บท 31: 30 Poison Flowers
After much thought, I finally decided not to use the "Firefly" to follow Zhu Shi.
Regardless of the ever-departing Mazao, since I had resolved to establish a relationship with Zhu Shi and Luo Mountain, it would be inappropriate to undertake actions that might damage that relationship. Zhu Shi was not Changan—being a demon hunter, she might discover my "Firefly." Even though she seemed not to have noticed when I eavesdropped on her call or when she was previously with Changan at the hospital, it was hard to say with the passage of time; everything had its limits.
Walking home, I still reveled in the recent interaction with Zhu Shi.
This was the first time I officially revealed in front of someone else, especially someone I knew, that I was a supernatural power user. Although I had always insisted on hiding my real power, I had secretly hoped for a scene in front of others where I could reveal my sacredness.
Wealth not returning to one's hometown was like wearing brocade at night. Having great power and not showing it to anyone around was no different from walking in brocade at night.
Back in high school, I couldn't help but fantasize before sleeping, imagining there was a person with exceptional observational and deductive skills who could detect the subtle suspicious hints about me and, through a series of magical deductions and self-denial, painfully reconfigure his worldview, and finally, following the clues, find his way to me, expressing his reasoning with intense shock and disbelief—Zhuang Cheng, are you really a supernatural power user?
At that moment, I would calmly acknowledge his deductions and demonstrate my superpower—Yes, I am.
Who would have thought that this time, though I indeed revealed the truth to a friend's sister that I was a supernatural power user, she unexpectedly transformed in front of me into a member of the mysterious demon hunter organization.
It always felt different from what I had imagined...
Just as I was contemplatively pondering this, my phone suddenly sounded a notification for an incoming message. Checking it, it was a message from Zhu Shi. The content was brief:
"By the way, Senior Brother Zhuang, you are not allowed to return to investigate the cave of the fifteenth floor tonight. Just in case, I've already asked an agent to watch over it! (⌒▽⌒)☆"
What a sister with huge contrasts.
The first time we met, she addressed me as Senior Brother, likely because she had already planned to enroll at Saltwater University. And now, having truly become a freshman at Saltwater University, I truly deserved the title of Senior Brother.
"I got it, Sister Zhu." I texted back.
After a while, I arrived at my doorstep, having specially bought some late-night snacks, carrying them in two plastic bags.
The "Firefly" had already returned ahead of me and confirmed Mazao's status. Mazao was still at home, just like when I had left, lying curled up on the couch in the living room.
However, she now seemed very tired, lying curled up on the couch. The mystery novel I had recommended to her was half-open beside her head. Some old magazines I had bought out of curiosity were also placed on the coffee table, showing signs of being sifted through.
She was still wearing the gray shirt and trousers I had given her. Perhaps taking my earlier comment "feel free to use anything in the house" a bit too literally, she had found some rubber bands and had used them to secure the sleeves and the trouser legs rolled up to her wrists and ankles.
I opened the door and walked into the house, heading over to where she was. Her sleep quality was poor, her eyes tightly shut, her brows furrowed, and she made unclear whimpers like a small animal. Although she was asleep, her body was still tensed like a bow.
Although I had previously thought, "Now that I have Luo Mountain, do I still need Mazao?" seeing her again, I couldn't help but discard all those thoughts.
Not just because I still needed Mazao to neutralize the unknown repelling effects related to the strange events. Honestly, my first thought wasn't even about that. Sometimes I had to admit, I was more short-sighted, focusing on what was within reach, and quite childish, easily swayed by emotions. Her figure awakened the mysteries about her embedded in my mind, making me irretrievably drawn to her again.
I turned around and placed the two plastic bags on the coffee table. Wanting to keep an eye on her as before, I thought of carrying her to the bedroom to sleep, while I would take the couch. However, the moment my fingers touched the crook of her knee, she suddenly startled awake, eyes snapping open. In an instant, she sprang up agilely, one hand grabbing my arm while the other shot towards my throat.
The development felt similar to something that had happened during the day; was I about to be locked in a joint technique by her again?
I reflexively harbored this thought. Even though I knew I wouldn't be harmed, it felt like when someone suddenly jumps out to scare you as you turn a corner in the hallway—anyone would be startled, so I was a bit startled too.
In the next instant, her swift and agile movements paused as if hitting a pause button. The hand that was about to choke my throat emergency braked from "choking" to "touching."
"Zhuang Cheng?" she asked in a puzzled tone.
"It's me," I replied, calming my heartbeat, "I'm back."
She stared blankly for a few seconds before reclining back, sitting cross-legged on the couch.
"Where did you think you were?" I asked.
"I'm sorry," she said morosely.
"I'm not blaming you," I placed one of the bags containing food on her lap, "Look, what did I bring for you?"
She looked down, her nose twitched, her eyes lighting up, "Is that..."
I took out a steaming hot cheese-stuffed chicken cutlet from the bag in a friendly tone, "I figured you might be wanting something to eat at this hour, so I brought you some late-night snacks."
