Chapter 128 Orphan and Widow
The wind blowing in from the heavy rain stirred the blue curtains, and the flickering lamplight illuminated the pale, beautiful face, revealing a sinister and ferocious look.
His gaze was fixed on the hand that was holding Yue Hong's hand, his red lips were almost pressed into a straight line, and for a moment, his eyes could be described as fierce.
Lu Yuanyuan was taken aback, wondering if she was seeing things, and hesitated for a moment: "Priestess?"
As if jolted back to his senses by her soft call, Xi Ye turned his face and said in a cold voice, "Come find me again tomorrow."
Lu Yuanyuan breathed a sigh of relief for no apparent reason and stepped down the steps: "Then we'll take our leave now, High Priest, there's no need to see us off."
Once they had left the dark palace and walked a distance away, Lu Yuanyuan finally let go of her hand.
Yue Hong looked at her with a slightly uneasy expression: "Just now, I..."
It seems he's realized what he was doing and understood that he almost got into trouble.
Lu Yuanyuan interrupted him: "I know you didn't mean it, but this isn't our territory after all. You were there when the wine jug fell over, so you can't extricate yourself from the situation. The trust between us and the demon race is already very fragile. If tonight's incident blows up, it's very likely that someone with ulterior motives will exaggerate it and use it to their advantage. It's better if we apologize first and let bygones be bygones."
Yue Hong was initially feeling down and irritable, but as she repeatedly and firmly said "we," her heart gradually warmed, and she blurted out, "I don't care what others think of me, as long as you believe in me, that's enough."
“But I care. I don’t want to see you being dragged up there and punished. How can my people be bullied under my nose?” Lu Yuanyuan shook her head, took the umbrella from his hand, and glanced at the sky: “Let me hold the umbrella. Let’s go back.”
She took two steps, but then realized Yue Hong hadn't followed, so she turned around, puzzled. There he was, still standing there, seemingly blushing in the moonlight. Their eyes met, and he seemed to snap out of it, muttering something unintelligible before quickly catching up and snatching the umbrella from her hand: "I'll take it."
The two walked side by side in the rain. Yue Hong naturally asked her why she was going to see the demon high priest.
Lu Yuanyuan didn't hide anything from him and told Yue Hong that she had been infected with spring parasites on her leg and that the high priest could help her get rid of it.
After listening, Yue Hong's expression turned slightly strange: "I don't like him. He doesn't seem to have any good intentions."
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. He did help me a few times. Of course, I won’t completely trust him because of that. If anything goes wrong, I promise to stay away from him.” Lu Yuanyuan glanced at him and emphasized, “It’s okay if you don’t like him, but next time you see him, hide your hostility.”
Yue Hong tightened his grip on the umbrella and whispered, "I'll listen to you."
.
The next day, Lu Yuanyuan visited the High Priest again as agreed. However, remembering the unpleasant incident the day before, she still picked out some tonics and gifts from Jin'ao Island as an apology before setting off.
Practice makes perfect, and the servants at the gate beamed with joy as soon as they saw her, quickly leading her to the place from the previous day.
The light in the demon realm is always dim, even during the day when lamps are lit. The stove and wine pot shards from yesterday have been swept clean, and the floor is very tidy. As she walked in, she was surprised to find a small fur ball perched on Xi Ye's lap, and he was holding a jade comb of emerald green, grooming the little fox.
He is still wearing a mask today.
That's strange. Home should be the most relaxing place for him. Why is he still wearing a mask?
Is it because she's ugly and doesn't want to see people?
How could a powerful nine-tailed fox, with all its buffs stacked up, possibly be ugly? Or perhaps it's a scar on its face that even magic can't remove?
A question flashed through her mind, but she didn't dwell on it. However, the other party had already noticed her arrival.
Xi Ye paused slightly as she combed her hair and said softly, "Please come in."
Lu Yuanyuan observed his reaction, but couldn't tell if he was angry. After thinking for a moment, she sat down on the chair next to him. From there, she could see Tangyuan nestled in his arms, seemingly enjoying being groomed, its little feet dangling and purring.
Although he is a widower raising a child alone, it is clear that he is very responsible and takes good care of the child.
Xi Ye's gaze lingered on her face, and he suddenly spoke, "I'll have to ask Yuan Yuan to wait a little while today, as I may not be able to start treating your wounds until later. I should have finished my own chores before you arrived, but because I burned my hand yesterday, it's a bit inconvenient for me to do things today."
Lu Yuanyuan took a look and, sure enough, he was combing his hair with his left hand; the skin on the back of his fair right hand was red and swollen, with a large blister on it.
Lu Yuanyuan was shocked. Yesterday, the light was dim and her sleeves had covered the area, so she hadn't seen clearly how badly the burn was: "Didn't you get any treatment?"
