I kept watching until the sunset faded, the sky turned from dark to pitch black, revealing the myriad stars. Mo Qing, sitting beside me, showed no intention of leaving.
It seemed as though we could sit here and watch the stars until the end of time.
He was not in a hurry, but I was starting to feel uncomfortable with the silence.
We didn't burn the spirit money last night, nor during the day today. If we didn't burn it tonight, then this day would be wasted!
I crossed my hands in front of me, intending to find any topic to urge Mo Qing to leave, when he suddenly spoke, "I will leave for the Six Harmonies Island overseas later."
He volunteered the information about my purpose, leaving me momentarily speechless, and all I could say was "Oh."
"The art of instant teleportation will be hindered when I go to the Immortal Island to retrieve the sword. Perhaps I will be back in two or three days."
"Mm."
"I won't be here..." I thought he was going to warn me not to run around causing trouble, but instead he said, "If there's anything you want, just tell the Anluo guards."
Huh, are you that confident in me?
Am I supposed to tell the Anluo guards while you're away that I want to take your position as the sect leader? Would they agree to that?
Of course, I wouldn't say that out loud.
After Mo Qing finished speaking, he fell into silence, but he didn't leave. After a while, he turned to look at me, and in his dark eyes, there reflected my face and the stars in the night sky. He asked me, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
I fell silent for a moment.
Okay, okay, I get it. You just want to show concern and affection, don't you? You want some sweet talk, don't you? When I bring the sword back, you'll want praise and admiration, right? I understand you! I'll indulge you! Is that enough for you?
So I covered the back of his hand, gently holding his palm, letting the warmth of our palms warm each other.
I said, "Master, you must be very careful, don't get hurt, come back soon, I will miss you."
Zhiyan, who was beside me, pretended to be disgusted with me: "Evil woman, you're really good at pretending!"
Hmph, kids, you don't understand. People in love fall for this. Look at Moqing...
I glanced at Moqing's face carefully... even now, I couldn't help but be stunned by his expression.
He was smiling. It wasn't the smile of a child getting candy, but the smile of someone who had been waiting for many years, almost desperate and on the verge of giving up, finally getting his one and only desire.
I only saw him looking down at our hands, with a warm and delicate gaze, as if mixing bits of joy, sorrow, shyness, and a bit of cautiousness with the starlight on the horizon, and crushing it all into his eyes.
"I will."
I said those words as a play, with insincere hearts, but I received such a rare and precious response. For a moment, I felt a bit...guilty about the emotion in Moqing's eyes.
Guilty?
I actually felt... like I owed him something.
"If there are any problems that Anluowei can't solve, wait until I come back to deal with them."
He left with these words, having obtained the concern and reluctance he wanted. Meanwhile, I sat on the steps, gazing at the distant mountains and rivers for a long time.
Zhiyan also sat on the steps next to me, drawing circles: "I think Limo treats you well, the way he looked at you just now... maybe he's started to like you. After being lonely for so long, it's like he's finally found someone he likes..."
I said, "He likes you."
"In the daytime, he never even glanced at me," Zhiyan said, "it's only at night that you meet him, and it's only at night that he treats you like this." After thinking for a while, Zhiyan added, "Why don't you stop deceiving him. Tell him the truth, what if... after knowing that you're Lu Zhaoyao, he still holds deep feelings for you and wants to help you return to the light?"
"Shut up," I scolded her.
The guards on both sides fell silent.
I don't pursue or believe in such feelings. I was born a demon, seeking power, wealth, and absolute strength. If I want to pursue something else, not only will it be exhausting, but it will also end badly. I've learned this lesson a long time ago.
I raised my hand and looked at Zhiyan's fair hand. Men in this world like those who pose no threat to them, like Zhiyan, and dislike women who usurp their status, like me, Lu Zhaoyao.
Even if I truly give my heart and give everything for them...
I stood up, brushed my clothes, and thought that with Moqing's teleportation technique, he would probably have already reached some place by the sea, and now he would have to fly over to the Immortal Island.
I stretched my waist, limbered up my muscles, and said, "I'm going to burn some paper." Then I used a teleportation spell and in the blink of an eye arrived at Jiangcheng.
Just like last time I came to Jiangcheng, I bought incense, candles, and paper money. Arriving at the Flower Street Bridge, I held up a sign and sat there, waiting for people to come and burn paper.
