Xie Yang was back.
Hard to say whether that was good news. But at least when Cheng Shi returned from his Collection Hall excursion and saw this long-absent neighbor in the rest area, he smiled.
Once a person undergoes a dramatic identity shift — say, from a soon-to-be-"unemployed" male college graduate to a "mother" — they tend to grow more grounded. Clearly, Xie Yang had matured.
But Cheng Shi offered no comnt. He knew this wasn't a good joke — it was a shadow that haunted the man's heart.
Xie Yang did seem to have overco those psychological scars, though. His expression and manner were no different from before — his eyes even carried an unusual resolve, more determined than when he'd been chasing his white moonlight.
Cheng Shi was curious about what this [War] believer had been through, but couldn't figure out how to broach the subject. Fortunately, Xie Yang spoke first.
Standing at the rooftop's edge, he waved warmly at Cheng Shi:
"Bro, I'm back!
Whether or not you deceived
— thank you again for saving my life!"
'Oh? He found out about my identity?'
Made sense. The necromancer cover had been used long enough — ti to retire it.
Cheng Shi smiled and walked to his own rooftop's edge, facing his neighbor across the gap: "Where've you been gallivanting lately?"
Xie Yang's smile faded, his expression turning serious:
"Doing a few aningful things.
After everything I've been through, I've finally found the aning of my existence. I've finally figured out my purpose in this ga.
I did too many stupid things when I was young. Now it's ti to make up for the past — and contribute so repair work to this broken world."
"...?"
'Bro, I asked a casual question and you hit
with a life philosophy speech?'
'Setting aside what "repairing the world" ans — your so-called "when I was young" wouldn't be referring to yourself two months ago, would you?'
'What — done with the simp literature, moved on to cringe?'
Cheng Shi's mouth twitched. He nodded along politely:
"Good for you. Everyone needs goals. Otherwise idle hands make trouble.
But I'm still curious — did you... save Xiao Li?"
Xie Yang had just found his groove and was about to wax philosophical further, but hearing Xiao Li's na made his face crumble instantly.
"No. My white moonlight has left
for good."
"My condolences..."
"But A Mian told
— you can't dwell on the past. You have to look forward!" Xie Yang's brilliant smile returned.
"...As if! Wait—" Cheng Shi blanked, blinking rapidly. "A... Mian? Who's that?"
"My white moonlight!
Rember the beast tar I told you about — the one who tried to ta ?
He's dead!!
While my friends and I were hunting him down, he died in a trial by accident. He'll never hurt anyone again.
And his death let us seize his space and rescue all the poor souls he hadn't finished taming yet.
A Mian was one of them. She's an amazing girl. Strong, brave, decisive — and above all, she never gives up. She..."
The complints kept coming, but Cheng Shi had already lost the ability to speak.
He could tell A Mian was indeed a wonderful girl — because the last ti he'd heard this exact script was when Xie Yang had been introducing Xiao Li. More precisely: introducing Xiao Li's corpse.
'Bro, after everything you've been through, how have you still not shed that absurd nature of yours?'
What he'd assud was a "prodigal son returns" story turned out to be nothing of the sort — the prodigal had no intention of turning back and was apparently ready to run headfirst through the wall.
"...But A Mian's suffered too much psychological trauma. She hasn't adjusted to freedom yet. I need to constantly comfort and care for her — to show her this world still has love and beauty!"
Cheng Shi's face twitched. He gave Xie Yang a peculiar look:
"So that's your 'contributing repair work to this broken world'?
Repairing yourself right into so poor girl's emotional window?"
At this, Xie Yang straightened up solemnly: "Of course not! Repairing the world is my life's mission. A Mian is my unwavering love. How can you conflate the two!?"
Despite the endless material for mockery, Cheng Shi caught sothing aningful between the lines.
This Xie Yang genuinely seed to have found a purpose. But "repairing the world" — why did it sound so familiar?
"Oh right!" Xie Yang dropped his earnest persona and produced a tattered experint manuscript from his personal space, tossing it to Cheng Shi.
Cheng Shi caught it, surprised. He flipped through a couple of pages. Nope — couldn't read it.
He glanced at Xie Yang, who took the hint:
"Bro — no matter what, without your rescue there'd be no reborn .
This is an experint manuscript I found at the 0221 experint site. I'm not sure if it's useful to you, but I figure anything the Grand Marshal and Da Yi were fighting over must be worth sothing."
"?"
Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and smiled: "Oh? You stole this from those two?"
"Not exactly..." Xie Yang hesitated, choosing honesty. "I was going to take it, but they found the manuscript first. When they learned I was collecting it as a thank-you gift for you, they gave up the fight.
If you don't think it's enough, I can also—"
"Enough. More than enough. It's the thought that counts." Cheng Shi smiled brightly — though internally he wished soone would explain what it actually was.
He'd been asking Brother Mouth this entire ti, but Brother Mouth was giving him the silent treatnt. Left with no choice, Cheng Shi put it aside. He'd ask the Doctor about it next ti they t — which of 0221's experints this manuscript docunted.
He'd expected this brief neighborly chat to wrap up there. Cheng Shi had plenty to think about, and Xie Yang had A Mian to care for. But just as Cheng Shi turned to leave, Xie Yang called out and said sothing inexplicable:
"Bro... I know you're a good person."
"?"
"You... forget it. I'm a straightforward guy, so I'll just say it. Since you were willing to rescue those people 0221 had trapped — have you ever thought about saving even more?"
Cheng Shi frowned. His "organization magnet" constitution was acting up again.
He looked at Xie Yang and shook his head with a laugh: "So — which organization's invitation is this?"
"It's...
Sorry, I can't say yet. But as long as you share this vision — join us. No — join them with . Then we can work together to repair this broken world."
"And then what?"
"Huh?" Xie Yang blinked blankly.
Cheng Shi snort-laughed:
"I an — repair the world, and then what? Turn the gods' broken pasture into a complete pasture?
Since it's a pasture either way, what's the point of fixing it?"
"Of course there's a point!" Xie Yang straightened his back solemnly. "Without repairs, there'll never be wholeness. Besides, repair is the ans, not the end. When the pasture's wild grass grows thick enough to block out the sky — who can guarantee the pasture's heavens won't change!?"
'So it's them?'
'They actually found Xie Yang?'
Cheng Shi frowned, wondering whether by their standards, Xie Yang's romantic history was a bit too checkered.
Then again, he might have guessed wrong. But regardless, this [War] believer was walking an admirably difficult road.
"Good thinking. Let's hope we live to see that day."
With that, Cheng Shi turned and left.
Watching his neighbor's retreating figure, Xie Yang's resolve only deepened.
"We will. Both this world and A Mian will only get better!"
...
Reviews
All reviews (0)