69novels Chapter 64 Fireworks
Chapter 64 Fireworks
The moment the research institute door closed behind me, the sound of the wind outside disappeared.
Xiaoman sensed a faint force in the air, covering the entire building and isolating it from outside noise.
"The Primordial Qi Barrier," Fei Xiu said, walking ahead without turning his head. "It's an old thing, used for almost twenty years. How many more years can it last?"
The old man's voice echoed in the empty corridor.
The corridor was long, with closed doors on both sides, each numbered from 001 to 030, but most of the numbers were illegible.
Baozi carried Wen Ranran in the middle, with Xiaoman following at the very back.
Their footsteps were amplified in the corridor, only to be quickly swallowed by the darkness.
"Professor Fei," Xiaoman asked, "is the research institute still operating?"
"Run?" Fei Xiu stopped and turned around.
"I'm the only one running it," he said. "I clean, power on the equipment, and occasionally a sniffer comes by to take something."
That's all.
"What about the research?" Xiaoman asked.
Fei Xiu glanced at her but did not answer immediately.
He turned around and continued walking forward.
"The last time your grandfather came to the research institute was eight years ago."
Xiaoman paused for a moment.
"He made me destroy all the research data."
"all?"
"all."
"The drawings, data, samples, and experimental records were all burned."
"I burned it myself."
"It burned for a whole day in the courtyard behind the research institute."
"arrive."
At the end of the corridor was an iron gate.
Fei Xiu took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and searched for a while before finding the right one.
Behind the door is a large space.
A warehouse.
The ceiling is very high, probably five or six meters.
The walls around the room were covered with all sorts of weapons.
Cold weapons.
Knife, sword, spear, club, halberd, axe, hook, fork.
In the middle were several rows of shelves with boxes on them, labeled with words like "First Aid Supplies," "Qi Replenishment," and "Armor."
"Choose whatever you like," Fei Xiu said, standing in the doorway with his cane.
"Wow," Bai Zi reached out and touched a giant sword longer than his arm, "Is this thing real?"
"It's true," Fei Xiu said. "The tungsten steel is forged with primordial energy crystals, and its hardness is five times that of ordinary steel."
"How heavy is it?"
"Forty-three kilograms."
Baozi weighed the sword in his hand, his expression shifting from excitement to a wry smile.
"I can't lift it."
"Then don't take it." Fei Xiu's tone was utterly impolite. "Weapons choose their users, and users choose their weapons."
"What you can't lift, isn't yours."
Baozi put the giant sword back and continued to wander around the wall.
Xiaoman didn't rush to choose.
She walked to the middle shelf, opened a box, and found some small bottles neatly stacked inside.
The bottle contained a pale blue liquid that shimmered slightly under the light.
"Qi supplement." Fei Xiu walked to her side. "Drinking it can replenish Qi in a short time. It actually accelerates the body's metabolism, but it will cause some damage to the internal organs."
How severe is the damage?
"It depends on how much you drink. One bottle, and you're bedridden for three days. Two bottles, and you're bedridden for a month. Three bottles..."
Fei Xiu didn't continue.
Xiaoman understood.
She closed the box, took two small bottles, and put them in her pocket.
Then she walked to the wall and began to look at the weapons.
Her gaze moved from a knife to a sword, from a sword to a whip, and from a whip to a pair of short blades.
Finally, she stopped in front of a stick.
The stick was entirely silver-white, about 1.2 meters long, with a smooth surface and no decorations.
There is a small groove at each end of the stick, and a light blue bead is embedded in each groove.
"An alloy rod." Fei Xiu stood behind her. "Light, tough, and strong."
"Can it extend or retract?"
"able."
Fei Xiu reached out and pressed down on the middle of the stick.
The two ends of the stick retracted simultaneously, shrinking from 1.2 meters to less than 20 centimeters, like a thickened fountain pen.
"The shortest length can be 15 centimeters, and the longest can be 2 meters."
"The top can be fitted with replacement parts."
He took a small box off the wall, opened it, and inside was a row of gun barrels.
They come in different sizes and shapes, and each one is sharpened to a fine point.
"When activated by Yuan Qi, the spearhead will be covered with a layer of Yuan Qi blade, making its penetrating power three times stronger than that of an ordinary spearhead."
