Joven Primer Ministro, un ermitaño

Capítulo 65

Xuan Xiaotong sat up, clutching his wound, maintaining an unusual demeanor. At least in Xia Chen's eyes, this demeanor seemed exceptionally terrifying; he could almost sense Xuan Xiaotong's malicious intent.

"Why can't I live to be 150? The snake infant is for my health, the legendary life-extending medicine. As for that little girl, she wandered into my room by mistake that day. You know, the children were hungry, so I used her as their dinner," Xuan Xiaotong said casually.

"You!" Xia Chen really wanted to stomp on his face.

Just as Ye Cheng was about to speak, Xuan Xiaotong said, "I was the one who did everything before. The Nuwa Project is a project to achieve immortality. If you're willing, I can go back with you and explain it to you slowly. However, before that, I want to go somewhere."

"No way!" Ye Cheng said.

Xuan Xiaotong smiled faintly and said calmly, "It's okay. If you don't let me go, I'll die. Anyway, after I die, all those secrets will go with me."

"You old fox!" Ye Cheng cursed.

"Come in with me. Don't worry, you have things I'm afraid of, so I won't do anything." Xuan Xiaotong said, walking straight to another door. He pushed the door open, and Ye Cheng and Xia Chen immediately followed him in.

Xia Chen, of course, didn't believe Xuan Xiaotong's words. Xuan Xiaotong was practically a devil; it was all Xia De's doing. Who knew what other tricks Xuan Xiaotong would pull?

Ye Cheng deliberately walked in front of Xia Chen, instinctively shielding him with his shoulder. Xia Chen felt a surge of gratitude, thinking, "What a true brother!"

Seeing the two of them like this, Xuan Xiaotong sneered and rolled her eyes before walking inside. Xia Chen and Ye Cheng followed behind, each carrying a flashlight. Before entering the house, they carefully shone the light around it.

The room was also empty, but unlike the rooms in the laboratory building, it contained three beds.

When Xia Chen looked at the bed, he saw three female corpses, each with a snake's body and a human face!

Snake infant!

Immediately, sweat broke out on the tip of Xia Chen's nose again.

Xuan Xiaotong stopped in front of one of the female corpses, sat down on the bed, and gently took the corpse's hand.

Xia Chen and Ye Cheng stood at the doorway, blocking the moonlight. With the help of the flashlight, Xia Chen could clearly see that Xuan Xiaotong was crying.

"I'm here," Xuan Xiaotong said softly, tears streaming down her face.

Xia Chen glanced at Ye Cheng. Could such a murderer shed crocodile tears? It was truly perplexing.

Xia Chen turned his head and glanced at the snake infant lying on the bed. This glance sent chills down his spine.

Ye Cheng shone his flashlight on the female corpse, and he almost vomited.

The snake infant's corpse had all its skin exposed, and due to oxidation in the air, her skin had long since dried up, resembling celluloid.

Her snake-like body was made of withered scales that shimmered with a pale blue light and were covered in dust, making her look quite disgusting.

Looking at her gaunt face, it was impossible to imagine what she used to look like. The only thing that could be clearly seen was that it was a female corpse, because her hair was very long and her skeleton resembled a woman's.

Who is this?

Why would Xuan Xiaotong cherish a baby snake so much?

Xuan Xiaotong held the snake baby's hand, which was wrapped in skin like a bamboo pole. The muscles were exposed to the air, and the entire arm looked as if the flesh had been turned inside out.

Xuan Xiaotong gently stroked her face, as if caressing a handsome face. However, anyone who saw her face would involuntarily turn away; it was simply too disgusting.

Her skin was so dry and shriveled from dehydration that her mouth could no longer close. In the darkness, her fluorescent green teeth shone through, like fireflies.

At that moment, Xia Chen suddenly remembered Ye Cheng.

Ye Cheng was also bitten by the snake infant. Could Ye Cheng also turn into the snake infant's appearance?

He glanced at Ye Cheng secretly and found that Ye Cheng was staring at Xuan Xiaotong.

Xuan Xiaotong gently stroked the female corpse's hair, or rather, it was just a bunch of black nylon rope-like things tangled together.

"Do you think I'm pretty?" Xuan Xiaotong asked. Ye Cheng, oblivious to the awkwardness, coughed lightly, which earned him a glare from Xuan Xiaotong. "Don't make a sound!" Xuan Xiaotong said. Then, she politely said to the two of them, "This is me. I died many years ago."

Hearing this, Xia Chen's palms broke out in a cold sweat.

He's dead? No way!

Is this the legendary beauty Xuan Xiaotong lying here?

Xia Chen couldn't help but look at the female corpse again; he simply couldn't believe his eyes.

Today, all his reasoning was overturned. It seems necessary to cancel those three deadly courses—physics, chemistry, and biology—once again, since, according to normal theory, a person cannot live to be over 150 years old.

