Xyrin Empire-Chapter 1490: An Unexpected Encounter in the Park
(It’s the end of the month again... it’s time to ask for votes! If you have monthly votes, come support us! Speaking of which, I checked yesterday and found that I haven’t missed any updates for about three years now...)
The Silly Fox and Little Crow—who knows how these two ended up together, is it because they both used to be wild animals?
I originally planned to spend the day out with Miss to relax, but now it seems I have to bring along these two tagalongs. Little Crow may look tall, but she’s a child at heart; any chance to go out and play is irresistible to her. Silly Fox, on the other hand, is a mature adult, but unfortunately a bit stubborn. What’s more important is that after so long living a pampered life here, she’s now completely regressed to only knowing how to eat, drink, and play...
"First, tuck away that bunch of tails," I smiled apologetically at Miss beside me, then pinched the Silly Fox’s furry ears, "And also the ears, remember what I usually tell you when going out, don’t sniff others, don’t scare cats and dogs, don’t suddenly jump onto walls to catch birds—especially not in front of ordinary people."
"I know, I know," the fox mumbled while using Demon Art to hide her beast-like characteristics, "I go out often to play, never had a problem..."
I casually tugged at her ear: "When you usually go out, you play with the street dogs like Wangcai, today we’re going out shopping!"
"Master, Master, should I disguise myself too?" Little Crow excitedly tugged at my sleeve, her face full of anticipation: it has indeed been a while since I took her out for a stroll, and she seemed eager.
I looked at her appearance: Little Crow wasn’t too different from a normal human, since her first choice of appearance was to take on the look of a human girl, Vanilla. If anything, her hair might attract attention: long purple-black hair with a strange metallic sheen. However, when I’ve taken her out shopping before, I didn’t make her disguise. Nowadays, with so many people dyeing their hair, a middle-schooler like Little Crow could go out with a rainbow chicken-nest hairstyle and at worst be seen as a fashionable girl from the suburban-urban fringe—much safer than Silly Fox’s bunch of tails.
"Just like this, if someone asks you, say you’re alternative, also don’t steal eggs from street vendors, and don’t smash KFC billboards when passing by, that’s all you need to keep in mind," I pinched Little Crow’s nose and then summoned my magical steed Seven Hundred Billion, beckoning to Miss, "Let’s go, you lead the way to where you want to go."
Lin Xue looked at the marvelous private car with a rather displeased expression: "How many times have I told you, even though you don’t drive often... at least get those engineers to redesign the appearance, okay? This car, even scammers avoid it, they’re afraid you really won’t be able to stop!"
I indifferently patted the left-high, right-low roof of Seven Hundred Billion: "I think it’s fine; it has actually been modified, haven’t you noticed that its four wheels are now the same size? The left roof is higher because the newly installed radar with fire control chain takes up space..."
Miss chanted as she climbed into the car: "Alright, alright, I can already tell Pandora had a hand in the final step of modification... Accompany me to the old city artificial lake, it’s been a long time since we’ve gone there to relax."
I climbed into the car and started the auto-navigation, set to low-speed atmospheric cruising with no additional functions, turned around to ensure the bird and beast duo in the back seat didn’t move around, then meticulously checked the car’s missile launchers, satellite beam guide, and plasma stereo bomb’s safety are off: it must be thoroughly checked, we have a Naughty Kid on board, I know there are quite a few missile control buttons on Little Crow’s seat... what’s Pandora’s purpose in installing all these on the car, it’s practically becoming an Earth-skimming Space Battleship!
"I think the most needed modification for this car is adding an optical camouflage outside," once Seven Hundred Billion began auto-driving, I turned to Miss in the co-pilot seat, "Look at the high curiosity our car causes on the road... theoretically, the only ones brave enough to drive alongside us are tanks."
Lin Xue rolled her eyes: "Next time, let’s take my car out, although it can’t break the third cosmic speed, at least driving it in the atmosphere isn’t illegal; your car on the highway, just by appearance, could have the license revoked."
