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墨書 Inktalez
"I'm so tired..."
"It's so hard..."
After watching the two Taoist priests head down the mountain for a night hunt, A-Qing and I couldn't help but collapse into a heap of exhaustion.
"I didn't expect learning to be this difficult..." A-Qing murmured in complaint.
"Hehe, regretting it now?" I teased.
"Hmph! Not at all!" A-Qing huffed defiantly. "Just you wait! Maybe I'll end up being even better than you!"
"By the way, A-Qing, why do you want to learn when you're just a wisp of a soul?" I asked casually, without any particular intention behind it.
"What? What's wrong with being a soul? Do you look down on wandering spirits?" A-Qing glared at me with her hands on her hips, clearly annoyed.
"No, I just find your thirst for knowledge a bit surprising," I replied with a smile.
"Hmph! Think about it—this Potter's Field used to be the territory of that Dark Overlord, right? Who knows if he hid some powerful martial arts manuals or treasures here? If one day I happen to stumble upon them and can't understand anything, wouldn't that be such a waste? But if I can read them, maybe I could even learn an unparalleled skill and roam the world!"
"Pfft, hahaha..." I couldn't help but burst into laughter at A-Qing's whimsical thoughts.
As everyone knows, after Wei Wuxian's demise during the first raid on Potter's Field, his personal belongings and research materials were divided among various Esotericism clans, leaving not even a scrap behind for her to treasure hunt.
Besides, how could she possibly cultivate unparalleled martial arts as just a fleeting wisp of Wandering Spirits?
"Ugh, laugh all you want! Just wait until you choke on your laughter!" Seeing my reaction, A-Qing puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
"It's fine, it's fine. Dreams are beautiful; hope follows," I said, waving my hand with a chuckle. "Yeah, that's right. Nothing is absolute. Who knows? One day you might just stumble upon something amazing and discover some undiscovered manuscripts left behind by the Yiling Ancestor!"
The probability of that happening is truly minuscule!
***
Recently, the weather has started to turn cooler.
I took a deep breath of the slightly chilly air and slowly exhaled.
Looking around, the surrounding mountains and forests were still shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to gauge the change of seasons by the colors of the plants. However, it seemed that autumn had arrived.
“...A-Qing, will it be very cold here in winter?” I couldn't help but ask.
“Cold?” A-Qing was taken aback by my question and tilted her head in thought. “I haven't been to Yiling, so I'm not really sure... But since it's not the north, it should be okay, right?”
Well, her “okay” was definitely open to debate.
“Does Xiaohua fear the cold? What is winter like in another world?” A-Qing asked curiously.
“Well... In the other world, there are no seasonal changes; the climate is always comfortable and pleasant, so...” I couldn't help but force a smile. “I guess I would be afraid of the cold.”
Not to mention another world; even in this world, the coldest winter I experienced was during a polar vortex that hit one year, which only brought sleet and never reached the point of snow. If Yiling really does get snow, I have no idea how cold it could possibly be.
“Oh right, you're the only one among us who can't stand the cold... Sigh, you're too weak, Xiaohua. What are we going to do about this?” After realizing this, A-Qing couldn't help but frown slightly.
“Do you know what preparations are needed for winter?” Ignoring her teasing, I began to seriously consider the possibility of hibernation.
However, I had absolutely no idea what preparations were necessary for winter!
"Food! This is very important; we absolutely cannot go hungry in this cold weather!" A-Qing replied immediately.
"...I don't think that's something to worry about," I said, feeling grateful that I didn't rely on food for survival, adding another point of reverence for the system.
"Next is warm clothing."
Hmm, that is indeed a tricky problem...
"...Should we strip the clothes off those corpses?" I tilted my head in thought. After all, that was the only source of fabric I could think of.
"Ah? That... doesn't seem right," A-Qing's expression twisted suddenly, clearly not in agreement.
"Yeah, I think it's not good either..." The filth and stench were one thing, and besides, those tattered rags hanging on the corpses probably wouldn't provide much warmth.
"I think you should rely a bit on the Daoist priests. Why not discuss it with them?" A-Qing suggested.
"But..." I scratched my head, looking troubled. "It feels awkward to bring this up... Oh, wait!" A flash of inspiration hit me as I recalled a place I had overlooked.
So, I completely ignored A-Qing's suggestion for help and headed straight to the ruins left behind by the Wen family's cultivator to dig for treasures.
I felt that most of the items I needed support from the system could be found here. Sure enough, I uncovered two usable thin blankets—better than nothing.
