Chapter 42
If there are gods in this world, there must also be demons.
Only when good and evil suppress each other can balance be achieved.
Although centuries of peace and trade have passed, and the world enjoys considerable interaction and exchange, some deep-seated hatred still sees demons as mortal enemies.
I nestled in Wu Qi's arms, and the hand holding me tightened its grip.
Wu Qi has never hugged me so tightly before.
He's angry.
I'm so angry at the other side for making things like this for me. I can't believe this kind of thing happens in the world.
"I'm really curious, two famous immortals... why are they in the mortal realm?" The man smiled, rubbing his forehead to hide his expression, but his tone was very low. "Were they demoted?"
Wu Qi stared at him without saying a word, and the temperature around him seemed to drop sharply.
The opponent must be quite capable to be able to make someone as eloquent as him speechless.
"Are you mute?" the man asked again.
Wu Qi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he finally spoke, "This is not a place for you."
"Alright, alright, it's fine if you don't want to tell me. I just want to know one thing—"
The next second, the air froze, and the air pressure dropped instantly, as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing down on us.
When I opened my eyes again, the person had already teleported in front of us.
"Why has Sang Yue lost even her cultivation?!"
That person was angry too; I could tell.
He pointed at me and roared, seemingly indignant on my behalf.
It felt like two balls of fire surrounded me from the front and back. I was already exhausted, and now I was so exhausted I felt like I was about to melt away.
"This little bit of fog and wind can make her like this? Can it make her reveal herself?"
The atmosphere was tense, and Wu Qi's silence only fueled the other side's rage. "Speak!"
Has it... revealed itself?
I focused on the key points.
This answer immediately explained why Wu Qi had been stunned when he looked at me.
And my ears are itchy...
Why would a good person have itchy ears? That's clearly just rabbit fur being blown by the wind.
I mustered all my strength and slowly raised my hand, wanting to confirm once again that it was really true.
That's not right.
These rabbit ears only appear when I'm relaxed or excited, never. It's like a puppy wagging its tail when it sees someone it likes; although it can't control it, subconsciously it's a little indulgent.
This has never happened before...it manifests itself when one is weak.
Why is that?
Before I could even touch my ear, my wrist was grabbed.
The person opposite me, seeing my empty wrist, became even more agitated: "Where's your bracelet?!"
There should be a bracelet here; he was referring to the one I was born with.
"Here I am." Wu Qi didn't try to hide anything. After a few words, he realized that the other person didn't have much malice, whether towards Renjian or him; it was just a simple outburst of anger. He breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his eyes, and said softly, "Is there a problem?"
"I think the problem isn't me, it's her!" With that, he raised my hand, forcing me to look at it, and then uttered a shocking statement: "Are you sick in the head?"
I:"……"
?
"Why did you give him the rope? Don't you know it's unstable—"
Suddenly, the person seemed to collapse and break down. The composed demeanor they had maintained crumbled instantly, leaving only the mind of a child, gripping me like a madman.
Before he could say anything about the instability, a coin suddenly appeared, lifted his finger that was gripping mine, and flicked it hard.
The person opposite cried out in pain and withdrew their hand.
"The dignified Third Prince of the Demon Clan, coming to the mortal realm to act crazy, how shameful!" Wu Qi picked me up horizontally, jumped back a few meters, and created a safe distance.
"you--"
"Alright, Ah Huai." I finally spoke up to interrupt, calling out his name in an attempt to end this farce. "Stop throwing a tantrum."
Upon hearing these words, the fire in front of him visibly extinguished instantly, all the anger dissipating into the night.
Only a boy with red eyes remained, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
He knelt before me, his trench coat on the floor, unconcerned about the dirt. All his anger melted into tenderness. "Sister Yueyue..."
All right.
Actually, we recognized him a long time ago. The one who came all the way to the human world to capture us, who first berated Wu Qi and then started to lay hands on me, the one who called me Sister Yueyue, was none other than the Third Prince of the Demon Clan—Zhou Huai.
Well, how should I put it?
We're old acquaintances.
Gods and demons maintain a certain degree of respect for each other.
There are transactions and exchanges, but no tourism industry or travel permits.
Immortals cannot go to the Demon Realm, and demons cannot even set foot in the Heavenly Court. But Zhou Huai broke this restriction and lived in the Heavenly Court for a full ten years.
It's simply because he was a little snake I saved in the human world.
Back then, Wu Qi and I secretly descended to the mortal realm to play. We caught cicadas and ate wild fruits in the mountains and forests, and we could play for three days and three nights. We would only rest for a while by the river when we were so tired that we couldn't breathe.
