Chapter 255: Little Darling

Chapter 255: Chapter 255: Little Darling

"Order?" Feng Ling chewed on the word, an amused laugh escaping her. "It’s quite ironic, isn’t it? She established all kinds of rules and order for us kids, yet she wanted us to be as free as the wind. She even had us take the surname Feng. So, what did she really want in the end...?"

Li Qing asked, "Did she have the surname Feng, too?"

"No one knows her real name. I heard she changed it the day the orphanage was founded. Everyone just calls her Wind Mother." Feng Ling recalled slowly, "We secretly gave her a lot of nicknames. Wind Witch, Wind Woman... Kids can be pretty vicious, can’t they?"

Li Qing mused, "Children... are like a pack of clueless little beasts. Their sense of good and evil is blurry. They must develop a sense of order to adapt to society."

He looked up at Feng Ling. "You just said she was very strict with you all. That was probably her way of fighting against your genes. She was afraid the violent genes of criminals would lead you astray."

"How could I understand all that as a kid? I just thought she was awful, picking on me from morning till night." Feng Ling turned to look at the Illusion beside her, feeling a wave of emotion. "I resented her and feared her. She held all the power and could control my food, my clothes, my entire life. For a long time, I refused to call her Wind Mother. I didn’t think she deserved to be called ’Mother.’ It’s strange... It’s not like I even knew what a mother was supposed to be like..."

"You don’t resent her anymore," Li Qing said, his tone certain.

He could tell, because Feng Ling’s gaze on the Illusion was serene, with a faint hint of nostalgia.

Feng Ling joked self-deprecatingly, "I’ve grown up, haven’t I?"

Li Qing said encouragingly, "So you’ll be able to resolve your inner fears and won’t let the Maze Master’s mark affect your condition."

Feng Ling smiled. "It seems you’re really worried about me being affected by the Maze Master."

"The mark has a spiritual influence, so I have to suspect the Maze Master has a similar ability. I don’t want anything to happen to you, whether as a partner, or as..." Li Qing paused, then chose his word carefully. "A friend."

Feng Ling narrowed her eyes slightly. "A friend, huh..."

’Can an Alien Species even understand the weight of that word?’

THUD!—

A loud noise suddenly echoed through the quiet room. Feng Ling and Li Qing whipped their heads around in unison, only to see Ye Zheng had fallen off the wall.

Feng Ling still couldn’t understand why she was so insistent on sleeping while clinging to the wall.

Ye Zheng shook her head, slowly got up, and seeing the two of them at the door staring at her, she frowned and explained, "I had a nightmare."

Feng Ling gloated, "Need a sedative?"

Ye Zheng shot her a glare, turned to climb back up the wall to sleep, but then changed her mind. She walked over to Feng Ling and said, "Forget it, I’m not sleeping anymore."

Feng Ling said cheerfully, "What a coincidence. Me neither."

Ye Zheng looked at her, then at Li Qing, and raised an eyebrow. "What were you two talking about?"

"The anthropology enthusiast, Li Daoist, was trying to give me some psychological counseling," Feng Ling said with a smile. "He’s worried the shadows of my childhood will corrode my heart and affect my combat performance tomorrow."

Ye Zheng’s gaze toward Li Qing was filled with doubt. "You know about this stuff?"

Li Qing averted his face sheepishly. "Not really..."

Ye Zheng frowned at Feng Ling. "For this kind of thing, it’s best to see a professional. When we get back, have Su Yuqing introduce you to a psychologist."

Feng Ling shook her head. "No need. I don’t have any psychological problems."

Ye Zheng added, "There’s no need to feel embarrassed. For anyone who holds a Card—be it an Inspector or a Hunter—their mental state is tied to public safety. It’s perfectly normal to always pay attention to your own psychological health, and it’s just as normal to get treatment."

"I’m really fine, why don’t you guys believe me?" Feng Ling said helplessly. "I couldn’t be healthier."

Ye Zheng didn’t believe her. "Admitting you have mental health issues isn’t anything to be ashamed of. Society is full of people with psychological illnesses these days, especially an orphan like you..."

"I’m not just any ordinary orphan," Feng Ling raised her hand, holding up four fingers. "I have four mothers."

Ye Zheng furrowed her brow. "What?"

"Ever heard of the power of love?" Feng Ling said half-jokingly. "Love can heal anything. And I am a precious little baby loved by my mothers, with a sound personality and a healthy mind~"

Ye Zheng’s frown deepened. "What the hell are you talking about? That’s so cringey."

"You think *that’s* cringey? Tsk, I can tell you’re one of those people from an unhappy family." Feng Ling started pointing her finger at Ye Zheng. "Either your parents were super strict, or the atmosphere at home was always tense..."

"Are you trying to pick a fight again?" Ye Zheng snapped.

Feng Ling feigned surprise. "No way, did I actually hit the nail on the head? I was just guessing."

Ye Zheng turned and walked away with a cold expression.

And climbed back up the wall.

Li Qing gave Feng Ling a helpless look. "She meant well. You shouldn’t have provoked her like that..."

Feng Ling faltered for a moment. "I didn’t. It must be her problem. A 40% Pollution Value is still on the high side. It makes her easy to anger."

Li Qing: "..."

’If you insist on thinking that way, I guess there’s nothing I can say...’

However—

Li Qing glanced at Feng Ling silently, thinking: ’Is that possible? Is she joking, or is she serious? A precious little baby loved by her mothers...’

The topic was a bit sensitive. Unless Feng Ling brought it up herself, Li Qing didn’t dare probe any further.

The night was long. Feng Ling had Li Qing tell her stories to pass the time.

Li Qing began to speak of the Gods here.

He enjoyed researching such things, and wanting to make it interesting for Feng Ling, he put in extra effort to tell the stories in a compelling way.

"...The most interesting part is that most of the Immortals were ordinary mortals who were deified and had temples built for them by the locals after they died. For example, the Fengxi Kiln God was a nine-year-old child, and there was a young man and woman who were crossing a river by boat. After they drowned, they came to be known as the Fan Yu Love God..."

By the time he got to the third Immortal, Feng Ling had fallen asleep on the sofa.

Fast asleep.

In the silent dead of night, Li Qing began to reflect on the hypnotic effects of his storytelling.

......

...

「The next day」

Everyone except Li Qing headed for the center of the Maze.

Huangfu Miaomiao was loaded with explosives, and Xu Yiming carried a sniper rifle. On the way, Feng Ling and Ye Zheng prayed to a few Gods to stack their buffs to the max.

The four of them arrived at the rooftop of a seven-story building, the closest one to the Maze’s center. From a distance, they could see the mountain undulating in the mist, as if it were breathing, still in its collapsed state.

It was Xu Yiming’s first time seeing the mountain in person. He was so stunned he couldn’t speak, and couldn’t help but lean forward to get a closer look.

Feng Ling raised a hand to stop him. "We’re going to place the explosives. You two stay here and observe. When the Divine Travel Team emerges, it will release a powerful spiritual power that can impact the brain. Make sure you keep a safe distance."

"Okay, understood," Xu Yiming nodded.

Feng Ling shouldered a large pack of explosives and went downstairs with Ye Zheng.

Xu Yiming gripped the railing, watching the two figures below shrink as they moved away. He then looked up at the colossal mountain in the distance, a dazed feeling washing over him—like an ant trying to shake a great tree.

It felt unreal, yet full of anticipation.