Chapter 31 Li Xiao's Independent Side Story - Obsession (Sixteen)
"Have we... met somewhere before?"
Clichéd phrases would be utterly cheesy if used in the initial approach to a conversation.
Even Lin An himself felt somewhat embarrassed to blurt out such words.
But in the end, he still asked the question.
Why is that?
Because if we don't speak up now, we might never have another chance.
The wind was a bit strong, shaking the wooden window frame and making a slight tremor.
You can imagine how fierce the snowstorm is outside without even opening the door.
Li Xiao had not returned yet; the house was quiet, with only the two of them inside.
The charcoal burned, making a soft crackling sound.
The firelight cast Lin An's flickering shadow, as volatile as his own emotions.
This is the seventh year since they met, and the sixth year since Yu Qingzhou officially got together with Li Xiao.
The pure-blooded rabbit demon still retained the youthful appearance it had when they first met, while the human youth lying on the bed already showed faint signs of decay.
At first glance, the face was still the same, but the eyes were no longer as clear as before, and even the black temples were mixed with strands of white.
Perhaps it's because of the cold weather, but Yu Qingzhou has been unusually sleepy lately.
My memory has also gotten a bit worse.
It was as if she had just woken up and asked about Li Xiao's whereabouts. After closing her eyes for a while, she started turning her head left and right, her unfocused eyes staring blankly into the distance.
Yu Qingzhou didn't say anything, but Lin An guessed what she was thinking, so he took the initiative to talk about Li Xiao's whereabouts.
Finally, I'd like to add that he should be back soon.
This was Lin An's way of comforting Yu Qingzhou, and also his own true expectation.
He hoped Li Xiao would return soon, that the snowstorm would stop soon, that the warm sunshine would shine on the earth again, and that everything would return to the way it was in the beginning...
At that time, they had only met recently. She was a little rabbit demon forced to submit to the demon due to his tyranny, while Master Yu was the demon's greatest nemesis.
The little rabbit demon struggles to survive in the cracks every day, and its ability to maintain a good mindset is entirely due to the Taoist's intentional or unintentional care.
Then one day, he was suddenly told that Yu Qingzhou and Li Xiao were together.
The greatest darkness and the warmest beam of light in his little demon life were mixed together, and one can imagine the feeling of being struck by lightning.
Then the demon offered his concerned greetings.
"How about it? Any objections?" the boy asked casually, his hand remaining pressed on the unsheathed longsword.
[Haha, not at all, I was just so surprised and excited when I heard the news that I was speechless.]
Lin An shrank his neck and answered awkwardly, while turning his toes toward the bedroom, wanting to sneak into the room to seek the Taoist's protection as usual.
I never expected that when I tentatively took a step, I would be so frightened by the long sword that suddenly appeared across my neck that I almost slit my own throat on the spot.
Stop right there.
The sword-wielding youth gave the order in a cold voice.
Lin An was lucky to escape with his life. Still shaken, he took two steps back and looked at the other person with genuine confusion.
Although the two have never gotten along, this is probably the first time they have received such a blatant threat of force.
"Well, I just went to say hello."
After all, the Taoist priest had said he would wait for him to return. So now that he was back, he should inform him in person.
That's not too much to ask, is it?
However, Li Xiao clearly did not think so, and resolutely kept Lin An outside the door.
Even Lin An was a little confused now.
Why...?
Upon hearing Lin An's question, the demon was unusually silent for a moment before clearing his throat and replying: "He's not available."
【inconvenient? 】
Lin An pondered this vague statement.
He had heard that human women experience inconveniences during certain days of the month.
But Yu Qingzhou isn't either... Wait, Lin An's thoughts suddenly paused. He looked at Li Xiao across the room, then at the tightly closed door, then back at Li Xiao.
With good eyesight, I caught several details that I had not noticed before.
Like the wounds on Li Xiao's hands and neck, or the scabs that had just formed at the corners of the other person's mouth, including that half-dry gray hair...
A terrible thought suddenly occurred to Lin An.
Could it be that the two of them got into a fight while he was away?
Yu Qingzhou, being human, was no match for this demon's vicious hands and was ultimately defeated. Then... then she was eaten by him?!