The stream was crystal clear, teeming with about a hundred fish, swimming aimlessly in the air.
I put my hands together and scooped up a mouthful of water from the river to drink, but suddenly felt a tightness in my calves.
Looking down, I saw a shiny black snake coiled around my ankle. When it realized I had spotted it, it bit me hard.
"hiss--"
I splashed water on the black snake and flung it away.
"What's wrong?" Wu Qi asked, leaning closer.
Back then, we were just innocent kids who only knew how to have fun and didn't care about the past or the future.
"I got bitten." I winced in pain, pointing to the two dents on my leg. "It looks like a snake. Is it poisonous?"
“It might be a seven-step snake,” Wu Qi said. “I’ve heard that this kind of snake dies after taking seven steps.”
I panicked instantly: "What should we do?"
Wu Qi said in a serious tone: "You take six steps first, and when you're about to take the seventh step, let him bite you again, and then you can take seven more steps."
I:"……"
Are you exploiting a bug here?
I was just about to say something to him when I saw that the black snake didn't slither into the grass as I expected, but instead lay straight on the spot, looking somewhat dead.
Wu Qi looked down and noticed it too, then asked me incredulously, "This little snake bit you?"
"..."
I'm a little confused too. Is this snake a type of bee?
It dies after biting someone?
"Yes, it should be." I blinked awkwardly a couple of times.
Wu Qi said, "Then it seems yours is more toxic."
Me: "How could a rabbit like me have poison?"
Wu Qi: "Is there any other explanation? Ask him what happened."
I:"……"
Is that right?
I couldn't be bothered arguing with him, so I decided to find out what this thing was all about first. I picked up a stick from the riverbank and poked it.
Then, turning back to look at Wu Qi, she said tremblingly, "Soft..."
Wu Qi: "..."
I mustered my courage and picked it out for him.
Only when I was sure he wouldn't suddenly bite again and was truly on the verge of death did I dare to touch him.
"It..." I wasn't quite sure how to describe its feel, so I just said, "The material is quite nice."
Wu Qi: "?"
“I can’t explain the feel of this snake; it doesn’t feel like a normal snake,” I said, handing it to Wu Qi. “Touch it if you don’t believe me.”
Wu Qi was skeptical, but he still reached out and touched it with his finger.
The touch startled me; "He's still alive."
I was even more startled: "Alive?!"
"Alright, let's take it back first and let Master see what kind of species it is. Also, let's see if you need an antidote for the poison on your leg," Wu Qi said.
"Ah, okay." I nodded, and a large leaf next to me made a nest for the little black snake.
Later, when I brought it to the Heavenly Court, I realized it was inappropriate.
We came down secretly. If we brought this snake to our master, wouldn't we be walking into a trap? We'd be punished by copying the book ten times, but who knows, he might kill the snake in a fit of anger.
I had no choice but to discuss with Wu Qi about keeping him with me.
Wu Qi agreed, but was still worried that I would be poisoned, so he called a doctor over, pretending it was just a routine check-up.
Only after learning that everything was alright did they finally give full permission.
"This little black snake is actually quite nice; it doesn't bite and isn't poisonous."
In just two days, my impression of it completely changed. Although it bit me viciously at first, it later became quite pleasing to the eye when it lay there quietly.
The little black snake was probably sick; it was like a plant snake, only able to be fed a little water and a few insects. Wu Qi and I had taken turns caring for it for decades, and we had long since given up hope that it would ever come to its senses, treating it like a turtle from years ago. But unexpectedly, it bravely opened its eyes when no one was around.
The heavens are forever sunny and peaceful, a clear sky after the rain, a paradise untouched by darkness, and a cradle for warmth and kindness.
Having lived underground since childhood, the demon had never seen anything like this before. The first thing it did upon waking up was to sneak out and investigate.
At the time, he was completely unaware of the outside world. Only after leaving the courtyard did he realize that this place seemed worlds apart from his hometown. There was no deceit or treachery, only gentle chatter from the fairies.
This feels...so good.
Even in his snake form, Zhou Huai had the ability to conceal his aura, allowing him to roam freely throughout the celestial realm and absorb a great deal of immortal energy.
After having enough fun, it remembered me, its benefactor, and appeared in my house in human form.
I initially thought the little black snake had disappeared because it had been carried away and eaten by a bird, and I was saddened for quite some time.
It wasn't until I returned to the temple one day and saw the person covered in demonic energy, who kept saying he wanted to repay a debt of gratitude, that I realized I hadn't picked up a little snake, but a huge disaster.
Looking back now, the scene was extremely chaotic.
Zhou Huai sat in my usual dining seat, legs crossed, fiddling with a ball of yarn on the table with one hand and resting the other on his knee. He exuded a kind of playful yet dignified air.
