Chapter 65 SMS Call Reminders and Lullabies.
Xia Zhu nodded blankly, got up, pulled out a chair next to the desk, and invited Feng Mian to come up to the attic.
"May I come in?" Feng Mian asked politely.
Xia Zhu nodded again.
The two sat at the desk, a gentle evening breeze blowing. Just minutes before, the last rays of the setting sun had slowly sank below the distant mountain ridge. As the sun departed, starlight spilled out. The temperature within the protective barrier was pleasant, making one squint.
Feng Mian withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Xia Zhu.
"very beautiful."
"What?" Xia Zhu propped up her eyes, trying to understand this unfamiliar word.
“You look beautiful with your hair tied up and those thick glasses off,” Feng Mian said, gesturing with her finger in front of Xia Zhu.
"But A-Zhu is very beautiful, don't you think so?"
Xia Zhu thought about it seriously for a moment, then nodded solemnly, "I think so." Her judgment of beauty in other things clearly followed popular trends, but for herself, she had her own set of aesthetic standards: health and strength. Therefore, she believed herself to be beautiful.
Feng Mian rested his chin on his hand, his eyes narrowed into two thin crescent moons, and a muffled laugh escaped from his chest.
Xia Zhu stared at his face, an embarrassed blush creeping up her cheeks imperceptibly. She was a little confused; was Feng Mian mocking her? As she pondered this, she noticed the smile slowly vanishing from his face, replaced by an enigmatic expression.
"The prophecy is coming true."
"Huh? Oh, yes." The topic changed so quickly that Xia Zhu, who was not good at chatting, couldn't keep up.
"Don't you feel that it all started because of you?"
The topic shifted rapidly, and the content was as blunt as two bright lamps, their stark light suddenly slapping Xia Zhu's face. She was like a choked chick, her body tense, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes, unable to utter a single word, not even daring to look at Feng Mian.
He seemed to be waiting for Xia Zhu's answer, creating an awkward antagonism between them. One was determined to get an answer, while the other wished he could sew his mouth shut.
Xia Zhu tends to overthink when she feels nervous. The current situation makes her feel like she has become a traitor in the great revolutionary cause, being tortured and questioned by the iron-blooded heroes who are using the light of the people to illuminate the nation.
With nowhere to hide, her shoulders and neck stiffened. Because she also agreed with Feng Mian's view.
The events on Sun and Moon Mountain forced her to look back at the past, uncovering astonishing clues from a jumble of memories. However, these things were too subjective, and Xia Zhu often avoided falling into the trap of wishful thinking, so she tried to ignore those highly coincidental fragments.
But the problem is, it seems that everything went off track from the moment she started having those inexplicable dreams.
Perhaps because of his own actions, one of the spirits in the first dream he entered alone escaped into reality.
The inexplicable divine strategy, along with the truly unique celestial power within her, all seemed to point the finger at her.
"When did you suddenly start having dreams? Was it the time we met you? Your first dream ever." Feng Mian couldn't resist Xia Zhu's insistence and didn't wait for her to say it herself.
"After all these years, you suddenly gained the ability to enter dreams, and then you awakened a special power. After that, a series of changes began to occur in the Divine Blood Family. When you first came out of the dream, was there anything you didn't tell us?"
Xia Zhu thought silently, "Yes, Feng Mian is so smart. His light-colored eyes seem to be able to see through everything. Even without the power of physiognomy, he is definitely an outstanding person."
But the words he uttered terrified Xia Zhu more and more; the image of Feng Feng's face grew ever more distant in her mind.
Feng Mian leaned slightly towards Xia Zhu, which created an invisible sense of oppression.
"What I want to say is, Xiaofeng, Mom and Dad, they are the most important people in my world. Even if I am a useless person with no special abilities, I will never let them be in danger."
Xia Zhu froze, genuinely startled. Feng Mian seemed like a different person, no longer the warm, welcoming figure he once was, but cold and aloof. She instinctively stared at his lips, praying he wouldn't utter those words.
"Don't you understand, Azhu? There are too many secrets hidden behind your background, and too many unknowns in the future. But from the first day we let you step into the Feng family's door, it means that Xiaofeng and I have already regarded you as a true friend. I've said it before, we never misjudge people." He leaned back again, and the taut string between the two of them suddenly loosened.
She finally dared to raise her head and look Feng Mian directly into his eyes.
"Being on the edge of a cliff doesn't just mean jumping forward. You can still rely on us. The road ahead may be difficult, so try not to put yourself in danger. Okay?"
Xia Zhu stared blankly at Feng Mian, feeling the warm breeze making her head spin again.
"So, Azhu, can you promise me something?"
"What is it?" Xia Zhu finally spoke, her voice dry and stuck in her throat, forcing her to swallow hard.
"Take good care of Feng Feng."
“You’re not an ordinary person. My sister is also quite stubborn. The care I’m talking about won’t take up too much of your time. It’s not about having to consider her in everything or how to treat her with all your heart. It’s just that you only need to spare a little energy to reach out to her in times of crisis. Is that alright?”
Xia Zhu nodded vigorously under Feng Mian's expectant gaze.
Actually, he didn't need to tell me.
There was a commotion downstairs, and the sound of wind whistling could be heard.
Feng Mian slammed his hand on the table, transforming back into the familiar form Xia Zhu knew.
