At dawn, the sky showed the pale white of a fish's belly, pierced by several golden rays.
He Li, awake, pushed open the door and stood on the steps. The Kuer family was already up. The old man was tending sheep in the distance, while Kuer sat in the courtyard watching his son, Gayas, wipe down a motorcycle with a rag.
The motorcycle, labeled "Border Patrol," was a common sight in every household. Currently, it belonged to Kuer, and in the future, it would belong to Gayas.
What they passed down wasn't just the motorcycle, but the words "Border Patrol."
The names of the Tajik people were formed by combining their father's name with their own. For instance, if a person was named Kuke, his father was Mydiler, and his grandfather was Kalwang, then he would be Kuke Mydiler, and his father would be Mydiler Kalwang.
However, the Kuer family was different. What remained constant was the name "Taglais."
From Wa Taglais,
to Kuer Taglais,
to Gayas Taglais.
This family, across three generations, each individual was a snow lotus.
"Hungry? Breakfast is being made," Kuer turned to look at He Li, pointing with a simple smile towards a large iron pot steaming nearby.
He Li walked down the steps and said, "Not hungry, I ate a lot last night. Don't you need to go to the Spiritual Management Association?"
Kuer nodded. "I don't need to. I'm the only hunter in this county. My duty is to protect this place. I go to the Spiritual Management Association once a week to collect spiritual weapons."
After speaking, Kuer looked with a smile at his son diligently cleaning the motorcycle, then turned back to He Li, a mischievous grin spreading across his honest face.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
He Li shot him a sideways glance. "What do you want to ask?"
Kuer didn't answer, just chuckled heartily.
He Li rolled his eyes. He hadn't expected the honest Kuer to be so gossipy. He ignored Kuer and sat on a small chair nearby, watching Gayas clean the motorcycle. Feeling the heat from the nearby stove, He Li couldn't help but feel a sense of groundedness.
After breakfast, Susan used the equipment she brought to meticulously scan the bark of the Mother Poplar that He Li had brought back. Then, she had a remote video call with Sister Jiang to analyze its composition.
Kuer took He Li for a tour of the village and, by the way, helped him replace all the demonic energy detection devices in the area.
What frustrated He Li, however, was that despite his tall and handsome appearance, he wasn't as attractive to any of the dogs as Xiao Lan was.
Why did the Tajik girls only like Xiao Lan and not even spare a second glance for its owner?
The people here lived truly happy lives.
...
...
Shache Airport.
"If you're free, message me and we can chat. If you're busy, just pretend you don't know me as a friend," He Li said to Kuer.
Kuer paused for a moment, then opened his arms for a hug, smiling. "I hope you'll visit my home often in the future."
He Li patted Kuer's back. Why did this solid, warm chest and arms give him a damn sense of security?
"I will. We'll keep in touch."
After bidding farewell to the Kuer family,
He Li and Susan entered the airport. He Li had taken two flights to get here. For the return trip, they were on a private jet. He wouldn't thank Susan, as this was Tao Xue's financial power at play.
By the time they arrived at Binjiang Airport, it was already evening.
He Li went to the parking lot to get his car and first took Susan home.
At the entrance to Susan's apartment building, Susan stood by the car door and took out a small glass vial containing the powdered stone that He Li had decomposed. She shook it at He Li and said with a smile,
"From today onwards, I will truly understand my own power."
He Li didn't speak, just raised his eyebrows at Susan and gave her a knowing look.
Susan put away the glass vial and said, "I'll give you two days off. Rest well at home."
"Thank you," He Li grinned and drove away.
He Li returned to his apartment building, parked, and pulled his suitcase out of the trunk. Just as he was about to go upstairs, he saw a middle-aged man walking out from the corner of the park path.
He Li recognized this man. His name was Zhang Fucheng. He rented an apartment below He Li's. He was divorced and raised his son alone. He woke up early to deliver goods to a breakfast shop and then worked at a construction site, living a meager existence. Due to the nature of his work, He Li rarely saw him, but whenever he did, Zhang Fucheng was carrying a plastic bag containing noodles and a jar of sauce, or some eggs.
Because of this, some people in the neighborhood nicknamed him "Zhang Noodles."
Zhang Fucheng didn't object. Whenever people called him that, he would just smile and say nothing.
When the old folks downstairs chatted, they always said that money was a man's courage. Zhang Fucheng had no money. It was one thing that he was timid himself, but even when his son was bullied at school, he dared not express his anger or speak up.
A man bent by the weight of life.
Zhang Fucheng walked closer. He had actually seen He Li a while ago, but he seemed reluctant to talk to He Li. It might have been acceptable before, but now that He Li had a car, it felt like they were from different worlds – the rich and the poor.
He Li knew this too. From Zhang Fucheng's slow pace, he could tell that Zhang Fucheng didn't really want to talk to him.
Immediately,
He Li closed the trunk and quickly went upstairs ahead of him.
Once this mindset formed, no matter what he did, Zhang Fucheng would see it as showing off. Rather than standing by the car and greeting Zhang Fucheng, it was better to pretend not to see him. At least then, Zhang Fucheng wouldn't feel awkward. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
...
A small island in the Pacific.
Chen Du emerged from the churning seawater, chest out, head held high.
On the beach stood a tall, red-haired woman in a white dress.
"Are you here to kill me?" Chen Du's voice was low. His chest was covered in raw, gaping wounds. He stood in the water, looking at the red-haired woman on the beach, her expression cold.
"Divine Art... Chen?" the woman spoke slowly.
Chen Du didn't answer her question, nor did he ask any more. He walked towards the beach, his chest and abdomen covered in countless wounds, large and small.
He grabbed a foot with his right hand. As he walked onto the beach, Molin, who looked like a dead dog, was dragged out of the sea by him and casually thrown in front of the woman.
He plopped down on the sand,
and then,
with a mocking chuckle, said, "The battle for the talismans, I won. This trash, you can take it. My master doesn't need such a waste."
After speaking, Chen Du's wounds began to ooze blood. He spat twice fiercely, expelling some seawater from his stomach.
He looked at the red-haired woman and asked calmly, "Are you going to kill me? If you're not going to kill me, I'll leave. I'm quite busy."
The red-haired woman finally spoke, her voice thin but clear and crisp. She asked softly, "He has awakened?"
Chen Du stood up from the sand, brushed the sand off his backside, and gave the woman a provocative smile. "If you don't kill me, I'm really leaving then."
As his words fell, a white magic array lit up beneath Chen Du's feet. Then, he soared into the air, heading towards the distant sky.
The woman remained expressionless, not even glancing at the dying Molin at her feet. She turned and disappeared.
...