Come With Me

Similar features—

And those pale blue eyes, as if stamped from the same mold.

She really looks just like her...

Cheadle's emotions churned, one memory tugging at the whole web. Her eyes gradually lost focus; the figure she had longed for day and night, between blur and clarity, slowly overlapped with the youth before her.

Thank goodness...

He doesn't look anything like Hawk at all.

Nothing could be more fortunate than that.

Cheadle thought this as she drifted in distraction.

On the other side of the threshold.

Seeing Cheadle's sudden visit, Moyu's eyes flickered with surprise.

She wore a green-and-white outfit, with long green hair, a pair of black-rimmed glasses on her face, and a set of dog ears perched atop her head.

Cheadle of the Zodiacs, the Dog?

Moyu's mind quickly scanned the image of Cheadle from the original story, and it matched this woman almost exactly.

If he had to point out a difference—

She looked younger, and her nose was normal, not deliberately crafted into a delicate little dog nose like in the original.

But with just those dog ears, he could be fairly certain that Cheadle was already a member of the Hunter Association's Zodiacs, and had thus altered her appearance to match the title "Zodiac Dog."

But...

How did that cheap father of his get tangled up with a member of the Zodiacs???

What was going on here???

Even the memories left behind by his predecessor held no relevant information.

And Cheadle's reaction was a bit strange...

Deeply puzzled, Moyu concealed the surprise in his eyes. After confirming she hadn't noticed it, a gentle smile spread across his face, and he said softly, "Sorry, Hawk went out of town a while ago and hasn't come back yet."

"Mm, oh..."

Cheadle slowly came back to herself. Realizing her lapse, she quickly composed herself and said in as calm a tone as she could manage, "I called Hawk before I came, and I know he's not here, but he said he'd be back soon, so he told me to come to the Temple first."

"I see."

Moyu thought for a moment, then asked, "Did he say when he'd be back?"

"He did."

As she spoke, Cheadle habitually raised her right hand, still in its white glove, palm facing upward, and said, "He gave a vague answer of about three days."

"About three days, huh..."

Moyu lowered his gaze, counting the time—exactly half a month. But based on his predecessor's memories and his current understanding, Hawk seemed like nothing more than an ordinary, boozing, meat-eating monk. How on earth had he crossed paths with Cheadle?

Cheadle watched Moyu, who was lost in thought, her gaze softening.

Moyu suddenly looked up.

Cheadle quickly masked her emotions, her face calm.

"May I ask..."

Moyu looked at Cheadle, testing the waters. "Did Hawk owe you money?"

"..."

Cheadle was forced into silence. Her first thought was just how terrible a father Hawk must seem in Moyu's eyes.

Even worse—

Speaking of debts, Hawk did owe her some money.

Cheadle forced a faint smile and said insincerely, "Hawk doesn't owe me any money."

She paused, feigning curiosity, and asked:

"What, does he owe a lot to others?"

"Not a lot, he just likes to buy things on credit."

Moyu raised a hand to his chin. "As far as I know, he's run up a tab for a dozen or so jin of meat at the butcher's in the village at the foot of the mountain, and a fair bit at the grain shop, but not as much as at the general store. He's bought a lot of cigarettes and alcohol on credit there, but the fat auntie who runs the general store is very kind, and she's never..."

"Having such a terrible father... it must be hard on you."

Cheadle's brow was faintly dark, and she truly couldn't bear to listen any longer, so she could only gently interrupt Moyu's account.

Moyu smiled, not taking the bait, but instead invited Cheadle inside.

Cheadle accepted without further protest, following behind Moyu.

Her gaze swept over the aura around Moyu.

"The flow and stability of Ten are quite good. For a Nen user with decent talent, reaching this level would conservatively take at least half a year."

"And Moyu... it was already incredible that he awakened Nen on his own under the suppression of God Script. Now, in less than half a month, he's cultivated Ten to this standard."

"In terms of talent alone, he's undoubtedly a monster. But Light's guidance during this period must have played a crucial role as well."

Cheadle thought silently to herself.

On the long journey here, she had done some investigation into the current state of this scenic area.

So she knew that Light had recently dealt with a wanted criminal here, and that Light had deliberately stayed at the Temple for a while before leaving.

As for Light "teaching" Moyu, that was something she had inferred.

The basis for her inference—

Was the conditions for a professional Hunter to advance in star rank.

To go from One-Star to Two-Star, one must personally train a One-Star professional Hunter.

Thus, many professional Hunters who pursue "star rank" rarely miss any promising talent in their careers, and taking on disciples is a common practice.

Of course, not all professional Hunters are like this; some take on disciples or guide juniors based on personal preference.

But if it was Light, who had a strong "ambition," once he sensed Moyu's monstrous talent, he would inevitably take the initiative to contact and teach Moyu in order to climb the ranks.

