Capítulo 95: Wu Jianyu in Shrek City
Jianyu was frustrated: it was terrible how he'd been in this city for a week now, yet had seen none of it! And now. Finally, he could explore this city. Finally!
This was Shrek City for heaven's sake! How could his sister not let him explore it! If he didn't love her so much, he would have run away ages ago. She might as well have been keeping him in a prison!
Or, at the very least, that was how Jianyu saw it. A truly, truly inane decision by his sibling. As well as his parents—he tried calling them, but they never picked up.
He was left with himself, following Siduo because he had to. Doing boring adult things.
And now he finally saw it. The big, great City of Shrek. The largest and greatest city on the continent.
And the first order of business? Food! Directly in front of the academy, where many students usually ate. Though due to it being winter holidays, the place was filled with foreigners. This was the closest tourists could get to seeing Shrek Academy. The academy itself was not a destination a tourist could visit, which ironically made it even more popular to see.
Jianyu had entered it before, but he didn't have the time to look around either; he only went to Siduo's dorm room. Siduo promised to show him around later.
They chose the restaurant Karni and Siduo usually visited when they didn't eat at the school canteen. They started visiting the place after Karni joined Tang Wulin's group. Wulin showed Karni the place, and Karni showed it to Siduo. It was one of the better restaurants around here.
They entered, and Jianyu found himself at a problem which he regularly experienced in restaurants. He just could not choose!
"I suggest the Earthy Dragon Menu." A voice interrupted them before Jianyu could have a proper time to think.
Karni turned to look and saw Tang Wulin. He got a sense of Déjà vu.
Jianyu turned to look, confused at Tang Wulin's appearance. "You look familiar."
Tang Wulin nodded. "I should be. We met once in Eastsea City, before your sister and brother came to Shrek."
"Ohhh." Jianyu thought, but still couldn't quite remember.
"Wulin," Karni wondered. "How come you stayed here?"
"Well… I don't really have a family to visit…" He quieted down before cheering himself back up. "So I'm going to Heaven Dou City later today to my Blacksmithing teacher."
"Heaven Dou City?" Jianyu asked. "Mister, you can travel alone at this age? So far?"
Tang Wulin grinned. "Of course. Don't worry. When you're a big boy you will also be allowed to travel alone."
Siduo nodded at her brother, but the little boy did not seem amused. "I'm already a big boy!"
The trio was silenced, who could argue with such a strong argument. After a while, Karni smiled. "I suppose you are. But you need to be even bigger."
"Oh." Jianyu looked disappointed. When he got his Spirit Soul 9 months ago, he really thought he'd be taken more seriously. He wasn't at all. Even though he had already reached rank 14!
As much as Wulin enjoyed this little scene of Déjà vu, he had places to be. "You guys have fun. I still have some things to prepare before I leave."
As soon as Tang Wulin left, Karni and Siduo looked at each other. Karni used his control over sound to talk in secret. "This is definitely one of those times."
Siduo looked disturbed. Something terrible would happen today. And Tang Wulin would not be able to save everyone. They could change the outcome. This time it wasn't just one person that needed saving. They could save more people.
She turned to look at Jianyu, who was grumbling because they were whispering. Yet again a moment when they treated him like someone who could not take care of himself.
Siduo sighed. "I want to help. We have to." She turned to her brother who was still grumbling. "Jianyu," she now spoke without Karni's transmission of sound. "Would you be okay with us movin-"
"No, no, no, no, NO!" Jianyu turned angry. They can't do this. Again? He would have to do nothing again?
"Just for today!" Siduo pleaded. "We'll call on a friend to-"
"NO!" The boy screamed. The whole restaurant turned quiet due to the kid. He was throwing a tantrum. What was supposed to be a holiday with his sister—a fun holiday—was turning into being alone. But worst of all. He felt like he was unwanted here. Like he was some obstacle.
Children had trouble navigating these feelings when it was the first time they were faced with them. Jianyu was no different. Jianyu was also quite spoiled, being the member of the Wu Family and all. He felt like he was a bother, but he didn't want to be one. He also wanted to simply be noticed a bit, but knew that would bother them. But he didn't like that it bothered them. He wanted to at least be acknowledged. He felt entitled at least to that much! He'd been patient for a week already, after all. It was a cycle of thought he couldn't escape.
The boy started to cry. Siduo's heart cracked a bit. She had an incredibly soft spot for her little brother, but lives were about to be on the line. Every second wasting time with this, their chances of saving people decreased.
