When the sun sets again, the sea surrounding the city is dyed golden, as if what is flowing through the city is no longer cold sea water, but gorgeous paint.
According to ancient mythology, there is a city made of gold in the world. It is probably not much more beautiful than Venice today.
Xu Zhe was in no mood to continue doing business today. The appearance of the King of Hell disrupted his peaceful life. It also told him that those guys above were really anxious. Otherwise, the restrictive agreement signed for thousands of years would not be easily destroyed by him.
But Xu Zhe found it funny to think about the idea of collectively going down to the mortal world to fight against demons. The law of the three realms, based on the earth entity where the human world is located, derived the demon world and the divine world. Gods, humans and demons exist in their own space and live in peace. But if anyone wants to jump out of such a boundary and go to a place that does not belong to him, the energy required is unimaginable. Nearly half of the spiritual power will be consumed in this process. The demons are not bad, they can quickly make up for it by devouring living beings. And the gods who live by absorbing the spirits of heaven and earth cannot recover their strength and status in the divine world without nearly five hundred years of recuperation.
The legendary 100,000 strong and powerful heavenly soldiers and generals, after coming down to earth, became no different from ordinary monsters.
If they really fought against the demons that had been roaming the human world for thousands of years, it would be equivalent to collective suicide. Moreover, fighting against the Nine-Tailed Fox does not mean winning by sheer numbers, as evidenced by the foolish gods of Japan who came down to earth to destroy it. A group battle against a wounded Nine-Tailed Fox would have resulted in the entire army being annihilated, and the result was that it was sealed for a thousand years.
As for how the Nine-Tailed Fox threatened the gods in another dimension, Xu Zhe knew that it must have its own methods, and they were far beyond the imagination of the gods.
Unfortunately, I no longer have the mood to get involved in this war that does not belong to me, because I still can't find a solution...
Holding the sword to slay demons, she had to face the face she least wanted to hurt. Even though she knew that it was the bastard Nine-Tailed Fox who took over Wu Qian's body, she was still alive in that corpse.
A hesitant soldier cannot go to the battlefield, and no one can help a hesitant person...
Suddenly, Xu Zhe, who had walked to the middle of the stone bridge, stopped. The lively crowd in front blocked the way, and the police were blocking the boundary. In the distance, a police airboat was coming at high speed with sirens blaring.
The stench of blood in the air made Xu Zhe realize that this would not be a good thing.
Some of the onlookers in the innermost part rushed out and vomited continuously, while others left with trembling arms and terrified eyes.
This bridge was the only way to get home, so Xu Zhe had to hold up his easel and drawing board and squeeze into the crowd.
The reason for the crowd's attention was a female corpse that had just been pulled out of the water. Young and beautiful, with a plump and smooth body exposed to the air. But this was definitely not something worth appreciating or fantasizing about. Except for the face, the entire corpse was covered with canine teeth and blood holes like a dog bite. The neck was even more suspicious, how could the head still be connected to the body
Anyone with eyes can see that this woman did not die of natural causes. If it were Country Z, the Paranormal Investigation Division would have had another chance to extort her. But in this tourist city, such evil incidents are suppressed whenever possible. If the body had not floated into the city along the sea, the police would have been extremely reluctant to deal with it during the day.
It was none of my business. I returned to my rented house. Xu Zhe did come back early today. Reina's mother was preparing dinner in the kitchen, and her father was still rowing outside.
Xu Zhe liked this Italian "landlord in-laws" very much because they would not ask about his origins and would not talk about themselves with others.
My father is a boatman, similar to taxi drivers in other cities. He has been rowing for 30 years and there is no place in Venice that he doesn't know.
My mother is a lace maker who works at home. Venice is rich in two kinds of handicrafts, one is glass and the other is the beautiful lace. Unlike the lace outside, the works here are almost all handmade. It often takes 7 workers half a year to make a lace tablecloth with a diameter of two meters. They are artists who deserve more admiration than painters.
Reina is studying in a high school on the water. Like all high school girls in China, she is always happy, unaware of the hardships of society and what worries are. She is happy and enjoys her peaceful and comfortable life.
When Xu Zhe pushed open the door and entered the house, he scared Lena, who was doing homework at the dining table in the living room, as if she had seen a ghost during the day.
It was no wonder that this man, covered in paint, would not come back until eight in the evening, when the moon and stars were all visible in the sky. But today he closed his stall before the sun went down, which was a miracle, wasn't it
"Zhe, you're back so early? I made some delicious barbecue, let's eat together!" The mother in the kitchen greeted him politely. Unfortunately, three months had passed and she still hadn't mastered the pronunciation of the Z form, so she called Xu Zhe "Mafeng".
"You guys eat, I've already eaten." Xu Zhe replied naturally, climbed up the stairs directly, returned to his room and locked the door.
Only then did Reina have the opportunity to take a long breath and relieve her tension.
After dinner, the sky was shrouded in darkness. I don’t know if it’s because we are near the sea, but the night sky here feels clearer than anywhere else. The huge moon seemed to be within reach, and it seemed like it would fall down if the night sky could not hold up.
The clear sky makes the stars connect into a piece, and the various constellations can probably only be seen by astronomers. The Ursa Major and the Bear constellation sometimes make people wonder if they are made up. There are only a few glowing stars, so how can they be associated with a bear
Picking up the unfinished homework, her mother's work occupied the living room, forcing Reina back to her bedroom. Although it reduced the fun of watching TV, Reina's desk was facing the window. Some boatmen who were still rowing on the river outside the window would always sing songs at night from time to time. Some guys who were born tone-deaf liked to sing a few songs. Seeing them almost running away from Europe, it could also provide Reina with something to laugh at while she was doing her boring homework.
