Chapter Fifteen: Seeds!
The lighter had a bronze casing, about sixty percent new, with a skull embedded on its body.
The protruding parts of the skull were worn smooth, its color faded to a mottled blend of black and yellow.
Lian Feng reached out and took the lighter, studying it for a moment before asking, "Did one of our own bring this?"
If the lighter belonged to Bian Zhenxin or one of his underlings and was dropped during the fight, it meant nothing. They were searching for the killer, not for the victim—after all, the corpse lay right before them.
"It shouldn’t be," Chen Hu replied. "This windproof lighter is rare nowadays, and even more scarce in the Hatred Mountain settlement. I’m certain it doesn’t belong to Bian the Divine Envoy… He smokes roll-ups but never used a lighter like this."
"As for the other black-robed men, it’s even less likely they would have such a thing. If they did, it would have long since been gifted to the Divine Envoy..."
Give it willingly, and it’s a tribute; give it reluctantly, and it’s disrespect. In any case, good things always end up in the hands of the Divine Envoy. That’s why the members of the Flame Shrine strive so hard for promotion—once you reach a certain rank, you’re qualified to receive the tributes of others.
Bian Feng nodded, ignoring Chen Hu’s subtle disparagement of Bian Zhenxin. In the ruins, this was simply the way things worked: the weak submit and pay tribute to the strong. Wasn’t that just the natural order?
"Then this means something," Bian Feng mused aloud after a pause. "Bian Zhenxin was strong, one of the top fighters here in Hatred Mountain. Yet he was killed in a single stroke..."
Thinking of his son’s tragic death, Bian Feng felt his heart clench.
The pain!
"Who here in Hatred Mountain could kill him in one blow?" Bian Feng surveyed the area, finally resting his gaze on the gathered corpses. "And he had several gray-robed men with him… What force could slaughter so many and leave without a trace?"
"Look at their wounds—some crushed by brute force, some split cleanly by sharp weapons... Who here has such strength? Who possesses such sharp blades?"
"Notice the wounds again… Some were given extra strikes to make sure they were dead. Many had their throats slit. Who could be so ruthless, so cold-blooded?"
Bian Feng tossed the lighter away, saying, "You have one day. I want answers."
Chen Hu caught the lighter, bowed deeply, and said, "Rest assured, my lord. I’ll get to the bottom of this. Our brother’s blood must be repaid in blood."
Bian Feng nodded, a cruel smile curling his lips. "It’s been too long since I tasted roasted meat, living in the city."
...
Everyone kept their heads bowed, not daring to meet his eyes.
------
-------
"Are these men’s clothes?" Phoenix asked, holding up a pair of blue jeans and a black sweatshirt.
"They are men’s clothes," Tang Fei answered. "There are no women in our house—how could there be women’s clothes?"
"But..." Phoenix wanted to say more, but remembering her situation, she nodded obediently. "Alright, I’ll wear men’s clothes. It’s the first time I’ve ever worn men’s clothes..."
Page (1/3)
"I’m also experiencing this for the first time," Tang Fei said.
"Hmm?" Phoenix looked at Tang Fei. Was he being suggestive?
"My clothes have never been worn by a woman before," Tang Fei explained.
"Oh." Phoenix nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Tang Fei. It’s my honor."
"No need to be honored—I can’t fit them anymore. Little Fat can’t fit them either. They were about to be given away..." Tang Fei said.
...
Phoenix fell silent.
Since Phoenix said nothing, Tang Fei didn’t know what to say either.
So the two stared at each other, the atmosphere awkward and uncomfortable.
"Do you want to watch me change?" Phoenix asked, seeing Tang Fei linger.
Tang Fei paused, surprised at her bluntness.
He looked into Phoenix’s eyes, full of hope. "Can I?"
"Of course not."
"Oh!"
Tang Fei replied and turned to leave.