I just smiled, didn’t speak, but gradually felt more relaxed. Watching the ordinary streetscape swiftly passing by the window, listening to Miss’s infinite chatter while never getting tired of it, occasionally hearing the meaningless "Gao!" from the Silly Bird in the back seat, this was precisely the life I’m familiar and comfortable with. Thinking carefully, I indeed have been too focused on so-called ’national affairs’ lately, neglecting life’s enjoyments. How long has it been since we’ve bickered and dated like we are now?
Uh... although we’re dating with two tagalongs, I think as long as we treat the two girls in the back as domesticated pets taken out for a walk, there should be no problem—a bird and beast duo.
Speaking of which, I noticed something: while Seven Hundred Billion’s appearance on the street isn’t flashy, unless pursued by traffic police, it holds considerable deterrent power; basically, anyone who loves life, cherishes the world, and is hopeful about the future instinctively keeps a distance from this car. Just a moment ago, at an intersection, we happened upon an accident site; ten meters away, there was an old lady seemingly knocked over by a pedestrian or bicycle, lying there moaning, but as soon as Seven Hundred Billion appeared, the old lady jumped half a meter high, flipped over the guardrail, and ran...
The artificial lake in the old city is a place our family frequently visits—though most of the time Shadow City and Avalon are enough for us to explore, on leisurely occasions, coming to the old city of K City to relax has been a long-standing habit with Qianqian, and with Lin Xue spending a lot of time with me, she also often relaxes here. This artificial lake is said to be a former coal-mining subsidence area; as K City transformed from a mining township to a modern city, the ’historical legacy issues’ of the old city changed accordingly, one successful project being this artificial lake and its surrounding large park area.
This area is downtown, plus it’s the weekend, the park is bustling with people, so finding a discreet corner to store Seven Hundred Billion in the Personal Space was troublesome, so I simply found an unobtrusive spot to park my magical steed, carefully locked it, Lin Xue rolled her eyes and teased: "Why even bother locking it, who would want such a car besides someone who’s switched from being an archaeology expert to car theft? Even if someone dared to steal it, they wouldn’t dare drive it."
Why is Miss’s teasing so sharp today?
I shrugged my shoulders: "For world peace, just in case a Naughty Kid gets in and presses everything, we’d have to rebuild human civilization from the Triassic—just a few days ago, my sister drove this car; I worry even Empire-made products might malfunction."
Lin Xue glanced around and suddenly pointed beside her: "Isn’t the biggest trouble our Naughty Kid here?"
I turned my head and stumbled: Little Crow and the Fox-Dog duo were squatting in front of a pitiful Little Black dog, the Fox Fairy Lord was joyfully prodding and poking, that Poor Black dog looked perhaps a cross between a Tibetan Mastiff and a Pekingese—I’m guessing, I can’t tell for sure. Possibly due to the canine’s natural affinity, the black dog appeared extremely docile under Silly Fox’s hands, seemingly a step away from prostrating and speaking in human language to declare its allegiance, while Little Crow was curiously pulling on the dog’s tail: "Sister Fox, do you think if this dog grows nine tails, would it turn into a human like you?"
The Fox Fairy Lord thought seriously, nodded confidently: "The Family Head said nine-tailed fox fairies and nine-tailed huskies are alike, maybe a stray dog with nine tails could also turn human..." Then, this illogical Silly Fox lowered her head, earnestly held the Little Black dog’s paw to advise it: "If you’re sincere, come for apprenticeship during the next full moon at the South Mansion Street clothing city..."
Because the Forbidden City is over 800 kilometers from here, you used the clothing city as a substitute! After years living as a pampered pet at home, is this fox planning to return to pre-upright walking intelligence?
