Chapter 39 (039) - Two-in-One [VIP]

Two hours later, we arrived at Buick Town.

Yue Ling instructed the driver to take them directly to the largest inn in town, and asked the inn to book two rooms: one for himself and the other for Yin Chu Jiu and Yue Ling. Yin Chu Jiu had originally planned to book three rooms, but when Yue Ling's eyes fell on him, he abandoned the idea. As for Zi Zhuo, he had supported Yue Ling from beginning to end, and even secretly offered him advice, so he was naturally happy to see it happen.

After the rooms were booked, everyone got to work.

The coachman was in charge of preparing food supplies for the next month, while Yue Ling went to the pharmacy to replenish the necessary medicinal herbs. Yue Ling was in poor health, so one of the coachmen stayed behind to take care of him. He wasn't idle either, as the inn was bustling with people coming and going, so he found a spot in the lobby to inquire about news about Yundu City. Meanwhile, Yin Chu Jiu went to mail a letter.

After finishing these tasks, most of the day was gone.

They arrived in Buick Town in the morning, left at noon, and didn't return until the afternoon.

Back at the inn, they sat down at the table where Yue Ling had been, and then began to recount their experiences from the afternoon.

“There’s not enough food. Even if four people go to buy it, it will still take quite a while to buy enough for almost a month,” Zi Zhuo said first. He showed the shopping list to Yin Chu Jiu and Yue Ling. He had sent out all three drivers, but what they bought today was only enough for ten days. “Fortunately, we still have one day. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow, so we’ll go and prepare the food together tomorrow.”

"Okay." Yin Chu Jiu also explained what he had done. "I've sent the letter, and everything's fine after that. I'll go shopping with you tomorrow. Have you prepared all the medicinal herbs?"

“Okay, then we have five people who can do the shopping, and we should be able to get everything ready by tomorrow.” Zi Zhuo was quite happy that Yin Chu Jiu was willing to join in, and he enthusiastically began to discuss with Yin Chu Jiu what to prepare. “I think we don’t need to prepare dried steamed buns, they’re hard to swallow on the road. We can prepare more dried meat to make soup. As for vegetables, we can find some wild vegetables along the way.”

"In addition, we need to prepare more bedding. The weather is going to get colder these days, and we're worried about the cold on the road at night. We also need to provide some luggage for the drivers."

"The medicinal herbs are mostly the same. There are a few that I couldn't buy, but I still have some in stock. When we run out, we can use herbs with similar effects as substitutes."

Fortunately, Yin Chu Jiu's injuries have almost healed, and she basically no longer needs to take medicine. The medicine saved can be used by Yue Ling.

The difference between supporting two people and supporting one person is significant.

As Zi Zhuo spoke, he made notes on a piece of paper, worried that he would forget them the next day. Yin Chu Jiu did the same, writing down a lot of things to prepare. After he finished writing, he noticed that Yue Ling hadn't said a word from beginning to end.

"Yue Ling, did you find out any news this afternoon?" Yin Chu Jiu looked up and asked the boy beside her.

But the boy didn't answer him. Instead, he lowered his eyes and looked somewhat gloomy, as if he was thinking about something.

"Yue Ling?" Yin Chu Jiu gently nudged the boy's arm.

The boy seemed to come to his senses and said, "I've found out some news about Yundu City. They've sent messages to several nearby towns to search for us."

As expected, Yin Chu Jiu was not surprised by this result. In the novel, the Gong family issued bounties in many cities in order to capture Yue Ling, which is why Yue Ling could only hide in the wilderness.

Of course, that was because Yue Ling's appearance was too exaggerated before. Now that the long hair on Yue Ling's body has been removed, it won't be so easy to spot.

Having received news of Yundu City, they were no longer in a hurry, since the three of them wouldn't be easily found anyway. Unless they took out portraits and pasted them everywhere, but they didn't find any portraits when they entered the town.

According to Yue Ling's description, they are still in the verbal communication stage. By the time the portrait is completed, they will no longer be here.

No longer concerned about the affairs of Yundu City, Yin Chu Jiu and Zi Zhuo continued to discuss the things they needed to do tomorrow and made arrangements one by one. Just then, Yue Ling came over, staring at the lists on the table, and said to Yin Chu Jiu, "I'll go with you tomorrow."

