Chapter 55 My Legs Are Numb
The old ancestor was determined to die.
She really couldn't, but his smile annoyed her.
That night he was the one who said she was incredibly sweet and alluring, so why isn't he interested in her now that he's actively seducing her? This is truly a case of trying too hard and not getting what you want!
So Duan Jiuyou ignored him and just sat there, his face as if covered with frost, frowning as he stared at his little feet.
He was clearly angry.
She didn't move, and he didn't try to coax her. Duan Jiuyou's stubbornness flared up, and he changed his posture, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He deliberately sat down harder, determined to wear down Di Jiang to the end.
The smile in Di Jiang's eyes deepened, and he said helplessly, "Jiuyou."
"Hmm?" Duan Jiuyou replied irritably, thinking that if he said something nice to coax her, she would be reluctant to accept it, provided that the words were pleasant to hear and would satisfy her.
As a result, Di Jiang said, "My legs are numb."
Duan Jiuyou turned away angrily: "Are you saying I'm fat? You're not that precious. You complain about being heavy just by sitting down. You didn't like it when I said you weren't in good health before. You're just a pretty face, all show and no substance!"
Di Jiang hadn't expected that this "little man" would be more eloquent than usual after getting drunk. He picked up the blue-and-white porcelain teacup on the table, took a sip, and said with a half-smile, "Am I useless?"
"You complained that I'm heavy, so of course I'm useless," Duan Jiuyou complained. "This isn't last night anymore; your tricks won't work on me now!"
"How did I coax you?" Di Jiang asked, going along with her question.
"You said I was beautiful enough to be a feast for the eyes, and that I was your darling. You weren't drunk that day, so how could you not remember what you said?"
When did I say you were my darling?
The emperor burst into laughter.
Duan Jiuyou was still drunk and was talking nonsense. Her overall consciousness was clear, but she couldn't remember some of the smaller details clearly. She only remembered that he was particularly sweet-talking that night and said all sorts of nice things.
Duan Jiuyou's face darkened. She'd tried so hard to please him, and he actually laughed at her. Didn't she have any pride? He slammed a fist at her!
Her hands are small, but strong. Other women might use coquetry, but with her, it's like she's trying to kill someone.
"Anyway, the meaning is the same: they're all praising me, saying I'm plump, tender, and delicious!"
Di Jiang coughed lightly as she punched him, surprised by the force of her blows. He then found it amusing: "Is that how I praised you?"
The words she used, strung together, almost formed a dish.
"Anyway, the meaning is roughly the same."
Duan Jiuyou leaned into his arms, resting her head against his chest. It was hard to tell if it was because she was still smelling of alcohol or because she liked being close to him. Di Jiang's seemingly slender figure always gave her a feeling of being able to rely on him.
She grabbed his hand, her mind full of tricks. She hadn't forgotten the important matter yet, and brought up the old topic again: "Actually, the Flame Mountain matter is a worthwhile deal. It seems to be curing the Fire-Eating Beast's ailment, but in reality, it's relieving your coldness. The merit gained in exchange is enough to forge half of your primordial spirit. Your hands are always so cold, and it takes a long time to warm them up. It must be uncomfortable for you."
She's much smarter than before; she knows how to coax him from his perspective, seemingly thinking of him in everything, but Di Jiang doesn't appreciate her efforts.
"Why don't you ever complain about my cold hands usually?"
She wanted to become a wicked queen who spread rumors, but he was not a foolish ruler; he could easily fool her with a few words.
The "Empress" glared at him: "Who said you don't mind? You just don't dare to say it. You always cover my neck with your hands, it's so cold it's freezing to death."
Di Jiang propped his head up with one hand and deliberately touched her face with the other.
She hissed, and it wasn't an exaggeration or pretense: "It's as cold as ice!"
Di Jiang was amused by her sullen glare.
Seeing that he was in a fairly good mood, Duan Jiuyou seized the opportunity to ask again: "When those fire-eating beasts were neighbors with your Wilderness Clan before, I never heard of them having violent tendencies. Could it be that your Wilderness Clan has some kind of medicine to control their rage? Otherwise, if those beasts all over the mountains went berserk, wouldn't they level the mountains?"
Di Jiang remained silent. Several plates of pastries were laid out on the table, prepared in advance by the inner palace disciples in case they were hungry. He casually picked up a piece of almond candy and said perfunctorily, "Our medicine can only cure your illness; it can't cure anything else."
"How could that be?" Duan Jiuyou didn't believe it. "You must have a way to deal with the fire-eating beasts, or they must have some way to save themselves... Don't eat them!"
