Chapter Forty-Three: There Are Immortals! (Summon Your Recommendation Votes!)

Chapter 43: "There Are Immortals!"

Chen Xiao felt as if his mind could no longer keep up...

Staggering uncontrollably, he braced himself against the wall, found a sofa by the entrance, and collapsed onto it. Taking several deep breaths, he struggled to calm his emotions.

I... I’m an Awakened now. Am I really an Awakened? Am I truly... no longer an ordinary person?!

“So, you’ve accepted it, haven’t you?” Zhu Rong smiled warmly at him, comforting, “Little one, you’re already one of us. You can’t refuse it even if you want to. Fate has ordained it; you’re meant to be with people like us. Isn’t it good for us all to help one another and survive together in this world?”

She paused, then winked at him. “You said you don’t like the Service Club—that’s fine. We’re not asking you to do anything complicated. Just be our commission agent, help manage the accounts, receive requests—just a steward’s job. As for fulfilling commissions, we old-timers will be the ones risking life and limb. You only need to stay in the shop and welcome guests. Such an easy job, not difficult, right?”

Old Tian finally spoke up. He sighed, walked to Chen Xiao’s side, and sat down across from him, his tone gentle. “Chen Xiao, I know how you’re feeling. Back in my day, when I discovered I was different from most people, I was seen as a monster! But here, each of us has been through the same. In time, you’ll see the benefits. So long as you don’t treat us as outsiders, we’ll treat you as family.”

“My mind’s a mess,” Chen Xiao looked up blankly at Uncle Tian. “My job...”

“I promise, as long as you don’t want to, no one will force you to go out on missions. You just stay here and greet clients on Thursday nights, handle commission orders, and you decide which missions we take. The rest is up to us, just as Zhu Rong said. We’ll risk the danger; you just be a good steward.”

“...I need to think.”

With those words, Chen Xiao rose silently, walked to the door, hesitated briefly, then finally pushed it open and left.

“Stubborn kid,” Zhu Rong pouted.

“It’s all right; every newcomer goes through this.” Old Tian frowned, glancing at Zhu Rong. “Back when you were his age and discovered you were the Flame Maiden, I bet you felt even more panic than he does.”

Zhu Rong’s face changed, a flash of annoyance quickly replaced by a hint of sorrow. She shook her head. “Old Tian, you bastard! Anger me again and I’ll burn your garage to the ground!”

With that, she snorted and strode out of the shop. At the door, she shouted back at her husband, “Hey, old man! What are you sitting there for? Waiting for someone to invite you to dinner?”

Gong Gong sighed and hurried after her, shrinking as he went.

In the coffee shop, Old Tian picked up his teacup, drained the last of the tea, then took out a cigarette and lit it. After a couple of puffs, he gave a wry smile and muttered, “Didn’t I quit smoking? But habits are hard to break, truly hard.”

He dropped the cigarette, turned off the lights, and left the shop, heading in the direction Chen Xiao had gone.

•

Overhead, beneath the night sky, a patch of dark clouds had quietly drifted in, covering the once-bright stars and moon.

Chen Xiao wandered the silent street, his thoughts in turmoil, not caring where he was going, simply walking aimlessly.

After a while, he suddenly turned, a strange feeling stirring in his heart—someone was following him. Yet when he looked back, the lane behind him was empty, not a soul in sight.

“Is it just my imagination?” Chen Xiao shook his head. “I really am not normal anymore.”

Meow—

A small shadow leapt lightly from the wall, landing in the middle of the path.

It was a petite black cat, staring at him with green eyes.

“Isn’t being ‘not normal’ a good thing?”

With a familiar, heart-stirring voice, the black cat took two steps forward and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into human form!

In the stillness of the night, her eyes were gentle as water. She stood before Chen Xiao, a faint smile on her lips, her bright gaze leaving him transfixed.

“Feng... Phoenix?”

She smiled, blinking behind her glasses. “You remember my name.”

...How could I forget?

The thought flashed through Chen Xiao’s mind. He hesitated. “You’ve been following me?”

“To be precise, since you opened for business tonight, I’ve been nearby.” Phoenix tilted her head, looking adorably mischievous. “Tonight is an important day for commissions, after all. I had nothing to do, so I came to take a look.”

“You know everything?” Chen Xiao managed a wry smile. “Of course you do. I’m new to this circle; you know much more than I do.”

Phoenix stepped closer, stopping just two steps away. At this distance, her eyes were breathtakingly beautiful.

“You seem troubled,” she said, and unexpectedly took his hand. “Come, let me show you somewhere.”

