The girl has fallen asleep, hasn't she?
John Chou gazed at the small cottage, its lights now extinguished, and sat quietly. Mr. Brown had already returned, bringing stacks of books and a large supply of pens and paper.
Young master, why are you so fixated on these three things? What can they bring you?
John Chou smiled lightly.
People always become obsessed with all kinds of things. You are like that, and so am I, Mr. Brown. Do you remember? When I was a child, I once asked you why everyone protected me so much, even though I had done nothing for them.
Because you are the eldest son of the Chou family, the last of the Chou bloodline. That's what I told you, but young master, you actually said those things were meaningless.
John Chou walked to the edge of the formation, about to step out, when a powerful force suddenly pulled him back. He landed on the ground with a thud.
Times are changing. Perhaps an era neither of us ever imagined is about to arrive. Family, bloodline, reputation—those things that bind people—may all disappear.
Mr. Brown said nothing and quietly sat down.
Young master, what really happened to you seven in the Abyssal Hell?
At this moment, Mr. Brown's expression grew serious, and John Chou put away his smile.
Or do you not even trust me?
John Chou shook his head.
Mr. Brown, until my task is finished, I will not compromise, no matter what I face. Even if it is a god, I will kill it for sure.
Mr. Brown gave a wry smile and stood up.
Young master, you've always been this way, obsessively holding onto something. Whether now or in the future, I will stand by you.
Early the next morning, Rufina Howard woke up. She picked up a piece of paper and a pen and began to write. The gray humanoid nearby saw the pen and tried to keep its distance.
Rufina Howard wrote a big 'person' character on the paper, held it up, and the pen in her hand was snatched away by the gray humanoid, who then ate it.
Do you know what this is? Human. I am human, and what about you?
Rufina Howard looked seriously at the gray humanoid, growing anxious. On the other side, John Chou was teaching the two creatures something, and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.
But the gray creature completely ignored Rufina Howard's words. It floated up and drifted toward Mr. Brown, making Rufina stomp her foot in frustration.
Get over here!
Rufina Howard shouted sternly, but the gray humanoid just hid behind Mr. Brown. When Rufina reached out to grab it, it floated up and dodged her, as if playing with her.
It's over, I'm doomed, I'm definitely going to lose.
After a while, Rufina Howard sat on the ground, panting. She looked up at the sky and smiled, her mood seeming excellent.
What, you're not going to continue?
Out of nowhere, Redmond appeared in front of Rufina Howard. Rufina said nothing, just stared quietly at Redmond, who wore a wicked grin. After a long moment, she spat out two words.
Liar.
If you beg me, I'll teach you a trick. You'll definitely be able to surpass John Chou.
I don't want it. I want to rely on myself.
Rufina Howard sat up, pouting. Redmond burst into laughter.
If you don't hurry, you'll lose.
Redmond pointed toward John Chou. Rufina Howard walked over and stared in shock at John Chou, who held sheets of stiff paper decorated with drawings of animals, the sun, rain, clouds, and so on. He held up a picture of the sun.
Alright, what is this?
The sun.
The black and white humanoids had already begun to show awareness, which surprised even Redmond.
You must have cheated, John Chou. I know exactly what kind of person you are.
John Chou glanced at the two creatures.
Same as you. Are you and this girl both pig-brained?
Redmond glared at John Chou, grinding his teeth. John Chou then put down the drawing and glanced at Rufina Howard.
What is with this girl...
Under Redmond's angry gaze, John Chou didn't continue speaking.
Little girl, it's almost impossible for you to beat me. So, do you want to give up?
No.
It was nearly dusk. Rufina Howard sat in front of the cottage, writing continuously with her pen. The gray humanoid hid inside, poking its head out to watch everything Rufina did.
Is there any point to what you're doing?
Hmph, why are you here? I need to focus on my work. I can't be bothered with you.
Redmond smiled slightly, floated onto the roof, and lay down, hands supporting his head, looking relaxed as he watched Rufina Howard below.
The gray humanoid, curious, gradually approached. At first it kept its distance, but slowly got closer, finally poking its head over Rufina Howard's paper. Aside from the character for 'person,' there were no other words. Rufina kept writing it tirelessly until she finally piqued the gray humanoid's interest.
