Scourge Messenger

Chapter 330 Repaying the favor
Ying cried out in surprise, swallowing several mouthfuls of hot spring water, her voice filled with a mixture of shock and anger: "What are you doing? I didn't do anything to you!"

“You’re speaking like a human being now,” Yan Qing laughed, “instead of the arrogant and self-righteous Prince.”

"I—" Ying Rushi didn't know how to refute for a moment: "Where am I being arrogant or presumptuous?"

“From the moment I met you in Pingcheng, you’ve always been arrogant and self-righteous. You arrogantly took away the Hundred Guards who were wreaking havoc in Pingcheng, preventing me from having a chance to retaliate,” Yan Qing said. “Now you’re arrogantly separating from me again, without even asking what I think.”

"Do you think that as long as you sacrifice yourself, everyone should naturally understand you, thank you, and respect you? When you suggested splitting up, did you feel particularly great? Did you feel that you were no longer human, but a benevolent and savior, with even your body shining? Black Wolf and Red Serpent's feeling was really right. You really are the most disgusting person in the Thieves' House. Only a woman can understand a woman."

Ying Rushi's eyes reddened from Yan Qing's scolding, and she pursed her lips in grievance, "I wasn't trying to harm you, I was doing it for your own good—"

"For my own good!?" Yan Qing grabbed her collar and pulled her in front of him: "If you really cared about me, you shouldn't have appeared in the Demon Gathering Land, in front of me. That way, I wouldn't have saved you, and the Hundred Guards wouldn't have appeared in the Demon Gathering Land!"

"If I had known, I wouldn't have come! I didn't want to either, I was just being hunted down and had nowhere else to go—"

"Did your brain just run away on its own? Why don't you just hide in the thieves' house? Even if you just told us and left a note in the lobby, couldn't we help you figure something out?"

"I can't." Ying Rushi sniffed and said softly, "Just like you slaughtered your way through the Qi Kingdom, I also want to do something to resist Ying Le. You understand, just like I owe you too much and feel uneasy, I also owe too many people too much... I have to do this."

“I didn’t stop you from making things difficult for Ying Le,” Yan Qing asked, “but what does that have to do with you wanting to break up with me? Do you think I’ll hold you back? Do you look down on me?”

Ying Rushi quickly shook her head: "Of course not! But I would cause you trouble. You have your own things to do in the Demon Gathering Lands, and I don't want to—"

Yan Qing looked up at the sky and sighed, pressing his hands on Ying Rushi's shoulders, looking utterly helpless.

"So how long are you going to keep being so self-righteous?" Yan Qing said, "When I was alone, I was willing to offend the Imperial Guards to save you. Now that you're with me, do you think I'd be afraid of them?"

“You keep saying you’re doing this for my own good, but you haven’t considered my feelings at all. I rushed out to save you; I fought against the Hundred Guards because I didn’t want you to be in danger,” Yan Qing stared into Ying Rushi’s eyes. “What I value is you as a person, you stupid woman!”

"Think about it, would I be happy if Black Wolf said something like that to me? Would I be happy if Red Serpent said something like that to me? If it were a Foundation Establishment Messenger or a powerhouse like that, it would be one thing, but I have my own way of dealing with the Hundred Guards, and they even split up to act. What's the difference between that and looking down on me? So do you understand why I'm so angry? Because you both look down on me and are incredibly stupid!"

Ying Ru was so confused by what he said that her heart felt like it was a mixture of sweet, sour, bitter and spicy flavors. She wanted to retort, "I'm not a black wolf or a red snake," but the words stuck in her throat.

“I really don’t want to get involved with you, really. It’s like I owe you something from a past life. You’ve rejected my kindness three times. The first time was when you never contacted me, the second time was when I advised you to hide in the Thieves’ House, and the third time was just now when I clearly stated my opposition, but you still insisted. If you really want to die and be a savior, I won’t stop you, and I can’t stop you.”

"Then why...?" Ying Ru asked subconsciously.

"Because when I pulled you out of the mud, what I saw was not a heroic savior who went to his death, but a stupid old woman with a tearful face and a face full of resentment!" Yan Qing loosened her collar, leaned against the edge of the pool, and said irritably, "If you want to live, live well, so that you won't cry so badly when you die."

