Scourge Messenger

Chapter 289 Just kidding
"Change into these." Shang Xinlei tossed the new clothes in her hand to Yan Qing.

"I'll go back and change it..."

"Change it," Shang Xinlei said calmly. "If it doesn't fit, I'll find someone to alter it immediately, so I don't have to run around. I find that troublesome."

Having come this far, Yan Qing could only accept it. There was no need for an old man to be so concerned. He took off his upper garments and wiped away the sweat and blood to avoid soiling his new clothes. Shang Xinlei had brought him a black long robe with gold patterns and a deep blue cloud-patterned robe. The fabric felt incredibly high-quality, the kind of high-end custom-made items that were impossible to buy. Yan Qing found them to fit perfectly, loosely fitting without hindering his movements.

“It suits you perfectly.” Yan Qing was very satisfied. He had been wearing Ye Si’s clothes until now because they were similar in build. “No need to alter them.”

Shang Xinlei stared at him for a few moments, then pursed her lips: "If it's suitable, that's fine."

"Could you buy me a few more sets? Just this style will do, or you can tell me which store you bought them from, and I can send someone to buy them."

"Let's talk about it later." She glanced at Yakushi's door and suddenly said, "Um, I was actually joking yesterday."

"what?"

"It's about becoming a cook to pay off the debt to the Earthly Fiends." Shang Xinlei drew circles on the ground with her toes: "My cooking skills aren't particularly good. No matter how many meals I make, it won't be enough to repay one Earthly Fiend. Besides, there are plenty of cooks in this world. They don't need me... I was just joking yesterday, don't take it seriously."

"Oh."

"It was really just a joke."

"Ok."

"I was really just joking!"

Suddenly, Shang Xinlei kicked Yan Qing's butt hard, then turned and ran. Yan Qing instinctively grabbed her arm, because he had just clearly seen the snotty-nosed girl's tearful eyes... He had a premonition that she wouldn't come back once she ran away.

Yan Qing thought for a moment, then conjured a pair of shin guards in his hand and handed them to her.

"The Legplates of the World allow you to briefly float and jump multiple times, greatly improving your mobility. It's perfect for your flying circle style, and no three-turn attack should be able to threaten you at mid-range." He paused, "Consider it payment for the clothes you bought for me."

Shang Xinlei looked at the golden-glowing Legplates, but didn't take them. Instead, she asked a strange question: "Are you giving these to me because I gave you clothes?"

Yan Qing instinctively wanted to say yes, but then she suddenly remembered that her new clothes fit perfectly and had obviously been custom-made a long time ago. She wondered how the other woman knew her size, so she changed her mind and said, "I've been wanting to give them to you for a while now."

"Then why didn't you give it to me yesterday?"

"You rubbed my hands like a fly yesterday, it completely baffled me."

"You're the fly!" Shang Xinlei laughed and cursed, took the abandoned shin guard, and wiped her face with her sleeve while looking down. "Okay, I'll help you buy clothes. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Although she said that, Shang Xinlei turned to face Yan Qing, her steps hesitant as if waiting for something. Yan Qing thought for a moment: "You just said you were joking? You don't want to become a cook to pay off the debt to the Earthly Fiends?"

"Ah."

"can."

Shang Xinlei looked up at Yan Qing, then lowered her eyes again: "I understand, I won't bother you again—"

“But you still have to cook in the future,” Yan Qing interrupted her.

"what?"

“You can’t repay the debt to the Earthly Fiends by being a cook, but that doesn’t mean you can stop.” Yan Qing said matter-of-factly, “What’s wrong? You think you can’t repay it and just don’t? The fourth young lady of a prestigious merchant family wants to bully an honest person? You can find other ways to repay me, but you still have to cook. Consider it interest.”

"What kind of honest person are you?" Shang Xinlei pouted. "My cooking skills aren't that great... You and Black Wolf can just go to the restaurant and place the order. There's no need for me at all."

“But I want to eat with you from now on,” Yan Qing said. “Red Serpent, I need you.”

"Why would you need me? I'm not as strong as Black Wolf."

"That's why I gave you the Lost Leg Guard and even prepared the Heavenly and Earthly Fiends for you," Yan Qing said with a look of 'Are you stupid?' "If you were as powerful as Black Wolf, I wouldn't care about you at all."

“Even if you’re not as good as Black Wolf, you’re still a very important person to me.” He lowered his eyelids and said softly, “Even if your cooking skills aren’t particularly good, just thinking about someone cooking for me makes me feel… like this place is my home too.”

Shang Xinlei's heart stirred slightly. She knew that Yan Qing had always stayed in the Thieves' House and rarely left. In the past, she only thought that Yan Qing was cautious or even timid, but now she realized a possibility... that he was homeless.

Even if the Thieves' House were the safest place, Shang Xinlei still felt that Shangjia was better. It was where she grew up, where her parents and brothers were. Compared to so-called 'safety,' Shangjia was the place that truly made Shang Xinlei feel at ease. No matter where she went, she knew there would be a home waiting for her to return to.

