From after dinner until nightfall, Zheng Fan remained alone in his room. On the dressing table in front of him lay a box.
Inside it, Mo Wan was sealed.
It's quite rude of Mo Wan, really, Zheng Fan thought. Even though I've woken up and I'm sitting right in front of the box, the demon sealed within hasn't appeared.
In hindsight, I should have expected this attitude. Their real sentiments are probably similar to those of A Ming, the vampire. He's too proud, too proud to feign respect. And what am I to them? Even Mo Wan, supposedly my subordinate, looks down on me.
However, there's one thing I need to thank them for. If I had come to this world alone, even if I hadn't passed out, I probably wouldn't have lasted very long. Even though these demon lords have lost their powers, they've still managed to set up a decent life for themselves in this strange world. I suppose I'm benefiting from their efforts.
Starting in the afternoon, the inn began to operate. Customers gradually started arriving. By nightfall, the noise from the front hall grew louder and louder.
Business is booming. Pretty good. However, I don't feel like going out to take a look. Having just awakened to this situation, I need some quiet. I'll just sit here. I don't feel like thinking too much. It feels good just to sit quietly.
CREAK...
The room door was pushed open.
Turning his head, Zheng Fan saw the young girl who had been wiping his body when he first woke up. He remembered Feng Siniang had called her Yun'er.
Yun'er brought in some food and placed it in front of Zheng Fan.
"Mama said, My... My lord, you need to be alone, so she didn't bother you to come to the dining room for your meal," she said.
Zheng Fan nodded at her words.
I still have to eat. Especially after seeing a vampire and a zombie eating today, I have a deepened understanding of the phrase "man is iron, food is steel."
Just as Zheng Fan picked up his chopsticks, ready to eat, he suddenly heard a soft RUSTLE, RUSTLE.
Looking up, his eyes widened in surprise.
Yun'er was undressing.
"What are you doing?"
Yun'er bit her lip, her pretty face flushed red, and she spoke with a slight sob in her voice, "Mama said... from today onwards, I am to... attend to you at night."
Zheng Fan chuckled and waved his hand. "No need. Put your clothes back on."
Although my physical condition has improved dramatically since I woke up, I don't have any particular feelings for this little girl. In this regard, my aesthetic preferences are actually quite similar to Qin Siyao's. If, after a while, once we're all more familiar with each other, Feng Siniang were to try and seduce me at night, I'm not sure I could resist. But when it comes to a little slip of a girl like this, I really don't have any such inclinations.
However, after Zheng Fan's refusal, Yun'er burst into tears.
In the young girl's eyes, becoming a concubine to this man before her—who held such importance in her mother's estimation—was undoubtedly more acceptable than joining the "aunties" in the red tents to sell her body.
Zheng Fan sighed. This is indeed Feng Siniang's way. Some aspects of one's personality really don't change easily.
Zheng Fan could only continue, "You should go. I will talk to Siniang about this. It will be alright."
"My lord, I beg you, My lord..."
"Get out!"
Yun'er left.
Shaking his head, Zheng Fan thought, Sometimes, being too kind is actually a bad thing.
After dinner, Zheng Fan left his room, planning to get some fresh air.
When he walked out into the courtyard, he saw Fanli emerging from the wine cellar, carrying one jug in his hand and another tucked under each arm.
"Your hand, I'll get Siniang to bandage it for you," Fanli said to A Ming with concern.
Earlier, when fetching wine from the cellar, Fanli had carelessly dropped a jug. A Ming had caught it but had cut his palm on a protruding edge of the jug.
"It's fine. I'm a vampire."
"But we don't have our powers now. I think it still needs to be treated..."
"Even without powers, I heal faster than you all. It should be fine in three days."
"Alright then."
Fanli didn't insist. Continuing forward, he saw Zheng Fan.
"My lord!" Fanli greeted Zheng Fan with a simple, honest shout, doing his best to bend his large frame in a bow.
"Mm," Zheng Fan responded.
"My lord, I'm taking the wine to the front."
"Go ahead."
Fanli carried the wine to the front hall.
Just then, a man dressed in a shabby tailcoat emerged from the wine cellar. He turned, locked the door, then turned again and saw Zheng Fan standing under the loquat tree in the courtyard.
