nucmednet Chapter 79 Wear and Tear
Chapter 79 Wear and Tear
It wasn't until Mingxun had been with him for twenty years that he truly realized Morax might not be able to give him what he wanted.
In human terms, she would be in her forties, but due to the power Morax left in her body, time has not left too many marks on her, only making her more mature than a girl.
Mingxun was overjoyed by this change, because it meant that as long as Morax was willing, he would definitely find a way to free her from the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and achieve true immortality.
Unfortunately, Morax never brought it up, and Mingxun would never ask him directly, so she chose to probe in a more subtle way.
*
"Morax, where's your little priest today?"
At a rare gathering of immortals, the short-haired girl, who had successfully sneaked in hand-in-hand with Ge Chenlangshi, looked around but couldn't find the figure who was always by Morax's side. After holding back for a while, she finally couldn't help but ask the man sitting at the head of the table.
As allies and fellow demon gods, Morax couldn't possibly abandon her at this moment, so he could only turn a blind eye and watch her lean on Gechenlang City's shoulder, shamelessly asking why he had no one by his side.
The Misunderstood End: Huh?
Seeing that his expression wasn't very pleasant, Gui Zhong couldn't help but move even closer to Ge Chenlangshi, muttering softly, "Ping'er, look at him..."
Ge Chenlangshi sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.
Morax couldn't bear to look at her like that, so he poured himself a glass of wine to keep his eyes off her and explained, "Mingxun is being bothered by the new tabby cat, so she'll be a little late."
"A tabby cat!" Gui Zhong perked up, sat up straight, and said excitedly, "The little priest seems to really like these kinds of weak but cute creatures."
She remembered that when she came here last month, she accidentally bumped into her climbing over the wall, so she greeted her respectfully while holding an injured baby bird in her hands.
She went to take a look there today, but unfortunately the bird's nest was empty and looked like it hadn't been used for a long time.
Since the thought had come up, Gui Zhong casually asked, "Is that little bird dead?"
Morax paused in his drinking motion.
The outspoken Liu Yun chimed in, "She's dead. Mingxun even cried to the Emperor for days. That clingy tabby cat was something the Emperor specially picked up to appease her."
At this point, she suddenly became angry: "Honestly, if you ask me, why bother going out of your way to pick up a kitten? It would have been better to make the mechanical bird I created for her; it can talk and coax people!"
Upon hearing about this, Liu Yunjiefeng specially presented his latest masterpiece, but unfortunately, the mechanical bird was thrown out by Morax after only two days because it was too noisy.
Damn it, if you ask Liu Yunjiefeng, he was clearly angry because Mingxun had been playing with the mechanical bird for the past few days and kept getting distracted in front of him!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. It took the immortals a while to coax her back to drinking.
Gui Zhong didn't understand the deeper reasons behind this, but he still sighed in a serious manner: "I also think that the mechanical bird is much better than the tabby cat. Think about it, how many years can a cat live? By the time the two little guys have spent a long time together and developed a deep bond, and the cat has died—that would be really terrible. It wouldn't just be a matter of crying for a few days, it would probably be a matter of crying for a month or two."
Although the young priestess always cries quietly, just shedding tears without making a fuss, it is still heartbreaking to see a beautiful woman weeping.
Putting myself in their shoes, I realized that Morax, who was even closer to me than I was, would definitely feel even worse.
However, the guy remained indifferent, as if he didn't care at all about the potential risks she mentioned.
Gui Zhong then recalled that Liu Yun had mentioned Morax's fondness for making the little priestess cry during their gossip session, and he immediately became indignant and spoke up for her: "Morax, are you listening? This little cat is to the little priestess what she is to you. The difference in their lifespans is too great. Even with your power, she can only live a little longer than an ordinary person at most. Don't you feel sad about her death?"
"Won't."
Those two resolute words left Gui Zhong speechless, unable to swallow or spit out the rest of his words, his face turning red with frustration.
She stammered, "Won't what? You mean the little priest won't die so young?"
It's no wonder she thought that way. After all, given Morax's favor towards Mingxun, he would never be indifferent to Mingxun's death. So there's only one other possibility: Morax decided to use a secret technique to extend Mingxun's lifespan indefinitely.
There are many ways to achieve this, and the price to pay is not heavy for a demon god. Someone as powerful as Morax probably wouldn't care about these things.
The more she thought about it, the more reliable it seemed, but Morax shook his head the next second.
No, I mean I won't be sad.
Gui Zhong's expression was exaggerated. Morax patiently explained, "Human birth, aging, sickness, and death are the most normal things in the world. I've long been prepared. Besides, you and I both know that immortality isn't a good thing. Have you forgotten about the existence of wear and tear?"
Gui Zhong lost his voice, and the immortals who were frolicking also lost their voices. Even Liu Yun, who had been persuaded to drink several cups of wine and was drunkenly chatting with people, seemed to sober up all at once.
The topic ended abruptly due to the taboo word, and both Morax and Guizhong tacitly skipped it afterward.
