Chapter 21
After Mo Xiaoxin returned, she slept for two days before her strength recovered slightly.
After waking up, she stretched out a big yawn.
She was startled when she vaguely saw the person standing next to her.
Ziyu stared at her intently, like a mannequin, until she saw that she was awake, then she slowly said, "You're awake."
Mo Xiaoxin's embarrassment flared up again: "Um, how long did I sleep?"
Two days.
"So long? No wonder I'm starving." She rubbed her sore arms.
Ziyu handed the prepared warm porridge to Mo Xiaoxin.
Mo Xiaoxin took the bowl and gulped down the water. She stole a glance at Ziyu: "You've been watching me the whole time?"
"Yes, my lord ordered me to protect you personally." Ziyu naturally exuded a cold and aloof aura, and her all-black attire made her appear even more imposing.
Mo Xiaoxin pursed her lips. Close protection? It's clearly just a different way of supervising her.
Mo Xiaoxin always felt that Leng Huai's subordinates were all cold and aloof, especially Ziyu, who gave people a sense of distance and unapproachability.
Recalling the way she had seen Leng Huai in the underground black pool, she became even more curious, wondering if Leng Huai knew anything.
"Ahem, Ziyu, you've been serving your master for quite some time now, haven't you?"
“Ten years,” she replied briefly.
She asked tentatively, "Does Leng Huai have some kind of illness? Does he need pond water or something to survive?"
Ziyu's eyebrows twitched. Mo Xiaoxin was the first person to dare to say such things about their master. If their master heard this, Mo Xiaoxin would probably lose his life.
But she didn't know why Mo Xiaoxin would ask that, so she replied, "No, the Lord is the number one war god in the Demon Realm, with boundless magic and immeasurable power."
Mo Xiaoxin pondered, but looking at Leng Huai's pained expression last time, it didn't seem like he was faking it.
Perhaps he has some kind of malaria that he can't tell others. After all, for someone as high-ranking as him, it wouldn't be fun if someone caught him doing something wrong.
However, even Ziyu doesn't know this secret. If Leng Huai knew she knew, would he...?
She shrank back, her hair standing on end.
Mo Xiaoxin chuckled inwardly. She needed to find time to continue investigating. As long as she had something on Leng Huai, she wouldn't have to worry about not completing the mission.
Mo Xiaoxin: "Do you know why your master doesn't marry the third daughter of the Ye family?"
Why Leng Huai would suddenly agree to marry her was the thing she couldn't understand the most.
Given Leng Huai's cold-hearted nature, it seems that no woman could catch his eye, so why did he choose her? What exactly is Leng Huai planning?
"I know nothing about what my lord is doing." Ziyu remained expressionless, revealing no emotion whatsoever.
Wow, she's really tight-lipped.
Next, Mo Xiaoxin repeatedly inquired about Leng Huai's affairs, but Ziyu said she knew nothing about them.
Mo Xiaoxin was disheartened; it seemed she wouldn't be able to get any information from her.
Well, she couldn't expect to get anything out of someone who treated her badly; even if they did know, they probably wouldn't tell her.
However, she hadn't expected Leng Huai to arrange for her to be protected closely. How could she have suddenly changed her gender?
Could it be that he felt guilty for confiscating her ten boxes of dowry?
The next second, Mo Xiaoxin changed her mind.
“Your Majesty, His Majesty told you to cook once you’ve rested, as he doesn’t like other people’s cooking.” Ziyu abruptly interrupted Mo Xiaoxin’s thoughts.
Mo Xiaoxin was speechless. This scoundrel was still the same, not letting her have a moment's peace.
Mo Xiaoxin suddenly felt weak and powerless. Did they really think she was a spinning top? Didn't she get tired? Couldn't they let her rest for a couple more days?
"Hmm... I feel a little dizzy." Mo Xiaoxin rolled her eyelids upward and leaned back.
Ziyu reached out and touched Mo Xiaoxin's forehead: "Your Majesty, you can rest for as long as you want, but if you anger the Lord, I'm afraid your days will not be easy."
Okay, okay, you're threatening her, aren't you?
She still didn't believe it!
She should just go and cook...
Forced by circumstances, Mo Xiaoxin returned to her small woodshed.
Ziyu gave her a booklet.
Mo Xiaoxin asked in confusion, "What is this?"
She opened it and saw that the names of the dishes were arranged in a dense array.
