The Godslayer

The scorching August.

Drip, drip, drip—

The harsh cicada chirping mixed with the intermittent honking echoed on the bustling street, the hot sun baking the gray asphalt, the heat causing the entire street to seem distorted.

Under the few clusters of trees on the roadside, a few young people were gathered, smoking and waiting for the traffic lights.

Suddenly, one of the young men, who was puffing out smoke, seemed to have noticed something and exclaimed, “Arnold, what are you looking at?” His companion asked.

The young man named Arnold stared at the street corner for a while before speaking, “What do you think… how does a blind person cross the road?”

His companion hesitated for a moment before slowly responding, “Jeanrally, blind people have someone to look after them when they go out, or they have guide dogs to lead them. In modern cities, there are also traffic lights with voice announcements. If all else fails, they might rely on sound and a cane to move a little?”

Arnold shook his head, “But what if there’s no one to look after them, no guide dog, no voice announcements, and even the cane is being used to carry groceries?”

“Do you think you’re funny?” His companion rolled his eyes and followed Arnold’s gaze, only to be stunned in place.

Across the street, a young man in a black short-sleeved shirt stood, his eyes wrapped in several layers of thick black cloth, completely blocking out all light.

In his left hand, he carried a cheap shopping bag full of vegetables, and in his right hand, he held a cane slung over his shoulder, like he was carrying a pole. At the end of the cane, a large bucket of golden peanut oil was shining in the sunlight!

Black cloth over his eyes, cane on his shoulder, left hand with vegetables, right hand with oil…

This incredible scene immediately attracted the attention of a large crowd around.

“Hey, look, that person looks so strange.”

“With so much cloth covering his eyes, can he see the road?”

“Didn’t you see the guide cane in his hand? He’s obviously a blind person, right?”

“In this day and age, blind people usually wear sunglasses. Who uses cloth to cover their eyes in the hot weather? Aren’t they afraid of suffocating?”

“Yeah, and have you ever seen a blind person not using a guide cane to walk, but instead using it to carry things?”

“Young people these days are really something.”

The summer cicadas couldn’t cover the whispers of the surrounding pedestrians, who were curiously observing the young man, quietly discussing whether he was truly blind or pretending, while also looking forward to the flashing red light.

At that moment, a clear voice sounded from beside the young man.

“Brother, shall I help you cross the road?”

It was a girl in school uniform, about twelve or thirteen years old, with a few glistening sweat drops on her cheeks, her big black eyes watching the young man with concern, pure and simple.

The young man was slightly stunned, turning to look in the direction of the girl, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

“Yes.”

He hung the bag of vegetables on his right hand, freeing his left hand to wipe the sweat from his clothes, gently taking the girl’s hand.

Click—!

The green light lit up.

The young man stepped forward, walking with the girl across the street.

The girl was nervous, looking around at the vehicles on both sides, her steps careful and timid.

As for the young man… he walked steadily.

In the eyes of the onlookers, this scene didn’t look like a kind girl leading a blind person across the road, but more like an older brother guiding a younger child.

The road was not wide, and in just over ten seconds, the two reached the other side of the street. The young man thanked the girl and walked away without looking back, heading towards a secluded alley.

“He’s not blind.” Arnold saw this scene and said confidently, “He must be able to see.”

A young man behind Arnold, chin in hand, thoughtful, then suddenly realized, “I get it, he’s cosplaying as a blind monk!”

Slap—!

A resounding slap landed on the back of his head, and Arnold cursed, “Idiot, all you do is play games all day. Who the hell has nothing to do and cosplays as a blind monk on a busy street? Are you asking for trouble?”

After a pause, Arnold muttered under his breath, “Besides… the blind monk’s eye covering is red, this cosplay doesn’t look like it.”

“Arnold, you’re still talking about me…”

“Shut up.”

“Oh.”

As the two bickered, the young man who had been silent all along watched the young man’s departing figure, his brow furrowed slightly.

“What’s wrong?” Arnold noticed his gaze.

“I know him.”

“You know him?”

“Yes.” The young man nodded, “When my cousin was still in elementary school, I heard that there was a student at their school who had an accident, had eye problems, and had to use black cloth to cover his eyes. There were also some mental issues…”

“Mental issues?” Arnold was surprised, carefully recalling the situation just now, “I didn’t see any issues.”

“That was ten years ago, maybe he’s recovered by now. But at the time, it seemed like a big deal. The student dropped out of school in a few days and was said to have transferred to a special school for the blind.”

At that moment, another person eagerly interjected, “By the way, what kind of accident was it? To make someone go blind and have mental issues, it couldn’t be something normal, right?”

“I don’t know.” He paused, “But… it was said to be something even more bizarre.”

“He’s a poor soul.” Arnold sighed, “What’s his name?”

“It seems to be… Jean?”

…

In the twilight, Jean pushed open the door.

Almost instantly, the aroma of the food from inside the house wafted into his nostrils. He sniffed, swallowed, and walked into the house with his belongings.

Creak—!

The old door emitted a piercing creak, covering the sound of the cooking coming from the kitchen. A middle-aged woman pushed open the kitchen door, saw Jean carrying a large number of bags, and exclaimed, rushing forward.

