Scourge Messenger

Chapter 332 Re-entering the Dream
"Stretch out both hands."

Ying stopped her wild thoughts and obediently stretched out her hands.

She flinched slightly when Yan Qing touched her bandages, but quickly relaxed and calmly allowed Yan Qing to remove them.

A pair of hideous and ugly arms were exposed in the dim light of the streetlights, looking like hundreds of centipedes huddled together, writhing and biting. Touching them, one could clearly feel their grotesque texture. Ying Rushi's hands were divided by the elbows; the latter half was smooth and white like mutton fat jade, while the former half was a battlefield of nightmarish purgatory.

"It's terrifying, isn't it?" Ying Ru said softly. "If my hands touched you, you would definitely feel disgusted, right? I didn't even dare to hug Hui just now. My hands have lost the right to hug. They can only grip weapons tightly until death."

She thought Yan Qing would comfort her, but Yan Qing simply nodded: "It really is scary."

Ying Ru pursed her lips, hiding her face in the shadows so he wouldn't see her bitter expression. Even when soaking in hot springs, she would wear bandages, but she always had to change them. Each time she changed the bandages, it brought her not only pain but also heartache.

To ensure the cleanest possible conclusion to the Ying family's imperial lineage, and to let the world know that the bloodline of Emperor Shenwu of Qi was not limited to tyrants like Ying Le, but also included members of the royal family who defended the common people, Ying Rushi was willing to die for the greater good. However, she was ultimately just a young girl in her early twenties. How could she not feel bitter when she saw her hands so ugly that even she herself loathed them?

This price was insignificant, and even just thinking about it made Ying Rushi feel pretentious. She was Ying Rushi, a member of the Qi royal family. She had no time to wallow in self-pity over such trivial matters. She was now working for the sake of the people, and these scars were her glorious achievements. She should display them openly and honestly. She had no right to be vain. The more tragic her story, the more it proved how great her righteousness was!

Yan Qing took out a medicine bottle, poured out some milky ointment, rubbed it on his hands to warm it up, and then applied it to Ying Rushi's arms and rubbed it vigorously.

Such intimate skin-to-skin contact made Ying Rushi blush slightly, and she tried to pull her hand back: "My hand has already healed, you don't need to apply any ointment."

“This isn’t medicine, it’s Jade Flawless Ointment, a gift from Red Serpent. I used to fight in the Hundred Guards, and my hands are covered in scars. Red Serpent saw them and recommended this ointment, which can effectively smooth out scars.” Yan Qing grabbed her arms: “I’ll apply it for you the first time, so watch carefully. Next time, you can do it yourself.”

"Stop fooling around. You don't want Murong Hui to be woken up, do you? Who knows what she'll say or how she'll laugh at us then."

Ying Rushi indeed stopped struggling, but was still not very willing: "I don't think it's necessary. It's just my hands, it won't affect my movements..."

"But why are you wearing bandages? Wouldn't it be better to show them and scare the enemy?" Yan Qing said irritably. "You can fool yourself, but don't fool your father too."

"What?!" Ying Rushi glared at him fiercely.

"Anyway, I have your hands under control, so go ahead and bite me if you dare."

"I don't like this kind of joke!"

"But I like it. Don't you like doing things for my own good? Just get used to it."

Ying Ru stared straight at him, a huge wave of grievance welling up inside her for some reason. It was as if all the bitterness that had accumulated over the past few days had been suppressed deep inside her, turning into a powder keg. As long as no one could enter her heart, all this bitterness would vanish with her death. But now Yan Qing had lit the fuse and set the powder keg on fire... She had always told herself to stay calm, but now she couldn't help but lose her temper!
Ying Rushi opened her mouth wide and bit down, like a venomous snake or a mad wolf. Yan Qing was startled and subconsciously raised her hands. Ying Rushi then crashed into his arms, but she still bit his neck hard.

It's really biting!?