Xiaoman picked up the smallest gun tip and screwed it onto the top of the stick.
The sound of metal colliding is crisp.
She held it in her hand, weighed it in her hand, then took two steps back, flicked her wrist, and the stick drew a circle in front of her.
The stick seemed to come alive in her hand, leaving streaks of silvery-white afterimages in the air as she turned her wrist.
Fei Xiu looked at it and nodded.
"Water element, this is suitable."
"No need for grand gestures; use the opponent's strength against them, and overcome clumsiness with skill."
Xiaoman stopped, shrunk the stick back to the size of a pen, and put it in her pocket.
"This is it," she said.
Baozi is still wandering around.
He had already examined more than a dozen weapons, picking up each one to try it out before putting it back.
"No, this is too light."
"No, this is too heavy."
"No, this is too flashy."
"No, this is too ugly."
Fei Xiu was getting a little impatient with his nagging.
"What exactly do you want?"
"I don't know either." Baozi scratched his head. "I just want something that can withstand the strain."
"Can you handle it?"
"Yes, that's the kind of defense that I can hold off when the enemy attacks."
Fei Xiu glanced at him, then turned and walked to the back of the warehouse.
There was a separate shelf with only one item on it.
A shield.
The shield is small, roughly covering the upper body of an adult. It is shaped like a tortoise shell and has a dark gray surface without any luster.
Baozi walked over and reached out to touch it.
It feels strange.
Not cold, not hot, not slippery, not rough.
"What kind of material is this?"
"I don't know," Fei Xiu said.
"have no idea?"
"It was dug out of an ancient tomb, but we can't determine its exact material through testing."
"But one thing is certain... this shield has an extremely high affinity for primordial energy."
Baozi paused for a moment.
What does "high affinity with primordial energy" mean?
"It means," Fei Xiu stretched out his hand and pressed it on the shield, "that if you activate it with your primordial energy, it will react before you do."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, a layer of pale golden light shone on the shield.
Baozi's eyes widened.
"I'll go."
He took the shield and held it in his hand.
The shield has a handle on the inside, which feels very comfortable to hold, as if it was made specifically for his hands.
He channeled his primordial energy, and the golden light on the shield shone brighter than when Fei Xiu had activated it earlier.
"Good stuff," Baozi said.
"It's a good thing," Fichte said, "but you have to know how to use it."
"How do I use it?"
"It's more than just a shield."
Fieshe reached out and pressed on the edge of the shield.
Four blades suddenly popped out from around the shield, each about twenty centimeters long and as thin as a cicada's wing.
Baozi's hand trembled slightly.
"You can do that?"
"You can do that?"
Fei Xiu pressed it again, and the four blades retracted.
Baozi, holding the shield, took two steps in the warehouse and then turned around.
"I think," he said, "this is mine now."
Xiaoman looked at him, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
Fei Xiu took two small metal pieces out of his pocket and handed them to the two of them.
"After the weapon is shrunk, attach this, and the internal stored primordial energy will automatically maintain the weapon's state."
"Where should I put it?"
"Anything is fine. Just the surface of the weapon."
Baozi shrunk the shield to the size of his palm, attached the metal plate to it, and then put it into the inner pocket of his jacket.
Xiaoman also folded up the stick and put it into her pocket.
Fei Xiu glanced at them, then at Wen Ranran, who was still sleeping on the chair.
Fei Xiu was silent for a moment, then picked up a small box from the shelf and handed it to Xiao Man.
"What is this?"
"Primordial Qi Stabilizer. It doesn't replenish primordial qi, but rather stabilizes the flow of primordial qi."
"Maybe it will work, maybe it won't," Fichte said, "but it's better than doing nothing."
Xiaoman took the box, opened it, and took a look.
Inside were five pale green pills, each sealed with wax.
"Thank you, Professor Fei."
"Don't thank me," Fei Xiu said, leaning on his cane as he walked towards the door. "Thank your grandfather. These things were all left by him."
"He burned all the research materials back then, but he kept these physical objects."
He said, "Maybe one day, someone will need them."
Xiaoman held the small box without saying a word.
Fei Xiu walked to the door, stopped, and turned his back to them.
"We've received a message from the sniffing team," he said.
