chsdbacks Chapter 222 Calming the Mind
Chapter 222 Calming the Mind
The two walked in silence for about twenty minutes, and sure enough, on a slightly open slope ahead where they could see the blurry outlines of distant mountains, they found the dilapidated wooden houses. The houses had obviously been abandoned for a long time; most of the thatched roofs had collapsed, and the wooden planks in the walls were rotten and peeling off. In the pale moonlight, they looked like several huge, abandoned skeletons, lying quietly in the weeds.
Nie Lingfeng chose one of the relatively intact wooden houses, which still had at least half a roof and a few walls. He carefully pushed aside the weeds that were almost as tall as a person at the entrance and went inside. The house was filled with a strong smell of mildew, dust, and the fishy odor left by some small animal. The floor was covered with a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs were growing in the corners. But at least it was secluded enough and could shelter him from the wind and rain (if it didn't rain).
He took out a small piece of spare canvas from his backpack and spread it out in a relatively clean corner of the room, near the door, where he could observe the outside at any time. He then swept the surroundings with dry branches and fallen leaves before letting Chen Duo sit down.
"Sit here and rest for a bit," Nie Lingfeng said softly, sitting down beside her. He didn't rush to check on Chen Duo's condition, but instead focused intently, maximizing his senses to carefully detect any activity within a radius of several hundred meters. Aside from the whistling of the night wind through the treetops, the chirping of insects, and the fainter roars of beasts in the distance, he detected no unusual energy fluctuations or signs of human activity. For now, it was safe.
After doing all that, he turned his head and looked at Chen Duo beside him.
Moonlight filtered through the cracks in the dilapidated roof and walls, dappling her. She huddled on the canvas, clutching a panda plush toy, her small face appearing unusually pale in the dim light. Her long eyelashes drooped, casting a small shadow beneath her eyelids. She seemed not to have fully recovered from the shock and confusion of losing control of her strength; her body trembled slightly, not from cold, but more like… an unease and lingering fear originating from within.
"Duoduo," Nie Lingfeng's voice was gentle as he reached out and gently took her small hand, which was still a little cold but her fingertips were still warm. "How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"
Chen Duo looked up, her emerald eyes reflecting Nie Lingfeng's concerned face in the moonlight. She shook her head, her voice slightly muffled: "No... I'm not feeling well. It's just... my heart is a little racing. And... my hands are a little hot, I can't control them." She looked down at her hands; faint golden sparks seemed to flicker uncontrollably at her fingertips, then she clenched her fists tightly and forced them down, her face scrunching slightly, as if this process of control wasn't easy for her. (๑•́ ₃ •̀๑)
Nie Lingfeng's heart sank. It seemed that the Phoenix True Fire's stress response and brief loss of control had indeed caused some impact and burden on her body and mind. The Phoenix bloodline was powerful, but also proud and sensitive, especially possessing an instinctive and extremely strong desire to repel and purify "evil and filth." That one-eyed monster, especially the primal evil power that erupted from the dark green crystal on its chest, had probably strongly stimulated the Phoenix True Fire within Chen Duo, causing her power to briefly go berserk under the dual emotions of anger and worry (towards Nie Lingfeng).
"Don't be afraid, take it slow," Nie Lingfeng soothed gently, his other hand lightly pressing on her trembling back. A purer, more refined internal energy (infused with some characteristics of phoenix blood) slowly flowed into her body, carrying a calming and stabilizing effect. "Follow my guidance, take deep breaths, feel the 'fire' within you, imagine it as warm, obedient, like a doll in your arms, a part of you..."
While guiding Chen Duo to calm her inner energy and control her true fire, he used his own merged, more inclusive power, like the gentlest stream, to slowly soothe and calm the restless phoenix true fire in her meridians. His power and the phoenix true fire both belonged to the "divine" camp. Although their attributes were slightly different, they did not conflict. On the contrary, they could play a very good guiding and harmonizing role.
Gradually, Chen Duo's breathing became even and long, and her body stopped trembling. The uncontrollable golden sparks flickering at her fingertips finally subsided completely. Under Nie Lingfeng's soothing and her own efforts, the restless Phoenix True Fire within her body became docile and orderly again, flowing slowly through her meridians and emitting a warm and pure aura.
"Alright..." Chen Duo let out a long sigh of relief, her face regaining some color, and her emerald eyes becoming clear again, though a trace of fatigue and confusion still lingered between her brows. She looked at Nie Lingfeng and asked softly, "Nie Lingfeng, was I... really useless just now? I almost... couldn't control my 'fire'. And... almost let the bad guys find out."
Her voice was filled with self-reproach and unease. For her, failing to control her power, and potentially exposing her identity and causing trouble for Nie Lingfeng, was a very upsetting thing.
