I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 224
Chapter 224: Eastern Demon Romance Talk
Wearing swimwear, carrying a small backpack and a sketchpad, I walked up the gentle slope of Moon Orchid Island with Yin Xiamo, basking in the warm sun overhead. For some reason, I always had a sense of déjà vu in such situations.
“Creak.”
“Creak.”
It felt like a world I had once dreamed of.
Snowflakes swirling on the mountainside, my previous self leading the way, followed by the little demon that had always been with me.
A tiny girl, barely reaching my waist.
Growing gradually, a girl on tiptoes could touch my chest.
Now grown into a human appearance, no longer exuding youthfulness and innocence, a girl who could help carry luggage.
Seasons changed, days passed.
Snowflakes in the Moon Orchid Mountains melted one after another, and the seeds of flowers and grasses that had been frozen for a quarter began to sprout.
Seemingly insignificant tender shoots broke through the melting ice and snow, offering a touch of green and cherry red to this snowy land.
The starry sky shone brightly, rivers withered.
It had always been this way.
But… in this world, it was the little demon from my memories who walked ahead.
I, with a petite figure, silently carried the luggage behind.
In a trance, it seemed that the snowy wind of the Moon Orchid Mountains was blowing again.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—”
Like the elegant harp deep in the forest of elves, the notes composed of the snow wind from the Moon Orchid Mountains continuously lingered in the ears.
?Boundless lives entwined, with you I share my words?
?Holding hands with you, growing old together?
This is a poem describing the bond between comrades, often used in modern times to praise love.
And the former “hero” and “little demon”… initially, they were also comrades—
?Momo?
?What’s up??
?If one day in the future, I die, don’t keep insisting on seeking trouble with the Demon King?
?Why??
?I hope you can live on?
?If you die, living on and avenging you are not contradictory?
?You can’t do it?
?I can?
?……?
?I won’t leave you, no matter how many lifetimes pass, whether dead or alive, if that kind of thing really happens?
?……?
“……”
In the southern waters of Shenzhen City, halfway up a hill on an island, a winding path, trodden by humans, stretched continuously ahead.
Since my usual clothes and shoes were in the Xiao Mo’s travel bag, I was only wearing a pair of ordinary women’s flip-flops, which were slightly large for me. Walking on such a path, my feet felt a little uncomfortable, but it wasn’t unbearable.
“Squeak, squeak.”
Wearing sky-blue flip-flops marked for women’s sizes 36 to 39, my feet made clear collision sounds as they rubbed against the muddy road on the upward slope, along with branches and some gravel on the ground.
Compared to the seaside, the salty and fishy smell was greatly reduced here, replaced by more of a forest-like scent. It was the smell of wet soil mixed with minerals, organic matter, and the decomposition of dead animals and plants.
This scent, mixed with the unique fragrance of various fruit trees, shrubs, and branches, along with the taste of some mountain spring water, constituted the distinctive smell of the summer breeze on Moon Orchid Island.
To be honest, I was very familiar with this scent. When I was a child living in the botanical garden, or when I returned from school during major holidays or vacations, passing through that primitive forest, my nose was filled with this scent.
But compared to Moon Orchid Island, perhaps the botanical garden had more varieties of trees like cedar, giving one a feeling of strolling through a wooden furniture store, lazily taking a deep breath.
“……”
After walking for about two or three minutes, I slowly raised my head, following behind Yin Xiamo, and looked at the girl ahead.
“What’s wrong?”
Perhaps sensing my gaze, the girl ahead, carrying two large fish, turned around, “Are you tired?”
“No.”
In a fluster, I shook my head and gestured with my eyes towards the two fish in Yin Xiamo’s hands.
“How are we going to eat these? I didn’t bring any seasoning with me.”
“I’ll go back and get it later, and ask Chef Wang to prepare them,” Yin Xiamo replied casually.
“The café isn’t far from here. I’ll fly back to the kitchen to get some seasoning and snacks, and it won’t take much time. During this time, Nuo’er can take a little rest, it’s okay.”
“What if I encounter wild animals here alone…”
I joked, “Will you come back immediately?”
“Don’t worry, the only things on this island that could defeat Nuo’er are those marine iguanas by the seaside. They’re already the largest animals here.”
Yin Xiamo gave me a look of ‘you silly goose’.
“Further down, you might encounter Angolan rabbits.”
“Why does Xiao Mo think marine iguanas could defeat me!”
I complained, “Those lizards just look big, they won’t bite people. After all, I’m an adult!”
I looked up marine iguanas online. They’re regarded by modern scientists as the “strangest reptiles.” They don’t eat meat, they specialize in eating underwater plants like kelp and seaweed. But despite being herbivores, they look incredibly scary, resembling the prototype of Godzilla from the movie “Godzilla”. They have large mouths, bodies covered in scales, and look fierce. They can grow to over five feet in length. So… when there were so many marine iguanas around earlier when we were posing by the sea, I wasn’t worried at all because they’re herbivores.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
Seeing Yin Xiamo’s skeptical expression, I deliberately said in a mature tone, “I’ve been exercising regularly this month!”
