Scourge Messenger

Chapter 303 This Time, This Night
Yan Qing swore that the first time was truly an accident, the second time was simply out of vanity, and the third time... there was no excuse for the third time.

What should he do next? Yan Qing tried hard to recall his lackluster interpersonal experience, and then sadly realized that compared to text and language, his main way of communicating seemed to be sending emojis, and even when communicating face-to-face with others, he preferred to send pictures on chat software.

Saying 'sorry' is the safest option here, but the atmosphere will definitely become very awkward. If he says 'thank you for the meal,' can he casually ignore this little thing? Yan Qing's mind raced, and dozens of solutions came to mind in an instant. At this moment, he felt a connection with the divine, and his intelligence reached an unprecedented level. However, when he met Yaoshi Yuan's clear black eyes, he felt as if he were being stared at by Medusa, unable to say a word, as uneasy as if he had been petrified.

"I'm sorry," the pharmacist said calmly. "I went to get another book. Did I wake you?"

"It's alright," Yan Qing replied instinctively. "I don't mind."

Wait a minute, isn't this dialogue a bit contrary to the Heavenly Gang?

However, Yaoshi Yuan simply skipped over the matter and continued reading the comic book "Yuanshi Daozun". Although Yan Qing was relieved that Yaoshi Yuan hadn't lost his temper, the problem was... his hand hadn't been lowered; it remained covering the snow-capped peak, without the slightest wavering.

What's going on? Is it tacit approval or indifference? Ever since the pharmacist silently grabbed his sleeve, Yan Qing couldn't understand her thoughts. She was usually a generous and proud person who would show her sharpness without any concealment no matter what danger she faced, but now she was like a knife that had been sheathed, refusing to express her thoughts.

Never mind that for now, the most important thing is to focus all my nerves on my right palm and really enjoy the sensation!
"The defensive tokens produced in Qi include demon masks, yaksha masks, and ox-head masks. These tokens have one characteristic: they can work simultaneously with other defensive tokens," Yaoshi Yuan suddenly said. "As for weapon tokens, they have strong regional characteristics, roughly summarized as 'those from the east wield spears, those from the west wield swords,' specifically divided into five categories: the Cangzhou spear, the Nightless Long Spear..."

The pharmacist suddenly introduced information about the tokens of the Qi Kingdom. Yan Qing blinked, thinking she was worried that he wouldn't be able to recognize other people's tokens when he arrived at the Demon Gathering Land. But it was clear that he couldn't listen to anything right now because he was using all his willpower to suppress the riotous movement of his right hand, but it felt like he couldn't control it!

Ok?
Yan Qing blinked and noticed a faint blush rising on Yao Shiyuan's fair and slender neck, like the sunset over a snow-capped mountain. Upon closer inspection, she realized that Yao Shiyuan hadn't even read the comic book. She had only glanced at the fight scene, which consisted of less than two pages and three sentences, for a dozen seconds. Although her tone remained calm, her speaking speed was increasing, like a volcano about to burst forth.

Could it be... that she was actually nervous too?

Yan Qing reluctantly lowered her hand, and Yao Shiyuan's speaking speed immediately returned to normal. After saying only a few words, he stopped and refocused his attention on the comic book.

This little incident could have ended peacefully at this point, but the pharmacist's reaction was so interesting that Yan Qing suddenly lost his composure and put his hand on it again.

"The Zhou Kingdom has a total of thirty-six scenic spots. I have seen the Ba River Bridge and the snow-capped Taibai Mountain..." Yaoshi Yuan suddenly began to introduce the scenic spots she had visited.

Yan Qing lowered her hand, and after a few words of introduction, she slowly stopped. Then Yan Qing put her hand back down, and she immediately started talking about several popular comic book series in Zhou Kingdom. This went on several times. When Yan Qing put her hand down for the fifth time, she suddenly straightened her back and tensed up, startling Yan Qing, who thought that Yao Shiyuan was finally about to lose her temper. But for some reason, Yan Qing felt no fear at all, and even somewhat looked forward to Yao Shiyuan's outburst, so she didn't lower her hand.

However, the pharmacist remained silent for a long time without turning to look at him, and Yan Qing could almost feel her heart racing. After a while, she took a deep breath and, surprisingly, said nothing, continued turning the pages of her book, forcibly entering a reading state, though her face was so red it looked like it was about to bleed.

Yan Qing was afraid that she would suffocate, so she quickly put her hand down. Sure enough, her expression immediately relaxed, and the blush on her cheeks faded a little. Looking at Yao Shiyuan in front of her, who looked like a wronged little wife, an unbelievable guess popped into Yan Qing's mind: Could it be that between Shang Xinlei and Yao Shiyuan, Yao Shiyuan was the more obedient and helpless one?