"Alright, the heroes are back. You can wash your hands and eat now." He stood up, pushed his chair back under the desk, stretched his limbs, and walked towards the stairs. "Ah Zhu, hurry up and get ready to come down too."
"Oh, right." He stopped halfway, turned around and gave a gentle smile, "Don't tell Feng Feng about what we just talked about. Let's keep it a secret between the two of us, okay?"
Xia Zhu nodded.
Feng Mian gave her a strange feeling tonight, as if he had rambled on for a while just to scare her. Perhaps this is the art of language; the real purpose often follows "so" or "that's right."
He just wanted Xia Zhu to lend Feng Feng a hand when she encountered difficulties.
She felt this was only natural. Why did Feng Mian go to such great lengths and go through all this trouble to watch her personally nod and agree to this promise?
Xia Zhu smoothed her hair.
Feng Mian was a very intelligent person.
Just as she was about to get up and go downstairs, her phone, which had been sitting on the table, suddenly vibrated twice. The sudden, unexpected sound, which never happened before, really startled her.
Realizing it was a text message notification on her phone, Xia Zhu sighed speechlessly.
Her overreaction really makes her seem like an elderly person out of touch with society.
Xia Zhu picked up her phone; the screen displayed the three characters "Ji Yinxiu." Lost in thought, she opened her inbox.
"A candle in the wind: "
Hello.
I am Ji Yinxiu.
The matter of helping you choose a sword sheath, which I promised to do last time, has been resolved. If it is convenient for you, I would like to invite you to visit Xuanyuan Hill soon.
The Wind Chasing Path leads directly to Mount Kongtong. Once you confirm your departure time, I will wait for you at the summit.
I hope I haven't bothered you.
After reading the message, Xia Zhu exited her inbox and checked her calendar.
This guy was no less impressive, his text messages were inexplicably overly formal. Xia Zhu was terrified he'd end the meeting with some awfully sentimental phrase like "Yours sincerely" or "With best regards." Thinking about this, Xia Zhu felt a slight chill run down her spine.
She doesn't have much winter break left, so perhaps she could go to the famous Xuanyuan Hill before the start of the new semester.
During dinner, Xia Zhu conveyed to everyone that she had been invited to Xuanyuan Hill. Feng Feng was dejected; she also wanted to go with Xia Zhu to broaden her horizons, but the barrier issue would take some time.
He could only promise to pick her up from Kongtong when it was over.
Xia Zhu wanted to go alone because she might have to leave Shushan Town and return to school after the Xuanyuan Hill trip. She hadn't figured out how to tell Feng Feng and the others yet, since the Divine Blood World had been in turmoil after the Nine Heavens Assembly, and leaving at this time wasn't a good idea.
The prophecy was fraught with danger, and Xia Zhu stubbornly refused to leave.
The night wind picked up, billowing the sheer curtains high. Old Jiang used a ribbon to gather them up and tie them to one side. Feng Feng sneaked downstairs and rummaged through the warehouse for the fireworks that hadn't been used up on New Year's Eve. She dragged everyone out of their rooms one by one, ostensibly to hold a welcome ceremony for Ji Wuchou, but really it was her own idea to play.
Behind the house was a sloping grassy slope, and four people lay sprawled across the rolling green waves. Xia Zhu felt the joy of those around her; the colorful flames bloomed in the clear night sky, and their bodies seemed to radiate pleasure in the light.
Feng Feng must have been extremely happy. Her feet were kicking uncontrollably, like a lively little rabbit, and the patch of grass above her head kept bursting open with colorful flowers and plants: oxalis, dandelions, violets, and daisies.
Sometimes, tiny flowers that quickly sprout from the soil bloom right next to Xia Zhu's cheek, swaying in the wind and making her skin itch.
But my heart is completely calm.
It was as if she had never seen so many colors in her life, her eyes overflowing with color. Finally, the night sky quieted down, and the stars reappeared on the water, looking like tiny diamonds sprinkled on chestnut velvet.
"Lily of the valley sways like silver bells, milkvetch spreads out like a velvety carpet, and oxalis weaves a wreath..."
"Flying over low walls, crossing grasslands, and returning home..."
Feng Feng hummed a song softly, the melody gentle and melodious like a lullaby.
"Fengmian." She suddenly called out her brother's name, "Do you still remember, when we were little, you always sang this song by my bedside during afternoon naps!"
"I remember, I remember." When the topic of childhood was suddenly brought up in front of everyone, Feng Mian secretly turned her back to them and responded helplessly.
"Actually, I can fall asleep as soon as I close my eyes! You keep singing and singing until my head hurts! I knew you were singing this song to soothe yourself!"
"Yes, yes, yes..." Whatever Feng Feng says goes, he's too lazy to explain.
Knowing that Feng Mian must be embarrassed, Feng Feng laughed even louder.
The grass to Xia Zhu's left rustled. She turned her head, and Ji Wuchou, who had been silent all along, also turned her back. The short grass clinging to her back swayed back and forth.
Xia Zhu thought that she had heard her grandfather sing nursery rhymes when she was a child.
"Flying over low walls, crossing grasslands, and returning home..."
"The plantain grows close to the ground, like two tiny shadows stretching longer and longer..."
"Sleep well, my little wild chrysanthemum, where the sun sets, lies a warm dreamland..."
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