AZI Volume 3 Chapter 25

Moving into the garage—

"So, how much have you told Zhou'er about your situation?"

Asking this, Long Hua crouches down, and begins to open the items' packages, while Yao Ying answers—

"She only knows that I'm someone from an influential family. Other than that, nothing else."

"Hmm. By the way, how is it that Zhou'er is able to understand what you're saying?"

Him being able to be understood by the denizens of this world is due to the laws of the Leng Bing Realm not affecting him fully, but for Yao Ying—that shouldn't be the case.

"Nuo'er gave me a specialized medallion."

"I see. Well, how are you feeling—regarding your current situation?"

"…"

Contemplating for a bit, Yao Ying answers—

"When Qing Ming Yang showed up to halt my carriage… I kind of already had a general idea of what was happening. But I didn't really have any potential culprits in mind."

"…"

"Right now, I feel really confused. I don't know who I can trust. Also… I wonder if I'll ever be able to return home safely. And even if I did return… Will I still be targeted? If there isn't a place for me in the Chen Shi family, then where do I go? Should going over to grandfather's place end up causing him trouble… I…-"

Speaking up to here, Yao Ying's voice begins to tremble—seemingly on the verge of tears.

"…"

Rising to a stand, Long Hua opens up his storage pouch, and stores all the items away into it, prior to turning around to face Yao Ying, and asks—

"You still have that piece of paper on you?"

"…I do."

"The fact that you can keep something that you'd feel the want to get rid of—means, you've at least got a good head on your shoulders."

"Hm?"

"It's a compliment."

Shrugging his shoulders, Long Hua adds—

"Similarly, to you, I also came here from another world. I don't really know if I can return to that world, or not."

"…Are you afraid of not being able to return?"

"Terrified, but… I think, I'm more terrified of not having the courage—to at least make an attempt, when it's possible."

Saying this, Long Hua sighs on the inside. It takes four separate sets of courage to deal with his situation.

The first set is used to accept the situation.

The second set is used to take a step forward in the situation.

The third set is used to accept the result of his attempted step, which—may, or may not be ideal.

Finally, the fourth set is used to make a repeat of the attempt—should the previous result be considered a failure.

"I'm not going to say—that everything will all work out in the end, because the odds are higher that it won't."

"…"

Hearing this, Yao Ying lowers her head, while Long Hua explains—

"Scars accumulate on the body, and mind, as you continue to live. And some of these scars, they end up changing us forever—making it impossible for us, to return to the us, that stood here yesterday. Who knows? Maybe the changes that these scars bring can be good, or they could be bad? Regardless, it's inevitable that they'll appear at some point. And if you can't accept that…"

Bending forward slightly to match Yao Ying's height, Long Hua smiles faintly at her, and says—

"Then, it would be best to die in tranquility ahead of time."

"…!"

With a pale complexion, Yao Ying takes three steps back.

Clearly, the smile on Long Hua's face didn't reach his eyes—making his words colder than ice.

(*-laoban, your words are as harsh as ever.)

"Qie…?"

Hearing the Tai Xuan Emperor's voice, Long Hua straightens his back, and mutters her alias beneath his breath.

(No need to be so surprised. After our handshake, our connection's been established.)

In actuality, it's more appropriate to say—that their connection had just gotten firmer after that contact.

(In any case, the little girl is clearly in need of warmth, and you're just going to leave her out like this? Don't you have a heart?)

Ignoring the Tai Xuan Emperor, Long Hua looks at Yao Ying, and says—

"Head back to work. Keeping yourself busy—will get you to quit thinking about your troubles, at least temporarily. …It's a good habit to keep thinking about your troubles in moderation, though."

"…Un."

Replying with a subtle nod, Yao Ying heads back to the café area, while the Tai Xuan Emperor remarks—

(Ai, morals, compassion, practically everything—that makes you a decent person, has been swallowed by a dog.)

Raising a chuckle, Long Hua heaves a sigh, and replies—

"The longer you live for, the worse your temper becomes. Eventually, you live for so long—that you just cease, to care about everything. When that happens, you view everything from the perspective of a bystander—making it impossible for you to empathize with those in front of you."

(…Agreed.)

"I want to go home, but… The road ahead, it's simply soul-crushingly long. I don't have the leisure to really care about someone else. However, life is like a play, all of us have a role to play in it—whether we want to, or not."

(A play you say? In that case, what role do you have in the play called Chen Shi Yao Ying?)

"Who knows? Maybe I'm just a guest in her life—who just so happens to have pointed her in the wrong direction just now?"

Raising his arms, Long Hua stretches, while letting out a yawn.

"Ai, for some reason I feel like today's the last day—that there'll ever be peace in this world."