"No!" Yin Chu Jiu refused without even thinking. He frowned and said seriously, "You're not well yet, you can't go out. You should stay at the inn and rest until we come back."

Yue Ling didn't answer, but just looked up and stared intently at him. His eyes were very calm, which made Yin Chu Jiu's whole body stiff.

"Sir, your dishes are here. Please be careful." The waiter's voice rang out from the side. Yin Chu Jiu quickly put away the paper and pen on the table. "Four dishes and a soup, all done. Please enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything. I'll be going now."

The food arrived, and Yin Chu Jiu quickly served Yue Ling a bowl of soup, trying to cover up the topic they had just discussed. "Yue Ling, this is your favorite demon ox bone soup. Have some more."

Demon Bone Broth, made by simmering the bones of a demon bull, has a delicious flavor. Adding a little herb while simmering the broth makes it an unparalleled delicacy.

When Yin Chu Jiu lived with Yue Ling, he had to sell a lot of meat and animal hides to make money. Since bone broth was good for the body, he often used bones to make soup. After some experimentation, he found that the soup made from demonic bull bones tasted the best, so he started using demonic bull bones to make soup regularly.

The boy's attempt to conceal his intentions was too obvious, yet it inexplicably brought Yue Ling a sense of pleasure. He hadn't been in a good mood earlier; the news he'd heard from Yundu City inevitably reminded him of the moment Yin Chu Jiu was captured.

Whenever he thinks about that day, he feels a destructive urge, and a restless force seems to be stirring deep within him.

He didn't want Yin Chu Jiu to leave his sight, especially at this time. So, he suggested they act together tomorrow.

However… Yue Ling lowered his head slightly, looking at the milky white demonic ox bone soup in the bowl, and then at the boy’s worried and nervous expression, he decided to change his mind.

"If you won't let me go, then you'll feed me." His voice wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for anyone nearby to hear him clearly. Immediately, he saw the boy's body stiffen, his expression freeze, as if he couldn't believe it. However, he happily repeated himself, making sure the boy understood, "You want me to promise not to go out with you, so you should also grant me one request. My request isn't high, just feed me. My arms still feel a little weak."

As he spoke, he shifted his body and sat down on the boy's stool, placing the bowl in front of the boy and gently resting his head on his shoulder. To avoid the boy refusing, he softened his voice and asked, "Is it not okay?"

"How could this be?" Yin Chu Jiu reflexively tried to refuse, but the boy's next words left him no room to refuse. Either let the boy come along, which might mean his health would deteriorate further, or don't let him come along, which would mean feeding him.

For Yin Chu Jiu himself, the first choice was for his own good, and the second choice was for the good of the boy.

A normal person would choose the first option, but in his case, he could only choose the second.

Extremely awkwardly, Yin Chu Jiu picked up the bowl in her hand, gently scooped a spoonful of soup and fed it to Yue Ling's mouth, "Um... do you want me to feed you for a few days?"

Yue Ling opened his mouth and drank the soup. "Three days." He decided not to push his luck.

Three days, that's alright.

Upon hearing this deadline, the sense of crisis that had risen in Yin Chu Jiu's heart slowly subsided.

However, the meal did not go very smoothly. Yin Chu Jiu, who had never fed such a big boy before, was stiff and uncoordinated. When Yue Ling finished eating, he felt very uncomfortable when he ate his own meal.

He always felt that many people had witnessed his and Yue Ling's actions.

If this behavior happened between two children, or between a boy and a girl, it wouldn't be strange. The key point is that this happened between a pair of teenagers.

It wasn't just his imagination; in any case, Zi Zhuo, standing in front of them, witnessed everything. The man was fanning himself with a folding fan, revealing a pair of charming peach blossom eyes, and staring at them with a smile, seemingly lost in thought.

As one of the main characters, Yin Chu Jiu quickly finished her meal and left the table, using the excuse of organizing their records.

Yue Ling... seems to be launching an offensive against him.

As soon as Yin Chu Jiu left, Zi Zhuo put down his folding fan and laughed so hard he was slumped over the table, unable to get up. Yue Ling, on the other hand, remained completely calm. He glanced at the soup Yin Chu Jiu hadn't finished, picked it up with remarkable ease, recalled the way Yin Chu Jiu had drunk the soup, located the spot where he had left his lips, and drank the rest of the soup.

"Yue Ling, I think you're being too hasty," Zi Zhuo said, straightening up after laughing.

