At dawn, dew condensed on the bow, and wet streaks appeared on the cello case.
In such humid weather, they should have been properly cared for, but Huai Shi wasn't in the mood for it now.
After his usual two hours of cello practice and meditation, he sat idly on the garden steps.
And, naturally, his buttocks felt cold.
"I should put a cushion here another day," he murmured.
Unable to sit any longer, he stood up, patted the dust off his trousers, and wandered aimlessly around the bare garden.
The stitches on his arm throbbed with pain as he moved it.
It was another reminder of how dangerous last night had been.
No, it was a stark reminder of his current predicament… He was far from being able to guarantee his own safety.
Although he often felt there was no point in continuing such a poor and difficult life, no one who was alive would prefer death.
Besides, Huai Shi's life hadn't truly begun yet.
It was good to be alive.
He wanted to hang on a little longer.
"Daydreaming in the garden again?"
Suddenly, he heard the Raven land on the fence. "Can't you find another spot?"
"What's wrong with liking it here?" Huai Shi retorted.
"Then at least make an effort, Huai Shi. Your Sublimation is almost complete," she sighed, a hint of exasperation in her tone as she raised her wings slightly. "Just a little bit more."
Huai Shi couldn't muster any enthusiasm for this. "What's the use even if Sublimation is complete? Will I be able to sprinkle more chili powder? No matter how powerful I become, it won't compare to that thing last night, right?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? The Apocalypse is just a byproduct of your Soul's attributes. Once Sublimation is complete, your Soul's Power will undergo a transformative change. Besides, do you really think that monkey yesterday relied solely on his own Ability?"
"Huh?"
"Nue, the Stigma from Yingzhou's Genealogy, is a result of Third Stage·Ether."
The Raven looked at him meaningfully. "Sublimation is only the beginning, Huai Shi. Sublimators with huge potential usually awaken around the age of eleven or twelve. You're already behind. Don't slack off.
"You might hope to return to peace after this is over, but you must understand something first: the owner of the Book of Fate is destined to walk the supreme path in this world. Power, wealth, and Beauty will all be within easy reach, but a calm and peaceful life is precisely what you cannot have."
Huai Shi remained silent for a long time, gripping the notebook in his hand.
"…Is it too late to just toss this thing away?"
The Raven thought for a moment, then suddenly grew excited. "Although I wouldn't recommend it, this has never happened in history. I'm very curious about what would happen. Why don't you give it a try?"
Huai Shi rolled his eyes.
"So, if you can't fight it, just enjoy it, huh?" The Raven extended a wing sympathetically and patted his shoulder. "At least the life you have now can, in a way, still be considered quite peaceful."
Right, ignoring the fact that he was so poor he was on the verge of collapse and had to work at the Cowherd Club, that he'd encountered corpses on the street and was inexplicably being hunted, that he was now living with a bald Cowherd, and was even being used as bait…
For some reason, as he thought about this, Huai Shi suddenly recalled the Teenage Girl in a wheelchair he had only met twice, who seemed just two or three years older than him.
Ai Qing.
He felt like he had seen her somewhere before, but looking back, his short and empty life so far held no such memory.
Anyway, who wouldn't remember such a pretty Miss in a wheelchair?
He scratched his head. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall.
Only when a car horn honked at the gate, reminding him it was time for work, did he reluctantly shoulder his cello case and shuffle outside.
The mediocre Cowherd Huai Shi faced another torturous new day...
And then, as expected, he stirred up trouble.
「. . .」
"Aren't you just selling yourself by working here? What's with the act, pretending to be so high and mighty?"
In front of Liu DongLi, a skinny woman old enough to be Huai Shi's mother pointed angrily at Huai Shi, who was behind him, and suddenly splashed a glass of wine at Huai Shi.
"I've ordered over a dozen Champagne Towers here, and you're telling me he can't come over and sit with me for a few drinks? Who does he think he is, some kind of saint? Get your manager out here! I won't stand for this today…"
Amidst the chaos, Huai Shi stood behind Liu DongLi, snickering helplessly, unsure what to say. Eventually, he was frantically ushered out.
After a while, Liu DongLi finally sorted out the trouble. It took him a long time to find Huai Shi at the back door of the club, waiting for his pancake lunch at a street stall.
Ever since receiving a daily allowance of eight hundred, this guy had become quite pleased with himself, daring to add two extra sausages to his pancake and looking as happy as could be. This made Liu DongLi, who was originally in a terrible mood, marvel, "Six complaints on your second day of work. How do you manage that?"
Huai Shi thought seriously for a moment before tentatively asking, "Could it be because I'm good-looking?"
"You know, Huai Shi," Liu DongLi sighed, "you got a face full of wine splashed on you and were scratched up pretty badly, but you act like nothing happened?"
"What else could I do?" Huai Shi looked at him blankly. "Go back and kick her in the backside and tell her that fortunes change, so she shouldn't bully the young and poor?
"Besides, this was all expected. What's there to be angry about? If I got angry about things like this, I would've died of rage four or five years ago."
Liu DongLi was speechless. He had to admit, this guy always had some unexpected strengths in the strangest ways.
Since he'd taken on the somewhat thankless task of bringing Huai Shi to work, countless irritating incidents had occurred. Yet, he had never seen this fellow lose his temper or flip a table. Even when splashed with wine, Huai Shi just laughed it off, moved aside, and never fought back or retorted.
Although Huai Shi constantly spewed nonsense in private, his patience was so great it left one speechless.
His optimism was so laid-back it was hard to tell if he was genuinely foolish or something else.
Watching Huai Shi cheerfully waiting for his pancake, Liu DongLi, for some reason, felt irritable. It felt as if he were forcing an honest person into wrongdoing, as if he were bullying someone good-natured. His conscience pricked him badly.
"Stop waiting. Let's go."
Liu DongLi pulled him back to change clothes. "You're not working this afternoon. I'll take you out for something good to eat."
"Really? Has your conscience finally made an appearance?" Huai Shi was delighted. "So, when will you pay the electricity bill too?"
Liu DongLi, who was climbing the steps, almost strained his back. He turned and glared fiercely. "I'm already your unpaid bodyguard. Why should I pay your electricity bill too?"
"You're the one who wanted to use the water heater," Huai Shi said. "Can't you just wash with cold water?"
"Hey, do you have any conscience? I got hurt yesterday saving you! Besides, cold showers are bad for the skin, you know!"
"…Right, and bad for your hair too," Huai Shi added from behind, referring to Liu DongLi's baldness.
Visibly, Liu DongLi staggered on the steps, nearly tumbling down.
When changing clothes, Huai Shi deliberately put on sunglasses and a large mask to cover his face, making him look like a delinquent ready to cause trouble at any moment.
He had no choice. Working at the Cowherd Club was one thing, but being seen and photographed by a classmate was another matter entirely.
He had barely managed to bluff his way out last time; he couldn't let anyone recognize him this time.
Unfortunately, things rarely go according to plan. Huai Shi, who was consistently unlucky, had barely stepped out the door when he heard a call from behind.
"Is that Little Shi? It has to be Little Shi!"