Chapter 23 (2/2)
Elsa stuck her tongue out and walked up to Zhou Bai, saying to him out loud, “I’m hungry.”
Christina, who was riding on Elsa, slapped her head with her paw and said, “Who let you speak! I told you you’re not allowed to speak when we’re outside.”
Elsa put her head down with a hurt expression. Perhaps because of the success of Professor Zhuang’s experiment, Elsa, who had fully turned into an animal, could say simple phrases such as “Zhou Bai” and “I’m hungry.”
To avoid any trouble, Zhou Bai told her not to speak when they were outside.
Hearing Elsa’s words, Zhou Bai patted her head, and Elsa rubbed forcefully against Zhou Bai’s hand. She heard Zhou Bai say, “Alright Elsa, we’re almost there. We’ll have food very soon.”
He brought the two to a row of little uniformly constructed buildings that stood on the street like metal cans. They were all tiny homes constructed by Paradise and distributed to normal people as residences.
Knock, knock, knock!
Zhou Bai heard footsteps before a white-haired elder opened the door. He went blank for a second when he saw Zhou Bai before asking, “And you are?”
“Zhang Aidao told me to come. I’m here to take the entrance exam for Donghua Tao Academy. I don’t have a place to stay, and he told me I could stay here for a few days.”
“He still remembers his old father?” The old man grunted before walking back into the room and saying, “Come inside. Close the door.”
Zhou Bai walked into the room and found it to be rather messy. Things were scattered all over the table and floor, and many areas were covered in dust and stains, making the place appear old and worn.
Although the elder looked serious and spoke with a cold tone, not long after Zhou Bai sat down he brought him a bowl of porridge and pickled vegetables. He even tossed two pieces of bread at Elsa and Christina.
Elsa picked up a piece of bread and wolfed it down. Christina, as some sort of special entity, didn’t need to eat or drink, so she patted Elsa’s head and said quietly, “If you obey me in the future, this piece is yours. Do you understand?”
Elsa cocked her head, looking at Christina with confusion.
Ever since Zhou Bai had entered the room, the elder had been examining Zhou Bai’s face. His expression changed continuously—Sometimes he smiled, and other times he frowned.
After downing a few spoonfuls of porridge, Zhou Bai couldn’t stand it anymore. “Old man, is something the matter?”
“Are you…” the old man said after examining Zhou Bai, “Zhang Aidao’s son?”
“Bah!” Zhou Bai spit out his mouthful of porridge, continuously shaking his head.
The old man smiled at Zhou Bai. “You look so much like myself when I was younger…” Seeing that Zhou Bai was still denying it, he nodded with understanding. “Alright, alright, I know he doesn’t admit that I’m his father.”
The old man looked at Zhou Bai with curiosity and goodwill. Suddenly, he sighed and muttered, “I know he hates me. He hates me for making him join the military after he failed the entrance exam. His mother even divorced me over this.”
“But I was a soldier my entire life. I know how fragile our current lifestyle is. If everyone only thinks about themselves, if everyone’s afraid of danger, and no one steps up, then there will really be nothing left.”
Zhou Bai responded, “Why are you suddenly telling stories?”
“Aidao…” the old man said while looking at Zhou Bai with some worry, “Do you hate dad?”
“Huh?” Zhou Bai was confused.
Christina said to Zhou Bai, “He probably has senile dementia. He’s used primordial spirit power to battle in the past, but his practice level didn’t rise, so there’s a higher chance of him getting dementia as he gets older.”
“After all, the Heavenly Tao and Spark are distorted. If humans fight using them for an extended period of time, but their practice level doesn’t rise when they’re older yet their will and physical condition have worsened, naturally they’re more prone to disease.”