Ziyu: "The recipes that the Lord wants to eat."
Mo Xiaoxin: "..."
Should she say he was thoughtful for preparing all the recipes for her, or should she say he was heartless and treated her like a dog?
"The Lord said that the wages for cooking a day is one tael, and if the Lord is satisfied, there will be an extra reward."
Mo Xiaoxin's eyes lit up: "So, I have a chance to pay back the money I owe him."
She doesn't like to break promises, and since she owes Leng Huai money, she has to pay him back.
"This is the payment for last time." Ziyu took out a silver ingot from her bosom.
Mo Xiaoxin's hand trembled as she held the silver. To be honest, this was her money in this world. After all, she was alive in this world, and as long as she was alive, she needed money to maintain her life.
Mo Xiaoxin cheered herself up. She had calculated that in a little over a hundred days, she should be able to complete the mission, return the money to Leng Huai, and then she could say goodbye to this world.
The spirit of the working class burns brightly!
Mo Xiaoxin, who had never seen money before, suddenly had the energy to cook.
Flipping through today's recipe, she accidentally discovered two dishes that she had never heard of before. Fortunately, the recipe steps were thoughtfully provided below.
With this spatula, Mo Xiaoxin felt that she was a natural cook. All dishes became incredibly easy under her spatula, and she never made a mistake. Even the dishes she made for the first time were easily mastered by Mo Xiaoxin.
In less than an hour, Mo Xiaoxin had cooked all the dishes on the recipe. They looked and smelled delicious, and even she was drooling just from the aroma.
Standing to the side, Ziyu was impressed by Mo Xiaoxin's cooking skills. Even though she hadn't eaten, just looking at the colorful, fragrant, and delicious dishes made her feel hungry. However, she didn't show any expression on her face.
It was time for Leng Huai to taste the dishes again, and Mo Xiaoxin stood aside waiting for Leng Huai's praise.
She was very satisfied with the dishes she had made today, and if Leng Huai were to nitpick again, it would definitely be on purpose.
Having not seen Mo Xiaoxin for two days, Leng Huai suddenly recalled the sweet way she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder the last time, and a strange ripple stirred in his heart. He didn't understand why he felt this way.
He suppressed this strange feeling and began to taste the dishes.
"Ahem, although I know you don't like me, no matter what, you saved me this time, so I owe you. If you ever need my help in the future, just let me know, and I, Mo Qiuxin, will go through fire and water for you. Even if you kill me, it's fine." Mo Xiaoxin made her stance clear. If Leng Huai hadn't saved her, she might have had to stay in the Ye family for a while longer, and how would she have completed her mission then?
"Why would I kill you?" Leng Huai asked, puzzled.
Mo Xiaoxin thought to herself, "Haven't you killed enough of me? What are you pretending to be innocent for?"
"What I mean is that you saved my life, so you can do whatever you want with me from now on." Mo Xiaoxin kept reminding Leng Huai that he could take her life at any time.
"Um."
Leng Huai gave a curt reply and then said nothing more.
Mo Xiaoxin took his agreement as a sign, and pointed to the dishes: "How is it? The food I made today is pretty good, isn't it?"
Leng Huai: "Sure, let's eat together."
Mo Xiaoxin was startled. Leng Huai had actually asked her to have dinner with him for the first time ever. Could there be something fishy going on?
Seeing that Mo Xiaoxin was standing there in a daze and showed no sign of sitting down, Leng Huai's expression changed instantly: "Don't make me say it a second time."
Mo Xiaoxin then sat down in a daze, picked up her chopsticks, and ate with Leng Huai face to face.
This feeling made Mo Xiaoxin feel a little strange. Why did they seem like a newlywed couple living their life together?
Thinking of this, a blush rose on Mo Xiaoxin's face.
Suddenly, Leng Huai turned pale, his face was covered in cold sweat, and the chopsticks he was holding fell to the ground with a clatter.
Mo Xiaoxin frowned. What was Leng Huai doing? Was he deliberately trying to extort her? She hadn't used any strange seasonings this time.
"Hey, Leng Huai, what's wrong?" Mo Xiaoxin asked, noticing that Leng Huai's face was getting worse and worse, and his eyes seemed to be getting unfocused.
Suddenly, Mo Xiaoxin felt a chill on her neck as a knife was placed in front of her.
Qiao Yun demanded sharply, "You poisoned the food!"