"Jianyu." She said in a soft voice, looking at him with equally soft eyes. "I promise you. Tomorrow, we can-"
"No." The boy cried but didn't shout anymore, then jumped off the chair and ran out of the restaurant, not knowing how to process his feelings, but not wanting to face them either.
"Shit." Siduo paused for a second, realising she can't just run out.
"Go. I'll pay for the food."
Siduo smiled at Karni bitterly and gave him a slight peck on the cheek. "Thanks."
At the end of the day, Jianyu was still a kid. And kids needed to learn through mistakes and sometimes a good stern talking to. But Siduo could also see where it all came from. All she needed was to hold him tight and explain things. Jianyu was a smart kid—but that didn't mean he was emotionally mature already.
Karni stood up to walk to the counter, paying for the food they ordered, despite not even getting it yet.
The server looked at Karni's apologetic look and smiled bitterly. "We haven't started prepping your food yet. You don't need to pay."
"I… Thank you so much. And sorry."
He then turned to look and was about to leave before Siduo came running in, eyes wide. "He's gone!"
Karni turned. "What? How?"
"He used his Martial Soul! People said they saw a lightning streak pass. I tried to follow what they said for a bit, but it takes too much time to ask people and follow at the same time!"
Karni had never seen Siduo so disturbed before. No matter what situation they have been in before, this is the wildest she'd been until now.
"Sisi." Karni grabbed her shoulders. "Slow down. Follow the trail, even if it is slow. Let's go."
"What about?"
"We'll call people on the way. We can try getting a hold of Wulin and Teacher Mo."
… … …
Jianyu finally slowed down. He went through so many alleyways and now he was lost. Great. He just proved them correct. That he was indeed someone that should be looked after. A little kid.
He wiped his eyes. They were still teary. Why did he have to do that in a public space? All of it was coming back to him. He felt ashamed. But he was also still mad. It still wasn't fair.
He breathed in to calm himself. Like his big brother and sister taught him. Cultivation helped to calm him down as well. Especially so during their time in Star Luo Continent. He had learned from that. It was time to use that knowledge for once.
He quickly circulated his Soul Power. Moping around more than this would not do him any good. He was lost and he needed to find a way back to his sister and brother… That and it might be a good idea to go and find them some sort of a gift to.
Yes. That was a perfect idea. He could apologise and prove he had learned his lesson by being mature. Though he still felt that it wasn't fair, he could now recognise that him running off was far worse.
Children and their mindset. After a storm, the sun could start shining just as fast.
With a goal in mind, Jianyu recollected and started walking around randomly. It really was a busy time. No matter which street he visited, there were hundreds of people present. Even the alleyways he ran through before with his Martial Soul were filled.
Jianyu ran to the first shop that resembled a gift shop—maybe a tourist shop. Now he had to think of something to buy. Something suitable.
But what was suitable, exactly? It was a hard question for him. Siduo and Karni had a lot of their time taken up by Soul Master things, less so by hobbies.
What would his sister like? She used to like vehicles. He even had memories of her researching some things in regard to them. Was she still researching them? But that was before Shrek and before they visited the other continent. In fact, he did not remember exactly what his sister was doing on that continent, because of how busy she was.
As for Karni, he remembered his big brother enjoying drawing at times, but was that drawing or was he designing. Oh, and he played the drums… but only the drums. And where would he find an instrument anyway? Also, didn't Karni have a problem when it came to playing some music instruments due to his Martial Soul? Was that still a thing or not? But he also made a game for Jianyu. He could buy one of those… though he didn't remember anything like that in stores. Maybe he would make one? No, that would take too much time!
"Ahh. Too many questions. I'll just buy what feels right."
So he went into the store. And the closest thing he could find was some keychains. If only they had the ones he wanted. Maybe some tiny instrument or a keychain car? That might be a cool apology gift.
He went out to another store. Now he had an idea of what to buy, now he just had to find these. There was one tiny, itsy bitsy problem. He'd never gone shopping like this before, not alone at least. He didn't know any stores that would sell that type of thing.
He went into the next shop. This one was not a tourist one, just a general one. The tourist shops had the problem of having everything be Shrek themed. Great for gifting to people that did not live in Shrek City, terrible for the locals, which Karni and Siduo have basically become.
He looked around this next store, and the next one, and the next one. Only to find nothing. His ideas crumbled. He had to start thinking of other options. Maybe if he just looked around, something would come to him? It felt like a sound strategy.