Suddenly, something fell from the window sill in front of her, scaring Reina who was thinking about the equation so much that she almost screamed. When she looked closely, she found that it was a human leg. The red paint on the corner of the pants made it easy for Reina to know who it belonged to.
A strange idea squeezed out the unformed equation in her head. She took a deep breath, calmed down for thirty seconds, put down the pen in her hand, and left her room.
The houses in Venice are full of history. The unique geographical conditions do not allow for tall and magnificent buildings to appear here. Therefore, each house has maintained its original appearance, with stone brick structures and tilted red tile roofs, which have not changed for hundreds of years.
Lying on the slanted roof, the angle allows one to face the beautiful night sky. Xu Zhe is worried, and he doesn't want to be locked in the room alone.
So the stars and the moon became my companions. They would not express their opinions, but they would accompany me quietly until dawn. This was enough...
"Zhe, are you there?" Although they are biological mother and daughter, Reina's pronunciation is much more standard.
Before Xu Zhe could answer, the girl with her hands in her jeans had already walked up to him.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Xu Zhe's tone seemed colder than the night. He wondered if he had become accustomed to treating people this way
"It's nothing, actually. I was just bored and wanted to take a walk." Reina crossed her index and middle fingers in her trouser pockets because she had just told a lie.
Seeing that Xu Zhe had no objection, the 17-year-old girl tried to sit next to Xu Zhe, bending her knees and gently swaying her body back and forth.
I had already blamed myself thoroughly in my heart, scolding myself for coming up without thinking about the topic, which made it so embarrassing now.
"By the way, how long do you plan to stay here?" Reina asked with a smile in a panic.
"What? Do you want to chase me away?" Xu Zhe said coldly.
"No, no, that's not what I meant!" Reina shook her hands and head in denial, she was so anxious that she was almost sweating.
"I'm just kidding, don't be so nervous." Even so, there was no trace of smile on Xu Zhe's face.
"How can you joke with a straight face..." Reina sighed softly and complained, "Do all artists have such a rich sense of humor?"
"Artist? You and me?" Xu Zheke never dared to call himself that.
"Yes, you draw so well that even old people who have been painting in the market all their lives praise you as a rare talent! Have you ever thought about holding an art exhibition?" What Lena said was true. Xu Zhe's talent was indeed recognized.
"I just like the tranquility when I paint. There's no need for others to criticize me." Xu Zhe doesn't like standing on the podium and crying and thanking this and that.
"What a pity! I think your painting 'Bride Under the Moon' is very well done. It will surely become a hit if it is exhibited or participated in a competition." Lena silently felt sorry for Xu Zhe.
"The Bride Under the Moon?" Xu Zhe never remembered naming his work like this, but he immediately understood which one Reina was referring to. "Oh, that's not a work for others to see, but one created just for one person..."
"Is she your wife?" Lena asked anxiously.
"No, a friend, a partner, someone I owe..." Thinking of that familiar figure, Xu Zhe's eyes dimmed a lot.
"Is she beautiful?" The girl was jealous because of the tenderness revealed in Xu Zhe's tone.
"She is very pretty, but she doesn't know how to dress up. She always likes to wear men's suits and looks serious. She is very serious about her work, but she always likes to do stupid things." Memories are sometimes better than reality, because what is remembered are generally the most beautiful parts, even quarrels and disagreements feel sweet.
"So you like this type?" She leaned her face slightly on her knees. Although Reina was still, she also understood that the person in her heart had other people in her heart. "Why don't you stay with her?"
"I can't do it. She is no longer the same person she used to be. It's all my fault. Because of me, she has endured suffering that ordinary people can hardly imagine, and I can't do anything to help her. You won't understand..." While speaking, Xu Zhe's voice and body were trembling. Is he so unwilling
"Actually, I really don't understand..." Looking down at the river that had flowed for who knows how many years, Reina also had her own understanding, "Why do people always like to 'can't do it'?"
Xu Zhe, who was standing by, was also stunned by the question.
"How can you lose confidence before you do something? Shouldn't you try hard even if there is a 1% chance? If you don't work hard, how do you know you can't do it? My dream is to become the most popular movie star and lead different kinds of lives. But I'm just attending an ordinary high school. My classmates all laugh at me for having an unrealistic dream, but I never think it's impossible. One day, I will become the brightest star up there." He pointed a finger to the sky, his thin appearance looked so determined, "I will try my best before I die. Even when I die, I won't regret it, because at least I have tried hard... Doesn't it feel like deceiving yourself?"
At this time, Reina smiled apologetically and embarrassedly.
Only then did Xu Zhe take a serious look at this 17-year-old girl. She was as innocent as Wu Qian, and even her philosophy of life was similar.
They are all the guys who will say, "You won't know it's impossible unless you try."
So even though I clearly told her that she couldn't help at all, she still followed me closely.
"Another stubborn girl." Smiling, Congwa stood up and patted Reina's head, as gentle as an uncle. "You will succeed...your dream of becoming a star. Because you have something worthy of people's admiration, and you also have a beautiful face."
After finishing, I turned around and left the house and went back to my room. I didn’t know where my worries had gone.
But Lena just sat there blankly, her heart beating wildly.
Little did he know that, from a distant building, several pairs of ferocious eyes were staring at him...