Chapter 126 Killing the Grand Duke Jupiter (14) These days, young men are really playing dirty tricks…
Their eyes met, but the encounter ended hastily when Gu Lianzhou looked away.
When facing the person he admires, he just can't bring himself to call her "senior sister".
Therefore, he coughed lightly, "Let's call you that for now, and we can change it later when we think of a more suitable name."
“Okay.” Song Qiling stared blankly at his slightly lowered eyelashes and replied.
As soon as the words were spoken, silence returned, with only the soft sounds of each other's breathing mingling.
She felt the moisture in her palms slowly evaporating, and a strange feeling welled up from her heart.
Something is subtly changing.
Like spring water nourishing all things, it flowed silently between her and her junior brother.
It turns out that the word "love" can be so simple.
There are no dramatic, life-or-death situations, nor the earth-shattering, passionate entanglements found in storybooks, and there's no need to even ask about the reasons behind it.
Simply because...
They like each other.
As his thoughts drifted, Gu Lianzhou stood up, supporting himself on his knees. His gaze swept across the not-so-spacious courtyard, lingering briefly in the shadows of the corner, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly: "Senior brother, why don't you move in with me?"
Song Qiling: "..."
Is this guy's brain damaged by a donkey kick?
"This...this is something that needs to be done step by step. How can you be so impatient?" She took a step back in astonishment, looking as if she had seen a ghost. "Besides...we only live in a house separated by a wall. Do you have to be so clingy, as if you can't be apart for even a moment?"
Before he could finish speaking, a look of surprise flashed in Gu Lianzhou's eyes. Then, a flush of blood rose from his ears, and his voice lowered. "That's not what I meant. Senior brother has misunderstood me."
The tall young man looked aggrieved, which seemed rather incongruous and made Song Qiling's heart skip a beat.
They've already invited her to live with them, how could she possibly misunderstand?
But he hurriedly explained, "Because of me, there should be very little demonic energy in the southern city now. But a few days ago, some high-level demons appeared out of nowhere. I think... this was done on purpose."
Looking at his senior brother's expression, Gu Lianzhou continued, "The timing of that old man Zhuang's appearance yesterday was quite ingenious. His methods are unpredictable and his actions are hard to fathom. If he had lured you into a trap when you were alone, and I wasn't around, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Song Qiling was getting more and more confused by his words, so she raised her hand to interrupt him and said, "Wait, let me sort this out first."
As she thought about it, she analyzed, "The demon inside you—no, right now it should be called your true form, that dodder—is influenced by the 'Yearly Yin' which likes to eat evil spirits. It hunts evil spirits all over the city to grow stronger. Its existence itself makes other evil spirits fearful and dare not approach rashly. And you also said that a few days ago someone deliberately released a high-level demon in order to lure you out?"
Her voice softened as she recalled the ruins left behind after her junior brother's fight with Chu Yue that day, and a chill ran down her spine.
“I originally thought Chu Yue killed you because you possessed demonic energy, but if it was to lure you out, using a demon as bait…” She suddenly raised her eyes and scrutinized her junior brother from head to toe, “Then he not only knew that you needed demonic energy to strengthen yourself, but he might also… be secretly raising demons?”
Otherwise, how could he have used demons as bait and proceeded step by step?
Suddenly, he recalled what he had seen in Zhao Luan's memory: many years ago, during the fire, Chu Yue could command demons at will.
An astonishing conjecture quietly took shape in my mind.
But as the leader of the number one demon-slaying sect in the world, he actually uses demons to raise "demons". What exactly does he want to do?
Ultimately, this is just her opinion and not enough to serve as evidence. "Perhaps Elder Zhuang has been hiding in the city for a long time... This matter may not necessarily be Chu Yue's doing."
My thoughts are a jumbled mess.
My mind is a complete mess.
"In short, the appearance of those dice is probably related to me. I can't risk putting my senior brother in such a predicament." Gu Lianzhou had already made up his mind. "Moreover, the gambling den appeared suddenly. If we just sit and wait for our doom, I'm afraid Elder Zhuang will retaliate again. Senior brother, you should move in with me. At least within my sight, I can share some of the burden for you."
What he said wasn't entirely unreasonable.
If it weren't for his timely help yesterday, she probably wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed from Elder Zhuang. Just considering the way he cheated so quietly, Gu Lianzhou had a natural advantage.
