Chapter 793: Undercurrents and a Little Tune (3k)
Evening, the night was still dim, and only a few waves surged on the sea, giving a somewhat capricious feeling. Four figures gathered in a wooden house by the sea, where the faulty light bulb flickered.
Around the wooden house, bushes were dotted with fireflies, sometimes climbing to the windows of the house and circling inside…
“Do we just have to wait now?”
A somewhat doubtful voice broke the silence. Su Jiu fiddled with her phone, looking at the meager two bars of signal with helplessness. Sending a message took a long time for the circle to complete.
Zhou Hong had already gone to rest. In the entire room, only Su Jiu and a few others were eating supper, a way to appease the tense atmosphere from the day’s fighting.
“Everyone, eat this. It’s a European flavor.”
Zhou Zhizhi brought over plates of frozen coconut milk and seafood sashimi with sauce from the chopping board in the kitchen nearby, smiling. Her pale face seemed to have gained a bit more color.
It was as if everything had returned to normal.
“Gulp…”
Taking the coconut milk, Su Jiu also took small sips, her eyes narrowing like a kitten’s. She missed the wine at her waist but didn’t want to refine the nearby “seafood monsters”…
After all, the last time in the cherry blossom sea, she had caught and refined them, which made the Blood Clan girl vomit. She wanted to eat something that ran on land.
But she could only think about it. Su Jiu didn’t dwell on it for too long, using her fork to stir the sashimi in the sauce before eating.
The taste was very light.
At least for her, who was used to salty flavors, this was too bland and lacked spice. Perhaps Bairnis would like it…
Thinking of the little maid, Su Jiu looked at Miss Butterfly, who was sneaking “snacks” beside her.
“With the sea breeze and coconut milk, Miss, won’t you play us a tune?”
Bairnis smiled and met Su Jiu’s eyes, revealing the little maid who had been “invisible” for a long time.
She held a bag that looked like wine, also drinking it in small sips. Her face was flushed, her eyes curved, and she seemed to carry an indescribable gentleness.
“This taste—it’s Lord Liu Yue’s wine.”
Following the scent to the wine bag in Bairnis’s hand, Su Jiu’s eyes brightened slightly. She coughed lightly and reached out to pinch the little maid’s slightly hot cheek: “Little Sisi…”
“Hmm?”
With her cheek pinched by Su Jiu, Bairnis tilted her head slightly. Her black hair tie at the end of her hair dangled on her thigh, swaying gently in the wind, giving her a strangely adorable look.
“Minors are not allowed to drink alcohol, and you are currently underage.”
Su Jiu pinched the little loli’s cheeks again. As she withdrew her hand, she smoothly took back the wine bag and drank it in large gulps, her eyes narrowing again.
The wine was clear and cold, seeming to bring her memories back to that afternoon of training, when everyone was in high school and set off for the dangerous zone together…
Bairnis blinked, her cheeks visibly puffing up. But before she could retort at her mistress who always bullied her in her smaller form, the melodious sound of a guitar began.
“Dong~ Dong~ Dong…”
All three looked towards Mu Qi, only to see him holding a large guitar. The guitar was earthy brown, and the strings were silvery white, very similar to Su Jiu’s, seemingly having gone through a long period of time.
Mu Qi could not speak, but Su Jiu knew the melody of the song. She listened quietly for a while, swallowed the wine in her mouth, and exhaled, her eyes slightly hazy.
Su Jiu turned to look out the window, only to see the lightless night and the floating fireflies. Her eyes slightly lowered. That afternoon, they went for training together, and she met Lord Liu Yue, who changed her destiny…
She somewhat understood why the main bosses in stories were so easily controlled by such songs.
“The dark sky hangs low, with bright stars accompanying.”
“Insects fly, insects fly.”
A slightly dazed female voice quietly sounded. Although it sounded like a nursery rhyme, it seemed to evoke memories.
“Who are you missing?”
“The stars in the sky shed tears, and the roses on the ground wither.”
…
The singing continued quietly, each of the four lost in their own thoughts. It was a song that could ignite stories. Their stories were different, but they sank into this night, reminiscing about the past.
“The cold wind blows, the cold wind blows, as long as you are with me.”
“Insects fly, flowers sleep, a pair makes a beautiful pair.”
Su Jiu sang softly. Suddenly, her arm was grabbed by Bairnis, who slowly leaned over. She didn’t speak, just tightened her embrace, like a little girl afraid of losing her favorite toy.
Feeling her arm tighten, Su Jiu patted the girl’s head somewhat confusedly, trying to pull her hand away. Bairnis, however, spoke, her voice small and her face warm:
“Miss, do you know? The day you contracted me, I vowed to follow you for a lifetime. When we were in Aers, I heard you say…”
The girl’s voice paused, perhaps a little choked due to the alcohol, like a small beast whimpering:
“We will grow old together. I’m really scared. Does Miss mean the white hair of the Blood Clan? At night, I can’t help but think about it, think about it…”
“Is Miss joking with me? After all, I’m just a beast pet, not free like Duke Vivian. The story of knights and princesses in books is ultimately just a story.”
