Chapter 187: Bamboo Forest Tunnel
The sound of Kuang Biao’s sorrowful wailing was deafening.
Hui Yu didn’t really understand how these mutated plants sensed pain, but it was clear that Kuang Biao had gone from being in a love-struck daze to a crying child. Thinking about how he was only eight years old (including the normal two years), Hui Yu couldn’t help but sigh.
But—
The Rose Corridor was only teaching Kuang Biao a lesson to vent her frustration. She couldn’t plead for mercy now! That would make the Rose Corridor sad!
So, she just stood there.
However, the Rose Corridor was clearly very considerate.
Just like how she had subdued the defiant Kuang Biao earlier, now, having compressed him into a perfect C-shape and turned the area into a concealed bamboo forest tunnel, all the thorns on it retracted.
Kuang Biao immediately stopped crying.
Without pain, the two rows of bamboo on the outside bent over, and to him, that was nothing at all.
He shook his leaves, wanting to retort, but when he saw the branches still tangled around his head, he just huffed and kept quiet.
Hui Yu, seizing the moment, finally felt a sense of authority as she said:
“Kuang Biao, next time you try to poke a hole in my house and spy on me, I’ll call the Rose Corridor to teach you a lesson.”
Kuang Biao cried out in protest!
“I’m not human, I don’t have eyes, how could I spy on you?”
“All I see are bunches of color blocks!”
“Just like that guy, he’s a big color block, but his mountain climbing tiger on his legs is clear.”
“I only went to look at that big red round basin, it was so big and round—who wants to look at you? Narcissist!”
“You still want the Rose Corridor to poke me! You’re so cruel!”
Of course, even though he was shouting at Hui Yu, he had just been beaten, and now he didn’t even dare let the bamboo leaves fall.
After shouting for a while, he mumbled, “I didn’t mean to poke a hole in the house… okay, I won’t do it again.”
He probably knew this wasn’t good, and now he came up with a bad idea: “Why don’t you just let me grow a bamboo there? Once it grows, the hole won’t be visible anymore.”
Hui Yu: “…”
She was too lazy to reply and decided to go check out the bamboo forest tunnel.
Although the Rose Corridor had retracted its thorns, it hadn’t removed the vines from the bamboo. Hui Yu walked into the spacious C-shaped bamboo tunnel, feeling the dim light inside, but it was cool and pleasant, filled with the scent of bamboo, and the temperature was much lower than outside.
It was already mid-May, and the temperature during the day was around 28 to 29°C, but inside the bamboo forest, the cool breeze was refreshing. The faint fragrance of roses and the unique scent of bamboo leaves intermingled, and with the Rose Corridor right beside…
Hui Yu even realized that she could easily create a door here to the mountains, and no one would ever find it!
“Rose Corridor…”
She gently touched the flower branches beside her, tears welling up in her eyes.
At this moment, she hesitated and stretched out her hand. “Do you need my ability?”
She tentatively reached out, thinking she had just said she wasn’t afraid of the alarm going off, but now she was about to set it off again.
However, to her surprise, the Rose Corridor’s flower branches gently struck her hand and then retracted, clearly not interested.
Hui Yu: …
She felt a bit abandoned.
Was it because her ability wasn’t strong enough? In the beginning, the Rose Corridor had even gotten jealous when she fed other plants and animals!
With these doubts in her mind, she wandered around the bamboo tunnel for a while before picking up her basket and riding her bike towards Zhou Qian’s house.
…
Zhou Qian was tidying up his house.
This was his first time seeing his new house, and after exploring for a while, he started to organize the daily supplies sent by the defense army.
To be honest, the mental shock from before had been too much. If he didn’t keep himself busy now, he wasn’t sure what other messy thoughts he’d have.
He could ignore the ginseng foot bath, but the mutated dung beetle that chewed and spit out something, then rolled it up with its claws…
Hoo!
He took a deep breath and decided to forget about it.
Just then, he heard the crisp sound of a bicycle bell outside.
“Ding ding ding…”
Then, Hui Yu’s cheerful voice called out:
“Zhou Qian! I’ve brought you some vegetables!”
Zhou Qian, holding a blanket in his hands, paused when he heard this, then a smile, one he didn’t even realize, appeared on his face.
He thought to himself: It seems that the hurdle in my heart hasn’t been crossed, but Hui Yu passed it very smoothly.
Now, no matter if it’s “older brother” or “brother,” she didn’t call anymore.
He put the blanket down and walked towards the door. His body, honed through years of training and battles, was tall and strong, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His skin was dark, and his face had two terrifying scars.
But when he walked out, his eyes were gentle, his face smiling, and his strides were smooth and relaxed…
As if he had never been wounded or experienced pain.
Hui Yu put down her bike and hesitated for a moment before asking:
“Your leg… does it hurt when you walk like that?”
Zhou Qian’s smile gradually faded. He extended his large hand and gently patted Hui Yu’s head: “You noticed when I had the prosthesis fitted, didn’t you?”
He hadn’t gotten an answer at the nurse’s station, but when he went for a re-examination, he met the doctor from the adjacent ordinary prosthetics section. The doctor had laughed and said there was a little girl looking for her brother, but she had gone to the wrong ward…
Recalling that day when Hui Yu’s nose was red and her eyes were slightly swollen, and the sweet rock candy she gave him…
What was there to not understand?
Hui Yu’s nose tingled, and she lowered her head, responding quietly: “Mm.”
“I saw it. It was very painful.”
“It’s okay,” Zhou Qian replied lightly. “People always have to pay a price to get stronger. It was long-term training in the past, but now it’s a quick fix.”
“Even if you’re an ability user, the stronger the power, the greater the mental torture.”
“I’m actually very happy to have this opportunity.”
He leaned slightly, holding both of Hui Yu’s shoulders. His tall body bent down, and when viewed up close, his dark eyes were filled with sincerity and earnestness:
“I haven’t thanked you yet.”
“XiaoYu, thank you for saving my life.”
He had already figured it out. When Hui Yu sweetly called him “brother,” it was often with an ulterior motive, deceiving both sides. But she lived alone here, and for survival, even though Zhou Qian knew, he didn’t think she was at fault.
But this girl, who was struggling to survive on her own, had risked everything to save him, exposing all her vulnerabilities and putting everything on the line.
Zhou Qian’s hand felt heavy as he pressed it on her shoulder, applying just a bit of pressure, and through the thin fabric, she could feel the warmth radiating from him.
Hui Yu widened her eyes, staring at him, but he smiled again:
“No matter how it happened, I survived, and I still have a chance to become stronger.”
“XiaoYu, thank you.”
