Chapter 18 Chapter 18 "Our Lord Jiu Zhao has always been the most powerful...
Jiu Zhao looked at Lan Qi.
It was clear that we had walked together when we got up in the morning and went to school.
But at this moment, when she touched the other person's youthful face, her heart felt empty for some reason, as if a piece was missing.
Some melancholy, some sourness, some resentment.
Familiar yet unfamiliar emotions came flooding in, so old that it seemed as if tens of millions of years had passed between her and Lan Qi.
…
Jiu Zhao didn't have time to figure out what was wrong with him, and his soul was pulled back by Chao Hua, who was still acting sarcastic.
She was stunned, and Chaohua's slightly sharp female voice gradually faded away, becoming hazy and unclear.
The only thing left in her mind was her first meeting with Lan Qi when she was young.
"Zhao'er, this is Lan Qi. From now on, you must call him brother."
"Father God, what is a brother?"
"Brother is the third relative who truly loves and cares for Zhao'er, besides your father and your Mother Goddess."
…
When he was a year older, Jiu Zhao realized that although they were relatives, Lan Qi was not the same as her father and mother gods.
He was merely a transformed immortal herb that the God Emperor and God Empress had stumbled upon during their journey together. Orphaned and ignorant, he collapsed in the forest, dying from lack of nutrients. The God Empress, believing their encounter was fate, brought him back to Ziwei Palace and adopted him as her son.
In correspondence with the title of Jiu Zhao Shen Ji, the immortals in San Qing Tian agreed and respectfully called him the Divine Lord.
Although Lan Qi's life experience, if placed in Yunsheng's world, would be enough to compile a legend of a lucky guy who got hit by a falling pie in the sky, but since Jiu Zhao started to remember things, she found that Lan Qi seemed to have long understood the meaning of "raising" in "adopting a son" -
Rather than being an older brother, he was more like a quiet shadow following behind Jiu Zhao, diligently repaying the Divine Emperor's kindness in adopting him.
For example, now.
Chaohua's smiling voice drifted into everyone's ears, and for some reason Yingluo did not stop him.
"No, it's not right to call them followers. They should be prisoners and jailers—"
"Hehe, I see he's coming to catch you, why don't you leave? Have you forgotten how Aunt Danxuan punished you by making you copy books when you came home late last time?"
It was common knowledge throughout the Changye Academy that Lan Qi was personally appointed by the Divine Emperor to go to and from school with Jiu Zhao every day.
In Changye Academy, boys and girls study in separate rooms, not in the same place, and there is a long corridor separating them.
In order to complete the task assigned by the God Emperor, and after suffering several setbacks when Jiuzhao disappeared after school and could not explain when Aunt Danluo asked about it, Lan Qi asked the teacher for permission to leave school half an incense stick earlier every day and go to the girls' room to wait for Jiuzhao.
The boy stepped onto the corridor, walked around a few empty desks in the front yard, and approached the group of girls.
Jiu Zhao felt that Chao Hua had caught his weakness in the verbal battle and kept nagging him. The sound turned into countless mosquitoes and flies, making him feel upset and confused.
"Yingluo, are you almost feeling better?"
She suppressed her temper and leaned over to check the progress of Ying Luo's notes.
Ying Luo, who usually took care of everything for her, looked apologetic today. "Jiuzhao, I noticed there seems to be an error in the content. I need to consult the Master again. Otherwise, why don't you go back with Lord Lanqi first? I'll send someone to deliver the things to Changxi Palace later."
Jiu Zhao's two thin eyebrows suddenly tightened.
What.
Could it be that Yingluo has changed her personality and is now supporting her second sister?
Knowing Chao Hua's words beforehand, it was embarrassing for her to bow her head and go back with Lan Qi.
What's more, this time he wasn't sneaking out to play, so waiting for her to use the notes was a legitimate reason.
Jiu Zhao's gaze became stiff, staring at Ying Luo without blinking.
During this process, Lan Qixin had already come to her side.
He seemed not to hear Chao Hua's words, or as if they were a gust of wind blowing by and need not be heard. He whispered, "I'm here to take you back to Changxi Palace," then bent down habitually to help her pick up the books that were casually spread on the long table.
“Puff—”
Chaohua laughed even louder.
She and several of her companions kept saying, "Lord Lan Qi is here to take your sister home," and winked at her with ill intent.
In the final analysis, it doesn't really matter.
Lan Qi came to pick her up because decades ago she had secretly climbed over the wall after school to go out and played, and accidentally entered the Fairy Beast Forest and almost got into danger.
Lan Qi didn't mean to go against her.
With Father God above him and Aunt Danling below him, as the older brother, he has to take on the responsibility of taking care of his younger sister.
Jiu Zhao lowered her eyelids, her dark pupils reflecting the silhouette of the young man packing his books. She kept trying to convince herself, but she couldn't control the embarrassment and annoyance she felt at being laughed at, which gradually spread across her face.
“Look at you, Jiu Zhao, you are just a child who has not grown up yet, and you have to make your family worry about you.
"Why not just call me Sister Chaohua? From now on, Lord Lanqi won't have to worry about me. I'm willing to send you off every day—"
Bang!
A loud noise interrupted Chao Hua's frivolous words.
Jiu Zhao slashed the study case in front of him with his backhand, his expression completely gloomy. "I will stay here today and wait for Ying Luo to finish sorting out her notes."
She subconsciously used the term "this lady" as a title, and when she became angry, the majestic demeanor of a queen began to emerge.
Now, even Yingluo had no time to bury her head in work.
She hurriedly spoke for Chaohua: "Jiuzhao, don't be angry, it's all——"
However, she was interrupted again by Jiu Zhao.