Baozi's expression immediately turned serious.
"Kang Jinlong?"
"Yes," Fei Xiu said. "Currently, he is under military surveillance at a military base in Cangyue Prefecture, but his exact location is unknown."
"But according to the information provided by the sniffing, Kang Jinlong occasionally creates a clone that operates in the human world."
Sometimes it takes human form, sometimes it takes animal form.
"Those in beast form, be careful, don't let that child get close."
Fei Xiu glanced at Wen Ranran.
"Kang Jinlong is very sensitive to human emotions, especially negative ones."
"Something about that child will attract it."
Baozi frowned.
"What if it's in human form?"
"Show the token to the humanoid one," Fei Xiu said. "Didn't that person give you the Water Cloud Pattern Token? Kang Jinlong won't make things difficult for you if he sees it."
"Of course," the old man added, "that is, on the condition that what you find is the clone, not the original."
"What happened to the main body?"
"The real body," Fei Xiu's tone remained unchanged, "the five of you combined wouldn't be enough for it to swallow whole."
Baozi swallowed.
"Then where do we find a clone?"
Fei Xiu took a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Xiao Man.
The note had a place name written on it.
Yosaki Ri.
Xiaoman looked at those three words and her eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Where is this place?"
"A village," Fieshu said. "It's north of Nara Castle, about a two-hour drive away."
"The intelligence we've gathered suggests that Kang Jinlong's clone may have recently appeared there."
"Maybe?" Baozi repeated.
"Possibly," Fei Xiu said. "The sniffing organization has very few resources available right now; it's already quite an achievement to have found out this much."
Baozi opened its mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again.
Xiaoman carefully put the note away.
"Let's go now."
"No rush," Fei Xiu said. "There's a fireworks festival in Xiaoxiaoli tonight, and there will be a lot of people. If Kang Jinlong shows up, he'll most likely be there then."
Why?
"Because it likes lively atmospheres."
"The more people there are, the more complex and chaotic the emotions are, and the more it resembles a feast for them."
"A feast?" Baozi was taken aback. "Isn't it a guardian beast? Why does it eat emotions?"
"Even mythical beasts are still beasts," Fei Xiu said. "They need to eat when they're hungry."
"It's just that it eats different things than ordinary wild animals."
Baozi didn't ask any more questions.
Xiaoman picked up Wen Ranran, who was already awake. She rubbed her eyes and looked around groggily.
"Sister Xiaoman, where is this?"
"A warehouse."
"oh."
Wen Ranran didn't ask any more questions.
Yosaki Ri.
"It's a two-hour drive," Baozi said.
"Um."
"We'll arrive just in time for the fireworks display."
"Um."
"Are you hungry? Would you like to eat something on the way?"
I'm not hungry.
Baozi remained silent for a while.
"Xiaoman" (Grain Buds).
"Um."
"What do you think Kang Jinlong looks like?"
"have no idea."
"Do you think it will be difficult to handle?"
"have no idea."
"you say……"
"Baozi." Xiaoman turned to look at him. "Are you nervous?"
"A little," he said.
Why?
"Something that has lived for countless millions of years."
"Let's go find it, just in case it's unhappy..."
"We have the token with us," Xiaoman said. "The uncle said that if Kang Jinlong sees the token, he won't make things difficult for us."
"What if it doesn't look?"
"Then let's run."
Baozi glanced at her.
Xiaoman's expression was calm, so calm that it didn't seem like she was joking.
"Can they escape?"
"We'll see if we can escape."
Baozi paused for a moment, then smiled.
"You have a really good attitude."
"It's not that I have a good mindset," Xiaoman said, "it's just that I can't help it."
"Since we're going anyway, why think so much?"
Baozi thought about it and realized it made sense.
He shifted into gear, stepped on the gas, and the car drove out of the research institute's yard.
The air after the snow was clean, carrying the smell of earth and withered grass.
After driving for about an hour and a half, the scenery on both sides of the road began to change.
Baozi opened the car window, and a cold breeze blew in, carrying a faint floral fragrance.
"What does it smell like?" He sniffed.
Xiaoman also smelled it.
"Cherry blossoms," Wen Ranran suddenly spoke from the back seat.
Xiaoman turned her head to look at her.
