Chapter 216 - 215: Childhood Memories

Chapter 216: Chapter 215: Childhood Memories

The moment Feng Ling said she was leaving, Huangfu Miaomiao started to panic. She had grown accustomed to having Feng Ling around, and now, holding the birdcage, she felt completely on edge.

It wasn’t just Huangfu Miaomiao who was on edge; Xu Yiming was too. He couldn’t help but ask, "Why don’t we let the Daoist head back and rest? If something happens, I’m worried we won’t be able to look out for him..."

"We can’t do that. If the Daoist leaves, no one will be able to communicate with the Crow," Feng Ling said, shaking her head.

Seeing the grave expressions on Huangfu Miaomiao, Xu Yiming, and Li Qing’s faces, she couldn’t help but want to laugh. "Are you guys serious? I’m just going to grab a meal. I’ll be back in two hours, tops. Relax! We killed so many Alien Species yesterday. If they have any sense at all, they’ll know to stay hidden. And if some clueless ones really do show up for revenge, there are patrol teams outside the pedestrian street. If you hear anything, just run. If you can’t beat them, you can at least outrun them, right?"

Xu Yiming nodded. ’This is ridiculous,’ he thought. ’I’m in my thirties and I used to go out on missions with friends all the time. Why can’t I function without Feng Ling now?’

’It must be because I feel so safe around her!’

Li Qing, however, was perfectly calm. He asked Feng Ling, "If we confirm the location of the Maze entrance, should we call you immediately, or wait until you’re back to discuss it?"

"Give me a call then," Feng Ling said, patting her stomach. "But before we go into the Maze, I need to have a few more good meals."

The Crow in the birdcage suddenly shrieked, "AHH!—"

Feng Ling froze for a second, then asked Li Qing, "What’s it saying?"

Li Qing glanced at the Crow. "It says, ’A wise move.’"

There was no food or drink in the Maze, so of course, they had to be fully prepared before entering. That meant not only gathering food and weapons, but also having the right mindset.

"Bye-bye~" Feng Ling said with a wide smile, waving to her companions before she left.

...

...

Following the address, Feng Ling found a residential complex not far from the Inspection Bureau, only two blocks away.

She walked into the complex and was tilting her head up to look for the building number when she heard someone call out to her—

"Feng Ling! Over here!" Feng Shao waved to her from a short distance away. "Feifei was worried you wouldn’t find the place, so she sent me down to get you!"

"Feifei is always so thoughtful~" Feng Ling said, walking over quickly. "What floor are you on?"

"The 7th floor. There’s an elevator." Feng Shao led her into the building and pressed the button for the elevator, saying with a smile, "We just moved in two months ago. The rent here is really expensive. It’s a good thing I managed to become a Cleaner Fish, or we could never afford to live here."

Feng Ling teased him, "But if you hadn’t become a Cleaner Fish, you wouldn’t need to rent a place here, right?"

Feng Shao laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, but it’s close to work. Our job is pretty unique. When the phone rings, we have to assemble at the Supervision Building immediately. We’re basically on call 24/7."

The elevator quickly arrived at the seventh floor.

Feng Shao took out his keys and opened the door. The rich aroma of hot food instantly drifted out.

"Feifei, Xiao Ling is here!"

Feng Shao bent down to get a pair of pink slippers for Feng Ling from the shoe cabinet. Just as Feng Ling slipped them on, a woman emerged from the kitchen, her face lit up with a delighted surprise as she looked at her.

A smile spread across Feng Ling’s face when she saw her, too.

’It’s a strange feeling,’ she thought. ’The child’s face from my memories is overlapping with the twenty-something face in front of me. It’s both familiar and strange. Maybe this is what it feels like to grow up.’

"Xiao Ling, you’re so grown up! I almost didn’t recognize you." Ling Feiran said, covering her mouth with a gentle smile, her eyes curving into crescents.

"Really?" Feng Ling said with a laugh. "I feel like I haven’t changed a bit."

