Chapter 94 - 93: It’s so unfair

Chapter 94: Chapter 93: It’s so unfair

Zhao Xinya then smiled at her younger sister’s softened expression. She reached out her hand and gently tugged her toward the gathering crowd. "Come on. Let’s see if they’re performing anything interesting tonight..."

"Mhmmm."

Zhao Linger nodded and hurriedly followed her sister as she led her through the people gathered around the stage.

They found a place near the back, where they could see the painted screen above the heads of the crowd.

A few children sat cross-legged on the ground near the front, while adults stood behind them.

Some were watching, while others were chatting quietly among themselves.

The music soon grew louder as the puppets emerged from behind the screen.

RAH!

A warrior dressed in bright red robes strode onto the stage, his wooden sword raised high as a grotesque demon appeared from the opposite side.

Its painted face was exaggerated into a fierce scowl.

The puppeteers gave each character a distinct voice, making the warrior sound bold while the demon’s voice was deep and low, like a growl.

It was the same familiar story she was used to.

A demon had descended upon a peaceful village, and a brave human warrior had sworn to defeat it.

The warrior boasted of his strength, and the demon laughed at his arrogance. Each exchanged declarations before launching into a fight accompanied by the rhythmic beating of a small drum.

The children near the front burst into laughter when the warrior fell over his sword, and even some of the adults smiled at the ridiculous performance.

Zhao Linger watched from beside her sister as the wooden figures moved lively beneath the puppeteers’ control, their sleeves fluttering and their weapons clashing.

Each foolish decision by the warrior earned laughter from the crowd.

"He’s going to get himself killed at this rate," Zhao Linger muttered when the warrior charged recklessly toward the demon.

The warrior was beaten badly, as she had expected.

Again and again, he charged at the demon, only to be sent tumbling back across the stage.

His wooden sword flew from his hand, and his robes became disheveled. His attempts to stand grew clumsy, and each time he managed to get back on his feet, the demon struck him down.

The children laughed at first, cheering whenever the demon sent the warrior flying. Even Zhao Linger couldn’t help but shake her head at the warrior’s foolishness.

"Why doesn’t he just run away? Is he an idiot? Just... go away, become stronger, and come back to defeat the demon."

"But he can’t really do that, can he?"

Zhao Xinya said from the side, giving her little sister a glance as she smiled. "Sometimes, a warrior must become foolish... to protect what he must..."

"Huh?"

Zhao Linger didn’t understand, and on the stage, the warrior refused to retreat.

He retrieved his sword, raised it above his head, and charged foolishly forward once more.

Only to be knocked flat on his back. The demon stood over him, its face twisted into an expression of contempt.

"Foolish human! You have been defeated again and again, yet you still dare to stand before me?"

"Do you not understand the difference between us? Your strength is nothing before mine. Your attempts are nothing but stupidity!"

The warrior lay motionless for a brief moment before slowly pushing himself up with trembling arms.

His wooden sword rested several steps away, and his red robes hung loosely from his shoulders.

The demon snarled, angry at the warrior’s relentless courage. "Why do you continue to struggle?"

The puppeteer’s voice turned mocking as he spoke for the demon. "What are you hoping to accomplish?"

"The weak shall stay weak and be stepped on under the strong’s feet!"

The warrior didn’t answer. He reached for his sword, which lay to the side, his body wobbling as he struggled to stand. His legs wavered beneath him, and for a brief second, it seemed as though he would fall to the ground again.

"Giving up?"

He tightened his grip around the weapon’s hilt.

Slowly, he raised his sword forward, its tip facing the demon. "Impossible!"

His hoarse voice echoed across the stage and toward the crowd.

The demon recoiled yet again, seemingly taken aback by such audacity!

"Impossible? You cannot even stand properly now! How foolish you are!"

The warrior looked down at his trembling hands.

Then, slowly, he lifted his gaze toward the distant horizon painted across the stage. "Then let me be a foolish human. For I have people who are waiting for my return..."

His voice grew louder, and the puppeteer delivered the line with emotion.

