Underground level one.
“…We can discuss anything.”
Ye Fei could bend when needed, forcing out a smile. “Isn’t it just adjusting the mission order? This is definitely, absolutely, certainly no problem. Please don’t get agitated.”
He’d thought yesterday when he saw this youth that he was like a little white rabbit straying into a pack of wolves. Turned out he was a wolf wearing sheep’s clothing all along.
Shi Deng’s aura was rather unstable. The little white cat’s paw was patting him faster and faster.
Hearing this, after a long while, Shi Deng’s fingers turned, and the playing card returned to his palm. “Write up the agreement. I’ll be staying here for quite a while, so don’t play any tricks.”
Ye Fei immediately felt his body could move again.
“I’ll write it! I’ll write it! I definitely will!”
He roared toward his subordinates. “Quick, go get paper. What are you standing there stunned for?!”
“Ahhh!” Several subordinates hurriedly prepared paper and pen.
Ye Fei quickly wrote according to Shi Deng’s requirements and handed it to him. “Here’s the agreement.”
Damn, what’s wrong with him lately? His luck is so bad, encountering one abnormal person after another. This little brat couldn’t be some big shot in disguise, could he?
From just that brief exchange, he could tell this kid’s strength far exceeded his own.
Fine, he’ll write it. Having occupied the supervisor position for so long and lived until now, he’d long since developed the moral flexibility to adapt to any situation.
Shi Deng didn’t take it for a long time.
The hand holding the playing card was stained with blood. The youth’s long lashes lowered as he stared at the winding bloodstains on his fingertips, lost in thought.
Blood drops fell onto the sawdust-covered floor, quickly soaking into it.
He loosened his grip, and the playing card fell to the ground.
As Ye Fei grew uneasy, the youth looked up at the paper and said, “Sign it.”
Ye Fei smiled awkwardly, signed his name, and even thoughtfully folded it and placed it in the youth’s left palm that had no bloodstains.
Shi Deng put it away, stuffed it in his pocket, and stood up to leave.
Commotion came from outside. Soon, clanging sounds of fighting and guards blocking people echoed beyond the door. “You really can’t enter. The supervisor is inside discussing business with someone!”
“Then why hasn’t anyone gone in to relay the message? You’re the ones who attacked first. We’re just looking for someone. If you weren’t hiding something, would you block us like this?” It was actually Cen Le’s voice.
“Don’t waste words with them. What supervisor? Who knows if they didn’t set their sights on our brother’s things back in the hall earlier?!” Yuan Ting said angrily.
They’d actually circled this place many times before finding it, thanks to Zhi Ze’s prophecy technique. He’d used prophecy three times in succession, and all three leaves pointed in the same direction.
Besides Shi Deng, they’d never seen anyone else make the leaves so persistent.
The door banged loudly, the clamor right at hand. Shi Deng’s steps froze.
Ye Fei: “Your friends seem to have arrived.”
Shi Deng slowly turned back.
His expression was calm. Under the warm yellow lights, he looked like a cold shadow not existing in this dimension.
He looked at Ye Fei.
“Do me a favor.”
…
Outside the noise continued until an impatient voice came from inside: “Let them all in.”
When Yuan Ting and the other two were admitted, they still carried their confrontational aura. Scanning the room, they saw Shi Deng:
The youth sat on a soft sofa, his jacket removed. Ye Fei was bandaging his injured arm.
Hearing the commotion, he looked up in surprise. “You all?”
Yuan Ting immediately rushed over nervously. “Shi Deng, what happened? You’re injured?”
Zhi Ze surveyed the area and keenly noticed the wooden powder on the floor where a table should have been—apparently destroyed by someone’s ability.
However, Shi Deng seemed mostly fine. He let out a light breath. “Shi Deng, when we got back and found you weren’t home, we thought someone kidnapped you.”
After all, he’d shown off his wealth in front of so many people in the hall earlier.
They hadn’t expected him to be with the supervisor.
Shi Deng smiled as if embarrassed. “Sorry for troubling you all. I came out to buy something and ran into people who wanted to capture me on the road. Fortunately, this helpful supervisor intervened to assist. He was so angry he smashed the table with one palm.”
He pointed at the powder on the floor.
