Yingran sat up from his embrace, took a few bites, and occasionally fed him a piece of meat.
Halfway through, Yingran suddenly paused: “Oh no, my mother’s expecting me home for lunch today. I need to go tell her.”
She sped up her eating.
Xu Liling held her hand: “No rush. On my way here, I passed by the academy and told the servant boy I brought food, so your mother won’t prepare anything.”
Yingran relaxed, smiled at Xu Liling, ate a couple more bites, then put down the bowl and chopsticks: “I’m full.”
Xu Liling took the unfinished food and continued eating.
Yingran pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her hands and mouth, then leaned against his shoulder, closing her eyes contentedly.
Early summer was hot, but the alley was cool and refreshing.
A breeze passed through the long alley, gently brushing their hair, peaceful and serene.
“There’s one piece of meat left. Want it?”
Xu Liling suddenly asked.
Yingran opened her mouth: “Ah—”
He fed her a piece of meat.
She chewed and said, “It’s a bit salty.”
Xu Liling fed her a bite of rice.
At Yuehong Tavern, the back window on the fourth floor was open.
The disciples gathered in the room discussing matters looked down and saw the two in the alley.
“How nice.”
A female disciple sighed softly, leaning on the windowsill, relaxing.
“That’s the woman assigned to take care of us, right?”
“That’s her husband?”
“They seem so close.”
As the words fell, the room suddenly fell silent.
The disciples glanced at Ning Fei, the female disciple sitting at the table with a heavy, suppressed expression, and all went quiet.
Ning Fei had been set to become dao companions with her senior brother. They both survived the demon-slaying campaign, but he died on the escape route.
The moment the realm gate closed, she could only watch as her senior brother was beheaded by pursuing demons.
A knock on the door broke the silence.
“Uncle Zhou has something to say.”
The disciples’ expressions tightened, and they headed to Zhou Tuya’s room on the third floor.
Once everyone was gathered, Zhou Tuya set up a barrier and said with a cold, stern face: “Fellow disciples, the deaths of our comrades are heartbreaking. The moment we escaped, I, Zhou Tuya, swore that I would not rest until every demon in this world is eradicated!”
“Heaven has eyes, and it has led me to discover traces of that demon!”
The disciples questioned: “Uncle, which great demon are you talking about?”
“Not a great demon,” Zhou Tuya narrowed his eyes. “The Saint Demon!”
The disciples froze. A nameless fear slithered up their spines like a venomous snake.
“Uncle, are you joking?!”
“The Saint… Saint Demon? You found the Saint Demon? How is that possible…”
“Even if you found the Saint Demon, are you suggesting we try to kill him? That’s impossible, Uncle. How could we possibly kill the Saint Demon?”
“Why is it impossible!”
Before Zhou Tuya could respond, Ning Fei shouted: “That demon was branded with the Demon-Purging Sacred Seal and fought the Mysterious Path for five hundred years. After forcing Tianxiao to sever heaven and earth and slaughtering Yaoyu Qiongyu, he must be severely weakened, which is why he fell into slumber.”
“He’s been asleep for five hundred years. Recently, Yunzhou had rumors that he awoke. But he hasn’t summoned his demon horde to Saint Demon City. Why is that?”
“Uncle says he’s in Yunzhou now? …”
Ning Fei smiled with determination: “Demons respect strength. He’s probably so weak now that he’s pathetic, too afraid to summon his horde lest they overthrow him. That’s why he’s hiding in Yunzhou.”
“We’ve encountered him in such a weakened state—this is our opportunity!”
Zhou Tuya, stunned for a moment, quickly chimed in: “Exactly, as Ning Fei said. Such a golden opportunity is a gift from the heavens!”
“I will kill him…”
Ning Fei clenched her fists, gritting her teeth.
“I’ll cut off his head and show it to those demons! Let them see their revered Saint Demon’s skull split by my sword!”
At dusk, Xu Liling picked Yingran up to go home.
Getting home so late for the first time reminded Yingran of her days as a corporate drone working overtime. Though she hadn’t done much all day, she still felt exhausted.