Lin Xue lightly tapped my arm to signal there were others beside us, and as I turned my head, I saw the owner of the Little Black dog standing not far away: an elderly man, seemingly out for a walk post-retirement. The old man stood there, cane in hand, dumbstruck, watching two young girls squatting on the ground enthusiastically chatting with his pet dog, eyes nearly glazed...
Lin Xue and I swiftly dragged Little Crow and Silly Fox up and hurried to apologize to the old man. The old man seemed kindly but still bewildered, he looked at the Fox Fairy Lord and Little Crow: "Two girls who look perfectly fine, how come..."
I quickly covered the fox’s mouth and cleverly explained: "They’re my sisters, they were born prematurely, over half a year..." Before I finished, Lin Xue stomped hard on my foot: "Half a month premature! Premature by half a year and what’s born is the placenta!"
The old man eventually led the little black dog away, finally stuffing a traditional Chinese medicine doctor’s phone number into my hand as he left...
"Didn’t we agree that you’d behave after we got out?" I scolded the Fox Fairy Lord, tugging at her ear. "Can’t you break the habit of greeting every cat and dog you see on the street?"
The fox, reacting slowly, was stunned for a long moment before touching her own ear: "Oh, so it was my ear you were pulling... I don’t usually use this position, I was just wondering where that feeling came from..."
Turns out she didn’t listen to a word I said!
"Today’s date turned into a kid’s outing..." Lin Xue sighed helplessly, "But it’s actually not bad, it’s less exhausting than taking Xiao Xue shopping."
Little Crow had nothing to say, but the fox grumbled discontentedly: "What do you mean, a kid’s outing? You must be mistaken, I am the thousand-year-old Fox Fairy Lord, mature, steady, and scheming..."
I couldn’t stand listening anymore, so... I decisively ran off to buy drinks for the girls, a little peace and quiet.
It’s already the early spring season now, the cold winter is fading, and Lakefront Park, which had been quiet for several months, is gradually becoming lively. Although the plants around the winding paths by the lake have not yet turned green after winter, the increasing number of visitors is already injecting some vitality into the area. The increase in visitors naturally brings out more small vendors, who hadn’t set up stalls much in the winter. Around the artificial lake, there’s often someone selling handicrafts. This is considered a "famous scenic spot" in K City (besides this park, there’s not much else to see in the city—the central theme toilets of City Second Middle School even prohibit outsiders from visiting). As a "scenic spot," it’s bound to have the three treasures of scenic areas: Tibetan medicine, bead bracelets, and fake watches. I bought a few bottles of drinks, passed a vendor dressed like a Middle Eastern terrorist selling handicrafts, and on a whim, decided to buy some trinkets for the girls: although I often give them random gifts, since I was out, buying some gifts would be a nice gesture. Girls, after all, like these little trinkets.
More importantly—apart from Sicaro and his imperial soldiers in disguise, I have quite a fondness for these small vendors selling peculiar little trinkets, my life before middle school was basically enriched by these vendors.
However, before me, there was already a couple at the small stand selecting items, seeming to be a couple out for a stroll. That girl looked like a foreigner from behind, she took a liking to a bracelet on the stand and asked the vendor about the price in somewhat broken Chinese. The vendor, dressed like a terrorist, quoted a price and then started promoting with clasped hands: "All my items are blessed by a Tibetan monk. This verdant agate great wisdom bracelet, once worn, keeps your ears and eyes sharp, safe from false disasters, with the divine power of Mahāsati..."
The young man in the couple couldn’t hold back: "Uncle, you’re wearing a moslim headscarf... besides, selling the agate bracelet for seven yuan and fifty cents each doesn’t even match those advertising words!"
The vendor was stunned and casually took off the headscarf: "Oh, the outfit I used before got scratched up by my house cat, this new one, I don’t even know where it’s from... Well, Allah bless you two anyway, it’s worth it to make your girlfriend happy for seven fifty, right?"
I watched for a long time from the back, by then I had already recognized the couple’s identity. Seeing that their discussion was about over, I stepped up and patted them on the shoulder: "Lin Feng!"
