Chapter Twenty: Liu Shiyu’s Past

“Do you like her?” Yan Ruoying looked at him, her expression serious.

“What the hell, why are you asking that? I don’t have those feelings for her.” Cheng Feng nearly spat out his mouthful of mineral water, startled by the abrupt question. Damn it! Just how popular is that woman in the Disaster Association? Is it inevitable that whenever I go near her, people assume I’m infatuated?

“You’re saying you have no interest in a beautiful girl you spend time with every day? Is that for real? You’re not just playing around, are you?” Yan Ruoying’s face brimmed with skepticism.

“Hmph, women only slow down my boxing.” Cheng Feng replied with disdain.

Granted, Liu Shiyu was a girl who had both beauty and strength, and at her radiant high school age, she was admired everywhere. Whether at school or in the association, she had become the unattainable dream of countless young people; those secretly in love with her could line up for miles.

But Liu Shiyu was aloof by nature, exuding an aura that kept others at a distance. Few managed to become her friends, let alone anything more.

As for Cheng Feng, he was straightforward and thick-skinned by default. That made him immune to Liu Shiyu’s cool demeanor; if he wanted, striking up a conversation with a taciturn, distant girl like her would be effortless. Yet he saw Liu Shiyu simply as a friend.

Yan Ruoying looked half convinced, half doubtful, advising him, “I still don’t buy it. If you have any intentions toward her, I sincerely urge you to give up. She’s not an ordinary girl.”

“Hey? I heard something similar from someone else just yesterday. Why are you saying this too?” Cheng Feng was puzzled.

Yesterday, Jiang He had also given him a warning, urging Cheng Feng to keep his distance from Liu Shiyu. At the time, Cheng Feng could tell that guy was jealous and didn’t take it to heart. But now Yan Ruoying was saying the same thing, which gave the words a different weight.

Could Liu Shiyu have some secret unknown to others?

Suddenly, Cheng Feng’s mind ran wild: “Don’t tell me Liu Shiyu has some terminal illness? Or a peculiar habit? Or maybe she’s actually an alien?”

“Oh, come on, what are you thinking!” Yan Ruoying pressed her hand to her forehead in exasperation, feeling she could barely keep up with Cheng Feng’s erratic train of thought. “Have you ever considered why her personality is like this, or why she’s so single-minded about hunting monsters?”

“Huh, now that you mention it, there does seem to be an issue.” Cheng Feng rubbed his chin, following her line of thought.

He couldn’t help but suspect Liu Shiyu must have had a hidden past.

This girl was only a high schooler, yet she was already so withdrawn and mature compared to her peers. Cheng Feng even thought that, despite having lived twice, he might not handle certain matters as well as Liu Shiyu did.

“Did she experience something before?” That was the conclusion Cheng Feng reached.

“Forget it, we’ve got time anyway. Since you want to know, I’ll tell you about her past.” Yan Ruoying sighed, and began recounting Liu Shiyu’s story, giving Cheng Feng his first real insight.

Ten years ago, the Five Abyssal Ones descended upon the world, holding the inaugural Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. The legions of monsters went to war, a cataclysmic disaster that left most of the city in ruins.

This extinction-level calamity claimed the lives of over a hundred thousand residents, inflicting a grievous blow upon humanity.

Among those cold, impersonal casualty numbers were Liu Shiyu’s own relatives.

At the time, Liu Shiyu was only eight years old, witnessing that hellish disaster with her own eyes.

Countless monsters wrought unimaginable destruction upon the city. Beneath endless infernos and ruins, human life was fragile. The cries and screams resounded all around, gradually fading away.

The little girl was plunged into immense darkness.

When the Night Parade ended and the Abyssal Ones departed, the city was left in devastated ruins.

She was rescued from the wreckage by emergency workers, lucky enough to survive, and eventually placed in an orphanage.

From then on, her personality became shut off; she developed an intense fear of monsters, as if the word alone could trigger horrific memories.

The people at the orphanage believed she was beyond saving, but two years later, something unexpected happened.

She changed.

Her demeanor became cold and distant.

At the same time, she awakened the supernatural power to control and create ice.

At ten, Liu Shiyu joined the Supernatural Disaster Association, becoming its youngest demon hunter.

While other girls her age were playing house, she was different.

She underwent unimaginably rigorous training, and as she grew, fought monsters daily, her battles always a struggle for survival.

Relying solely on her own strength, she swept through every challenge.

She rose above her peers, advancing from intern to full member, and eventually to elite status.

Countless times she nearly died, yet survived tenaciously. She participated in numerous battles against monster armies, earning innumerable honors in the association.

Yet she cared nothing for accolades or promotion, remaining obsessed only with killing more monsters—she was a machine of slaughter.

As Yan Ruoying spoke, Cheng Feng suddenly felt pity for the girl.

Girls her age were focused on fashion, food, celebrities, shopping, buying clothes and handbags, even arguing about feminism online.

But Liu Shiyu wasn’t; she rarely experienced any of those things.

Instead, she stood in the darkness, sword in hand, guarding the city.

Thinking of this, Cheng Feng drained his bottle of Nongfu Spring. “So, is it because her family died that she despises monsters so much?”

Yan Ruoying gazed up at the lights shining from the top of the training hall, her tone detached. “No, that’s only part of it. Her real emotional wound is tied to a person.”

Cheng Feng’s curiosity was piqued. “A person?”

“She used to have an older brother…” Yan Ruoying’s voice was tinged with emotion, as if reluctant to mention him.

“She had a brother?” Cheng Feng’s eyes widened. How come he’d never heard Liu Shiyu mention that?

Suddenly he thought of a possibility. “Don’t tell me her brother was killed by monsters too, and that’s why she hates them so much?”

“No, it’s not like that. In fact, the truth is the exact opposite!” Yan Ruoying’s tone grew somber, even tinged with anger. The memories of that man weighed heavily on her as well.

Her gaze flickered with sorrow. “If anything, the real reason is even more heartbreaking!”

“What are you talking about?” Cheng Feng was about to press for details when a clear, pleasant voice rang out.

Liu Shiyu appeared, carrying two boxed lunches. She had just entered the training arena of the sword hall, and from afar, had overheard their conversation—it seemed the training was over.

Cheng Feng: (눈_눈)

Damn, you always show up right at the crucial moment, don’t you? Just when the story was getting to the most important part, you interrupted it again.