Eaten Ch.116

Chapter 116: …their roots were simply twisted

After Wu Heng came out of the bathroom, Ruan Silian was still in the room.

“Want some water?” she asked.

“No need.” Wu Heng wiped his hair and sat down by the window, his roots extending hundreds of miles.

Ruan Silian still placed a glass of water in front of him. “There are so many ability users now, appearing one after another. As long as there’s still a breath of life, Mengzhi can definitely be saved.”

Wu Heng nodded.

After a while, he lifted his eyelids, his gaze deep. “Go over the process of how they started fighting again, in detail.”

“Actually, they almost fought before. You weren’t there that time either—you went with the class monitor,” Ruan Silian pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, holding her cup of water, her tone tinged with sorrow. “But except for you, Xiao Zhi listens to no one. She might even take action, and her hostility toward Mengzhi is especially strong.”

“Hostility?”

“Don’t you feel it? She dislikes Mengzhi—not just saying it, and it’s not the whims of a little girl,” Ruan Silian looked at Wu Heng with some puzzlement. “You’re so smart, you shouldn’t be oblivious.”

Seeing Wu Heng remain silent, Ruan Silian continued.

When talking about how the dispute started, Wu Heng’s eyelids lowered. He understood Xiao Zhi’s unease very well.

She didn’t say much about the later fight—it was almost entirely Xiao Zhi b*llying, because Lin Mengzhi barely fought back.

“I can understand Xiao Zhi. I don’t know your family situation in detail, but I’ve heard a bit. What she worries about most is that you might hate her because of past events, that you might reject her. Sometimes, I can even tell when Xiao Zhi is pretending to be foolish,” Ruan Silian said, unable to help but smile. “She seems to think that as long as she acts clueless, you won’t hold her accountable, and will still treat her well like before.”

“She cares too much about you, A’Heng. You should have a proper talk with her,” Ruan Silian leaned forward, gently advising.

“Actually, you understand this better than anyone. So yes, you do harbor some resentment toward Xiao Zhi, but it doesn’t mean you don’t love her—otherwise, you wouldn’t have kept her with you all this time,” Ruan Silian tugged at her hair. “If today it were you and Xiao Zhi having a conflict, you’d probably make the same choice as Mengzhi did, though it’s harder for you to get hurt. But Xiao Zhi doesn’t understand that, or rather, she doesn’t believe it.”

A long silence followed. Occasionally, people passed by the street outside in pairs, evoking memories of the beautiful world before the apocalypse.

Wu Heng’s face was pale as a ghost. He tugged slightly at the corner of his mouth. “Because she’s seen me beaten into the ground like a dog for her sake, lying there motionless.”

“Exactly. That’s why she doesn’t believe it. She’s jealous of Mengzhi,” Ruan Silian said, giving Wu Heng a wink. “So don’t assume that everyone else besides you is a harmonious, loving family. That’s impossible. Once survival needs are met, other needs rise to the surface.”

After a while, Wu Heng spoke with a slightly cold tone: “Victory and defeat are common in war.”

“But it hurts your heart. Why must you let yourself be in pain?” Ruan Silian looked at Wu Heng gently, yet with firmness. “And if your goal is to stand in a position that others look up to, then balancing emotions and factions is your responsibility and duty. Ignoring it is a disguised encouragement of infighting—it can easily destroy your team.”

“Xiao Zhi will come back. She’s very worried about Mengzhi.”

“Get some rest early.”

Ruan Silian quietly left Wu Heng and Lin Mengzhi’s room.

She returned to her own room. Within the walls, Xiao Zhi’s figure appeared, tears streaming down her face. “Sister Ruan, brother will hate me forever.”

“I didn’t mean to. I was too angry at the time.” She was at a loss. In truth, when she saw Mengzhi coughing up blood, her mind had already stopped thinking—her world had collapsed. She realized that if she had truly wanted to, she really could have killed Mengzhi.

Ruan Silian pulled Wu Zhi in front of her, staring steadily at her. “Xiao Zhi, you did it on purpose back then. I saw it—you wanted to kill Mengzhi.”