So he looked and looked, and surprisingly, his strategy worked. Somewhat. In one of the general stores he read the label of a box that caught his eye. Especially the words of advertisement. It was a pink box. Said it was enough for two partners… "To be protected and loved. Safety for both of us." He read the words out loud.
"Mm. This is perfect." Jianyu picked up the box. It would convey both his love for his sister and big brother, as well as his wish to protect them. Even if it is them who would usually be protecting him. It was the thought that counted.
Since this was a joint gift, it gave him thought for other options. There was that drink that the two of them enjoyed since Star Luo Continent. That could be a joint gift too. What was it called again? Cocoa? He went around the store, looking for any bags that resemble those. He remembered what they looked like. He stopped at a section. It only said coffee. There was no cocoa.
Mission failed. He took the pink box from before with him and went to the counter. He didn't wait too long. This was a general store, not a gift shop. It wasn't that busy.
The lady at the counter took the box and raised her eyebrow. "Kiddo, why do you need this?"
"It's a gift for my sister and brother."
"A gift? So this is your surprise."
"Mhm." Jianyu smiled.
The lady had to turn a bit. Jianyu didn't see, but there were some giggles escaping the lady. She scanned the box and Jianyu handed over the money. He had learned how to use it by now.
Since the lady at the counter asked questions, he got the courage to ask one of his own. "Miss, would you happen to know where to find a shop that sells cocoa?"
"Cocoa?" The lady went into thought. "I'm not sure I know what that is."
"It comes in bags like the coffee bags."
"Hm. In that case there are some coffee shops down the road known for their exquisite taste. Your sister might like that."
"Ah. Thank you." Jianyu ran away, while the lady went to a colleague at a different counter.
"You won't believe what that kid just bought."
Jianyu was unaware of many things, so this was his first time going out to buy things. He put the box in his bag and quickly found the shop. It was busy. People kept on going in and out, the door never rested. Apparently, this also served as a sort of tourist shop.
He entered, feeling slightly pressured by the crowd. It was a big shop, and the coffee displayed felt oddly magical. It was all in fancy decoration. There was a reason the shop was so popular.
Seeing the lost boy wander in, one of the clerks walked up to him, prioritising the child over the grown-ups that could take care of themselves. "Boy, are you lost?"
Jianyu shook his head, even though he technically was lost. "I'm looking for cocoa."
The clerk was a bit surprised. "That one is quite rare. It sells out incredibly fast in the mornings. Especially so now that it's winter. Other shops in the city face a similar problem. I'm afraid you will have quite some trouble finding it. You could come tomorrow though? I could put one on the side for you in the morning?"
Jianyu's face soured. "I can't wait until tomorrow."
"What do you need it for?" The clerk asked with a well-trained smile.
"I want to give it to my big brother and sister. It's one of their favourite drinks in the morning."
"Oh? What a thoughtful young man." The clerk thought for a bit. "Well, you might not be able to buy it, but I'm sure they're struggling to buy cocoa in Shrek during the winter. You can tell them a tidbit of information. Heaven Dou City has some branches from coffee shops here. The train ride isn't that long either. I think that can be a good gift too."
Jianyu's face brightened. That was good news. This lady seemed quite knowledgeable. Maybe he could consider buying the original idea for the gift as well? "Kind lady, do you maybe know a store that would sell keychains?"
The clerk raised her eyebrows. What an odd kid. He asked a question completely unrelated to the coffee shop. "You might find some luck across the street, but there are many tourist shops on this street. Go have a look around."
"Thank you!" Jianyu ran away and waved to the lady. He immediately went to the shop across the street. It was also full, but it did feel different than the other tourist shop he visited.
There were hundreds of tiny items around the store. The biggest one was the size of his head. He could definitely find something here. He had to hold himself back so he wouldn't waste money on something that he liked. There were so many things!
He had to stay focused, he had to-
It was perfect. He just found one of his gifts. It was a car, maybe the size of an adult's palm. He touched it and turned it to look at its details. The design was simple but classic, it was low in height, but kind of blocky. He didn't know what firm was, but the most important one was that it didn't have any over-designed things. Some of the cars had a weird 3D design of Shrek on it. He didn't like that.
This one had Dark Green metallic colour, and it felt cold to the touch as well. He might be a novice, but he could tell it was of decent quality. He looked at the price and cringed. It would take a third of his savings…
Worth it. He somehow knew his sister was going to like this one.
Good. One personal gift done, one more to go. He kept on looking around. Past this section, to the more woodworking section. But there still wasn't anything there-
He backtracked.
