Chapter 7. Sigh
Being labelled as a "good person" by a chicken, Hua Ji felt rather stifled.
He silently ate his black pepper beef rice, feeling gloomy to the max. The little rooster beside him totally did not notice Hua Ji"s emotions, still BlaBla-ing about the Mythical Protection Department"s exam.
That"s right, the little rooster Ji Hong was also going to B city to attend the Mythical Protection Department"s exam, attempting to pa.s.s in one go and acquiring an ident.i.ty card, academic qualifications and a resume, as well as social relations.
Hua Ji thoughtlessly said, "Then you don"t currently have an ident.i.ty card? How did you buy the train ticket?"
"My friends who came down from the mountain two years earlier helped me make a fake ID." Ji Hong carelessly said, "When they heard I wanted to come down the mountain to take the exam, they helped me make an ID, to make it easier for me to take the train to B city."
He happily said, "Thankfully I had their help, otherwise I"d have to fly there."
When Hua Ji heard his words, he almost spat out his rice. Who said roosters couldn"t fly? Rooster spirits could!!
The little rooster was still talking endlessly to him about the exam.
"Don"t know if the exam this year will be difficult, I heard the past year"s was especially tough, they even tested on the foundation of the examinees" spoken English. I don"t plan on leaving the country, why should I take an English exam?"
Regarding this point, Hua Ji knew a little bit about it.
Nowadays, it was the common thing to do for countries to open up to the outside. Not just Zhong Hua country, even the monsters and demons within Zhong Hua country needed to keep up with the times, connecting with the mess of different powers outside of the country. Other countries had priests, had Jehovah and had vampires, no matter how much Zhong Hua country"s government wanted to ignore the spirits and monsters, when faced with the inhuman lifeforms and their power, they had no choice but to seek support from the monsters.
Sect? Oh, the sect disciples are truly not bad, but they had principles when they carried out tasks, monks even more won"t take a life. If they met an issue that was in the grey area, the government would need to find spirits and monsters to take action.
Thus, a grave question arose, if monsters don"t know their language, how would they interact with the international scene?
Don"t know? Then an ident.i.ty card won"t be issued! An exam must be taken!!
After listening to Hua Ji"s explanation, the little rooster was deeply moved, "Nowadays, being a human is difficult, being a monster is even more difficult ah!"
Hua Ji"s heart resonated with his words.
The little rooster looked at Hua Ji, "Are you going for the exam too?"
Hua Ji shook his head, "It"s not me who"s going but a senior."
He pointed at his head, Lord Jellyfish slowly stretched out a tentacle, the long, flexible tentacle turned from transparent to milky-white.
He waved a tentacle at the little rooster, saying h.e.l.lo.
"h.e.l.lo, I am Shui Mu[1]."
Hua Ji supplemented, "A jellyfish from the sea."
"Jellyfish?" The little rooster was baffled, "What is that?"
Let"s just forgive the little rooster"s ignorance. Being a chicken that lived in the mountains, he simply has never seen a jellyfish, this sort of mystical lifeform before.
Hua Ji said in shock, "You don"t know about jellyfish? But that"s general knowledge ah!!"
The little rooster was almost scared to death, "Is it really true? I"ve never seen them before ai! What should I do if the exam tests this? I"ve memorised the Cla.s.sic of Mountains and Seas[2], but there"s nothing about jellyfish in there ah!!"
Hua Ji speechlessly said, "Rather than the Cla.s.sic of Mountains and Seas, you should go watch BBC, it can improve your English listening skills."
The little rooster said, "What"s BBC?"
"A doc.u.mentary about the world from some country." Hua Ji recommended, "The contents are not bad, the p.r.o.nunciation is up to standard, you can watch it online."
The little rooster wanted to cry but had no tears, "But there"s no internet on the mountain."
Hua Ji tactfully said, "Perhaps you should have first come down the mountain and live here for two years, don"t you have friends? Oh, the friends you mentioned just now that helped you make a fake ID?"
Ji Hong was extremely dejected, "He"s only a duck spirit, our diets are similar, if he doesn"t toss me out, that"s good enough already."
Hua Ji mutedly understood.
"Plus, down the mountain, it"s quite dangerous." The little rooster counted off his fingers and said, "Ever since I came down the mountain I met several large monsters, they all had chicken in their diet. I could only take a detour, trying my best to stay in places with large groups of people, Duck Tang was the only monster who wouldn"t eat me……"
One he pa.s.sed the Mythical Protection Department"s exam, Ji Hong would be able to acquire the Mythical Protection Department"s identification plate, all of the monsters in Zhong Hua country would then be unable to attack a registered monster without reason. The sect"s disciples were even more unable to do this, that was why the little rooster hurriedly went to take the exam directly after coming down the mountain, definitely have to pa.s.s the exam and acquire the identification plate.
Hua Ji shrugged, regarding this point he was unable to offer any help.
The little rooster took advantage of the available time to flip through the English book he took from his bag, reading with heavy concentration.
Hua Ji closed his eyes to rest, suddenly Lord Jellyfish"s voice rang out in his brain.
"Is the Mythical Protection Department"s exam really difficult?"
Hua Ji said in his head, "I haven"t taken the exam before."