"You’ve changed a ton, what are you talking about!" Feng Shao immediately chimed in. "You’re almost taller than me now!"

Feng Ling turned to look at him. "I was always taller than you when we were kids."

"You’re misremembering! You were half a head shorter than me when we were kids!" Feng Shao corrected.

Ling Feiran laughed. "You two aren’t going to start fighting, are you? You’re both grown adults acting like children. Can you at least wait until after we eat? I made a whole table of food, and I don’t want it to go to waste. Oh, wait a minute, I still need to serve the soup—"

She hurried back into the kitchen.

Feng Shao turned back to Feng Ling. "Like I could ever win a fight against you. You’re a famous Hunter now, terrifyingly strong!"

Feng Ling made a show of being humble, nodding as she replied, "I’m just so-so, so-so~"

"You definitely haven’t seen the trending topics today, have you?" Feng Shao said with a sly grin. "Taking on a hundred Alien Species single-handedly in one night. The news has even gone international."

Feng Ling found this hilarious. "Isn’t the Inspection Bureau going to debunk that rumor? You’re a Cleaner Fish, you should know exactly how many Alien Species died last night, right?"

Feng Shao held up some fingers and said with a smile, "Forty-six. But that’s not the point. The point is, someone at the KTV last night filmed a video and posted it online. Even though your face wasn’t clear, you’re the only person whose Hunter ranking changed significantly today, so it’s easy to deduce that you’re the Hunter in the video killing Alien Species. Feng Ling, this is a good thing. High-ranking Hunters receive attention from the government."

Ling Feiran came out carrying a pot of beef soup. Hearing their conversation, she interjected, "What’s so good about it? A high rank also gets you noticed by the Alien Species. That’s so dangerous."

Feng Ling got up to help, but Ling Feiran sidestepped her. "You stay seated. You’re the guest today, you’re not allowed to lift a finger. Make Little Shao do it."

"Right, right, I’ll do it!" Feng Shao said with a grin, heading to the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks. He then opened the fridge to grab some beers.

"Xiao Ling, you want a beer?"

"I’ll have a can~"

"I’m not drinking. Get me a bottle of juice, please."

"Feifei, Feng Ling is our guest, it’s a rare occasion. You should have a little, too."

"Oh, alright then..."

The three of them sat down around the dining table, the atmosphere lively and warm.

Feng Ling saw that Ling Feiran had prepared an impressive spread—chicken, duck, fish, and meat—it was a complete feast.

’To make a feast like this, she must have started preparing early this morning,’ Feng Ling thought. ’That kid Feng Shao is so lucky to have married Feifei. I remember back at the orphanage, he was always chasing after her. He’s certainly been dedicated all these years.’

Looking at the spread before her, Feng Ling’s mind drifted back to the past. She said to Feng Shao with a chuckle, "I remember when we were little, Feifei loved playing house. She’d be the mom, and we’d be the brother and sister. She’d mix torn leaves and mud into little balls and tell us she was making ’emerald fish balls’ for us to eat."

Feng Shao laughed too, nodding. "I remember that. There were ants in the mud balls, and she insisted they were sesame seeds."

Ling Feiran looked embarrassed. "Can’t you two remember anything else? I helped you with your homework plenty of times when we were kids."

"I remember, I remember~" Feng Ling laughed. "One time Wind Mother found out and locked all three of us up in confinement, HAHAHA!"

"Wind Mother was terrifying! She was my childhood nightmare!" Feng Shao roared with laughter. "I wasn’t scared of anyone when I was a kid, but one glare from Wind Mother and my legs would turn to jelly."

As scary as it was, looking back on it now filled them more with nostalgia.

Feng Ling asked with a smile, "Has Wind Mother retired yet? Doing the math, she should be almost sixty by now."

"You didn’t know?" Feng Shao looked slightly taken aback. "She passed away a year ago. Feifei and I went to her funeral."