NOVEL WEB AZI Vol 3 Chapter 21 to 25
Chapter 21
“I see, how unfortunate for them. And? What does that have to do with me?”
“…?”
A look of confusion appears on Li Zi Xiang’s face in response to Long Hua’s question, to which, the latter raises an eye, and remarks—
“What? Did you expect me to come quietly with you if you just had some hostages in hand? C’mon, I barely know whoever those two you caught were. Grill them, fry them, steam them, do whatever the hell you want with them. What do I care about the fate of two faceless strangers?”
“…A person like you is just the worst.”
A chuckle escapes from Long Hua’s mouth towards these words, as he replies—
“One of the things that I hate the most in this world—is to be threatened to do something, especially so if it comes from a stranger. If you want to invite me over for something, then it’s only courteous to prepare some beverages, or snacks.”
“You…-”
Just as Li Zi Xiang is about to say something, she stops, and directs her eyes towards the wireless headpiece—that is stuck to her right ear.
“Fine, you’re invited over as a guest. Follow me then.”
Turning around, Li Zi Xiang gestures for Long Hua to follow, while the latter asks—
“How far are we walking?”
“Not very far at all. We just need to grab your other squad-mates as well.”
Under the watchful eyes of masked faces, Long Hua is escorted to where Ye Chen and Li Xue are.
Upon Li Zi Xiang and Long Hua’s arrival onto the scene, the sea of people parted to the side—to let them through.
“…”
“…”
Standing on the opposite side of Ye Chen and Li Xue is Chen Lan—with two individuals behind him, holding the unconscious bodies of Yu Ji and Qing Yue.
(Well, this is awkward…)
Not knowing where to really position himself in this standoff, Long Hua decides to just position himself between the two confronting sides, as if to say he’s completely neutral on this matter.
As soon as Li Zi Xiang had positioned herself in front of Chen Lan, Ye Chen asks—
“So, you’re the one in charge, then?”
“I’m only the vice-commander of our group.”
“And the actual commander?”
“You’ll get to meet him soon enough.”
Saying this, Li Zi Xiang takes out a slightly thick piece of parchment—that is half the size of an A4 sheet.
(A talisman?)
Recognizing the item, Long Hua raises an eye beneath his sunglasses.
Without wasting any more time, Li Zi Xiang tosses the talisman down, and—
“Activate.”
Upon its activation, the teleportation magic array—that is imprinted onto the talisman’s surface, peels, and expands in size.
“Immortal arts?”
Recognizing this to be an item that belongs to an Immortal, Ye Chen can’t help but frown, while Li Zi Xiang says—
“Our boss is waiting on the other side.”
“And how can I be certain that this isn’t a trap?”
“Do you have a choice?”
Asking this, Li Zi Xiang directs her thumb towards her side’s hostages.
“…”
As Ye Chen hesitates about the matter, Long Hua nonchalantly walks forward—causing the former to direct a questioning look at him.
“There’s drinks and snacks on the other side. Wouldn’t do to keep them waiting—since it’s impolite, right?”
Having said this, Long Hua steps onto the magic array, and in the next instance, his body vanishes from sight.
“…”
Taking a few steps forward, Long Hua suddenly finds himself inside the main area of a nightclub.
As it is currently off hours, there is no loud music being blasted off, and the lights—that are set to be white, grant the place a clearer view.
To the far back of the club is the stage area, where a DJ would be positioned.
Directly on the opposite side of the stage area—right behind Long Hua’s current position, is a bar counter.
Lining the back walls of the counter is an array of different alcoholic beverages.
And to the right side of the bar counter is an entrance—with its door labeled with the letters “VIP.”
“…”
Taking his sunglasses off, and looking upwards, Long Hua notices the presence of two additional floors above this one.
The centers of these upper floors are hollowed out—allowing them to all share a single disco ball with the base floor.
“I was expecting Zi Xiang to be the first one to come in, didn’t expect someone else.”
