21 Wish Collection 2

Let me continue talking about Zhuang Cheng, though this topic still has to start with my older brother’s situation.

Although our family originally intended to pass down the clan’s sacred weapon to my brother, he was actually not well regarded at home.

Or rather, it was precisely because he was not favored that he was initially chosen as the heir.

The skill level of the Zhu family’s demon hunters had gradually declined over generations, and by my grandfather’s time, there were plans to withdraw from the demon hunting world altogether.

But withdrawal could not be achieved overnight. The Zhu family still had some grudges and debts of gratitude in the demon hunting community, so either my brother or I had to take up the mantle as a transitional figure. My grandfather, weary and resentful of the demon hunting world, was actually prepared to place this dangerous responsibility on my brother’s shoulders.

My brother’s position in the family was awkward. Our father had married into the family, and my brother was his illegitimate son from outside. My mother was greatly favored by my grandfather, who naturally detested my father’s infidelities and showed no kindness to my brother.

In theory, since my brother was to become the family’s demon hunter, the family would need him and should not treat him coldly. Besides, grievances have their sources and debts have their owners; the one truly deserving of contempt should be my father. But understanding this rationally did not translate into emotional ease. My grandfather was the kind of person who could not hide his likes and dislikes. My father had been missing for many years, so there was no one to confront, and my grandfather’s accumulated anger had nowhere to go.

Under such circumstances, my brother naturally fell into deep depression. Starting in high school, he picked up bad habits of wild behavior with disreputable friends, and as a result, I drifted further away from him. His misconduct worsened after entering university.

As his reckless behavior escalated, the troubles he caused outside snowballed. What happened afterward I only heard about later: apparently, he was hired by some thugs, drugged, and kidnapped into the wilderness where he was severely beaten.

The beating did not break his bones—not because he was tough or his attackers showed mercy, but because halfway through, someone who saw the injustice intervened and rescued him.

That person who drew his sword to help was none other than Zhuang Cheng, who was then investigating strange incidents in the wild.

Only then did the two truly meet; before that, it had been my brother’s one-sided acquaintance. Grateful to the one who had come to his rescue, my brother reached out to befriend Zhuang Cheng, and for a time, their relationship was quite good.

But the good times did not last. Not long after, Zhuang Cheng learned of my brother’s past misdeeds and even caught him in the act. This time, Zhuang Cheng became the victim’s defender, fought back, and publicly severed ties with him.

This was a severe blow to my brother. After sober reflection, he gradually changed his ways and eventually restored their friendship.

Now the two are quite close, or so my brother boasts to me—I cannot say if it’s true or not.

I was very glad to see my brother’s transformation and deeply grateful to Zhuang Cheng as well.

At the same time, I developed worries.

Zhuang Cheng is very likely to encounter genuine supernatural creatures in the future. For ordinary honest people, such encounters are rare, but someone like Zhuang Cheng—who is “restless”—might even have had related experiences before. Not just in the past two or three years when supernatural phenomena have surged, but possibly since childhood. Otherwise, how could he have pursued clues about the strange events so steadfastly?

A middle school classmate once mentioned that he frequently stared at candles in a trance-like state, as if possessed by some unclean spirit… Could such eccentric behavior be a manifestation of influence from some external paranormal force?

More importantly, will he bring danger to those around him in the future?

To find out, I used my brother’s connection to meet him in person.

It was the winter solstice of 2022. I was still a senior in high school, planning to enter Saltwater University, where both my brother and Zhuang Cheng studied. We agreed to meet at the shopping center near the university, under the pretense of “going to the newly opened hotpot restaurant nearby.” I saw them sitting by the steaming hotpot table.

Seeing is believing. Just from appearance alone, no one would imagine he was a fanatic obsessed with magical and occult thoughts.

He wore a black turtleneck wool sweater and had hung his down jacket over the chair. He wasn’t playing on his phone but was intently staring at the boiling white broth of the hotpot, seemingly lost in thought. At a glance, from looks to attire, he was indistinguishable from any ordinary college student.

If I had to point out something unusual, it was that he seemed aloof, indifferent to the surrounding reality, likely the type who often lost himself in his inner world.

But is that really so special? Many young people are like that.

When I approached, he glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the hotpot. I understood—I also wanted to eat. When eating hotpot with friends, I prefer eating over chatting.

“My sister’s here,” my brother introduced me from across the table. “Little sis, this is Zhuang Cheng. Ah Cheng, this is my sister, Zhu Shi.”