“Okay, then I take back what I said earlier. Nuo’er’s combat power is higher than the lizards.”
As if she heard something cute, Yin Xiamo smiled happily, “So, an adult lizard is roughly equivalent to 0.5 Nuo’er?”
“Why am I being measured in combat power…”
I stopped in my tracks, “And earlier you said… the largest animal beneath the lizards is the Angolan rabbit?”
“Yes, apart from the lizards, the island’s largest creatures are the Angolan rabbits. Including their fluffy fur, they’re the biggest.”
“Really?”
I was puzzled, “Isn’t it said that rabbits reproduce quickly? Marine iguanas don’t eat rabbits, so if rabbits have no natural predators, won’t the plants here be destroyed in a few years?”
“That’s why I mentioned including their fluffy fur when talking about Angolan rabbits. Despite looking large, most of their size is due to their fur, especially Angolan rabbits with long hair. It creates a visual effect of being much larger,” Yin Xiamo explained.
“In terms of the food chain, neither the marine iguanas nor the Angolan rabbits are at the top, those orcas we saw earlier are.”
“As for your question about whether rabbits will explode in numbers… the foxes and sea eagles here probably have something to say about that.”
“There are foxes here?!”
“Yes, but they’re relatively few.”
Yin Xiamo surveyed the nearby forest, “Well… there are over eight hundred of them.”
“Relatively few, your feet!!!”
In that case, you might as well say… foxes are the strongest animals here in terms of combat power.
As we chatted, we continued along the artificial path on the island for a while until Yin Xiamo and I arrived at the spot we had previously discussed with Mayor Ye Yuqing about building a “Dragon King Temple.”
Compared to before, this spot, located halfway up the mountain with an open space pressed against the mountain, now had a small house.
And this small house… how should I put it? It gave me a very strange feeling.
Though called the Dragon King Temple, it felt more like a “shrine.”
Yes, a shrine.
In terms of design style, it resembles a small hut from ancient times used for praying for rain or other purposes. There are two large pillars at the front, with a space in the middle for offering incense, and passages on the left and right for entering the inner chamber.
The overall footprint of the house isn’t very large, and because it’s built behind an open space halfway up the mountain, it’s very inconspicuous. Even walking up the slope with Xiao Mo just now, unless you take the final step and stand in this open space, you wouldn’t notice this temple.
Moreover, on both sides of the “Dragon King Temple,” there are towering trees that obscure it on the mountainside. I estimate that even if a drone flew over, it probably wouldn’t notice this building unless it looked carefully.
Additionally, I noticed that this temple doesn’t seem to have been required to be painted or have any thematic elements. In our country, a “Dragon King Temple” would usually have a furnace or various statues placed at the entrance, often depicting chubby, childlike deities, giving it a mystical air. In foreign “shrines,” there would typically be a donation box or a large bell that customers can ring by pulling a rope. But this temple in front of me lacks any distinctive features or elements.
It’s simple, plain—a modest little house.
No, actually, it doesn’t seem all that ordinary…
After observing for a few seconds, I hurried over to this “shrine,” stopped at the open space at the entrance, and set down my sketchpad, examining the clean marble floor beneath my feet.
On it, there’s a clear pattern of a flower, vividly depicted.
“Moon Orchid?”
After examining the flower pattern closely, I turned to Yin Xiamo beside me.
“Yeah, I’m surprised you recognized it.”
Yin Xiamo placed her backpack on the ground behind her. “Then, Nuo’er, you rest here for a while. I’ll take these two fish back to Chef Wang to prepare, bring some seasoning, and then come back. Let’s have lunch together.”
“This house, like this island, now belongs to us. I’ve already talked to the mayor about it. Their people won’t come to the island anymore.”
“Oh…”
I looked around curiously, then my gaze settled on the “shrine” beside me. “What are you planning to do with this house?”
“It’s a secret.”
Yin Xiamo smiled mysteriously, then added, “Don’t worry, it’s definitely not something bad. If you have any questions later, you can go in and take a look. Of course, it’s just an empty house for now, with nothing inside.”
“Then I won’t go in.”
Taking out a bedsheet from Yin Xiamo’s travel bag, I spread it out on the ground, patting the fallen leaves around me.
“Come back soon.”
“Huh? Is little kitty being clingy?”
“No way!”
I blurted out subconsciously, “I… It’s my first time coming to such a quiet place alone. Even if you say… there’s no danger nearby, I might still… feel uncomfortable.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll try to come back within half an hour.”
Yin Xiamo, holding the large fish, turned around. “Oh, one more thing.”
“What?”
“This morning, Fei Luo forgot to leave the milk at the café. I’ll bring the bottle over when I come back.”
“……”
……