Hehehe, it's not like he cares. Look at him, he is just sitting there alone, it's been weeks since school started and he barely spoke a few sentences.
Laughter... Laughter...
Zhao Meng inwardly sighed, focusing on the letters in his notebook, enduring the constant laughter and comments.
It was really pitiful, and extremely shameful. Zhao Meng was different from the others, he was also extremely intelligent and mature for his age. Thus, he gained a strong social anxiety and was very shy with people he didn't know.
In the eyes of a school boy, this was prime material for bullying. A rather immoral way to gain popularity and the attention of girls.
But a girl didn't think so. She was very young, no more than fourteen, but unlike her peers, she had quite the emotional intelligence for her age.
She had brown hair cascading down her back, good facial features. A peerless beauty at that.
"So what? Leave him alone, can't you see he is uncomfortable?" the girl annoyedly rebutted the boy. The laughter and comments immediately stopped and silence set down in the classroom, before senseless chatter began to take their place.
Zhao Meng was stared at her with the corners of his eyes. He felt an intense emotion that no other girl could give him.
Zhao Meng wasn't ugly, quite the opposite, he was pretty handsome. But the shyness and social anxiety didn't do him justice, it made him unapproachable and thus he became the target of various comments and discussions.
But this girl in his class, managed to resolve and alleviate his suffering. Her name was Peng Su.
...
"Excuse me, are you alright? Do you need anything?" the woman noticed Zhao Meng's strange behavior and was immediately concerned.
"Forgive my rudeness, auntie. My mind is still a little hazy." Zhao Meng bowed respectfully, hiding the turmoil in his gaze.
"We just ate, but I'll prepare something for you. Just rest for now and don't push yourself." Zhao Meng gave a small nod before slipping back under the covers.
First, the matter with my name... and now this woman looks like Peng Su. Could this really be a coincidence? It feels like the regrets of my past life are bleeding into this one.
At this thought, Zhao Meng's gaze turned cold, far too cold for someone his age.
...
A voice called out to me, it even sounded like Peng Su's. I rose, barely containing the mess of emotion inside. With slow, deliberate steps, I made my way to the room where Peng Su.. no, the woman, was cooking.
A mouthwatering scent lingered in the air, rich and savory. It was no simple meal, but something closer to a feast. A stark contrast to the plain rice and dry bread I'd grown used to in this world.
There.. she stood, preparing enough food to feed a group. It was hard to believe she was making it for just me.
And her daughter... she was adorable. Maybe two or three years younger than I was now. Even from the hallway, she watched me with curious, wide eyes. I gave a faint smile and a quiet chuckle, then stepped into the room and sat at the table.
I asked the questions that had been building up inside me: What had happened to me? How did I get here? And... who was she?
She explained that her husband found me unconscious and brought me back. Oddly enough, there were no injuries, no sign of the deep abdominal cut I knew I'd received.
He made sure I was stable before heading out on some mission. I'll have to thank him if I ever get the chance.
Her name isn't Peng Su. I already knew that deep down. She's Jin Shufen. The resemblance is uncanny, but still, this is a different world. A different life. And this body isn't the one I used to have.
After I ate my fill, I leaned back slightly in my chair, wiping the corner of my mouth with the sleeve of my robe.
"It was delicious, thank you auntie for the meal." I mustered up courage and told her in a low voice.
She turned from the stove and smiled warmly, the kind of smile that didn't ask for anything in return. Just kindness for kindness' sake.
"I'm glad you liked it." she replied softly, walking over to clear some of the empty dishes. "You must've been starving."
A weak of constant slumber does that to you...
I hesitated for a moment, trying to ground myself before responding, but only managed a nod.
Her daughter was still staring at me, now standing beside the chair across the table. Her eyes were wide and unblinking, like she was trying to memorize my face.
Sensing my gaze, she asked boldly. "What's your name?"
I blinked, surprised by her directness.
"Zhao Meng." I answered, then paused. "And you?"
"Lanyue!" she chirped proudly. "Mother said I can be friends with you if you're not mean."
I couldn't help the faint chuckle that escaped my lips. There was something disarming about her.
"I'll do my best, then."
Jin Shufen sat down beside her daughter, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Lanyue's a bit of a talker." she said with an apologetic smile. "But she means well."
