Chapter 23 Straight Man If you get hurt, I will be sad.
The woman fell silent again, her gaze fixed on the flowers and plants not far away. There was a loneliness in her eyes that Xiao Hei had never seen before.
A cold moon suddenly appeared in his mind. The bright moon was clear and silent, and at this moment, this quiet woman made him feel like the moon, far away but out of reach.
His hand at his side unconsciously moved an inch towards the woman: "Why do you ask?"
"Maybe I'm being pretentious." Xu Xingxing sighed.
She had been in this world for almost half a year, yet she felt nothing. She always felt a barrier between her and the rest of the world. Whether it was the great war against demons or the rise and fall of nations, she didn't care much.
But the solid evidence she saw with her own eyes today could not be used as a reason to ask the state government to arrest people directly. Instead, she had to rely on monsters that she had not even seen to convince them. She felt it was a bit absurd.
Is the life of a slave worthless? Or are monsters truly far more terrifying than those evil people?
"Do you smell the scent of monsters in the barrier?" Xu Xingxing asked.
"No."
???
Xu Xingxing's face was full of doubts: "So you said there are monsters in the barrier?"
"If I don't say so, what excuse will you have for taking action tomorrow? Even though the barrier blocks out the aura," Xiao Hei casually picked up a stone and played with it in his hand, "there must be a monster within it."
"How do you know?"
"The ghost girl has some demonic aura on her body, it must have come from there."
"Rongjun has it? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"You didn't ask me."
"..." Xu Xingxing rubbed his temples, "Is there anything else you know that you didn't tell me because I didn't ask?"
"Besides the demonic presence, there's another aura about that female ghost."
"What?"
"What is your purpose in coming to Gyeongju?"
"You mean spirit beast?!"
"It smells like an animal, probably."
“…”
Well, the spiritual beast she had been waiting for finally showed up, but she was not as happy as she had expected.
"Rongjun was treated so miserably, and people died tragically every day because of Zhou Wuxia, but it was not as bad as a lie you casually told." Xu Xingxing had been in Kunlun for too long, and it was the first time he faced the injustice of this world, so he couldn't help feeling depressed.
“Just make it work, don’t overthink it.”
"I know." After all, this is not the real world, not her world of peace and prosperity, but she still wants to say a few more words.
"But officials should prioritize the well-being of the people, treat them like their own children, be kind to them and cherish all things. They should also understand the principle of equality among all beings, be honest and upright, and act impartially. Only then can they be good officials."
After a pause, Xu Xingxing said angrily, "Even if this governor still protects Zhou Wuxia tomorrow, I will kill him."
Seeing her fuming, Xiao Hei didn't quite understand why she was so angry, but he was ultimately moved by her voice and couldn't help but ask, "What does this have to do with you? Why are you so angry?"
"With great power comes great responsibility, understand?" Xu Xingxing grew increasingly agitated as he spoke. "Even if it has nothing to do with me, even if those people are just ants in your eyes and the eyes of the world, I can't let others trample on their lives at will!"
Seeing that Xiao Hei still had a deadpan expression, which was in stark contrast to his current indignation, Xu Xingxing tried to explain to him:
"Let me ask you, if that old lady selling steamed buns in Xuancheng, the old man who always gives us extra noodles in the noodle shop, and the brother who makes the crispiest sesame cakes were killed for no reason, would you also turn a blind eye?"
Xiao Hei thought for a moment and answered seriously:
"who?"
I'm going to fuck you! I apologize to the aunties, uncles, and brothers. Your steamed buns, noodles, and sesame cakes have been fed to the dogs!
"Don't you remember? Auntie even praised you for being handsome!"
Xu Xingxing was so angry that she put one foot in front of her. She lost all her ladylike demeanor and looked like a scolding aunt. "Okay! What about me? If I get killed, will you avenge me?"
"Aren't you at the Spiritual Transformation stage?" Xiao Hei looked at her sideways and teased, "How could anyone hurt you?"
"Yes... I do have some skills." But is that the point?
Xu Xingxing wanted to curse, "What if someone stronger than me hurt me? Would you be sad? Help me get revenge?"