The crowd near the stage grew quieter...

"My family is waiting for me, the people in my village are waiting for me, and they have placed their hopes in someone as weak as I am."

"Giving up?"

He raised his sword once more, holding it with both hands this time. "Even if I die, I will crawl back from the afterlife to stop you!"

The plaza seemed quieter than before. The performance had attracted a number of viewers from a distance.

Zhao Linger’s mouth opened, and she stared at the warrior on the stage, her earlier amusement gradually fading from her face.

"T-this is just a puppet show, right?"

She swallowed...

Somehow, she found herself captivated by those words, and her fingers slowly curled around the little pouch hanging from her sash. "Are there truly people... out there... with such will?"

Zhao Xinya laughed in a low chuckle, covering her mouth with one hand as she patted her little sister’s head yet again. "You are standing right next to one..."

Zhao Linger turned her gaze, blinking as Zhao Xinya smiled gently. "I will always protect you..."

And on the stage, beneath the illumination of the floating lanterns above, the demon roared in confused rage...

"Then come, foolish human! Charge at me with your conviction! Show me your will to protect your loved ones from my mouth of decay!"

The warrior charged for one last time...

His footsteps thundered across the stage as he raised his sword with both hands.

His small wooden figure appeared almost insignificant before the towering demon.

The puppeteer moved his strings, and the warrior dodged. But in the end, what could a mortal with a little bit of strength do against a demon?

He was just... a village boy armed with hope.

His sword slipped from his hands, and his body was thrown near the edge of the painted screen. He struck the ground before coming to a stop.

The drumbeats ceased.

The warrior stopped moving as the demon approached. "In the end, you failed..."

The warrior didn’t move, and the demon’s wooden pupils rolled. "And what you wished to protect shall also be devoured..."

The last line was accompanied by the closing of the stage’s curtain, concealing the warrior’s final moments as the demon’s jaw opened.

The story...

Was over.

A quiet sadness settled over the crowd. Some of the children cried, while a few adults shook their heads and sighed.

The puppeteer came to the front, bringing the puppets forward to bow. "Thank you for watching..."

Zhao Linger remained motionless.

"What is this story? Why is it a bad ending?"

"Had it always been like this?"

Or had she remembered it incorrectly?

Her eyes began to sting, and she quickly lowered her head, embarrassed by how deeply a mere puppet show had affected her.

"It’s just a foolish story. Don’t cry..."

She reassured herself under her sister’s teasing gaze from the side.

"Why... is my big crybaby sister going to cry?"

Zhao Xinya poked her fingers against Zhao Linger’s cheeks. In a hurry, Zhao Linger waved her hands and refuted, "I am not! Shut up!"

"Really?"

Zhao Xinya dragged out the word in a teasing tone as she tilted her head to the side. Even Zhao Lianyu at the back couldn’t help but chuckle.

Though inwardly, Zhao Linger felt the warrior’s defeat was unfair, extremely unfair.

"...That’s not how it should end..."

Zhao Linger whispered the words beneath her breath, her gaze still fixed on the stage where the warrior had disappeared behind the curtain.

She hadn’t meant to say it aloud. The words had simply slipped out before she could stop them, carrying the frustration and sadness she had been trying so hard to suppress.

Then, from the stage in front of the curtain, the puppeteer’s head snapped toward her.

Zhao Linger froze.

Through the narrow gaps between the departing crowd in front of her, she caught sight of a pale smiling mask. Its expression was simple, with curved lips and eyes that seemed permanently cheerful.

But...

"Did... he hear me?"

Zhao Linger’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively straightened, her eyes widening.

Before she could make sense of it, the puppeteer’s head turned away, and the smiling mask disappeared behind the screen.

The moment passed so quickly that Zhao Linger almost wondered whether she had imagined the entire thing.

She blinked several times, then hurriedly rubbed at her eyes, wiping away the lingering moisture before looking toward the stage again.

The puppeteer was gathering his equipment behind the screen, the last of the audience was leaving, and the lanterns continued to sway gently above the plaza.