Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Song Lan appeared quite unconvinced by my thoughts.
"Your perspective is too narrow. Don't limit yourself to what you see before you, and don't so easily determine your own fate," he shook his head disapprovingly. "The world is vast; there are certainly other places that need you and are more suited for you. Don't confine yourself here."
Being repeatedly dismissed left me feeling somewhat irritated.
I silently stared at him for a while before I couldn't help but say, "Do you find me bothersome, Master? Are you eager to drive me out of Potter's Field?"
Song Lan had always taken good care of me and treated me well, but for some reason, he consistently expressed discontent regarding my insistence on staying in Potter's Field.
Previously, he would only mention it occasionally, but recently, the frequency of this topic had noticeably increased. The repetitive nature of the conversation began to wear on me, and I gradually felt a sense of displeasure.
Why was he so opposed to my staying? Did my presence truly inconvenience someone? Did he want to force me out to fend for myself?
Although I had always tried to avoid this topic, it still left an uncomfortable knot in my heart.
Now that he was so insistent, perhaps it was better to lay everything out clearly!
With that thought, the frustration that had filled my chest suddenly erupted, causing me to speak without thinking:
"If you really want to get rid of someone, at least come up with a decent excuse to pretend! Don't just jump at every opportunity to push me out!"
"No, that's not..." Song Lan looked taken aback by my reaction. "You misunderstood; that's not what I meant..."
"Unfortunately, even if you find me bothersome, I'm not going anywhere," I declared resolutely, ignoring his denial. "After all, I have no other place to go and can only stubbornly stay here."
Moreover, I had occupied this Potter's Field first; it should be you who leaves—this thought nearly escaped my lips but I swallowed it down.
I couldn't let my emotions dictate my words; anything said in anger should not be spoken lightly.
No matter what happens, one should face it calmly, as Anyeah once advised.
I took a deep breath, hoisted Fenghua onto my back, and disregarded everyone's calls as I walked out of the cave, feeling flustered.
***
"...So, don't you think that's a bit excessive?!" I complained in a jumble of words and then looked to the side for Snow's agreement.
Snow stared at me with an expression that seemed utterly lifeless.
"Meow?" (Are you asking for my opinion?)
"Uh... actually, I didn't really expect you to say anything! I just wanted to vent a little," I said, settling down beneath Snow's statue, resting my chin on one hand while the other picked up a twig to doodle on the ground.
"Meow?" (Usually at times like this, you would go find that Suan Ni, right? Why come to me?)
I thought for a moment and replied, "...Because your face looks more grumpy, so you're more suitable for me to unload my troubles on?"
After all, Grandmaster always appeared carefree; just seeing him made it hard to express any gloomy thoughts. Besides, I figured that even if I did share them, he would probably just look confused and indicate that he didn’t understand anything.
"...Meow?" (Don't you think that's a bit harsh too?) Snow couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Well... because you're more thoughtful, you're more suitable for me to confide in," I rephrased as she wished.
"Meow?" (So, what exactly do you want from me? Should I go teach that zombie a lesson for you?)
At those words, I was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Well, thank you for your kind intentions, but there's no need to go that far!"
To be honest, if it really came down to a confrontation, who would teach whom a lesson was still uncertain!
After laughing for a while, I, Xu Ran, took a deep breath and immediately felt a significant reduction in the frustration within me.
They say that as long as you can still laugh, it means things aren't as bad as you think. After a good laugh, the elevated serotonin levels can calm the chaotic thoughts, preventing them from spiraling further into a dead end.
Looking back now, I realize I had indeed overreacted.
I had thrown a tantrum without thinking, and now I couldn't bring myself to go back and face it; I could only quietly stay here and kill time.
I was relieved that I hadn't said those words of severance earlier; otherwise, things would have been even harder to mend...
However, thinking from another perspective, the fact that NPC Song Zichen would say such things might actually indicate that the tasks in this area were complete and it was time to move on to the next one?