Mo Xiaoxin: "Big brother, I just ate these dishes too, and I'm fine. This has nothing to do with me!"
As Leng Huai's face grew paler and paler, large beads of sweat slid down his face, as if he were enduring immense pain.
Mo Xiaoxin quickly asked, "Hey, what's wrong with you? I really didn't poison you, don't scare me!"
Leng Huai looked at Qiao Yun and Zi Yu and ordered, "You two go out."
Qiao Yun and Zi Yu looked at each other, both puzzled, wondering why their master had asked them to leave, leaving Mo Xiaoxin here.
But they dared not disobey Leng Huai's words, nor did they dare to speculate on them, so they obediently withdrew.
Mo Xiaoxin leaned closer to Leng Huai and touched his forehead, finding it burning hot. She was startled: "What illness do you have?"
"Help me down," Leng Huai said through gritted teeth.
"Go down? Go where?" Mo Xiaoxin was confused.
Leng Huai didn't answer, but walked to the cabinet by the window and pressed the button.
Then the door to the secret room quietly appeared.
Mo Xiaoxin pretended to be seeing it for the first time and said in feigned surprise, "Oh, why is there another door here?"
Leng Huai glanced at Mo Xiaoxin: "It's not like you haven't been inside before."
"..."
Mo Xiaoxin was shocked. It turned out that Leng Huai had known about her sneaking into the basement last time, but he had never shown it. No wonder Leng Huai had his subordinates keep an eye on her.
Mo Xiaoxin chuckled and helped Leng Huai into the basement passage. Leng Huai skillfully opened the door and led her down the passage to the stone gate. He quickly solved the Sudoku puzzle and entered the black pool on the mountain wall.
Mo Xiaoxin stared at the pool of black water in front of her, her legs felt weak, and she refused to go any further.
Leng Huai frowned: "Help me over there, I want to get down."
Mo Xiaoxin shook her head: "I dare not, there are black snakes there, they will bite me!"
No, it won't.
Yes, it will.
Leng Huai pleaded weakly for the first time, "Please."
He then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Leng Huai? Leng Huai?" Mo Xiaoxin poked his face. Leng Huai's skin was surprisingly elastic, no less delicate than a woman's. She tried calling his name again, but Leng Huai lay on the ground without responding.
I really fainted.
Mo Xiaoxin was quite surprised by Leng Huai's request. She thought that Leng Huai, who was the most stubborn person in the world, would never lower himself to say nice things to her.
Mo Xiaoxin looked down at Leng Huai, her fist waving across his face: "You bullied me before, now it's finally your turn to beg me!"
Alright, since Leng Huai has begged her so much, she'll take pity on him and reluctantly carry him across.
She grabbed Leng Huai's arm, trying to carry him on her back, but Leng Huai was too heavy for her to lift. With no other choice, she pulled on Leng Huai's arms with both hands and dragged his body little by little toward the pool.
It took Mo Xiaoxin quite a bit of effort to drag Leng Huai to the edge of the pool.
She was panting heavily: "What did this guy eat to grow up like this? He's so heavy!"
The black pool was less than half a meter away from her. Looking at the dark, bottomless water, she felt a little scared. Without thinking too much, she kicked Leng Huai into the black pool.
Leng Huai sank straight down without any struggle, as if he had been melted by the water and disappeared without a trace.
A few seconds later, Leng Huai still showed no sign of surfacing.
What happened? He didn't drown, did he?
Mo Xiaoxin called out worriedly twice, "Leng Huai? Leng Huai?"
The black pool remained calm, as if there were no living creatures inside.
Mo Xiaoxin's heart skipped a beat. Could Leng Huai really be dead? How could she complete her mission then? How could she go back?
Just as she was extremely anxious, a giant black python rose from the water. Its entire body was enormous, making it look particularly terrifying in the cave.
Mo Xiaoxin swallowed hard, standing rooted to the spot, not daring to move an inch.
Black Snake seemed to have no intention of paying any attention to Mo Xiaoxin.
It circled the black pool several times, then began to shed its skin, shedding its scales.
Snake scales swirled in the air, like fragments piecing something together.
Mo Xiaoxin stared in disbelief at the scene.
Then something even more surprising happened.
The snake scales actually pieced together a man's body. The man slowly descended, and Mo Xiaoxin saw his face clearly; it was Leng Huai.
Could it be that Leng Huai's body is made up of these snake scales?
What... what exactly is going on?
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