As Zhuang Cheng looked at me again, memories of his many “unromantic” acts surfaced in my mind, stirring a mix of respect and a desire to keep my distance. I couldn’t help but address him formally: “Senior Brother Zhuang, hello, I’m Zhu Shi.”

He was momentarily stunned, then said, “Junior Sister Zhu… no, just call me Zhuang Cheng.”

“Okay…”

Unless someone is an elder, I usually prefer to call people by their names.

But in daily life, I play the role of an ordinary person. The problem is, I don’t really know what kind of ordinary person I am. Someone once said that when a person imitates a role they’re not familiar with, they tend to reveal stereotypes about that role. My everyday persona is based on a character from online novels— a weak, defenseless girl—and sometimes I overdo it.

In other words, how to explain this… some classmates say I’m a bit odd. Unlike when I do demon hunting work, my everyday speaking voice is rather high-pitched. By the time I realized this wasn’t right, it was hard to change. People who are authentic might not understand how difficult it is to break away from a self-made “persona.”

“Senior Brother Zhuang, have you ever seen ghosts or monsters before?”

During the meal, I found the chance to ask the very question that brought me there.

Zhuang Cheng didn’t correct me this time. He shook his head regretfully: “No, not once.”

“Really?” I doubted.

“I wish it were false,” he said helplessly, twitching the corner of his mouth. His expression of coming up empty-handed didn’t seem fake.

I still found it hard to believe.

Though not as enthusiastic as my brother, I had been keeping tabs on Zhuang Cheng’s investigations. The results raised many questions. In this era when supernatural phenomena are increasingly active, Zhuang Cheng seemed to have made no progress at all in his paranormal investigations.

I even visited the places he investigated. These places were not completely free of anomalies; some even harbored openly mischievous monsters. Yet he somehow managed to avoid them every time, as if… as if the supernatural itself feared him.

Is such a thing possible?

Or was he just extraordinarily lucky to have remained unharmed until now?

I preferred to believe he was hiding what he had seen.

However, after many trials and probes, my heart leaned ever more toward the conclusion that “he is telling the whole truth.”

Then I tried to persuade him to give up investigating strange tales. Obviously, my attempts could not shake his years-long determination. Likewise, I could not convince my brother to cut ties with him—my brother was, behind closed doors, his biggest fan.

So I exchanged contact information with him and used the excuse of checking on my brother’s status to chat online, gathering information about his activities and closely monitoring him. Although we met few times in person, we communicated frequently online.

Unconsciously, I developed a considerable fondness for him.

Contrary to rumors, he was not a reckless madman but a young man with reason and conscience, simply more passionate about supernatural tales than anyone else and occasionally acting bravely to help others.

At least, that’s what I believe.

Which is why I’m even more convinced that he should not be drawn into the dangers of the supernatural… into our perilous world.

He is also someone I, as a demon hunter of Luoshan, must protect.

Then, just the night before last, my brother told me about the “cave.”

It was only then that I learned he had recently moved into a house once used by a fallen demon hunter to commit crimes. Since I couldn’t reveal my identity as a demon hunter in front of him, I asked Agent Kong to investigate the matter first.

Unexpectedly, Agent Kong not only confirmed the existence of the cave and the ritual array but also brought me shocking news—my brother had taken Zhuang Cheng to see the cave and ritual array with his own eyes.

The unforeseen development nearly made me black out.

So it’s not Zhuang Cheng bringing supernatural incidents to my brother, but my brother dragging Zhuang Cheng into them?

Brother, what are you doing?

Knowing my brother’s timid and trouble-averse nature, he probably wouldn’t approach that cave on his own. But what about Zhuang Cheng? He must have resolved to investigate the cave. Such a clear supernatural event cannot be ignored by someone like him.

Although the cave has temporarily disappeared, since it has appeared a second time, it will inevitably appear a third, fourth time… What if he chooses to take the risk and enter it himself?

No, no, no. That’s impossible.

Even someone as obsessed as him wouldn’t risk entering an unknown realm when the entrance might vanish at any moment, with no way to return.

Just to be safe, when other demon hunters come to relieve me at dawn, I will immediately handle the cave’s supernatural incident.

I am a demon hunter of Luoshan, and Zhuang Cheng is now also my friend. Even if motivated by personal feelings, I must safeguard his life and rescue him from potential supernatural dangers.