Wen Ranran leaned against the car window, looking outside.
"Ranran, how did you know it was cherry blossoms?"
"I smelled it," Wen Ranran said. "Before, in... in..." She frowned, as if trying to recall something, but ultimately couldn't remember.
Xiaoman did not ask any further questions.
She reached out and gently touched Wen Ranran's hair.
The car rounded a bend, and suddenly the view opened up before us.
A village appeared in the valley.
The village is small, built against the mountain, with old wooden houses, black tiles and white walls, scattered on the hillside in a staggered manner.
There is a small river in the middle of the village, with a stone bridge over it and several large cherry blossom trees planted at the bridgehead.
The cherry blossoms are in bloom.
The pink and white petals, under the hazy sky, looked like someone had scattered a handful of broken jade.
"Yozaki-ri." Baozi looked at the sign by the roadside and read out those three words.
He parked the car in an open space at the entrance of the village and turned off the engine.
The three people got off the bus.
Feifei jumped down from Wen Ranran's arms, landed on the ground, shook its fur, and then squatted down at Wen Ranran's feet, looking around curiously.
The air inside the village is different from the air outside.
The air here is filled with the fragrance of flowers and moisture.
Xiaoman sensed it.
Qi.
It wasn't released by people, but rather emanated from the land itself.
"The concentration of primordial energy here is higher than outside," Xiaoman said.
Baozi sniffed, but couldn't smell anything.
"Why can't I feel it?"
"Because you are not of the water element," Xiaoman said. "The water element is most sensitive to the perception of primordial energy."
Baozi nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
They walked along the stone-paved road toward the village.
The houses on both sides of the road are quite old, but each one is kept very clean, with bamboo curtains hanging at the door and washi paper pasted on the windows. Occasionally, you can hear voices and laughter coming from inside.
It has a strong sense of everyday life.
Wen Ranran looked at the children, her eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.
She didn't follow.
Xiaoman noticed, but didn't say anything.
Some things cannot be comforted with words.
The further you go, the more people there are.
Tourists.
Tourists dressed in modern clothes walked past them, taking photos with their phones, holding cotton candy or kebabs, and chatting and laughing.
In the center of the village is a square, where a large stage has been set up. Behind the stage hangs a row of red lanterns with the words "Yozaki Fireworks Festival" written on them.
There were many stalls in front of the stage, selling food, drinks, and trinkets.
The air was filled with the aromas of various foods.
Grilled squid, takoyaki, fried noodles, candied apples.
Baozi's nose twitched.
"It smells so good."
"You are of the Earth element, not the Dog element," Xiaoman said.
"Earth element can also have a good sense of smell," Baozi said confidently, then followed the scent.
Xiaoman followed behind, carrying Wen Ranran, feeling both amused and exasperated.
The steamed buns stopped in front of a stall.
It's a fireworks stall.
Sparkling wands, a small fountain, and spinning tops were displayed on the table in a colorful array.
There were two people standing behind the stall.
One of them was a middle-aged man wearing an apron and glasses, explaining how to play with fireworks to a child. He spoke softly and gently, and seemed to be a good-tempered person.
another……
She is a little girl.
She looked to be about seventeen years old, with her hair in pigtails, wearing a light purple kimono and wooden clogs.
She stood behind the middle-aged man, holding an unlit sparkler in her hand, her head down, lost in thought.
When Baozi saw the little girl, his expression changed.
It went from "smells good" to "terrible".
Xiaoman noticed it.
"What's wrong?"
"Um..." Baozi's voice was much softer, "That's Kikyo Yuuka."
"Do you know him?"
"I know him." Baozi scratched his head. "I stayed here for a while during the last chef competition."
"I stayed at her family's guesthouse."
"and then?"
"And then..." Baozi's voice trailed off, "I promised her we'd watch the fireworks together."
Xiaoman looked at him.
"And then you ran away?"
"I didn't run away!" Baozi hurriedly explained, "There was a problem with the competition, and I have to rush back."
"So you still ran away."
Baozi opened her mouth, but found she couldn't refute it.
The middle-aged man behind the stall noticed them.
He looked up, adjusted his glasses, glanced at the steamed bun for two or three seconds, and then smiled.
"steamed stuffed bun?"
