Chapter 65: Parents (Part 2)

Ancient people used to say: Appearance stems from the heart, and the environment changes with the mind.

The first half of this saying is often misused by modern people, who simplistically believe that a person's facial features change according to the benevolence or malevolence of their soul.

In reality, this is not the case. The true meaning of this half-sentence should be: The external appearance of things a person sees, as well as their understanding and perception of those things, is determined by their inner self.

The meaning of the latter half is much the same, indicating that the environment a person finds themselves in will transform as their state of mind shifts.

In other words, if a person's state of mind is desolate, everything they see will be desolate.

If a person's state of mind is joyous, everything they see will be blooming with vibrant flowers.

Mr. Zhou had always held a dialectical attitude toward such idealistic notions.

Did the state of mind influence the scenery before his eyes? Or did the scenery influence the state of mind right before him? He had yet to reach a conclusion.

Until just now. Until he pushed open the door and stepped out. Until his gaze fell upon the young woman standing right in front of him.

Outside the door was an ordinary corridor, neither narrow nor wide, paved with white-brown marble tiles.

There was no extravagant or opulent decoration, nor any horrifying or disgusting monsters.

Standing outside the door was merely a young woman in her prime. She lacked the colorful garments and feathered robes depicted in fairy tales, and her attire could even be described as unkempt.

On her feet were a pair of thick-soled black slippers. Tracing up past her snow-white, well-proportioned calves and thighs led to a pair of gray-white loungewear shorts; tracing up further revealed a loose, dark black T-shirt printed with "Kirby of the Stars."

Her face was an exquisite painting, devoid of any flaws yet equally devoid of dynamic emotion.

Her eyes were an unattainable mystery, with a pure black ribbon concealing the gemstones beneath.

Yet her long hair was the pristine white of moonlight, a whiteness distinct from ordinary mortals.

Upon seeing her with his own eyes, Mr. Zhou leaned heavily toward the theory that the scenery influences the state of mind.

Because at that very moment, a sense of redemption truly sprouted within him: "To lay eyes upon this person means I can die without regret."

Naturally, this feeling only lingered in his heart for a fleeting second.

Zhou Ke quickly regained his composure, realizing that apart from the other person's beauty, there must have been some unknown, mysterious influence that had affected his mind.

"Sorry," the young woman parted her rose-powder lips, as if wanting to explain something.

Zhou Ke, however, made a pause gesture with both hands, interrupting her.

He cleared his throat, gazed intently at the young woman who resembled a waning cold moon, and chanted with a melancholic expression:

"Holding a paper umbrella,

I wander alone through the long, long, solitary rainy alley,

Hoping to drift past,

A girl like lilac,

Bearing the grievances of autumn."

Having finished reciting, he abruptly raised his right hand and dealt a fierce punch to his own face.

As the ambiguous sentiment dissipated, Zhou Ke's deadpan eyes gradually returned to normal, and he calmly muttered, "That was close, I almost got charmed by you."

"That was not my intention. As the price for using the Truth, the Aether radiating from me uncontrollably erodes the minds of those nearby," the young woman explained apologetically.

Yet she was also somewhat puzzled, as the negative side effect of mental erosion usually caused people to feel an inexplicable sense of fear.

Those with weaker willpower would remain stunned for several seconds, while others might burst into uncontrollable laughter or weeping.

The worst-case scenario was a complete plunge into madness.

This was the first time she had ever encountered an effect resembling charm.

"It's fine," Zhou Ke waved his hand while rubbing his stinging cheek.

"You gave me a taste of love for a single fraction of a second. I believe writing romance stories will come a bit more naturally to me in the future."

Once the charm effect had completely vanished, he looked at his white-haired, blindfolded female neighbor once more.

All the flamboyant rhetoric he had tossed around earlier could essentially be summarized in four words: "Damn, what a beauty!"

However, Zhou Ke was not good at praising others, or rather, he believed no one needed his praise.

Therefore, after much deliberation, he tactfully said, "You have a very distinctive look."

"" The female neighbor momentarily did not know what tone to use in response. "Should I say thank you?"

"You're welcome."

""

Unwilling to entangle herself further with Zhou Ke on the topic of appearance, the female neighbor pointed at Zhou Ke's injured arm and said, "You need to take care of that right away."

Zhou Ke similarly noticed that a large patch of blood stained the fabric around the female neighbor's abdomen, though miraculously, no blood was seeping outward.

"A Truth of the healing type? No, it should be a Truth with self-healing capabilities, otherwise she would have treated me, though I can't rule out the possibility that she simply loests me."

Just as he was thinking this, the female neighbor seemed to sense his thoughts and said, "My Truth grants me a certain degree of self-healing, but it cannot help others."

"Oh."

Zhou Ke nodded indifferently, his impure gaze continuing to wander upward toward the region right above her abdomen.

The female neighbor's brow furrowed slightly, speaking with a tone that served as both a reminder and a warning: "You don't actually think I'm completely blind, do you?"

"How could I?"

Zhou Ke wasn't stupid; since the female neighbor could accurately describe every object in the room, she definitely possessed special senses beyond ordinary sight.

"I was just wondering why you bother wearing a blindfold. It's our first time meeting—isn't a romantic roleplay going a bit too fast?"

"Fast? I think it's alright. We've already shared life-or-death experiences," the female neighbor said with a cold chuckle.

This shared life-or-death experience referred to the time Zhou Ke had nearly choked her to death.

"Heh, fair enough."

Seeing the female neighbor respond with such ease, Zhou Ke inexplicably felt a surge of competitive spirit.

He turned around, faced the room, and spoke his mind freely:

"Speaking of which, the hole in the room reminds me of an anime I watched a long time ago, where a pair of siblings were fooling around.

To make things convenient, they punched a hole through a wall that separated their rooms, and then started going at it day and night—"

Before he could finish, the female neighbor cut him off: "Day and night making out, grinding, and everything else."

Hearing such a string of unrefined and scandalous vulgarities, Zhou Ke's complexion turned as pale as defeat. "How do you know that?"

According to his preconceived plan, he should have been cursed out as a pervert, to the point where he had already prepared himself to block a slap.

The female neighbor replied in a calm and straightforward tone, "I've watched it. It's quite interesting."

"Well, then you're a total pervert." Zhou Ke decided to preemptively accuse her instead.

"I think it's just human nature," the female neighbor remained unruffled. "Don't you guys, as males, fantasize about all sorts of things when you see an attractive woman on the street who catches your eye?"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't talk nonsense! I'm going to sue you for defamation—you're defaming me!"

Zhou Ke instantly grew excited, looking left and right as if searching for an impartial judge to arbitrate the matter.

Yet where could any other person possibly be found here?

Unable to find a helper, he straightened his collar, completely changed his attitude, and said with utmost seriousness:

"However, I am willing to serve as your turning-state's witness, to prove that every male other than myself is exactly like that."