Living in a warm garden, Shang Xinlei never imagined that the flowers she casually picked would become precious colors in someone else's world. The bitterness in her heart gradually faded, replaced by an indescribable shyness. Shang Xinlei sniffed and turned her head to say, "If you insist... I'll continue to be your cook."

"This time you're not joking, are you? I'm serious." Yan Qing raised her eyebrows.

Shang Xinlei could easily tell he was being sarcastic, and said angrily, "So when you said you wanted to have dinner with me from now on, I took it seriously too."

"Sure, whenever I'm free."

"Really?" Shang Xinlei's eyes were like green mountains shrouded in a thin mist: "You mean in the future." "Really." Yan Qing nodded firmly.

"You're not lying to me?" Shang Xinlei sniffed.

"I'm not lying to you." Yan Qing reached out and wiped the tears from Shang Xinlei's eyes, thinking to herself, "Am I really that untrustworthy? You look so pitiful, as if I'm bullying you, you snotty-nosed brat."

Shang Xinlei hummed in agreement, seemingly realizing how childish she had been, and lowered her head, unwilling to speak. Yan Qing asked, "So, are we now considered to have made up?"

"I'm not angry with you, so how can we make up?" Shang Xinlei said this with a hint of guilt.

"Now that you've made up—"

Yan Qing suddenly pulled Shang Xinlei in front of him. Shang Xinlei stared in shock at the person so close to her, her mind went blank, her heart pounded, and her whole body stiffened.

It's not impossible... but at least the bandages should be removed... but if he insists...

Just as Shang Xinlei's head was about to steam, Yan Qing's left hand moved with lightning speed, fiercely striking August 15th, who was wrapped in tight shorts, three times in a row, the sound echoing throughout the hall!

"Ah! What are you doing!"

"You just kicked me, so it's fair that I kick you three times back!"

"Fairness my foot! Come out here! Come out here!"

Yan Qing slammed the door shut, immediately blocking Shang Xinlei's murderous intent. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his hands.

It took a lot of effort to suppress the urge to take a drag.

You know what, you really have to admit, the feel was unexpectedly good. Yan Qing even suspected that her hand had disobeyed her and squeezed it a little. Sigh, it must be because her hand was being overly repressed; she deserves a beating.

only……

Yan Qing crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought.

With his extensive experience playing many visual novels... never mind, it's useless.

Let's see, what if it's just an illusion?
Yan Qing scratched his head and lay back down on the bed to continue reading the "Yuanshi Daozun's Guide to Picking Up Girls".

……

...

Even after returning to her room, Shang Xinlei was still furious. She gritted her teeth and rubbed her hands together, cursing that bastard a thousand times in her heart.

How dare he... At most, he could have just kicked him once. How could he have slapped him with his hand, and so many times, and even... Tomorrow I'm going to stir-fry three plates of bitter melon with beef and stuff them all into his mouth!

Noticing the unusual wetness, Shang Xinlei squeezed her legs together, her face turning bright red as if it were about to bleed.

Before long, the maids in the courtyard were busy preparing to serve the fourth young lady a bath. Although the maids were very curious as to why the fourth young lady was taking a bath in the middle of the day, they figured it was because she had been training too hard and had sweated too much.

……

...

After Yan Qing and Shang Xinlei returned to their room, the thieves' hall returned to silence. A moment later, a short, sharp sound came from the door that Yan Qing and the other two had never noticed before.

Inside the room, Ying Rushi was eating and laughing, feeling her body warm up.

I never expected them to have this side to them in private. But it's good, they'll definitely become supportive teammates in the future. Even without her, the Thieves' Clan won't fall apart. Aside from not knowing whether Yellow Dog did it intentionally or accidentally, I always feel there's something wrong with his character…

Ying took a couple of steps, but ultimately couldn't hold back any longer. She clutched her abdomen and knelt on the ground, blood gushing out uncontrollably. The huge wound pierced by the spear would not heal anytime soon. She sat down by the bed, panting heavily, her body so exhausted that she seemed ready to fall asleep at any moment.

She relied too much on the Eye of the Mortal World and inadvertently exhausted too much of her energy. Before she knew it, her defensive barrier was breached by the Hundred Guards... and she almost died.

Yet, it was precisely at this moment that the sounds around me became incredibly clear:
"Don't go out! Ying Le will definitely arrest you herself! She knows you've awakened the Divine Martial True Blood!"

"You're dead! How dare you betray Ying Le! She won't let you get away with this. The Thieves' Family can't protect you!"

"Why can they all live peacefully here, while you have to be hunted down by Ying Le? Are you willing to accept that?"

"So you are the White Fox... Black Wolf, Red Serpent. Let's kill her. This kind of person is not worthy to stand shoulder to shoulder with us."

When you open your eyes, there is no confusion or resentment in them, only a deep and overwhelming sadness.

"Your Majesty, it's truly admirable that you... have been able to persevere for so many years."

(End of this chapter)