Chapter 127 Do you like him?
Sunlight penetrated the gaps in the flame wood, scattering across the table and creating a clear dividing line in the middle.
A strange feeling rose in Lu Yuanyuan's heart, like ripples spreading outwards. But when she looked closely at Xi Ye's face, she saw that his expression was very calm, as if the coldness in his voice was not his true intention.
Lu Yuanyuan's fingertips, which were resting on her knees, twitched. After considering for a moment, she said, "I think this kind of thing cannot be measured by the length of time alone."
Xi Ye's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she looked up at him.
"Some people, even if the interaction is brief, will be remembered for a lifetime. Others, even if you spend more than ten years together, will only be a relationship that is neither enjoyable nor worth giving up. So, the key is whether you are compatible and have a connection with each other."
Lu Yuanyuan didn't think she had said anything excessive, but as soon as she finished speaking, she felt as if the air around her had completely frozen.
Xi Ye stared at her intently, his eyes somewhat gloomy, perhaps because of the backlight. But only for a moment, and then he chuckled softly: "That makes sense."
As he spoke, he seemed to want to moisten his throat. He lowered his eyes, his pale fingers picked up the cup beside him, and brought it to his lips.
Lu Yuanyuan was stunned, watching as the cup touched his lips. Ten seconds passed, and seeing that he still hadn't put it down, she finally couldn't help but whisper, "There's no tea in that cup, is there?"
Xi Ye suddenly froze.
Seemingly realizing what he had done, he pursed his lips, his fingers tightened until the pads turned white, and silently put down the empty cup.
Lu Yuanyuan, being quite tactful, pretended not to notice the other person's embarrassment, picked up the small silver teapot beside her, filled it with tea, and was about to change the subject. But the next second, she saw that the other person didn't wait a moment, picked up the cup, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.
Lu Yuanyuan was startled and stopped her, saying, "Wait, don't drink it! It's very hot!"
But it was too late. The scalding hot tea, steaming and rising in wisps, poured into his mouth, burning his lips and tongue, causing him unbearable pain and making him cough painfully, his lips turning bright red.
Lu Yuanyuan was at her wits' end: "You need to drink something cold to cool down!"
There were no servants around. She was about to go out and call for help when she saw Xi Ye panting slightly. His gaze swept across the table, as if he had found his target. He grabbed another cup and gulped it down.
Lu Yuanyuan paused, stunned.
That was the cup she had drunk from. Only half a cup of tea remained.
...However, the tea inside was indeed cold. In the rush to relieve the pain, they probably didn't care about distinguishing between them.
"Half a cup isn't enough. Wait a moment, I'll go get someone to bring some cold water."
Lu Yuanyuan snapped out of her daze, left those words behind, and ran out quickly. But to her bewilderment, the entire vast palace was completely deserted.
Shouldn't a high priest of the demon race be powerful and surrounded by thousands? How come when he needs help, he can't even find anyone to lend a hand?
After wandering around outside for a while, Lu Yuanyuan couldn't find any servants, but unexpectedly discovered the kitchen.
The kitchen door was open, and the kitchen was empty and very clean. Several black earthenware jars, presumably water tanks, sat against the wall.
Found it.
Lu Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to lift the lid, only to find rice inside. Lu Yuanyuan was slightly surprised, and as if sensing something, she looked around and noticed a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables on the stove.
Demons are inherently carnivorous, and most of them crave meat. The nine-tailed fox is a purebred carnivore. After arriving in the demon realm, she attended several banquets and saw that the demon king and his warriors always had meticulously prepared meat on their plates, and it was only meat.
The cultivators on Jin'ao Island and Mount Shu did have rice in their food, which was specially prepared for them by the demon realm.
Xiao Ruo was an exception. Although she had transmigrated into the body of a demon, she still couldn't change her habit of eating a balanced diet of meat and vegetables, and couldn't stand eating meat at every meal.
You can't judge a book by its cover. This powerful demon, the High Priestess, actually eats rice in private. And her taste seems even more delicate and healthy than hers, a human's.
Is this considered pica among monsters?
...No, now is not the time to think about that.
Lu Yuanyuan stopped her imagination, closed the lid of the vat, and went to the second vat, but this vat was empty.
Fortunately, there was a pot of boiled water on the stove next to her. She touched the pot with the back of her hand and found that the water had cooled down to a suitable temperature.
Lu Yuanyuan picked it up and ran away.
"I'm back!"
Returning to where they had been, Xi Ye was still sitting in the same spot, his painful cough had stopped. Hearing Lu Yuanyuan's hurried footsteps, he lowered his head, his black hair obscuring his cheeks, making his expression unreadable.
Lu Yuanyuan ignored his reaction, poured cold water into the empty glass, and urged him to drink it. Finally recovered, Xi Ye wiped his wet chin with the back of his hand, his voice hoarse from coughing: "I'm sorry, I was rude, and I've troubled you."
Lu Yuanyuan said with a hint of sympathy, "It's nothing, it's no trouble at all. Just be more careful next time."