That said, regarding the tasks, to be honest, I still didn't feel any substantial sense of them; it all seemed like some delusion typical of an overly dramatic mindset.
Moreover, where exactly was I supposed to go next? At least a hint should be given! With no explanation at all, did they expect me to figure out how to randomly trigger tasks? Sorry, but I'd rather choose to continue lounging around or wait for the tasks to come knocking on my door.
"...Xiaohua, are you still angry?" A-Qing approached and seemed relieved when she saw me with Xue Tsou.
"Um..." Seeing A-Qing made me feel unexpectedly awkward. For a moment, I didn't know how to react and could only lower my head and doodle aimlessly on the ground.
A-Qing cautiously moved closer. When she saw that I wasn't rejecting her presence, she sat down beside me.
"Um... you misunderstood Master Song. He really doesn't mean to drive you away," she began earnestly. "Master Song... how should I put it? You know how straightforward Daoists can be; they often speak without any nuance, which can lead to misunderstandings... Master Song simply hopes that you can travel around and broaden your horizons like your master did. That way, your life won't seem too dull."
"I think there's nothing wrong with living a simpler life..." I muttered dismissively.
"Well... just look at your master; she has so many unique stories to tell. But you can only repeat the stories she shared with you. Don't you think it's a pity that you don't have a story of your own?"
"I think I could weave quite an extraordinary story from my days in Potter's Field," I murmured softly.
"Ah—don't make me say something just for you to retort! You little brat, how am I supposed to continue like this?" A-Qing exclaimed, exasperated, as she grabbed a bamboo pole and waved it threateningly.
At her words, I paused for a moment before bursting into laughter. "You're the one who's impatient; you're the real brat here!" If we're being honest, I'm actually the oldest among us!
However... well, judging by my current sulky behavior, I might indeed be acting more childish than anyone else.
"Honestly... Master Song did mention that you struggle with social interactions, but is it really necessary to shut everyone out like this?" A-Qing looked at me in confusion. "Putting everything else aside, Xiaohua, have you really never considered exploring other places? Didn't you say that socializing and traveling to broaden your horizons are different things? If that's the case..."
"That's true for Master, not for me," I interrupted her calmly.
A-Qing was momentarily taken aback, her brow furrowing as she asked, "Then what do you think?"
"Um..." I hesitated for a moment. "If I'm being honest, I believe that living people are far scarier than the dead..."
A-Qing was left speechless for quite a while.
"Well, I can't argue whether what you said is right or wrong, but..." She frowned and looked directly at me. "Have you ever gone through something?"
I simply doodled aimlessly on the ground, refusing to respond.
In truth, there was nothing significant that I'd experienced... or rather, those memories that felt terrible and painful to me often seemed trivial to others. So even if I shared them, it wouldn't matter much.
In any case, let's just blame everything on social anxiety!
"Xiaohua?"
"...There's nothing more to say." I sighed deeply. "Please stop asking." I forcibly changed the subject.
"Oh..." A-Qing quietly rubbed her nose. "Then, please don't be angry anymore. Come back, okay?"
"This..." I awkwardly buried my face in my knees. "I can't face them..."
A-Qing paused for a moment, then patted my shoulder in understanding.
"It's fine. If you just run off like this, Daozhang and the others will only worry more." She stood up and tugged at my hand, trying to pull me up from the ground. "Come on! Let's go back together."
"Wait." I pulled her down with a quick motion. "Just give me a moment; I'm not ready yet..."
"Geez, really!" A-Qing sighed helplessly, then turned to me with a triumphant smile. "You've finally grown older, but your mind doesn't seem to have matured much. You're still just a little brat!"
"Um..." I found myself at a loss for how to retort.
Forget it! A brat is a brat! After all, the original owner of this body was just a child; I was merely forced to adapt.
Seeing this, the snow fox beside us couldn't help but roll its eyes.
"Meow..." (Tsk! This little brat calling another brat a brat—what even is this...)
Comment 0 Comment Count