That"s right, being a fox that shook the land even before the founding of the country, Hua Ji"s identification was settled by the Republic of China[3], even more so after the founding of the country, he covertly created not a small number of ident.i.ties, every single one was genuine.
He gave Lord Jellyfish a rough explanation, Lord Jellyfish was extremely startled.
"If it"s like this, why couldn"t you see through the little rooster by your side."
That" right, Lord Jellyfish discovered that Hua Ji this red fox was sometimes incredibly slow, completely unlike a fox that frolicked in the human world for two hundred years.
Hua Ji was pensive for a long time, he lifted a hand to rub his eyes, expression slightly fierce and twisted.
He said, "That"s because my eyes are blind ah."
When Hua Ji had just awoken a consciousness, it was the final years of the Qing dynasty, the him back then was truly foolish, believing that down the mountain, it was all good things to eat. In the end, he was beaten up tragically by a little cultivator, his eyes stabbed blind by his peach wood sword.
He desperately ran, the hatred in his heart taller than the mountains, deeper than the seas.
If he followed the usual road, Hua Ji would have become someone who hated humans endlessly, a demon fox without a conscience and a murderous personality.
However, the heavens had morals, when Hua Ji was on the brink of death, he was rescued by an official"s daughter who was out for a walk. That young miss brought Hua Ji home, looking after the little fox with kindness, up until that young miss was married off. It was because the little fox"s blind eyes were unclear that he was released back into the forest by the young miss"s father.
Foxes were originally extremely intelligent lifeforms, he learned many rules of human society in the official"s house, bidding his foolishness goodbye, cultivating in seclusion for many years, cultivating a demonic core, his demonic energy washing his marrows, causing his eyes to regain their shine.
"Even if I could see things again, but I still lost a few innate abilities that every member of the spirit race has, for example, seeing through other spirits" and monsters" strengths.
Hua Ji lightly smiled, "Luckily I"m very smart, no? Those who deliberately get close to me need my help, the people weaker than me would also not act blindly, slowly I felt that being unable to see through people was also pretty good."
Lord Jellyfish stretched out a tentacle, lightly brushing across Hua Ji"s eyes, only after a long while did he speak, "It"s okay if the eyes are blind, it"s enough if your thoughts are incisive."
Pausing for a bit, he spoke again, "In addition, before I eat the little bat, I will see for you."
Hua Ji"s heart warmed, he had to say that although Lord Jellyfish"s strength was profound, his temper was really awesome!
He smilingly said, "If you put it like this, then I don"t wish for that wretched bat spirit to find us."
Lord Jellyfish said, unperturbed, "That"s also not a problem, if you can provide even tastier things……"
Hua Ji blanked for a moment, he recalled something.
"Even tastier things? Lord jellyfish, what"s your diet?"
"In theory, I eat seawater, however seawater is not nourishing." Lord Jellyfish"s tentacle unconsciously twisted a few times, just like lips smacking, "So any kind of liquid with energy, I will eat. Understand?"
"So that"s how it is, is that why you want to eat that vampire? Because his blood had energy?" Hua Ji suddenly understood. "Then the blood of the spirits and monsters in our country all have demonic energy……"
Lord Jellyfish said, "That"s right, for example, you. You also smell very good, the taste should also be not bad."
Hua Ji shuddered, he drily said, "Lord Jellyfish, I don"t taste good at all!"
"Really?" Lord Jellyfish declined to comment, "This time leaving the sea, I"ve met quite a few spirits and monsters, but none of them smell as good as you."
He regretfully said, "If not for the bat spirit rejecting to become my employer, I would have been able to eat you."
Hua Ji wanted to cry but no tears were coming out, it couldn"t be that he even had to thank that vampire?
He pitifully said, "Lord Jellyfish, let me die with understanding, why do you feel that I would be delicious?"
Lord Jellyfish placated, "Rest a.s.sured, I have a lot of integrity in my work."
Lord Jellyfish lived for too long, he wouldn"t be someone shortsighted, if he promised the little fox, naturally he wouldn"t go back on his words.
"Ever since I left the sea until now, I"ve met a bat spirit, tortoise spirit, b.u.t.terfly spirit, rooster spirit and the cultivator plus little maiden. Of these few, you and the little maiden smell the most fragrant.
Hua Ji"s emotions relaxed after hearing that Lord Jellyfish had work integrity, when he heard the line after this, he became curious again.
He said, "Why?"
"That little maiden gives off the fragrance of yin water, and you…… little fox, you haven"t had intercourse before, right?"
Lord Jellyfish gently stroked the small fox"s head, "In you people"s words, you"re still a virgin?"
When Hua Ji heard this, his expression became especially dangerous.
After a long while, he fiercely said, "To a fox spirit, a mere two hundred years, I still haven"t come of age!!!"
Lord Jellyfish: Sigh
[1] It appears I’ve made mistakes in previous chapters, because his name is actually Shui Mu, but written differently, 水慕 instead of 水母. In the previous chapters the author has been using 水母. This is the first time his real name was shown.
[2] This is a book of compiled mythical characters and myths in ancient China, first appearing around the 4th century BC.
[3] The name of China when it was governed by the Kuomintang before they lost control. The Kuomintang is the political party that currently governs Taiwan. The full name of China now is People’s Republic of China, easily confused.