Monsters Die When Killed

"I can’t satisfy my parents’ demands, but surely I can satisfy a little thing like you? Nectar is on the house! As long as I’m here, eat as much as you want!"

He said this to the clueless flower fairy with a heroic air, but after speaking, he sighed in self-mockery. "Ah, I’m just awkwardly talking to myself... How pathetic."

But in any case, the times he spent watering and fertilizing the plant, feeding the Flower Fairy nectar every evening, and watching her happily lap it up were rare moments when Chen Zhicheng could finally relax and smell the sweet floral scent.

His hard, tedious work seemed to have found some meaning. Gradually, the Flower Fairy even began to fly over and greet him proactively whenever he returned to his room, bringing with her a cool breeze—a rare treat in summer—and the light fragrance of orchids.

Perhaps because of this, he found he had more energy. He started proactively greeting his neighbors and waving to acquaintances he passed on the street. They, in turn, would smile, wave, and greet him back... Change was a two-way street.

Even that punk kid Su Zhou, who was never up to any good, had suddenly started giving him such cheerful smiles.

As time went on, a week and a half later, on the rainy day of August 15th, the flower fairy’s growing Intelligence and strength surpassed even Chen Zhicheng’s expectations.

That day, when Chen Zhicheng returned to his room, he found that the flower fairy hadn’t flown up to greet him. He glanced around curiously, only to be shocked by the sight of the tiny humanoid figure holding a gleaming kitchen knife!

For a split second, a dark thought did flash through Chen Zhicheng’s mind: ’Has the flower fairy finally revealed her true Demon nature and come to kill me?’ But he quickly realized he was wrong.

Upon seeing him return, the flower fairy immediately let out a happy "Eee-yah!", which served as a greeting.

Then, she flew to the refrigerator, knife in hand, opened the door, and took out a cucumber.

The inside of the refrigerator was cold, so when the flower fairy brought out the cucumber, her wings looked a little droopy. But she cheered herself on with little chirps and, just like that, managed to grip the kitchen knife—which was much larger than her—and slice a piece of cucumber. The slice was completely uneven and a total mess, but she placed it on a plate!

Finally, the flower fairy even thoughtfully sprinkled some sugar on top. Then she lifted the plate, flew over to the stunned Chen Zhicheng, and presented it to him. With her hands on her hips, she puffed out her chest, looking very proud!

"Eee-yah!"

The man was both amused and touched. He asked, "Did you make this for me?"

"Yah!"

The flower fairy nodded earnestly, then buzzed around in mid-air like a bee, seemingly trying to convey something. Chen Zhicheng guessed it was probably her way of repaying his kindness, since cucumber slices had been his dinner for the past few days.

Chen Zhicheng remembered one time when he had taken a cucumber from the fridge, sliced it, and eaten it with sugar, all under her curious gaze. The flower fairy, who had received so much of his kindness, must have remembered this and wanted to repay him.

As for the fact that the cucumber was his to begin with... the flower fairy probably didn’t understand that yet.

In any case, that evening, Chen Zhicheng happily ate a plate of cucumber slices with far too much sugar. The flower fairy, meanwhile, got sticky all over from using the syrupy slices as a slide. She spent half the night washing up in the tiny bathtub Chen Zhicheng had prepared for her and was so exhausted afterward that she slept for an entire day.

A few more days passed. When Chen Zhicheng came home one evening, he again couldn’t see any sign of the flower fairy. But when he looked closely, he discovered that the leaves and flowers of his Cymbidium orchid bonsai had naturally woven themselves together, forming the shape of his face.

And there, in the very center of the natural face-shaped plant, lay the exhausted-looking flower fairy, fast asleep.

"Honestly... you mischievous little thing."

Watching this scene, Chen Zhicheng’s weary and lost heart felt immensely comforted. He chuckled softly, then picked up the small silk sheet he had prepared for the flower fairy long ago and gently draped it over her.

Then, he sat on his bed and stared blankly up at the sky outside his window. Though a torrential rain was falling and thunder was roaring, the pale flashes of lightning seemed to knock loose some knot in his heart.

"Even a little fairy knows to repay kindness, cooking for me and even shaping her own home into my face... Yet here I am, mired in my own angst and despair, ignoring all the care my parents gave me and just wallowing in self-pity..."

He murmured to himself, then shook his head with a smile. "Honestly, what am I being so dejected about? So what if the future isn’t what I originally envisioned? It’s a small thing. I just have to work hard and overcome it."

’From today on, I’ll do my best!’

「But the next morning.」

Chen Zhicheng, who had not yet opened the shop for the day, suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.

"Who is it? Coming, coming!"

Chen Zhicheng, who was cleaning up some spoiled fruits and vegetables in the shop, was a little puzzled and cautiously approached the door. ’A neighbor wanting to buy some fruit this early? They could’ve just sent a WeChat message, and I’d deliver it later. Coming all the way to knock is such a hassle.’

But as soon as he opened the door, Chen Zhicheng knew something was wrong.

Because standing at the door was a middle-aged man with a long beard and a tall hat, dressed in dark cyan robes and wearing the chest pin of a professor from Zhengyi Academy.

And behind him stood four incredibly burly armed Patrols, their pectoral muscles so defined they seemed to have a life of their own.

’Could it be?!’

Chen Zhicheng was no fool. He immediately thought of the "Spiritual Energy Revival" that had been mentioned on the news and by his neighbors recently. He accepted this reality quite quickly—after all, if a flower fairy could exist, what was impossible?