"Uncle Kikyo," Baozi greeted him, forcing a smile.
"Oh, it really is you!" Kikyo, the stall owner, came out from behind her stall and patted Baozi on the shoulder warmly. "Long time no see! What brings you here?"
"I... was just passing by," Baozi said.
"Just passing by?" The owner, Kikyo, glanced at Xiaoman and Wen Ranran behind Baozi, then at Baozi himself. "Passing by with your wife and kids?"
Baozi almost choked on his own saliva.
"No, no! They are my friends!"
The owner of the Kikyo shop smiled and didn't ask any further questions.
"Xiao Xia!" He turned around and called out towards the back of the stall, "Look who's here!"
The little girl in the light purple kimono hid behind the owner, Kikyo, only showing half her head, her eyes fixed on the steamed buns.
Baozi felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze.
"Xiaoxia...long time no see."
Xiao Xia didn't say anything.
The owner of the Kikyo shop glanced back at his daughter, then at Baozi, and seemed to understand something.
"Well," he chuckled, trying to ease the tension, "Baozi, why don't you go explore the village first? Let Xiaoxia show you the way."
"She's alright."
"Dad!" Xiaoxia finally spoke, her voice not loud, but full of resentment.
"Lead the way," Kikyo, the shopkeeper, patted her daughter's head. "Guests are always welcome."
Xiaoxia glared at Baozi, then walked out from behind the stall.
She walked up to Baozi and looked up at him.
Baozi is 1.75 meters tall, while Xiaoxia is only about 1.4 meters tall.
She looked up and the first thing she saw was Baozi's belly.
She wrinkled her nose, then looked up and finally saw Baozi's face.
"How did you suddenly get so big?"
Baozi didn't quite hear clearly.
It was too noisy around. Some people were playing music, some were shouting, and children were running around, screaming all around.
"Huh?" He bent down and brought his ear closer.
Xiaoxia watched him bend down, and her lips moved as if she wanted to say it again.
But she didn't.
She snorted, turned around, and walked away.
Baozi stood there, completely bewildered.
"What's wrong with her?"
Xiaoman looked at him and sighed.
"Didn't you hear what she said?"
"No, it's too noisy."
"She said," Xiaoman's voice was very soft, "How come you suddenly grew so much bigger?"
Baozi paused for a moment.
Then he looked down at his stomach.
"Get bigger? I've always been this size."
Xiaoman sighed again.
"steamed stuffed bun."
"Um?"
She wasn't talking about your stomach.
"What is she saying?"
Xiaoman looked at him for about three seconds, then shook her head.
"It's nothing."
She carried Wen Ranran and followed behind Xiao Xia.
Baozi stood there, scratching his head, thinking for a long time, but still couldn't figure it out.
Feifei squatted at his feet, looking up at him with an indescribable look in her eyes.
"What are you looking at?" Baozi said to Feifei.
Feifei rolled her eyes, jumped up, climbed up Baozi's trouser leg, squatted on his shoulder, and then flicked the back of his head with her tail.
"Why!"
Baozi covered the back of her head and looked at Feifei.
Feifei's expression was very serious.
Baozi opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but found herself speechless.
He sighed, started walking, and chased after him.
Evening comes quickly in Yosaki.
Xiaoxia walked at the front, her pace neither too fast nor too slow, always keeping a distance of three or four steps from Xiaoman.
She wasn't the kind of enthusiastic tour guide who would proactively introduce what this or that was.
She just kept walking, occasionally stopping to wait for Xiaoman to catch up before continuing.
Xiaoman followed behind her, holding Wen Ranran in her arms, watching her back.
"Xiaoxia," Xiaoman said.
Xiao Xia stopped, turned around, and looked at her.
"Um?"
"What good food do you have here?"
Xiaoxia thought about it.
"There's a taiyaki shop on the street corner ahead. Their red bean paste filling is delicious."
"Then take us to try it."
Xiao Xia nodded, turned around, and continued walking.
But her steps were lighter than before.
The taiyaki stall is located at the corner of an intersection and is run by an elderly woman.
Xiaoman bought three: one for Wen Ranran, one for Baozi, and one for herself.
Wen Ranran took it, took a small bite, and her eyes lit up.
"tasty."