Seemingly sighing, seemingly helpless, yet also as if performing a perfunctory formality, A Ming placed his right hand on his left chest and, with an attitude that clearly conveyed 'you know I'm not sincere, and indeed I'm not,' bowed to Zheng Fan. "Greetings, My lord."
"Are you done?" Zheng Fan asked, taking a few steps forward.
I'm eating their food, drinking their drinks, and living in their place. Hmm, I should at least offer a polite inquiry.
"Today's wine supply should be sufficient."
A Ming gently straightened his cuffs. He seemed to like this coat, but unfortunately, having a tailcoat custom-made here was too troublesome and far too expensive. Feng Siniang was in charge of the accounts. She herself dressed much more plainly than before, so naturally, she wouldn't allow others to be too extravagant with their clothing.
"Do you have time to chat?" Zheng Fan asked.
A Ming looked at Zheng Fan intently, then nodded.
Zheng Fan took the initiative to walk over to the loquat tree and sat down. He then gestured for A Ming to join him.
A Ming walked over but didn't sit. He replied, "It's dirty."
"..." Zheng Fan.
Taking two deep breaths, Zheng Fan asked, "What is this place?"
"A new world."
"I know it's a new world. We've transmigrated, right? To ancient times? Which dynasty is this?"
A Ming shook his head.
"You don't want to say?" Zheng Fan asked.
"I don't know."
"But you've all been here for half a year. Didn't you try to find out anything?"
"I am only responsible for brewing wine."
"Er... then who do you think would know?"
"Blind Bei, perhaps. He should know something. He sits by the door every day."
"No, I mean, we've arrived in an unfamiliar place. Aren't any of you curious about this world, this environment?"
This is hard to understand. When one arrives in a new place, they'd surely want to gather information about this place and this world, right? Anyone who's played games knows how important it is to uncover the map. It's even more crucial for a transmigrator.
"Unnecessary."
"Unnecessary?"
"Because you were unconscious. Therefore, it was unnecessary."
I find this logic hard to grasp. Is it my fault?
A Ming's expression suddenly became somewhat strange. Previously, he had always been very cold, very calm, seemingly indifferent to most things. But now, he gave off a very conflicted feeling. It was as if he was about to say something that, according to his personality, he normally wouldn't, and shouldn't, say.
"My lord, you need not fear us."
"Fear? What?"
He's read my mind. However, admitting that I'm afraid of them right now doesn't seem quite right.
"Indeed, we look down on you. Greatly."
"..." Zheng Fan.
"But we will not abandon you. When you were unconscious, we did not abandon you. Now that you are awake, we will not abandon you either."
These words... are a bit sentimental. No wonder A Ming looked so conflicted earlier. Indeed, such sentimental words would be perfectly suited to Feng Siniang or Xue Three. But for him to say them... it feels a bit like he's reading from the wrong script.
"Won't... abandon me?"
"Yes. We will not abandon you because the ones who created us ultimately abandoned us."
Zheng Fan's heart trembled. This sentence revealed a crucial piece of information: they... they... they knew they were characters from a comic!
"We... are all abandoned people." A Ming's face tilted up slightly, as if looking at the moonlight. He continued, "They abandoned us, but you did not."
In the three years after the studio disbanded, everyone else had moved on to different professions. Only Zheng Fan had silently persisted, continuing to update the unfinished comics of his former colleagues. He would continue each comic to the best of his ability, allowing their stories to live on.
"So, we will not abandon you."
A Ming's expression became serious.
Looking down on you is one thing, but we will continue to call you My lord, and we will absolutely not abandon you.
"Thank you."
I guess I can only say these two words right now.
"Because you were unconscious, My lord, apart from earning some money to live on here and waiting for you to awaken, everything else was meaningless to us."
"I understand." Zheng Fan nodded gravely.
"Blind Bei might know more about this environment. You can ask him."
"Alright, I'll go now."
Zheng Fan smiled at A Ming and turned to walk into the front hall.
A Ming, still standing under the loquat tree, licked his lips. He didn't like the tone he had just used, nor did he particularly like the content of what he'd said. But after saying it, he seemed to feel much more comfortable.
He lowered his head, looking at his hand. A strange glint suddenly flashed in A Ming's eyes. Because the wound on his palm... it had healed!
———————
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