No, no, no.
Lin An then thought that if that were the case, there would be no need for Li Xiao, that devil, to go through all this trouble with him.
Therefore, the more likely scenario is...
The Taoist priest is still alive, but he has been imprisoned by the other party. The demon's unusual behavior is because the demon himself was seriously injured in the battle.
This is why the demon changed from simple verbal warnings to simple and brutal physical methods.
Lin An thought about it and it made more and more sense.
That must be it! The demon is stopping him now, preventing him from going to find Yu Qingzhou, because he doesn't want Yu Qingzhou to be saved, and instead, he wants to become the one at a disadvantage.
But who is Lin An? How could he possibly miss this opportunity to bring down the devil (crossed out)? How could he possibly turn a blind eye to the plight of his savior when he was in trouble?!
With this in mind, Lin An made up his mind that he would never let the devil succeed.
So, to Li Xiao's astonishment, he darted to the door.
Perhaps intimidated by Lin An's extraordinary courage, the demon did not make any further attempt to stop him. Lin An was thrilled and was about to break down the door when it creaked open from the inside.
So he watched as the person who should have been tied up peeked out from behind the door, still looking sleepy.
Upon encountering the rabbit spirit standing dumbfounded at the door, looking utterly foolish, Yu Qingzhou showed a slight expression of surprise, then greeted her calmly.
"Oh, it's you who's back..."
The man's voice was slightly hoarse, with a noticeable nasal tone.
It was just a casual greeting, but Lin An felt inexplicably hot-eared upon hearing it.
strangeness……
He then noticed the other person's lips.
The lips, which were originally a light color, were now covered with varying shades of red.
Not only on the lips, but also on the cheeks, earlobes, and chin, strange red marks were scattered in the shadows, like scattered crimson petals.
In some places, there were even obvious teeth marks; it looked just like... just like...
Lin An's brain couldn't keep up.
His mouth opened and closed, and he babbled for a long time but couldn't utter a single coherent sentence.
On the other hand, Yu Qingzhou looked at himself in the direction of the boy's trembling pupils, and then nodded nonchalantly.
"Yes, just like you see."
—So what exactly is it?!
Couldn't you just say something clear and give him a straight answer?!
Lin An screamed silently in his heart when suddenly someone grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him aside.
Even without looking, I know it must be that big devil Li Xiao.
However, Lin An did not struggle, after all, he was already numb, completely numb from the inside out, from his soul to his body.
And so, life went on in this uneventful way.
One year, two years...
With Yu Qingzhou mediating between them, Lin An was able to live peacefully under the same roof as that devil Li Xiao.
Even though they wished each other would disappear from the world immediately.
But Lin An knew that it was almost impossible to achieve.
Firstly, he genuinely couldn't beat his opponent.
Secondly, it seems that Yu Qingzhou really does like Li Xiao...
"Is it just because of that face?"
After that, quite a while later, Lin An couldn't help but ask the question.
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingzhou nodded calmly.
"Is that really it?!"
Lin An was incredulous. He recalled a day when Yu Qingzhou had said something joking. So... it was actually true?
Seeing Lin An's lost and melancholy expression, Yu Qingzhou murmured to herself, "There's nothing I can do. What can I do? I'm just such a shallow person."
She paused, then, as if remembering something, turned to the boy and said, "I'm sorry, it seems I've disappointed you."
Looking at that gentle smiling face, Lin An felt a surge of warmth and bittersweetness in his heart.
For a moment, he really wanted to ask the other person, what if they could have met earlier, what if a half-demon named Li Xiao had never existed in this world.
So, is it possible that...?
In the end, Lin An simply lowered his head silently.
The sound of clanging and banging came from the courtyard; without even looking, it was clear that Li Xiao was making furniture again.
The demon looked like a pampered young master who had never experienced the hardships of life, but he was surprisingly efficient at his work.
From chopping wood and carrying water to renovating houses, it seems there's nothing he can't do.
Well...
As a powerful demon with considerable cultivation, he is somewhat too down-to-earth.
Lin An watched as the dilapidated little courtyard gradually changed over time, eventually becoming a completely different place.