Thinking of this, Song Qiling hesitated before nodding in agreement, "Alright, if there is a next time, he should experience the methods of a demon hunter, and by the way... perhaps we can find out who the mastermind is behind him."
Since he claims to have the ability to "trace back to the source," she'll have to see for herself next time.
If we can really find out Chu Yue's secret.
It's a sure-fire way to make money.
However, it would require the two of them to live under the same roof...
Her gaze slowly shifted to Gu Lianzhou's calm and composed face, and the slight doubt that had just surfaced in her heart was silently swallowed back.
According to my junior brother, does that mean that if Master Zhuang doesn't show up, they have to be inseparable every day?
In the past, she could barely conceal her identity when she didn't reveal it, but things are very different now. Her junior brother already knows she is a woman. How can they express their feelings one minute and then share a room the next?
No matter how you look at it... it's all improper.
Noticing her gaze, Gu Lianzhou suddenly looked up and turned around.
Song Qiling's heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously looked up at the sky and blurted out, "The weather is really nice today."
After a moment of silence, Gu Lianzhou followed her gaze to the horizon and softly replied, "Indeed, the wind is clear and the air is crisp."
Hearing him respond, Song Qiling secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then suggested, "Why don't we go out for a walk and buy some fruits, vegetables and daily necessities?"
Gu Lianzhou remained noncommittal, his gaze sweeping over her neck, a hint of embarrassment flashing in his eyes. "Senior brother, please reconsider."
Song Qiling was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
As soon as she spoke, she saw the man's gaze sweep over her neck almost imperceptibly.
In the blink of an eye, memories of last night flooded back.
Her junior brother's burning lips lingered on her neck, his almost uncontrollable force leaving red marks on her skin.
She stopped abruptly, feeling a burning sensation on her neck.
When she looked at herself in the mirror this morning, the scene was quite tragic. Anyone who didn't know better would think she had fought a swarm of mosquitoes in the middle of the night.
Yes.
How can I show myself to others looking like this?
The moment she steps onto the street, the neighbors will likely stare at her, secretly marveling at how sophisticated the young men of today are...
A wave of heat rushed to her cheeks, and she hurriedly raised her hand to cover her neck: "Whose fault is this?"
Gu Lianzhou, however, remained calm: "I was just reminding my senior brother that going out like this might be inappropriate."
Song Qiling was almost amused by his pretentious seriousness.
Last night, this culprit was clearly biting and nibbling at her neck, but now he's putting on a gentlemanly act.
Frustrated, she turned and rushed into the inner room, but when she reached the door, she couldn't help but turn back to glare at him. She saw the young man standing there with a triumphant smile in his eyes, which made her so angry that she slammed the door shut.
Seeing her like this, Gu Lianzhou touched his nose and raised his voice to ask again, "Senior brother, do you need a veil? I have some."
As soon as the words were spoken, an angry voice came from inside the house: "...Get out!"
-
As Song Qiling stepped across the threshold, Gu Lianzhou was bending down to move her trunk to the low cabinet by the window, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her clean-lined forearm.
Seeing her come in, he straightened up: "I didn't touch anything inside. Do you think this position is suitable?"
Following his gaze, I saw a low cabinet next to a daybed. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the cabinet, making it much brighter than my cramped room.
"That's fine, this is fine." She replied, stepping forward to lend a hand, but Gu Lianzhou gently pressed her wrist: "I'll take care of it."
Song Qiling straightened up and glanced at the bed, which was big enough for two people, then quickly looked away, scratching her slightly itchy cheek. "You're taller, can you stretch your legs out here?"
Gu Lianzhou was adjusting the position of the box. Hearing this, he didn't even raise his head, only letting out a very soft chuckle from his throat: "Senior brother is asking a question he already knows the answer to."
Song Qiling was speechless.
She knew that even if she held a knife to his throat, he wouldn't give up the daybed.
You should just give up on that idea as soon as possible.
Thinking of this, she said no more, silently walked to the trunk, took out a few pieces of casual clothes, and neatly folded them one by one.
Gu Lianzhou, with his back to her, carefully moved the small table on the daybed and laid a thick cushion on it. His movements were unhurried, and the lines of his shoulders and back rose and fell subtly under his thin shirt.
By the time everything was tidied up, the sun was already setting in the west. The house was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of sparrows from under the eaves outside, which only added to the tranquility of the room.
