Chapter 12: April 13, The Day of the Zodiac Shift

A difficult question has been thrown out, a monumental life decision placed before me—could I have a little time to process it?

Changye smiled, “Of course! You still have the chance to change your mind before you step into the civil service exam room.”

“Have a cup of tea, then. This tea is from Tashan, not famous, and the handmade leaves aren’t much to look at, but it’s quite fragrant…” Lin Xiaosu raised his cup and offered a toast to Changye.

Changye took a gentle sip, her gaze drifting to the quiet mountain village outside. At this hour, though the village was silent, every household's lights still glimmered.

Changye remarked, “You’ve got quite a few people in this little village.”

“That’s probably the advantage of a suburban village. There’s always some work to keep people alive here. Rural folk don’t ask for much—so long as they can survive, no one wants to leave. But the other villages below are different. Young people have to leave for work; on most days, aside from three old men and a dog, you’d hardly see another soul. That’s the helplessness of life: the homeland can’t contain the body, and foreign lands can’t place the soul…”

“The homeland can’t contain the body, and foreign lands can’t place the soul… What a profound statement!” Changye’s gaze slowly returned to him. “So, in the coming week, you’ll be torn—should your life settle your body, or your soul? Am I right?”

Lin Xiaosu let out a quiet laugh. “There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“The weather’s warming up. You’re wrapped head to toe in human skin—doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?”

Changye stared at him, her eyes shining.

Lin Xiaosu looked at her calmly.

Changye sighed softly. “You’re the first to notice I’m wearing human skin when I walk among others.”

“If I hadn’t figured it out, would you be disappointed? After all, I’m not like the others; the only tool I have to make a living are these eyes.”

“That’s true!” Changye replied. “It’s not that I purposely hide my true face—it’s a necessity. I am a toxin-bearer. If I didn’t wear this skin, and you accidentally touched my bare flesh, you’d die.”

Lin Xiaosu’s heart skipped a beat. “So this is the other side of genetic modification, isn’t it?”

“Yes, genetic modification breaks natural laws. You gain some things, but you must lose others…”

“Xiaosu…”

His mother’s voice called from downstairs.

Changye lowered her voice. “Is that your mom?”

Lin Xiaosu nodded gently.

“Should I slip away?”

“Slip away? She’s already outside the door, where would you go?”

“What should I do then?” Changye grew anxious, glancing at the window, which was barred with iron and didn’t allow for escape.

“Just say you’re my classmate.”

“What if she mistakes me for your girlfriend and hands me a red envelope with ten thousand and one yuan?”

“In your dreams! Last time she gave me ten thousand, and now you want to take it back?” Lin Xiaosu shot her a look, then opened the door.

The door swung open, and his mother stood at the threshold, her eyes wide in surprise.

She never expected it—a golden house hiding beauty!

And not just any beauty—her face, her figure, so striking…

“Hello, Auntie, I’m Xiaosu’s classmate. I heard he’s taking the civil service exam, so I came to check in…” Changye smiled sweetly.

Clouds of color drifted across his mother’s face, blooming into rosy hues. “That’s wonderful! And you haven’t eaten, have you? Auntie will cook for you two—go ahead and chat, chat…”

She exited the room happily, even closing the door behind her.

Moments later, Lin Xiaosu’s phone chimed with a text. Changye glanced over, reading the message from his mother: Should we give the girl a red envelope?

“Yes, yes! Ten thousand and one, a lucky number—one in ten thousand!” Changye said.

“You’re stingier than a miser, aren’t you worried it’ll affect my choices?” Lin Xiaosu shot her a glare, replying with just two words: No need.

Yet, this little farce drew them closer. The mysterious and elite Hidden Dragon organization seemed, for a moment, to possess a certain warmth.

Perhaps that was Changye’s real intention.

The next moment, Changye and Lin Xiaosu descended the stairs. His mother lingered, but Changye insisted she needed to head back to the city. His mother urged Lin Xiaosu to escort her, but Changye said she’d driven, her car parked at the bend in the road. Lin Xiaosu walked her to the corner, where Changye smiled lightly, tapped her toe, vaulted onto the treetop, and vanished in a flash.

This was the second time she had revealed her skills before Lin Xiaosu.

Thrilling, perhaps her way of telling him: Come, our circle is filled with endless wonders…

The next day, April 13.

As the sun set, the old village of Tashan rang with the tinkling of cowbells, clear and melodious.

Lin Xiaosu trekked up the mountain path, listening to the chorus of chickens and dogs, feeling a surge of emotion.

The rural life his elders spoke of had changed in his perception.

The familiar sounds of chickens and dogs, once the norm for generations, had become a luxury in modern villages.

Only in suburban villages did the most primitive scenes of rural life remain.

In the villages below, there were no young people left.

Only a handful of elders, leaning on their heavy walking sticks, wandered from east to west; at night, even the dogs did not bark.

Some say the countryside, in its aging, is step by step moving toward death.