“But Mengzhi has always treated me well. I can’t have wanted to kill him,” Wu Zhi thought, feeling utterly finished. If she had killed Mengzhi, she would surely lose her brother too.

She could never return to their side. No one would accept her again. As long as her brother didn’t accept her, everyone else would reject her. She was filled with fear for what was about to happen.

“Face your emotions, Xiao Zhi. You and A’Heng,” Ruan Silian frowned, “you both repress yourselves too much.”

Ruan Silian felt a headache for the siblings, though she knew it wasn’t entirely their fault—their roots were simply twisted.

“Go apologize to Mengzhi. He will forgive you.” Ruan Silian wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve.

“And my brother? Will he forgive me too?”

Seeing Ruan Silian lower her eyes into silence, the unspoken answer was clear. Wu Zhi shivered. “Mengzhi will, but brother won’t, right?”

Ruan Silian could only continue to encourage and guide her. “Tell A’Heng ‘I love you, and that I’m jealous that Mengzhi can get your love without pretending.’”

Wu Zhi’s tears flowed without stop. “No… he won’t forgive me. Mengzhi won’t either.”

Ruan Silian was about to say more, but her expression suddenly changed.

Within the wall, a streak of green appeared. Vines poked their heads out—Wu Heng was looking for Wu Zhi.

Of course, Wu Zhi saw it too. Without thinking, and before Ruan Silian could call out to her, she jumped straight out of the window, disappearing before the poppy could reach her.

She stumbled upon landing, panic-stricken, glancing back. Half the room was already overgrown with vines and leaves, clawing and writhing as if to trap her and drag her back for judgment. The vines seemed to be covered with her brother’s eyes—angry, disappointed, disgusted, hateful.

The girl’s face was full of terror. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she fled, her figure racing away.

Wu Heng watched the fleeing figure from behind the window, seeing everything clearly, yet he didn’t move to catch her.

Just like X—both very disobedient.

He leaned against the head of the bed until midnight before finally calming himself, then entered the space to check on Lin Mengzhi.

The moment he stepped in, his expression faltered—several chickens were huddled around Lin Mengzhi, sleeping in a tight pile, and there were also sheep. Dr. Chen was sitting by Lin Mengzhi’s head, happily stirring something in a basin.

Seeing Wu Heng, Dr. Chen’s face lit up with excitement. He swiftly lifted a half-bloody heart from the basin. “A medical miracle, huh.”

Wu Heng’s complexion improved slightly. He walked over and silently crouched down. “Can it be sewn?”

“Not necessarily. It depends if the tissue is intact. I’ll give it a try, though the progress will be slow,” Dr. Chen said, his voice loud but focused. “There aren’t any large pieces left—mostly fragments. If the patient had just passed away, it would be impossible. But since you can keep him alive for now, there’s a chance if we have enough time.”

The possibility of saving someone who didn’t have to die relaxed Dr. Chen considerably. He kept stirring and searching while talking: “The patient’s energy core is still intact, and no energy has leaked. The probability of successful rescue isn’t low. Family, don’t worry.”

“Oh, by the way, was the culprit caught?” Dr. Chen asked, curious.

“She ran.”

“We still need to catch her. We can’t let her get away,” Dr. Chen said anxiously.

“That’s not your concern.” Wu Heng left Chen Meng’s side, shooed the chickens and sheep away from Lin Mengzhi, crouched down, and carefully examined Lin Mengzhi’s eyes, peeling back the eyelids.

“A mirror.”

?

Dr. Chen lifted a blood vessel, thin as a hair. “You want a mirror for what?”

“…Not me,” Wu Heng lowered his head and asked Lin Mengzhi, “You want a mirror?”

“My hair,” Lin Mengzhi whispered faintly.

“Only half of it was dyed,” Wu Heng directly informed him.

Lin Mengzhi felt his breath nearly choke in his throat. “Damn it… how is that even possible?”

His vision was filled with a blinding white light, like a giant bulb shining straight into his eyes. Chickens and sheep were making noise around him, and Dr. Chen was lifting an intestine up and down nearby.

“What the hell is this place?”

