Calamity Messenger

Chapter 408: Chapter 338: Honesty

"It’s not that I’m being selfish, it’s that there’s really no way."

Yan Qing was somewhat helpless: "The eligibility for participation cannot be fought for; either you can or you can’t. I can’t explain much more."

Murong Hui pursed her lips, lowered her head, and drew circles with her toe, suddenly sighing: "I kind of hate Lu Fang now; it would have been better if he hadn’t come."

"Why?"

"If he hadn’t brought the news, we could happily sing and roam the Demon Gathering Land, and even if you established your Foundation after leaving, I wouldn’t be jealous... Well, maybe a little jealous, but only a tiny bit." Murong Hui said gloomily: "Now that I know everything, even if I believe you, after all, it’s a Foundation Establishment Pill. I really, really want it, and there’s still a bit of dissatisfaction in my heart. You sense my dissatisfaction and will feel like my character is not good, and won’t be able to continue seeing me as the esteemed Sister Hui."

"What should we do? Clearly, no one has done anything wrong, yet it feels like a rift is forming in our relationship!"

Seeing Murong Hui like this, Yan Qing’s mouth turned up slightly, and he stretched out and ruffled Murong Hui’s cheeks fiercely. Murong Hui glared at him angrily: "What, are you trying to provoke my anger?"

"No, I just think you’re very cute like this." Yan Qing laughed: "And you don’t need to worry, I never thought of you as esteemed; in my heart, you’re always just a naughty little cat with a bad temper!"

"Go to hell!" Murong Hui slapped his hand away, put her hands on her hips, and said: "But you’re right, I am indeed cute! Let’s go, and hunt those creatures in the darkness!"

She grabbed Yan Qing’s hand and started running, and Yan Qing had to activate the "Ranger Rain Boots" to keep up with her pace. He glanced back to see Ying Rushi silently following behind, seemingly deep in thought.

Passing by a hot spring cottage, Ying Rushi suddenly stopped, and Yan Qing and Murong Hui stopped as well.

Although they couldn’t be sure if Lu Fang’s words were true, the Baibao Guards were indeed coming for Ying Rushi. They didn’t necessarily need to part ways; Ying Rushi could hide in safe zones like the hot spring cottage during the day, regroup with them at night, and rest together. This way, Yan Qing and Murong Hui could safely and confidently gather puppets, without worrying about interference from the Baibao Guards, while ensuring Ying Rushi’s safety.

The biggest risk of this plan is if Ying Rushi, left alone, gets surrounded, but compared to Yan Qing’s interests involving the Foundation Establishment Pill, this risk is worth taking. Even Murong Hui had no objections, quietly waiting for Ying Rushi’s decision.

Yan Qing didn’t speak either, his eyes like a deep pool, silent and unruffled.

After a brief silence, Ying Rushi took a deep breath and looked at them: "Yellow Dog, I’ve decided."

"I want to be with you all the time," she said, "not to be separated for even a moment!"

"Great!" Murong Hui hugged Ying Rushi tightly: "What are Baibao Guards? Do we need to avoid them? Let’s burn them to ashes together!"

Yan Qing raised an eyebrow: "Decided?"

"Decided."

"No turning back?"

"No turning back."

Yan Qing smiled: "Then let’s walk side by side, White Fox."

Although the threat from the Baibao Guards was not yet eliminated, the Foundation Establishment Pill had not been obtained, and the Heavenly Demon of Transfiguration and Freedom seemed hopeless, at least for now, Yan Qing had finally forged an unbreakable bond with the Thief’s House’s most rational and excellent teammate in his heart.

...

...

Passing by a snack shop, the three habitually went inside to replenish their energy; the Third-Turn Messenger had to eat something whenever they could. Seeing Murong Hui run upstairs, Ying Rushi took a deep breath, feeling both apprehensive and full of anticipation as she followed Yan Qing.

