Chapter 72 The ring was sent to her at this crucial moment of their argument...

The delivery box contained two small boxes. Shu Qing opened the larger one and found three extra rose pendants inside. These were her "malice blockers," a necessity at this critical juncture, so Shu Qing added them to her bedside table.

Opening the other one, she found a beautiful little ring inside, entirely made of flowing silver, with simple craftsmanship and no other decorations, only a piece of lustrous jade set in it. It was clean, natural, and pure, and Shu Qing fell in love with it at first glance. Its style was exactly the same as the rose pendant, and she could tell at a glance that it was Jiu Su's work.

There was also a small note underneath, with four words written on it: "Never leave your side." It seems to be another important protective magical artifact.

But it's this shape...

Shu Qing wondered to herself: What was he thinking, sending her a handmade ring at this crucial moment when they were having a fight? Was it a sign of wanting to make up, or something else?

He's lived in modern society for so long, he's even learned to play video games, so he couldn't possibly not know what giving a girlfriend a ring means...?

Shu Qing's ears turned slightly red. She put the ring on the middle finger of her left hand, admiring it against the light for a while, liking it more and more each time. Even if Jiu Su didn't tell her, she wouldn't take it off.

She thought for a moment, then sent Jiu Su a message saying, "I received it~ You're welcome." After thinking for a while, she finally raised her hand, snapped a picture, and sent it to him along with the message, adding knowingly, "Why a ring?"

After waiting for a minute, Jiu Su didn't reply. He usually replied instantly when he was free, even though they had been arguing these past two days. The fact that he hadn't replied for so long meant that something was wrong, so Shu Qing put her phone away and went to the Super Management Bureau as planned.

However, when Shu Qing returned home after checking the information that evening, Jiu Su still hadn't said a word—which was unusual.

Shu Qing was restless. The Superpower Bureau's nationwide energy monitoring alerts were not synchronized to all regional branches; only the headquarters in the capital and the branch at the site of the incident would receive the alerts. She was in H City and had no way of knowing what was happening elsewhere unless Jiu Su told her where he was now.

She couldn't get in touch with Jin Wanli either. She didn't know if he was ignoring her because he heard about the argument between Jiu Su and her, or if there was some unexpected situation that prevented him from getting away. In any case, she had no idea.

She sat on the edge of the bed, lowered her head and stroked the jade ring on her hand. After sitting there for a while, she raised her head again and stared blankly at the dim stars in the night sky, lost in thought.

The stars twinkled faintly and silently. As she gazed at them, she became lost in thought, forgetting what day it was and where she was.

In that instant, it felt as if a very long time had passed.

She slowly straightened up from the windowsill, no longer looking at the distant starry sky, her gaze lingering as she swept over the various furnishings in the old house.

The painting on the wall was painted together with Jiu Su when they went out; the two little dolls, one fat and one thin, on the table were carved by Jiu Su in front of her. He first carved a fat doll, teasing her that she had been eating a lot lately and would become a little fat girl in the future. After she made him sit on the couch and tidied him up, he made a new one to apologize to her.

The bowls and plates on the table were made by him from the ice that never melts in the North. In the summer, she liked to eat something cold, and while teasing her about her gluttony, he made this set of fruit platters so that she could keep them chilled.

The pillowcase on the bed was sewn on a whim. She was not good at needlework and the sewing was not fine. Jiu Su seriously commented that she "thought it was a burlap sack". But she cleaned and maintained it with her demonic power every time, afraid of damaging it even a little bit.

The wind chime by the window was made when they went to the beach in the summer and strung together a bunch of colorful seashells they collected while sitting facing each other by the window; she built a furnace by the desk, and in winter, she used it as a pot to cook the delicacies he brought back from the mountains; in the kitchen, there were his usual cooking utensils, and while he washed his hands to cook soup, she drew him under the window, and the two of them smiled and looked at each other through the window...

Each item seems to hold countless memories. Displayed here, these things that were once readily available have finally become souvenirs of the past.

She touched each item one by one, and finally, with great reluctance, she came to the door and pushed it open.

There was no moon tonight, and under the starlight, Jiu Su stood silently outside the door, covered in wind and dew.

Ashu was taken aback, not expecting Jiu Su to appear here. She almost doubted her own eyes and reached out to touch his face, wanting to confirm whether he was real or an illusion.

Jiu Su remained motionless, letting her touch his face, before turning his hand over and grasping the hand that was stroking his face.

They gazed at each other silently under the starry sky.

"Little Red..." Ashu paused for a moment before asking himself, "What are you doing here?"

Jiu Su stared intently at her for a long while before saying, "It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to come back and visit. Only when I got here did I realize you were here."

His voice was slightly hoarse and very soft, as if he feared that she was just a dream, and that raising his voice even slightly would shatter this sudden beautiful dream.

"You..." Ashu felt a thousand words stuck in her throat, but couldn't find the words. In the end, she could only ask, "How have you been these days?"

Jiu Su smiled but didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "And you, how are you?"

Ashu couldn't help but smile bitterly, realizing that she had asked a stupid question—if she was not doing well, how well could he be?