"So you're the one who brought me back?" He lifted his eyelashes and glanced at me from a distance.
I was so scared that I couldn't react at all.
People probably thought I was really stupid, so I suppressed my patience and said, "I've come to repay a debt of gratitude."
I was stunned: "Report what?"
Zhou Huai explained: "To repay a debt of gratitude."
Me: "What 'en'?"
Zhou Huai: "To repay kindness."
Me: "Whose debt of gratitude are we repaying?"
Zhou Huai: "..."
Actually, my mind was a complete mess. I was thinking, "Wait a minute, can you get out of my house first?"
However, I don't have to be the only one worried about this; Wu Qi also bears some responsibility for bringing him in.
I ran to ask Wu Qi what to do, but Wu Qi was bold and didn't take it seriously. He just said, "You wait here, I'll talk to him." Then he locked me out of the door and went inside to fight him one-on-one.
I don't know what they talked about, but when they came out, the two of them were as close as one person.
Wu Qi explained to me that the black snake was named Zhou Huai, and was the third child of the demon race.
He used to live a free and easy life, but was betrayed by his brothers and ended up like this.
They coveted his talent and worried that Zhou Huai would one day replace them and affect their rise to power, so they used magic to turn him back into his original form and leave him to fend for himself in the mortal world.
If he hadn't met us, he would have turned into a vengeful ghost by now.
Hearing this story was heartbreaking. After discussing it with Wu Qi, we decided we couldn't bear to hand him over to the Heavenly Realm for punishment.
Next, we buried the trouble together and enjoyed a good time while Zhou Huai hid in the immortal realm.
Whether it was going to school or stealing peaches, whether it was good or bad, the three of us were always together.
Everyone only saw Wu Qi and me, unaware that a small snake was hidden in my wide sleeves. Sometimes it would secretly poke out its head and flick its tongue at the various deities.
Zhou Huai was indeed exceptionally gifted.
He mastered the art of concealing one's aura to perfection. Even when he was so young, he could transform into a human and do push-ups in the room, and no one outside could detect the presence of another person in the room.
Not to mention demons.
I still remember the last time we were together at dawn, when we went to watch the sunrise.
Zhou Huai said he didn't want to go home because everyone there was someone he didn't want to see.
Wu Qi was rather easygoing and said directly, "Then let's not go back. The world is so big, there's bound to be a place where we can settle down."
Zhou Huai smiled knowingly: "It's easier said than done. Why don't you and Sister Yueyue find a place to settle down?"
I don't know when he started calling me Sister Yueyue.
Maybe it's more affectionate to call him that, or maybe he picked up the bad habit from Wu Qi.
“Because you two have missions, you have your two taels of silver, and she has her red thread of fate.” The first ray of sunlight shone on us, and everything in sight was gilded with a layer of golden light. Zhou Huai said, “This is the meaning of your existence. We demons are the same. We have inescapable missions. This is the meaning of our existence, not just a comparison with the heavens.”
I was completely confused, but I still gave my advice: "You can go to the human world, where there is freedom, truth, goodness, and beauty."
Unexpectedly, Zhou Huai's expression changed upon hearing this. He gritted his teeth and said, "The human world is the most stinking place in the world."
Wu Qi and I exchanged a glance, but neither of us spoke.
It must have been a difficult time for Zhou Huai after he was transformed into human form and left in the human world, but we still don't know exactly what happened.
What kind of experiences, what kind of past, could make him use the word "stinky" to describe... the human world across thousands of mountains and rivers.
Our master had long ago taught us not to comment without knowing the whole story. We were all too young to know what Zhou Huai had been through, and we didn't have the confidence or courage to talk back.
The conversation later drifted away, and we never had the chance to talk about these things again.
The clouds crept up on the heels of the rising sun, draping the light in a thin veil.
If only I had truly understood humanity back then.
I think we would all have the courage to tell him that there are plenty of good places out there.
The recollection ends, and thoughts return to the present.
Zhou Huai knelt down in front of us.
We hadn't seen each other for so long that we could no longer be considered friends. What's more, he later left without saying goodbye... which deeply hurt us young fathers.
But now he's kneeling here with a sincere expression. What is he trying to do?
He also said some other nonsense.
I was extremely tired and panting heavily.
Zhou Huai then asked, "Who did this to you?"
I found it really funny: "Wasn't it you?"
Zhou Huai: "..."
That makes sense.
Zhou Huai suppressed his aura, and the snake coiled around his neck retreated into the wide sleeve of his clothes, watching me from the dark corner.
Just like it was on my sleeve many years ago.
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