This time, because I remembered some petty incidents from the past, I felt a little gloomy, so I dragged two rather ugly-looking people over and made them burn paper money. Bullying others made me feel a bit more comfortable.
But I am not Jiang Wu, and I am not the arrogant Lu of the past. Even though I burn the paper for Lu, it's not as terrifying in their eyes. So when I was about to sit by the bridge and solicit business peacefully.
Those who have been bullied are not reconciled.
That person brought a group of people over.
They blocked my small bridge where I set up my stall, everyone holding big knives with an aggressive attitude. They seemed ready to start trouble. The people who were about to walk past us in this direction were all forced to take a detour.
The thin and tall man who I had bullied earlier stood out from the group, looking nothing like the cowering figure when he was being bullied. He stood with his hands on his hips, chest puffed out, and chin raised. He glared at me as if he could see through my nostrils: "Hmph, just because you're a woman, don't think I won't teach you a lesson today. I'm from Jiangcheng, so it's not your turn to mess with me!"
I glanced at this group of strong men and felt a little happy. It wasn’t enough to bully just one thin man, now he brought such a big group for me to bully, and I could add a lot of money to my underworld account.
"You need to kneel down and apologize to me, kowtow three times, call me grandpa, and then come back to sleep with me for the night, maybe then I might spare your life."
Oh, very well, thin man, you're saying the words of seeking death, which are ranked number one in the world, so if I don't kill you, I would really disappoint your request!
As my eyes grew cold and I was about to roll up my sleeves, I suddenly heard a scream from behind the group of men holding knives. The sound was so piercing that it almost tore my eardrums. Everyone turned to look, and then they all paled in unison.
It was as if an invisible force had squeezed through them. They went from being aggressive to trembling, agitated, and then they voluntarily made way for a path to clear.
I took a glance and saw Jiang Wu and one of his two subordinates who were with him last time.
At that moment, Jiang Wu was holding a bloody arm that he had just torn off a strong man behind him.
The strong man was holding his wound, rolling on the ground in pain, but Jiang Wu seemed unaffected. He ignored the screams and casually tossed the still spastic arm into the river under the bridge. Then his gaze fell on me, and he grinned, "I heard that someone is burning paper on the bridge again, and I guessed it was you, and I was right."
Upon hearing Jiang Wu talking to me like this, the face of the thin man turned pale.
Jiang Wu came forward, looked at the pile of paper money next to me and exclaimed, "Wow, again so much. You put so much effort into burning paper for Lu. Is she paying you?"
I pondered for a moment, "It's a share of the earnings."
Jiang Wu burst into laughter. Just as he was laughing, the thin man next to him suddenly knelt down trembling, "Jiang... Jiang Da Xia, I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you, I didn’t know she was your friend. I... I..."
He didn't finish speaking, and Jiang Wu's face suddenly turned serious, and he turned to him, "Oh yes, it was you who said those words just now."
The thin man desperately knelt and kowtowed, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I deserve to die, I spoke out of turn..."
I didn't bother to listen to him and immediately felt the pressure around me increase, and the thin man froze in place. Under the overwhelming pressure, he lost the ability to move.
"I almost forgot to clean you up." After saying this, Jiang Wu waved his arm, and a stream of fresh blood sprayed from the thin man's neck, and his head was “swish” cut off.
The head arced in the air, then with a "thud" fell into the river.
Only the body was left kneeling on the bridge. After a short gush of blood, the body collapsed, and the blood flowed down the curved stone slabs of the bridge, wetting the shoes of the thugs who the thin man had called over.
I was no longer deeply affected by such scenes. Yet, these seemingly strong men all began to tremble, sweating profusely, pushing back, hesitant to make any sudden movements, and even dared not to scream. The atmosphere among them was stifling and heavy, each person's breathing became rapid and cautious.
A group of frightened prey...
"Hey," I called out to them, "Why retreat? You can't leave without burning the money."
They didn't move until Jiang Wu shouted, "Can't you hear me? You can only leave after burning the money. If you don't burn the money..." He laughed, a wild and terrifying smile, "Do you want to go straight to the funeral?"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the strong men rushed forward to burn the paper.
I simply stood aside, making way for them and watched them work.
Jiang Wu was beside me, looking at the blazing fire and laughing, "I admire you, really admire you. What's your name again?"
"Zhiyan."
"Oh, did the little beauty come to Jiangcheng this time specifically to drink with me?"