Chapter 13
Having overdrawn her powers and lost too much blood, Xia Qingxue lay in a corner of the small room, feeling cold all over despite the sweltering summer.
She was draped in a jacket of unknown origin, her backpack serving as a pillow, and a little girl whose name she didn’t know sat beside her. The scene was utterly desolate.
Outside, all sorts of strange noises never ceased. The fire was burning, and the willow monster thrashed its roots in its death throes, making frightening cracking sounds.
Xia Qingxue’s head throbbed, her calf was numb, and she felt like she could pass out at any moment, yet she insisted on not closing her eyes to rest.
She was very worried about Xia Weishuang. She had been out for so long, why hadn’t she come back yet?
Could she have run off with that woman, Sang Lu?!
The thought of Sang Lu filled Xia Qingxue with a sense of dread. Unlike Xia Weishuang, who saw her through a rose-tinted filter of love, Xia Qingxue had been wary and suspicious of her from the very beginning.
When Sang Lu appeared in her monstrous form, Xia Qingxue was terrified. Even though she had saved Xia Weishuang, was she really okay like this?
No matter how you thought about it, it couldn’t be okay!
Xia Qingxue believed that Sang Lu was, in essence, similar to a zombie. As for why their specific forms were different, Xia Qingxue couldn’t guess the reason.
But without a doubt, Sang Lu was no longer the Sang Lu of the past. She had died once and returned as a monster. To Xia Weishuang, it was a romantic reunion; to Xia Qingxue, it was the beginning of a horror story.
She slowly sat up a little, leaning against the wall, and unscrewed a water bottle to take a few sips. Because of the fire outside, the air today was dry and suffocating, and her throat was parched.
Just as she was about to ask the little girl huddled beside her to go to the door and check the situation outside, Xia Weishuang finally returned.
Xia Qingxue stared at the woman following behind Xia Weishuang, not daring to relax for a second.
“Little Xue!” Xia Weishuang said, “This is your Sister Sang Lu. You all know each other, so I won’t introduce her again.”
Before Sang Lu’s accident three years ago, Xia Qingxue had met her twice. They did know each other, but they weren’t close.
Xia Weishuang was still holding the rest of the cake. She quickly walked over to Xia Qingxue, crouched down, took off the cake box lid, tore it into two large pieces, and then tore out two strips of cardboard to use as spoons. She divided the cake into two small pieces and said to Xia Qingxue, “Little Xue, you haven’t eaten much tonight, and you’ve lost so much blood. Eat something high in calories to replenish your strength.”
Xia Qingxue’s gaze slowly moved to Xia Weishuang’s face. She looked at the cream on her mouth, then at the cream on her hands, and stared at her, speechless.
I was worried sick, and you were out there secretly eating cake!
Xia Weishuang misunderstood Xia Qingxue’s meaning, thinking she didn’t want to eat this messy-looking cake. She put the cake down with some embarrassment and said, “You don’t want to eat this? I remember there’s still chocolate in the bag. How about some chocolate?”
Xia Qingxue shook her head, took the cake as if in a fit of pique, and ate it with the cardboard spoon. “Where did this cake come from? It’s quite fresh. Cough, today’s your birthday, could it be…”
Sang Lu brought it back!
Sure enough, Xia Weishuang smiled sweetly. “Sang Lu brought it for me. She’s always remembered my birthday. Little Xue, your Sister Sang Lu is a very good person. Don’t be afraid of her.”
Xia Qingxue couldn’t bring herself to complain. At the same time, she was a little curious. “How did she bring the cake over?”
Xia Qingxue had been observing when Sang Lu appeared and hadn’t seen her carrying anything.
Xia Weishuang paused and said, “Oh, she carried it hidden in her stomach. It’s probably her ability, to be able to change her body shape.”
Xia Qingxue’s hand holding the cake trembled slightly. For a moment, she didn’t know if she should continue eating.
Xia Weishuang coughed lightly and said, “Your Sister Sang Lu is so powerful. We won’t have to be afraid of bad guys in the future. Little Xue, are you happy?”
Xia Qingxue’s smile was strained. “…Happy.” She was just afraid that the biggest bad guy in the future would be right beside them.
Xia Weishuang’s voice lowered, as if she was a little guilty. “But, your Sister Sang Lu has a little problem. I don’t know what’s wrong, but it seems like there’s… a problem here.” Xia Weishuang pointed to her own head.
Xia Weishuang grabbed Xia Qingxue’s hand and pleaded sincerely, “She doesn’t understand a lot of things now, just like a child. Little Xue, you have to get along well with Sang Lu in the future. Don’t bully her, okay?”
Xia Qingxue: “…Sis, have you noticed something?”
Xia Weishuang looked at her, puzzled. “Hmm?”
Xia Qingxue: “Your head seems to have a problem too.”
Who could possibly bully whom? I’m just a weak, pitiful, and helpless university student. How could I bully Sang Lu!
Xia Weishuang smiled shyly and innocently.
Xia Qingxue leaned against the wall dejectedly, not wanting to speak. No wonder Sang Lu had been standing by the door ever since she arrived, not speaking or doing anything, just looking around with a strange, observant gaze.