Recalling their living environment, he became even more certain of his guess. Shang Xinlei had lived in a grand mansion since childhood. Her father had three wives, and her mother was only a concubine. Even though she was loved by her older brothers and sisters, Shang Xinlei inevitably lived a rather repressed life. So once she grew up, she was like a canary breaking free of its cage, transforming into a female thief in Jiangnan City, yearning for a free and unrestrained lifestyle.

She appears to be a gentle and refined lady, but at her core she is a fierce and passionate woman who expresses both her affections and her temper openly and frankly.

In contrast, Yaoshi Yuan, whose mother died early and who received martial arts training, has never lived as a young girl. For many years, she has lived like a wolf on the grassland.

While the alpha wolf thrives in the mountains and forests, fiercely hunting prey and nimbly patrolling its territory, it finds its prized fangs and fur useless when it tries to get close to others.

Even the thought of intimacy shames the alpha wolf. In its worldview, only family and subordinates can be approached. If someone is family, it will tenderly care for them; protecting family is the morality of the grasslands. If someone is subordinate, it will decisively lead them; commanding its subjects is the responsibility of the grasslands. Family and subordinates are its possessions, and intimacy with them is only natural. But this person is neither family nor subordinate. If the alpha wolf were to try to be close to them, it would be violating its survival rules of so many years, and it cannot justify doing so.

So it chose the simplest, most feasible, and most morally sound method: sheathing its fangs, smoothing its fur, and holding onto the other person. Its upbringing forbade it from getting close to people it couldn't control... but if the other person got close to it, it wouldn't resist.

"Black Wolf?" Yan Qing asked tentatively, "The Pharmacist's Wish?"

"Ah."

Do you want me to stay here a little longer?

"Why would I want you to stay here any longer?" the pharmacist countered.

“Because I am the leader and you are my subordinate, you will need my permission to use [Immortal Journey] and [Love Lock] in the future,” Yan Qing said seriously. “So you have to get along well with me.”

The pharmacist thought for a moment, then sighed helplessly: "I, the dignified Duke of Jin, have actually been reduced to having to fawn over others."

"You don't want to? Then I'm leaving."

“No,” the pharmacist said, immediately reverting to her usual assertive attitude after having a good reason. She leaned back and pressed against Yan Qing. “We can’t meet for the next five days. We need to stay a little longer so our relationship doesn’t become too distant.”

She reached for the wine bottle on the bedside table, uncorked it, and took a sip straight to her lips, not caring that the wine slid down her cheeks. She wiped her mouth dry and handed the bottle to Yan Qing: "Want a drink? It's Chang'an's Drunken Immortal Brew, I really like it."

"I don't really like drinking," Yan Qing said.

"Oh." The pharmacist took the bottle back.

Although Yao Shiyuan's response was calm and her expression remained unchanged, Yan Qing keenly sensed her low spirits. This seemed to be the first time she had proactively shared something she liked with him. Yan Qing took the wine bottle and took a small sip, saying to Yao Shiyuan's surprised gaze, "It's not bad, but I don't have the habit of drinking, so I can only have a sip with you. I prefer the chilled five-flower tea from Jiangnan; I'll bring some for you to try next time."

“Alright.” The pharmacist’s lips curled up slightly, her gaze full of allure. “Do you dislike the taste or flavor of Drunken Immortal Wine? The best-tasting wine in Zhou Kingdom is Qin Chuan’s Bitter Comeback, and the best-flavored wine is Qishan’s Monkey Fruit Wine…”

Yan Qing held Yao Shiyuan in her arms and listened quietly as she talked about the differences between the fine wines from various parts of Zhou Kingdom. It was the first time she had discovered that Yao Shiyuan had such an ordinary side.

However, upon closer reflection, the pressure on the pharmacist had been immense. She was either wanted by the Zhou Kingdom, or she was vying for the Foundation Establishment legacy in Shu Dao Mountain, then she was plotting to save the Rabbit Girl Warrior, and recently she was even tortured by the Dragon Locking Master for her maid... It wasn't until two days ago when Yan Qing offered a way to help the three of them escape from the Zhou Kingdom that she was finally relieved of her heavy burden.

Yan Qing's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized that although Yao Shiyuan and Shang Xinlei had both been cold towards him these past two days, the reasons were completely different. Shang Xinlei was embarrassed because he had hit her on August 15th two days ago; Yao Shiyuan, on the other hand, didn't know how to express her feelings. She had no reason to approach Yan Qing; she had already used all the reasons—gratitude, concern, and worry—and couldn't possibly be as affectionate as a female warrior clinging to Yan Qing. So, Yao Shiyuan was completely stunned.

If Yan Qing hadn't gone out for five days of training, which upset Yao Shiyuan, she would most likely have remained stagnant until she found a new reason to hug Yan Qing.

(End of this chapter)