Nie Lingfeng's heart softened. He reached out and ruffled her hair, saying firmly, "No, Duoduo, you did very well. You not only discovered the monster's attack, but you also saved me with your 'fire.' That's amazing." He paused, his tone becoming even more serious. "As for not being able to control it… that's because you sensed something very, very bad, and that thing wanted to hurt me. Your 'fire' is righteous and kind; it wanted to protect you and me. That's not wrong. It's just that it's still young, and sometimes it's too impatient. We need to work together to slowly teach it when to come out and when to be quiet. Understand?"
He explained in a way that was as simple as possible, one that Chen Duo could understand. Sure enough, upon hearing "Your fire is righteous, kind, and wants to protect people," Chen Duo's eyes brightened, and the self-reproach on her face lessened considerably, replaced by a sense of recognition, a small satisfaction, and a firm resolve. She nodded vigorously: "Yes! I understand! We'll teach it together! Next time... next time it gets anxious, I'll tell it to listen to its brother and not run around!" (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
Nie Lingfeng chuckled. This explanation... was quite fitting. Chen Duo's worldview was that simple and direct; using "teaching a disobedient little flame" to understand the control of power was perfectly suited to her.
"However," Chen Duo remembered something, a hint of fear returning to her face. She subconsciously moved closer to Nie Lingfeng, her small hands gripping his sleeve tightly, "that stinky thing... it was so scary. It stinked even more than the ones in the cave and those in the jars. The way it looked at me... it was like... it wanted to eat me up." She recalled the pure malice and hunger in the monster's single eye and couldn't help but shudder a little.
"It is indeed very bad, and not just any kind of bad thing." Nie Lingfeng's eyes turned slightly cold as he took out the few fragments of dark green crystals from his pocket and examined them carefully under the moonlight. The fragments were dull and lifeless, like inanimate objects, but Nie Lingfeng could still detect a faint, yet extremely unsettling, residual "mark" from their cold touch. "This thing is probably the reason it became like that. It's also one of the 'seeds' that have caused so many strange things to happen in Mengla Town recently..."
"Seeds?" Chen Duo looked at the fragments curiously, then wrinkled her little nose. "They don't smell... anymore. But holding them makes me uncomfortable."
"Yes, because most of the 'bad stuff' inside has already been burned away. What's left is just the 'shell'." Nie Lingfeng collected the fragments and said in a deep voice, "But this also proves that Azanki was right. In the underground 'Nammu Cave,' or whatever controls it, is using this 'seed' to create or catalyze the creation of monsters like the ones we just saw. Those who went missing were likely used as 'nutrients,' or... corrupted by the 'seed' and turned into monsters."
He recalled the man in the white coat and the silver box, as well as the hurried manner of Yan Ben's men. Late at night, they took someone who looked like a doctor to the hillside west of town… Could that be where Yan Ben or some force in town were processing, researching, or… even secretly utilizing these "monsters" or "seeds"? Was that man in the white coat extracting or analyzing those dark green crystals?
If that's the case, then Yan Ben is far more than just a greedy local bully. He's likely deeply involved in the "Nammu Cave" incident, and might even know the secrets of the "Council" or something similar! His initiative to "help" his "friend of Chairman Feng" is probably not out of simple "favor," but rather for ulterior motives!
"So what do we do now?" Chen Duo asked, her emerald green eyes looking at Nie Lingfeng with unwavering trust. To her, with Nie Lingfeng around, even the most complicated and terrifying situations seemed less worrisome.
"Rest here for the night, and we'll figure something out when it gets light." Nie Lingfeng glanced at the still deep night outside. "You expended a lot of energy just now and need to recover. I also need to think about how to get more information about 'Nanmu Cave' and this kind of 'seed' from Yan Ben without arousing his suspicion."
He took out a water bottle and compressed biscuits from his backpack and handed them to Chen Duo. Chen Duo silently took them and ate them in small bites. Although they didn't taste very good, she was earnestly replenishing her strength. She knew she needed to recover and couldn't cause Nie Lingfeng any trouble.
After eating and drinking some water, drowsiness washed over her. Chen Duo hugged her doll, leaning against Nie Lingfeng, her eyelids drooping. The day's running around, fighting, and fright, coupled with the loss and regaining of control of her powers just now, had left her physically and mentally exhausted.
"Go to sleep, I'll keep watch," Nie Lingfeng said in a low voice, taking off his coat and covering her with it.
Chen Duo gave a muffled "hmm," and soon, even, soft snoring filled the air; she had fallen asleep. Even in her sleep, her little hands remained tightly gripping Nie Lingfeng's clothes, as if that gave her the greatest sense of security.