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Chapter 55, Sigh, My Family of Origin
Cang Qing stood quietly in place, watching Cheng Chen's figure disappear into the night until it was completely gone.
A sudden voice rang out from behind her.
"He actually came to find you on his own initiative. Did you two know each other before?"
Cang Qing turned around and saw a dark green eagle with dark feathers that had appeared on the branches of a roadside tree. The eagle was staring down at her with its sharp, eerie eyes.
She didn't answer, but silently walked up to the 'Soul Food'.
He extended his finger, a faint magical glow emanating from its tip, and tapped it on his forehead.
The Soul Eater didn't even utter a sound; its eyes rolled back, and it completely lost consciousness.
"You've already mastered the hypnotic magic I taught you," the falcon commented.
The azure light on Cang Qing's body dissipated, and the transformation ended.
"The engagement is over; he is now at your disposal."
"I've confirmed the result." The dark green falcon glanced at him out of the corner of its eye before turning its attention back to Zhong Ai. "This is a good opportunity. The adjudicator sent by the Kaleidoscope Prison to the Sound Palace Entertainment Center before failed to get close to him."
"Demons are naturally suspicious. A sudden display of kindness from a strange magical girl will only arouse their vigilance. But if you know him before, it's different; he won't suspect you."
Zhong Ai said expressionlessly, "You've crossed the line."
"The Demon Lord, the Evil Lord, is the 133rd 'Calamity Element' that the Nightingale's House has discovered since its founding, potentially leading to the destruction of the world, yet we know very little about him." The Falcon didn't stop because of her refusal. "His preferences, personality, moods, his flaws, weaknesses, vulnerabilities..."
The other party flapped its wings and hovered in front of her. "Judging from the recent battle records, the true strength of the evil master far exceeds that of an ordinary fifth-order demon. He also has an unusually close relationship with 'Magical Girl Scarlet Sakura'. We cannot fight him head-on. [Nightingale's House] needs more information, and you are the most suitable candidate."
"...It has nothing to do with me."
Zhong Ai refused curtly, wanting to go around the eagle.
The dark green falcon is the incarnation of the magical girl Jingwei. She belongs to the Nightingale House, one of the three great magical kingdoms. In the days after becoming a magical girl, Zhong Ai has been cooperating with them to obtain information and accept commissions.
Jingwei repeatedly invited her to join the Nightingale's House, officially becoming a member of the "Songbirds" who hunt calamities.
The cooperation between the two parties was quite pleasant.
Until two weeks ago, Jingwei suddenly approached her and made this request.
I understand your concerns.
The falcon persisted, following her relentlessly: "I can see that you still have feelings for him."
Zhong Ai suddenly stopped and turned around to glare at it.
The falcon's voice remained steady: "You told me yourself that you have an older brother. He was your father's most prized student, and you've always considered him family."
"I told you those things because I considered you a friend."
Zhong Ai's voice was very low, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.
"I also consider you a friend, which is why I told you that my whole family was killed by a demon."
The hawk's pupils were sharp, and its voice was filled with deep-seated hatred. "He was an orphan abandoned in the desolate mountains. The woodcutter's family took him in and never mistreated him because he was a demon. They treated him like their own son. But one day, he slaughtered the entire woodcutter's family, disregarding the kindness of their upbringing for more than ten years. He showed no hesitation or pity when he killed them."
"That happened hundreds of years ago. Over the years, I have witnessed countless tragedies, but the nature of demons has never changed. Think back carefully, your dear 'brother' disappeared for a full six years! Did he ever contact you even once during that time? Now that he has returned and discovered that you have awakened as a magical girl, he has suddenly turned back into a good brother, caring for you and showing concern for your well-being."
A cold, human-like smile appeared on the eagle's face: "Isn't it ridiculous? No matter how they disguise themselves, they can't hide the cold-bloodedness in their bones. A demon is a demon, and he is one of the best among demons, the infamous 'Evil Lord' of Yin City."
Zhong Ai listened to everything in silence.
"Are you done?" she asked calmly after a long while.
The eagle, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, cried out, "Azure!"
"Now that I've said that, I'm leaving." Zhong Ai turned around again, this time without stopping.
"You are a magical girl, and he is a demon."
The falcon didn't stop him, but suddenly raised its voice: "Don't be trapped by those false emotions and hypocritical appearances. Make a decision... and contact me!"
……
Click.
The key turned in the lock, and Zhong Ai opened the door.
Before one could even fully enter the foyer, the incandescent lights in the hallway and living room suddenly turned on, their stark white light piercing the eyes.
She held her hand to her brow, squinted, and through her fingers, she saw Zhong Wenge sitting imposingly on a single sofa in the living room, his expression tense.
"We need to talk, Xiao'ai," the old father said in a low voice.
A hint of helplessness flickered beneath Zhong Ai's black-rimmed glasses, which she quickly and skillfully concealed.
"Dad, I'm tired."
She changed into slippers and walked into her familiar home.
A hand blocked her path, followed by a barrage of questions: "Where did you go? What did you do? When did you make the appointment? What did he say to you?"
Zhong Ai, looking somewhat tired, tossed her bag onto the sofa beside her. "I didn't skip work. I asked Teacher Zhang for leave in advance and said I would be a little late."
"No, no, I'm not blaming you."
Zhong Wenge realized he had acted too hastily, so he immediately put on a smile, patted the large double sofa next to him, and gestured for his daughter to sit down.
