Chapter 669: I Am, of Course, Your Former "Good Son"
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 669: I Am, of Course, Your Former "Good Son"
After deciding to leave the serious business for tomorrow, Sister Bai and I took a few more laps around the area.
Today, we had visited several schools in a row. I felt the tense academic atmosphere of the students and witnessed their desperate struggle—all of it was the challenge that ordinary people issued against fate.
Under the weight of such a challenge, some would find enjoyment, working tirelessly and drinking of the struggle as if it were sweet wine.
Some would feel the pressure, constantly trying to soothe their emotions.
Some felt fear, using numb, rote learning to alleviate the terrors of reality.
And some simply gave up, slacking off while fantasizing about which of their "brothers" would be working alongside them on the assembly line in the future.
All of this was "ordinary," or rather, it was the self-evolution of the ordinary soul mentioned in the Soul Subject.
This was also the ambition of the subject itself. The Ordinary Subject was a branch born from the Soul Subject in response to "Life Elucidation." The broadest definition within life is "ordinary," but it is precisely because the ordinary nurtures such vast characteristics that it also harbors infinite possibilities.
Sister Bai also explained to me why the Ordinary Subject was the most popular choice for those seeking to ascend to become a Transcendent Witch.
It was because of its inclusivity.
Witches have very long lifespans. No one decides exactly what they want to do for the rest of their lives before they even become a long-lived species.
The same applies to their research subjects. Even for an immortal witch, wanting to switch subjects after living such a long life might seem like starting over from scratch—and not every witch has the courage to start over.
However, the inclusivity of the Ordinary Subject compensates for this problem. An ordinary soul nurtures infinite possibilities, just as the heroes remembered by countless people were once mere mortals who chose to stand up.
The moment a witch on the path of the Ordinary Subject decides what she wants to live for, her ordinary soul will bloom into the most dazzling flower, guiding her onto the path that fits her best.
The reason the Ordinary Subject is so sought after isn't just because of its inclusivity, but also because many branch subjects within the witch race were pioneered by those continuing from the Ordinary Subject.
This is because every witch who transitions from the Ordinary Subject to another path does so after experiencing some form of metamorphosis or enlightenment. Their steps are often even smoother than those of witches who started on that path from the beginning!
Of course, choosing the Ordinary Subject also requires a bit of courage. If a witch never encounters a stroke of luck or lacks the courage to act at a critical moment, she will spend her entire life wasting away within the Ordinary Subject.
After all, the Ordinary Subject is the one with the fewest special traits. Whether researching spells, power, techniques, or cultivation, everything is utterly average. Even the power it grants is derived from constantly gaining revelations from the mundane, thereby triggering new "unknown" possibilities.
However, the Ordinary Subject is also very suitable for those wandering witches spread across the Void. Relying on the Ordinary Subject, they can blend into the worlds of different races without being discovered or noticed, experiencing the ordinariness of various species. Perhaps in the next moment, they might gain some form of insight.
Though the probability is extremely low, one cannot ignore the sheer number of Transcendent Witches scattered throughout the Void!
The Ordinary Subject effectively utilizes the value of the "ordinary" witches within the race. At least for the witch race as a whole, this is the greatest value the Ordinary Subject brings.
And Sister Bai was the most typical example of such an ordinary witch.
Before ascending to a Transcendent Witch, Sister Bai had studied many things. She had studied alchemy, understood pharmacy, and even dabbled in spell arrays. Under my guidance, she had gone on to study runes, and after her ascension, she used her foundation in runes to touch upon Real Editing.
Sister Bai herself had studied how to use spellbooks and had also learned body arts, though she was currently more proficient in the latter. This was mainly due to the limitations of being in the academy; her use of spells had been somewhat hindered by her own preconceptions. Now, Sister Bai was picking up her spellbook cultivation again, attempting to fully master the spellbook and turn it into her own innate ability.
It could be said that Sister Bai was currently in a state of constantly trying every new thing she could get her hands on.
Furthermore, the Ordinary Subject didn't require Sister Bai to conduct constant research; she only needed to continuously seek enlightenment.
And all of this was for that sliver of possibility.
