Chapter 7 Youth is about being the center of attention, waving your hands, and shouting "I am..."
What is youth?
This is a very difficult problem for Xia Zhu.
During what could be called youth, she was always alone. If she had to answer, youth would be a long mountain road, grass and trees swaying in a sudden storm, summer heat being evaporated by summer rain, the scorching sun burning the skin, frozen fingers and sores, a collection of wrong questions and a vocabulary book, and the red candles and silk curtains and osmanthus wine that only exist in books.
But she also imagined other people's youth, like the winding track on the playground that seems to have no end, the crowds flying by in her peripheral vision, arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, tears and sweat pouring down their faces, laughter and shouts mingling and soaring into the white clouds and blue sky.
Xia Zhu felt like an ant, aimless and unable to see the truth, only knowing to rush forward blindly. What was the point of rushing forward? Rankings and certificates? She looked at the boys and girls around her who were running alongside her. Even if those running alongside her were out of breath and far behind her, their sweat was still a source of pride.
She was completely unburdened, her heart beating steadily and rhythmically. She looked ahead to the finish line and thought that even if there was everything at the end of the road, no one would be waiting for her.
"Xia Zhu! Xia Zhu!"
But it seemed like someone in the crowd was calling her name, or even screaming exaggeratedly.
A crowd had gathered around the finish line, some carrying water and towels, others ready to receive someone. A petite figure rushed through the crowd, waving her hands vigorously.
She wasn't wearing her school uniform; her attire was rather strange, like a wild woman from a distant tribe visiting relatives in the city. Her two reddish-brown braids were stuffed with tiny, colorful flowers in the sunlight, and a bright brown bead shimmered in her right ear, blinking dazzlingly as she jumped around.
Xia Zhu thought to herself, the championship that everyone had been waiting for had finally fallen to her head. Actually, there weren't that many people waiting for her; maybe just two, but that would be enough. So, with perfect running form, she was the first to touch the finish line.
"Xia Zhu! Xia Zhu! I knew I hadn't misjudged you! Your dashing running posture is just like mine!" Feng Feng reached out to support Xia Zhu, although she wasn't so weak that she needed help. The two jogged slowly along the track to catch their breath.
"Fengmian, hurry up!" Feng Feng waved to his older brother who was lagging behind him.
"They're here, they're here."
"Towel! Water glass! Bring them here!" Feng Feng directed Feng Mian to hand the items to her.
"Yes, yes, yes," Fengmian presented them one by one, and then took out a small green floral bento box with two dancing figures drawn on it. "There's also a delicious and nutritious fruit platter~" Fengmian opened the bento box, and inside were fruits that had been cut and carefully arranged on a plate.
"But you need to rest for a while before you can eat, Xia Zhu."
Xia Zhu had a towel around her neck and a water glass in her hand, and she still had that same expression. Heaven knows how happy she was right now.
But she asked the question casually, thinking that she shouldn't appear too excited, lest she scare people away again.
"Why are you back again?"
What she really meant was, "I'm so happy you guys can come back."
She took the two siblings back to her dormitory. Living alone was actually quite convenient, and it was very easy to bring in unrelated outsiders.
As soon as Feng Feng entered the room, she saw that her sandalwood seeds had already blossomed and were in full bloom, climbing up the summer candle window and trying their best to absorb the sunlight. Her eyes lit up and she almost couldn't help but laugh.
Xia Zhu said she needed to take a shower first. The two siblings sat obediently on the empty bed, their hands on their knees, and said with fawning expressions that there was no rush and that Xia Zhu should go ahead and do her own thing.
She felt a little helpless. She washed two cups and poured water for them. After thinking for a moment, she found a few of her favorite books and placed them next to them before going to the bathroom to take a shower.
Across the water and steam, Xia Zhu's mind went blank, just like the previous times, unable to find any clues to ponder.
She sat facing the Feng siblings, a familiar scene, along with the silent atmosphere.
“Alright, are you coming back this time to continue your studies or just to participate in a sports meet?” Xia Zhu broke the silence.
“Ahem,” Feng Feng met her gaze, “Actually, we’ve come to invite you to come home with me and Feng Mian to celebrate the New Year.”
New Year? Xia Zhu thought about it and realized it was almost here. Final exams were over, and after the winter sports meet came winter vacation. In just over ten days, one year would end and another would begin.
She quickly tried to recall how she had spent the Spring Festival in previous years, but then she thought of her grandfather and immediately stopped reminiscing.
Seeing that Xia Zhu remained silent, Feng Feng, fearing that she would refuse, said, "Also, after we went back, we thought about it and realized that we shouldn't have left so ambiguously. There are some things we should explain to you."
“Xia Zhu, classmate…” Feng Mian began.
"Just call me Xia Zhu." Adding "classmate" after my name sounds strange, a strange mix of unfamiliarity and familiarity.
Feng Mian nodded.
"A-Zhu! Can I call you A-Zhu? That's what I always call my cousin Aruo."
Xia Zhu nodded, her face slightly flushed.
"A-Zhu, have you encountered anything strange lately?" Feng Mian asked.