Okay, let's put it another way: even if someone lived to be over 150, no one could possibly maintain Xuan Xiaotong's appearance!

That's incredible.

Ye Cheng and Xia Chen stared intently at Xuan Xiaotong, fearing that the old man might cause some trouble. Xuan Xiaotong, however, looked at her own corpse as if no one else was there, a faint smile on her face—a smile that seemed utterly blissful.

She murmured, "Look how beautiful I am! At twenty, I had smooth skin; at thirty, I had a unique charm. Well then, let this beauty stay at thirty. Forever and ever."

Xuan Xiaotong pulled his own corpse's hand to his face and murmured, "How many host bodies have I changed over the years? I've forgotten."

Xuan Xiaotong wiped away her tears with one hand and gently stroked her face.

Before Xuan Xiaotong could finish speaking, Xia Chen and Ye Cheng were both stunned. What did she mean by that? Then, in the cold moonlight, Xia Chen saw Xuan Xiaotong's sinister gaze.

"You...you didn't say...the Nuwa Project?" Xia Chen asked cautiously, tilting his head.

"Don't interrupt, I'll speak when I want to!" Xuan Xiaotong said.

The moonlight, like water, shone through the window, casting an eerie and chilling aura in Xuan Xiaotong's eyes. It was the same eerie aura that always seemed to rise from the dead at a crematorium. Xia Chen instinctively reached out to pull Ye Cheng's arm, and the touch sent a chill down his spine.

Xia Chen slowly, slowly, little by little turned his head, and saw that what Xia Chen was holding in his hand was the tail of a snake infant!

In the chaos, Xia Chen immediately let go. But before he could dodge, the tail hooked towards him and grabbed at him. Xia Chen didn't have time to shout; he immediately released his grip and rushed away.

Immediately afterwards, Xia Chen fell to the ground with a "thud".

Ye Cheng subconsciously threw the snake infant towards Xuan Xiaotong. Xuan Xiaotong instinctively tried to dodge but failed, and the snake infant hit her squarely in the face.

"Ah!" A sharp scream pierced their eardrums, and when Ye Cheng looked up, a strange scene unfolded.

Xuan Xiaotong's face was covered in blood. Chunks of flesh were peeling off her face—the result of being corroded by the snake infant's blood! Ye Cheng involuntarily took a step back. At that moment, Xuan Xiaotong covered her face, screaming almost frantically, "What happened to me? What happened to me? What happened to my face?"

Ye Cheng swallowed hard. Just then, Xuan Xiaotong suddenly screamed "Ah!" and rushed out of the house. With a loud "bang," the door slammed shut.

Ye Cheng immediately helped Xia Chen up, and at that moment, a thick, acrid smoke rushed in. Flames shot out from under the door—Xuan Xiaotong had set it on fire!

The door was flung open with a bang, and Xuan Xiaotong was seen sitting in the fire, his face covered. His gaze was fixed on the flames, and he was clutching a bomb! "Oh no!"

Ye Cheng immediately dragged Xia Chen outside. He kicked the window and smashed it. At that moment, there was a loud "bang" and a gust of air pushed them out of the window.

011 Epilogue

Fire, a raging fire, turned half the sky red.

The deep blue night sky was illuminated by the fire. Ye Cheng turned around and looked at the experimental building of Yishi Academy burning fiercely in the fire. He didn't know whether to sigh or laugh out loud.

Xuan Xiaotong, this old monster, has gone to great lengths for the "Nuwa Project," and what no one could have imagined is that this old monster has lived to be nearly 150 years old. Perhaps, if the "Nuwa Project" is successfully completed, she really can live forever. However, is immortality truly the most perfect ending? She can live for thousands of years and maintain the appearance of a thirty-year-old, but she must forever endure the ordinariness and loneliness of life.

How many lives did this woman ruin in her quest for immortality? Yet, unexpectedly, after seeing her own disfigurement, she resolutely chose to immolate herself.

Looking back now, Ye Cheng feels like he was an idiot.

In ancient Chinese mythology, wasn't Nuwa always depicted as having a snake's body and a human face? If we had thought of this earlier, perhaps we could have cleared away the fog of mystery long ago, and wouldn't have had to watch so many people die.

In her quest for immortality and eternal youth, Xuan Xiaotong desperately researched various methods to save lives, which led to the creation of all sorts of strange insects. These were the result of her failed research; Xuan Xiaotong hoped to absorb human essence and blood through these monsters, and then achieve immortality by consuming them.

In fact, both Xiao Rou, who died and came back to life, and Luo Shimin, who died and came back to life, were Xuan Xiaotong's test subjects. Firstly, she used them for experiments, and secondly, Xiao Rou could lure Luo Shimin into a trap, and after Luo Shimin died, she could use Luo Shimin to lure Xia Chen into a trap.

