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Chapter 35: How Could Such a Kind Child Hurt Others?
"Qiqi... no ill will towards anyone... sorry..."
Qiqi stood there like a child who had done something wrong, looking lost and overwhelmed. Unspeakable frustration and sadness filled her beautiful peach-colored eyes.
She didn't know what to do and could only apologize over and over again, hoping to gain everyone's understanding. Qiqi didn't mean to scare anyone.
However, the villagers, consumed by fear, fled desperately and didn't even hear her speak.
Seeing the villagers' panic-stricken faces, Qiqi felt her heart sink.
"Everyone is afraid of Qiqi..."
"Qiqi needs to hide... can't scare everyone again..."
Qiqi muttered to herself, feeling immense guilt. She believed she only brought fear to others.
With those thoughts weighing on her, Qiqi quickly turned and ran into the deserted forest.
In the blink of an eye, she disappeared among the trees.
Though she was a zombie, Qiqi could run incredibly fast. In her backstory, even Hu Tao had trouble catching her.
By the time Amon chased after her, Qiqi was already gone.
The villagers, too, had fled far away, leaving no one for Amon to question.
Just then, Ningguang rushed over and hugged Amon tightly.
To be honest, even Ningguang had been scared when she first saw Qiqi. After all, Qiqi was a zombie, and Ningguang had never encountered such a creature before.
But despite her fear, Ningguang hadn't run away like the others.
She had been worried about Amon, who was still inside the cave. Suppressing her fear, she stood guard outside, ready to rush in if necessary.
When she finally saw Amon emerge from the cave, she couldn't contain her relief and ran straight to him.
"Brother Amon, are you okay? Let Ningguang check if you're hurt!"
Ningguang's voice trembled with concern and anxiety.
Looking at her worried expression, Amon felt a warm sense of gratitude.
He chuckled softly and reassured her, "Ningguang, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me. See? I'm perfectly okay."
To ease her worries, he even invited her to check him over.
After a careful inspection, Ningguang was finally convinced that Amon was unharmed and let out a sigh of relief.
Then, recalling the strange little girl who had just run out of the cave, Ningguang couldn't help but ask, "Brother Amon, what about the little girl who ran out earlier?"
"Everyone says she's scary, but... I didn't feel any danger from her. On the contrary, she seemed to want to be kind to people. That girl... is she really a zombie who can hurt others?"
Ningguang's wide, curious eyes reflected her confusion.
Amon smiled gently, ruffled her hair, and explained, "Ningguang, that girl's name is Qiqi. She is indeed a zombie, but she's not the kind that harms people. Qiqi is a kind-hearted zombie."
As Amon spoke, the villagers began returning, realizing that Qiqi had left. Encouraged by the presence of an Adeptus, they felt reassured and gathered around Amon to hear more.
Amon didn't mind their curiosity. In fact, he hoped to help everyone understand Qiqi better.
Taking a deep breath, he began, "A long, long time ago, Qiqi was just an ordinary herbalist..."
He recounted Qiqi's tragic story.
As her tale unfolded, the villagers grew silent.
Their initial fear gave way to compassion. They couldn't help but feel sorry for the petite girl who had silently endured so much suffering.
Thinking back on their earlier reactions, many of the villagers felt ashamed.
"We misunderstood her," someone murmured. "That child did nothing wrong."
"Even though she's a zombie, she didn't mean any harm. When I tripped while running away, it was Qiqi who helped me up. She left right after because she didn't want to scare me."
"How could such a kind child hurt anyone?"
"If possible, I'd like to apologize to her and become her friend."
"I want to apologize too," others chimed in.
But now, Qiqi had disappeared into the forest. Apologizing seemed impossible.
At that moment, Ningguang looked up at Amon with determination.
"Brother Amon, let's go find Qiqi together!" she declared.
"You said she doesn't have many friends. Ningguang wants to be her friend!"
Amon chuckled, touched by her sincerity, and nodded. "Let's go find her."
He had been wondering how to help Qiqi make friends. To his surprise, Ningguang had taken the initiative. This would make things much easier.
Knowing Qiqi, she would certainly be delighted to make a new friend.
Without hesitation, Ningguang took Amon's hand and led the way.
"I saw Qiqi running north," she explained.
"But the forest is so vast... where do we start looking?"
As Ningguang pondered, Amon remembered something.
"Glaze lilies," he said.
"Qiqi mentioned she wanted to pick glaze lilies. I think she'd go somewhere hidden, where there are plenty of them."
Ningguang's eyes lit up.
"Brother Amon, I know a place like that!" she exclaimed.
"Come with me—Qiqi might be there!"
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The rest is on buy-me-a-coffee there is up to chapter 90