Nouvelle d'horreur Azure Heart

Chapitre 1

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Things in the Pond (by That Fox)

Chapter One

When the blackfish first encountered the carp, it was troubled. It didn't understand why it was a fish, and why, despite being a fish, it had to eat other fish... It hoped to change its fate, so it began to cultivate itself. Three hundred years later, when it finally no longer needed to eat fish, it faced a new dilemma—what should it eat then?

It materialized into the form of a boy, sitting by a pond, dipping his feet in the water, gazing at the sky and sighing. Just then, someone gently patted its shoulder. It was a bright-eyed boy, smiling innocently.

The boy smiled and asked, "Hello, my name is Li Zi... Do you know where I can buy red bean buns around here?"

It immediately asked, with a look of utter bewilderment, what a red bean bun was.

Carp patiently squatted down and drew a diagram on the ground with a twig. "Simply put, it's something 'people' eat, something sweet and soft..."

After hearing this, the blackfish finally understood that the boy before it, like itself, was a being called a "fairy." It suddenly felt a sense of regret for not having met him sooner, and asked the carp why it wanted to be a fairy. The carp answered simply, "To go to the pond next door and listen to gossip..."

So, it still asked, with an idiotic look on its face, what gossip was.

Carp remained patiently squatting down to explain...

And so, darkness fell...

And so, Blackfish tasted its first red bean bun. It finally understood what "sweet" truly meant. It was a flavor that could melt the soul, a slightly cloying warmth...

And so, the blackfish met the carp. To keep up with the times, it imitated the carp, changing its name to "Blackie," wearing a cloth covering, combing its hair, and going to the human market to buy red bean buns. Then, carrying the buns, it went to a larger pond to listen to gossip... of course, with the carp...

The blackfish was no longer troubled. It finally realized that if it didn't want to eat fish, it could always eat red bean buns...

Chapter Two

That happened later...

The blackfish bid farewell to its own pond and went to the carp's pond. It was a lively place. There was a catfish that seemed to have a high level of cultivation and liked to change the subject with "I once..."; there was a river shrimp that despised fish and aimed to become an immortal; there was a crab that had only recently taken human form and often forgot to change its whiskers; and there was also the kind auntie crucian carp and the serious uncle lobster... It was a very lively place, and the warm crowd was like a campfire, making people who were used to being alone unconsciously throw themselves into it.

The blackfish disliked being alone, so it squeezed in without hesitation. After hearing the story of how the blackfish and the carp met, the river shrimp scoffed, "Tch! Moving house for a red bean bun? Fish really are stupid!"

"Ah—racism—" The blackfish and the carp habitually shouted this together, a strange tacit understanding, as natural as the wind blowing and flowers falling.

“Hehe...Speaking of racial discrimination, I used to..." the catfish said slowly.

"Old Catfish, don't change the subject!" the demons said in unison, a strange and inexplicable understanding, as intense as thunder and rain.

"But don't the shrimp also think the red bean buns are delicious?" the crab said softly.

The river shrimp glared at him. "I'm talking about intelligence, not whether the red bean bun tastes good or not."

"Ah—racism—" the blackfish and the carp shouted again.

"It's nothing really..." the catfish said with a smile (if fish could smile), "Do you know that fox on the mountain over there?"

“Oh…that fox that’s said to have a thousand years of cultivation…” The river shrimp’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Hmm. With a few more years of cultivation, it could become an immortal..." the catfish stroked its whiskers. "But, back then..."

"Old Catfish, don't change the subject!"

"Uh... I wasn't trying to change the subject..." the catfish said, sounding aggrieved. "I meant to say that back then, just because a little boy gave it a green dumpling, it desperately cultivated itself to become human. Later, that boy entered the path of immortality, so it abandoned the demonic path and went to cultivate immortality too..."

"Oh... green rice dumplings are delicious too..." the carp and the blackfish said, holding each other's hands.

"Idiot! It's not for the green rice dumplings, it's because it likes that person! Fish, you're so stupid!" the river shrimp sneered.

"Ah—racism—" the blackfish and the carp cried out with tears in their eyes.

"Why did you like it? Was it because of a green rice dumpling?" the crab asked innocently, waving its claws.

"I don't know..." the catfish replied, wiggling its tail.

"Who is that person?" the demons asked curiously.

“It’s Master Ji You, the owner of the Taoist temple on that mountain…” the catfish replied.