These two weren’t strangers, they were Lin Feng and Sally. It had been quite a while since I’d seen both of them. Lately, either I was off saving the world, or I was stuck in Shadow City with loads of official duties, always running back and forth, scarcely at home, not to mention Lin Feng also had official duties. The last time we met was about two months ago.
"Oh, Brother Chen?" Lin Feng turned around and was also quite surprised to see me, "Are you back from your mission... business trip?"
"I’ve been back for two days, didn’t your sister tell you?" I chuckled. This young couple was among the few in the Outer World who knew of the Empire’s existence, having also visited Shadow City. Naturally, speaking with them didn’t require much restraint.
Time had passed, but Lin Feng was still like a sunny teenager, energetic and infectious with his smile. He turned to look at his lover and grinned: "Sally and I just got back today, we haven’t even been home yet."
I nodded knowingly, then chatted leisurely with the two of them. But before long, Lin Xue came over with the fox and crow in tow to check out the situation. Miss announced loudly from a dozen meters away: "Wood! Buying a few bottles of water takes a long journey... Oh, Little Feng is here?"
"Sister?" Lin Feng didn’t expect to see his sister here, greeted a bit surprised, then noticed the Fox Fairy Lord casually strolling and Little Crow hopping around near Lin Xue, and nudged my arm: "Brother Chen, your extracurricular life is quite rich, isn’t it? I’m gonna have to speak for my sister..."
Lin Xue glared at Lin Feng with a not-so-friendly look: "You think I forgot how to fight just because I haven’t hit you in three days?"
"Hey there..." a feeble voice suddenly came from behind Lin Feng and Sally. It was the vendor, who hadn’t managed to get a word in for quite a while. "So, do you still want these things? And are these your friend’s purchases? Is all this stuff meant to be bought at once?"
Lin Feng suddenly remembered he hadn’t paid yet, quickly apologizing while pulling out his wallet to settle the bill. Meanwhile, I leaned over to see the "this girl" the vendor referred to, and my blood instantly boiled: This time, the silly bird was the one causing trouble again! 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Little Crow was mumbling to herself absentmindedly, skillfully pulling all the bead bracelets on the vendor’s stand to pile them in front of her. And she wasn’t just taking anything at random; this girl had some common sense. Every time she picked something, she would first point with her finger and then nod to the vendor, clearly intending to buy everything she selected. It’s just that the number of things she was interested in was so large that the vendor was a bit unsure of what was going on.
I suddenly remembered something: Crows like shiny things, just like Little Baobao...
At this point, it was impossible to remove the pile of treasures in front of the silly bird, or else risk the Crow God’s fury and the heavens and earth turning upside down. So I had no choice but to buy almost twenty pounds of plastic and glass beads under the vendor’s gaze that sized me up like a big spender. Thanks to Little Crow, this vendor closed up shop the earliest at the park today...
Since we hadn’t seen each other in so long, running into Lin Feng meant we had to chat a bit. Just as well, Lin Feng and Sally were quite interested in our daily lives of running around saving the world, so we found a quiet little tea room to sit and chat. During our conversation, I learned that Lin Feng had just completed a mission—off to some small country in Europe to assist the local "special individuals" with a disappearance case. Of course, given that he returned with Sally, it’s reasonable to believe this guy went on a paid vacation for at least half a month after completing his mission.
"Ours are just minor stuff, sounds thrilling to others, but nothing compared to what you’ve been through," Lin Feng chuckled, looking at Lin Xue and me after telling his story, "After watching the recordings my sister brought back, I even gave up watching movies—where did you two go to fight this time?"
"Only someone as mindless as you would think going out to fight wars is fun," Lin Xue discontentedly tapped the table. "I came out with Wood today to help him unwind; can’t you let him have a moment without thinking about these troublesome things?"
I chuckled, just about to say something, when suddenly the view outside the window blurred. (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
