Logically speaking, no little girl should live alone in such a deserted place.
She looked about thirteen or fourteen years old, a time when she had lost her childishness. Her face was still a little chubby, with two lovely blushes. The red dress on her body was bright and beautiful, like burning clouds at dusk. She took it off, cut it into pieces, and put it on. The edges of the clothes and cuffs are decorated with a few balls of white fluffy cotton, like white fluffy cumulus clouds. She stepped into the wooden clogs with cotton socks and jumped nimbly, as light as if she could float at any time.
The dry and cracked earth is devastated, and she is the only flower in full bloom.
The little girl lives in a dilapidated courtyard. There is an adobe house that is so old that it is about to collapse. The thatch on the roof has been rolled up too much, and scattered light leaks in. There is a well in the yard that has dried up, but the towering trees beside it are still alive. That tree taps into deeper groundwater. It has lived for a long time, so long that it has countless growth rings. Its root system firmly grips the gray-yellow soil, and is as huge as its crown, almost covering the entire courtyard. It is five or six feet tall. Even though it is bare now, it is not difficult to see the majestic tree.
The little girl was jumping back with a bucket filled with water. Logically speaking, this bucket full of water is quite heavy, but in her hand it felt as light as an empty bucket. But she was a little reckless and spilled water all the way. When she pushed the door open and went in, there was less than half a bucket of water left. The water that was spilled was quickly absorbed by the thirsty soil, leaving no water stains behind.
"Huh? Aren't you here..."
The little girl scratched her head and took a few steps back outside the house. She looked around and finally spotted the strange man on the only tree. He didn't know when he got up, and his seat was very high. He leaned there in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Hey, why are you here?" The little girl put down the bucket and put her hands on her hips, "I just said it was heavy on my head."
The man suddenly woke up from his daze. He nodded to her and jumped down from the tree without any injuries.
"Drink some water? You've been feeling very lethargic. It's been three days and you haven't eaten anything. Is it really okay?"
"I think it's okay. Thank you for your trouble, Miss Kapok. Thank you very much for your trouble."
"Um……"
The girl called Kapok walked around him, sniffing up and down.
"Humans will be very lethargic if they don't eat for three days. Although you are also very lethargic... you can still climb trees. In fact, you are a monster, right? Only monsters can be in good condition without eating for such a long time."
"Do you think I'm in good condition?" The man smiled bitterly, "That's a good thing. But I thought Kapok girl had noticed long ago that I'm not actually a human being."
Kapok nodded slightly.
"At first I thought you weren't human - no one would come here. It's very dangerous here. Although it's vast, there are a lot of restless guys lurking there. But you have a very strong smell of a human being. I knew it very early. I've smelled it before, so I'm pretty sure. But you haven't eaten for three days, and you're either wandering around the yard or in a daze in the house. I don't think you're human anymore."
This little monster is very talkative. She probably hadn't spoken to anyone for a long time, so once she saw a living thing, all the words she had been holding would come out. When I met her on the first day, she chatted a lot. The man was probably a good listener, but he had something on his mind. As for what it was, Kapok didn’t know. So from the next day, I pestered him to talk about a lot of outside things, and I didn't feel bothered even if I talked about them all day long, even though those things were nothing special to him.
Maybe mixed with some painful memories.
"I knew you were a monster at a glance. This is really strange. I must not have recognized you before. At most, I thought it was strange that a little girl lived alone in a place like this." The man said.
Kapok blinked at him.
"So are you a human? Are you a person with evil spirits, or a powerful monster? I heard that those big monsters are very strong and can hide all their evil spirits, just like a mortal without any flaws."
The man was thoughtful and silent for a while before answering her: "Not really."
"Why?"
"No matter how powerful a demon is, it can't imitate the aura of a human being. It can only make itself infinitely close to non-existence. If you are blind, you can tell whether the person approaching you is a human or a demon. And the demon that hides its aura, As long as your steps are light enough, you won't notice."
"You know so much."
"I only found out later... I have traveled to many places and many things have happened."
"Then you continue to tell me? I can only be here all year round and can't leave. It's very boring. Wait, you haven't answered my question just yet-" Kapok suddenly grabbed his sleeve, As if questioning, "What the hell are you?"
"……I have no idea."
This question seemed to have been something he had thought deeply about, and thanks to Kapok, he had been looking forward to it for a while. After receiving such a disappointing answer, she naturally let out a sigh. But soon, the man said again:
"But both humans and monsters call me half-demon."
"I've heard of it," Kapok said thoughtfully, "but it doesn't sound good. Where's the name? There must be a name, but you never told me."