"That's just how my body is; even when I infuse magic into it, my wounds heal very slowly."
Such a strange constitution is truly unheard of.
Lu Yuanyuan recalled what she had brought and quickly presented the box: "By the way, Yue Hong and I prepared some tonics for you. But they're not burn medicine, since you're a purebred demon and using elixirs would only have the opposite effect. So we prepared wild ginseng, which I grew myself. I hope you won't be angry."
Hearing her mention Yue Hong again, Xi Ye unconsciously clenched her jade comb: "He's just a child, why would I hold a grudge against him?"
Yue Hong was actually already a teenager. But the other party seemed to deliberately ignore this fact, emphasizing the word "child." Glancing at her, he changed the subject: "I thought he was your apprentice before, but yesterday, I think I heard that child call you 'aunt.' So you have such a big nephew, but he doesn't look like you at all."
Lu Yuanyuan thought for a moment and told the truth: "I am not his biological aunt. Someone else asked me to take care of him."
"I see." Xi Ye's expression remained unchanged as she lowered her eyelashes and said, "However, whether it's aunt or master, there's no difference. They're just titles that express the respect of juniors for their elders."
Lu Yuanyuan's brow twitched.
They were just having a casual chat, but she felt like something was off, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond.
Just then, Xi Ye suddenly hissed softly, and the jade comb fell to the ground. It turned out that while grooming the little fox, she had accidentally aggravated her wound by turning it over with her right hand.
Lu Yuanyuan stiffened, bent down, and picked up the comb for him; it was icy cold to the touch. However, before returning the comb, she hesitated and said, "I think with your hand injured like this, you should try not to do anything."
Xi Ye shook his head: "No, the nine-tailed fox has too many tails, they're easy to get tangled. Tang Yuan is too young to take care of them himself, so I'll have to help him regularly."
Lu Yuanyuan was very puzzled: "Can't we have a servant do it?"
"Tangyuan only recognizes me and won't let the servants touch his tail or comb his fur." Xi Ye paused, gave her a meaningful look, and said softly, "You are an exception."
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
She recalled that when she first caught that little furball, she stroked all nine of its tails over and over again, and the little guy was so obedient and let her pet him. It was really hard to connect that image with this evaluation.
Since things had come to this point, Lu Yuanyuan tried to say, "Then how about I help him groom his fur? After all, my people bear some responsibility for the state of your hands."
Her suggestion was, of course, merely an attempt to offer some practical compensation and completely eliminate the impact of this incident. She didn't notice the man's eyes darken, as if he had been offended by one of her words. But he didn't show it: "Fine."
Lu Yuanyuan tucked the jade comb into her waistband, intending to take the little fox onto her lap, but Xi Ye seemed to have other plans. He slightly avoided her, saying, "He's asleep. Picking him up will wake him up."
He didn't want to wake his son, so he let her groom the little fox directly on his lap.
It's not that it's impossible, but then she would have to sit next to the other person.
But then she thought, she had even sat on his lap, so what did it matter if they just sat side by side?
...No, that was just a situation that arose in a moment of panic.
Lu Yuanyuan shook off the ambiguous image in her mind and calmly sat down beside him. The fabric of their clothes rubbed against each other, conveying warmth.
Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she felt that when she moved closer, the person next to her tensed up and held their breath.
Like a hard-won butterfly landing on a flower, afraid of startling it away, so I was very careful, even slowing down my breathing.
To make it easier to groom, Lu Yuanyuan turned around, bent down, and gently stroked Tangyuan's back before starting to groom it. The little guy seemed to sense that the hand stroking it had changed, and opened its misty eyes, but when it saw it was her, it yawned, closed its eyes again, and even rolled over very cooperatively.
The jade comb teeth dug into the fur, gently combing. For a moment, no one spoke. Because they were so close, she could feel the other's breath brushing against her ear, and their gaze seemed to be on the top of her head, but the one truly looking at her was definitely the little fox.
After combing her hair, Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but comment, "Tangyuan is actually quite well-behaved."
She looked up and smiled, "But I guess it's because you're the one who usually takes care of him, so he feels at ease with you here. You've taken very good care of him."
“At first, I didn’t know anything either.” Xi Ye lowered his eyelashes, his eyes were deep and cold, and he sneered: “His mother left without saying a word back then, leaving us, an orphan and a widow, to depend on each other for survival. I struggled on my own and finally figured out the tricks of the trade.”
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
Oh no, it seems I've stepped on someone's landmine.
Lu Yuanyuan paused for a moment, then comforted them, "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all predetermined in this world. It is a great pity that your wife passed away so young, leaving you all behind. However, people should always look forward. The past is the past. I think your wife in heaven would want to see you and your son overcome your grief."
"...Should people look forward? Move on from their pain?"
"Are you trying to comfort me like this because you think that if you were in their shoes, and watched someone you've spent every day with die in front of you, you would also quickly forget them?"
