Scourge Messenger

Chapter 247 The same sultry smell as me
Qi State, the City That Never Sleeps.

The rain kept falling, but thanks to the city's well-developed infrastructure, there were no puddles on the road. Rainwater, carrying fallen leaves, flowed along the gaps in the blue bricks and into the sewers on both sides of the road. Only when rolling wheels drove by would small splashes of water appear on the ground.

The carriage broke through the rain and slowly stopped at the side gate of the palace. A figure carrying a palace lantern emerged from inside, his long boots making a crisp sound as they stepped on the blue bricks.

The palace gates rumbled loudly, revealing a crack through which no light shone, like an abyss that could swallow even the wind and rain. Inside, two expressionless palace servants waited. Without exchanging pleasantries, they silently led Ying Rushi through the rain-soaked imperial city.

The city was a tapestry of magnificent palaces and jade-carved railings, with stone lanterns illuminating the way. Yet, like the incessant rain, it was cold and devoid of warmth. Ying Rushi suddenly felt a pang of longing for the thieves' house. Though it was pitifully small compared to the imperial city, or even to her own mansion, she imagined the beds there would be warm and cozy. At least she could sleep peacefully there.

The central hall remained brightly lit, its magnificent radiance undiminished by the rain.

It's not surprising at all. Her Majesty always sleeps with all the lights on. As the ruler of the Never-Sleeping City, her world has no night, only the transition from one day to another.

She waited outside the palace for an audience, but the palace servants did not lead her into the palace; instead, they took her to the back garden.

Ying Le was in the back garden. To be precise, she was squatting next to a set of steps, barefoot on the blue bricks, wearing a short skirt that barely covered her knees, her slender legs exposed. She was soaked, her hair clung to her cheeks and neck, and her thin clothes clung tightly to her body, clearly outlining her graceful figure through the folds of the gauze.

Anyone unaware of her background would surely marvel at her pure and innocent charm, guessing that she must be an innocent princess or a favored concubine.

"So you've come? Come here, come here." Ying Le's voice revealed a hint of excitement, "Keep your voice down."

Ying Ru silently removed the defensive barrier, letting the rain soak her entire body, then walked over to Ying Le and squatted down, looking into the stairs along her finger.

It's a cat.

It was curled up at the bottom of the steps, with pure black fur and four adorable white paws. Beside it were a bowl of fresh meat and a bowl of water, but neither had been touched. It was asleep, but not soundly; its eyelids twitched, and the slightest sound could trigger its sensitive nerves.

"It's injured," Ying Ru said softly, noticing a piece missing from the cat's ear.

“It’s badly injured, look at its backside,” Ying Le said. “It must have been injured in a fight with a cat, and it even lost. When it ran away, other cats chased it and beat its backside. In the world of wild cats, being injured in the front is a symbol of honor, but being injured in the backside is a disgrace to the weak. It can no longer survive outside, and all the wild cats know that it is easy to bully.”

"So it escaped into the palace?" Ying guessed.

"No, I encountered it during my patrol this afternoon. It ran headfirst into a car wheel. For so many years, not even a tiger, let alone a cat, dared to approach it... No wonder it lost the fight. Among wild cats, it would definitely be a dumb cat. When it saw me get off, it didn't even run away, but instead rubbed against my toes."

"This means it has a special connection with His Majesty."

"It's hard to say, because it started having diarrhea as soon as I picked it up. Later I realized it was probably delirious from illness."

"Then why did it come here?"

"After I came back and cured it, it started running around everywhere. If I tried to hold it, it would freeze in fear and wouldn't move. I was afraid it would die of fright, so I let it go. It ran around the palace all night and finally decided to settle down here." Ying Le snorted at this point, "I prepared a comfortable cat bed for it, but it refused to sleep on a tattered cloth. What a wretched cat."

It was only then that Ying Ru noticed the black cat lying on a tattered, grayish-black cloth. Because the cloth was so small, even though the cat was curled up, half of its head was still resting on the cold ground. She suddenly thought of the thieves' house, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly, as if she could understand the cat's feelings.

“I plan to let it get used to my scent while it’s asleep,” Ying Le said enthusiastically. “I also had a cat when I was little, a gift from my mother. Its name was Tea, and it took me several days to get Tea used to me in the same way.”

Looking at Ying Le beside her, Ying Rushi suddenly felt a huge sense of unreality.

