Chapter 96: Story

Lin Qingyue looked at the man pressed beneath her; under the hazy starlight, his features were not very clear, but instead, he looked even more like her A Zhuo.

Not until he spoke to ask did she suddenly come to her senses, flip over to sit up, and snort coldly: "How could I possibly be crying? It's just that it's windy outside, and the sand and dust got into my eyes."

He was not A Zhuo, and Lin Qingyue would never go looking for a substitute again. Such a thing that hurt both others and herself, she would never do again in this life.

Dongfang Qi also sat up, the starlight shining through the broken carriage roof, revealing a brilliant and magnificent posture without any obstruction.

He looked at her, seeing broken starlight flickering in her eyes.

"If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. Having known each other for so long, we should count as friends."

Lin Qingyue suddenly laughed again, still as carefree as before, as if everything just now was just Dongfang Qi's eyes playing tricks on him.

"If I had difficulties, wouldn't I be able to solve them myself?" Her tone was a bit sharp.

"I seem to have been overthinking." Dongfang Qi lowered his eyes and smiled, the night outlining his perfect side profile—he really looked so, so much like him...

Perhaps the night was too gentle, or perhaps her state of mind was influenced by her past life, but she suddenly said, "Xiao Hua, let me tell you a story."

Dongfang Qi said, "Alright."

Lin Qingyue: "Once upon a time, there was a country where the people lived happily, and they were immensely grateful for the gifts of the gods. They believed that the food they ate, the water they drank, and even the air they breathed were all gifts from the gods. But later..."

She paused, seemingly contemplating how to continue, or perhaps her mind was wandering.

Dongfang Qi waited for a while before asking, "And then what?"

Lin Qingyue continued the narrative: "Later, an anomaly appeared. She was born into the God Race, naturally high and mighty, and should have been working for the welfare of the world, receiving endless reverence. But she chose to degenerate, slaughtering the entire God Realm and erasing the gods from the worship of the people. From then on, the devil replaced the gods and ruled the world. People lived in darkness and misery, and finally thought of resisting. So they... they burned the devil to death."

Speaking to the end, she laughed heartily: "How about it, is this story very interesting? Justice triumphs over evil, and the kind humans killed the devil who was guilty of heinous crimes."

Dongfang Qi frowned: "Where did you hear this story?"

Lin Qingyue said, "I just made it up! Am I not very capable, actually having the ability to make up stories?"

Dongfang Qi said, "Yes, you are very capable, omnipotent."

He asked again: "I have a question. The protagonist in your story was born noble and should have been like his clansmen, a god revered by the world. Why did he give up everything and willingly become a devil?"

Lin Qingyue said, "Because she was a born villain, not suited to be a god, and could only fall into devilry."

Dongfang Qi shook his head: "No, I think he must have had hidden difficulties, otherwise it doesn't make sense. If it were someone else, even if they wanted to be a devil, there would be no need to tear off their divine armor. A devil wearing divine armor is even more terrifying and lasts longer. Isn't that right?"

Lin Qingyue was stunned, and after a moment, she smiled: "Then she really is stupid—I won't disturb your sleep anymore; the carriage roof is broken, so I'll go find another place to rest."

Dongfang Qi stopped her: "You sleep in the carriage. It's not appropriate for a girl to sleep outside."

After saying this, he was the first to get off the carriage.

Although it was a large, open flat ground outside the city, the ground was actually not comfortable, full of pits and bumps, and many broken stones and dirt clods.

After scanning it roughly, he found a random spot, swept away the broken stones, spread out a blanket, and lay down.

Xie Shouzheng, who had been kicked away earlier, climbed up shakily and looked for a few places, but couldn't find a suitable place to serve as a bed.

He transformed back into his human form and walked dejectedly back to the carriage—although His Highness didn't like holding him to sleep anymore, he still wanted to be closer to His Highness.

Just as he walked near the carriage, he saw Dongfang Qi lying on the ground.

He was curled up in a ball, seemingly fast asleep. The blanket beneath him was spread out quite wide, and he only occupied half of it, leaving the other half empty.

Consequently, Xie Shouzheng became happy again: So His Highness still likes me just like when I was little, and even specially accompanied me to sleep outside. See, he even spread out the mat.

He tiptoed over, walked stealthily, and lay down quietly beside Dongfang Qi.

That night, Xie Shouzheng slept exceptionally sweetly. In his dream, he turned back into his original form, wagging his tail and sticking out his tongue to accompany the Crown Prince in playing cuju in the Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince kicked the ball, and he ran out with all his might to fetch it back, playing with great delight.

When they were tired from playing, the man and the wolf would snuggle together under a tree and fall into a deep sleep.

It was wonderful, he was happy again...

"Xiao Hui!"

Eh, His Highness seems to be calling me; is he going to play cuju again?

"Mmm, sleepy, sleep a little longer, when I wake up I'll go fetch the ball!"

"Fetch what ball? Xiao Hui, get up, we're entering the city!"

Not until Dongfang Qi called out several times did Xie Shouzheng scramble up.

Then he saw three heads surrounding him from above.

Deputy Envoy Lin was laughing playfully: "Xiao Hui, where did your vigilance go? No wonder you couldn't survive in the wolf pack."

Dongfang Qi was looking at him as if caring for someone mentally challenged, clearly also doubting his abilities.

Xie Shouzheng flipped up in one go: "I must argue a bit about this! I usually have very high vigilance and wouldn't let even the slightest sound pass. Last night... last night was an accident! I, I was sleepy and thought I had returned to my childhood. Hehe... I'll be careful next time, I'll definitely be careful!"

Dongfang Qi said, "Alright, stop talking nonsense. The city gates have opened; pack up your things and let's go."

It was only when Xie Shouzheng was packing things that he discovered the huge hole in the carriage roof.

He climbed up, poked his head out, and looked carefully again and again, then reached the conclusion: "The carriage roof was broken by a palm strike, and the size of the damage is just enough for a person to fall through. So—"

He turned his head and looked at Lin Qingyue and Dongfang Qi with suspicion: "You two..."

That scene yesterday was indeed a bit awkward, especially since they were brother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Lin Qingyue was about to explain.

But the next moment, she heard Xie Shouzheng's voice rise sharply: "Could it be that you were assassinated?"

Lin Qingyue: "..."

Dongfang Qi said, "Don't be so jumpy! There was no assassination; the carriage roof just wasn't sturdy and broke on its own! Hurry up and pack your things to enter the city; we still need to find someone to fix the carriage, we can't delay too long."

It wasn't an assassination, so Xie Shouzheng felt relieved. He and Hong Yao packed up the things and loaded them onto the carriage, then drove it, following the merchants' procession, queuing to enter the city. ===== CHAPTER 97 =====