Chapter 561

Jiang Yan had just been thinking about Raiden Makoto and the others, so he hadn't heard the Bodhisattva Tree King's muttering.

The Bodhisattva Tree King opened her mouth, but in the end said nothing at all.

"It's nothing."

The Bodhisattva Tree King said softly.

"Alright, you've finished your apology, and I've accepted this apology."

"Go now, I'm a little tired."

Saying so, without waiting for Jiang Yan to say anything, the Bodhisattva Tree King pushed Jiang Yan and shoved him out the door.

Bang!

Accompanied by the great doors of Jingshan Palace slamming shut, Jiang Yan blinked.

Eh?

What happened?

Why was I inexplicably chased out?

Something's off!

Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes—he was no fool.

From the moment they met today, the Bodhisattva Tree King had truly been far too abnormal.

Not only had she asked him some strange, odd questions, but after asking about him and Raiden Makoto and the others, she had even blasted him straight out.

Jiang Yan always felt that the Bodhisattva Tree King's abnormality at this moment was caused by him.

Then, Cosmic Perception activated, and he began secretly observing the Bodhisattva Tree King's condition.

After shoving Jiang Yan out the door, the Bodhisattva Tree King, as if utterly helpless, sat down against the door.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head inside.

The Bodhisattva Tree King had never been able to figure out exactly what kind of feelings she had for Jiang Yan.

When she first met Jiang Yan, it was still during the Archon War. At that time, King Deshret Akhmal and the God of Flowers had not yet passed away; Liyue had just been initially established, and Jiang Yan led his army north to campaign against Chenyu Valley.

To prevent the Liyue nation from having any designs on Sumeru, the Bodhisattva Tree King and Akhmal led their troops to garrison the border region of Liyue.

The result was that Jiang Yan, shouldering a demon-god bomb, threatened and intimidated them.

At first, the Bodhisattva Tree King had no good feelings toward Jiang Yan.

Would you feel any goodwill toward someone who shows up waving a bomb, threatening and terrifying you?

When she saw Jiang Yan again, it was on the day King Deshret Akhmal was swallowed by forbidden knowledge.

At that time, the Bodhisattva Tree King, helpless against the forbidden knowledge, had originally intended to forcibly suppress it, when Jiang Yan descended from the heavens and sealed the forbidden knowledge together with her.

It was also at that time that the Bodhisattva Tree King developed a slight good feeling toward Jiang Yan, and the two became quite good friends.

Later, the Bodhisattva Tree King became the Dendro Archon, and Jiang Yan, as Liyue's Tianquan, established diplomatic relations with Sumeru and began carrying out trade.

The Bodhisattva Tree King was repeatedly influenced by some of Jiang Yan's novel ideas, and even when handling certain political affairs, she would adopt methods Jiang Yan had once used to deal with them.

Even later, Jiang Yan traveled through the seven nations.

When Jiang Yan came to Sumeru, the Bodhisattva Tree King, for some unknown reason, felt a trace of joy rising in her heart.

Perhaps even the Bodhisattva Tree King herself didn't know why she would develop such a feeling.

Especially since Jiang Yan's arrival this time had also solved the most headache-inducing matter of forbidden knowledge for the Bodhisattva Tree King.

Sometimes the Bodhisattva Tree King would wonder—if Jiang Yan lived in Sumeru, what would it be like?

She didn't know from when, although Jiang Yan hadn't met with the Bodhisattva Tree King too many times.

Yet just these encounters, bit by bit, occupied the Bodhisattva Tree King's heart.

Especially at the moment she learned that Jiang Yan, for some unknown reason, had inexplicably fallen into slumber.

The Bodhisattva Tree King's entire mind went blank.

She had searched within the World Tree for the reason Jiang Yan had fallen into slumber, but she searched countless times, no matter how she searched.

Although she could find Jiang Yan's figure, within the World Tree, Jiang Yan's figure was always so elusive and ethereal, as if within reach yet far away.

It seemed he didn't belong to this world, yet he didn't belong to the category of Descenders either.

Until the Khaenri'ah war ended, when Jiang Yan came to the World Tree space, the Bodhisattva Tree King saw Jiang Yan again.

Scene after scene of the past kept flooding into the Bodhisattva Tree King's heart; she sat on the ground, pressing her lips together.

Yes, the former her had never realized her own feelings for Jiang Yan.

No, or rather—

After learning that Little Ganyu was Jiang Yan's companion, the Bodhisattva Tree King completely buried her own feelings.

She didn't have the courage of Raiden Makoto and the other two, nor did she wish to break up the two's relationship.

Until the moment she learned that Jiang Yan had responded to Raiden Makoto and the other two's feelings, the Bodhisattva Tree King suddenly became lost.

She seemed no longer able to hide the emotions in her heart.

Every time she saw Jiang Yan, she wanted to ask—did Jiang Yan feel the same kind of feelings toward her as he did toward Raiden Makoto?

The Bodhisattva Tree King didn't dare to ask; she was afraid that if she asked—

Jiang Yan would, like he avoided Raiden Makoto and the others, begin to evade her.

"Jiang Yan... if... I like you, would you be able to accept me the way you accepted Raiden Makoto and the others?"

The Bodhisattva Tree King murmured, her eyes filled with confusion.

"So, does this count as your confession to me?"

Just at that moment, a clear, bright voice rose from beside the Bodhisattva Tree King.

The Bodhisattva Tree King abruptly raised her head, looking in astonishment toward her side.

She saw Jiang Yan with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning against the great doors of Jingshan Palace, gazing at the Bodhisattva Tree King with gentle eyes.

"(Ma Li Zhao) you... you weren't... by me......"

The Great Compassion Tree King said somewhat haltingly, disbelief in her eyes.

"Driven out the door by you, right?"

Jiang Yan straightened up and said lightly.

"Come on, even the World Tree's space couldn't stop me, let alone the mere front gate of this Jingshan Palace?"

Jiang Yan looked at the Great Compassion Tree King with a smile.

"Lucky for me I kept my wits about me and noticed something off with you. Otherwise, you'd probably never have said that line to my face in your whole life, would you?"

The Great Compassion Tree King fell silent; what Jiang Yan said, she could not refute.

That's right, she truly might never have said it out loud.

"So...... would you?"

Since Jiang Yan Has Already heard it, the Great Compassion Tree King, not knowing where she summoned the courage from, looked toward Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan said nothing, nor did he answer the Great Compassion Tree King's question.

Instead, under the Great Compassion Tree King's gaze, he stepped right up in front of her.

Gazing at the Great Compassion Tree King's exquisitely beautiful face, Jiang Yan smiled and bent down.

The Great Compassion Tree King's eyes flew wide, as if she couldn't believe it.

"I think, this should be the best answer, doesn't it, Qing?"

Jiang Yan wiped his lips, as if savoring the lingering warmth left upon them.

The Great Compassion Tree King stood there in a daze, as if her acupoints had been struck, not moving a muscle.

"Alright, the answer's been given to you, and it's time for me to take off."

A Chuansong Sect appeared behind Jiang Yan, who smiled and waved at the Great Compassion Tree King.

With Jiang Yan's disappearance, the Great Compassion Tree King finally came back to her senses.

She stroked her own lips, which Jiang Yan had just kissed, and suddenly broke into a bright, radiant smile.

"What a scoundrel......"