Chapter Thirty-One: The Wisteria Arbor

Xiao Xiao breathed a genuine sigh of relief. Since he knew that Lin Zhenzhen’s face was not beyond saving, the rest of the matter was simple.

All he needed to do was find the Banjiu.

However, "How do I make the Banjiu cry?"

Ling Yao dismissed the question with a nonchalant wave. "Beat it, obviously."

Xiao Xiao: ...

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Xiao Xiao. He lowered his eyelids, masking the "mischievous" glint in his eyes, and asked in a casual tone, as if merely out of curiosity, "Can you beat it?"

Ling Yao flicked its beautiful long tail, its gaze arrogant. "That kind of minor spirit..."

The implication was clear, and its disdain was written all over its face. Ling Yao glanced at Xiao Xiao, seemingly annoyed that he would even ask such a question.

Xiao Xiao took the slight in stride. After all, he had gotten the answer he wanted. Now, everything was ready; he only lacked the east wind. And that east wind was, of course, the currently elusive Banjiu.

...

Wisteria is a large, deciduous, climbing, and twining plant. It bears blue-purple, butterfly-shaped flowers that bloom in the spring.

Looking at the wisteria trellis before him in November, Xiao Xiao saw nothing but withered decay. In the deep, heavy night, it felt even more bleak and eerie.

...

Earlier at the hospital, Xiao Xiao had repeatedly asked Lin Zhenzhen what she had been doing before the symptoms appeared on her face. They were all mundane experiences. The first time, Xiao Xiao had gathered nothing from her fragmented, pale account. But the second time, after seeing the image of the Banjiu, something suddenly clicked.

Lin Zhenzhen said that the day before the incident, as she walked past the wisteria trellis, a glimpse from the corner of her eye caught a vibrant, flamboyant color. It was beautiful, instantly brightening the gloomy sky in her eyes. She wondered what kind of flower it was, though it seemed strange for other flowers to be on the wisteria trellis. She was drawn to it, even though she didn't have much time before class. Risking being late, she ran over to the trellis, eagerly searching for that splash of color.

However, she found nothing. Under the wisteria trellis, Lin Zhenzhen looked up and around, seeing only withered branches and fallen leaves, all devoid of color and life. She felt disappointed, thinking that what she had seen earlier was perhaps just a trick of the light.

The description ended there, but Xiao Xiao felt something was missing. He suspected that the color Lin Zhenzhen had seen was the Banjiu. After all, the creature possessed brightly colored feathers.

...

But that alone wasn't enough. There was still one unanswered question: exactly how did Lin Zhenzhen become poisoned? It was impossible for her to be poisoned just by standing under the wisteria trellis for a while; otherwise, she wouldn't be the only victim. Although it wasn't the blooming season and few people visited the trellis, some still sat on the bench beneath it—after all, it offered a decent view of the rippling water nearby, even without the flowers.

Xiao Xiao patiently asked for every detail again. His perseverance paid off; he finally found the answer in Lin Zhenzhen’s account.

...

Lin Zhenzhen mentioned that while she was under the trellis, she felt something fall onto her face and thought it was raining. She was startled, realizing she was going to be late, and hurried away. Thinking back on it, it hadn't actually rained that day. But she hadn't paid it any mind, as such things happen—two people walking side-by-side, one feels rain because a drop hit their face, while the other feels nothing. Perhaps the rain was so light, just a few stray drops that stopped immediately, that one noticed while the other remained oblivious. She had almost forgotten this small detail, only recalling it after Xiao Xiao’s repeated questioning.

Xiao Xiao understood immediately. It was indeed that place. He had previously asked Ling Yao and learned that the Banjiu was toxic throughout its entire body; besides its tears, even its saliva was poisonous. Xiao Xiao reasoned that what Lin Zhenzhen thought were raindrops was likely the saliva of the Banjiu.

Everything was resolved.

Xiao Xiao suppressed his eagerness and waited until the night was deep before coming to the wisteria trellis to search for the Banjiu. After all, it was easier to get things done in the dark.

...

Xiao Xiao turned on his phone’s flashlight, pretending to be looking for something as he searched for the Banjiu. He believed it shouldn't be difficult. Although he had searched for Ling Yao many times without success—leading him to admit that if a spirit truly wanted to hide from him, he really might not be able to find it—this Banjiu didn't know he could see it, so it wouldn't be hiding from him on purpose. Could he really fail to find a spirit that was just brazenly appearing in the open? Furthermore, the wisteria trellis wasn't ridiculously large, and with the flowers gone, it was completely exposed. With so many inherent advantages, as long as the Banjiu was still here, it wouldn't be able to escape Xiao Xiao’s eyes.

...

Xiao Xiao paced slowly, circling the wisteria trellis and leaving no corner unchecked. In truth, he didn't even need to be that careful, because the Banjiu’s multicolored feathers were positively iridescent, especially against the backdrop of the surrounding darkness.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but smile. Yet, he didn't let his guard down; he kept in mind that this creature was poisonous from head to toe.

...

Perhaps it was because Xiao Xiao’s gaze was too intense, but the Banjiu turned its head to look at him. Its scarlet pupils were ringed with a deep, vibrant purple, from which a faint, cyan-black hue bled out. Just one look made one feel as if they were being sucked into an abyss of no return.

A golden light flashed in Xiao Xiao’s eyes, and he instantly snapped back to reality. A chill ran down his spine; the feeling of being devoured was so vivid that it left him lingering in fear. Xiao Xiao dared not look at the Banjiu’s eyes again, shifting his gaze downward to the downy feathers on its chest.

Let’s get this over with quickly.

Xiao Xiao mentally summoned the Spirit Tome. The black book appeared out of thin air, its pages flipping until it stopped at a specific entry.

Ling Yao, I choose you!

Xiao Xiao suddenly felt like he was playing Pokémon.

...

Banjiu vs. Ling Yao. Although Ling Yao won, it wasn't as effortless as it had claimed that afternoon. Moreover, Xiao Xiao felt like he was about to collapse. His mental exhaustion was extreme; his brain felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, throbbing with intense pain.

Xiao Xiao knew he had been overconfident. Clearly, summoning Ling Yao had severely drained his spiritual energy. He had a premonition that he would be in a state of lethargy for a long time to come. Was Ling Yao truly so powerful that he was performing an "over-level" summon with his current strength? Furthermore, the summoned Ling Yao might have been restricted by his limitations, unable to unleash its full potential. That was why a battle against an opponent that should have been beneath notice had been so difficult.

...

Xiao Xiao slumped to the ground, his body limp and his head aching as if pierced by needles. "Hiss... hiss..." He drew several sharp breaths, and after finally gathering some strength, he laboriously crawled toward the Banjiu.

Looking at the half-dead creature, Xiao Xiao felt no sympathy. The memory of Lin Zhenzhen’s pain was still fresh in his mind. However... "It actually cried?!" Xiao Xiao was astonished. It wasn't that he hadn't believed Ling Yao, but he found it hard to imagine—a spirit crying because it was hurt? Wasn't that a joke? Yet, it was real. Was a creature so full of poison actually this fragile?

Xiao Xiao felt he had truly learned something new today.