Looking at Zheng Shuxuan sitting in front of me, I felt a surge of emotions.
A year ago, she was still called An Ying. Back then, I worked under her, knowing nothing about her except for a vague sense of fondness.
Every time I recalled those days, I had this strange feeling, as if it all happened ages ago.
"I heard about the situation in Guangbei," Zheng Shuxuan said. "Although I don't know what role you played in it, I believe the downfall of the four major families is closely related to you."
I gave a wry smile. "I didn't play any significant role in that matter. I think the outcome would have been the same even without me."
"Is that so?" Zheng Shuxuan asked, a smile on her face, blinking her large eyes at me.
I nodded. She continued, "Is everything going smoothly for you in Guangling?"
"Mm," I couldn't help but ask, "What about you? Brother Yang mentioned you seemed to be in some trouble recently..."
A hint of sadness flickered across her face. "You know my situation. The memories I obtained from the Water Moon Guanyin were not extensive... After returning to Qinnan, I reached an agreement with the mysterious organization that has been searching for me."
"What agreement?" I asked.
She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think you should know the purpose of their search for me..."
"Is it to study why you are immortal?" I interrupted.
She nodded with a bitter smile. "Precisely... It's fair to say they know me better than I know myself. Their records about me contain more information than I ever imagined."
"So, you intend to use them to understand your past?"
"Mm," Zheng Shuxuan nodded.
"And what are their terms?"
"To cooperate with them in certain research."
"What kind of research? Human experimentation, dissection, that sort of thing?" I couldn't help but ask.
Zheng Shuxuan remained silent, which implied it was indeed something similar to what I had speculated.
"What kind of organization are they?" I asked.
She didn't answer my question directly. Instead, she said, "I don't know much about them either, but at present, cooperating with them seems like the best option for me."
"Even if they use you for human experimentation?"
"They don't seem to have any plans for human experimentation," Zheng Shuxuan replied. "Perhaps they've already done so a long time ago."
I blinked, looking at her in confusion.
"They are a very ancient organization. Perhaps I had some contact with them long ago, but unfortunately, I've lost that memory."
Hearing this, I was at a loss for words.
The possibility she mentioned was not entirely unfounded.
The thought of it made me feel uneasy. I said, "Is there no other way but to cooperate with them?"
Zheng Shuxuan replied, "It's not that we *must* cooperate, but given the current circumstances, we can both get what we need."
She paused, then added, "Let's not talk about my affairs anymore. Tell me about yours. Have you made any progress with the Suihou Pearl?"
I told her about my plan to go to the Greater Khingan Range. She nodded, seeming somewhat distracted.
"Xiao Fei, have you ever thought about becoming a Suozhe?"
Her question made me frown. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you want to become a Suozhe. Brother Yang should have told you that once you become a Suozhe, you gain certain special abilities."
"Why are you suddenly asking me this?" I asked, confused.
"Actually, I wanted to ask you this when we were in Guangbei last time, but I was afraid you would refuse," Zheng Shuxuan said. "You've helped me a lot, and I've never had a chance to thank you. The only thing I can do for you now is to help you become a Suozhe. Once you become one, it might be of some help in your search for the Suihou Pearl."
Speaking of Suozhe, I was indeed tempted. But if I became a Suozhe, wouldn't I have to follow her forever?
Seeing my silence, she seemed to have guessed my thoughts. She said, "Making you a Suozhe is merely my good intention, and I don't require you to do anything for me. Once you become a Suozhe, the special abilities you possess will be entirely up to you; I cannot decide what abilities you will have."
"How does one become a Suozhe?" I couldn't help but ask.
She pursed her lips. "It's a bit complicated to explain..."
At this point, Yang Hanxue, who was nearby, couldn't help but interject, "Young Miss, at this moment, if you want Brother Xiang to become a Suozhe, won't it be too risky?"
Risky? I looked at Zheng Shuxuan with confusion.
She took a deep breath and said, "As long as Xiao Fei is willing, the risk is irrelevant."
After that, she turned to me. "Xiao Fei, think about it. If you want to, I can make you a Suozhe."
After leaving the teahouse, on the way back with Yang Hanxue driving me, I couldn't help but ask him about Suozhe.
As he drove, he began to tell me about Suozhe.
He had mentioned before that becoming a Suozhe would grant certain special abilities, often referred to as supernatural powers.
As for what these supernatural powers were, no one knew for sure.
Yang Hanxue said, "For every Suozhe that is born, the Young Miss has to pay a very high price..."
"What price?"
"She has to be reborn."
I was taken aback. "You mean, she has to die once?"
Yang Hanxue nodded. "Exactly. That's why there aren't many Suozhe currently. And we are the descendant Suozhe; our inheritance comes from our ancestors. However, if it's a newly promoted Suozhe, their abilities will be stronger than descendant Suozhe. In other words, if you become a Suozhe now, and your abilities are similar to mine, then your abilities will be several times greater than my current ones... With each generation of inheritance, the abilities weaken."
"So, if I become a Suozhe, no one knows what abilities I will possess?" I asked.
Yang Hanxue nodded. "Mm."
For a moment, I was undecided. The idea of supernatural powers possessed by Suozhe was something I found hard to accept, but the reality was before my eyes, and I couldn't help but believe it.
If I possessed such abilities, wouldn't that mean I was no longer an ordinary person?
Whether this would be good or bad for me, I was unsure. But one thing was certain: if I wanted to become a Suozhe, Zheng Shuxuan would definitely have to "die." When she woke up again, she would be a different person...
Should I become a Suozhe?
I began to feel conflicted.
Why did she want me to become a Suozhe? Was it purely out of good intentions, or was she facing some trouble and unwilling to tell me more?