Chapter 244: A Startling Dream in the Garden (13)

Xing and the others arrived at Jinren Xiang, after many inquiries, finally found Bai Lu... in a secluded corner.

Huo huo rubbed her eyes, made sure she wasn't seeing things, then tugged at Xing's sleeve: "How come there are two... two Bai Lu adults?"

Su Shang followed the sound and saw two identical Bai Lu chatting there; she was so frightened her eyes went black, and she let out a world-destroying high-pitched shriek: "——Ghost ahhhhhhh!"

"Sister, you scared me to death… These two identical Bai Lu didn't startle me, but your yell almost sent me packing," Guinaifen covered her ears, giving Su Shang a resentful glance.

Su Shang apologized repeatedly, embarrassed, but after that commotion, Bai Lu and Suiyang disappeared again. Everyone searched nearby with difficulty for a while before finally relocating the two in front of a dilapidated house.

Using Huo huo's bell, several people pushed the door open and directly entered the illusion constructed by Suiyang. Not far off, the two Bai Lu were happily playing.

Su Shang put her hands on her hips: "Hey! That Suiyang over there, quickly release the Bai Lu adult!"

"You troublemaker, we two were happily playing here! A Lu doesn't want to go home with you!" Azuo shoved Bai Lu behind himself, indicating that as long as Bai Lu wishes, he can give her an endless string of jade-fruit bird skewers and star-taro bubbles, letting them play forever.

There's only one precondition—that they must not be caught by Xing and her group.

After saying that, the two Bai Lu took off running; in this illusion, their little short legs pumped like a sewing machine needle, moving so fast only a blur of up-and-down motion could be seen.

Xing felt she was about to run out of breath, yet she still couldn't grab the hem of Bai Lu's clothes.

Only her voice drifted on the wind from ahead: "Why must I live according to adults' ways? Adults always say, 'Don't play now, play when you're grown up.' But I see the adults of Dan Ding Si have no time to play either!"

——

Xiaolin's Dragon Maid.

"Whoa——" Tuoer widened his eyes, his tail involuntarily wagging, "The Mount Lu Dragon Lord has amazing stamina—he can run even better than Konna!"

"No way!" Konna puffed up her chubby cheeks, gave a defiant "hum," "If Konna were charged with electricity, she'd definitely outrun Bai Lu! If Tuoer doesn't believe me, I'll go prove it right now!"

"Alright, alright, quit it." Tuoer chuckled, ruffling Konna's head, "Xiaolin wonders who's faster, Konna or Bai Lu? Hmm… Xiaolin?"

He didn't hear the expected familiar reply, so Tuoer turned his head and saw Xiaolin staring blankly at the sky curtain, her eyes somewhat dim.

"Xiaolin?" Tuoer tilted his head, leaning in, "What's wrong?"

Xiaolin remained silent for a while, the corner of her mouth twitching into a weary smile: "Just now Bai Lu said… 'Don't play now, play when you're older.' My elders said the same when I was a kid; hearing it now just resonates a little."

Having said that, she snatched the beer on the table, tipped her head back, and gulped it down with a 'glug-glug'.

Konna lifted her little face, curiously asking, "Xiaolin, does growing up really mean you can't play anymore?"

"Ah… it's not that you can't play, it's just…"

Xiaolin's face flushed with drunkenness, her table‑pounding growing louder: "Every day I have to deal with fucking leadership and endless code! Sometimes I have to work overtime until eleven at night, when the subway's already shut down! Damn leadership, better pay my overtime! Saturday night hangover, Sunday morning renovations! Plus endless car and mortgage loans! How can this be fixed ahhhhhhh——!"

Finally, unable to vent any more by pounding the table, Xiaolin simply shouted at the sky curtain:

"Bai Lu! Growing up means becoming a corporate slave—that place is hell! I must make the most of my childhood and play hard! Don't get caught!"

——

"By the Divine Bow… this guy runs way too fast…"

Su Shang was so exhausted she couldn't straighten her back, panting as she proposed: "We… we should hold a strategy meeting; I think blindly chasing isn't the way—we need to use our heads…"

"……Even a physical‑powerhouse like Su Shang can't help but resort to using her brain!"

"By now, Xing is still stubborn: 'I can run all day!'"

"Then… you're awesome!" Su Shang looked at Xing speechlessly, "First… wipe the foam at the corner of your mouth before you speak."

After calming down, Xiao Guizi thought of a way to catch the weasel‑like creature for an hour, proposing to close the gates everywhere in advance, cornering Bai Lu to lure Suiyang into the trap.

This tactic worked; Bai Lu was quickly cornered by the crowd, crying and shouting to go out and play.

Hearing Bai Lu's cry for help, Azuo indeed appeared, coldly saying, "Adults are truly despicable—stealing even the rare happy moments of children!"

"Despicable?"

Xing put her hands on her hips, actually feeling quite proud: "Hehe, I'm pretty despicable, huh?"

Azuo was stunned, never expecting this guy to feel no shame but instead take pride. He gritted his teeth in hatred and decided to use violence against them.

"Violence—violence is the only language you adults both speak and understand, right? Just like when you discipline children!"

——

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

It's rare, but Fuge actually found himself agreeing from the bottom of his heart with what that Suiyang said.

"If he possessed me, I suppose we'd get along well?"—the thought suddenly welled up in his heart, and Fuge gave a soft chuckle.

He earned his university qualifications at thirteen, truly a genius boy, but when the admired professor molested him, the only thought in his mind was 'violence.' Only violence could make the perpetrator stop, only violence could bring him safety, and it was also the only language the professor could understand at that moment.

So he picked up that 4‑kg encyclopedia and smashed the professor's face into a bloody pulp.

Then he was expelled from his family——

Until now.

"Huuu……" Fuge exhaled deeply, only then feeling his body tremble. His skin felt as if it were touching ice, shaking uncontrollably.

The feeling of that most unbearable memory's scar being ruthlessly ripped open—at first a sharp pain, but after growing accustomed it became oddly refreshing. He lifted his gaze to the Suiyang in the light curtain and faintly began to anticipate what it would look like when it exercised 'violence'.