Xi Ye's gaze drifted to her face once more. As if thinking of something, he curved his lips into a smile: "I rarely lose my composure like this, but this is the first time I've met someone so compatible and kindred spirit. We hit it off immediately and got so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot about everything else. Please excuse my rudeness."
Instant connection? Is it really that exaggerated?
I guess it was just polite talk.
Lu Yuanyuan coughed and politely replied, "Not at all, not at all..."
Just then, a series of quick, light footsteps came from outside the door, as if something was running. Lu Yuanyuan turned around in surprise and saw a fluffy, snow-white shadow rushing towards her like a small cannonball, leaping into her arms but getting stuck right between her thighs.
Seeing that the little thing was about to slide down, Lu Yuanyuan instinctively grabbed it and picked it up. Sure enough, it was the little fox that hadn't come to see her for a while.
The son of Xiye.
The little creature pressed heavily against her arm, its body warm, its nine tails on its rump swaying like propellers, and it emitted soft, delicate fox cries.
Lu Yuanyuan couldn't understand fox language, but she instinctively felt that he was being coquettish.
At the same time, she felt eyes on her from the side.
She turned her head and saw that Xi Ye was looking at her hand holding the little fox, seemingly in a daze.
Oh no, their parents are sitting right across from us, and they might not even know their child sneaked out to play. To avoid being seen as a child abductor, Lu Yuanyuan quickly explained, "This must be your son, right? I've seen him outside before and played with him, so he recognizes me."
She thought the other person would then ask when and how many times it had happened.
Unexpectedly, Xi Ye's eyelashes fluttered, she slowly raised her eyes, and abruptly asked, "Do you like him?"
He leaned forward unconsciously, staring intently at her.
It was as if her answer was extremely important to him.
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback, unable to figure out why. Her fingers dug into the little fox's fur as she cautiously replied, "Your son is genuine and adorable, naturally everyone loves him."
It was just a polite remark, but Xi Ye's gaze softened as he looked at the fluffy little head in her arms and whispered, "He likes you very much too."
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback.
“I raised him myself, from the day he was born, I never had to rely on anyone else. Because of his congenital deficiency, I don’t take him out often. You are the first person besides me that he has taken the initiative to be close to.”
Lu Yuanyuan said thoughtfully, "I see..."
It is said that the high priest's wife died young, so this must be a deficiency that he was born with?
Last time, this little fox suddenly vanished into thin air right under her arms. But now, she could feel its real weight and warm, solid texture; it didn't look like a wisp of air at all.
What exactly happened with the previous evaporation?
I can't figure it out.
Lu Yuanyuan scratched the little fox's ear with her finger and said, "It's a pity I can't stay in the demon realm for long. Once things here are settled, I'll have to go back to Jin'ao Island. I probably won't have many chances to come back after that. But since you said so, I'll try to spend more time playing with him before I leave. By the way, what's his name?"
After waiting a while, there was no response. Lu Yuanyuan looked up and found that Xi Ye's originally gentle gaze had turned cold again: "His nickname is Tangyuan, but his formal name hasn't been chosen yet."
His gaze swept over her face, and he said coldly, "I don't think a child's name should be decided by just one of the parents."
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
What does he mean by that? Does he want his wife to help him name the child?
But his wife died a long time ago, didn't she?
Was he hoping that his deceased wife would appear to him in a dream?
Although she found it somewhat unbelievable, these were not things to pry into. Lu Yuanyuan replied dryly, "I see."
Darkness always falls quickly in the South. Before you know it, it's dark.
Xi Ye invited her to stay for dinner, and the reason was quite reasonable—after all, this was the first time he was observing her, and it would be more reassuring to stay a little longer.
Lu Yuanyuan thought about it and realized it made sense. She had already been here for half a day, so a little more time wouldn't make a difference.
When the meal was served, she finally saw servants appear, and the food brought out included rice. Xi Ye was eating the same thing as her. If she hadn't known beforehand that this was the Southern Territory, it would have looked like an ordinary home-cooked meal in the human realm.
The little fox named Tangyuan ate next to her. He had his own small bowl filled with shredded chicken, and he buried his head in it, eating with great relish.
Midway through, Lu Yuanyuan slipped out to relieve herself. She hadn't been gone long, but when she returned, she found the fluffy little thing gone, leaving only Xi Ye. The dishes on the table had all been cleared away, leaving only a delicate little stove, seemingly warming wine.
Seeing her confusion, Xi Ye said, "It's too late, Tangyuan should go back and rest."
Lu Yuanyuan, unsuspecting, said, "It looks like it's about to rain outside. I've troubled you all day, so I should go home now."
Xi Ye stopped her, saying, "Wait, try this first, and then I'll send someone to take you back."
Lu Yuanyuan walked back and sat down: "What is this?"
“Sangluo wine. When we talked about it this afternoon, didn’t you say you were a little curious about the taste? I just remembered that there’s a jar buried in the yard.”
Lu Yuanyuan was caught off guard.