Turning his head towards the source of this voice, Long Hua sees a man with red hair—who should be around the same age as Ye Chen.
The area the man is seated in consists of a rectangular table with short legs, along with three leather sofas surrounding it. All the other seating areas are of a similar arrangement.
“The name’s Shào Tiānmíng. (邵天明)”
Introducing himself, Shao Tianming ignites a cigarette, and places it in his mouth.
Attire wise, Shao Tianming is dressed in a fur-hooded white jacket—with the figure of a ferocious dog, stitched onto its back. Beneath this jacket, he wears a black shirt—coupled with ripped jeans, and a pair of tall black boots.
Other than that, Shao Tianming also wore two black bracelets, and a loose black ring around his neck; these two accessories stood out to Long Hua, for they are the same as the ones that he would wear when riding his bike.
Chapter 22
One after the other, more and more people are teleported into the nightclub—via the teleportation magic array.
“Welcome to Refuge, I guess?”
Saying this, while shrugging her shoulders, Li Zi Xiang removes the wireless headpiece—that is stuck to her right ear.
“How the hell…?”
With a look of confusion on her face, Li Xue frowns as she looks around the area. One moment they were in the middle of the streets, and now, they’re suddenly inside a nightclub.
“Immortals really do have some amazing pieces of tech, don’t they?”
Saying this, Chen Lan seats himself at a stool in front of the bar counter.
In the same instance—
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
Nonchalantly, the sound of two glasses being pressed together goes off—causing everyone to turn their attention towards the source.
Sitting down together, Long Hua and Shao Tianming downed their drinks at the same time.
Gesturing towards Shao Tianming, Li Zi Xiang says—
“Well, there’s our boss.”
“Uh?”
“Hm?”
It is also then that Yu Ji and Qing Yue begin to show signs of regaining their consciousness.
“Straighten those two up, would you?”
Massaging his temple, Ye Chen leaves the two with Li Xue, and walks towards the area Long Hua and Shao Tianming are at, and asks—
“Mind if I join?”
“Be my guest.”
With Shao Tianming’s permission, Ye Chen sits down on the opposite side of Long Hua.
Despite being sandwiched between two outsiders, Shao Tianming doesn’t show any hints of discomfort, while Long Hua asks—
“I guess, this counts as us heading out to drink together, then, captain?”
“I suppose? Doubt, I’d have time to go out for a drink with you—due to the report that I need to make after this.”
Sliding a glass towards Ye Chen, and pouring them a bottle of whiskey, Shao Tianming, as if he is a co-worker of the former’s, says—
“Well, no need to be concerned with work right now. Just enjoy yourself.”
“And who’s fault do you think it is—that I’ll be made to take my work seriously?”
Downing the glass without any suspicions of it being spiked with poison, Ye Chen asks Shao Tianming of this, as if they had known each other for years, to which, the latter replies—
“Not mine. If you want to complain to anyone, complain to the military’s top brass for not doing their due diligence.”
“…”
“…”
Staring at each other in silence, both Ye Chen and Shao Tianming had a strange feeling welling up from the pit of their stomachs.
This should be their first meeting, and yet, they feel as if they had already known each other for ages—akin to two distant relatives reunited, after being separated for a decade.
Breaking the silence, Ye Chen replies—
“…Can’t argue with that. So, shall we get introductions out of the way first? I’m surnamed Ye; my full name is Ye Chen.”
Hearing this, Shao Tianming turns to—
“Long Hua.”
Receiving this answer from Long Hua, Shao Tianming turns back to Ye Chen, and asks—
“So, your subordinate here used your name?”
“I’ll be getting you back for the slander later, 2nd Lieut. Long Hua.”
“I don’t see how it’s a slander—calling yourself the number one hottie of the mortal realm, captain.”
“Not everyone has skin—as thick as yours…”
Watching the three’s interaction with one another, Li Xue remarks—
“What are they even doing?”
Pressing a hand to her forehead, Li Xue finds the situation surreal.