If they are all doing well, why would they come back here today to reminisce about the past?

They had been separated for almost a year since they returned to their positions. A single step separated them, yet the difference in their positions and the blood feud between comrades stood like an invisible chasm, and neither dared to cross that step to embrace the other.

So they could only gaze greedily at each other's faces, not daring to blink, afraid that if they missed a single glance, they would never see each other again.

After a long while, Ashu finally recovered and slowly withdrew her hand.

Jiu Su clenched her fists in a spasm-like motion, but then released them in an instant, letting her hand slip out of his palm.

"...This place is still under the control of the Xiandu Allied Forces," Ashu gazed at him and said softly, "It's not safe for you here, go back as soon as possible."

Jiu Su refused to move and continued to stare at her. After a while, she turned slightly to the side to make way for her.

Ashu understood what he meant; he wouldn't leave unless she did. So she took a few steps forward, but ultimately couldn't bear to leave and turned back to look at him.

Jiu Su remained standing in the same spot. In the deep darkness of the night, his silver hair and white clothes made him look like a thin layer of snow that might melt away at any moment. The thick darkness around him pressed down on him, as if it were about to drag him into a bottomless abyss.

He never looked away, and when she turned around, he gave her a faint smile.

Ashu's lips moved—after this parting today, who knows when or what the next meeting will be like, or even if there will be a next time?

She couldn't say anything; her feet felt as if they weighed a ton, and she couldn't take another step.

After a long while, Jiu Su said softly, "Go back."

Ashu nodded. "You too."

She returned his last smile, turned around, and walked step by step toward the camp of the Xiandu Allied Forces in the distance.

This road is so long and so difficult, every step feels like stepping on a sharp knife... but she still has to keep going.

“…Xiao Qing.” Shu Tong’s voice suddenly rang out. Shu Qing was startled awake from her old memories. She turned around and saw a plate of pastries on the table. Shu Tong was looking at her with a puzzled expression. “What are you thinking about? Why are you so engrossed in it?”

Shu Qing opened her mouth, her rationality returning from her past life's dreams, but her emotions hadn't. She was still immersed in despair, unable to utter a single word, and could only shake her head to indicate that she wasn't thinking about anything.

Shu Tong sighed, sat down with a worried expression, and looked at the night sky outside the curtains. She said, "There must not be a third time. If it happens again, the world will probably descend into chaos, which will not be good for anyone."

"No, Mom," Shu Qing regained her ability to speak and forced a smile. "The Supermarket Management Bureau is already working on a solution, it will definitely be resolved. Xiao Hong set up a defensive formation at our house a long time ago, so you two must stay at home and not go out. Have them deliver groceries and such, just walk around the yard and play with the cat, it'll be fine."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly—the words sounded familiar, weren't they the same words Jiu Su had advised her?

Whether it's her, the former goddess, or Jiu Su, the demon king, they both have their own kinds of helplessness. Ultimately, they are family and friends, and they want to protect them the most.

“Mom knows,” Shu Tong comforted her, thankfully more considerate than her, “We won’t go outside. But you, you go to the Supermarket Management Bureau every day, so be careful on the way.”

Shu Qing was still smiling as she held up the silver ring on her hand for Shu Tong to see, "I have something to protect myself with."

When Shu Tong saw the ring, her expression instantly became extremely complicated. Clearly, her first reaction was the same as her daughter's—a ring is not something that can be given away casually; it has its own meaning.

She didn't understand these supernatural powers, and since Shu Qing knew what was going on, she didn't need to bring it up. But she couldn't help but say a few more words about her daughter's feelings and potential marriage.

"You said that little snake demon you raised went out with the Supermarket Management Bureau, right?" Shu Tong gently advised, "So he's now considered an employee of the Supermarket Management Bureau? That's good, it's a legitimate path. Why not let him take this opportunity to settle down and live here with you... after all, it's not a long-term solution."

Shu Qing had a slight headache, knowing that Shu Tong was probably trying to persuade her to let go of Jiu Su and let the two of them go their separate ways.

This is truly a mountain of internal and external troubles. The differences in stance left over from her previous life haven't been resolved, and now she has the added problem of arranged marriage by her parents. I don't know which deity she offended with her birth chart, but it's just so difficult for her to have a relationship with the person she likes.

But now is not the time to discuss this issue in depth. Shu Qing shook her head: "Let's talk about this later. The situation is more important right now... I still need to continue organizing the materials I looked at today. Mom, I want to wait until these things are resolved before we talk about Xiao Hong and me."

Shu Tong's expression became even more complicated. She reluctantly hummed in agreement and instructed, "Okay, think about it carefully when you have time. Don't take this issue lightly, okay? Oh, I see you didn't eat well for dinner, don't forget to have a late-night snack."

"Okay," Shu Qing smiled helplessly. "I'm going to organize the documents now, Mom. You should go to bed early."

One day she will bring Jiu Su to ask for her parents' blessing, but... she sighed softly as she looked at the information she had copied down today.

When will they have to wait?