Yue Ling lowered her eyes and did not answer.

Zi Zhuo wasn't in a hurry. He simply said, "Pursuing someone requires a gradual process. A month ago, you and Yin Chu Jiu were just friends. You only started pursuing him a little over half a month ago, and your relationship only made some progress a few days ago. If I'm not mistaken, you successfully slept with him last night. And now, you're asking him to feed you. Aren't you afraid that your behavior will scare him away?"

Scared away?

Yue Ling stopped drinking his soup, his lips slowly tracing the rim of the bowl, as if trying to move beyond that spot to explore other areas. He lifted his eyelids, his dark eyes unfathomable, filled with something deeply suppressed.

Do you know how he rejected me?

He didn't know that. Yue Ling hadn't said anything back then, only that he liked Yin Chu Jiu and had accidentally made him angry.

“He said that my feelings for him were a misconception because I had only been with him all these years and developed a strong possessiveness. He said that I didn’t want to lose him as a friend or family member, so I mistook possessiveness for liking.”

Zi Zhuo's eyes widened. It turned out that Yue Ling had already confessed his feelings a long time ago.

“But,” Yue Ling lowered her eyes again and sighed, “how could he not understand that if a person has no possessiveness towards another, how can he possibly like them?”

"Doesn't the kind of eye that extends from habit also represent liking?"

Of course not, otherwise there would be no such thing as developing feelings over time.

“So, if I don’t keep pushing him, he’ll never know whether my feelings for him are just habit or something else, and he’ll always use habit to reject me.” Yue Ling put down her bowl and gently stroked the spot where Yin Chu Jiu had just sat. “I don’t have that patience. I want to be close to him, to kiss him. If I could, I would want to swallow him whole and let his bones and blood be forever fused into my body.”

"So tell me, do you still think my actions were too hasty?"

Zi Zhuo: "..."

No, young Yue, I never imagined that your feelings for Yin Chu Jiu were so deep, okay?

What on earth are you thinking?!

He chuckled twice, using his fan to conceal his shock, and said, "Of course, it's not too hasty; it's perfectly appropriate." Compared to the crazy thoughts in Yue Ling's mind, he was already quite restrained.

“But…” Zi Zhuo thought for a moment and decided to tell him that Yin Chu Jiu had been injured. “If you do this, I’m worried that he will be agitated and his internal injuries will relapse.”

Yue Ling's pupils contracted. Despite being a sickly young man, he exuded a powerful aura. "What's going on? Explain yourself!"

Zi Zhuo briefly explained Yin Chu Jiu's injuries, "His heart meridian was damaged, and it only recovered the day before you woke up. He originally asked me not to tell you about this, but I saw how you upset him and was afraid that his internal injuries would relapse, so I told you."

Upon hearing this, Yue Ling was about to get up and go upstairs. Zi Zhuo quickly stopped him, "Don't go upstairs. He doesn't want you to know about this. He doesn't want you to worry about him."

"To be honest, your injuries are much more serious than his. If you really care about him, wait until he's almost fully recovered before taking the next step. Right now, all you can do is let him feed you and get closer to him. Don't do anything else."

Yue Ling turned around, his eyes bloodshot.

Sure enough, he should have torn those people to pieces and spared no one.

However, his power was unstable that day, and he had to leave.

Zi Zhuo pulled Yue Ling back down to sit, trying to calm him down. However, Yue Ling was filled with anger and worry, so how could he calm down?

Yin Chu Jiu is his Achilles' heel; to touch him is to die.

However, there was no other way but to find a solution. Zi Zhuo saw that Yue Ling's aura was unstable, so she started from that point.

"Yue Ling, control the power within your body. Don't let it damage your health. I suggest you don't use the power within your body until it has fully recovered."

Yue Ling's imposing aura remained unabated, so Zi Zhuo could only say, "If you really do this, your health will never improve. What will happen if Yin Chu Jiu encounters another problem?"

Yue Ling paused, finally slowly withdrawing his aura, and Zi Zhuo immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually, I've always had a question I wanted to ask you," Zi Zhuo said after a long pause, seeing that Yue Ling had calmed down.

"What's the problem?"