Right now, they’re outnumbered by a vast margin, and yet, two of her squad-mates are still able to drink so casually.
“Where…?”
“This is…?”
“You two finally awake?”
Glancing to her right, Li Xue raises a voice of concern for Yu Ji and Qing Yue, to which, the two nod, and looks back to the former with an expression of confusion.
Feeling a headache welling up, Li Xue remarks—
“Where do I even begin?”
“How about just going with the flow instead?”
Saying this, Li Zi Xiang—who is standing behind the bar counter, places three drinks in front of them.
Twitching her lips, Qing Yue asks—
“…Why am I the only one served with a glass of water?”
“You don’t seem old enough to drink.”
“Even though I’m already 18…”
Back at the seating area for three—
“Surnamed Chen said, your group wishes to put the ordinary in their place, is this true?”
With a glass pressed to his lips, Ye Chen asks this of Shao Tianming.
“Pretty much.”
“Then-?”
“It’s only fair that I get an answer as well, isn’t it?”
“Go ahead then.”
Drawing in a breath of air, Shao Tianming says—
“I find this world far too strange. Why is it that Sinners are being suppressed—despite being the first wave of defense against the Immortals? Why is it that Sinners have to be pushed around by the ordinary? To me, it just doesn’t make any sense. You can argue—that if the Immortals are not fended off, everyone else will end up dead; however, that isn’t an excuse—to let the weak and powerless, exploit the powerful to this degree.”
“…”
Much of what is being asked and said by Shao Tianming makes sense.
In fact, it makes so much sense to everyone here—that practically everyone is nodding their heads along with it.
However, setting his cup down, Ye Chen asks—
“How much do you know about the military?”
“Probably as much as anyone else.”
“Then, you don’t know about the existence of the Four Executioners, I would assume?”
“Four Executioners?”
As Shao Tianming raises an eye, Ye Chen explains—
“Their task is to execute the Sinners, who are unwilling to cooperate with the military. In terms of authority in the military, I’ve heard rumors of them—having more sway than the generals. A few other rumors say—that they’ve been around for a thousand years. There’s also some other nonsense saying—that the people, who are holding this role, have never been changed even once.”
“…”
According to what Shao Tianming knows of the military’s ranking order, it goes—second lieutenant, first lieutenant, captain, major, colonel, and finally general.
“They’re that high up, are they?”
Muttering this, Shao Tianming constricts his eyes, while sucking in the smoke of his cigarette.
(Four Executioners… A rank higher than generals.)
For Long Hua, this would also be the first time—that he’s hearing about the existence of the Four Executioners.
“Are they Sinners as well?”
Towards Shao Tianming’s question, Ye Chen shrugs his shoulders, and replies—
“Who knows? If you ever meet them, you can ask them yourself. In any case, how about a question from me?”
“Ask away, if it’s something that I can answer, I will.”
Chapter 23
(Four Executioners… Mother was always curious as to how the military is able to keep so many Sinners on the frontline in check, I guess—this is the answer?)
Hearing about the Four Executioners, Qing Yue frowns with discomfort, while turning to Li Xue, and with an innocent tone, she asks—
“Vice-captain, is it true that those four have really existed for a thousand years? Wouldn’t they be monsters instead of Sinners?”
“Who can say really?”
Thinking for a bit, Li Xue adds—
“………A deserter on the frontlines returned, and said—that he spotted a figure, that was almost three meters in height, roaming around. Maybe that was an executioner?”
Unsure of this herself, Li Xue isn’t able to put any confidence in her tone.
However—
“Chen Lan, you know what to do later.”
Li Zi Xiang looks over to Chen Lan, who answers by raising his right hand—which is making an “OK” gesture.
Gathering his thoughts, Ye Chen says—
“Surnamed Chen wasn’t willing to answer this, but I guess I’ll try my luck with you. Where did you guys come from? Since you’re holding onto tech from the Immortals, I’d assume—you all came from the same world as them?”