"I don't mind." I said, shaking my head. "It's... refreshing, actually."
My gaze drifted to the window, to the faint mountains in the distance.
That creature, whatever it was, hadn't just killed grandfather. It annihilated him like he was nothing. Like we all were.
And yet, somehow, I survived.
Why?
It was time to decide my next steps. In an awkward manner, I 'reassured' Jin Shufen that I would leave soon.
Obviously, I didn't want to leave. It was just a way to determine her intentions.
Jin Shufen paused, a flicker of something unreadable crossing her face before she smiled softly. "You don't have to rush, Zhao Meng. You've been through a lot, and it's only right you recover properly." Her tone was warm, but there was a subtle undercurrent to it, concern, or perhaps something more.
I nodded, pretending to consider her words, but inside, my mind was racing. Was she being genuinely kind, or was there something more beneath the surface? I had no memory of how I ended up here, and though I trusted my instincts, there was still too much unknown. The situation felt fragile, like the edge of a blade I was walking on, careful not to tip too far one way or the other.
"I appreciate your hospitality." I said, trying to sound as grateful as possible, though a part of me felt a tightening in my chest. "But... I can't stay forever. It's not right."
Her eyes softened, and she stepped closer, her hands folding in front of her in a quiet gesture of thought. "I understand, but you're welcome to stay as long as you need. My husband and I both think it's important you rest fully before making any decisions. You've been through more than we could have imagined." Her voice carried an unspoken weight, as though there was something beyond the words, something crucial she was withholding.
Something beyond the words? My instincts tingled, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I trusted my senses, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was the one who had no answers. Why had they taken such good care of me? Why the lavish meal?
I subconsciously lowered my head, looking for answers. Then it hit me.
Hehehe. You really are not Peng Su, just a bad imitation.
I choose to carve in to her 'demands'. for now. The carefully crafted kindness she displayed wasn't fooling me. There was more to her than she was letting on. But there was something to be gained from playing along. For now, at least, I had to bide my time. A game of patience, of subtlety.
But it worked in my favor too. Who's to say I wouldn't benefit from this situation? The only question was: how much? I'd have to wait and see.
I pretended to think hard, furrowing my brow in what I hoped was a convincing show of indecision. I could almost feel the tension rising in the air.
I glanced at Lanyue, her eyes wide with curiosity, then at Jin Shufen, letting the silence linger just a little longer. Finally, I spoke. "If Auntie permits it, I don't see why I can't stay. But what about Uncle?"
Her face lit up immediately, a smile creeping onto her lips as if her plan had worked, and it had, for now.
She reassured me that I had nothing to worry about. That her husband had always wanted a son. But as soon as the word 'son' left her mouth, her eyes widened in shock, and she quickly excused herself from the room.
I bit back a chuckle, amused at how easily she had slipped up. After a few moments she entered the room like nothing had happened. Feigning exhaustion, I stood and excused myself for the night.
I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, taking a slow breath to steady the rush of adrenaline. The slip was more than a mistake, it was a crack in her armor. Hehehe, I wonder, is he really in a mission?
I crossed the small room and sat on the edge of the bed. Moonlight filtered through the window, painting silver lines across the floorboards. Lanyue's laughter still echoed faintly from downstairs.
My fingers brushed against the spot over my stomach. Strangely enough, If I focused hard enough, I could sense my Thousand Silent Bloom core which was pulsating there, calm and steady. Over it, there was a layer of ferrium. It looked like a transparent sphere of dull iron.
Without anything better to do, I began taking in qi. Advancing through sub realms was different from just taking in qi in my body. It was an entire process. The first step was to take enough qi, the second step was to refine that qi to strengthen the veil over my core.
Just that alone was a hard task, it was not just condensing my own qi, it was mending my veil, reinforcing it. Luckily, for some reason, these past seven days, my body seemed to take qi from the surroundings by its own accord. I had a pretty good amount stored in my core.
Seconds bled into minutes, and minutes stretched into endless hours. Before I could fully grasp the passage of time, dawn had already crept in. The soft rays of the sun filtered gently through the curtains, casting golden patterns across the room. My body felt like stone, numb, heavy, and unyielding. Not once had I moved in those long, silent hours. A deep exhaustion, like a weight pressing on my bones, settled over me. I was completely drained.