Even Ji Yinxiu's face turned much paler.
Yun Jiu looked blank at first, seemingly not understanding what had happened. But after meeting Xia Zhu's gaze, she suddenly lowered her eyelids, nodded, and turned to walk at the front.
Xia Zhu guessed that she must have compromised and planned to lead everyone into the Yun family's territory.
Several people followed behind her. Feng Mian was being supported by Feng Feng and Ying Ya. He was probably still unconscious, and Xia Zhu could only see his light, floating back.
It's like a wisp of smoke amidst the lush green trees.
She then glanced at Ji Yinxiu, who was standing diagonally in front of her. He had his arms bent, and it seemed he was holding something in his arms.
Something furry and cold.
Xia Zhu withdrew her gaze and stared only at her toes.
The earth rolled inch by inch beneath my feet, stepping over withered leaves and scattered flowers, countless silvery, chaotic spots of light flashing all around, finally settling into a calm circle, transforming into the moon hanging high outside the window.
Xia Zhu sat in the room. She couldn't remember how she entered the Yun family, nor could she recall how the Yun family treated them, a group of outsiders who had suddenly barged in.
She was just sitting by the window, knowing that the night outside was as cool as water, when she heard a few heavy, drawn-out breaths, and realized that she had finally regained her hearing.
Xia Zhu felt an unexpected calmness, perhaps simply because her mind was blank. Her once-proud thinking ability vanished in an instant, leaving her body feeling incredibly relaxed.
There were two knocks on the wooden door.
It was just a conditioned reflex; she stood up from the bamboo chair and dragged her somewhat numb body to the door.
With a creak, Xia Zhu saw Feng Feng's pale face.
That healthy, warm color seemed to have completely drained from her body, and she even looked somewhat unfamiliar.
"Feng Mian has something to tell you."
Her voice was soft and quick; she glanced at Xia Zhu, then immediately lowered her head. After saying this, she glanced to the side and turned to walk straight downstairs.
Xia Zhu followed her gaze and looked at the person by the door.
He seemed to have been standing there for a long time, his eyes hidden among his hair, only the lower half of his pale face visible.
Xia Zhu thought that maybe she could ask him to cut his hair; after all, it was much longer than when they first met.
They looked at each other for a long time in the darkness. Xia Zhu turned around, closed the door to her room, and started to walk down the stairs.
Ying Huo suddenly called out to her.
"Do you need me to come with you?"
He asked.
Xia Zhu shook her head. She was just going to talk to Feng Mian and didn't understand why someone needed to accompany her.
The Yun family provided them with several small stilted houses, clustered together, far from the tribe and hidden among towering trees, perfectly fitting the setting of being isolated from the world, with a rustic and mysterious atmosphere everywhere.
Feng Mian lived next door. She climbed the steps upstairs and could still see Ying Huo standing in front of her door when she looked back.
Xia Zhu withdrew her gaze and knocked on Feng Mian's door.
"Come in."
A familiar voice came from inside, sounding no different from before.
Of course, it looks like it.
Feng Mian lay on a small bed, a warm yellow lamp was lit in the room, and the moonlight shone even brighter on his bed.
“A-Zhu.” Feng Mian smiled and pointed to a chair by the bed.
She guessed that Feng Feng must have been sitting in that spot before her, so she walked over, lowered her head, and sat down with her shoulders slumped.
She was somewhat afraid to look at Feng Mian's face. Everything that had happened in the woods felt like a dream—a sudden rush that choked her breath, only to immediately give her a breath of fresh air. This made the image of Feng Mian in her mind increasingly unreal.
This feeling reminded Xia Zhu of that recurring dream.
When she woke up in that hospital bed, she was just as confused and afraid.
The fact that Fengmian almost left made her doubt again whether she had woken up from that dream.
Or perhaps, it's all just the fantasy of someone so lonely they've developed delusions.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly, her tone cautious.
"Why are you apologizing?" Feng Mian's voice sounded slightly amused. This question didn't seem to be asking for an answer from her, because he immediately changed the subject. "Do you remember what I told you at the Jiang family's house?"
Xia Zhu finally raised her head.
Feng Mian saw her hidden eyes and smiled, "Whatever the outcome, it's our own choice."
"That won't change, and it has nothing to do with you."
“But…” Xia Zhu twisted the hem of her clothes tightly, “Xiao Feng, she…”
“She doesn’t blame you.” Feng Mian shifted, her body slumping back slightly, as if speaking was a difficult task for her. “I guess she’s probably confused or feels guilty.”
His eyes were fixed on a point in the void, his pupils unfocused, as if he were deep in thought.
His voice was calm and still, remaining unmoved in the darkness of the night. Xia Zhu stared blankly at his face.
"A-Zhu." Feng Mian suddenly called out her name, his eyes looking at her so brightly that she had no way to hide.
"After the Nine Heavens Assembly, at my house, I asked you for a favor, do you remember?"
The Feng family? Xia Zhu blinked.
"Please, in a moment of crisis, you can reach out to Xiaofeng."
Yes, that's what she remembered.
I just don't know why Fengmian suddenly brought this up. The one who's in crisis right now is clearly himself.
For some reason, Xia Zhu's heart was beating very fast, thumping so loudly it seemed to echo in the darkness.