Xia Chen didn't know why Xuan Xiaotong wanted to seduce him, or why she liked to disguise herself as him. He wasn't a handsome man or a big star, so what was Xuan Xiaotong's purpose in doing this? Unfortunately, she died, and this secret was lost with her death.

Another explosion rang out from the Xiamen Group building. At that moment, Ye Cheng helped the severely injured Xia Chen to his feet. Ye Cheng's arm was cut by shards of glass, a long gash from which blood flowed continuously. Xia Chen, on the other hand, had finally found the truth he sought, but he had lost the person he loved most forever.

The stars still shine brightly in the darkness; perhaps tomorrow, perhaps tomorrow will be a good day.

Ye Cheng gently raised his head and smiled. He smiled happily because all of this was over. The conspiracy of the Xiamen Group had finally been cracked by him, the invincible and intelligent policeman of the universe! The spring breeze was getting warmer day by day. To be precise, summer was just around the corner.

The cherry blossoms have long since faded. Aren't Luo Shimin and Li Xiao's lives just like cherry blossoms? They bloomed in the most beautiful season of their lives, and died in the most beautiful season of their lives.

The cherry blossoms, falling gently, leave behind a sigh; the deaths of Luo Shimin and Li Xiao, however, cast an indelible shadow on the hearts of the two men. This shadow will accompany them for the rest of their lives. What could be more cruel than watching helplessly as the body of your beloved slowly grows cold?

After Ye Chengxia's conspiracy was uncovered thanks to his efforts, Ye Chengxia took a long leave of absence. Fortunately, he didn't turn into a snake infant, a fact that experts haven't been able to explain.

He's going on a trip, to some really interesting places. Like a small village in Switzerland, for example. He might spend some time in Europe. Maybe only then can he slowly recover?

Before leaving, Ye Cheng took a small amount of Li Xiao's ashes. He found a skilled craftsman to embed them into a watch. This way, he could take her with him all over the world, to the places she had always wanted to go, and to solve cases she could no longer solve. He wanted her to stay by his side forever; after all, she was his apprentice. No matter how much he had doubted her, he ultimately forgave her after her death. Sometimes, forgiveness is a form of redemption, redeeming the longing one cannot let go of.

Summer was approaching, and the old Yishi Academy had returned to its usual tranquility. It was the third day since Xia Chen had returned from the hospital, and he was wrapped up like a rice dumpling. This was all thanks to Hu Rongrong. She didn't know when, but Hu Rongrong had picked up Luo Shimin's habit of making a mountain out of a molehill; for even the smallest wound, Hu Rongrong insisted that the doctor bandage Xia Chen's wounds with two extra layers. In the end, Xia Chen was wrapped up like a mummy.

Back at school, Xia Chen knew his mission there was over, and it was time for him to pack his bags and leave. As for where to go, Xia Chen didn't know. The world was vast, and home was nowhere to be found. Tang Ying was dead, Luo Shimin had passed away, and Xia Chen was now an orphan again.

While packing his luggage, Xia Chen accidentally knocked over the diary. This mysterious diary led to Luo Shimin's death, and when Xia Chen saw it again, he was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

He couldn't help but open the diary one last time. Blood, completely dried blood, stained the entire page, and many of the words were blurry and illegible.

Xia Chen brought the diary close to his eyes, and a nauseating, fishy smell wafted out. Xia Chen was startled; he recognized the smell—it was the smell of snakes!

He immediately tried to decipher the blurry writing on the black paper, which read: "Want to know the real answer? Turn around."

Xia Chen subconsciously turned his head, but failed to see that at the very bottom of the diary were three words that could only be seen with a magnifying glass: "Mr. X".

At the dormitory entrance, a strange-looking, mysterious man stood before him.

Xia Chen was taken aback and asked without thinking, "Who are you?"

Suddenly, Xia Chen had a vague feeling that he had seen this man somewhere before. His hand unconsciously touched the diary, and then he suddenly remembered. In late spring, when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, an elderly man had left a diary behind as he hurried past a cherry tree! That diary was the one he was holding!

Who is he? Why is he here?

At this moment, the man's expression was very strange, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

Xia Chen was taken aback and unconsciously put down the diary in his hand.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Xia Chen couldn't help but ask.

The man walked in with a cunning smile on his face. Although he was smiling, his eyes were full of coldness. He stopped three meters away from Xia Chen.

Three meters is a perfect distance for both offense and defense. Xia Chen suddenly felt that something was off about the man, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

The man nodded to Xia Chen and asked in an extremely friendly tone, "You don't recognize me? I'm the principal here."

Xia Chen was taken aback. The principal?

The man smiled slightly, put his hands in his pockets, and then said, "Are you just going to leave like this? Don't you want to know the truth?"

Xia Chen was taken aback, and subconsciously said, "The truth?"

The man smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, it's a bit irresponsible of you to leave without fully understanding the truth, Xia!"