Chapter 296: I knew this day would come for you, kid.
Chen An left. As for what would happen between the bound female Sword Immortal and the fox demon, he had no idea. Holding Chichi Su’s hand, he walked out of the Ji Manor amidst the astonished gazes of the people gathered at the annex entrance. Immediately after, countless terrified screams erupted from behind them.
Chen An covered Chichi Su’s ears. “Don’t listen.” The girl nodded obediently, then curiously asked, “Master, why do you seem to know everything? We only met that fox demon sister once.” Chen An paused. “It’s fate.” “That’s amazing! Master, can you also tell fortunes?” Chichi Su bit her finger, her eyes bright. She wanted to ask something but held back, remaining silent.
A cage formed by patches of thick fog. The woman, with her arms hanging down, stared blankly at everything. She remembered. She remembered what she had wanted to ask. Master, what is your fate? Clutching her chest, she felt as if an invisible hand was tightening around her heart, causing a dull ache.
The next day, early morning. In the yard of Sunflower Orphanage. Chen An and Chen Xi were watering the flowers and vegetables they had planted. It was still early, and dawn had just broken. Besides the director and the two of them, the other children at the orphanage were still asleep. It was always like this; he and Chen Xi were always the first two to wake up.
Chen An placed the tin can sprinkler on the ground with a clang. He then looked at his wet pant leg and then at the girl beside him. “Wait a bit longer, and I’ll make it so you can see.” His words were calm, as if the difficult-to-treat illnesses that even major hospitals struggled with were merely casual matters to him. Chen Xi, also holding a sprinkler, was taken aback by his words. She then quietly turned the nozzle in another direction. Chen An’s other pant leg was spared. “Okay.” The girl put down the sprinkler and responded softly.
“Aren’t you going to ask? Aren’t you curious?” Chen Xi shook her head. “Actually, I’m used to it. Whether I can see or not isn’t that important anymore.” She didn’t answer directly, but it was clear she held no hope of regaining her sight. Chen An smiled and suddenly said, “But you haven’t seen what I look like yet.” “Aren’t you wondering if I’m handsome or ugly? You must have thought about it secretly, right?” Chen An reached out and pinched her cheek. Finding the texture quite pleasant, he pinched it again. The girl didn’t resist, simply tilting her head to think before asking, “Is that important?”
“Of course.” Chen An nodded noncommittally. “I’m actually quite handsome. If you can’t see me, it feels like I’m at a disadvantage.” Chen Xi seemed speechless and walked away, turning her body. Watching her retreating figure, Chen An smiled. For some reason, whenever he was with her, he felt much younger. Although, by realistic reckoning, he was just a teenager who hadn’t even graduated from high school. He stood there for a while, not following her, but turned and walked towards the outside of the orphanage.
Next to the orphanage entrance, Wang Liang Grocery Store was not yet open. Chen An walked around the orphanage wall, finally stopping in front of a piece of ‘graffiti’. The graffiti was messy, with disordered lines intertwined and tangled together, forming the entire pattern. Chen An looked at it for a while, finding it strangely familiar. Then he turned and left.
He did nothing. In a dark corner, Zhang Asi wiped the fine sweat beads from his forehead. For some reason, this seemingly ordinary young man set off a frantic alarm in his spiritual sense, and his heart was still pounding wildly. The speed and force of it felt as if it might leap out of his chest at any moment. Zhang Asi frowned and peered out again to confirm. This young man was indeed just a mortal. However, he did not let down his guard. Zhang Asi even seriously considered whether he should abandon this plan altogether.
Ever since he obtained the inheritance of the Blood Fiend Old Ancestor, he had managed to get by as a mortal without being arrested by the authorities or failing. It was all due to his caution. Whenever things didn’t feel right, he would make a decisive move and prioritize escape. For example, back on Mount Qingcheng, when his spiritual sense went wild with warnings, Zhang Asi sacrificed his own blood without hesitation and fled with incredible speed. Although he ended up with a lingering severe injury, he at least saved his life. As long as he kept the green hills, he would not lack firewood.
But… this time, Zhang Asi didn’t want to run anymore. The man lowered his head slightly, slowly clenching his palm, his eyes flashing with madness and bloodlust. He craved the qi and blood of cultivators. It had been too long, too long since he had consumed a cultivator. But cultivators were now rarer than endangered animals, and the authorities watched them very closely. He couldn’t find any opportunities. Fortunately, by performing blood sacrifices with a sufficient number of children, he could substitute for low-level cultivators. Otherwise, if he waited any longer, Zhang Asi had a premonition that he would be antireacted by this blood fiend cultivation technique.
Since you cannot find flesh and blood for me, then I can only reluctantly consume you. Therefore, Zhang Asi did not want to run this time, and he had no need to. He was a peak Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator himself! At the beginning of the spiritual energy recovery, who could stop him, aside from those old monsters? He absolutely would not fail at this ordinary orphanage! With these insignificant children and a dying old man, Zhang Asi couldn’t think of any reason for failure.
Moreover, even if we take a step back, even if he encountered something he couldn’t resolve, and reached a critical moment of life and death. Zhang Asi still had a trump card, a hidden skill. That was to summon the Blood Fiend Old Ancestor! Of course, he couldn’t allow the deity itself to appear, but even just drawing a trace of projection or gaze would be more than enough. Therefore, this trip was foolproof!
Returning to the orphanage, Chen An found the director. In the old office, Chen An took out the bank card that Lin Jingq had given him earlier and handed it over. The director pushed up his reading glasses, looked at the bank card lying quietly on the table, and frowned. “Where did you get this? Who gave it to you?” the old man asked sternly. Chen An didn’t hide anything and answered truthfully. “A classmate gave it to me.” The director gazed at the young man’s face for a moment, then suddenly asked, “A female classmate?” Chen An nodded. The director asked again, “Is she good-looking?”
“She’s probably quite good-looking.” Chen An thought to himself, given Lin Jingq’s popularity at school, who else could be considered good-looking? Nowadays, everyone was a serious face-con. Hearing Chen An’s answer, a hint of understanding appeared on the director’s old face. He smiled with relief and patted Chen An on the shoulder kindly. “I knew this day would come for you, kid.” “What?” Chen An didn’t understand.
But the director had already changed the subject. He said, “Just coincidentally, that child Qin Shou called me a couple of days ago, saying he was planning to visit today and that he had raised a large sum of money for the orphanage.” “You can all get together then.”
(End of Chapter)