As she spoke, she lowered her head, took out the thick storybook from her ring, and slapped it on the ground, seeming somewhat abnormal.
Listening to Bairnis’s voice, Su Jiu was completely stunned. She looked at the Butterfly Girl, who was sobbing while hugging her arm, and for the first time, realized that the other party wasn’t as strong as she imagined.
When she drinks, she also vents her emotions and is afraid of losing something.
In her long Blood Clan life, the people she met had long since turned to dust. Now, the only people she cherished were Su Jiu and those around her.
“If you can’t drink, don’t drink.”
She pursed her lips, resting her chin on Bairnis’s head, and patted the girl’s shoulder with some helplessness. At this moment, she found that the girl seemed to have quietly fallen asleep, letting out soft snores.
When the song ended, the other two returned to their rooms, as if to savor their dreams with the remnants of the song.
Su Jiu did not return to her room to sleep. Instead, she sat there quietly, picked up the storybook, and slowly opened the slightly creased first page, looking at what seemed to be a drawing of a little person by the Butterfly Girl…
Her pursed lips suddenly curved into a smile: “Little Sisi is still so cute.”
Time passed, and it seemed to be late at night. Mist began to rise, and the fireflies had disappeared.
“…”
With a hiccup, Bairnis held Su Jiu’s left hand and leaned on her shoulder, groggily opening one eye. She looked under the lamplight.
She saw the Blood Clan girl earnestly looking at the book, occasionally writing something with a pen. When she encountered a smile she had drawn, she would purse her lips and smile.
It wasn’t a mocking smile, but a doting one.
Looking at the smiling profile, Bairnis felt a sense of inexplicable satisfaction. As she closed her eyes again, the corners of her mouth also turned upwards…
Was this what humans called—love?
…
“When I get my voice back, I’ll come find you.”
In the room on the left, Mu Qi held a photo frame and leaned against the wooden wall with his eyes closed. In the faint light, the photo could be seen.
It was of a masked boy pulling a girl with scales on her face, catching fireflies, both smiling.
That day, in his ignorant youth, he asked the girl, “Are we dating?”
“More than friends, less than lovers.”
The girl was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and said seriously, “Only when you collect 999 sapphire stream-of-light shells will it be called dating.”
The boy couldn’t help but retort, “If I collect them normally, I’ll never be able to collect enough in this lifetime.”
“Then we’ll never be lovers in this lifetime.”
The girl crossed her arms and let out a small hmph, turning her head away, leaving the boy scratching his head.
…
In the dense fog, a light cruiser sailed from the north. Two people stood on the deck of the ship. The young man was dressed in red, and the old man leaned on a cane, holding an alchemical artifact that resembled a tablet.
“Zhou Hong sent word that he forcibly used Elegy, and his body can no longer perform missions. A junior of ours will be taking his place.”
The old man squinted his eyes at the fog ahead, unable to help but sigh slightly, seeming to regret that his colleague had ended up this way.
“Mr. Zhuge, Brother Zhou had this awareness long ago.”
The young man gripped the railing, letting his red clothes flutter gently in the sea breeze, as if savoring the night sea air. “He messaged me that he’s truly tired these years. His last request was for me to help his adopted daughter from the Ancient God Sect enter the reserve force.”
“Daughter? The black-clothed one from the Ancient God Sect? I always thought he was just cultivating pawns. That girl is a descendant of the Ancient God Sect Leader.”
The old man turned to the young man, surprise in his old eyes. He tapped the deck lightly with his cane.
“Perhaps that was the case at first, but people’s hearts are unpredictable.”
The young man closed his eyes slightly and continued, “This world is not black and white. That girl was simply born into the Ancient God Sect. It’s already commendable that she hasn’t fallen into bad habits.”
“Do you mean you’ve agreed to Zhou Hong’s request?” the old man asked.
“Yes, more juniors are always a good thing.”
The young man smiled, then opened his eyes. In his dark pupils, it seemed to reflect a black figure holding a long sword, the figure gripping the sword tightly, waiting for something…
The two fell silent again.
After a long while, the old man finally spoke, but his tone was much heavier this time: “Tong, tell me honestly, what is your ultimate goal?”
“…”
Glancing at the old man, the young man was somewhat surprised but quickly resigned himself. The old man was the most outstanding intelligence officer in Huaian Province, and many of the younger generation were his disciples.
The young man clenched his palm, exhaled, and was about to speak when he closed his eyes again:
“It’s just the lingering regret of a certain brother who is not responsible.”
Then he turned and left the deck, his steps light and airy, yet evoking a sense of inexplicable solemnity.
“Mr. Zhuge, please add Elder Jiu to the group. Since she has replaced Brother Zhou, the next task should be hers.”