"Better than me?" Xiao Hei asked back.
"Much better than you, even better than the two of us put together." Xu Xingxing said exaggeratedly.
Xiao Hei frowned and thought for a while, then said, "No."
"Ah?" Xu Xingxing's heart skipped a beat and he felt a chill in his heart.
"No one can be better than me." Xiao Hei looked at her, curled his lips slightly, and had a hint of arrogance.
I'm going to fuck you! You stinky straight guy!
Do you understand that there are always people better than you?
"Then how were you injured when I met you?" Xu Xingxing exposed ruthlessly.
Xiao Hei was stunned. He hadn't expected this.
When he woke up, he was in the jungle, covered in pain. Even though he knew it was not his body, he couldn't pull himself away.
He didn't know who in the world had the skills to put his soul into this dog body and make it impossible for him to break free, but he knew that this person's magic power must be greater than his.
Seeing Xiao Hei fall silent, Xu Xingxing thought he had touched a sore spot. Reflecting on why he had been so aggressive towards a dog, he calmed down a little and leaned in to offer solace, "Don't be discouraged. There are always mountains beyond mountains. This is simply the way the world works."
"Although I'm a God Transformation, there are still Void Refining, Fusion, and Mahayana above the God Transformation. You say Mahayana is powerful, right? If a demon god appears, they can easily destroy the whole group."
She patted Xiao Hei's shoulder to show encouragement, "There's no shame in losing. Aren't we living well now? Next time you meet someone stronger than you, just run away."
Demon? Xiao Hei's silent sea of consciousness trembled for no apparent reason.
"What does the god who placed the Book of Beasts into your sea of consciousness look like?" Xiao Hei suddenly asked.
Um, there’s just a nice male voiceover. How do I explain to him what the system is?
"He is a god, how can I see him easily?" Xu Xingxing chose to fool him.
After hearing this, Xiao Hei didn't ask any more questions.
Well, I have to admit that sometimes lying is much easier than explaining.
But the question she asked had not yet been answered, and her heart as a host was a little depressed, so she tried to bring the subject back: "Anyway, if you get hurt, I will be very sad."
A philosopher once said that if you want to receive sincerity, you must first give sincerity.
Another emotional guru once said that you should express your demands directly to straight men.
Therefore, after thinking for a few seconds, Xu Xingxing turned the question into a statement: "So if I get hurt, I still hope that you will be sad and help me get revenge."
Xiao Hei paused, looking at the woman's shining eyes. The stone in his hand pricked his palm, making it slightly itchy.
Would he be sad? He didn't know. He didn't even have a clear idea of what sadness meant, so he had deliberately not answered just now. But now that she was staring at him like that, he couldn't continue to be perfunctory. He finally spoke, but asked in return:
"Why?"
"Um?"
"Why would you be sad if I got hurt?"
He sneered, trying to appear unconcerned. "Because we have a beast contract? If I get hurt, will it cost you your cultivation? Or if I die, will it cost you half your life's cultivation—"
He didn't finish his words because the woman suddenly grabbed his face and pulled it away with all her strength. Her brows furrowed as she gritted her teeth and said, "What are you talking about? I'm sad because I care about you. This has nothing to do with that beast-unbeast contract. Forget half a lifetime of cultivation, your life is more precious than all of my cultivation, okay?"
His eyes widened, and he forgot how to think. He only felt his cheeks getting hot from being pinched. The woman continued to speak aggressively, the strength in her hands increasing instead of decreasing: "Sincerity for sincerity, if you dare not care about my life, I will..."
"How?" His tone was unusually clear.
Xu Xingxing was asked this question. What could she do? Looking at the man's eyes so close to her, she could actually see her own reflection in them for the first time. Her heart trembled, and she pretended to be tough and said:
"I won't play with you anymore!"
After saying that, he let go of her hand.
The woman sat down immediately, her face flushed. The candlelight in the corridor flickered gently, and a faint golden light danced on her eyelashes. Xiao Hei's chest felt empty, and as if possessed by a ghost, he replied:
"good."