"Don't say anything stupid like splitting up, and don't even think about sneaking away." Yan Qing said, propping her cheek up with her hand, "Otherwise, I'll..."

He thought for a moment and suddenly realized that he didn't seem to have anything to threaten her with, so he planned to gloss over it. But Ying Rushi asked seriously, "So what?"

"Have you forgotten that you still owe me? Don't run around until you pay it back!" Yan Qing grinned and said, "Didn't you say that the Ying family, as a royal family, clearly distinguishes between personal grudges and debts?"

Yan Qing felt that reasoning with Ying Rushi was pointless; moral blackmail was more effective. That was why he had just offered to repay her, but he hadn't expected Ying Rushi to be so generous. "I want to repay her," Ying Rushi said, handing over the Heaven-Slaying Sword again.

“But I don’t want it!” Yan Qing said, “You have to consider what I want before you return it, right? You can’t give me a pear when I want an apple.”

"Then what do you want? I have nothing more precious than the Heaven Sword."

“No, you do.” Yan Qing stared at her and said, “You have something more precious than the Heaven-Slaying Sword.”

Ying Rushi was slightly taken aback. Following his gaze, she glanced at her body soaking in the hot spring. Only then did she realize that her soaked nightgown clung to her body, completely outlining her rounded figure. Instantly, her face flushed red to her ears, as if the steam from the hot spring was emanating from her. She clutched the Heaven-Slaying Sword tightly to her chest, cautiously watching Yan Qing, as if afraid that someone might go berserk in the hot spring. Should she chop off his head or his scalp?
Yan Qing's face darkened: "You're the one who's been corrupted by Murong Hui!? I'm talking about the Thieves' House mission, the mission! If you can put in more effort in future missions so I can complete them easily, that would be more precious than any reward! I value you guys because you're my teammates, you can walk alongside me! Really, what nonsense are you thinking?"

Ying Ru asked, as if possessed, "Did you say something similar to Black Wolf and Red Serpent?"

"Hmm." Yan Qing blinked. "What's wrong?"

“No wonder…” Ying Ru muttered, “But what you just said is what I should do, it doesn’t count as repaying a debt of gratitude—”

“Then you can repay the favor using the method you just thought of.” Yan Qing pouted: “Anyway, I only accept these two methods. I don’t even want the little Heaven-Slaying Sword.”

Yan Qing understood Ying Rushi's tragic heroine nature well; she either refused or, once she agreed, she would always keep her promise. Of course, this was on the premise that Ying Rushi was not truly seeking death, and Yan Qing simply wanted to give her a reason to live.

"Okay."

"Oh... what's good? Will you be in charge of everything at the Thieves' House from now on?"

“Just as you said,” Ying Rushi leaned closer to him, her gentle voice carrying a hint of allure, “to repay your kindness in the way I just came up with.”

Yan Qing's body trembled. Really? Is this a case of "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"? Is it really that simple? So, things in visual novels are all real?
Ying Rushi leaned close to his ear and whispered, "When we return to the Thieves' House, and Black Wolf and Red Serpent are both there, if you still want it, I will repay your kindness as you wish, how about it?"

Yan Qing, his face dark, gave her the middle finger: "As expected of the Ying family royals, their methods are indeed quite perverted!"

How is this any different from a refusal?
Ying Ru chuckled. She had just been relentlessly attacked by Yan Qing, but now she had finally gotten her revenge. She patted Yan Qing on the shoulder and said, "Just kidding. Look at my hands. I don't even dare to take off the bandages when I take a shower. If you saw them, you would probably throw up."

"Then why don't you just not untie it?"

"So you weren't always able to guess what I was thinking." Ying Rushi smiled and shook her head, turning to walk out of the hot spring pool. The hot water slid down the contours of her hips and dripped onto the rocky ground.

Snapped.

Just as Ying Rushi turned around, the wooden door, which had been tightly closed, suddenly slammed shut. Then, Murong Hui's loud muttering to herself echoed in the hall: "Hey, why is the hot spring door blocked? I don't know how to open it. You two will have to stay here for the night. I should go to sleep. If I fall asleep, I won't hear anything and won't know what's going on."

Ying Rushi's face darkened, and she wrung out her nightgown, preparing to beat Murong Hui again. Yan Qing called out to her, "Wait for me, I want to beat her too."

(End of this chapter)