"I heard that you can't cultivate and are just an ordinary person, but why do you have such powerful strength in your body?" Zi Zhuo looked like he was studying something. "I've wanted to ask you this question for a long time. That time when I had Yin Chu Jiu soak in the medicinal soup, you attacked me like this, but I saw that you also looked puzzled, so I didn't ask. I just thought that maybe you can cultivate, but your level is not high, so I didn't find out."

"But this time, the energy you unleashed far surpasses that of many powerful figures on the Illusion Demon Continent. If you fully master the power within you, you will surely become one of the strongest on this continent. So I want to ask you, do you know what's going on?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Ling frowned slightly. After a long while, under Zi Zhuo's curious gaze, he gently shook his head and said, "Actually, I'm not very clear about this matter myself."

A hint of confusion flashed deep in his eyes. "As you said, you looked at me with a puzzled expression last time. Actually, I was genuinely puzzled. As for what you said about me attacking you, I don't really remember. I only remember that I was very angry at the time, angry that you made Yin Chu Jiu a drug user, so I rushed at you. By the time I regained my senses, you had already been knocked down by me."

"This time, I had some memories, but they weren't very clear, they were very blurry. I only remember that I became very strong, with infinite power in my body. I broke into the Gong family and rescued Jiu Chu. After that, I don't remember anything. When I woke up again, I was in the carriage. I woke up once more in the middle of the journey, when I heard you say that you were going to the Moon Forest."

Zi Zhuo was shocked: "No way!"

Yue Ling frowned, a hint of displeasure flashing across her unfriendly face. "Do you think I would lie to you?"

"No, that's not what I meant," Zi Zhuo quickly explained. "I just think this is too surreal. This is a case that has never happened on the continent before."

"In short, you won't get any answers from me. Now that you've asked your questions, I should go upstairs." Yue Ling concluded the conversation with a cold expression.

Zi Zhuo was still immersed in Yue Ling's words. He waved his hand blankly and let him go upstairs, no longer remembering his instructions to Yue Ling.

How could this be? How could Yue Ling be in this state? So, what secret does Yue Ling hold?

Wait a minute, his eyes lit up slightly. Didn't Yin Chu Jiu say he could make prophecies? Is it possible that he knows what's going on with Yue Ling's situation?

The group spent a total of two days in Buick Town, just as planned, no more and no less.

After preparing all the supplies, they set off for their next destination—the Forest of Bright Jade.

However... as they set off again, the atmosphere in the two vehicles was somewhat different from before.

First of all, although Yue Ling and Yin Chu Jiu were close, Yue Ling did not make any other requests that would make Yin Chu Jiu's heart race. At present, the two of them were still sleeping peacefully, feeding each other, and giving each other good morning and good night kisses. Yue Ling did not make any other more outrageous suggestions while he was weak and sick.

While feeling relieved, Yin Chu Jiu couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.

Secondly, Zi Zhuo spent more time in their carriage. Even under Yue Ling's explicit and implicit gazes, he shamelessly refused to leave. He took some of Yue Ling's blood for experiments, and it seemed that he had discovered something different about Yue Ling. Finally, he did something befitting his status.

Finally, Zi Zhu started pestering Yin Chu Jiu, asking him about Yue Ling's body and whether he had seen the truth behind Yue Ling's strange body in the future. Only then did Yin Chu Jiu realize that Zi Zhu was curious about why so much energy would burst out of Yue Ling's body. Incidentally, this also answered the previous question about why Zi Zhu had become strange.

However, this matter is Yue Ling's biggest secret and the biggest factor that caused his suffering in the first half of his life.

Now Yue Ling has accepted that he is different because he was born this way. If he knew that the reason he is like this is because an author deliberately set it up to satisfy the demands of the readers, in other words, it was set up by the creator god of this world, what kind of blow would that be to Yue Ling?

Yue Ling may not have wanted to be the protagonist at all. The creator god chose him as the protagonist at will. Did he ask for his opinion? It's one thing to be the protagonist, but why doesn't he have a smooth life like the protagonists in the stories? Instead, he keeps suffering. Is this the treatment of a protagonist?

Therefore, Yin Chu Jiu didn't say how Ren Zi Zhuo pestered him; he only said he didn't know and didn't see it.

But this wasn't something Yin Chu Jiu could simply ignore; Zi Zhuo, determined to get the truth, kept pestering him. Fortunately, Yue Ling calmed down, so Yin Chu Jiu's life wasn't too difficult.

On such days, they gradually approached the Bright Jade Forest.