The finished product wasn't particularly luxurious, but it was warm and comfortable, and it was clear that Yu Qingzhou liked it very much.
Yu Qingzhou bought some chickens and ducks from the market, fenced off a vegetable garden to raise them, and planted saplings in a corner of the yard.
"This one is a peach tree, this one is a pear tree, this one is a plum tree..."
When Yu Qingzhou introduced the trees, he didn't use the trees themselves, but instead referred to the fruits that would grow in the future, as if he could already see a bountiful future from those seedlings.
Lin An grew up in the mountains and was familiar with those common fruit trees. He looked around and finally pointed to a small sapling in the corner, asking, "What's this?"
Loquat.
For some reason, Lin An always felt that Yu Qingzhou's gaze was particularly gentle when she looked at the loquat tree.
Is it because... you particularly like eating loquats?
After thinking about it, I finally decided not to ask. Looking back, I think it was because I couldn't bear to break the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere of that moment.
In the spring of the third year, Lin An was once again grabbed by the back of the neck and thrown out of the courtyard by that devil Li Xiao.
The reason is that he is not young anymore, and it's not good for him to keep staying at other people's houses.
Lin An felt somewhat sad, because this time, even Yu Qingzhou nodded in agreement: "Indeed, it's time to go out and get some exercise."
"Yes, at his age, he's at the prime of his life to take risks."
Li Xiao crossed his arms and chimed in.
His blue clothes made his fair skin appear even whiter and more beautiful than snow.
Lin An cursed the vixen in his heart, but he had to admit that the devil was indeed quite beautiful.
certainly……
He silently added in his mind that he was no less than good-looking, it was just unfortunate that he didn't fit someone's aesthetic preferences.
Before leaving, Li Xiao unexpectedly said something.
"Hey, I've reserved a room for you. If you really can't make it on the streets, you're welcome to come back."
Lin An was just beginning to have some doubts, wondering when the other person had become so human?
Then Li Xiao slowly uttered the second half of his sentence: "If you're bored, you can listen to your tragic stories to relieve your boredom."
—Damn it.
Lin Andi wished countless times in his heart that Yu Qingzhou would open her eyes soon and cursed that Li Xiao would be dumped as soon as possible.
However, fate did not grant the demon's wish.
For the next year, two years, three years... there was no sign that the two of them would separate.
Watching Yu Qingzhou peacefully asleep in the small courtyard hidden by grass and trees, nestled in a chair personally crafted by Li Xiao.
The gentle winter sun shone down, falling on the sleeping Yu Qingzhou and Li Xiao, who was quietly watching her sleep. The serene scene almost made Lin An waver.
Perhaps, this is the best thing for Yu Qingzhou...
Seven years after their first meeting, Lin An finally put that idea aside.
Although they still disliked each other, they were able to have a relatively peaceful chat at the dinner table.
It was at this time that Yu Qingzhou's health began to deteriorate, and it continued to worsen at an unstoppable pace.
From being excessively sleepy at the beginning to now rarely being awake.
Lin An therefore felt an unprecedented fear.
He had known before that, compared to the demon race, humans had a limited lifespan.
But they never imagined that their separation would come so urgently and so suddenly.
And that damn... damn Li Xiao, why... isn't he back yet?
My vision blurred, and tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
"...Why are you crying?"
Upon hearing Yu Qingzhou's voice, Lin An looked up and was surprised to find that the other person had already sat up at some point.
I don't know if it's because I've had enough rest, but I look much more energetic.
At this moment, they are looking at you with a gaze full of concern.
Once he looked, Lin An couldn't stop crying.
"Waaaaah, Yu Qingzhou, you're finally awake! I thought... I thought..."
"Alright, alright, if you keep doing this, Ah Xiao will start making fun of you again."
"Let him be, let him say what he wants...let him think what he wants..."
Lin An stammered.
In her heart, she cursed Li Xiao, that unreliable guy, over and over again.
There had never been any problems before... but it had to happen at a time like this.
Just as he was sniffling angrily, he suddenly heard Yu Qingzhou mutter to himself in a low voice.
"Actually, there's nothing we can do about it; after all, the time is almost up."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
