Chapter Sixty-Eight: You Are the One from Legend

At this moment, Xiaobao sat calmly on the balcony, gazing at the stars above, feeling an inexplicable sense of comfort and contentment in his heart. He had actually met someone who possessed the powerful and mysterious abilities described in the books.

Fang Yuan’s appearance confirmed Xiaobao’s long-held suspicions. What had once been a bold and hopeful guess had now become reality. In truth, the main reason Xiaobao clung so firmly to his speculation was that it was what he most wished to believe. He hoped his guess would prove true, for only then would he have the courage to stand before his tall, imposing peers.

Now, the person he had only dreamed of had finally appeared.

At that moment, Fang Yuan, who was eating dumplings, sneezed several times in quick succession, causing Chongchong to worry that he had caught a cold from being in the water earlier.

When Fang Yuan fainted earlier that day, Chongchong had truly been frightened, knowing at least a bit about Fang Yuan’s physical condition. But this was the first time Fang Yuan had collapsed without any sign of waking up.

So when Fang Yuan started sneezing, Chongchong became even more anxious that something else might go wrong with his health.

Moreover, Chongchong sensed that since Fang Yuan had fainted this time, not only had Fang Yuan’s body changed, but something within itself had changed too. Previously, Chongchong could sense everything Fang Yuan felt, but now it could no longer perceive Fang Yuan’s inner thoughts. In other words, Fang Yuan’s private musings were now closed off to Chongchong.

This alone was enough to make Chongchong feel frustrated and downcast. It worried that, as time passed, more such things might happen, and perhaps one day it would no longer be able to sense anything from Fang Yuan at all.

The thought made Chongchong so sad it nearly cried.

“Master, if one day I can no longer sense everything you bring to me, will you be sad? Will you be upset?” Chongchong asked curiously, hoping that if Fang Yuan said he would be sad, it might feel a bit better.

But Fang Yuan’s answer was that he would be relieved, which made Chongchong even more upset.

However, Fang Yuan, ever quick-witted, immediately caught on to something else in Chongchong’s words. “Chongchong, what did you just say? Are you saying that maybe, someday, you won’t be able to sense what I feel anymore?”

“Master, I was only imagining a possibility—it doesn’t mean it will really happen,” Chongchong replied, even more irritated by Fang Yuan’s gloating tone.

“But it’s not entirely impossible, is it?” Fang Yuan pressed on.

Chongchong replied unhappily, “No, it’s not impossible. But I really hope it never happens, because that would mean losing a lot of the joy in my life.”

Well, if you lose your fun, it means I regain my dignity, Fang Yuan thought. Otherwise, it was like having no secrets, always feeling as if he were being spied on. He worried that, over time, it would affect his mental well-being.

Reflecting on it, though, Fang Yuan realized that this discomfort had only been an issue at the beginning. Eventually, he’d grown quite used to living alongside Chongchong in this way.

What he’d said earlier was just to tease Chongchong. Who would have guessed it would upset it so much?

“All right, little Chongchong, if that really happens, just let me die again, and you can inhabit my body once more. That way, you won’t have to worry about missing out on good food,” Fang Yuan consoled it, and these words comforted Chongchong greatly.

Hearing this, Chongchong immediately cheered up and chatted happily with Fang Yuan.

Still, even though Chongchong was aware of the issue, it didn’t take it seriously enough. Perhaps, deep down, it didn’t want to accept such a possibility, so it simply chose to ignore it.

Fang Yuan, on the other hand, took Chongchong’s words to heart, even if he didn’t show it outwardly. Sometimes, what Chongchong said wasn’t certain—even it couldn’t always tell whether its predictions would come true. But experience had shown that most of Chongchong’s premonitions did indeed materialize.

If one day Chongchong could no longer sense anything from Fang Yuan, he wondered, what would change between them? As for what kind of change, Fang Yuan, in this moment, had no way of knowing.

After finishing the dumplings, Fang Yuan got up to wash the dishes, only to hear his phone ring.

He’d had this phone for some time now, and the only contact stored besides Da Zhuang was Pei Xi.

At this hour, it couldn’t possibly be Pei Xi, could it?

But when he picked up the phone, it was indeed Pei Xi.

After Pei Xi had left, Fang Yuan had considered deleting her number, since there seemed little chance they would ever meet again. In the end, he hadn’t deleted it, and now, seeing her call, he was glad he hadn’t.

“Hello, Pei Xi? It’s late—what’s the matter?”

“Fang Yuan, listen, I’m in some trouble right now. I don’t want anyone else to know about this, so I can only ask you for help,” Pei Xi’s voice quivered with emotion. In the background, Fang Yuan could hear the deep, mournful horn of a ship.

She named an address, and Fang Yuan realized she was at a harbor not far from him.

Sensing something was wrong, he hung up and hurried out.

The harbor Pei Xi mentioned had seen many accidents in the past. Later, the government built a huge new dock nearby. The old dock, neglected and in disrepair, had seen no large ships since the new one opened, only the occasional local fishing boat. With the big ships gone, accidents had ceased.

But why would Pei Xi, who had already left this place, be there in the middle of the night?

“Master, is it Miss Pei Xi? Is she in danger?” Chongchong asked anxiously.

Seeing Fang Yuan rush out, Chongchong wanted to warn him, but Fang Yuan didn’t give it a chance to speak. Fortunately, the car he’d driven from Xiaobao’s was still there. Fang Yuan got in, started the engine, and soon disappeared into the night.