Da Hua said it would stay by Yingran’s side to protect her, but after naturally becoming a kitten, it spent its days playing wildly on the mountain, carefree and happy.
Seeing Yingran return late, it circled her once, confirmed she was fine, and went back to its nest to sleep.
Yingran playfully scolded: “Little stinky cat.”
Xu Liling heated water and called her to bathe.
She entered the side room, and Xu Liling followed.
Since it was late, they bathed together.
It wasn’t their first time bathing together; it had happened a few times before.
But those times, bathing wasn’t just bathing.
Today, both were exhausted,
and bathing alone would take who knows how long.
So they bathed together, doing nothing else.
Xu Liling dressed first, took their dirty clothes to soak, and when Yingran finished bathing, he poured out the water and opened the window to air out the room.
When he returned to the bedroom, Yingran was already half-asleep on the bed.
He lay down beside her.
Yingran turned over, hugged him, and mumbled: “I didn’t even do much, but I’m so tired.”
Maybe it was because she hadn’t worked in so long.
Xu Liling: “Are you going back tomorrow?”
Yingran snuggled against him, squirming and humming for a bit, then looked up with a smile: “Yes.”
She mentioned how a cultivator today said she resembled his late sister.
“Three spirit stones! When this job’s done, let’s go to Yunshui County and have a good time.”
She paused, opening her sleepy eyes: “Or should we save it for when we move later?”
“Either way.”
Seeing her on the verge of falling asleep, Xu Liling kissed her eyelids, covering her eyes with his hand: “Sleep first.”
Yingran giggled, placing her hand on his face.
The next day.
“I’m really sorry. I was in a bad mood yesterday and spoke harshly to you.”
When Yingran knocked on the second room’s door today, the impatient female disciple from yesterday opened it.
Her cheeks were thin, her appearance haggard.
Yingran expressed understanding.
Guan Yi had said this group of disciples originally numbered around a hundred, now down to just over twenty. With so many comrades dead, it was normal to be in a bad mood.
The female disciple: “My name is Ning Fei. What’s yours?”
Yingran: “Just call me Lady Qin.”
Ning Fei smiled: “Lady Qin, can you take me out for a walk today?”
It was hot, and Yingran wasn’t keen on wandering. Besides, taking a Yunzhou cultivator out wasn’t part of her duties.
But as a Yunzhou local, it was only right to show some hospitality, so she agreed: “Alright. Please wait a moment, esteemed cultivator.”
“Just call me Ning Fei.”
Ning Fei stepped out of her room, waited for Yingran to finish her routine greetings, and they left Yuehong Tavern together.
At noon.
Yingran and Xu Liling sat in the back alley eating lunch.
She had little appetite, taking a couple of small bites before pausing: “It’s too hot. This morning, I walked all over the city with that cultivator, and it was so hot my head spun. That cultivator, though, was cool as a breeze, not even sweating.”
“After we finish eating, she wants to go out again…”
Yingran handed the bowl to Xu Liling with a pained expression, burying her face in his shoulder: “I can’t eat anymore.”
She hadn’t eaten much today, but Xu Liling wouldn’t force her.
Forcing food down when she had no appetite would only make her feel worse.
He said: “I’ll get you a cup of mung bean soup later to cool you down.”
Yingran swung her legs, brushing them against his a few times: “My feet are tired too.”
Xu Liling: “After we eat, I’ll take you home.”
Yingran shook her head: “This is the second job Guan Yi got me. If I quit halfway, how’s he supposed to explain that to others? I can’t do that.”
Xu Liling ate slowly: “I agreed to let you work because I thought if you got tired, you’d go home on your own. Not to let you be at everyone’s beck and call here.”
Yingran’s heart softened. She blinked at him for a moment, glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, and hugged him, kissing his cheek.
She smiled brightly: “It’s fine. I’ll earn money to buy you new clothes. It’s just half a month anyway.”
Xu Liling said little more. After finishing lunch and packing the food box, he rode a flying steed to take her to the east side of the city for mung bean soup.
Yingran held the bamboo container of mung bean soup, got back on the steed, and asked Xu Liling to take her back.
Xu Liling, without a word, rode the steed toward home.
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