Apocalyptic Era: Starting from picking up a Bishoujo
Chapter 130 - 124 The next day’s Zhu Shi 2

Chapter 130: 124 The next day’s Zhu Shi 2

Women, I’ve seen plenty, casually walking down the street and you can catch sight of living, breathing women. In the summer, you might even glimpse a beautiful woman dressed in airy attire passing by. Various starlets regularly grace television programs as well. Women are ubiquitously present in human society, just like men.

But what if it’s about "non-human women"?

Firstly, the phrase itself is peculiar—how can something non-human be called a "woman"? That said, "non-human women" are certainly not a rare concept in fictional stories. Moving tales of fox demons and female ghosts abound in Eastern legends, while Western mythology features Sirens and Enchanting Demons luring sailors. These humanoid creatures often possess appearances even more exquisite than those of human women, like carnivorous plants that entice insects, they seduce men into degradation and then devour them.

Indeed, some may prefer the female demons of fiction to the real women around them.

Truthfully, I’m not without such unmentionable fantasies. To encounter a beautiful female ghost with a youthful appearance as depicted in ancient tales, and perhaps even engage in romantic liaisons—this shouldn’t be considered peculiar, right? Almost every man probably has had such "female ghost fantasies" at some point. As for whether women have "male ghost fantasies," I have no clue. Nor do I know if any scholars have studied this widespread psychological phenomenon and published papers on it.

I became curious about Changan’s mother.

"What kind of demon was Changan’s mother, exactly?"

"Well, there’s not much I know. My grandparents never liked to talk about that woman, my father barely spoke to me, and my brother—he knows nothing," Zhu Shi said with a reminiscent look before continuing, "Based on the snippets I’ve heard, I think she was likely a ’fox,’ I guess."

"Fox Demon?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Fox Demons were commonplace in ancient tales of the supernatural. It was said that a fox that attained spiritual awareness could transform into the guise of a beautiful woman, ensnaring scholars and officials to lead them astray. There were even tales of such creatures bewitching emperors, bringing calamity upon nations—the mythical Daji, a nine-tailed fox that seduced King Shangzhou, being a prime example.

However, Fox Demons don’t necessarily always play villains. Sometimes, they appear as grudgingly grateful figures, assuming human form to assist the virtuous; other times, they mock hypocrites and respectfully withdraw in the presence of truly virtuous individuals; occasionally, they even adore the talents of scholars, willingly becoming their concubines, covertly using their spells to support their beloved’s life and career, then vanishing after their partner attains success.

Part of these supernatural tales reflects reality, especially the latter part, which brings to mind if the fox demons in stories parallel the courtesans of old. But with the real existence of Fox Demons, these narratives warrant re-evaluation.

But to think Changan is half Fox Demon... Could it be he’ll turn into a beautiful woman and seduce scholars? This absurd thought sent a chill down my spine.

Better to think of something else. Given that Changan’s mother was a Fox Demon, is his father Ying Lingyun akin to the scholarly archetype rich in knowledge?

I slowly deciphered some genuine feelings from Zhu Shi’s demeanor.

"Your father died, yet you don’t seem to be grieving."

"I can’t seem to grieve," she said in an even tone, "If you call me unfilial, I’ve no excuses to offer. My own father died, and this is how I react. But honestly, I’ve hardly seen him throughout my life, never held any real expectations for him. That’s where my brother and I differ—he seems to have absorbed all the expectations for our father that should have been mine, always longing for our father’s attention.

"As for me... Even if I were to suddenly learn that he joined the Human Bureau and became a Weirdo Maker... Truthfully, instead of being sad or angry, I feel more bewildered."

"But looking at your reaction last night, it seemed like you took a huge hit," I ventured.

"It was indeed a huge hit, but truthfully, I don’t have many feelings of sadness," she hesitated, then added, "Rather than being upset, I was more worried about being seen as heartless by you and Mazao. I acted like a complete dullard in front of you both suddenly because of that, wanting to buy myself more time to think.

"In fact, I was still capable of thinking clearly at that moment, but I didn’t know how to show the ’appropriate reaction’ in front of you, so I pretended to be confused, trying to gain more time to think. Even I am disappointed and speechless about my own coldness."

This, I had not expected.

I had placed myself in the role of the perpetrator and defined Zhu Shi as the victim, unsure of how to interact with her, yet I completely missed considering that she, too, might have found it difficult to face me and Mazao.