Yan Qing winced in pain, but remained silent and didn't push her away. He hadn't expected Ying Rushi to be so angry. Ying Rushi quickly relented; she wasn't one to lose her temper, she just couldn't control herself for a moment… However, Ying Rushi knew this was just an excuse. If she really couldn't control herself, why didn't she get angry at Ying Le?
There's no such thing as an uncontrollable temper; it's just that you know the other person will spoil you.

Seeing the clear teeth marks left on Yan Qing's neck by her bite, Ying Ru felt very embarrassed. As if possessed, she stuck out her little tongue and licked the teeth marks.

Yan Qing shivered.

Ying Rushi's body tensed up as well.

She realized how outrageous her actions were and subconsciously looked up at Yan Qing, her eyes meeting his. Only then did she realize she was leaning against Yan Qing, without armor or a coat, her thin clothing seemingly nonexistent, her bodies, radiating intense heat, pressed tightly together… she could almost feel his breath. Suddenly, Ying Ru Shi sensed something and hopped back like a rabbit, her breasts bouncing beneath her clothes. She lowered her head, unable to look at Yan Qing. Yan Qing couldn't hold back any longer either. Luckily, he was bandaged; at this moment, if he wasn't embarrassed, it was someone else who would be.

He continued rubbing the ointment, saying softly, "I'm sorry, I won't make that kind of joke again."

“It’s none of your business, I just overreacted,” Ying said.

Yan Qing rubbed it very carefully, not even missing a fingertip. Ying Ru looked at him, a thought flashing through her mind: This was the ointment given by Red Serpent, and it must have been Red Serpent who applied it for him the first time, their hands had been clasped together like this before... The clothes he was wearing were a gift from Red Serpent... Red Serpent would always stand by his side without hesitation whenever there was a conflict... Such passionate love, no wonder he liked Red Serpent.

“Actually, there’s no need for it.” Ying Rushi exhaled, her voice sounding somewhat dejected for some reason: “Anyway, I’ll still have to fight the Hundred Guards in the future, and the wound will reopen then. Healing it now would just be redundant.”

Yan Qing glanced at her and continued rubbing the ointment.

"Turns out you really are even dumber than that little cat."

Murong Hui grunted and rolled over.

Yingru looked at him with a puzzled expression, her face showing a hint of grievance and resentment.

“Even she knows that the way to avoid being hunted down is to kill the assassin. If you don’t want to have more scars, isn’t the method obvious?” Yan Qing said, “Just don’t fight the Hundred Guards.”

Ying Rushi felt bewildered: "Does it mean I can't avoid fighting? They're in the Demon Gathering Lands now, and we'll run into them sooner or later. Once we do, am I supposed to just not fight them?"

"sure,"

Yan Qing held her hands tightly and rubbed all the ointment into her wounds:

"Because I am here."

“Now that I’m here, it’s not your turn to make a move. You just need to help me kill the demons.” He took out a bandage, helped Ying Rushi wrap her arm, and said calmly, “Besides, I really can’t figure out what you’re thinking.”

Ying Ru was stunned for a moment before she remembered that he was responding to what he said in the hot spring, that he couldn't always guess what she was thinking.

“But since you care so much about these scars, why not just heal them? All scars can heal, and all mistakes can be made up for.” Yan Qing sighed, “Can’t you learn from that little rascal and just say what you want? You say it so casually, but your expression is so sad, as if I have to guess to please you.”

Ying Rushi quickly shook her head and whispered in protest, "I didn't..."

"I know you're not, that's why you're so infuriating." Yan Qing released her hand and waved for her to get lost: "I won't bother with you next time."

When Ying Rushi returned to bed, Murong Hui had already fallen asleep, lying diagonally opposite her to take up as much space as possible. Ying Rushi had no choice but to curl up on one side, her arms crossed over her chest, and for some reason, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

She would occasionally glance up at Yan Qing sitting on the windowsill, but quickly look back, worried about being discovered. After a while, she couldn't help but look up again.

In her dazed state, she suddenly heard the yellow dog talking to itself:

"What should I do? I think I've really fallen in love with the white fox."

(End of this chapter)