From the time Ying Rushi could remember, Ying Le was already a wise and powerful general and commander-in-chief. After ascending the throne, she became a powerful emperor who conquered the Central Plains. It was as if she had been a tyrant who stood above all living beings since birth, wantonly flaunting her arrogance to the world.

It wasn't until she saw this scene that Ying Ru Shi realized that Ying Le also had a childhood... She was a princess living in the palace, growing up under the care of her parents. Back then, her world was only the size of the palace, and she would be overjoyed to have a cat.

Suddenly, her head was gently stroked. Ying Rushi looked up and saw Ying Le's displeased gaze.
"Look, your hair is all wet." Ying Le scolded, "You're not a child anymore, why are you foolishly getting soaked in the rain? Do you even lack the spirit jade to maintain the defensive barrier?" As she spoke, she called to the palace servants behind them to hold umbrellas for them.

“Because I saw you getting wet in the rain, Auntie,” Ying Rushi said, almost unable to contain herself, “I wanted to stay with you.”

"You little rascal, you've always been like this, always caring more about others than yourself." Ying Le took out a handkerchief and wiped the rain off her face. "How did the mission go?"

Ying Ru glanced at the palace maid holding an umbrella for them, and seeing that Ying Le had no objection, slowly recounted what had happened that evening.

"Stealing rare iron? Oh, so that's how that old woman got her 'Star Sand' that she sells for such a high price. Well done, hehe."

"Customized legendary tokens? It's a pity I don't have that opportunity, otherwise I would try to get one myself."

"Li Long? I don't know him. He's probably just some flower or grass that I accidentally stepped on before. Who would remember the names of flowers and grass?"

"The other shore flower?"

Seeing that Ying Le was finally interested, Ying Rushi immediately took out the Spider Lily from her storage ring. A pale, blood-red bud floated in Ying Rushi's palm, with a faint red light flowing into it, as if it was constantly absorbing something.

"The Red Spider Lily can absorb the life force of nearby dead creatures and transform it into blood and spirit enhancement. It will take effect as long as you wear it." Ying said, "Although the description is vague, it is listed alongside other precious items such as earth vein evil energy and red furnace fire essence. I think that with proper cultivation, it may be the best reward for this mission."

“Moreover,” she said sincerely, looking at Ying Le, “this is a flower that does not belong to the human world; only Auntie is qualified to wear it.”

"Why don't you just find someone to try it out and you'll know?"

Ying Le spoke in a relaxed tone, as if a young girl had heard that her niece had brought a box of rouge and face powder and was wondering how effective it would be, so she suggested finding someone to test it.

She said it, and she did it—Ying Le took the umbrella from the palace servant with her left hand and grabbed the servant's neck with her right hand, lifting him up.

Flames flowed through Ying Le's arms, turning her palms into blazing torches that ignited the palace servant's head. The servant's legs thrashed wildly in the air, her hands gripping Ying Le's arms, her mouth agape as she let out a silent wail.

"Shh—" Ying Le put her index finger to her lips: "Keep your voice down."

Ying Rushi watched from the side, seeing the palace servants gradually stop struggling, their hair and flesh melting in the flames, leaving only charred black skulls.

Ying Le tossed the body aside, and throughout the process, she didn't forget to hold an umbrella for Ying Ru Shi, preventing her from getting wet in the rain. "Things have really changed."

Although the spider lily was still dim and budding, its petals had opened slightly. Ying Le took it and examined it closely, saying, "It has indeed grown, but the increase is too small to be noticeable. However, it has only absorbed the life of one ordinary person. If more people had died and the flowers were stronger, this spider lily should have bloomed brilliantly."

Ying Ru stared blankly at the palace maid who had been burned to ashes, and took a deep breath: "She is just right to add luster to Aunt's beauty."

"You're giving this to me? This is your reward."

"The Heaven Sword should have been held by you, Aunt, but it was given to me. I am so grateful that I have no way to repay you. This time, the other shore flower is so suitable for you, Aunt. How can I keep it to myself? Please accept it, Aunt."

Even at this moment, Ying Rushi still believes that the red spider lily is the most suitable flower for Ying Le.

Once Ying Le has experienced the 'killing and absorbing' effect of the Red Spider Lily, she will definitely pursue hunting down even more powerful beings to nourish it. And where are the powerful beings in this world? In the secret realm.

What Ying wanted was simply for Ying Le to spend more time in the secret realm.