"Keep your word!"
Xu Xingxing instantly stood up, "And the bun lady, the noodle seller, the sesame seedling brother, if they -"
"I have to take care of everything?"
For some reason, Xiao Hei didn't dare to look her in the eye. He looked forward, his face hidden in the shadows, making it difficult for her to see clearly. However, his tone was still as demanding as ever, "I'm not as idle as you."
You are the only one who is idle, your whole family is idle!
"No, no, just take care of me, just take care of me." Xu Xingxing shrank his head, not in a hurry, and did it step by step.
Thinking she had to get up early the next day, she prepared to go back to her room to sleep. Because of what happened a few days ago, she couldn't take the initiative to suggest sleeping together, so the two of them had been sleeping in separate rooms ever since, like a quarrelsome couple. She was frightened by her own thoughts, but still asked with concern, "Have you slept well these days?"
Xiao Hei was slightly startled. Did he sleep well? How could he tell if he slept well or not if he didn't sleep at all?
"Very good." he said.
"Okay, then you should get some rest soon. Good night." After saying that, Xu Xingxing returned to the room.
She yawned, rolled onto the bed, and soon fell asleep.
*
Before dawn, there was a knock on the door. Xu Xingxing knew it was important business, so she didn't dare to slack off. She got up and opened the door, only to see a strange woman standing outside. The woman had freckles on her face, but a pair of warm eyes. She said timidly, "Senior Sister, excuse me for disturbing you."
It’s Lin Yue.
To be precise, it is the easily-confident Lin Yue.
They have been searching for people in the porridge shed these days, so they must disguise themselves if they want to sneak into Zhou's house.
Lin Yue took out tools from the Qiankun bag and drew on Xu Xingxing's face. After a while, a girl with ordinary looks appeared in the mirror, but with a hint of heroic spirit between her eyebrows.
After the two of them dressed up, they rushed to the slave market in Gyeongju City before the people woke up.
By daybreak, the two men, whose magic powers had been withdrawn, were already frozen red in the face. The tattered clothes on their bodies could not keep them warm at all. They put a piece of grass on their heads and huddled together to seek a little warmth.
Fortunately, they arrived early, and the market was already crowded. Some people were selling their children who were only seven or eight years old. Some had a piece of grass stuck in their hair and looked dull. Some were skinny, but still crawled on the ground and kowtowed to the merchants who were interested in buying.
During the day, the streets of Gyeongju were deserted. When she saw that most people were grateful and satisfied when distributing porridge at the porridge stalls, she really thought that the heavy snow did not cause much damage to the people of Gyeongju. But now, seeing so much sadness, she felt that she was really a giant baby under the protection of socialism, which was why she thought the world was so kind.
From time to time, people would ask Xu Xingxing about their prices. When she casually said a number, those people would shake their heads and walk away, and some would even mock them.
Xu Xingxing ignored them and waited quietly with Lin Yue for the big fish to arrive.
"Get out of the way!" someone suddenly shouted angrily, followed by the sound of horse hooves and wheel ruts.
The crowd around them began to boil, "The Zhou family is here! It's the Zhou family!"
An elderly mother said to her daughter, "Er Ya, hurry up and show your face. If you can be taken away by the Zhou family, you won't have to live this hard life anymore."
The girl, who was only fourteen or fifteen years old, nodded ignorantly.
Xu Xingxing felt sad after hearing this. She wondered if the women before were also like this. They thought good days were coming, but they ended up falling into a tiger's mouth.
The carriage finally stopped, and the curtain was lifted by a pair of slender hands. A man with an extraordinary appearance glanced around. A girl of seventeen or eighteen bravely ran over and crawled beside the carriage. The man raised a mocking smile on his lips, then stepped on the girl's back and got off the carriage.
A servant hurriedly held up an umbrella to shield the man from the snow. After the man stood still, he looked down at the girl who had just volunteered to be his riding stool and said, "Look up."
The woman hurriedly raised her head, and before she could open her mouth to flatter him, the man's words brought tears to her eyes.
The man said lightly, "Ugly, I won't accept it."
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