When Tang Fei stepped outside, the old man was sitting in the courtyard, sipping tea from a large enamel mug. Little Fat, shirtless, was smashing stones in the yard; with a swing, he split a large rock in two, then continued hammering away at the fragments.
Tang Fei rolled up his sleeves, ready to help, but the old man called out, "Brat, come here."
"Brat" was Tang Fei’s nickname. Little Fat was called "Dummy" or "Piggy."
Tang Fei approached the old man and asked, "What’s wrong? Still not reassured?"
"How can I be reassured? Do you know how serious this is?"
"I know."
"Then you really intend to protect her?" The old man’s voice was full of disappointment. "If she sells us out..."
"What good would that do her? If trouble really comes knocking, would the people from the Flame Shrine listen to our explanations? Wouldn’t we all be buried together? Right now, if we die, we die together; if we live, we live together."
"But keeping a girl like her around is too conspicuous. Something big happened at the Flame Shrine, and they’ll surely investigate outsiders... What if they check here? What if someone tries something bad with her?"
"You’ve never tasted good food or seen beautiful women, yet you find her attractive… Others aren’t blind; they can see she’s pretty too. Beauty brings trouble, beauty brings disaster—I repeat that to you and Little Fat all the time, but it never sinks in!"
Little Fat looked up, aggrieved, and said, "I remember."
"Keep smashing the stones. This has nothing to do with you."
"Oh." Little Fat continued, even more aggrieved.
"So what do you think we should do?" Tang Fei asked the old man, making a chopping gesture. "Should we really do that?"
Page (2/3)
"Sigh, it’s not like she did anything wrong—her only fault is being too beautiful, and she doesn’t look like someone from Old Earth... It’s too hard to hide her identity."
"But we can’t just kill her," Tang Fei said. "If we did something like that, how would we be different from the predators?"
"We haven’t done it, have we? You convinced me. Still, we need a plan... Should we run?"
"No," Tang Fei refused. "Running now would make us look guilty. If they weren’t already after us, fleeing would only draw attention—we’d basically be admitting we did it."
"Even if they know, they can’t catch us. When it comes to running, I’m second to none—no one dares claim first place," the old man said, pride in his voice. "But you’re right. The Flame Shrine is powerful, and now another black robe is dead. If we clash with them head-on, we’ll never have peace again... Forget it, we’ll just have to be extra cautious."
Tang Fei nodded and asked, "Why did you tell her that?"
"Tell her what?" The old man feigned ignorance.
Tang Fei narrowed his eyes. "About marriage... Why did you suggest she marry me?"
"What, you don’t like the idea?"
"It’s not about liking or not—we just met, we don’t know each other, there’s no emotional foundation..."
"Enough with the excuses," the old man interrupted, cutting straight to the point. "You think you’re just some vagrant from Old Earth, and she’s a guest from New Star, so you’re not worthy of her. You’re afraid of being rejected, embarrassed, so you don’t want me to bring it up, right?"
"I didn’t think that," Tang Fei denied.
"Come on, you can’t fool me with your little tricks," the old man sneered. "If I don’t mention it, do you think she’ll ever think about it? Would she ever imagine being with you?"
"No," Tang Fei replied, straightforward.
He was shameless but honest.
"And you? Would you think about it?"
"No."
Honest, but still shameless.
"So what harm is there in bringing it up?" The old man chuckled. "It doesn’t cost you anything, doesn’t add a wrinkle. What’s the harm? If it works, great; if not... at least I’ll plant a seed in her heart."
"A seed?" Tang Fei looked puzzled.
Shouldn’t seeds be planted in soil or flesh? How could they be planted in the heart?
"You don’t understand," the old man shook his head, looking at Tang Fei. "But you’ll understand someday."
...
(ps: Thanks to the sweet girl from Sugar Candy House for becoming our new adorable leader. Old Liu casually looked at her picture seventy or eighty times—truly sweet.
Also, another chapter coming at midnight.)
Page (3/3)