As long as Ying Le reduces his involvement in politics and travels, given Qi's powerful national strength, it can quickly recover and grow stronger again. Therefore, Ying Rushi didn't try to grab other rewards; items like the [Earth Vein Fiend Qi], [Red Furnace Fire Essence], and [Mastery of Peerless Secret Techniques] can only enhance herself. What she wants is a cure to heal the nation!
"Then I'll accept it."

Ying Le pinned the spider lily in her hair, her eyebrows curving and a faint smile appearing on her lips: "Hehe, Ru Shi gave me flowers." She didn't seem happy about the spider lily itself, but simply because her niece had given her flowers.

Seeing this scene, Ying Rushi became even more certain that her choice was right, and continued, "Just like the last forecast, the constables from the Divine Marquis's Mansion appeared this time. There was a Silver Badge Constable and three Bronze Badge Constables, but I didn't fight them. Huang Quan took care of them all by himself."

“If one person can handle it, then the Yellow Dog must have at least top-tier combat power at level three,” Ying Le said casually. “The combination of the Silver Badge Constable and the Bronze Badge Constable is quite troublesome; even ordinary level three fighters can’t beat them.”

"Also, because we caused such a big commotion this time, the Divine Marquis's Mansion will send people to interfere with our missions next time."

Ying Le squatted down to look at the cat again: "I heard about this in the announcement. Who is the Divine Marquis's Mansion planning to send? Two Silver Badge Constables?"

"There are three Silver Badge Constables and one... Gold Badge Divine Constable."

The world seemed to fall silent at that moment, with only the patter of rain remaining.

Ying Le slowly stood up, tilted her head slightly, and looked at her sideways.

call--

The wind blew up Ying Rushi's clothes, making a rustling sound.

Ying Ru's entire body stiffened, like a cat brought into a palace. She felt as if she were being stared at by a dragon; the wind was its breath, the moon its gaze, and its enormous double pupils were constantly shifting, scrutinizing every change in her expression!
Just then, Ying Rushi caught a glimpse of the palace servant's body, which had just been burned to death. The corpse's mouth was opening and closing, and it was actually speaking! Ying Rushi tried hard not to turn away, but the corpse's voice grew louder and clearer, piercing her eardrums and reaching her very thoughts—

【Run away! 】

Run!

"Which divine constable?"

Ying Rushi seemed to have just escaped from drowning, and forced himself to remain calm as he said, "The thieves' family didn't say."

"Okay." Ying Le withdrew her gaze, squatted down, and continued to stare at the black cat below the steps: "Very good."

Yingru dared not even breathe, and before she knew it, her back was soaked with sweat.

“Well done, that’s right. Don’t worry about the next mission, I’ll go with you and help you with your task.”

Ying Rushi was taken aback: "Your Majesty, please reconsider. If the mission location is Chang'an or Jiangnan, wouldn't that mean—"

"So what if it's in the main city of Liang or Zhou?" Ying Le sneered, her tone no longer girlish coquettish, but imperial majesty of 'my heart is the heart of heaven': "I alone am a million-strong army, and I can roam the world at my disposal. There's no need to worry, my mind is made up."

Since things had come to this point, Ying Rushi had no choice but to accept: "As you command."

"If you have nothing else to report, you should go back. You must be tired after a long night." Ying Le handed her the umbrella. "Take it."

Ying Rushi dared not refuse, and bowed her head, saying, "Please excuse me, I shall take my leave."

"Ah."

The rain had gradually stopped by then. Ying Rushi walked past the palace servant's corpse, holding an umbrella, and glanced down at it. The empty eye sockets of the corpse's skull stared at the night sky, its throat bones almost burned off, its mouth wide open but unable to utter a single wail until its death.

Dead people cannot speak.

Ying Rushi carried an umbrella all the way as she left the rainless palace.

Ying Le squatted down again to watch the cat sleep, muttering, "Oh right, I still need to trim your nails, otherwise you might scratch someone... Cats that scratch are bad cats, and bad cats always get thrown to their deaths..."

After a while, Ying Le finally felt sleepy. She turned around and was about to return to the palace when she suddenly stopped in the spot where Ying Ru Shi had just been standing. Her nose twitched, and a look of confusion appeared on her face.

She suddenly sniffed her wrist, then raised her hand to sniff her armpit, and finally lifted her bra to smell the inside.

“That’s right, that pungent smell…”

A bolt of lightning suddenly tore through the night sky, startling the sleeping kitten and illuminating Ying Le's eyes. Her pupils instantly turned crimson, and her golden vertical pupils seemed to harbor a demonic creature, spying on the world!

"It smells a lot like mine."

(End of this chapter)