Some say this is progress, that urbanization is the future…

Lin Xiaosu had walked a circuit through the city, returned to his small village, and truthfully enjoyed rural life; but his future path would never be here…

Liulin Temple was as quiet as ever.

His second uncle emerged from within, eyes brightening at the sight of Lin Xiaosu. “Don’t tell me your aunt is ill again.”

Lin Xiaosu shook his head. “Uncle, must you wait for Aunt’s illness to go home? Even ancient doctors knew prevention is better than cure.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means tonight I’ll keep watch for you—go home and spend time with Aunt.”

Second Uncle eyed him suspiciously. “I don’t believe you’re suddenly so thoughtful.”

“Then I’ll leave?”

Second Uncle’s face animated. “You’re here already, what’s the point in leaving? You’ll stand watch tonight! But…”

“But what?”

“Tonight is another Zodiac shift night. What are you planning?”

“Alright, I’ll be straight. I suspect Tiger Girl’s strong physique comes from the Zodiac shift’s energy permeation. So, whenever there’s a Zodiac shift, I climb the mountain to try my luck at energy permeation.”

“That’s more like it!” Second Uncle’s face blossomed like a chrysanthemum. “That girl’s physique is not something ordinary people can handle. I’m glad you’re interested—good, I’ll let you have this chance, get yourself a good body to match hers…”

He made his position clear, repeated the procedure for Lin Xiaosu, then happily went down the mountain to meet his aunt.

Lin Xiaosu stood on the platform of Liulin Temple, rubbing his nose.

Uncle, aren’t you misunderstanding something?

Yes, I seek opportunity, but I never intended to subdue your girl.

Subduing her wouldn’t be hard—I don’t fight with her.

And there’s a secret I’m not sure I should share. I personally feel your girl has been playing hard to get with me. If I used some tricks, took a tougher approach, things between us would be muddled beyond repair…

Tonight the moon was bright and sparse, and the mountain’s azaleas were scattered like stars.

Spring had passed, and the chirping of birds and insects made for perfect nocturnal entwining.

Lin Xiaosu sat on the platform, his pair of enlightened eyes surveying the mountain spring—not just the literal spring, but with a deeper meaning. For example, in the deep pool below the platform, he saw two toads piled atop each other, their croaking likely equivalent to humans’ murmurs…

Looking up, the night seemed nonexistent—he could see ten miles at a glance, spotting the small river to the west of the village. Anna appeared right on schedule; her husband was truly diligent, carrying vegetables by day and standing guard for his wife by night. Once Anna finished bathing, he’d work hard and happily again…

The chorus of chickens and dogs, the mundane scenes of life, repeated day after day, moment by moment…

“Hey!” came Tiger Girl’s habitual greeting, marking her arrival.

Her father went down the mountain, she came up. Her father kept her mother company, she kept Lin Xiaosu company.

This seemed to carry a special significance, so Tiger Girl’s cheeks were a little flushed.

She brought dinner—quite a feast, with meat, fish, and wine.

The meat was proper cured pork, the fish from the Yishui River, the vegetables grown in their own field, and the wine was local Chu Spring.

Tiger Girl ate and drank with him. Though Lin Xiaosu didn’t drink much, she was quite hearty, downing at least four hundred grams from a single bottle.

That drinking capacity…

“In a few days, it’s exam time, right?” Tiger Girl asked.

“Mm, six days.”

“Can you really make it?”

“I don’t know. My mom found a lot of patrons, but I’m not sure if they’ll help.”

“Pfft! She just went to Guanyin, right?” Tiger Girl scoffed, “If that worked, I’d have gone to college with you back then.”

“Really? You prayed too?”

“I didn’t, my mom did. She dragged your mom along. Your mom prayed for you to get into a top school, my mom couldn’t tell which colleges were better, so when she made her vow, she pointed at your mom and told the Bodhisattva… Let my daughter be just like her son! The monk nearby burst out laughing…”

Lin Xiaosu laughed.

Tiger Girl grew a little dejected. “I strongly suspect the Bodhisattva at Qingyuan Temple misunderstood. My mom wanted me to be like you, but the Bodhisattva must’ve taken it as similar physical strength, so kept building up my body, making me less and less like a woman…”

“Who says you’re not like a woman? I think you are…” Lin Xiaosu grabbed her hand, pointing here and there, “For example, here…”

His finger landed, and Tiger Girl shivered—seemed his touch was right on target…

The atmosphere in the temple grew a little tense.

Tiger Girl rolled her eyes quietly. “You really want to make a move?”

“I only want to correct your thinking, so you don’t always feel you’re not a woman. It’s purely out of kindness.”

“We’re so close, would you really dare?”

“There’s no obstacle, really. Your parents are closer than us—why not ask your dad if he dared make a move on your mom…”

“That… actually makes sense. Want to try?”

Lin Xiaosu grew excited…

Tiger Girl sprang up. “Oh my god, your eyes are glowing green—I’m leaving!”

Interrupted again, they went back to idle chatter. Amid gossip, the moon rose above the sun.

Tonight was April 13, the moon already full, so bright that even the temple’s solar lamps seemed to lose their glow.