Realizing that there was no point in eavesdropping on the following conversation, Mingxun returned the device that controlled the mechanical bird to the guard waiting outside.
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll be relying on you all again from now on." She smiled at everyone.
This mechanical bird is also one of the inventions of the Cloud-Borrowing Wind. It is the first generation of the mechanical bird that was given to her before. Although it cannot speak or sing, it was given to the department in charge of security because it has the ability to explore and listen to the surrounding situation.
Morax and the other immortals do not like to show their faces in front of the public, so Mingxun is mainly responsible for the daily management work in the public eye.
Everyone in the tribe trusted her, including the guards.
Therefore, when Mingxun asked to borrow the mechanical bird device, they handed it over without even asking any questions, and even took the initiative to stand guard outside the door.
Now that they had received Mingxun's thanks, the guards were all energized, readily agreeing and respectfully watching her leave.
The time for the excuse had passed, so Mingxun didn't delay any longer and quickened her pace toward the banquet venue, sitting down to Morax's right as usual.
After what just happened, even though Gui Zhong really wanted to catch up with her, he could only watch her from afar with a pang of regret, though no matter how he tried to hide it, some of the regret in his eyes was still evident.
Mingxun observed all of this and became even more curious about the "wear and tear" that Morax mentioned.
Unfortunately, even after she escaped death from Morax due to the temptation of the Dream Demon God, she was unable to get any answers from the latter.
But as you live longer, you'll gradually come to understand some things.
*
Inside a guest room at the Rebirth Hall, Mingxun stroked the several ugly scars on her wrist that resembled a centipede coiling around her, lost in thought.
She once owned three cats. One of them was a gift from Morax, a very affectionate kitten, but unfortunately, it was always in poor health and passed away a few years later.
As a priestess, Mingxun also died along with the kitten, and transformed into the behind-the-scenes strategist of the Dream Demon God of Chenyu Valley.
The second one was adopted after she and Fu Jin overthrew the Dream Demon God. Unfortunately, unlike the first cat, this was a maverick little cat. Its favorite thing to do was to run around outside and scratch people if they touched it.
But Mingxun just liked its little personality, thinking that its flamboyance was just right, and let it play around outside every day, until a monster accidentally broke into their home and the kitten became its meal.
Mingxun was depressed for a long time. Fujin and Lingyuan took turns persuading her before she finally agreed to go out and see the sun. As time went by, she slowly returned to her former self, but she refused to touch her favorite little animals anymore.
However, fate was unkind, and she ultimately saved a dying little one.
Although it likes to stick to her and ask her to pet it, just like the first tabby cat, the stray cat still yearns for the outside world and always sneaks out of the house even when Mingxun tries to stop it.
The tragedy was still fresh in their minds. Even though the three of them reinforced the surrounding barrier after that incident, making it almost impossible for any monsters to break in, Mingxun still couldn't help but tie the kitten to her side.
She seemed to be possessed, until Fu Jin, out of boredom, sent Ling Yuan to find her. Only then did she discover, to the latter's astonishment, that the rope binding the kitten was so tight it was almost digging into its flesh, causing it to bleed.
This is how Mingxun got her first scar on her wrist.
She healed the kitten's wounds, and then made a deep cut on herself in the same spot, exposing the bone.
It was then that she vaguely realized what wear and tear really meant.
But this understanding did not stop her from harming herself.
That state was always mysterious and unpredictable; when she woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night, a cut would appear on her wrist again.
Later on, even during the bright sunshine, she would become deeply immersed in a hazy dream world, and under the temptation of nightmares, she would do things that would harm herself.
In these endless, agonizing nightmares, Morax's face appears most frequently.
Whether it was a look of disgust or one of indifference, each one could send shivers down her spine as she woke from her dream.
As time went on, Mingxun herself couldn't figure out what kind of feelings she had for Morax, so she gave up on continuing to run away.
She came here to expose what she had done and to get Morax, or the guy who's more appropriately called Zhongli, to give her a quick death.
But not now.
It shouldn't be now, before she has laid all the groundwork.
Mingxun's ambiguous gaze finally hardened again. She turned and picked up her wet clothes that she had just changed out of. She tore off a strip of cloth that was still relatively clean and planned to wrap it around her wrist to cover it up.
Although it's a clumsy method, it's better than just exposing ourselves to Zhongli.
Just as the sound of tearing fabric rang out, there was a knock on the door.
"Miss Xun Ming, what are you doing?"
—It is Zhongli.
(End of this chapter)
The author says: I never expected to write an entire chapter of psychological analysis about Mingxun Baobei, lol.
As always, I bet you'll never guess what I'm going to write about in the next chapter.
This is a quiz with prizes! Guess correctly and you'll win a surprise grand prize! Try to guess as exaggerated as possible, and the answer will be about the development of the couple's relationship.
感谢在2024-04-13 03:10:58~2024-04-16 20:42:48期间为我投出霸王票或灌溉营养液的小天使哦~
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: Lu Jiqi (1 landmine);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Lu Jiqi (4 bottles); Hao Mingzi (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!