Chapter 1257 Happy Birthday
Luo Li chuckled and gathered her cloak: "Not enough. As long as there are still people who will lose their lives in this catastrophe, it will never be enough."
The night wind, carrying the chill of winter, swept across her cheeks. She suddenly remembered the look in her mother's eyes before her remaining soul dissipated, the black energy spreading from her father's soul, and the light in Lan Xiaoxiao and the others' eyes...
These images were like flames, flickering in her heart.
"Ah Ming," she suddenly spoke, her voice a little disjointed by the wind, "What if, I mean what if, in the end, I can't stop it?"
Di Xuanming's gaze suddenly tightened. She knew her inner worries, but she shouldn't think about them at this moment.
He turned his head and looked directly at her. The moonlight fell on his angular face, reflecting the unquestionable determination in his eyes: "No ifs."
He raised his hand, and gently brushed away the wind-blown hair on her temples with his fingertips. His movements were more gentle than ever before. "Have you forgotten? We have a life bond. Wherever you are, there I will be. Even if our souls perish, we will be together."
Luo Li's heart trembled suddenly, as if it was hit lightly by something.
She turned her head away and looked at the spiritual masters patrolling the city wall in the distance. The spots of light meandered in the night like a fire dragon guarding the city.
"Who wants to perish with you?" She muttered in a low voice, but there was no confidence in her voice.
Di Xuanming chuckled softly, his laughter carried lightly by the night wind, but it was like a stone thrown into the lake of Luo Li's heart, creating ripples.
The wind on the observation deck suddenly became softer. Luo Li looked at Di Xuanming's profile reflected in the moonlight, and suddenly remembered the scene when they first met.
At that time, he was the high and mighty, cold and ruthless Emperor, and she was the young lady of the Luo family who had just arrived in this world and didn't understand anything yet. Who could have imagined that there would be such an entanglement later.
"Where do you think the Demon God will go first after breaking the seal?" she suddenly asked.
Di Xuanming traced the lines on the railing with his fingertips. "City of the Gods. This is the last barrier of the Continent of the Gods, and it's also where you are."
"Maybe." Luo Li looked into the distance, "Yan Ye, I'll wait for him here."
As the night deepens, the figures on the observation deck stand quietly, like two statues standing side by side, with thousands of lights behind them and an endless abyss in front of them.
The next day, Luo Li was once again busy with refining the supreme spiritual weapon.
Every day, she would personally learn about the defense deployments of all the major forces, from the city defense formation of the City of Gods to the deployment of patrolling spiritual masters, no matter how big or small.
Lan Xiaoxiao always laughed at her for being too tense, and one day she stuffed her with a piece of freshly baked osmanthus cake and said, "A-Li, you see, the elderly people in the city are more relaxed than you. The decisive battle will be in a few days, so why not relax a little today?"
Luo Li bit into a pastry and caught a glimpse of her father helping to distribute pills at the foot of the city wall not far away.
The black energy on his soul had spread to his neck, but he still straightened his back and gave the young spiritual master a gentle smile as he took the medicine bottle.
Her throat suddenly tightened, and she quickly swallowed the cake: "I'll go see how many Soul Protection Pills I have."
As dusk fell, Luo Li found Shen Fuzhou debugging a crossbow in the martial arts arena.
The once unruly young man was now covered in dust, his dark yellow suit ripped with several holes. Seeing her approach, he raised his hand and tossed a wine bag to her: "Try it? This is the strong liquor from Wanjian Mountain."
Luo Li caught it, tilted her head back and took a big sip. The spicy liquid burned her throat, but the warmth took a long time to reach her heart.
"How's the debugging going?"
Shen Fuzhou patted the huge spiritual sun under his command: “Don’t worry, it is particularly useful now, I will have someone put it on the city wall in a while.”
He smiled openly, but there was a barely perceptible sadness in his eyes. "Speaking of which, if I can survive this time, I will go find her and say everything I left unsaid back then."
After saying that, Shen Fuzhou looked up into the air, not knowing how she was doing.
Luo Li thought about the past between him and the eldest daughter of the Mu family, and didn't know how to judge it.
The Mu family is now an enemy of the human race. If the eldest lady does not agree with the Mu family's approach, she will probably not have an easy time.
She just patted Shen Fuzhou’s shoulder and said, “Just do whatever you want to do then.”
Shen Fuzhou grinned and nodded heavily, “Okay!”
After looking at the situation here, Luo Li went to other deployments in the city to check one by one to confirm that there were no omissions.
Time passed quickly in the busyness, and soon it was two days before the seal of the Demon Abyss was broken.
One day, in the evening, Luo Li had just walked out of the weapon refining room, holding her forehead, when she was blocked by Lan Xiaoxiao and Mu Ze, both of whom looked serious. One of them held her arm and walked out.
Luo Li looked at the two of them strangely, "What's wrong?"
Without saying a word, the two men dragged her towards the yard.
Luo Li was carried by two people and walked quickly all the way, and her doubts became even more serious.
The seal of the Demon Abyss will be completely shattered tomorrow, and any unusual movement at this moment will make her nervous.
"What happened? Is there any change on the front line? Is the formation unstable?" She asked repeatedly, trying to break free, but the two men were determined and walked faster.
