Scourge Messenger

Chapter 157 Shang Xinlei, you bastard...

The pleasant conversation at the dinner table came to an abrupt halt, and the thief's house fell silent once more as both men lowered their heads and quietly ate their dragon sturgeon. Despite the fish's incredibly sweet and melt-in-your-mouth texture, Yan Qing found it tasteless and only wanted to finish lunch as quickly as possible.

He genuinely wanted to share his experiences with Shang Xinlei, which is why he spoke of Bunny Girl so proudly and confidently. He soloed dangerous areas, defeated the second-level monster, and incidentally elevated the Pharmacist to the fourth great protector. These were all commendable achievements for him, and interesting anecdotes he could boast about on the game forum.

But he also understood why Shang Xinlei was angry. She had met Jiang Shi and the Rat Monk, and she thought they were both very good people. So naturally, she would feel sympathy for the Rabbit Girl from a thousand miles away... and also feel disgust for people like him.

Bad people won't like another bad person, and good people certainly won't like a bad person, let alone a bad person who has no pity for their subordinates... If someone can discard even their most important subordinates like discarded shoes, who can they possibly cherish? Yan Qing would think the same way.

Yan Qing had no intention of explaining; this was his deepest secret, the foundation of his existence in this world, far more important than the friendship of a teammate from the Thieves' Den. He wouldn't change his playstyle, much less his attitude towards alt accounts.

Just as the state was established to serve the foundational messengers, the smaller one was created to pave the way for the larger one's ascent to heaven.

That's for the best. It's better to sever this inexplicable relationship long ago than to have her come after Jiang Shi or the Rat Monk die in the future. Perhaps only those who don't care about his behavior would be willing to associate with him? But here's the problem: if someone really appears who doesn't care about his power over the lives of his alternate accounts, Yan Qing wouldn't associate with such a cruel person.

This is a dead end; there is no solution.

"I won't be coming tomorrow," Shang Xinlei suddenly said.

"Oh." Yan Qing was not surprised and responded calmly.

Soon, only clean fish bones remained of the dragon sturgeon. As Yan Qing helped clear the plates, she called out to Shang Xinlei, who was about to leave, "Wait for me."

Back in his room, Yan Qing picked up his game console and checked the warehouse. Although the Demon Messenger didn't have many good tokens, there were exceptions. When he was looting corpses that morning, Yan Qing found a token that was very suitable for Shang Xinlei.

He handed a bell bracelet to Shang Xinlei as he went outside: "Killing Sound Bell, a rare second-tier artifact. It has only one power: each attack generates a killing sound vibration, enhancing the damage dealt by the weapon. The longer the attack interval, the better the killing sound effect."

Shang Xinlei didn't take it: "Why are you giving it to me?"

“Black Wolf has the Tiger Armguard, White Fox and I prioritize attack speed, and you're the only one with an empty bracelet slot.” Yan Qing glanced at her hands; her left wrist wore the Grass Bracelet that Yan Qing had given her before. Actually, you can only wear one bracelet accessory in the game, which is one of the few things that reality has over games.

"You have a treasure hunt token, you can put it up for sale." Shang Xinlei suddenly remembered something: "Today I saw you put up a lot of random things, could it be that you stole them from the demonic messenger?"

"Consider it as payment for meals these days."

"A few meals aren't worth a second-tier rare bracelet." Shang Xinlei shook her head and blurted out, "Does accepting your things mean you'll be completely obedient to me?"

Upon hearing this, not only Yan Qing but even Shang Xinlei herself was stunned for a moment. Yan Qing suddenly calmed down, grabbed Shang Xinlei's hand, and shoved the Killing Bell into her hand: "Whether you lose it or sell it, it's up to you. I don't owe you anything anymore—"

"and many more!"

Shang Xinlei grabbed Yan Qing's hand in return, the Killing Bell jingling melodiously in their palms. She stared into Yan Qing's eyes, her expression fierce, but her tone softened: "Everything I said in the secret vault was sincere. I truly believe you are a trustworthy companion... and I still do now."

Don't you think I did something wrong?

"Of course I think you made a mistake! How could you send a lovely girl to a dangerous place in the demonic realm? You're a heartless villain!"

"That--"

“But I still want to believe you.” She pursed her lips, her fingers gripping Yan Qing’s hand tightly, revealing her inner turmoil: “The villain wouldn’t lend Bingzi Jiaolin to Jiang Shi, the villain wouldn’t let Rat Monk protect Shang Xuanwen, and the villain wouldn’t expose the treasure hunt order to save me… I’m willing to believe that you have secrets you can’t tell, which is why you seem so despicable, shameless, and vile scum.”

"What you said after that was completely baseless slander..." Yan Qing paused, "It's your business what you want to think, but I still have to say, when I feel they deserve to die, they should die."

"You're actually quite strange." Shang Xinlei felt both annoyed and amused: "Normal people don't always show their worst and darkest side like you... It seems like you don't want others to trust you."

“Because that’s just who I am,” Yan Qing replied calmly. “I don’t like lying.”

Yan Qing thought that Shang Xinlei would back down after she made such a statement, but for some reason, Shang Xinlei seemed to have made up her mind instead. She apologized softly, "I was wrong just now and said such hurtful things. I'm sorry."

"It's understandable that you would think that way. There's no need to apologize, and I'm not angry."