"Sister Bai... is the Ordinary Subject really just a springboard? Does it have no other function?" Discussing these topics with Sister Bai was highly beneficial, but I still had many questions.
"I don't know. As a branch of the Soul Subject, which is itself a new major subject, no one dares to say they've completely analyzed it. Perhaps the Ordinary Subject has even more miraculous effects, but there's a high probability they won't compare to the current pioneering and interpretations of the subject." Sister Bai didn't speak in absolutes, but she still chose the most mainstream explanation.
As Sister Bai and I continued our discussion, I realized that our dynamic didn't necessarily have to be just eating, shopping, and experiencing the mundane. It could also be mutual teaching and the exploration of inspiration.
Once we reached a dead end in our discussion of the Ordinary Subject, we didn't force it. Instead, we switched formats.
For instance, we discussed how to transform a spellbook into an ability under one's absolute control and dominance.
Because of her subject, Sister Bai was constantly exposed to new things. As long as she felt she could keep going, she would continue to try until she reached the limit of her abilities.
As for me, it was out of interest. The unknown nature of the Transcendent realm made me very interested in many techniques. I wanted to see if I could learn by analogy, so I would talk to Sister Bai about everything—not just spellbooks, but alchemy and pharmacy as well.
I even mentioned the Totemology I had recently encountered.
In fact, my clone had already done these things with Sister Bai during her spare time when I was traveling through the Expansion Realm a while ago.
As expected, that mode of the clone—putting aside all my current busy work and focusing solely on the interaction with Sister Bai—always managed to find the best way for us to get along.
As for why I wasn't using the clone to continue that mode of interaction now?
Because clones are meant to solve my troubles, provide assistance, and share my pressure—not to live my life for me.
It was as simple as that.
Time passed quickly.
This was especially true when I was doing important things with Sister Bai.
A new day arrived.
"Hmm... it's already this late. Wait, Xiao Han, didn't you plan to handle that business today?"
While Sister Bai and I were discussing how the Fireball Spellbook should undergo derivations outside of its sequence, she suddenly seemed to remember something and reminded me.
"Eh? It seems so! I almost forgot about that." I snapped out of it.
If I still had my old mindset, I might have subconsciously started thinking about how to prove I wasn't just afraid to face it, making up self-justifications.
Even if no one questioned me, my constricted heart would have subconsciously made things difficult for myself back then.
As for now... well, I just forgot. No other reason.
This was the difference between the "current me" and the "past me" who had first arrived.
A metamorphosis of the mindset.
"Can Xiao Han really forget something like that?" Sister Bai giggled, lightly covering her mouth.
"Well~ I subconsciously forget things that aren't too important. Let me figure out how to meet them," I said.
I then took out my original old phone. Looking at it now, the battery was dead.
Well, that was normal.
A quick charge would fix it.
"Xiao Han, you're not planning to just call and notify them like this, are you?"
"How did you know, Sister Bai?"
"Isn't that exactly what you're gearing up to do?"
"Alright... I really couldn't think of any other way, but I... I know them very well." I fiddled with the phone as it charged, eventually speaking with a helpless sigh. "I can already tell exactly what kind of insults they'll use. I even know that after they see my current appearance, they'll use their worldly views to 'greet' my gender. I don't even want to argue with them."
"So... to use your words, Xiao Han, this kind of rare life experience is something that shouldn't be missed, right?"
"Right, I can't miss it! Not everyone gets to have this kind of experience in their life. What I said just now was my guess, but it wasn't my experience. Life is always full of variables; that's where the fun is, isn't it?"
After I finished speaking, I waited for the phone to turn on.
I scrolled through my contacts and found a few names.
the contact list was very clean, with only a handful of names—fewer than the fingers on one hand.
After clicking the first contact in the list, the phone dialed out for the first time in a long while.
Following the dial tone, the call was picked up after only a few seconds.
"Hello? Who is this?" Soon, a low voice came from the other end of the line.
The tone carried a hint of suppressed impatience, like a powder keg ready to blow at any moment. If he heard the voice of a telemarketer, he would likely transform into a machine for venting emotions in the next second.
This was the emotion and behavioral logic I perceived through my Heart Sense after hearing those three words.