A tiny instrument. Guitar shaped keychain. Well, it wasn't on a chain, it was just a tiny guitar. He had heard stories of Karni playing the guitar when he first came to their household. When his own birth was announced.
There were many reasons why Jianyu considered Karni as his own brother. One of them being the fact that he knew him from the moment he was born. The other being that Karni always treated him like his own little brother.
He knew that Karni loved music, his very Martial Soul focused on it. And this felt like it could be a very symbolic gift. It wasn't that expensive either, yet it was still intricately carved.
He was happy. He had everything. A tiny guitar and a small green car. He bought them and stepped out, suddenly focused and serious. One final mission and his apology would be complete.
Filled with a bit more confidence after his new success at independence, he started asking questions because he didn't know the city. "How do I get to the train station that leads to Heaven Dou City?"
… … …
He finally arrived. Jianyu was both nervous and excited. He started thinking of this as a rite of passage. It was really all in his head. If he could show that he could go from Heaven Dou City and back, with a gift, well, he would have the best apology in the world.
He managed to navigate through the process of buying the card—kindly helped by the receptionist—and boarded and sat on a random seat, somewhere in the middle of the train. Jianyu relaxed the hard part was over. The ride would take about an hour. He was old enough now not to get bored on such rides anymore. Or at the very least, that was how he imagined himself—he still pulled out the video game that Karni made for him.
5 minutes after the train departed, he noticed a familiar figure. The guy he met earlier in the day, who recommended him food. Oh, no. What if the guy would tell on him to his brother and sister?
He leaned against the window, trying to play it off as casually as possible.
"Wait… Siduo's little brother?"
Jianyu clenched his teeth, nervous. He still recognised him! He turned to look at Tang Wulin with an innocent look. "Yes?"
"You're here alone? Where are Karni and Wu Siduo?"
"They're… I'm alone. I want to go buy a gift for them."
Tang Wulin almost burst out laughing. "Big sister Mo Lan, can I bring this kid with me?"
"Of course." There was a smiling lady behind Tang Wulin that Jianyu didn't recognise.
"Come on now." Tang Wulin offered his hand, which Jianyu reluctantly took. She seemed to be a staff member of the train in some way.
They sat down in a more comfortable section of the train. Definitely more expensive than what he paid for.
"What's your name?" Tang Wulin asked after a while. Mo Lan was also curious from the side. She led them to the seats. She used to be worried about Tang Wulin going alone, yet here was this six or seven-year-old, alone because he wanted to buy a gift.
"Jianyu." The boy answered softly.
"Well, Jianyu. Do your sister and Karni know that you're here?"
Jianyu shook his head.
"Haii." Tang Wulin sighed. "You should really tell them. Even if you want to surprise them, don't you think they would be worried? You can still surprise them without needing to worry them."
Jianyu didn't make eye contact. Tang Wulin was right. He had been ignoring that aspect for a while now.
"Come on then, let's give them a call." Tang Wulin turned on his Soul Communicator. "Oh? I have so many missed calls."
… … …
Siduo was frantic. Karni was frantic. They've been following the trail for two hours, asking people if they saw a lightning streak by.
And many people did, thankfully. This led them to a busy street, which was yet another problem. They couldn't juggle many things simultaneously. One was finding out people who saw Jianyu, the other was calling people about the train incident that was about to unfold.
Mo Qing had his communicator off, so did Tang Wulin. The others of their team were all on holidays. The signal was intentionally jammed in the orphanage to keep it hidden, so they couldn't contact Shishi or Kexin either. Everything was going wrong!
They knew Jianyu had been here. They had so many clues. The counter lady at one store looked at them weirdly, another smiled that he wanted to buy them cocoa. At the very least, Jianyu was feeling apologetic. But now he was nowhere in sight!
Karni's communicator rang. It was Tang Wulin. Finally! He quickly picked up. "Wulin! You finally saw the calls!"
"Yeah. Only because I happened to run into Siduo's little brother. He's with me!"
Karni relaxed. Finally, He could solve two problems at once. "Where are you?"
"Well, we are on the train. Went off towards Heaven Dou City a few minutes ago. I can watch over Jianyu for a while-"
"Train?" Karni's face paled. "No, no, no."
"Karni?" Tang Wulin questioned from the other side.
"Fuck."
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
AzKoPo
AzKoPo I'm aware this is a cliffhanger, so the next chapter will be out sometime during the weekend.
Enjoy!
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