“My space,” Wu Heng said, sitting on the ground, his head drooping with fatigue. “Mengzhi, does it still hurt?”

Lin Mengzhi shook his head. “Not my body… just my heart hurts a little.”

“Of course your heart hurts,” Dr. Chen replied, annoyed. “You’ve lost a third of your heart. I’m still looking for it. Once I find it all and patch it up, your heart won’t hurt as much.”

“Not that kind of pain. I mean… that little white-eyed wolf Wu Zhi,” Lin Mengzhi couldn’t move, so he just glared. “Beat her up for me good. Let her understand filial duty under the stick.”

“She really breaks my heart. If I get better, I’ll never play with her again.”

“A’Heng, buy me a few skewers of candied haw today. I didn’t eat enough.”

Dr. Chen said, “The patient shouldn’t eat right now. You don’t have a digestive system.”

“So I just stay hungry?” Lin Mengzhi found this unreasonable.

Wu Heng asked, “Are you hungry?”

“…Not hungry.” Lin Mengzhi said, then shut his mouth.

Wu Heng twisted a root on the ground, thinking for a long while. “Tomorrow morning, we’ll continue our journey—crossing the Yunling.”

Panting slightly, Lin Mengzhi looked at Wu Heng with a worried expression. “That brat Wu Zhi ran off. Now it’s just the three of you. Ruan Silian has no abilities… why don’t we wait until Dr. Chen finishes treating me, then set out together?”

Dr. Chen interrupted again. “No doctor can guarantee a hundred percent cure. Given your condition, any other doctor would probably fail completely. If you wait to be fully healed before traveling, might as well stay here and retire.”

“…”

“No need. Start early, travel early, find a place to settle down sooner.”

Wu Heng had already made up his mind. He pulled a goose-down quilt over Lin Mengzhi, making him look less conspicuous—otherwise, the boy looked like a giant lollipop.

Lin Mengzhi met Wu Heng’s gaze with wet eyes, unable to speak, afraid this might be the last time they saw each other.

“Mengzhi, to me, you and Wu Zhi are the same.”

Thinking of Ruan Silian’s words, Wu Heng instinctively said to Lin Mengzhi, “If there’s ever any conflict, tell me. I’ll handle it.”

Lin Mengzhi was momentarily stunned, then said, “Okay.”

Three hours later, before dawn, with the temperature still low, Wu Heng and Shen Ping’an loaded a few barrels of water into the vehicle, along with some dry rations and cooling herbs. Everything else was stored in the space—both to travel light and to avoid attracting attention, as too much visible supplies would draw eyes.

“I’m Meisida,” Meisida introduced himself proactively.

“Get in,” Ruan Silian said, opening the door—the only one acknowledging him.

After closing the car door, Ruan Silian found Wu Heng organizing supplies in the trunk. “How’s Mengzhi?”

“Alive. Once he’s better, he’ll probably cause trouble—he’s not happy with his hair.”

Ruan Silian snickered and breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll dye it for him once he recovers.”

She only smiled for a few seconds before tilting her head to the sky. The night was silent and still. Retracting her gaze, she said, “X and Wu Zhi haven’t returned all night. Should we wait?”

“No.” Wu Heng pretended not to notice a dark figure lurking in the distance and said calmly, “Get in. Let’s go.”

They left two days earlier than planned. The incident with Lin Mengzhi and Wu Zhi had wiped the smiles off everyone’s faces. Meisida, though not close to them, shared the somber mood—he had just been hurt by the one he loved, twice in a row.

As the car drove out through the main gate, the guards were the same as two days ago. It was probably their shift again. They recognized the vehicle and came over to greet them.

“Safe travels!”

“Where to first?” Shen Ping’an pressed the accelerator, and the car picked up speed.

Wu Heng yawned and began catching up on sleep.

Seeing this, Meisida spoke up on his own: “Summoning Slope. Head west. When you see a few stone mounds, cross the bridge, follow the road along the canyon uphill, then down the other side—Summoning Slope will be right there.”

“Legend has it that mythological creatures once appeared at Summoning Slope—dragons, or even phoenixes.”

<< _ >>