"Oh? You don't even recognize me? It looks like you've deleted me from your contacts."
My words caused the other party to fall silent for a moment. He seemed to pull the phone away from his ear to look at the screen.
Perhaps he saw a number with no caller ID.
Or perhaps it was a name he hadn't noticed when answering.
"Who the hell are you? Why do you have that little brat's phone?" The other party seemed to remain silent for a long time before demanding an answer, sounding as if he were forcing himself to be brave.
"Oh, I am the little brat you're talking about. It's been almost a year since we last met. I vaguely remember the last time we spoke, you were screaming at me to come back and obediently enter a Lesser Demon Academy. You haven't lost your memory, have you?"
After I finished speaking, I instinctively moved the phone away from my ear. Unsurprisingly, the phone's speaker began to crackle, unable to handle the distorted volume.
"I thought that after nearly a year of cooling off, they would have realized a few things, but he hasn't changed at all," I said helplessly. I wasn't speaking into the phone, but looking at Sister Bai.
"Yes... not at all." Sister Bai nodded. As she listened to the stream of filth and insults coming from the other end, her originally gentle expression turned much colder.
In Bai Yu's view, if the other party were truly Xiao Han's biological parents, she might have had some reservations. But the fact was... they weren't. And now, as Xiao Han's only family, she naturally couldn't tolerate them insulting her like this.
At this moment, her indifference as a Transcendent Witch toward non-transcendent life began to brew.
However, out of respect for Xiao Han, she suppressed her impulsive heart. Regardless, she would see how Xiao Han handled it. As Xiao Han had said, this was a rare experience in her life as well.
"Are you done?" I brought the phone back to my ear, my tone still relaxed, though the person on the other end certainly wasn't.
"No! You little—"
"You've talked enough nonsense. If you have anything to say, say it to my face later. I'm back. I hope you're prepared to welcome me."
After I said this, the other side seemed caught off guard. There was no sound for a moment.
I chuckled and hung up. The message was delivered; there was no need to waste any more money on the call.
Even though the call didn't cost much, the remaining connection between us... wasn't even worth that small amount of credit.
"Alright, the appointment is made. I guess things really do have a way of working themselves out." After hanging up, my gaze naturally settled on Sister Bai.
"So, Xiao Han, can I come with you?"
"What are you saying? Of course you can come, Sister Bai—if you can stand them talking trash to you." I took it as a given.
But Sister Bai's question reminded me of that phone call from back then. He had questioned whether Sister Bai was as important as their "family" and so on. Looking back now... it really was quite hilarious.
"Of course. After all, I was the one who brought you to the Witch Academy. I should see this through to the end, shouldn't I?" Sister Bai stood up with a smile and stayed by my side as we left our temporary home.
After we stepped out, we reached our destination in just a few steps. After all, Sister Bai's former house was right next door to theirs.
"Hmm, looks like they think it'll take a while for us to arrive."
I looked at the tightly shut door. I had thought he would be so angry he'd wait outside, but it seemed he was just inside sulking.
I stepped forward and knocked. As the thud-thud-thud of the knocking rang out, footsteps approached from inside.
"Stop knocking! You little bastard, you actually dare to... you... you! Who are you?" As the grumbling voice accompanied the creak of the door opening, the prepared insults were choked back into his throat before they could be spat out.
Because upon opening the door, they didn't see the figure they expected. Instead, they saw two young women. After a flash of stunned admiration and lecherous thought crossed his eyes, the man quickly recognized Sister Bai.
"I know you! You're the one who kidnapped my son!" Once he recognized Bai Yu, his rage erupted instantly!
If it weren't for this woman, the boy would never have had the means to escape their control!
With that, he reached out to strike her. In his mind, she was just a woman.
"Oh? You recognize Sister Bai, but you don't recognize me? I suppose that's fair. After all, I'm not the person I used to be."
I reached out and clamped my hand onto his arm.
He strained with all his might, but I didn't budge an inch.
This kind of absolute strength was not something an ordinary person could possess! A cold sweat quickly broke out across his body... she was a Transcendent!
"You... who are you?"
"Me? I am, of course, your former 'good son,' Yang Yuehan."