Ye, Forced, Helpful, Fei watched as Shi Deng instantly transformed from a blood-drinking wolf into a weak, naive little sheep. Forcibly suppressing his facial distortion, he smiled at the three. “Well, I’m the base supervisor. When I saw your friend in danger, of course I had to help.”
Seeming to find that sentence too fake, he jokingly added, “Besides, if I didn’t intervene to help, the ‘elder’ behind Shi Deng probably wouldn’t let me off either, right?”
Hearing this, the vague sense of incongruity in Zhi Ze’s heart gradually dissipated. He apologized. “I’m sorry, Supervisor. We also forced our way in here. We’ll compensate for any damages caused with beast cores.”
They’d hunted quite a few beast cores in one day, so compensation shouldn’t be a problem.
Cen Le walked to Shi Deng’s side, her eyes behind the lenses especially focused. “What kind of injury? Let me see.”
Shi Deng extended his arm. “Sister Le, it’s already been bandaged. Just a small scratch.”
Sister Le was the same as before—her face looked very young, but she was more reliable than either Zhi Ze or Yuan Ting.
The youth’s slender forearm was wrapped with a section of bandage, faintly showing a bit of dark red.
Cen Le found that red color irritatingly conspicuous. A bright white light condensed at her fingertips and touched Shi Deng’s bandage.
Ye Fei made a sound of surprise. “Healing? That’s really rare.”
The bloodstains on the bandage visibly stopped spreading. Cen Le said, “My level isn’t high enough yet to completely eliminate wounds. I’ve stopped the bleeding. For the next two days, be careful not to get it wet.”
Shi Deng: “Sister Le, you’re amazing.”
Ye Fei: “…”
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
He quickly looked away and said to Zhi Ze, “No need for compensation. I also did some things wrong. Alright, since everything’s fine now, you should leave quickly. Take him back and rest well for a couple days.”
“This kind of thing won’t happen again.”
Shi Deng stood up with the other three.
Yuan Ting still seemed very angry. “Would you mind telling us who bullied Shi Deng? I want to vent.”
He pointed at Shi Deng’s arm. “My brother…”
His gaze inadvertently swept past and caught sight of the faint bloodstains on Shi Deng’s palm. Yuan Ting’s voice suddenly rose. He grabbed Shi Deng’s hand. “What’s this about?!”
The youth’s palm was exposed beneath everyone’s noses.
It bore marks from being gripped by rope or something similar for an extended time. Yuan Ting gasped. “Which bastard did this?!”
Shi Deng smiled awkwardly, uncomfortably trying to pull his hand back.
Cen Le frowned and stepped forward to grab his other hand as well, spreading it open.
Two originally clean palms now bore purple imprints from gripping that looked somewhat frightening.
Like a cat grabbed by the scruff of its neck, Shi Deng silently retreated half a step, only to have his wrists gripped even tighter.
Yuan Ting’s hot-blooded sense of loyalty toward his friends instantly exploded. He said, “Why are you backing away? Did someone else bully you? Don’t be afraid. Tell us!”
Zhi Ze looked toward Ye Fei.
Ye Fei: “This has nothing to do with me… Those would-be robbers really aren’t related. When I rescued your friend, his hands already looked like this.”
Yuan Ting: “How is that possible? Did he do it to himself?”
“Um,” Shi Deng struggled a bit and pointed toward the corner at two pieces of Flying Wings wrapped in a large red bag. “It’s just…”
It really was something he did to himself.
From carrying a very heavy bag of Flying Wings.
Everyone looked toward the corner.
Zhi Ze walked over and picked it up, examining it. He said in surprise, “Isn’t this the Flying Wings Yuan Ting wanted to eat?”
Shi Deng explained. “…Yes, I originally came out to buy things, but it was too heavy, and carrying it caused these marks.”
Yuan Ting fell silent for a moment, then suddenly sniffled and pulled Shi Deng into a tearful embrace. “Since birth, besides my mom and my sister, no one’s ever treated me this well. I’m so touched. From now on, you’re my real little brother. Whoever messes with you, I’ll fight them…”
Shi Deng was hugged so tightly he couldn’t breathe. Xiao Deng had long since bristled and jumped into Cen Le’s arms.