After using purification to clean and restore them, I brought them back to the Demon Suppression Cave and placed them on my designated stone bed for future use.
I felt like that was about all the preparation I could do... The rest would just have to be left to fate.
If it really got too cold, then I'd just have to huddle in the Demon Suppression Cave and find a way to survive until spring before making further plans...
On that day, Song Lan returned from a night hunt and suddenly called me over.
He took out a thick outer garment and draped it over my shoulders without a word.
"What is this..." I stared wide-eyed in shock, standing there at a loss as he adjusted it on me.
"The weather has been getting colder lately; you need to be careful not to catch a chill." After finishing, he stepped back and examined me seriously. "Hmm, it seems a bit large... but you're still growing, so it should be fine."
"Thank you, Daozhang..." I stammered my thanks, suddenly feeling an inexplicable warmth in my cheeks.
Although it was clear that this was an old piece of clothing, the thought that he must have specially asked someone for it on my behalf made me feel somewhat guilty.
After all, Song Lan and his companions usually helped others exorcise evil spirits without asking for anything in return, yet because of me, he had to lower himself to request something in return...
"Um, Daozhang..." I hesitated repeatedly, finding it somewhat difficult to speak. "You really didn't have to go through so much trouble..."
Seeing my inner turmoil, Song Lan paused for a moment but then reached out to gently pat my head twice, smiling lightly.
"Don't overthink it; as long as you don't mind, that's enough."
I stood there dazedly, raising my hand to lightly touch the spot where he had patted me, feeling my cheeks grow even warmer.
Wow! Is this what they call the legendary head pat?
It seemed that regardless of the weather, this winter would definitely not be cold.
"…A-Qing, it was you who said that, right?" I couldn't help but question during the routine inspection.
"Huh? What did I say?" A-Qing looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"This." I pointed to the thick clothing I was wearing. "You told the Daoist Master about this, didn't you?" The timing felt too coincidental; it seemed like the only possibility.
I thought to myself that with people like Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen, who were always preoccupied with subduing demons and saving the world, it was unlikely they would notice such trivial details that didn't concern them.
A-Qing stared at me in silence for a while, tilting her head.
"Isn't this good?" she said calmly.
"No, I'm not criticizing you. It's just…" Faced with her emotionless gaze, I felt inexplicably flustered, unsure of how to explain my thoughts to her. "I really appreciate you and the Daoist Master thinking of me like this, but… this is ultimately my own problem. I don't want to trouble you both so much..."
As the saying goes, debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay. After all, we weren't related; their unasked-for kindness left me at a loss as to how to respond or repay them…
"I mean, Little Flower, how long are you going to keep acting like an outsider?" A-Qing rolled her eyes in exasperation. "We've been living together for quite some time now; we're not strangers anymore. Helping each other out is only natural."
"But…" I lowered my head, nervously fiddling with my fingers.
"Even though you keep saying you don't want to trouble the Daoist Master and the others, they've never complained about being troubled by you, have they? If that's the case, what are you worried about?"
"That's not exactly how it is…"
"You should know that the Daoist Master and the others aren't the type to say one thing and mean another. If they really found it difficult, they could have easily left you here all alone without caring about your well-being."
"Well..." Perhaps it would be better to just let me go?
"Listen, Little Flower." A-Qing suddenly placed her hands on my shoulders, speaking passionately. "Although I don't know what you've been through or how your master taught you, you're still just a child. It's perfectly normal to rely a bit on the adults around you; there's no need to take this so seriously."
"Um..." No, no, my actual mental age... never mind.
"Just like Master Song said, you don't have to think too much about it. Just accept it, okay?"
"But... I feel really guilty..." It's not right for me to only accept what others give me, is it?
"Stubborn!" A-Qing continued with a hint of exasperation. "Little Flower, the Daoist priests are truly grateful for the chance you've given them to start over. They genuinely want to treat you well. Just think of it as giving them an opportunity to repay you, alright?"
"But I don't need them to repay me..." Besides, that matter was purely driven by my own selfishness.
"Be obedient!"
"...I understand." I nodded obediently.
That said, knowing something is one thing; actually accepting it without reservations is another matter entirely.
After all, the sense of distance between people cannot simply be erased at will. Adjusting these feelings is really not that easy...
"Good, as long as you understand." A-Qing patted my shoulder with relief. "Besides, if you accidentally catch a cold and fall ill, that would truly be a hassle for the Daoist priests! So just focus on taking care of yourself; leave the rest to the adults!"
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