“Jean, why did you bring so many things back at once? Are you using the government’s subsidies recklessly again?”

“Auntie, the government’s subsidies for the disabled are for living expenses. I used it to buy oil, making the most of it.” Jean smiled.

“Nonsense, that money is for you to go to college. How can you use it recklessly? Let me tell you, the money I earn from working is enough to support the three of us. Don’t spend your money recklessly.”

Auntie gently wiped the oil drum, her expression pained, muttering softly, “Such a large drum of oil, and it’s a branded one… it must have cost a lot of money, right?”

Before Jean could say anything, Auntie suddenly realized something.

“Wait… how did you bring back so many things?”

“Oh, I met a few kind people on the way, and they helped me bring them back,” Jean said calmly.

“Good, good, it seems there are still good people in society… did you thank them properly?”

“I did.” Jean changed the subject, “Auntie, where’s Ajin?”

“He’s doing his homework on the balcony… Oh, and this year’s regular check-up doctor from the mental hospital is here, resting in the room. You go and see the doctor, and I’ll go cook. I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

Jean’s steps faltered for a moment, and he said, “Okay,” before turning and walking towards the bedroom.

…

“Hello, I’m Dr. Li from Sunshine Mental Hospital.”

Seeing Jean enter the room, the young man sitting on a small stool in the bedroom stood up, speaking gently. He wore a pair of large black-framed glasses, looking gentle and refined.

Jean raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Wasn’t it always Dr. Han who came before?”

“Dr. Han was promoted to vice director last year.” Dr. Li smiled, a hint of envy in his eyes.

Jean nodded slightly, acknowledging the information.

It made sense. Dr. Han was quite old, and with his exceptional medical skills, it wasn’t surprising that he was promoted to vice director. It was only natural for a new young doctor to come for regular check-ups.

Seeing Jean sit down, Dr. Li cleared his throat and took out a stack of medical records from his bag.

“Sorry, I’m new here, and I don’t know much about your situation. I’d like to get a brief understanding first.” Dr. Li apologized.

Jean nodded.

“Your name is… Jean?”

“Yes.”

“Seventeen years old.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… the medical records say that you became blind ten years ago and were sent to our hospital due to some issues?”

“Yes.”

Dr. Li pondered for a moment, “Did you change your name?”

“…No, why do you ask?” Jean was puzzled.

Dr. Li scratched his head awkwardly, “Oh… I thought you might have changed your name after going blind. You see, you were seven years old when you went blind ten years ago, and your name happened to be Jean, so I thought you might have changed your name after going blind…”

Jean remained silent for a while before shaking his head, “No… I’ve never changed my name. My parents gave me the name Jean before I was born.”

“That’s quite… um…” Dr. Li stopped himself, realizing it was impolite, and closed his mouth in time.

“Quite a coincidence,” Jean said lightly. “Indeed, quite a coincidence.”

Dr. Li felt a bit embarrassed, but he quickly changed the subject, “Um… the medical records don’t seem to have detailed information about the accident that caused you to go blind and have mental issues. If it’s convenient, could you tell me about it?”

Jean hadn’t spoken yet when Dr. Li quickly added, “I don’t mean to offend, but the more we understand the patients, the better we can treat them. Of course, if you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you.”

Jean sat quietly, his eyes seemingly fixed on Dr. Li from under the black cloth.

After a while, he spoke slowly, “There’s nothing I can’t say… it’s just that you might not believe it, and you might even take me back to the mental hospital.”

“No, no, don’t think of our relationship as doctor and patient. This is just a normal conversation between friends. It won’t go that far,” Dr. Li half-jokingly said. “Even if you tell me you were pulled into a cauldron by the Supreme Old Lord, I’d believe it.”

Jean fell silent for a moment before nodding slightly.

“When I was young, I liked astronomy.”

“And then?”

“That night, I was lying on the roof of my old house, looking at the moon.”

“What did you see? The moon rabbit?” Dr. Li joked.

Jean shook his head. His next words made Dr. Li’s smile freeze on his face.

“No, I saw an angel,” Jean said seriously, gesturing with his hands.

“An archangel enveloped in golden light, with six white wings.”

The room fell into a brief silence.

A few seconds later, Dr. Li came back to his senses. “An archangel?”

“Yes.”

“What was he doing?”

“Nothing, he was like a golden statue, sitting in the center of a huge lunar crater, looking up at the Earth, as if… watching over it?”

Dr. Li rubbed his eyes and spoke somewhat helplessly, “Jean, do you know how far the moon is from the Earth?”

“Nearly 400,000 kilometers,” Jean said calmly.

“Nearly 400,000 kilometers,” Dr. Li repeated, “Even with the most advanced telescope, you can barely see the surface of the moon. And when you were seven years old, you saw an angel on the moon with your naked eyes?”

“It wasn’t me who saw him,” Jean said softly. “He saw me. I just looked up, and it was as if he dragged my eyes through space to meet his gaze.”

“So, he forced you?” Dr. Li asked.

“Sort of, otherwise how could I see the surface of the moon? I don’t have clairvoyance.”

“But if there reall