"Come, sit down."
Zhong Ai obediently walked over and placed her hands on her knees.
The elderly father leaned forward and stared into his daughter's eyes.
Chung Ai had already prepared her answer, and replied in her usual obedient tone, which she had rehearsed countless times: "We had dinner together, and afterwards my brother and I watched street performances by passersby in Gangneung Street Square. He just said that we hadn't seen each other for so long and he was afraid we would become strangers."
"Oh...I see, that's good, that's good."
Zhong Wenge breathed a sigh of relief and forced what he thought was an open-minded smile. "You two haven't seen each other for so many years, it's only right that you catch up. Cheng Chen used to take good care of you..."
"Yeah, my brother's a really nice guy," Zhong Ai chimed in casually, then immediately added, "Dad, I'm a little tired..."
"But, my daughter."
The expression on Zhong Wenge's face faded like the tide, and the words that Zhong Ai was about to say were forced back down his throat. He lowered his eyes and looked at his fingertips.
"Work isn't something you can just get away with by being late or taking a day off. You were the one who asked to intern at the theater troupe to hone your skills. Do you know how many connections I had to pull to get Ms. Zhang Xue from the troupe to arrange a suitable position for you? You should be more attentive and not leave a bad impression."
The room was quiet.
Chung Wenge continued to press him verbally: "Do you realize where you went wrong?"
"Yes, I know."
Zhong Ai responded in a low, indistinct voice.
As he spoke, a sense of irritation rose within him.
In the past, she might have taken the opportunity to feign panic, nodding vigorously, and then offered a deep self-examination and apology until Zhong Wenge was satisfied and the matter was dropped.
But she's very tired today.
Soul Food, Cheng Chen, Jingwei... have exhausted their last bit of energy and no longer want to pretend to be obedient and well-behaved.
"Going to the theater troupe wasn't my request. After I entered academy, you asked me if I wanted to do an internship, and I suggested several, but you disagreed with all of them. In the end, you took it upon yourself to choose the theater troupe for me, and besides..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was abruptly interrupted by an urgent and angry voice.
Zhong Wenge practically jumped off the sofa: "How can you say that? Those jobs you mentioned back then—bubble tea shop clerk, diving instructor, animal rescue—were they legitimate jobs? The theater troupe was your mother's old workplace; I only went to them, even swallowing my pride, for your own good! If you hadn't agreed yourself, would I have forced you?"
"For your own good"... It's that kind of talk again.
Zhong Ai was almost completely fed up.
Even so, she still didn't want to argue with her father. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down: "I've told you countless times that I don't like the atmosphere at the theater troupe at all. Because of my mother's situation, everyone there is carefully avoiding me."
"Besides, I'm just an intern in the troupe. They only give me face and don't assign me any work. They don't need my help with rehearsals or my participation on performance days. I'm like an idiot every day, sitting idly in the corner, like an outsider who doesn't fit in... It's the same whether I'm there or not."
"Even so, that's no excuse for skipping work!"
Zhong Wenge raised his voice, he was getting angry, and his eyes widened: "Just because others think you're a relative doesn't mean you can't try to prove yourself! Your father back then—"
"What's it to you!"
Zhong Ai suddenly shouted.
Zhong Wenge was stunned. He saw his usually well-behaved daughter suddenly raise her head and stare at him with an unprecedented look: "You're just a lucky teacher who got lucky and met Cheng Chen, and you're still smugly thinking it's all your own doing."
"Without him, you'd always be just an unknown junior teacher, never getting promoted to a senior position. The Education Bureau wouldn't welcome you with a smile, and you'd never be considered for vice principal or outstanding teacher! You keep talking about 'back then,' but since Mom passed away, you've done nothing. You've just been a coward, swallowing your anger and waiting for your luck to come your way! You've done absolutely nothing!"
Cheng Chen is the only student from Yincheng's education sector to enter Sky Dome University in the past six years.
As an educational institution founded by Mo Ji, it enrolls no more than thirty students worldwide each year, and all of these graduates become top experts in their respective fields.
Although Cheng Chen was admitted because of his identity as a demon, it was a major event that deserved to be celebrated and celebrated by the secular world outside the magic community.
Since Cheng Chen graduated, Zhong Wenge's status in the Seventh Academy has risen steadily, and in recent years he has had a sense of pride and triumph, much like Fan Jin after passing the imperial examination.
Old Deng was speechless for a moment.
Although no one would dare say such harsh words to his face, the gossip and whispers behind his back would inevitably reach his ears. Everyone shared the same opinion: he had lived an obscure life for the first half of his life, and his later success was merely due to Cheng Chen's influence.
Chung Wenge had always dismissed such claims with a laugh, until he heard them come from his daughter's mouth.
His daughter had never spoken to him like that before; the expression on her face was so unfamiliar.
"What do you know? Who do you think I'm working so hard for?"
The middle-aged man's voice trembled.
Zhong Ai sneered, "For my sake? You should be happy that I'm close to him now, after all, he's your proudest student. You always praise and brag about him in front of others, urging me to learn from him. Now that I've done it, what exactly are you dissatisfied with?"
Zhong Wenge remained silent in front of his daughter.
Zhong Ai got up, stopped looking at him, and walked towards her room.
"I'm going to rest now. I'm going out with him tomorrow morning."
boom.
The door closed, leaving the elderly father all alone in the living room.
……