Inadvertently, Xia Qingxue’s eyes met Sang Lu’s, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.
A child?
That description… doesn’t seem quite right.
**
Xia Weishuang pushed the other piece of cake towards the little girl. The little girl was still huddled up, hugging herself, trapped in fear and unable to escape.
Xia Weishuang sighed softly. “Eat a little. Your stomach will hurt if you don’t eat.”
She didn’t say much more. In this situation, it was better to let the child calm down.
The fire outside still hadn’t gone out. Xia Weishuang dragged her injured foot and walked towards the door. Sang Lu, who had been observing her surroundings, suddenly turned to look at her.
Xia Weishuang subconsciously smiled at her and said, “I want to go find some more things. Do you want to come with me?”
This factory was mostly concrete, so the fire generally couldn’t spread. However, the willow monster’s roots were everywhere, and the place where the supplies were stored was close to the fire. There were also several cars parked nearby, most of which were now overturned.
She was afraid that if she didn’t rescue the things quickly, they would be wasted when the fire spread.
It would be best to find an intact car with keys while she was at it. She couldn’t start a car by sparking two wires like in the movies.
But after asking, Xia Weishuang remembered that Sang Lu didn’t seem to be good at understanding language.
But she still spoke to her in a soft, gentle voice, trying to slowly train her to regain her language function and comprehension ability. Sang Lu was sick, and she would take care of her, patiently and gently.
But it was clear that no matter how gentle and patient Xia Weishuang was, Sang Lu’s thoughts were still not on the same page as hers.
She suddenly reached out and grabbed Xia Weishuang’s long hair. She held the lock of hair in her palm and sniffed it, then her gaze moved to Xia Weishuang’s clothes.
Sang Lu leaned forward, her nose close to Xia Weishuang’s neck, and then slowly moved towards her shoulder.
She was sniffing the scent on Xia Weishuang’s body.
Xia Qingxue, who was leaning against the wall and continuing to eat the cake with the principle of not wasting, was so stimulated by this scene that she choked. “Cough, cough, cough!”
A faint blush appeared on Xia Weishuang’s face. She quickly took a step back. “Don’t mess around, there’s a child here.”
But Sang Lu seemed not to have heard. She took a step forward, suddenly reached out, and with a tearing sound, ripped Xia Weishuang’s top in half.
Xia Weishuang was stunned into silence. “…”
Xia Qingxue sprayed cream everywhere. “Pfft—”
The woman who had made the unexpected move didn’t care about the others’ reactions. She brought the torn fabric closer and sniffed it, a look of disgust on her face. Then, with a flick of her hands, she threw the pieces of cloth away.
After throwing them away, Sang Lu was finally satisfied.
Xia Weishuang wrapped her arms around her now-cool upper body, a little embarrassed. Although they were all girls here, and she was wearing underwear, and she had even taken off her clothes voluntarily before, the situation was different.
“If you do that, I’ll have no clothes to wear,” Xia Weishuang said helplessly to Sang Lu.
The innocent, child-like Sang Lu acted entirely according to her own likes and dislikes. The reason she had torn the clothes was simple: she just didn’t like the smell of others on them. Xia Weishuang couldn’t get angry at a Sang Lu like this, but she couldn’t stay naked forever.
Even in summer, it was a bit chilly at night.
Sang Lu ignored Xia Weishuang’s protest. She actually reached out and pushed Xia Weishuang’s shoulder back a little.
Xia Weishuang was stunned, not understanding what she was trying to do. Sang Lu tilted her head, smiled at her, then suddenly bent down and scooped Xia Weishuang up in her arms.
“Sang Lu!”
She held her by the waist and legs, like carrying a child, letting Xia Weishuang lie on her shoulder. Xia Weishuang was startled and instinctively held onto Sang Lu’s shoulders tightly.
Sang Lu gently placed Xia Weishuang next to Xia Qingxue, pressed on her forehead and chest, and made her lie on the ground.
Sang Lu turned her head, looked around, reached out, and pulled the backpack from under Xia Qingxue’s head, placing it under Xia Weishuang’s.
Xia Qingxue’s head went thump.
She smiled faintly and draped herself over Xia Weishuang, as soft as a snake. The snake flicked out its tongue, leaving its scent on Xia Weishuang’s face.
Xia Weishuang’s heart pounded. “Sang Lu…”
Sang Lu slowly moved down and caught Xia Weishuang’s injured right foot.
The bandages and cloth strips wrapped around it were already dirty. The entire foot was swollen, and the ankle was a mess of red and purple, a truly miserable sight.
She tore off everything wrapped around it, her expression unreadable. Then, she suddenly licked Xia Weishuang’s ankle.
Xia Qingxue, lying on the ground, clutched her chest and struggled like a salted fish. “What are you two doing? I’m still awake! L-l-look at me!”
However, things didn’t develop as Xia Qingxue had imagined. After all, Sang Lu’s mind was just broken; she hadn’t turned into some kind of indiscriminate beast.