Downing a cup of whiskey, Shao Tianming answers—
“Afraid we aren’t.”
“Then, why do you have Immortal tech?”
“Surnamed Ye, your… Uh, your world’s archaeological abilities, how are they?”
“Uh?”
Towards how random this question is, Ye Chen responded with an odd expression on his face, whereas Long Hua remarks—
“Oh. Now I see.”
Finished with refilling his glass, Long Hua raises his head, and sees both Ye Chen and Shao Tianming staring at him, with the latter of the two saying—
“Surnamed Long, let’s hear it.”
Lifting the glass, and leaning back on the sofa, Long Hua fans himself, and answers—
“Wisdom of the ancients, paves light upon the predecessors’ road.”
“Your-?”
Before Ye Chen can ask anything, Long Hua adds—
“Ancient ruins possess Immortal tech. Plunder what’s left of the stuff that’s there, and bring them back to the modern world. As for whether or not—the modern world is able to replicate their tech, well, that’s not my field of expertise.”
Towards Long Hua’s answer, Shao Tianming smiles, and looks back at Ye Chen, and says—
“There’s your answer, surnamed Ye.”
It would be a lie to say that Shao Tianming wasn’t surprised to hear—that much of the ancient ruins in this land have yet to be excavated.
Turning back to Shao Tianming, Ye Chen remarks—
“So basically, graverobbing?”
“What’s wrong with that? They’re dead, they can’t use it; why not take it for ourselves then? Besides, don’t Sinners on the frontlines take whatever weapons the Immortals are using, and keep it for themselves?”
“…”
This isn’t something that Ye Chen can argue against—for it is the truth. Weapons from the Immortals are generally auctioned off, and if they’re not, then Sinners on the frontlines would use them for themselves.
“In any case, interested in heading down to one of those ruins for yourself?”
In response to Shao Tianming’s question, Ye Chen blinks his eyes before leaning back on the sofa.
Eventually, Ye Chen asks—
“Other than plans for an uprising, I’m assuming—you and your group have ideas on the ancient ruins as well?”
As far as Ye Chen is aware of, archaeology is an unpopular field to get into—for Grounded Cities are not the dominant form of residence in this world.
Much of the cities in this world are Mobile Cities, cities that move from place-to-place—by attaching itself onto a platform with caterpillar treads.
The reason for Mobile Cities being in high abundance is because the barrier systems—that protect Grounded Cities are expensive; hence, not every settlement is able to afford them.
At the same time, it’s arguable—as to how good the barrier system is, when there are numerous Immortals bombarding it.
With that being the case, there is a vast majority—who believes that being able to move from place-to-place, is far better than being a sitting duck, should the barrier system of Grounded Cities fail.
Having said all that, archaeological work requires a team to stay in one place for prolonged periods of time, and since Mobile Cities are more popular, it’s not a surprise for this profession to die out—especially so with how harsh the environment outside of the cities are.
As for the idea of parking an entire Mobile City near the site of a ruin, it would only be doable—if Immortals do not appear so randomly.
Towards Ye Chen’s question, Shao Tianming replies—
“Isn’t that obvious? Why leave perfectly usable resources—in the hands of those, who cannot appreciate them?”
“I think, if I take this information back, the higher-ups will be forced to learn to appreciate them.”
Towards Ye Chen’s response, Shao Tianming smiles, while the former asks—
“Surnamed Shao, you planning to force us to stay?”
“What do you think?”
“You wouldn’t be giving us all this information for no reason.”
“Getting minor information regarding the Four Executioners out of your mouth was quite worth it. At least now, my side would have a better idea of what we’re dealing with. You asked where I came from—this isn’t a major secret, or anything. I came from another world—that is also suffering from Immortal attacks.”
Hearing this, both Ye Chen and Long Hua constrict their eyes, with the latter recalling—
(Lack of spirit Qi is one, but that’s only limited to this world’s current area.)
