A plainly dressed man sat by the bedside holding his young son, tightly gripping his wife's hand as she lay in the hospital bed. On the young woman's swollen face, there was an overwhelming sense of weakness and concern.
In the lunchbox placed on the cabinet, half was rice, and the other half was cheap stir-fried vegetables.
"Mom... come home..." the young child said, choking back tears, tugging at his mother's hand.
With just one sentence, the woman began to sob softly.
"She'll come home soon," The man comforted with red eyes and kissed his wife on the forehead. "Our son and I have been waiting for you."
"But……"
"Shh!" The man gently covered his wife's mouth and said softly, "I just spoke with the doctor, and he said you're only in the early stage. As long as you actively cooperate with the treatment, there's a good chance of recovery. I have a lot of confidence (in what the doctor said). You should too!"
"Really?" The woman looked into her husband's face.
"The doctor just told me," the man asserted. "You have no idea how happy I am!"
I shook my head, another liar. Just now, I distinctly heard the doctor tell him expressionlessly that his wife had at most a month left to live.
At the door, Tang Xiaohua, holding a pack of cold medicine, stared blankly at the couple. She instinctively wanted to approach but glanced at me and hesitated.
April Fool's Day was only a week away and spring is a season where people are prone to colds. At this time of year, Tang Xiaohua is always a frequent visitor to the hospital.
After receiving the injection and medication, the directionally challenged Tang Xiaohua took a wrong turn while heading downstairs, and by some twist of fate, she ended up on the second floor in the inpatient area. She stopped in front of the couple's room.
"How much battery does that woman have left?" I asked nonchalantly, my arms crossed.
"Less than a week," she replied in a hushed voice.
"Poor thing..." I shook my head.
If that woman's life battery could be extended a bit longer, this family of three would have a much happier life.
"Xiao Tou... I want to..." Tang Xiaohua looked at me with a pleading expression.
Just moments ago, in the outpatient area, Tang Xiaohua had lost her wallet, which was found by this man, and he had chased after her to return it.
"Returning a favor, huh?" I asked with a smile. "Go ahead."
"Xiao Tou..." Tang Xiaohua's eyes widened, seemingly unable to believe that I'd truly given my permission.
"Go on," I nodded in the direction of the unfortunate family of three.
Tang Xiaohua rushed into the hospital room without hesitation.
The man looked at her in surprise, "Young lady, is there something missing from your wallet?"
"No, no," Tang Xiaohua walked up to them, glanced at his wife, and said, "Your wife will be fine."
"Huh?" The man was dumbfounded.
"I said she'll be okay," Tang Xiaohua said, then reached out her right hand toward his wife's forehead, touching the cold skin. She smiled at the woman and said, "Let me tell you, your life still..."
I didn't follow inside; I stood silently at the door, expressionless, gazing at every corner of the room. The moment Tang Xiaohua began to speak to the woman, I saw two eyes appear on the ceiling in the room and narrowed my eyes slightly.
Tang Xiaohua's next words were frozen before they could escape her lips. Everyone in the hospital room felt as if a hurricane had swept through, and their bodies and consciousness were suddenly stopped dead by a hidden force within the wind. Their eyes, ears, and all sensory functions were instantly lost - everything in the room stood stock still. Tang Xiaohua remained in her ridiculous posture with her hand outstretched and mouth open, stuck by the bedside like a wax figure.
I can freeze a small area like this for a short period. Although this magic would consume a significant amount of my energy, it was necessary.
I adjusted my breathing, closed the door, and entered the hospital room. I gazed at the shapeless, dark, mud-like monstrosity on the ceiling and said, "I thought about it for a long time and decided to play a little trick to get you to come out and meet me. I know you've been monitoring Tang Xiaohua and only show yourself when she 'lies' to someone."
With that, I leaped forward, reached into the dark mass with my right hand, and pulled. There was a muffled grunt, and a thin, emaciated man was forcibly pulled out by me, landing on the ground. However, this was not a true human; from his waist down, he had the appearance of an arthropod, making him look fugly.
I stepped heavily on Bug Man's back and said coldly, "I don't care where you crawled out of, monster, but if you harm my people, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Mercy, hero!" Bug Man raised his head, surrendering with both hands raised. "I'm just doing someone's bidding, trying to take something from this girl to make a living that's all!"
"Take something?" I increased the pressure under my foot, almost breaking Bug Man's waist. "Speak! What's going on here?"
In terms of magic, this low-level little demon was no match for me, but when it came to knowledge of legends and rumors, I was far behind these insect demons who hid in various corners of the human world, scurrying and gathering information all day long, often acting as informants for others in exchange for rewards.
Bug Man rolled his slightly bulging eyes and cautiously asked, "What's your relationship with this girl? Could it be that you're also trying to get that thing?"
My mind worked. I snorted coldly and flashed my furry tail: "It seems you're not too foolish. You know that this girl had long been marked by me, yet you dare to come and grab a piece of the pie?"
"Oh, hero, this..this..this is such a misunderstanding!" Bug Man stammered with fear at the sight of my snow-white tail. Others might not know, but bug demons like him who make a living by selling information are quite aware that white foxes have always been aristocrats among the fox clan, superior in spiritual power and magic. If he angered me, the likelihood of him ending up dismembered on the spot was quite high.
Seeing that I was coldly silent, Bug Man became even more panicked and quickly started talking: "I didn't know this prophecy flower was already reserved by you. I put in a lot of effort to find her. Too many people want the petals of the prophecy flower for their spells, but unfortunately, there are very few prophecy flowers in existence, and even fewer that have taken on human form. I..I..I'm obsessed with money and thought I could make a big profit this time, but I didn't realize I would offend Your Highness White Fox. I don't dare do it again. Please spare my life!"
Prophecy flower?!
I couldn't pay attention to the rest of what he was saying. Only the words "prophecy flower" were burned into the deepest recesses of my mind like a soldering iron, ringing endlessly.
Prophecy flower, prophecy flower, words of prophecy it wields. Conversely, conversely, the flower uses up life.[1]
You're not an ominous creature! If anyone hurts you, I'll repay them tenfold!
A faint and distant voice, like a murmured dream, suddenly emerged in my mind. Each word seemed to sprout edges, piercing sharply into my heart, leaving behind an unbearable ache.
Taking advantage of the moment when I was absent-minded and not exerting any strength under my foot, Bug Man rolled on the spot and quickly shrank into a black ball. With a leap, he quickly disappeared into the ceiling, fleeing without a trace.
I had no time to take care of that little demon. I approached Tang Xiaohua slowly, and gazed at her face with a solemnity and care I hadn't shown in seventeen years…
Removing her glasses, I revealed her beautiful eyes. Her unfashionable short hair seemed to magically lengthen in my eyes, and her school uniform melted away like wax, revealing a crimson gown as splendid as sunset glow beneath.
Chaos, unparalleled chaos, interweaved and collided in my mind. Meaningless words rose and fell as scattered images zapped by, their battering instantly overwhelming the ever-rational and clever me...
[1] 谶花, 谶花, 一语成谶. 反之, 反之, 花灭人生. Feel free to offer poetic alternatives for this line.
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