Mingyu Forest is actually a forest of moderate size. Compared to some forests that stretch for thousands of miles, Mingyu Forest, with an area of ​​only a few hundred square kilometers, is pitifully small. It is the kind of forest that would go unnoticed if marked on a map.

Even if an expedition team takes this route, they won't think about going into the Bright Jade Forest to see if there are any valuable medicinal herbs or high-level magical beasts. They will only stop for one night at the edge of the forest and then continue on their way.

Zi Zhuo couldn't understand why Hua Busi would leave his legacy here at first, but now he does.

"Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death." They saw the mountains of Mingyu Forest in the morning, but after a day's journey, they still hadn't reached them. That night, they had to rest on the grasslands again. Fortunately, being close to the forest, the area was rich in resources, allowing them to hunt for fresh food instead of eating dry rations.

An experienced coachman said, "Sir, it looks like we won't reach Mingyu Forest until tomorrow night. Let's rest tonight and hurry on our way tomorrow, and we'll be there soon."

Zi Zhuo nodded, telling the coachman to go eat too, and to rest well after he finished eating. He would stay here and grill meat with Yin Chu Jiu and the others, and they would finish eating soon as well.

The task of grilling the meat was left to Yin Chu Jiu. Having served Yue Ling for years, he had honed his culinary skills, though not quite up to par with restaurant chefs, he could still cook simple home-style dishes. There was no need to consider Zi Zhuo; as a doctor, a specialist in medicine, he knew nothing but healing and saving lives. As for Yue Ling, how could Yin Chu Jiu bear to let him do such a thing?

Fortunately, Yin Chu Jiu was used to it and didn't find it tiring.

The cleaned fresh meat is placed over the fire, and the oil seeps out as it cooks. The excess oil drips down the meat strips into the fire, and as the oil burns away, it releases a fragrant aroma, causing the firewood to crackle and pop, and sparks to fly.

Even so, it was still... Yin Chu Jiu sniffed the air; it smelled so good.

"It smells so good."

Um?

Did he speak? No, he didn't speak. Yin Chu Jiu opened her eyes and saw a girl with messy hair, wearing animal skin, and a face so black that only her eyes were visible, staring intently at the meat in his hand, swallowing her saliva and saying, "It smells so good."

Zi Zhuo also reacted to Yue Ling's reaction. Since Yue Ling was still weak, Zi Zhuo took the lead in the fight. He pointed his folding fan at the girl, but the girl was agile and darted to Yin Chu Jiu's side the instant he attacked, causing Zi Zhuo's attack to miss.

Yin Chu Jiu reacted quickly, dodging and moving to Yue Ling's side. He hugged Yue Ling's waist and hid him behind him. By now, the three of them were a safe distance from the girl, and only then did Yin Chu Jiu have the mind to observe who this suddenly appeared girl was.

However, the girl was so dirty that her face was completely obscured. Just as he was about to give up, he noticed a black cat tattoo on her arm.

That is...

"Black Cat... Miaomiao?"

Miaomiao the Black Cat is the human form of a black cat from the Warcraft Forest. She is the only female protagonist in the entire story. Although she does not end up with the protagonist, and there is no romantic storyline between her and the male lead, she always likes him. She is the first follower the male lead takes in after he obtains a fortuitous opportunity. Zizhuo is his second follower.

In the novel, the black cat Miaomiao was attracted by a piece of roasted meat from the protagonist. At that time, she approached the protagonist while still in her black cat form. For the protagonist, who hated humans at the time, animals would be easier to get along with, so he gave her a piece of roasted meat and successfully won over his first follower, who was also his only female companion.

Although the black cat Miaomiao is not the female protagonist, she is passionate and falls in love with the protagonist after eating a piece of his flesh. She then transforms into human form and keeps confessing her feelings to him, making her a girl who was seduced by a piece of flesh.

Her confession quote was: "I've eaten your flesh, so I belong to you. I love you."

Yin Chu Jiu was lost in thought when a girl with a dirty face approached him, swallowing hard as she asked, "You know me? Then how about you give me a piece of your flesh?"

Author's Note:

Girl: Can I have a piece of meat?

Yin Chu Jiu: To give or not to give, that's a life-or-death question.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution!

Thank you to the little angel who threw the [landmine]: 1 blue lantern above your head;

Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:

Xiaofei, Jewel 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!