“Senior brother,” he suddenly said, “there are calming incense sticks in the cupboard. If you can’t sleep well at night, you can light some.”
Upon hearing this, Song Qiling responded and glanced at the already laid-out Luohan couch.
It's so narrow and short, I wonder what it would be like to sleep on it?
Junior brother, I hope you don't roll down in the middle of the night...
Night fell over the courtyard, and all was quiet.
Song Qiling, carrying the prepared nightgown, went to the greenhouse first.
The warm water washes away the day's fatigue, but it can't wash away the inexplicable restlessness in my heart.
She lingered for a long time, until her fingertips were wrinkled from being soaked, before slowly drying herself, changing into soft nightgown, and returning to her room, still damp with moisture.
Only a small candle remained in the room, casting a warm yellow glow that barely illuminated the area around the bed.
She lifted the covers and got into bed, gently pressing down on the pillow and blankets.
The newly changed bedding smelled of being baked by the sun and felt very soft and comfortable.
Even though my body was relaxed, I was wide awake.
After thinking for a moment, she got out of bed, her bare feet touching the cool floor. She took out a storybook from the cupboard and went back to bed.
These books were the very "housewarming gifts" she had given to her junior colleague during the day, which she had accidentally discovered while tidying her room.
She wrapped herself in a thin blanket, adjusted to a comfortable position, turned to face the inside of the bed, and began to read by candlelight.
The words on the pages, however, are like swimming fish, slippery and difficult to capture the mind.
The faint sound of water could be heard coming from the direction of the greenhouse.
Splash—
The sound pierced the silence, clearly striking her eardrums. The warmth mixed with moisture seemed to drift in through the crack in the door, making the tips of her ears feel hot.
The ink on the pages completely lost its soul, transforming into twisted and ferocious mouths, mocking her wild thoughts.
"Your thoughts are filthy."
"You get distracted just listening to the sound of showering, how pathetic!"
"Don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, don't think what you shouldn't think, cover your ears!"
"..."
Her fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the book, and the candlelight cast dappled shadows on her trembling eyelashes.
The sound of water stopped at some point.
My heart skipped a beat.
In her haste, she haphazardly stuffed the storybook under her pillow, tore open the bed curtains, quickly lay down, pulled up the quilt, and covered herself completely.
With a soft creak, the door was pushed open.
Footsteps slowly entered the house.
The flickering candlelight outlined Gu Lianzhou's slender figure.
He also changed into a plain white nightgown. His slightly damp, dark hair was not tied up, but casually draped over his shoulders, with a few water droplets still clinging to the ends, shimmering in the soft light.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the bed curtains that had been lowered and remained motionless, before turning to the daybed by the window.
He didn't go over immediately, but first closed the doors and windows to block the cool night breeze in the courtyard, and then went to the small table in front of the bed, bent down and blew out the candle.
Song Qiling hid under the opaque brocade quilt, but her senses were amplified infinitely in the darkness.
She heard the soft sound of his slippers treading on the bricks, the distinctive creaking of the daybed under its weight, and then the rustling of his clothes against the cushions.
After a while, when the slight noise subsided, she dared to quietly pull the blanket down a little, prop herself up on her elbows, part the bed curtains, reveal her eyes, and try to make her sense things in the darkness.
The moonlight flowed silently, like water.
It just covered the young man's wrist, which was casually resting on the armrest of the tatami.
Her well-defined fingers hung limply at the moment, the fingertips pointing towards her bed.
Moonlight streamed through the window paper, casting a faint silver glow on the ground. The lingering moisture in the greenhouse still clung to the air, bringing a subtle dampness to the nose.
Hearing the steady breathing coming from the daybed, Song Qiling's chaotic thoughts gradually dissipated.
It seems my junior brother didn't get a good rest last night, because he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. But she... couldn't fall asleep in a different place.
Why didn't she have trouble sleeping in different beds before?
"Senior brother, why are you staring at me so intently? Is there something you want to say to me?" In the darkness, the man's voice suddenly sounded like a ghost whispering in your ear.
Caught off guard, Song Qiling abruptly retreated into the tent, clutching her wildly beating heart and stammering, "You...you can see?"
After a moment of silence, Gu Lianzhou's slightly helpless voice rang out: "As your senior brother, I've known for a long time that my eyes are different from others; I can see in the dark as well."
Song Qiling: "..."
Does that mean he saw her every move the moment he walked in?
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