Oh, do you want to try it too?
Rufina Howard smiled with delight. The gray humanoid voluntarily grabbed her pen and, after a few tries, drew some crooked lines.
It finally got on track. Rufina Howard began to teach, and the gray humanoid started writing too, finally producing a big, graffiti-like 'person' character.
Time to eat, little girl.
A delicious aroma wafted over. Rufina Howard stretched lazily. At last, the gray humanoid was no longer resistant to writing and had learned to pronounce the word 'person.'
Days passed. Once Rufina Howard found a breakthrough, teaching became easier. In a week, she taught the gray humanoid many words, and it could now say simple, coherent sentences.
Early this morning, Rufina Howard took the gray humanoid to see John Chou. She was still upset about being called an idiot before. She saw John Chou sitting motionless in the center of the formation, while the black and white humanoids flew around nearby.
Heh, John Chou, I won!
Rufina Howard said, pointing at John Chou. The gray humanoid spoke in a mechanical voice.
John Chou is an idiot...
The gray humanoid repeated this over and over. At that moment, John Chou opened his eyes.
"Do you really think you won?"
John Chou stood up and pointed at the gray humanoid.
"Let me ask you, what does 'idiot' mean?"
The gray humanoid looked at John Chou in confusion, while Rufina Howard laughed.
"Wait a few days and he'll be able to explain it to you."
Suddenly, the black and white humanoids behind John Chou pointed at Rufina Howard and said in unison.
"She's so dumb. It's been so many days."
"Yeah, Little White, it's been so many days and she can only say simple things. Turns out, an idiot only teaches idiots."
In an instant, Rufina Howard's eyes widened as she stared at the black and white humanoids. They were talking, and seemed to have gained full awareness. The black humanoid floated up to the gray one.
"Come on, say it: 'I'm an idiot.'"
The gray humanoid repeated the black one's words, and then the white humanoid burst out laughing.
"I lost."
After a long while, Rufina Howard finally spoke. John Chou smiled with satisfaction.
"Do you know why you lost?"
John Chou asked, and Rufina Howard unhappily shook her head.
"Because ghosts don't need to eat or sleep, and neither do they. But you need to eat and sleep, and sometimes you even slack off. Naturally, you couldn't teach as fast as I did."
"You're lying."
Rufina Howard pouted and crossed her arms. John Chou laughed and signaled for the black and white humanoids to pull the gray one over.
"Next, I'll be responsible for teaching them some things. If you want them to communicate more like humans, it'll take at least another month. So, little girl, what are your plans next?"
Rufina Howard fell silent, looking east with a complicated expression.
"I want to go back for a while."
"Little girl, after you leave, I hope you won't tell anyone about our young master's business here. Can you promise me that?"
Before Rufina Howard left, Mr. Zhuang reminded her. She nodded in agreement.
After Rufina Howard left, John Chou began teaching the three humanoids. To help the gray one catch up, he had Mr. Zhuang take the other two out for a few days.
The three humanoids finally caught up, able to talk about some things together. Although they still didn't understand many things, they could have simple conversations.
"Young master, I'm curious—did you really not cheat?"
Mr. Zhuang could hardly believe how quickly the three learned—every day they were different.
"Of course not. I told you, it's just a matter of teaching method. If you insist I cheated, then these three are the real cheaters. Haha, it's fascinating, Mr. Zhuang—the instincts of these three."
A month passed, and just as John Chou said, the three had developed thoughts of their own.
"I really have to thank you, John Chou. Haha."
At this moment, the black humanoid's eyes turned fierce, the white one was as usual, and the gray one appeared kind.
"Ahei, is this how you treat the one who taught you?"
"Well, Little Gray, after all these days of learning, don't you understand? People are cunning, and ghosts are even more cunning and dark."
Beside them, a huge stack of books had piled up like a mountain. Over the month, the three studied day and night under John Chou's guidance, and whenever they didn't understand something, he would provide multiple explanations.
"Alright, you three, next, go back to the county and see what people are really like. After all, maybe it's not quite like what the books say!"