Feifei peeked out from Wen Ranran's shoulder, sniffed, and then stretched out her little paws, trying to grab her.
Wen Ranran broke off a small piece and held it to Fei Fei's lips.
Feifei ate it, and her whole face scrunched up.
It's too hot.
Baozi stood to the side, holding a taiyaki (fish-shaped cake), and took a big bite.
"Delicious!" he said.
After finishing their taiyaki, they continued walking.
Xiaoxia led them through a narrow alley to a riverbank.
The river is not wide, only about ten meters wide, and the water is very clear, so you can see the pebbles at the bottom.
Several river lanterns floated on the river, their candlelight flickering on the water.
"That's the best spot to watch the fireworks," Xiaoxia pointed to an open space on the opposite bank of the river. "Not many people, and the view is great."
Xiaoman looked at the open space and nodded.
"Then let's go over there and take a look later."
Xiao Xia nodded.
She turned around, ready to continue walking.
But the steamed buns remained untouched.
He stood by the river, looking at the river lanterns floating on the surface, his expression somewhat dazed.
Xiaoxia stopped and looked at him.
"What's wrong?" Her tone was still cold, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes.
"It's nothing," Baozi said, her voice a little muffled. "I just remembered some things."
Xiao Xia looked at him and remained silent for a while.
Then she walked over to him and looked at the river lanterns as well.
The two people stood on the riverbank, about a meter apart.
He had already squatted down, taken out a few coins from his pocket, placed them in his palm, and looked at the river lanterns.
Xiao Xia stood beside him, head down, watching his movements.
The light from the river lanterns shone on their faces, creating a play of light and shadow.
In the distance, someone is shouting.
"The fireworks are about to start."
The crowd began to surge towards the riverbank.
Baozi stood up, turned around, and looked at Xiaoxia.
"Let's go," he said.
Xiao Xia looked at him and remained silent for a while.
Then she nodded.
"Um."
There were already people on the open space on the other side of the river.
There were groups of two or three people, including couples, families, and friends.
They found a fairly spacious spot and laid out a blanket.
Wen Ranran sat on the blanket, and Fei Fei lay on her lap.
Xiaoman sat next to Wen Ranran.
Baozi sat on the far side, and Xiaoxia sat on the other side.
The four people sat around the blanket, with some distance between them, neither too close nor too far.
It was completely dark.
The stars are out.
Then the first firework went off.
"Bang!"
Golden, it exploded in the sky, its petals scattering in all directions before slowly falling.
"Wow--"
A gasp of surprise rippled through the crowd.
Wen Ranran tilted her head back, her eyes sparkling.
Her lips were slightly parted, and her face finally showed the expression a seven-year-old child should have.
A pure, unadulterated surprise.
Xiaoman looked at her, her eyes a little wet.
The second firework went off.
When it exploded, the entire sky was dyed red.
Then came the third, the fourth, and the fifth flower.
One after another, they are different in color, shape, and size.
"What's wrong?"
Baozi noticed Xiaoxia's gaze.
Xiaoxia quickly looked away and gazed at the sky.
"It's nothing."
"oh."
Baozi looked up again and continued watching the fireworks.
Xiaoxia glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and bit her lip.
The fireworks display lasted for about twenty minutes before gradually thinning out.
The crowd began to disperse, disappearing into the alley in twos and threes.
Wen Ranran was sleepy and leaned against Xiaoman's chest, her eyes half-open and half-closed. Feifei was already asleep on her lap.
Xiaoman gently patted her back, not in a hurry to leave.
Baozi sat on the blanket with her legs stretched out, her hands behind her back, looking up at the last few fireworks.
Xiaoxia sat next to him, hugging her knees with both hands and resting her chin on them.
It was quiet for a while.
"Xiaoxia," Baozi suddenly spoke.
Xiaoxia's body tensed slightly.
"Um."
"Why do you seem like you haven't grown up?"
Xiaoxia glared at him for a long time.
Are you saying I'm childish?
"Uh, no, no, no, although there is a little bit... the main thing is that your body seems the same as before."
Baozi looked at Xiaoxia's increasingly red face and seemed to realize that she had said the wrong thing.
But words spoken cannot be taken back.
Because Xiaoxia had already stood up and left, she kicked Baozi in the back before leaving.