"I'm not that gluttonous," she complained, yet her eyes couldn't leave the fried food I held.
I playfully challenged, "So, you don't want to eat it?"
"…I want to eat," she admitted reluctantly.
"Go ahead and eat," I placed the chicken cutlet in her hand and took something else from the other plastic bag, "Here's also some ice cream, you can have this after the chicken cutlet."
"Ice cream? I've read about it in texts before—it's a delicious thing, isn't it?" Her eyes widened as she looked at the chocolate-flavored ice cream in my hand.
That's right, go ahead and eat it, you may eat until your stomach's upset, then you won't be able to leave my house... I kept my thoughts secret and continued to encourage her to eat the late-night snack. She seemed increasingly eager.
Suddenly, she looked up with suspicion and asked, "Aren't you eating?"
"Yes."
It seemed she wouldn't start eating if I were just watching. Fortunately, I had anticipated this and bought two portions.
After a long while, we finished everything. She seemed temporarily satisfied and unconsciously revealed a blissful smile.
Maybe because she was already tired, eating made her even sleepier, and her eyelids began to droop. I persuaded her to go back to the bedroom to sleep, but she insisted on sleeping on the sofa.
"Isn't there only one bed? This is your house, you should sleep in the bed," she relaxed more than before, and remarked, "You are truly strange. Are you the only nice person left in this era? If it were the Doomsday Era, someone like you would die off quickly."
"Not necessarily. There are many bad people in this era too." I shamelessly accepted the title of being a nice guy and asked, "From what you've mentioned before, you seem to have come across information about this era. What did they say?"
"I didn't come across much information, and a lot of it was written by people from the Doomsday Era based on their memories and impressions. They say, during the era of civilization, people's morals were very high," she said earnestly, "People who grew up in the Doomsday Era would never believe it, knowing only deception and harm, thinking only of gaining advantages for themselves; while those who grew up in the era of civilization were honest, united, rational, hardworking, and generous…"
She thought for a moment and added, "Also, they treated their jobs extremely seriously, even cleaning toilets until it was clean enough to drink the water inside…"
"Wait, wait, wait…" I felt more troubled as she spoke, "That last bit—what documents and whose memories are they even based on?"
She picked up an old magazine from the coffee table, flipped to a page, and pointed at the text, "Isn't it written just like this?"
I closed the case right there, "That's a made-up horror story, it's fake."
"I didn't believe those either, but after meeting you, I started to wonder if the tales I heard about the civilized era could be true." She said, and yawned.
"I should clarify, I definitely won't be drinking toilet water," I said.
"Why would I expect you to do that? You've been kind to me, I don't even know how to repay you…" She became more fatigued, her body wobbling.
A while later, she couldn't resist anymore and fell asleep again.
Her being so easily tired, could it also be due to the soul trauma she mentioned? I tried again to lift her in my arms. Although she insisted on sleeping on the sofa, it was of course rational for her to be in the bed and me on the sofa, so I could quickly notice any movements from her after sleeping. This wasn't me being soft-hearted. She didn't wake up as I carried her to the bedroom, laid her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.
I didn't know if she was having nightmares again, but her brows furrowed, and her body tensed up.
I extended my finger, smoothing out the wrinkles between her brows, and silently gathered warmth, making the inside of the blanket warm and cozy. Her expression gradually softened, and her whole body relaxed.
Visions of her happily smiling after tasting delicious food, and her knees slightly shaking like a child's, appeared in my mind as I looked at her now calm and relaxed face.
I slowly withdrew my finger, pondering all the past events.
Though there were still parts I couldn't be certain about, based on my observation and experience, it was no longer necessary to add prefixes like perhaps, maybe, or possibly to the reality of Mazao's Broom Star Physique.
The cave, ritual array, Luo Mountain, Zhu Shi, Agent Kong, Fallen Demon Hunter... Ever since Mazao arrived, I have started encountering mysterious things that I never faced in my previous life, one after the other.
It was like being a protagonist in a fantasy story, who lived a boring, uneventful life before the story began, but walked into a massive calamity once it started, with one trouble following another.
Despite my efforts in the past, I could never touch anything related to the bizarre; yet now, these things seemed to come knocking on their own, and it seemed that every step forward could lead to a new adventure.
If this wasn't Mazao looking out for me, then how else could it be explained?
At least, I am willing to believe that this is indeed the case.
And this also meant that I had to make decisions about our relationship in the future, on the basis that Mazao's Broom Star Physique would affect 'the people around those near her.'
I needed to make a choice—
Either give up on continuing my association with Mazao, send her out of my house right now, returning to a boring, uneventful, but safe life, avoiding any harm to anyone;
Or distance myself from all ordinary social relations, from family, friends, classmates...and separate from normal society, choosing to maintain my relationship with Mazao.
…
Indeed, a dangerously fascinating flower.
Good, just as I wanted.
I love destructive flowers, the more toxic, the more enticing.
I chose to maintain my relationship with Mazao.
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