Recalling Bai Wen’s words, Long Hua closes his eyes with a sigh before downing his glass of whiskey, while Shao Tianming continues to say—
“In any case, you’re free to give this information to your higher-ups.”
Blinking his eyes, Ye Chen asks—
“Can I ask why?”
“My side and your side—we have a common goal, and that is to defeat the Immortals.”
“But you dislike our side’s way of having the ordinary standing above the extraordinary.”
Shrugging a shoulder, Shao Tianming replies—
“Of course. But that aside, for the moment—my side isn’t able to send in enough manpower into this world.”
“So, you want to cooperate in digging up those ancient ruins for the time being?”
“Exactly.”
“I get the feeling you’re not giving me the full story.”
Blowing out a mouthful of smoke, Shao Tianming asks—
“And why would I?”
As Ye Chen heaves a sigh, Shao Tianming points with his thumb, and says—
“Exit’s that way. The magic array will take you back to where you came from.”
Taking that to mean that Shao Tianming is no longer willing to answer any more questions, Ye Chen frowns, but before leaving, he asks—
“Final question, what do we call your group?”
“Ashen River Hall.”
Without asking anything else, Ye Chen stands up from the sofa, and heads for the exit.
Momentarily Li Xue, Yu Ji, and Qing Yue follow after him, whereas Long Hua—
“I’ll be taking this as a souvenir.”
“Feel free to.”
Grabbing the whiskey bottle—which is still half-full, Long Hua follows after the others.
On the way out—
“Our contact information—if you ever feel like saying screw the military.”
Chen Lan hands Ye Chen a card with their contact information written onto it.
Chapter 24
Back at the office—
“Ai…”
Heaving a heavy sigh, Ye Chen pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Captain, what do we do with this?”
Showing the Carp that she had received from Chen Lan, Yu Ji—who was keeping quiet throughout the entire exchange, finally decides to speak.
“Just leave it at the table.”
“You were awfully quiet during that exchange.”
Towards Li Xue’s remark, Yu Ji replies—
“My little sister’s medical bills were on my mind.”
Blinking her eyes, Li Xue asks—
“So, you weren’t lying when you talked to Chen Lan about that?”
“The situation is a lot more complicated than what I told him, but… Ai, in any case, I’m always having money issues. Mind if I go out early today?”
Lowering his hand, Ye Chen answers—
“Go ahead. In fact, you’re all excused for the day. Li Xue, contact Captain Jue for me.”
Excusing herself, Yu Ji stands up from the rundown sofa, and heads for the door.
“I’ll be leaving as well then.”
Doing the same, Qing Yue is the next to go—for she has a report to make, to Nian Tao Tao.
“I’ll stay for a while longer, since I’ve got no places to be for today.”
As Li Xue gets on the phone with someone, Long Hua places the whiskey bottle by the self-serving bar before sitting back down.
Occupying the entire sofa, Long Hua closes his eyes—seemingly to sleep.
………
An hour later—
“Damn, this place looks like a dump…”
A man with black hair and brown eyes—dressed in a white military uniform, walks into the office.
In the man’s mouth is a cigar, and judging by his physical appearance, he seems to be around 30 years of age.
“Quit complaining, why not donate some funds to us instead?”
Greeting Jue Yun as such, Ye Chen walks over, and sits down at the sofa, prior to tossing the Ashen River Hall’s contact information-filled card onto the table.
“So, this is Carp?”
Sitting down as well, Jue Yun picks up the needleless syringe—that is on the table, and gives a brief glance at the card, before storing it away in his pocket.
“Yup, and I got more interesting news to share.”
“That look on your face tells me—it isn’t anything decent.”
In a tired manner, Ye Chen relays his conversation with Shao Tianming to Jun Yue.
Throughout Ye Chen’s single-sided report, Jue Yue’s face would get darker and darker.
Eventually, Jue Yun says—
“…I’ll be sure to let Colonel Xiang Yu know about this. He’ll make sure the others are informed as well.”