"Strange things? You mean after you left?" She thought the strangest thing she'd encountered recently was meeting the two of them, and of course, the mandrill, but she planned to bring that up later. Right now, the most important thing was to figure out their identities and where her abilities came from. Although these events might be connected, she still wanted to hear what the brother and sister had to say first.
"Yes, perhaps... has anything changed in your body?"
Finally, she got to the point, blinking.
"So you already knew, I'm just curious how you found out." She looked around at the ceiling. "You didn't install a security camera in my room, did you?"
"It's this!" Feng Feng suddenly stretched out a finger and beckoned towards the window. A rustling sound came from the rose bushes, and a broad leaf emerged and flew into Feng Feng's hand.
There is a golden eye on the leaf.
Xia Zhu understood.
"So that night, it was you too."
Feng Feng smiled sheepishly.
"I just want to see if the stone is with you, and where you've hidden it."
"So can you tell me," she mimicked Feng Feng, holding up a finger and then bending it, "what exactly is this?"
"This is my power."
"Xiangli?" Xia Zhu searched for the term in her mind.
“Yes, including that.” Feng Feng pointed to the clump of climbing roses, and Xia Zhu noticed that she had the same small cloth bag full of “precious seeds” that she had seen before, which was tucked into her waistband.
"Actually, the first time we met was in a dream." Feng Feng made a face as if he was about to tell her everything.
"In a dream, but not your dream."
"Almost everyone in this world dreams. To some extent, dreams are a reflection of human obsessions and desires. A substance called the Innate Appearance is scattered among ordinary people. The Innate Appearance intensifies desires and deepens obsessions, thus creating a malicious dream and turning the dream's owner into a monster that it can control. In our world, this monster is called a 'Liang'."
"The power of the spirit should not be underestimated. If it were to take shape, it might even break through the dream world and come to the human world. At that time, ordinary humans in the real world would suffer. That is why we exist."
“Enter the dream, find the spirit that is trying its best to hide in order to take shape, kill it, and take back the Natural Stone.” Feng Feng paused for a moment, staring into Xia Zhu’s eyes, “It’s that green stone. The spirit will die and leave the stone behind, and the dream master will return from the dream to the real world, forget everything and start living as a human again.”
"Natural appearance?" She caught two similar words in Feng Feng's words. "What does this have to do with the physiognomy you mentioned?"
"Ah Zhu, you're so smart!" Feng Feng gave Xia Zhu a thumbs up with admiration. "The innate physiognomy will generate a certain physiognomy power in the Dream Master, that is, the Liang. It is of the same origin as our physiognomy power. However, our physiognomy power is passed down from generation to generation and continues through bloodline."
"Families with innate facial features will pass on their facial power through bloodlines, and those with outstanding abilities within the family can become unseen officials," Feng Feng said, getting up from the bed.
"The world is turned upside down, and the dream is transformed. The time to break the demon is thirty-two days later." She put her right hand on her hip, touched her right ear with the other hand, and raised her small face slightly.
"This is the duty of the Unknown Official: to infiltrate the dream world, eliminate evil and promote good. Feng Mian and I are such righteous, awe-inspiring, brave and fearless Unknown Officials!" Several flying leaves swirled around Feng Feng's head.
Feng Feng stood with her hands on her hips and her head held high, looking proud. Xia Zhu was amused by her appearance and felt that the ring of leaves on her head was glowing. When she heard her talk about breaking through the demon in thirty-two days, she remembered the date that was displayed on her phone in her dream. Maybe that was the meaning. Then everything made sense.
"Alright." Feng Mian reached out and pulled Feng Feng back to sit on the bed. "Xiao Feng has given you a brief explanation of our identities and backgrounds. We can talk about more later. Right now, the most important thing is you, A-Zhu." Feng Mian's serious expression made Xia Zhu put away her smile.
"I?"
"Yes, do you remember how we first met? It was when Xiaofeng and I had just killed Liang in a dream, and the Natural Aspect Stone had just been extracted from its body. Before we could retrieve it, you suddenly appeared out of thin air and then disappeared, along with the Natural Aspect Stone that we hadn't retrieved yet."
“You are not one of our major families because you have family members, a surname different from ours, and what’s even stranger is that you don’t even have Fu Yu.”
“Fu Yu?” Xia Zhu asked.
"The talisman is the symbol of the family and the key to entering dreams. The dream world that has produced the spirit cannot be entered casually; one must possess the family talisman. At least, in the history of the Unknown Officials, there is no precedent for anyone entering a dream without a talisman."
“This is Fu Yu.” Feng Feng leaned his head forward, revealing the brown bead on his right ear. “My brother and I each have one.”
Indeed, Feng Mian also had a similar bead on his right ear.
Xia Zhu moved closer. The bead was like a piece of fine jade, clear and translucent, radiating a gentle jade light. She noticed that there seemed to be a totem pattern engraved in the middle of the bead, which slowly rotated as she looked at it. The totem looked like a large tree with lush branches swaying in the wind.
“There’s one more thing.” Feng Mian’s tone changed slightly. “Even if you were a descendant of a certain family who had been separated from the world, that would be understandable. But the ability we saw through Xiao Feng’s deception—healing wounds and bringing birds back to life—doesn’t belong to any of the major families. Xia Zhu, who exactly are you?”
A note from the author:
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