Chapter 33: The Most Romantic
It was really strange.
Huai Yu rested her chin in her hand, seriously watching Lin Xuefeng. He was carefully sprinkling salt into the pot, his expression focused and gentle, without a hint of aggression.
But thinking about the tactics he had just described…
Wow! So likable!
“You just talked about lethal methods. But what if I don’t want the enemy to die?”
She asked seriously.
Lin Xuefeng glanced at her with a half-smile:
“If you’re dealing with an enemy and you don’t want them to die, then you’ll have to die yourself.”
Then, looking at Huai Yu’s fair little face — she looked like she had just come of age — he corrected himself:
“Water blade. Ever heard of it? Gather as much water as you can, forcibly compress it, and release it quickly…”
As he spoke, he casually stretched out a finger and lightly traced a circle in the air over the green bricks on the ground.
Huai Yu didn’t even see any water flowing down, but in that instant, a perfect circle was cut into the brick.
Her eyes widened as she picked up the brick. The heavy, thick circle piece at the center fell out, leaving only a cut-out frame in her hand.
“So round…”
She looked at Lin Xuefeng with some excitement. He paused, then said speechlessly:
“What are you thinking? My power only lets me cut, not draw a better circle… Mm, probably because I used to study drawing.”
“Freehand circles and such… not a big deal.”
Only then did Huai Yu nod slightly, a little disappointed. She then asked,
“Then what about my ability? It’s so weak. What methods should I use to subdue an enemy?”
The beans in the pot were roasted. Lin Xuefeng carefully took the pot down, staring at the beans without blinking:
“Wood element… depends on which applications you focus on.”
“Generally speaking, affinity only prevents mutant plants from attacking you proactively. As for other skills… mostly training to accelerate growth. Like quickly raising fences, using seeds to parasitize, or binding with vines.”
“But your mutation level is too low, your ability is weak, and you probably can’t accelerate growth at all.”
Huai Yu nodded:
“I get exhausted after just growing one branch. I have to rest for a long time.”
“What if I encounter a criminal like that again?”
Lin Xuefeng pondered for a moment.
Although heavy criminals don’t escape easily, and few dared approach the Rose Corridor, if someone sneaked out at night, like him, it might happen. Probably cornered too tightly by the defense forces.
Still… danger and safety are always a matter of 0% or 100%. He didn’t think Huai Yu was being overly worried. After thinking carefully, he gave a serious answer:
“Train more, stay home more.”
“Huh?” Huai Yu was stunned.
“No other way,” Lin Xuefeng shrugged.
“Actively increasing your mutation value is like drinking poison to quench your thirst. Every increase comes with long, chronic suffering. If you get contaminated and hit the threshold, you’ll go mad and die.”
“But if you don’t increase your mutation value, you can’t train up your ability… They’ve been researching this for five or six years and still haven’t found a better solution.”
He spoke, then muttered as if thinking of something:
“If pollution slowly gets solved over time, powers might disappear too.”
“That’s fine. In chaotic times, strong individuals inspire others. But in a peaceful society, what’s more important is the nation’s order and its sword.”
Huai Yu listened quietly without commenting.
Lin Xuefeng’s momentary melancholy only lasted a second. After all, the pollution values had been fluctuating for six years now. It didn’t seem like it would disappear anytime soon.
He refocused on Huai Yu’s problem:
“So, while you’re still young, carry bricks and logs and run around more. If you run faster and get stronger, your chances of surviving danger increase.”
“If you do encounter a truly formidable enemy…”
He picked up a bean and offered another sustainable piece of advice:
“If worst comes to worst, seek out mutant plants, like the Rose Corridor or Mount Sanqing. Have you been to Mount Sanqing? There used to be a Taoist temple there, and it’s actually a nice environment. The Rose Corridor’s main root system is there.”
“It used to be a place people traveled from far and wide to explore. Now it’s a shield protecting our home.”
“If you’re really desperate, just find a way to squat there. There’s a 50% chance they won’t attack wood-element users.”
After saying this, Lin Xuefeng crunched down on a bean.
Huai Yu stared at him, eyes fierce.
He laughed heartily:
“You little brat, so full of secrets, and pretty fierce too—Hey, how old are you? Why are you living alone here?”
“Forget it, no need to tell me. I’m heading to the wasteland soon anyway, no point knowing—What’s up? You’re staring at me like that. Got something to say?”
Huai Yu answered seriously, word by word:
“Listening to your advice wasted my beans.”
She snatched the pot away:
“Don’t eat so many. You can only have half. And if you eat too much and fart at night, you’ll have to sleep by the door.”
Lin Xuefeng laughed loudly, his voice clear. In the cold rainy night, his presence unknowingly relaxed Huai Yu.
“You’re overthinking it. This little pot… barely a handful of beans. Half for each of us, how can that make you fart?”
“Little girls, always worrying about weird things.”
Huai Yu wrinkled her nose:
“I’m probably not that young.”
“Hmm?”
“I lost my memory. When I woke up, I had nothing but clothes on me, had to figure out everything myself. Everyone thinks I’m very young, but I feel like… I’m not that young. I must be an adult.”
When she said this, her tone was calm. She didn’t sound solemn like when sharing a secret, nor relaxed as if lifting a burden — just chatting casually.
Lin Xuefeng didn’t think much of it either.
People who live alone often easily open up to strangers they feel safe around. Even he wasn’t immune.
Like right now — probably no one knew that the former Imperial Guard Officer, Lin Xuefeng, who was supposed to be recovering in the Imperial City, was now in the Rose Corridor of Flower City on this rainy night.
Simply because he thought this was the most romantic road to the wasteland.
Luckily, Huai Yu seemed truly unaware of who he was.
The girl across from him still had a babyish round face, clearly just sixteen, seventeen, maybe eighteen years old. But Lin Xuefeng didn’t doubt her words.
He looked at her for a moment, then suddenly sighed:
“My art teacher could tell age by bone structure. Just from your body shape, he could roughly guess it.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t.”
“So…”
He suddenly grinned smugly:
“Just be a little girl for now! Sometimes being younger has hidden advantages.”
Which was true.
Huai Yu had to admit, whether it was Captain Zhou or Boss Tang, they both treated her like a young girl at first, so they were more patient and tolerant when they first met.
