Grotesqueries of the Old Domain

Chapter 46: Found

At noon after school, Zhang Wenda walked alone through the empty corridor, deliberately avoiding people when he occasionally encountered them.

Earlier, when he was pondering whether the Yellow Core's advancement fulfilled his desires or made up for his regrets, an idea suddenly struck him.

He didn't need to waste time on these vague thoughts because there was one place where he could easily find all the answers—the library!

Strictly speaking, it was the library that gave him the Yellow Core in the first place; with this additional safeguard, going there again now was much safer than before.

Even though he knew the library had its dangers, compared to the ever-present threat of the Rule Monster following him, he still had to revisit the library.

Determined to find the library again, Zhang Wenda walked and paused, looking carefully for its entrance.

Thanks to his first experience, Zhang Wenda found it much faster this time, spotting that bizarre door again on the opposite wall within roughly ten minutes.

Joy filled his heart, and he quickly approached it. However, as he came closer, he discovered the door had changed.

The door had become dreamlike, shimmering like a mirage. Zhang Wenda slowly reached out his hand, but it went straight through, touching the solid wall behind it.

He stared blankly at the scene, puzzled. "I can't go in anymore? Why?"

He couldn't help recalling Teacher Ouyang's words: "Adults can't see the library."

"I've only been an adult for ten minutes, and this counts?!" Zhang Wenda was stunned as he watched the illusory door waver.

That afternoon at 1:00, Song Jianguo, who had been lying like a corpse in the treehouse, saw Zhang Wenda climbing in with a gloomy face.

"What's wrong with you?" Song Jianguo asked weakly.

"Don’t even ask." Zhang Wenda pulled a box of fried rice from his schoolbag and handed it to Song Jianguo. He'd specially dropped by to make sure she didn't die alone.

"I have no appetite," Song Jianguo clutched her stomach, curling her body like a shrimp.

"Eat or don’t, it's up to you." Zhang Wenda placed the disposable foam box beside her, then continued rummaging through his bag.

Seeing this, Aunt Flo, who was cleaning the treehouse nearby, approached curiously and gently nudged Song Jianguo with her elbow. "Mimi? What's your relationship with this kid?"

"Enemies!" Song Jianguo buried her head firmly against the floor, answering weakly.

"Mimi?" Hearing this, Zhang Wenda chuckled twice.

Just as he finished laughing, he felt a hostile gaze directed at him.

"Kid, listen carefully. Only I can call her Mimi, got it? You're not even her relative," Aunt Flo warned aggressively, hands on her hips.

Without responding, Zhang Wenda took out a thermos of prepared brown sugar water from his bag and handed it to Aunt Flo.

"What’s this for?"

"For pain relief, drink it. Give it a try; it might work. Life is about experimentation." Zhang Wenda nudged it toward Aunt Flo again.

Aunt Flo accepted it, carefully twisted off the lid, and took a cautious sip. "It’s a little bland."

"Really?" Zhang Wenda pulled out two ibuprofen capsules and dropped them into the brown sugar water. "Try again."

After tasting it once more, Aunt Flo nodded with satisfaction. "Much better now."

She then took out an exquisite little tea cup from her own bag, elegantly sipping the ibuprofen-infused brown sugar water like enjoying afternoon tea.

Seeing her holding the cup delicately, pinky raised, Zhang Wenda sat on the ground and teased, "Why do you even carry tea utensils? I'm impressed."

"What’s wrong with me living elegantly?" Aunt Flo’s attitude toward Zhang Wenda clearly improved, likely due to his gift.

"By the way, how did you meet Mimi?" Aunt Flo asked, curiosity evident in her eyes.

Zhang Wenda lifted Song Jianguo’s short hair, exposing the collar on her neck. "Through slavery."

Then, Zhang Wenda casually chatted with Song Jianguo's Aunt Flo. Honestly, Aunt Flo’s temper was clearly better than Song Jianguo’s. At least without coercion by force, she was reasonable enough to talk to.

Upon hearing chewing noises, Zhang Wenda glanced over and found Song Jianguo, who had been lifeless moments ago, already sitting up and eating the fried rice—it seemed the brown sugar water had helped.

Noticing the rice looked too dry, Aunt Flo thoughtfully handed over the remaining half of the brown sugar water. She turned to Zhang Wenda, "Don’t worry, I’m watching over her. Mimi will be fine."

"Alright then, I'm off. I still have classes this afternoon." Zhang Wenda stood up, preparing to leave.

"Wait." Song Jianguo’s voice stopped Zhang Wenda. "Why did you look so upset earlier?"

"It’s the same old issue—looking for ways to increase my strength. I wanted to go to the library, but it didn’t let me in this time. What a hassle."

Song Jianguo chewed her rice, tilting her head thoughtfully. "I can't help you with that."

"I didn't expect you to. Just rest well and don't miss work tomorrow," Zhang Wenda said as he walked out, ready to climb down the pole.

Just as he was about to reach the ground, Aunt Flo’s voice suddenly echoed from inside the treehouse. "Ask me! I know a place to boost your strength."

"What?! You know?!"

Surprised, Zhang Wenda poked his head back through the hole, just in time to see Song Jianguo angrily jabbing Aunt Flo’s arm with her chopsticks.

"She doesn’t know. Don't listen; she's talking nonsense."

Zhang Wenda, who initially asked casually, immediately changed his mind. He climbed back in and sat down again, looking at them seriously. "What's going on here?"

"I don’t know; I'm just bluffing," Aunt Flo blinked innocently at Zhang Wenda.

Zhang Wenda’s gaze shifted to Song Jianguo. "Seriously? I brought you food and brown sugar water. I haven’t treated you poorly, right? You know I’m struggling to find a way to get stronger, and you're hiding it from me?"

Realizing she couldn't dodge this any longer, Song Jianguo angrily put down her food.

"There’s no free lunch in this world! Everything has a cost! If such a good place existed, would it even be your turn? That place is dangerous! Way more dangerous than the library!"

She angrily pulled off her sleeve protector and revealed her arm covered with black tattoos. "Do you want to end up like this?"

Zhang Wenda cautiously scratched at her skin, confirming it wasn't just grime from not washing up. He then asked, "What exactly is this?"

"It's a computer virus. I've got a computer virus! Want one too?"