Cheadle's inference was essentially correct.

However, given her current position and identity, she naturally wouldn't bring this up rashly.

"I forgot to introduce myself."

Arriving at the courtyard, Moyu suddenly stopped, turned back to look at Cheadle, and smiled. "My name is Moyu. But since you know Hawk, you probably already know my name, right?"

"Mm, I... have always known."

Cheadle also stopped, a fleeting change in her eyes.

Yes, she had always known, but she had also always refrained from asking or interfering.

Though the starting point was to protect...

Cheadle silently calmed her emotions, then adopted a rather solemn posture to introduce herself: "Cheadle Yorkshire, Two-Star Disease Hunter, and also a member of the Hunter Association's Zodiacs."

"Huh?"

Moyu, who had been prepared, showed a timely and natural look of confusion.

He wouldn't casually reveal his identity as the "Seer," so at this moment, he should logically express puzzlement over Cheadle's mention of "Disease Hunter" and "Hunter Association Zodiacs."

As for his identity as a "Nen user"...

Though it was already exposed to Cheadle's sight, the source that made him a Nen user was his own awakening...

Under these circumstances, he couldn't abruptly act like he "knew a lot."

Especially since the other party was a friend of his cheap father, and might know some of his background.

"Moyu, was my introduction too formal?"

Cheadle dropped her posture, instead looking at Moyu with a smile.

At the same time, she speculated inwardly—

Had Light not mentioned anything related to the Hunter Association to Moyu?

"No, it's just..."

Moyu hesitated slightly as he looked at Cheadle, his bewildered expression perfectly measured.

"Let's sit first."

Cheadle pointed to the stone table and chairs in the courtyard, smiling. "Think of it as a topic for conversation. I'll explain it to you slowly."

"Okay."

Moyu nodded obediently and went to prepare tea and snacks.

Cheadle watched from the side. So far, Moyu's words and actions had satisfied her, and she once again felt a sense of relief.

Relieved that her "dear friend's" son didn't resemble his father in appearance, and relieved that her "dear friend's" son hadn't been corrupted by his father's influence.

In this formal contact—

Both Moyu and Cheadle had things they needed to conceal...

Cheadle couldn't reveal her intentions for now, nor would she proactively disclose that she had investigated the Temple's recent situation before coming.

As for Moyu, his "Seer identity" was a secret that must never be known to outsiders—not even a trace could be exposed. At the same time, under the premise of "self-awakening Nen," he couldn't abruptly show that he knew too much.

If Hawk, who could know someone like Cheadle, was also a Nen user, then Moyu wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.

Both of them needed to cover up these things, which led them to put on a certain degree of disguise from their respective angles.

But relatively speaking—

Moyu had more to conceal, and it was more important.

Bringing over tea and snacks, Moyu sat down.

Then, Cheadle gave him a detailed introduction to the existence of the Hunter Association and the weight of a star-ranked professional Hunter.

"It's hard to imagine..."

After listening to Cheadle's explanation, Moyu couldn't hide his astonishment: "How could Hawk know someone as important as you? Are you sure he doesn't owe you money?"

"Heh..."

Hearing Moyu's words, Cheadle couldn't help but laugh, deciding that Hawk's image in Moyu's mind had already deteriorated to a serious degree.

Despite hating Hawk, Cheadle at this moment actually felt a little reluctant to make Hawk's image even worse in Moyu's eyes, so she once again spoke against her true feelings: "Hawk really doesn't owe me money."

"Then how did you come to know Hawk?"

Moyu asked curiously.

He didn't absolutely need to know, but under these circumstances, asking wouldn't hurt.

Hearing this, the smile on Cheadle's face froze slightly.

It had been less than half an hour since she entered the Temple.

Yet this brief interaction had already made her, who loved the house for its crow, completely fond of Moyu.

Because whether it was his appearance or his words and demeanor, he was far too similar to her deceased "close friend."

"Actually..."

She hesitated for a moment, then finally decided to say it: "Moyu, your mother and I were childhood friends."

Having said that, she paused, then added: "If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to know Hawk."

"I see."

Moyu showed a hint of understanding, while pretending not to notice the latter half of Cheadle's remark, which was clearly targeted at Hawk.

As for his mother from before...

The memories he had received contained no fragments of interaction with her.

He didn't even know what his mother's name was or what she looked like.

So let alone Moyu—he had no strong reaction to this.

Seeing Moyu's indifferent expression, Cheadle, who knew the full story, bit her lip unconsciously, and a sudden impulse surged within her.

"Moyu, come with me!"

"..."

Thanks to Du Ai Xiao Xia for the 500-point tip, thanks to Purple Blue Pig for the 500-point tip, and thanks to readers 1237915295654739968 and Yan Xi Qi for the 100-point tips.