Seeing her reaction, Feng Mian smiled and nodded.
"That's good. Perhaps I need to ask you for one more thing."
She remained silent, waiting for his next request.
"Your magical abilities are truly incredible, bringing the dead back to life. It sounds like you're defying the laws of the world." He paused. "If possible, could you please save Meow Meow?"
Feng Mian looked at her with a gentle expression and a calm tone, yet it inexplicably made Xia Zhu feel sad.
In order to quickly rid Feng Mian of these negative emotions and restore him to his usual gentle and warm state, she nodded heavily and agreed to the request.
"I will definitely save Miaomiao," she said.
Feng Mian seemed relieved. Xia Zhu didn't know where his tension came from. She knew that if she had such an ability, she would definitely lend a helping hand, whether it was to him or to a little dog.
Besides, it was a smart and brave little dog.
He smiled at Xia Zhu, reached out and pulled the blanket up, and suddenly said, "When Xiao Feng was little, he had a very beautiful toy doll that our aunt brought back from the human world."
Xia Zhu didn't know why he suddenly brought up Feng Feng's childhood, but she still focused her attention and listened attentively as he continued.
"She really loved that doll and took it everywhere she went. Her mother repeatedly told her that if she took it even to the fields or the riverbank, it would be easy to lose it."
"But she wouldn't listen, confidently putting her hands on her hips and saying things like, 'I'll definitely take good care of the doll.' In the end, as expected, the doll disappeared during a picnic. She cried her eyes out, searching for days and nights near that little hill, but couldn't find it. Her aunt promised to buy her another one when she went to town next time. But when she had the chance to go there again, the shop that sold the doll was gone, and she couldn't find an identical one anywhere."
"I still remember that time, Xiaofeng was so sad that she couldn't even eat."
Xia Zhu put herself in his shoes and thought about it, then nodded in agreement, agreeing that it was indeed a sad thing.
“But guess what?” Feng Mian chuckled. “Later, when I brought it up again, she refused to admit it, insisting that she didn’t remember this part of the past, or even the doll in the red dress.”
Xia Zhu was stunned; she still didn't quite understand what Feng Mian meant.
His hands were clasped together, and the hair on his forehead swayed gently.
"Isn't it amazing how people can be so sad that they can't even eat, yet time can make them forget everything?"
"But I think it's fine this way."
"Life is so long, you have to keep moving forward, you can't stay sad forever."
"Whether it's a rag doll or a sparkling gemstone necklace, there are so many things in the world that we can't have them all, nor can we have them forever. Humans are so small and can't bear too much; with some things we gain, we also lose others."
"Aren't you right, Ah Zhu?"
She raised her eyes and looked at Feng Mian.
His face was bathed in a silvery glow, making him look like a celestial being destined to meet under the moon on a jade terrace.
Xia Zhu thought she had finished speaking, but unexpectedly, Feng Mian changed the subject and said for no reason, "My mother gave me a very good name. I have always slept very well and never suffered from insomnia."
He was in a daze. Xia Zhu wanted to reach out and touch his forehead. She used to only talk nonsense when she had a fever.
But Feng Mian ignored her probing gaze and continued to ask her, "You know, Azhu, I always have a feeling that sleeping is like a death preparation that humans begin from birth. When you close your eyes, you clear your mind of everything in order to fall asleep, until you feel more relaxed than ever before, and then you can fall into a deep sleep."
"People can't remember how they fall asleep; that state seems to be on the edge of life and death."
"It is relaxed, ethereal, and detached from everything."
"In a life of more than 30,000 days, you will have at least 30,000 habits that allow you to fall asleep when faced with a certain moment."
"So I'm never afraid of death."
He stared into Xia Zhu's eyes, a smile playing on his lips as he spoke.
That's true, she thought, Feng Mian was always smiling.
Xia Zhu felt that he was acting strangely tonight, saying some inexplicable things. After talking to himself for a while, he even started yawning and said that he was really sleepy and wanted to go to bed, and asked Xia Zhu to go and rescue Miao Miao tonight.
"Can we go now?" His pleading eyes made Xia Zhu feel a little awkward, so she stood up from the chair, put her hands on her thighs, and stammered that he should rest well.
"I'm going to find Meow Meow right now."
She walked to the door and stopped, seeing Feng Mian still leaning against the headboard, the moonlight brighter than the lamplight.
I'll come see you tomorrow.
"Okay." Feng Mian smiled at her.
Xia Zhu turned around and closed the door for him. Just as she was about to go down the stairs, she noticed an old woman in Miao ethnic clothing standing in the courtyard. She seemed to be looking this way, her brows furrowed, her expression somewhat confused, her face scrunched up in a deep thought, and she didn't seem to notice Xia Zhu standing at the edge of the stairs.
So she quietly walked down and slowly approached the old woman, and found that her lips were opening and closing.
Try to walk as quietly as possible until the distance becomes dangerous.
Only then did she hear the old man muttering something.
It seems to be saying, "How is that possible?"
How could that be?
The old man stepped on a fallen leaf, his pupils trembled, and he snapped out of his daze. He glanced at the scene in the darkness, then turned and disappeared into the night as if fleeing.
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