It seemed Zhu Shi’s attitude towards her father perhaps shared some similarities with Jinyu’s... No, it was quite different. Ying Lingyun had never been violent to his family, and Zhu Shi lacked any specific malice towards him. Although he had committed the grievous act of infidelity, from Zhu Shi’s perspective, those events occurred before her birth. Dislike, certainly, but it would be difficult for her to harbor specific negative feelings towards such a distant figure.

She might acknowledge her father as an important figure, but that is merely a moral judgment. Unfortunately, she is also a person with strong morals, unable to accept her indifference towards her father. Concurrently, as a creator of oddities, Ying Lingyun had committed many unforgivable acts on a moral level. These contradictions made it hard for her to find the right stance.

It’s not just that I’m unable to deduce her current emotional state; I would wager that even she herself cannot describe it, resorting to playing dumb in front of me and Mazao.

Even so, she made an effort to express her true feelings in front of me.

Therefore, I believed I should also speak candidly, divulging the intelligence I held.

If she had shown profound grief at the passing of her father, I certainly wouldn’t have said anything. But since she was only brooding over it, it should be no problem.

"Ying Lingyun may not be dead yet," I said.

"..." She took a moment before reacting, "What?"

I talked about the grey fog I saw when I was burning the Weirdo Maker’s network of consciousness, then added, "...Therefore, I suspect he may possess a Divine Seal Fragment."

"You mean, those who hold Divine Seal Fragments aren’t predestined, and even the outcome of death could be overturned?" It seemed to take Zhu Shi a long time to digest my point before she laboriously said, "I’ll trust what you’re saying for now... But how can you determine that my father owns a Divine Seal Fragment? In fact, you only saw grey fog, which could totally stem from something else, right?"

"It’s quite simple." I pulled out the black jade stone from my pocket, "Because I possess a Divine Seal Fragment."

Zhu Shi was stunned, and I then explained concisely about the existence of the Mist Dream Realm and its connection to the Divine Seal Fragments.

Coincidentally, I also mentioned the encounters with bowl number two and number four, Xuanming, within the Mist Dream Realm. Mazao’s investigation into Doomsday required Luo Mountain’s power, and currently, the most reliable one on Luo Mountain was Zhu Shi. Sharing this information should help convince Zhu Shi of the existence of Doomsday.

After a long while, she finally seemed to accept it, murmuring softly, "So that’s why... Mazao trusts you so much because you truly believe in Doomsday, and you have the vital Divine Seal Fragment for her mission. And the reason for your belief in Doomsday is due to the existence of the Divine Seal Fragment and the Mist Dream Realm..."

She was actually pondering over this. It seemed she truly wasn’t that concerned about her own father’s life or death.

Should I then take out the "ash" I got after killing the Weirdo Maker and have her appraise it? I even entertained that arrogant thought. But doing so would indeed be going too far.

"I hope you can keep this a secret for me," I said.

"Of course," she replied with utter seriousness, "Since you trust me and are willing to confide such a crucial secret to me, I would risk my life to keep it for you."

"You don’t suspect that what I’m holding is a fake?" I asked.

"You even encountered the renegade Impermanence in the Mist Dream Realm, could what he got also be a fake?" she countered.

From an observer’s perspective, even the "renegade Impermanence" could be a fake, right?

I temporarily skipped that thought and said, "I thought you would persuade me to reveal that I hold a Divine Seal Fragment to Luo Mountain. After all, the Divine Seal Fragment is related to Doomsday and might even be the catalyst for it. The scale of the event is too huge, not something a few of us can decide."

"I did consider that," she said, "but precisely because a Divine Seal Fragment could be the catalyst for Doomsday, its existence must be kept secret."

Upon hearing this, I vaguely thought of the answer and asked, "What do you mean?"

"If a complete divine seal is what causes Doomsday, then there must be someone who wishes for the world’s destruction upon it. We don’t know who it is, or even if that someone is part of Luo Mountain," she said gravely. "And to prevent this hypothetical enemy from making a wish upon the complete divine seal, the simplest method is to stop the divine seal from returning to its complete state, which means..."

I took up her line of thought, saying, "As long as I keep this Divine Seal Fragment hidden, Doomsday will not come."

"Exactly," she nodded.

With that said, breakfast was about done. I got up and ordered another portion of steamed buns and fried pork chops to take home for Mazao.

Then, I turned to Zhu Shi, "Speaking of the head of the Weirdo Maker..."

"I’ll bring it to you guys today," she said.

"No, I meant, it’s not particularly appropriate for you to be carrying around your own father’s head. I’ll go to your place instead," I said.

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