Zhi Ze said, “Let’s go back. I’ll cook Flying Wings for you all to eat.”
Cen Le smiled with pursed lips. “What a treat.”
The four of them shared a harmonious atmosphere.
Only after they’d been gone for quite a while did Ye Fei rub his chin, pondering: He really couldn’t understand the operations of today’s kids.
Clearly adjusting those people’s mission order to face more dangerous exotic beasts, yet still buying Flying Wings for them, carrying it until his hands turned purple from the pressure without letting go.
Really…
Strange.
Ye Fei glanced at the subordinates who’d witnessed everything and warned, “You know what should and shouldn’t be said, right? If even one word of today’s events leaks out, you won’t see tomorrow’s sun.”
That evening, the four of them enjoyed a delicious Flying Wings feast.
After dinner, Shi Deng immediately returned to his room to take his medicine.
The youth swallowed the pills with water, too hastily. He choked a bit and coughed incessantly, the veins on the back of his hand pressed against the table bulging, showing a fragile pallor.
The room wasn’t even lit. Moonlight spilled across the floor.
Xiao Deng transformed into human form and patted his back.
“Shi Deng…”
The youth sat down, lying face-down on the table, chin resting on the back of his hand, gazing toward the vaguely visible mountains and waning moon outside the window.
Xiao Deng watched for a while, then quietly stood on tiptoe to hug the youth’s waist, his soft little face gently pressing against him. “Don’t be afraid…”
***
On the Time Paradox manga forum, a post was floating around.
Analysis: What illness did Shi baby get this reset?
It was currently nighttime. The manga had just updated, which was peak traffic time, so there were many people discussing and replying.
[Original Poster: Everyone saw it. In today’s updated chapter, when Shi baby was confronting Ye Fei, he seemed to have a very strong sense of insecurity. In “Reversal Arc,” Shi baby was the big demon lord. In “Abyss Arc,” Shi baby was half-mad. Now in “Sunflower Arc,” he seems very normal.]
[Reply to OP: Normal is the biggest abnormality. After experiencing the deaths of companions so many times, if it were me, I’d probably have PTSD already. How could there be nothing wrong?]
[OP: Let me post an image.
Image – The first time the medicine bottle appeared.
Image – The second time the medicine bottle appeared.
Image – The medicine bottle in the newly updated chapter.
My eyes are nearly blind, but I can only make out a few blurred letters :)]
[Also, this time Shi-ge’s attitude toward Shi baby seems subtly different, like, how to say it, more gentle?]
[Xiao Deng told Shi baby, “Don’t be afraid.” What is Shi baby afraid of?]
[At the beginning of “Sunflower Arc,” Uncle Fu reminds Shi baby to take medicine, indicating he’d had episodes before. Then during this confrontation, it was very obvious—Xiao Deng was very nervous, all his cat fur stood on end.]
[Xiao Deng was afraid of Shi Deng losing control. Because he didn’t take his medicine last night.]
[So in other words, after an episode, he’ll lose control, which is why he used the beast core to cut his own arm—using physical pain to stay lucid?]
[Just carrying a bag can cause injuries. How weak has this body become?]
[Baldy really is inhuman. I’m guessing it’s most likely mental/psychological in nature, but hard to say what specifically.]
[But I estimate in at most two or three more chapters, we’ll find out (lightly)]
[Without Shi-ge by Shi baby’s side, I really have no sense of security QAQ]
***
One month later.
Yuan Guang.
Shi-ge put on the hood he’d snagged from the temporary base last time.
Uncle Fu asked, “Shi-ge, do you need me to go with you?”
“No need. Please rest well.” Shi-ge helped him sit down. Looking at Uncle Fu’s aged face, he said flatly, “You actually don’t have to follow us.”
Shi Deng lived in Yuan Guang as a child, together with several hundred other children his age, being raised as “Gu” insects.
In the end, only one of this group of children could survive—the “Gu King,” who would become Yuan Guang’s next leader.
Each child being raised as “Gu” was assigned a “Moth,” responsible for taking care of the child’s daily needs and acting as a guard until death.
Each Moth would only recognize one master in their lifetime.
Uncle Fu was the Moth that Shi Deng had selected at the time.
Uncle Fu’s ability was String Manipulation, related to unilateral binding.
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 50.1