This afternoon, Xi Ye asked her many questions about Jin'ao Island, and of course, answered some of her questions about the demon realm. They talked about the demon realm's specialty, Sangluo wine. However, she heard Xi Ye say that Sangluo wine takes ten years to brew, and when Xuanzhao City fell, all the city's Sangluo wine was divided up at the victory banquet. Therefore, her so-called "wanting to try some" was just a polite expression; she didn't actually expect to taste it.
As it turned out, they actually managed to get her a jar.
Lu Yuanyuan calmly replied, "Okay, thank you for your hospitality."
Both out of courtesy and reason, she wouldn't refuse; otherwise, she would be letting down their hospitality and appearing to be a smooth talker. Besides, she was genuinely curious about what this famous wine tasted like, and she figured she might as well drink it.
Rain began to patter outside. Inside, the candlelight flickered dimly as he rolled up his sleeves and cooked wine. The candlelight shone on his old clothes, giving them a snow-like sheen.
Perhaps it was the lingering smell of food, the soothing sound of rain, or the lack of sleep from the previous night, but as Lu Yuanyuan sat there, she began to feel drowsy. When she woke up with a start, she realized that she had actually been sleeping on the table for a while.
The surroundings were quiet, the fire in the stove was boiling the wine, and the air was filled with a warm aroma.
Lu Yuanyuan suddenly sat up and found that Xi Ye had also fallen asleep.
However, compared to her, his posture was much more elegant, his head propped up by one hand, his sleeping face serene. Unfortunately, due to his shifted center of gravity, he happened to be pressing down on her outer robe.
Lu Yuanyuan rubbed her eyes, not thinking too much about it, and reached for her clothes, but she didn't expect him to press so firmly, as if nailing them down. A tearing sound rang out in the air, and her robe was ripped open with a noticeable tear.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
The noise also woke up the person who was dozing nearby.
Xi Ye slowly opened his eyes and saw this scene. Just as he was about to speak, the two heard a servant's respectful voice from outside the door: "Priest, a cultivator from Yue in the delegation has come to visit, saying that he has come to take Immortal Lord Ling Heng back."
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback and stood up: "Is it Yue Hong who's here?"
It seems he has already sent that mortal woman home.
"Wait a minute."
A voice called out from behind her.
Xi Ye looked at her and said slowly, "Your clothes are torn, it's not good to go out like this. I have spare robes here, you can go change first, and you can ask that cultivator Yue to come in and wait."
A moment later, Yue Hong was brought in. Despite it being his first time in this place, he showed no sign of discomfort, holding an umbrella and quickly walking up the steps. Lu Yuanyuan greeted him, lowering her voice, "Why are you here?"
Yue Hong glanced at the man standing behind him with his narrow eyes, then focused on Lu Yuanyuan: "It's raining outside, I've come to pick you up."
Xi Ye did not interrupt the two, but watched coldly.
Lu Yuanyuan patted his shoulder: "Then wait for me for a while. My clothes were accidentally torn. I'll change and then we'll go back together."
Yue Hong was taken aback and wanted to ask what was going on. But when he caught a glimpse of the figure behind him, he instinctively knew he shouldn't waste time here, so he nodded and said, "I'll wait for you."
The servants prepared a set of clothes for Lu Yuanyuan, but placed them in another room a little further away. After changing her clothes and tidying her somewhat messy hair, Lu Yuanyuan suddenly heard a faint sound of something falling to the ground in the distance, along with a few exclamations.
Realizing something had happened, Lu Yuanyuan stiffened and quickly ran out. From a distance, she saw that the mulberry wine on the table had been spilled, and the wine was running across the table.
Yue Hong stood frozen by the table, his face alternating between pale and flushed. Xi Ye's right sleeve was wet, with drops of wine dripping down, and the back of his hand was scalded red.
Lu Yuanyuan strode closer, her voice rising: "What happened?"
A servant said somewhat aggrievedly, "My lord, this cultivator from Yue saw that you had been inside for too long and said he wanted to go in and wait for you. The high priest said it was inconvenient, but the cultivator from Yue still wanted to go in... In the process, he accidentally bumped into this pot of wine on the table and spilled it on the high priest."
Xi Ye shook her head and said softly, "Don't say anything, it was just an accident."
Yue Hong's face flushed red, and he said hurriedly, "Auntie, that's not how it happened! Although I bumped into the wine pot, he was originally standing quite far away. Who knew he would suddenly come closer..."
Lu Yuanyuan gave him a look, signaling him to be quiet. She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her before looking at Xi Ye and earnestly saying, "Priest, I'm so sorry. Yue Hong was just worried about me, which is why he acted rashly. He absolutely did not mean to knock over this wine pot, and he had no intention of offending me."
She was clearly expressing her apology and trying to smooth things over.
But for some reason, she sensed that Xi Ye should have been lifeless when he was burned, but now it was different.
He was angry.
His gaze turned completely cold as he stared at her, who was standing next to Yue Hong, with a sinister look.
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