The Creatures That We Are

Chapter 163: Past Life

On the mundane side of his life, if Niu Xuan stayed unconscious, Gao Yang, Cucumber, and Fat Hu would’ve gotten into great trouble. The police would surely inquire about it and investigate, which would lead to a lot of problems.

And on the awakener side, his search for the Rune Cave would meet a dead end if Niu Xuan didn’t wake up.

The day passed uneventfully.

Qing Ling hadn’t come to school for two days. It was said that she had secured her entrance into a college in Li City, and the homeroom teacher could only turn a blind eye to her absence.

The last session of the evening self-study came. Cucumber, Fat Hu, and Gao Yang asked their homeroom teacher for an early leave, stating that they would like to visit Niu Xuan at the hospital, but it would be closed to visitors if they went too late.

The teacher agreed.

Cucumber and Fat Hu both rode bicycles. It had been a long time since Gao Yang last biked. He always took the subway. Tonight, he rode on Fat Hu’s backseat.

On their way to the hospital, Cucumber and Fat Hu chatted.

Cucumber said seriously, “Young Master Xuan must have seen something impure and gotten possessed. My mom said that the same thing happened to me when I was four. I think I saw something I shouldn’t see, and I went without eating or drinking for two days, nor did I say a word. I didn’t get better until my mom asked for a master to hold an exorcism ritual for me.”

You must have run into an awakener, Gao Yang thought to himself with a quiet snort. And as a young wanderer, your brain wasn’t as efficient in modifying your memory and thought process. That’s why it took you two days.

“Then we must not do anything to trigger Young Master Xuan,” Fat Hu agreed.

“Of course. I wonder how he’s doing.” Cucumber sighed as he pedaled. “I hope he gets better soon.”

Gao Yang was taken aback. Niu Xuan always ordered Cucumber and Fat Hu around like they were his servants, but his two sidekicks turned out to be quite loyal to him.

It wasn’t that surprising when he thought about it though. They were never the targets of Niu Xuan’s bullying, and Niu Xuan was generous to his own people. In a way, he had returned their loyalty.

Gao Yang was reminded of the awakener organizations. Both the Twelve Zodiac Signs and the Qilin Guild treated their own people quite well. It was the outsiders they were ruthless to.

It seemed that in every world, it was difficult to survive as a lone wolf.

It took less than half an hour for the three of them to reach the inpatient department of the hospital. Niu Xuan’s family was rich, and they arranged for him to stay in a single ward. The room was clean, quiet, and smelled good.

Resting on bed in a semi-seated posture, Niu Xuan had his eyes closed. On the nightstand by the bed was a basket of fruit and two bouquets of flowers. It seemed that someone had visited him earlier.

“Young Master Xuan?” Cucumber called out to him softly.

Niu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze dim and his expression tired.

He shifted and said in a weak voice, “Here you are.”

“Are you alright?” Gao Yang went up to him.

“I am.” Niu Xuan put on a smile. “I’ll be going home in two days.”

“Did the doctor say why you fainted?” Gao Yang pressed.

“They didn’t find anything.” Niu Xuan looked equally befuddled. “I got my head scanned and my body checked. Nothing is wrong. The doctor said that it may be low blood sugar.”

Gao Yang suppressed a huff. Low blood sugar, for someone as fit as Niu Xuan?

He went on to ask, “Niu Xuan, do you remember...”

“Gao Yang!” Cucumber cut him off nervously, giving him a pointed look to stop asking.

Gao Yang didn’t care. “Do you remember what you did back in the Eleventh High School, on the flagpole platform?”

“I did aerobics, right?” Niu Xuan gave them an indecipherable smile. “I don’t remember anything.”

Gao Yang asked after a pause, “If you don’t remember, how did you know you were doing it?”

“It’s just a guess.”

Cucumber and Fat Hu shuddered, exchanging a glance and seeing the same thought in the other: Niu Xuan must still be possessed.

Gao Yang noticed that Niu Xuan seemed to have a change of personality.

He was gentle, even well-mannered. One would be hard-pressed to write that off as a result of his spell of weakness.

“I don’t understand.” Gao Yang pulled a chair and sat down by the bed, ready for a long conversation. “Would you mind going into more details?”

Niu Xuan glanced at Gao Yang and thought for a second. Then he said softly, “I’m thirsty.”

“I’ll get you water!” Fat Hu immediately poured a cup of water at the watercooler and offered it to Niu Xuan.

Niu Xuan took the cup and slowly finished it.

Then he rubbed his finger along the disposable cup, making a soft rustle.

“The police questioned me earlier.” Niu Xuan’s gaze was hesitant. “I didn’t tell them the truth though. I didn’t think they would believe me.”

Gao Yang said, “You can tell us. We believe you.”

“That’s right! We believe you, Young Master Xuan!” Cucumber and Fat Hu nodded along.

Niu Xuan looked at the three of them and fell into thought, his head lowered.

After a while, he looked back up and said in a distant voice, “It felt like...I think I saw my past life.”

Gao Yang didn’t say anything.

Cucumber and Fat Hu were quiet too, their expressions stiff.

Niu Xuan smiled a little. “Forget it. I know you won’t believe me.”

“That’s not the case. We’re just shocked.” Gao Yang did his best to sound sincere. “Please tell us more.”

Niu Xuan lifted his head a little with his eyes closed. “I was a boy called Li Zhuanghu in my past life. My father’s surname was Li, and my mother’s surname was Zhuang. They confirmed their relationship by a lake. That was why they gave me that name[1].”

Boy, do people remember their past life with so much detail? Let’s hear him out.

“My dad died in an accident when I was young. My mom raised me alone, and life was difficult. I always got bullied, and every time, my mom told me to endure it. Although I devoted myself to studying, I didn’t perform as I should have at the highschool entrance exams, and I ended up going to the Eleventh High School.”

Niu Xuan laughed dryly. “I was still a nerd who knew nothing but my study in highschool, and I got the top score for every exam. The teachers had high expectations for me, while the students loathed me.”

Cucumber and Fat Hu struggled to wrap their heads around it. The past life Niu Xuan told of was vastly different from Niu Xuan’s own experience. No, they were night and day!

“The teachers asked me to lead the daily aerobics session for the school for my own good. They wanted me to be more confident. However, that was the time I dreaded the most every day. I was bad at sports and did the exercises terribly. Every time I took the stage, I felt like the students on the running track were enjoying the sight of me making a fool of myself. It was a never-ending nightmare for me.”

Gao Yang listened with full attention and nodded every now and then. “What happened later?”

“Later...” Niu Xuan lowered his eyes. “There’s no later.”

“What do you mean?” Gao Yang asked in surprise.

“I don’t know how long I lived in my past life, but my memory stopped at highschool.”

“Wait, wait...” Something occurred to Cucumber, and he lost his calm. “Didn’t the incident happen at the Eleventh High School eighteen years ago? Young Master Xuan, you’re eighteen years old...”

“Yeah.” Niu Xuan smiled. “What a coincidence it is. Do you think that I...may be the reincarnation of Li Zhuanghu?”

What the hell?

Monsters don’t even have a proper reproductive system, and their means of procreation remains a mystery. But now, they are reincarnating into their next lives?

That all seemed absurd to Gao Yang.

But then a thought flashed through his mind, and he tried to catch the fleeting inspiration.

Click.

Before he could dwell on the thought, the door opened, revealing a burly man.

Gao Yang was surprised to see him.

1. The character 湖, hu, means lake. ?