“Ai, I guess that’s one job done. Dammit, why does my office always get stuff like this handed to us?”
Towards Ye Chen’s question, Li Xue replies—
“Maybe it’s fate?”
“…”
Brushing off Li Xue’s remark, Ye Chen walks over to the self-serving bar, and grabs the whiskey bottle with a paper cup.
In the same instance, Long Hua’s phone vibrates, forcing him to open his eyes.
“…”
On the screen it displays a new message that reads—
[How long are you going to let your stuff rot here in my garage?]
“…………Ah…”
Finally realizing what the Owner is talking about when he mentioned “stuff,” Long Hua sits up from the sofa.
On the way out—
“Hm?”
Glancing at Jue Yun, Long Hua feels like he has seen this person from somewhere else. Eventually, he realizes—
(Oh right, the casket case…)
Ignoring the office’s mood, Long Hua heads for the exit.
Stored at the Mirrored Moon Café are items—that he had ordered from Nian Yao Yao, but has completely forgot to pick up until now.
………
Coming into the Mirrored Moon Café through the garage entrance, Long Hua immediately finds the items scattered on the floor. All of them are parts for his bike.
Parking the bike onto an emptied area, Long Hua turns off the engine. Since he is here, he figured that he might as well take a look up front.
“Hm? Where’s the Owner?”
“He’s been out on a business trip for the past two days.”
Replying to his question is Zhou’er—who is dressed in her maid uniform, with her light brown hair tied into a tail.
Hearing this bit of news, Long Hua remarks—
“Yet he somehow still found the time to send me a message—to pick up my stuff. Anyways, are you able to handle the workload?”
Shrugging a shoulder, Zhou’er replies—
“We don’t get that many customers to begin with, and it’s not like I’m being made to take care of the café during night hours as well. Also, I’ve got a helper.”
“A helper?”
Just as Zhou’er is about to answer, the door of the café opens.
Walking into the café—carrying three boxes with them, is a girl with pale pink hair.
Setting the boxes down on the counter, the girl says—
“That’s all of them.”
Following these words, the girl turns to Zhou’er, and it is also then—that she meets eyes with Long Hua.
“You?”
Dressed in the attire of a maid—that is the same as Zhou’er’s, is none other than Chen Shi Yao Ying.
Raising an eye, Long Hua asks—
“So, this is the place you’re working at?”
Nodding her head subtly, Yao Ying answers—
“Nuo’er said—that you worked here as well, so she figured it’d be easier to… Have someone to talk to?”
“I don’t come by everyday though…”
“You two already know each other?”
Cutting into the conversation, Zhou’er looks between the two, to which, Long Hua answers—
“Somewhat.”
Turning his eyes towards the TV—that is mounted to the far-right corner of the café, Long Hua notices a sliding headline, that talks about the detection of a potential Immortal appearing in the city’s wasteland.
As awkward silence loomed between the three—none of them knew just how much they could speak to the others about.
“…”
“Ai…”
Glancing into Yao Ying’s clouded eyes, Long Hua raises a sigh, as he turns around, and says—
“Little girl, come over to the garage.”
“You two are just going to leave me to handle the front like this?”
“Won’t take long.”
Chapter 25
Moving into the garage—
“So, how much have you told Zhou’er about your situation?”
Asking this, Long Hua crouches down, and begins to open the items’ packages, while Yao Ying answers—
“She only knows that I’m someone from an influential family. Other than that, nothing else.”
“Hmm. By the way, how is it that Zhou’er is able to understand what you’re saying?”
Him being able to be understood by the denizens of this world is due to the laws of the Leng Bing Realm not affecting him fully, but for Yao Ying—that shouldn’t be the case.
“Nuo’er gave me a specialized medallion.”
“I see. Well, how are you feeling—regarding your current situation?”
“…”
Contemplating for a bit, Yao Ying answers—
“When Qing Ming Yang showed up to halt my carriage… I kind of already had a general idea of what was happening. But I didn’t really have any potential culprits in mind.”