Chen Xiao felt a soft, delicate touch in his palm—a contact that made his heart quiver and then panic. This girl, beautiful beyond words, looked at him with eyes as gentle as water, and he found himself following her without resistance...

But then, Chen Xiao cried out in surprise!

“Ah!”

•

Their bodies drifted in the air, the streets, lamplight, and houses beneath them shrinking rapidly as they rose higher and higher. Chen Xiao couldn’t help but shout.

“Shh.” Phoenix held his hand and raised a finger to her lips, her face smiling. “Don’t make a fuss; if someone sees us, it’ll be troublesome.”

Chen Xiao’s heart pounded wildly.

Flying... they were really flying!

With Phoenix holding his hand, he felt as light as a feather. Under her guidance, the two soared further and further, the cityscape quickly falling away beneath them.

The evening wind brushed his face and body, sweeping away much of his earlier gloom. Although being suddenly airborne had panicked him, Phoenix’s gentle gaze soon calmed him.

He couldn’t help but study her closely—the night breeze lifted her hair, strands brushing his face, and a faint, fresh fragrance drifted into his nose as he stood beside her.

Hand in hand with her, it felt as if he were dancing across the sky with a fairy...

Flying, yes, flying...

But to where?

He wished... this moment would never end.

At that instant, the young Chen Xiao, just like any boy his age, failed to realize that this girl beside him—so ethereal, so like a fairy—her image had already been forever etched into his heart.

•

Heading west, after a while Chen Xiao guessed they were over the western outskirts of K City. The landscape widened, with no more tall buildings, and finally, Phoenix guided them down...

Beneath them stretched a vast estate, but the buildings looked odd. Alongside a cluster of gray buildings stood a tall tower, nearly thirty meters high, round with two huge lamp fixtures at the top—like a lighthouse by the sea.

Phoenix glanced back at him, lowering her voice. “Don’t speak loudly.”

They landed on the rooftop terrace of the tower. Chen Xiao relaxed only when his feet touched the stone. When Phoenix let go of his hand, he couldn’t help but feel a trace of disappointment.

Phoenix sat casually on the ground, her legs dangling over the edge of the tower, swinging gently in the wind.

“Sit down, why are you standing?” Phoenix smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. Chen Xiao felt his face grow warm—thankfully, it was dark enough she shouldn’t notice.

Sitting beside her, Chen Xiao asked awkwardly, “Where... is this?”

Phoenix covered her mouth, her tone playful. “See for yourself.”

See for himself?

Chen Xiao looked down. The gray buildings nearby were only three stories high but covered a wide area, with a large field beside them.

Was it a school?

But...

There was a wall surrounding the place! High and thick! And... every so often, a slightly shorter tower...

Most startling of all, atop the walls—

Wait, was that barbed wire?!

High walls, watchtowers, barbed wire, a vast yard, squat buildings...

Could it be...

Chen Xiao’s expression turned odd.

“That’s right, it’s a prison—K City’s prison,” Phoenix giggled.

Chen Xiao nearly fell off the tower!

A prison?!

He swallowed hard, staring at Phoenix in disbelief.

“Sigh...” Phoenix sighed softly. “I don’t like the city’s big buildings—they’re too oppressive. But there aren’t any mountains around here. Only this place, it’s wide open, and this tower is high—you can see very far. Don’t you find the view expansive?”

Chen Xiao wiped cold sweat from his brow.

So, because it’s tall and has a good view, she comes to the prison’s watchtower in the middle of the night to look at the scenery...

What an... unconventional girl!

“Well, the view is nice, but...” Chen Xiao tried to protest.

“No ‘buts’,” Phoenix smiled, gazing into his eyes. “Why do people living in this world need to think so much? Wouldn’t it be better to relax a little?”

She paused, her eyes carrying a deeper meaning. “Take you, for example. Tonight you’re upset because you overthink everything that happens to you. Thinking too much will only exhaust you, you know.”

Perhaps her words were simple, but spoken by a girl like Phoenix, they sank straight into Chen Xiao’s heart.

He fell into contemplation...

•

A hundred meters away, inside a certain prison cell, a fat man leaned dejectedly against the barred window, bored, gazing outside.

Suddenly, his round face twisted in shock as he stared at the distant tower top...

“Wow! Guards! Guards!” The fat man rushed to the cell door, pounding on it.

After a moment, an impatient voice sounded outside. “What is it now?”

“Officer! There are immortals out there! Immortals on the tower!”

“...You must be crazy! Not sleeping at night—keep this up and I’ll deal with you!”

Footsteps receded.

“I’m telling the truth, there are immortals!” the fat man wailed, continuing to shout, “Hey! You can’t treat me like this! Prisoners have rights too!”

(Summon the recommendation votes—give as many as you can~)