The man said hesitantly that he didn't like his name. But considering the half bucket of water, he still told her. In fact, he was a little unexpected, but Kapok girl kept urging him to tell a story, and he declined until his throat was dry. She never imagined that she would actually find water from this barren land.
"Long Miao? It doesn't sound bad."
"You do not understand."
"What don't you understand?" Kapok put his hands on his hips again and said loudly, "I have lived for hundreds of years, but I understand!"
"...How should I put it? The family who gave me this name treated me badly. Have you actually lived for so long? Have you lived alone for these hundreds of years?"
Long Miao asked her. So Kapok sighed, showing some maturity that didn't belong to this kind of appearance.
"No. I used to have many brothers and sisters here. They were all flower demons. This area was very lively, and there were also some humans living with us. But about twenty years ago, everyone disappeared."
"Why?"
"I don't know." Kapok said frankly.
"I don't know? But haven't you never left here in these years?"
The two walked to the house. Kapok dug out a cracked bowl, rinsed it with water, poured some more in, and handed it to Long Miao. After he took it, Kapok answered him.
"There are two water sources within the scope of my activities. One is closer and is an endless river. I stayed away from the body for too long and became thirsty, so I drank some river water. When I went back, there was only I'm alone."
"puff--"
Long Miao squirted out the water he had just drank into his mouth.
"Oh, what are you afraid of? This bucket is underground water, and it is also the place where tree roots draw water. It seeps out from a crack further away, and accumulates a small pool in a low-lying area. This water is no problem . That’s the problem with the river water. The color is blood yellow, a little red, and you can tell it at a glance.”
Long Miao's surprise made him unable to close his mouth: "How dare you drink this kind of water? It's red..."
"I'm red too." Kapok confidently unfolded her long sleeves and fanned twice.
"...Okay. But what happened to the river that caused such great changes to the earth? Is it a forbidden spell?"
Kapok frowned and thought hard for a while. Finally, she said that she actually didn't know. Because there was no problem when she drank the bowl of water, but Kapok gradually discovered that she could no longer remember many broken memories. She knew that she had many sisters, but she had forgotten some of the little things about getting along with them, and she had almost forgotten what this place was like. Most importantly, she couldn't even remember the reason for this situation.
Long Miao's eyes were a little apologetic, but she felt that she didn't need comfort. So he reached out and touched Kapok's head. She didn't seem to hate it.
"So...do you miss your family and friends?"
"I should be thinking about it. Although I can't remember many things, a group of people is always much more lively than me alone. What about you? Do you have any other brothers, sisters, or close friends in your family?"
Long Miao didn't know which family to answer. It would be better to say that neither of them counts. He hesitated again and again and said hesitantly:
"Now...there is one brother left. He is a monster. He always pesters me and wants me to become a complete monster. I don't like it, so I always avoid him. Girl Kapok, I'm sorry that I can't stay here too long. Otherwise, he might find you here and cause you a lot of trouble."
Kapok seemed to understand and nodded reluctantly. Naturally, he felt it was a pity, but he did not stop him. She was more curious about another question, which was "Aren't you willing to become a monster?"
"Maybe I thought so at first... But I met Liudao Impermanence - the kind-hearted Impermanence. They hope that I can give up my identity as a monster, become a truly reborn person again, and live a good life."
"Six Paths of Impermanence?" Kapok thought for a while, "Ah, I do have an impression of this. I should recognize someone... In my knowledge, he shouldn't be a bad person. I was earlier, that strange person We met on the bank of the river."
Long Miao was a little excited: "Who is it? What does it look like?"
"forget."
She said confidently, and Long Miao was discouraged again. Kapok couldn't bear it anymore, so he comforted him and said:
"How about... I take you for a walk by the river again? Ever since I drank water randomly, I haven't dared to go alone for a long time."
Long Miao thought this was an idea, and although there was little hope, he agreed. He followed Kapok for a long distance, and the scenery beside him did not change at all. No matter where he went, there was cracked soil. Emptiness is the main theme of this vast land.
The two of them were silent along the way, neither of them spoke first. Until they saw a strangely colored "ribbon" in front of them from a distance. The closer they got, the more they discovered that it was not as simple as long and thin, but a very wide and gentle river. At a glance, you can barely see the other side, and the water flows very slowly, making it almost invisible.
Although the color of the river water is strange, it doesn't have any disgusting smell.
At this time, Kapok suddenly grabbed the corner of his clothes again and pointed to one end of the river with a surprised look on his face. Maybe it was upstream, because Long Miao also noticed something floating down. It's just that there are no waves in the river, and no speed can be seen.
"what is that?"
"Like, like a person..." Long Miao was a little nervous, "Should we... get it up?"