Xi Ye's voice was exceptionally cold as it rang in her ears. His eyes were also fixed on her intently, the faint warmth that had just appeared completely swallowed up by this chill.
Lu Yuanyuan's posture as she held the comb stiffened slightly.
Watching the other person die right in front of you?
More than that. She killed that man with her own hands, and... crushed the child right in front of him. Their entanglement spanned two lifetimes, all ending in that bolt of lightning.
There was another one... Although she didn't kill him with her own hands, he left her with a final message she couldn't understand, making her never forget that blood-stained, androgynous, eerie face.
She hadn't eaten much for breakfast, and her stomach felt like it was churning. Lu Yuanyuan said softly, "The dead can't be brought back to life. I think it's always right to look forward."
Just then, the nine fluffy little tails were combed, white and without a single knot. Tangyuan opened its watery eyes, pawed at her as if trying to crawl to her, but was caught by a pair of slender hands: "You go out and play first, Daddy has some important things to do."
The little fox glanced at Lu Yuanyuan, then at his father, and barked twice, seemingly trying to bargain. But he was still obedient. Seeing that his father wouldn't let him stay, he walked out dejectedly, his little fox tail trembling.
As soon as Xi Ye closed the door, the light in the room dimmed considerably.
Without his prompting, Lu Yuanyuan knew he was going to prepare a decoction for her. She bit her lip and voluntarily took off her pants and socks. The procedure was the same as yesterday. But this time, the flowers on her calves hadn't withered much. Yesterday, the area of parasitic growth was clearly less than a knee-sized area, but today the change could be measured with two fingers.
In comparison, it was the unspeakable, itchy, and tingling sensation that was intensifying. A thin layer of sweat dampened the back of her neck, but thankfully she endured it without uttering a sound.
The foxfire in Xi Ye's palm went out, and his expression was very calm: "The speed will decrease as we go on."
Lu Yuanyuan didn't doubt his statement. After all, this matter was taking up both of their time, and if possible, the other party would definitely want to resolve the issue quickly. She thanked him while catching her breath and tidying up her clothes.
Just then, she heard Xi Ye speak: "Let's set the next time for ten days from now. Starting tomorrow, I have some personal business to attend to and need to take Tangyuan out with me."
Lu Yuanyuan looked over, but only saw his back. He walked out from behind the screen.
.
Since he said it was a private matter, Lu Yuanyuan didn't want to find out where he was going or what he was doing, or why it would take ten days.
But it shouldn't be any dangerous official business. Who would take a child with them for that kind of thing?
Starting the following day, she continued to fulfill her duties as an envoy.
The demon realm quickly released its investigation results regarding the Right General's kidnapping of cultivators, and the truth was largely consistent with Lu Yuanyuan's speculation. Although the Right General was a powerful minister, he was still executed according to the law.
Lu Yuanyuan did not go to watch the execution, but Yue Hong did. When he returned, he told her that the Right General had just died, and his body had been divided up by his former subordinates, like vultures devouring the flesh and blood from the corpse.
As he described it, Yue Hong looked somewhat nauseous.
Lu Yuanyuan could imagine how cruel that scene would be. Cannibalism was the rule in the world of demons, and also a way to gain power. The Right General devoured his own brother, and was then devoured by other demons—it was like a predetermined fate.
However, as a blessing in disguise, the recent turmoil has made negotiations between the cultivation and demon realms go more smoothly, with fewer troublemakers and progress being made. But the issue of troop deployment has stalled again. After all, the demon realm's model is very similar to the centralized, militarily-based states of the mortal realm, while the cultivation realm consists of numerous sects, where one individual's power is equivalent to a thousand troops. Therefore, the Demon King simply invited an envoy delegation to the western border of the southern region for an on-site investigation.
This is the area in the demon realm most severely affected by the resurrected power of the Ghost Emperor. Only by witnessing firsthand how the demon realm fights can a specific cooperation model be devised.
Of course, not everyone had to go; Lu Yuanyuan only selected a group to accompany her. The Demon King also came with his people.
Because the trip was so sudden, she couldn't wait for the High Priest to return. In the past few days, without the burning of foxfire, the flowers on her calves had shown a faint tendency to reignite, but fortunately, she persisted in circulating her microcosmic orbit twice every night, barely managing to suppress it.
Several nights later, they arrived at the border. The bright moon illuminated the desert for miles around. Standing atop the towering city walls, they looked out at a desolate Gobi Desert, somewhat resembling the southern border before it was occupied and developed by Ji Shuo.
The demon realm housed them in palaces within the city.
It was the first day. After washing up, Lu Yuanyuan suddenly heard some strange noises coming from the window. Suspicious, she quickly went over and abruptly pushed open the window. Sunlight streamed in and shone on a furtive figure.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