Lan Xiaoxiao finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing, saying mysteriously, "It's a huge matter! It concerns the survival of the City of Gods. You, the backbone, must be there in person!"
Mu Ze also grinned, revealing a mischievous smile: "Don't ask, you'll know when you get there."
Luo Li was left in a state of confusion by their pretentiousness, but her tense heartstrings were slightly relaxed by her friends' familiar laughter.
She stopped struggling and let them half-drag and half-pull her through the corridor to the courtyard where she usually rested.
The closer we got, the more the tense and murderous atmosphere in the air seemed to be diluted by another kind of aura.
It was not blood, nor was it gun smoke, but a mixture of the warm aroma of food, the smell of alcohol, and some deliberately suppressed noise.
The courtyard door was suddenly pushed open by Lan Xiaoxiao.
"Happy birthday, A-Li/Luo-Li/Li-Er!"
Several familiar voices suddenly rang out, bringing smiles and warmth, breaking the silence of dusk.
The yard, which was not very big, was crowded with people.
Her father, Luo Qi, looked even paler and more transparent in the afterglow of the setting sun, but he tried to straighten his back, holding a bowl of steaming longevity noodles in his hand, with an almost clumsy and loving smile on his face.
Lan Xiaoxiao and Mu Ze had already let go of her, ran to the side with a smile, and looked at her with the others.
Shen Fuzhou had washed himself clean at some point and changed into a neat robe.
He was fiddling with a crooked spirit lamp made of ore, trying to make it light up, muttering "Why isn't it working?", causing Makize next to him to roll his eyes.
The stone table in the courtyard was filled with food that wasn't exactly delicacies, but was thoughtfully prepared: a few side dishes meticulously prepared by Lan Xiaoxiao, the fragrant roasted monster meat by Mu Ze, and several jars of spirit wine emitting a strong aroma...
There was even a small dish of delicate osmanthus cake.
Several spiritual stones lit with simple magic hung around, dispelling the twilight and illuminating familiar faces.
What made her heart skip a beat the most was the figure standing in front of everyone.
Emperor Xuanming.
He was only wearing a simple black uniform, which made him look less oppressive but more gentle.
The moonlight had not yet completely replaced the sunset, and the soft light fell on his deep outline. The eyes that always contained ice and stars now clearly reflected her figure with an indescribable concentration and warmth.
He held a small brocade box in his hand and walked slowly forward. While Luo Li was looking at him with a slightly dazed look, he stopped in front of her.
"Happy birthday, Luo Li." His voice was low and clear, penetrating the noise around them and reaching her heart.
Luo Li was stunned.
birthday?
These two words seemed so distant to her that she felt unfamiliar with them. The last time she celebrated her birthday seemed to be not long after she arrived in Tianyuan Continent.
In all these years of running around, she had already forgotten about her birthday.
The tip of her nose suddenly felt a little sore.
"You guys..." Luo Li opened her mouth, her voice a little hoarse, a thousand words stuck in her throat, and in the end, she only smiled with tears in her eyes, "Thank you."
"What are you thanking me for?" Lan Xiaoxiao was the first to jump over, holding her arm and pulling her towards the stone table. "Hurry up and sit down! The birthday star is the most important! Uncle Luo personally cooked noodles for you, don't let them get cold!"
"That's right, Ah Li, even if the sky falls today, let's put it down first!" Xie Shiyuan opened a jar of wine with great enthusiasm, and the rich aroma of wine immediately filled the air. "Chen Fuzhou, stop messing with that broken lamp! Come over and have a drink!"
Shen Fuzhou put down the lamp that still didn't light up in a sullen manner and scratched his head: "Well, as long as the thought is there, it's fine!"
He hurried over and picked up another jar of wine. "Luo Li, happy birthday! I wish you... well, I wish us a great victory and that we can beat the demon to a pulp! Cheers!"
As he said this, he tilted his head back and took a big gulp.
Luo Qi's voice was gentle as he placed the noodles in front of her. "Try it. I haven't made it in many years. The last time I made it was for your mother's birthday."
Luo Li picked up the noodles and took a bite carefully. The taste was very homely, even a little bland, but it was the warmest taste she had ever tasted.
She raised her head and gave Luo Qi a bright smile: "It's delicious, Dad."
The corners of Luo Qi's eyes turned slightly red, and he nodded with a look of relief on his face.
He and Qing'er's child made them very proud.
Di Xuanming looked at her quietly, and only handed her the brocade box after she put down her chopsticks.
"For you." He said simply.
Everyone's eyes focused on it curiously. Luo Li took it. The brocade box felt warm to the touch, and the material was extraordinary.
She opened it gently, and found that there was no dazzling treasure inside, but a crystal stone only the size of a thumb, completely black, and shaped like a teardrop.
"This is..." Luo Li's fingertips touched the crystal, and a strange connection was instantly established.
"Soul Guidance." Di Xuanming stared at her, his voice low and solemn. "Using our origins as a guide, it can protect a wisp of your soul in the most critical moment."
He didn't say "we", he just said "you".
Luo Li's heart skipped a beat. He was preparing a possible escape route for her, even if the price might be his own demise.
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