Looking at Lan Qi who was still working, Jiu Zhao raised his eyebrows and said, "Lan Qi, didn't you hear what I said?"
"Jiuzhao."
Even when their relationship was the closest, Lan Qi never called her sister.
He maintained a flawless demeanor as he placed all the volumes into his bookcase. Only then did he raise his head and gently explain to her, "Today is a special day. Aunt Danxuan has instructed us to return home on time after school."
"Do I have to obey her instructions? You and she are just subjects. Don't forget your duties!"
Jiu Zhao retorted loudly without even thinking.
Her words were like a sharp knife that cut through the warm exterior of the brother and sister, revealing the cold and hard interior.
Lan Qi's expression remained incredibly gentle, as if he were looking at a child. He shouldered the gold-and-jade-inlaid bookcase and brushed back Jiu Zhao's raven-colored hair, which had fallen off her shoulders. "Let's talk about this when we get home, okay? I'll wait for you outside."
His answer was a powerful kick.
“Hmm!”
Lan Qi was kicked in the knee unexpectedly and groaned, but his legs did not weaken at all.
He stood there for a while to catch his breath, then slowly walked out.
…
Jiu Zhao is inside and Lan Qi is outside.
He didn't tell Jiu Zhao what an important day today was, and Jiu Zhao was angry and didn't want to talk to him.
The sun was quietly setting in the west, and just as it was about to go down, Ying Luo, who had finally arrived, handed her the revised notes.
"I'm so sorry for the delay. The teacher held me aside and talked to me for quite a while before letting me go."
There was only one carriage returning to the residence of the Western God King of Erqingtian. Chaohua and the others were all waiting there. Yingluo couldn't talk too much, so she coaxed Jiuzhao in a low voice for a few words before walking towards the other exit of the academy.
In the blink of an eye, Jiu Zhao was the only one left in the huge space.
She rubbed her deflated stomach, and her intestines and stomach roared loudly in unison.
Hunger digested her anger and then prompted her to change her mind.
Now that those annoying guys are gone, she doesn't have to continue to stalemate with Lan Qi, because that would only bring trouble upon herself.
Besides, by not listening to him, I finally achieved my goal of forcing him to give in in front of Chao Hua.
After comforting herself with a few words, Jiu Zhao stood up with ease, pretending to pat her skirt while quietly looking towards the courtyard.
It was beyond her expectation.
The boy was not there.
Before midnight, the lights in the four corners of the academy were lit, reflecting the beautiful glow of the sky.
Jiu Zhao looked around and searched again and again, making sure that there was no trace of Lan Qi in any corner.
What kind of important day could it be that could force Lan Qi to be beaten and scolded by himself and then leave in anger?
Jiu Zhao searched through all the memories in his mind and thought uncertainly: It seems, probably, perhaps today is Lan Qi's birthday?
"...So it's your birthday? How dare you be so disrespectful to me!"
By talking to himself angrily, Jiu Zhao tried to suppress his inner uneasiness and a little guilt.
She said goodbye to the teacher who stayed behind and walked out of the courtyard with her hands behind her back. Changye Academy had a ban on the casual use of immortal arts. She had to pass through the palace road with high walls on both sides and reach the outermost gate before she could fly out.
In the past, even if Lan Qi was not there, there were maids accompanying him.
Although he is at the level of earthly immortal, Jiu Zhao has not yet learned the art of teleportation.
She walked slowly, and when she thought about the long and boring journey to Lihentian, she suddenly looked a little worried.
Jiu Zhao didn't worry for too long.
Soon, as she was about to turn a corner, she heard the young man's voice as smooth as a spring: "Jiu Zhao."
Turning around, Lan Qi looked at him silently, holding a lotus lamp in his hand.
"How did you know I would pass by here?"
Shocked for a moment, Jiu Zhao thought he was using some kind of tracking magic on him.
Lan Qi was helpless: "This is the only way to leave the academy."
Jiu Zhao: "Oh."
The conversation that arose naturally eliminated the barriers that had arisen not long ago.
Jiu Zhao wanted to keep her face straight and pretend to be angry for a while, but Lan Qi quickly stepped forward and took her hand. "I know you're afraid of the dark, and it'll be lonely going back alone. Are you hungry? I have a snack in my storage ring that Aunt Danxuan made. It's your favorite Spring Peach Thousand Layer Pastry."
The handsome boy's warm palm immediately drove away the loneliness lingering around Jiu Zhao.
She was foolishly held by Lan Qi, and their positions, one in front and one behind, were instantly reversed.
"I won't eat. I can't wait to start eating snacks before I even get home. If others see me, I won't look like a goddess anymore."
Lan Qi laughed: "Okay, I won't eat it. Our Princess Jiu Zhao has always been the most majestic goddess."
"You don't even need to tell me that."
Jiu Zhao pouted slightly, "You're not in the yard, why did you run so far to wait for me?"
Lan Qi didn't look back. "I was afraid those fairies from the West Sea would continue to tease you, so I thought of standing somewhere they couldn't see me... Jiu Zhao, if you mind, I'll wait for you in a distant corner from now on, okay?"
Jiu Zhao usually has a hard time answering questions that he cannot answer immediately.
Unfortunately, no matter how stubborn a temper one has, once one encounters a very gentle lake, one will end up sinking into it.
Jiu Zhao said nothing, following the young man closely, his unfocused gaze shifting from looking at the sky to looking at people.
Finally, he unconsciously fell on Lan Qi's leg that he had kicked.
Covered by the robe, she didn't know whether Lan Qi was in pain or injured.
But Father God said that everyone should be happy on their birthday, otherwise it will affect their luck in the coming year.
Wrapped in gentle words, Jiu Zhao's brain became dizzy and he blurted out, "You haven't told me yet, what special day is today?"
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