= = | | |

"That Master Ji You who's really good at catching demons?" the river shrimp asked timidly, biting its antennae.

"Which other seasonal tours are there?" the catfish asked matter-of-factly.

= = | | |

"The green rice dumplings are so delicious..." River Shrimp sighed as he looked at the lotus flowers on the pond.

"Yes, that's right..." the carp nodded vigorously.

"It's so delicious..." the crab exclaimed.

"Even better than red bean buns?" Blackfish asked longingly.

“Um… speaking of delicious food… I once…” the catfish began.

"Old Catfish, don't change the subject!!!"

= = #

Chapter Three

It was 200 years later that Chi came to be the water official of this small pond.

That day, the spring sunshine was bright and the birds were singing. Carp and blackfish were basking in the sun on the soft mud at the bottom of the pond. Suddenly, a beam of white light shone directly into the pond, and instantly, the small bamboo grove around the pond was dappled with silver light.

"Oh... stars..." Blackfish exclaimed, bewildered by the beautiful scenery before him.

"Mmm...make a wish..." the carp responded wistfully.

"Ah... I'm being crushed—" the crab groaned in pain.

"Crab, are you alright?" The river shrimp used its tongs to pull the crab out and asked with concern.

The blackfish and carp came to their senses, carefully examined the bewildered dragon, and then looked at the flat crab, and decided to rid the people of this scourge!

"Hey!" the two fish exclaimed in unison, "You audacious four-legged snake demon, how dare you cause trouble here!"

Chi blinked, "Um, I'm not four..."

"Enough with the nonsense! Blackie, let's go!" Carp said indignantly.

The dragon said innocently, "I, I'm not..."

"You audacious demon, stop trying to argue!" the blackfish shouted, mimicking an opera singer.

The dragon clutched its claws, "But I'm not..."

"Hey, stop wasting time talking to it, let's go!"

"Yes, brothers united can break metal!"

"I really didn't..."

"It's not a lizard! You stupid fish!" the river shrimp cried out in frustration!

“Ah—racism—” cried the blackfish and the carp.

Having finally gotten a chance to speak, Chi tried his best to say, "I am not a four-legged snake, I am a Chi dragon, and I am here to serve as the water official."

"Ah...it's a dragon..." the demons exclaimed longingly.

"Can dragons become spirits?" the blackfish asked eagerly.

“Anything can become a spirit, Blackie!” the carp replied gently.

"Carp, you know so much..." Blackfish said with admiration.

"Please, dragons are born as divine beasts, they don't need to become spirits at all! Fish are so stupid!" the river shrimp said coldly.

"Ah—racism—"

"Hmm... what's your name, Lord Water Official?" The catfish swam over and asked a serious question.

Chi thought for a moment, "Oh, everyone calls me White Chi because I'm white..."

"Idiot (螭)?" = = | | |

"What a great name! Simple, easy to understand, and thought-provoking!" the carp exclaimed.

"Insightful and impactful!" Blackfish added.

"Unprecedented and unparalleled!" the carp continued.

"Shocking and unprecedented!" Blackfish added.

"..."

Just as the two fish were amusing themselves, a copper coin suddenly flew into the water and hit the carp on the head, causing the carp to immediately flip up belly-up.

The catfish looked up and saw a group of kind villagers who had seen the white light earlier. They took it as a good omen and threw copper coins into the water to pray for good fortune.

"It's divine retribution..." the river shrimp mocked.

"Carp, Carp, how are you???" Blackfish asked anxiously.

"Kuroko, if I die, will you miss me?" the carp asked, still belly up.

"Yes, I will, Carp!" the blackfish cried, "...No, Carp, if you die, what's the point of me living? I'll die too!" With that, the blackfish turned belly up.

"Hei Zi! He's truly my good brother..."

"Carp!"

"Heizi!"

"Carp!"

...

The dragon held its claws, unable to understand the situation before it.

The river shrimp raised its eyebrows, looking completely unfazed.

The crabs diligently picked up the copper coins from the pond.

The catfish gazed wistfully at the pond filled with rain of money.

"Ah! Counterfeit money!" the crab suddenly shouted. "'Open,' 'Pass,' 'Pay,' 'Treasure'! This is counterfeit money, isn't it?" the crab read the words on the copper coin and asked.

"What? Counterfeit money!" The carp and the blackfish simultaneously resumed their swimming posture and cried out in surprise.