"Sigh, so that means you're angry. How can someone be so petty?" Shang Xinlei took out a piece of milk candy from her pocket: "Here, accept my apology."

"I accept it, I won't eat it."

"eat fast!"

Shang Xinlei stuffed the milk candy into Yan Qing's mouth. Yan Qing tried to back away and close his mouth, resisting to the death, but Shang Xinlei still held his hand tightly, and he couldn't escape. In the end, Yan Qing's strength was not enough, and Shang Xinlei forcibly stuffed the milk candy into his mouth. "You ate my candy, so you can't be angry now."

"I wasn't angry at first, but you've made me angry."

After their tussling, their hair and clothes were a mess, and they looked as disheveled as if they'd just been fighting. They exchanged a glance, and before anyone knew who laughed first, they both wore helpless smiles, instantly easing the atmosphere in the thieves' den.

“People who are willing to reveal their darkest thoughts are not bad people,” Shang Xinlei said.

"Why do you think that?" Yan Qing asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Because I am that kind of person too.” Shang Xinlei smiled and said, “I also hope that while others like my beautiful appearance, they also like the twisted and dirty roots buried in the soil.”

Yan Qing paused slightly, recalling Shang Xinlei's distraught appearance in the secret vault. An indescribable feeling welled up inside him, as if the candy in his mouth had truly melted into it, but his tone remained unforgiving: "I saw the twisted and filthy root, but the beautiful appearance doesn't mean you were crying with snot running down your face, does it?"

"If you dare bring this up again, do you believe I'll bring you bitter melon and beef every day from now on?" Shang Xinlei gritted her teeth. "And what's wrong with me?!"

It was only then that Yan Qing noticed that Shang Xinlei was wearing white over-the-knee socks with black shorts, and thick-soled leather shoes over the socks. A black strap was tied around her thigh to secure the dagger, perfectly outlining the curves of her legs. She wore a black-trimmed white shirt with a very small haori (traditional Japanese kimono) over it, held together by a knot. The overall design combined flexibility and style, and even in the dimly lit environment of the thieves' den, she looked dazzling, both charming and dashing.

Yan Qing suddenly asked, "Are you planning to attend the party today?"

"No, I was exercising at home with Xiaoyu this afternoon. I won't be leaving the store all day..." Shang Xinlei's voice gradually softened as she spoke. She looked down at her elegantly dressed appearance, her face burning hot.

To make matters worse, perhaps because they had just exerted themselves a bit too much, their hands, clasped together, were sweaty and sticky. They remained holding hands, neither willing to let go, as if playing a childish game where 'whoever cares about this loses'.

Suddenly, the killing bell rang. They simultaneously let go of each other, and Shang Xinlei grabbed the killing bell. Yan Qing acted as if nothing had happened and went back to help Shang Xinlei tidy up the dishes and carry them to her room. When handing over the bowls, their fingers accidentally touched, and then they both recoiled as if they had been electrocuted. The killing bell that Shang Xinlei had just put on rang loudly.

After carrying all the dishes inside, Yan Qing glanced at Shang Xinlei, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Shang Xinlei said. "I won't be coming again tomorrow."

"I know, you just said that."

"My father is hosting a family feast tomorrow at noon and will be busy all day, so we can only have a meal together the day after tomorrow."

Yan Qing stopped and abruptly turned to look at her. Hearing this, he immediately realized he'd been tricked. The thought of her using a single basic attack to bait out all his skills made him furious: "You bastard..."

"It's just that we can't eat together for one day, why are you so upset? You're just too greedy."

Shang Xinlei shrugged innocently, then immediately closed the door and ran away as fast as she could, as if she was afraid that Yan Qing would break down the door and catch her.

Back at the shop, Shang Xinlei had her maids remove the dishes and clean up. She sat in the pavilion outside, enjoying the breeze, her hands supporting her chin as she gazed at the flowers and plants in the courtyard. Perhaps recalling something happy or funny, she pursed her lips, her eyes brimming with smug delight, like a little snake secretly chuckling.

Shang Qia appeared behind her without her noticing: "Little sister, have you been eating a lot lately? You might get fat if you keep this up."

"I'm almost at the third rank, so it's normal to eat a lot," Shang Xinlei replied casually. "Don't ask too many questions about the third rank messenger, just ask about the second rank messenger."

She paused, pinched her cheek, and asked hesitantly, "Have I really gained weight?"

Shang Qia immediately replied, "No, no, and even if you get fat, you'll still be my prettiest and cutest little sister."

Shang Xinlei's lips twitched, and she said through gritted teeth, "Then thank you!"

Shang Qia learned from the maid that Shang Xinlei would bring a large amount of food into the room every day, and after a while, only bowls and plates would come out. He vaguely realized what Shang Xinlei was up to. He saw Shang Xinlei admiring the gold bracelet on her wrist and asked, "What's this...?"

"Isn't it tacky? Golden bells and golden bracelets don't suit me at all." Although Shang Xinlei was commenting in a critical tone, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

“It’s really tacky. Why would you wear something like that?” Shang Qia chimed in.

Shang Xinlei suddenly became annoyed: "This is a rare second-tier bracelet, what do you know, Third Brother? Humph, I'd better go find Xiaoyu to play."

She left with light steps, leaving Shang Qia looking completely bewildered.

I've been going along with you, how could I possibly offend you? You stupid little sister.

(End of this chapter)