“…”
“Right now, I feel really confused. I don’t know who I can trust. Also… I wonder if I’ll ever be able to return home safely. And even if I did return… Will I still be targeted? If there isn’t a place for me in the Chen Shi family, then where do I go? Should going over to grandfather’s place end up causing him trouble… I…-”
Speaking up to here, Yao Ying’s voice begins to tremble—seemingly on the verge of tears.
“…”
Rising to a stand, Long Hua opens up his storage pouch, and stores all the items away into it, prior to turning around to face Yao Ying, and asks—
“You still have that piece of paper on you?”
“…I do.”
“The fact that you can keep something that you’d feel the want to get rid of—means, you’ve at least got a good head on your shoulders.”
“Hm?”
“It’s a compliment.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Long Hua adds—
“Similarly, to you, I also came here from another world. I don’t really know if I can return to that world, or not.”
“…Are you afraid of not being able to return?”
“Terrified, but… I think, I’m more terrified of not having the courage—to at least make an attempt, when it’s possible.”
Saying this, Long Hua sighs on the inside. It takes four separate sets of courage to deal with his situation.
The first set is used to accept the situation.
The second set is used to take a step forward in the situation.
The third set is used to accept the result of his attempted step, which—may, or may not be ideal.
Finally, the fourth set is used to make a repeat of the attempt—should the previous result be considered a failure.
“I’m not going to say—that everything will all work out in the end, because the odds are higher that it won’t.”
“…”
Hearing this, Yao Ying lowers her head, while Long Hua explains—
“Scars accumulate on the body, and mind, as you continue to live. And some of these scars, they end up changing us forever—making it impossible for us, to return to the us, that stood here yesterday. Who knows? Maybe the changes that these scars bring can be good, or they could be bad? Regardless, it’s inevitable that they’ll appear at some point. And if you can’t accept that…”
Bending forward slightly to match Yao Ying’s height, Long Hua smiles faintly at her, and says—
“Then, it would be best to die in tranquility ahead of time.”
“…!”
With a pale complexion, Yao Ying takes three steps back.
Clearly, the smile on Long Hua’s face didn’t reach his eyes—making his words colder than ice.
(*-laoban, your words are as harsh as ever.)
“Qie…?”
Hearing the Tai Xuan Emperor’s voice, Long Hua straightens his back, and mutters her alias beneath his breath.
(No need to be so surprised. After our handshake, our connection’s been established.)
In actuality, it’s more appropriate to say—that their connection had just gotten firmer after that contact.
(In any case, the little girl is clearly in need of warmth, and you’re just going to leave her out like this? Don’t you have a heart?)
Ignoring the Tai Xuan Emperor, Long Hua looks at Yao Ying, and says—
“Head back to work. Keeping yourself busy—will get you to quit thinking about your troubles, at least temporarily. …It’s a good habit to keep thinking about your troubles in moderation, though.”
“…Un.”
Replying with a subtle nod, Yao Ying heads back to the café area, while the Tai Xuan Emperor remarks—
(Ai, morals, compassion, practically everything—that makes you a decent person, has been swallowed by a dog.)
Raising a chuckle, Long Hua heaves a sigh, and replies—
“The longer you live for, the worse your temper becomes. Eventually, you live for so long—that you just cease, to care about everything. When that happens, you view everything from the perspective of a bystander—making it impossible for you to empathize with those in front of you.”
(…Agreed.)
“I want to go home, but… The road ahead, it’s simply soul-crushingly long. I don’t have the leisure to really care about someone else. However, life is like a play, all of us have a role to play in it—whether we want to, or not.”
(A play you say? In that case, what role do you have in the play called Chen Shi Yao Ying?)
“Who knows? Maybe I’m just a guest in her life—who just so happens to have pointed her in the wrong direction just now?”
Raising his arms, Long Hua stretches, while letting out a yawn.
“Ai, for some reason I feel like today’s the last day—that there’ll ever be peace in this world.”