Yan Qing tore off a piece of cheese fish sausage and brought it to Ying Rushi’s mouth: "Want to try? I quite like it."

Ying Rushi didn’t take it; instead, she directly opened her mouth and bit off half, "It’s pretty good."

Seeing the half still in his hand, Yan Qing had no choice but to finish tearing it and continued feeding Ying Rushi. As they walked and ate, Ying Rushi noticed that Yan Qing was always eager to share his favorite food, and she brushed her hair back casually, asking nonchalantly: "After leaving the Demon Gathering Land... what are your plans?"

"Isn’t that the question I asked you before? I actually want to ask you, you’re not thinking of causing trouble for Ying Le again, are you?"

"No." Ying Rushi shook her head, looking at him seriously: "Never again. I’ll stay in the Thief’s House, complete the fourth mission, the fifth mission, the sixth mission... until I’ve undergone the Foundation Establishment Fourth Transition, and have the capability to openly dethrone Ying Le."

"But by then," she smiled slightly: "you all have to come and help."

"As for them, I can’t say, but slapping Ying Le is something I never miss," Yan Qing chuckled.

"Then what about you? Besides the fourth mission, what are your plans?"

"Hmm—" Yan Qing scratched his chin, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed: "I really have no plans; just repeating dives into the Secret Realm or exploring other areas... Oh, I’m planning a trip to Jiangnan City, I agreed to go shopping with Red Snake."

Ying Rushi paused, then teased: "Still wrapped in bandages by then?"

"Probably wearing a mask by then?"

In fact, Yan Qing found the disguise quite cumbersome lately; it wasn’t an issue in Ping City where there’s no interaction, but once frequent contact was necessary, the disguise felt unnecessarily complicated, like wearing gloves to wipe with tissue paper. He was just waiting for one of the thief women to strongly request he take off the bandages, at which point he’d abandon the disguise naturally.

"Just accompanying Red Snake for shopping, what if Black Wolf finds out? You’ll be in big trouble," Ying Rushi laughed.

"I’ll also accompany Black Wolf to read; she likes reading comics and drinking simultaneously," Yan Qing laughed softly, "If being with Red Snake is joyful, then being with Black Wolf is tranquil."

Anyway, Ying Rushi had long noticed his relationship with Black Wolf and Red Snake, so Yan Qing didn’t mind chatting with her about it. Or rather, only Ying Rushi could chat with Yan Qing about such topics.

"Aren’t you afraid of exposure? They’re not exactly easy to deal with; don’t end up with no teammates at all." Ying Rushi said: "I don’t want to return to the Thief’s House one day and find the hall covered in blood."

Yan Qing’s expression froze, taking a deep breath, he clenched his fist and said: "I’ll try my best!"

"You’re two-timing right now; don’t make it sound so heroic!" Ying Rushi said irritably.

Hearing Murong Hui’s footsteps on the stairs, Yan Qing took two bottles of water from the freezer, handing one to Ying Rushi, "Shall we?"

"I’ll eat a bit more; you go ahead."

"Okay."

After Yan Qing walked away, Ying Rushi took a pack of dark chocolate from the shelf, tore open the packaging, and took a large bite. The bitter taste lingered in her mouth. As she ate, tears streamed down her face, falling onto the dark chocolate which she then ate.

Didn’t you say I was the one you wanted the most? Why do you want to go shopping with Red Snake, and read with Black Wolf in the future?

Didn’t you say as long as I took one step, you would take the remaining ninety-nine? Why not only did you not confess, but also spoke to me so tenderly about sweet memories with Black Wolf and Red Snake?

Didn’t you say you fell in love with me? Why... does it still hurt so much...

So...

Were you lying to me...

Even after finishing an entire bar of dark chocolate, Ying Rushi didn’t taste any sweet aftertaste, only the bitterness of the chocolate and the saltiness of her tears. In her tear-filled eyes, her pupils gradually turned into vertical slits, like a straight scar across her eyeballs, the blood-red spreading outward.