Di Jiang pretended not to hear anything he didn't want to get involved in. Duan Jiuyou saw him finish one piece of walnut pastry and then pick up another. He snatched it into his own mouth before he could finish it and said while chewing, "This isn't about helping them, it's about helping ourselves. You cough when the weather gets cold, and you can barely sleep with four or five hot water bottles in your bed."
Speaking of the hot water bottle, she suddenly remembered that the bed wasn't warm yet, so she got up and went to the door to call for someone.
The inner palace disciples had been waiting outside the door. Upon hearing the summons, they immediately ordered someone to bring the hot water bottle. They went inside with their heads down. The room was very quiet. Di Jiang sat in a chair, his expression unreadable. Only the fact that two pieces of pastry were missing from the plate beside him was noticeable. Duan Jiuyou stood there, watching them put the hot water bottle in.
After settling in, they closed the door and left. Duan Jiuyou remained standing by the bed, staring blankly for a while before finally slipping his hand under the covers and saying, "It's warm now."
It wasn't as warm as her Earthly Palace, and even compared to the desolate mansion in the Ten Realms, it was a bit colder. Seeing that he had been sitting, she urged him to lie down inside. Di Jiang knew that this was because she had felt his hand was too cold when she held it earlier, and was worried that he was cold.
When she takes care of people with all her heart, she is truly impeccable. Di Jiang obediently took off his clothes, removed his outer robe by himself, and when he took off his belt, he had a brief eye contact with Duan Jiuyou.
Duan Jiuyou genuinely cared about him, and he was also genuinely waiting for his reply.
Di Jiang put down his clothes, and Jiu You moved inside, still staring at him intently.
He pulled back the covers, leaned against the soft pillows, and said somewhat irritably, "Wasn't I thinking about it?"
That happened tens of millions of years ago. He didn't live as long as she did, nor is he some kind of encyclopedic book of events, knowing the reasons behind everything. He needs time to recall.
Di Jiang pondered slowly, until Duan Jiuyou was starting to doze off, before speaking again: "I remember the *Beast Chronicles* mentioning that there were more than just the Fire-Eating Beasts on Red Wax Mountain back then. They seemed to have a tradition of intermarrying with the Water Beasts. That beast was also one of the Five Elements Beasts, called the Water-Swallowing Beast. Water can overcome fire, so it seems that the Fire-Eating Beasts didn't suffer from their violent tendencies before because they mated with the Water-Swallowing Beast, suppressing the malignant disease within them. But the Water-Swallowing Beast disappeared afterward, I wonder..."
Duan Jiuyou had his hands folded on the pillow, his head turned towards the imperial capital, seemingly in a listening posture, but in reality he was already asleep in a prone position.
After observing for a while, Di Jiang stretched out his long finger and flicked her awake.
"I'm speaking."
This guy doesn't know how to be gentle with women. When he speaks, everyone listens attentively. They've never seen Duan Jiuyou fall asleep in front of them like this.
He jolted her awake, but she pretended not to be asleep, her eyes wide open, seemingly awake, and said, "So that's how it is."
Di Jiang confronted her, saying, "What did I just say? You're really like this."
Duan Jiuyou cleared his throat: "Say it... or could you repeat it again?"
Di Jiang glanced at her, repeating the phrase "a great man doesn't hold a grudge against a petty person," and Duan Jiuyou concluded, "So, only by finding the Water-Swallowing Beast can we possibly cure the Fire-Eating Beast's illness?"
That should be the case.
Di Jiang wasn't sure either, but he remembered that the fire-eating beasts that had married into the aquatic tribes had never suddenly developed violent symptoms.
This also reminded Duan Jiuyou of something.
She said, "My master once said that the five elemental beasts are mutually reinforcing and restraining, forming a system of their own. For example, the Metal-Condensing Beast, after reaching adulthood, needs the Earth Spirit Beast to bless it so that it can maintain good health. Earth generates metal, metal generates water, water restrains fire... It is precisely because of these mutual generation and restraint among the five elemental beasts that they can coexist. But if what you say is true, the Water-Swallowing Beast disappeared after the Fire-Eating Beast emerged to face the calamity. Could it be that it, like the Fire-Eating Beast, perished in the Three Realms?"
Duan Jiuyou's face showed worry again. He stood up again and said to the door.
"Someone come here."
She didn't pay much attention to the Five Elements Beasts, but several of her inner disciples were fond of taming beasts. One of them, named Liantang, often went hunting in the deep mountains with others, and might know the whereabouts of the Water-Swallowing Beast.
Liantang and two other disciples were on night watch outside when they heard someone calling for help. Instead of rushing in immediately, they quickly went to the back of the bathhouse and carried two large buckets of hot water. They filled the buckets first, and then entered through the side door, keeping their heads down and staring at the ground.
"Ancestor, you can wash now."
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