Scourge Messenger

Chapter 333: Choose only one?
"What should I do? I think I've really fallen in love with the white fox."

Ying Ru felt as if she had been electrocuted; her body tensed instantly, she instinctively clenched her fists, her bent legs clamped tightly together, and her toes curled up.

She dared not open her eyes or make any movement, but her hearing was clearer than ever before; she could even hear her own heart pounding like thunder and the whispers carried on the wind.

Does he like me?

But how could he like me? He clearly...

"But this is wrong... How can I fall in love with her?" Yan Qing's voice revealed melancholy and helplessness: "Black Wolf and Red Serpent are still a mess with me, how can I fall in love with every girl I see? If I'm so promiscuous, she'll look down on me, won't she? I can only choose one."

"It would be best to sever all ties with her as soon as possible and stop all contact with her."

Even though Yan Qing's decision perfectly aligned with her own thoughts, Ying Rushi felt an indescribable bitterness welling up in her heart.

"Don't be like this," Yingru told herself. "Don't be unhappy, or they'll find out tomorrow. What else are you hoping for? He has the passionate Red Serpent and the incredibly talented Black Wolf by his side. They've known you longer, their feelings for you are deeper, and their futures are brighter. Whether they choose the innocent noblewoman of Liang or the seemingly cold but warm-hearted military officer of Zhou, it's easier than you, someone who has offended a Foundation Establishment member of the Qi royal family... His help to you is only out of a sense of duty as a teammate. Who would want to live with someone like you?"

You have a noble cause, you are a hero, you are great for the sake of the world, but he is surrounded by girls who will walk alongside him. Since you can't do that, don't feel like you've lost... because you were never entitled to have it in the first place.

Ying Rushi closed her eyes tightly, trying to fall asleep, but shallow tears still slid down her cheeks. Suddenly, she heard light footsteps approaching, and she was startled, too afraid to move.

However, the bed was protected by the three-headed demon's feathered arms, so he didn't ask the demon to step back, but instead stood outside watching. A barely audible chuckle rang out in the air: "How old are you? Still shedding tears in your sleep."

Ying Rushi didn't react at all; her cheeks just felt burning hot.

"These past few days must have been tough," Yan Qing said with a hint of amusement. "What a foolish woman."

"But that's precisely why I can't bring myself to give you up."

Ying Rushi managed to keep her breathing steady, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. The steadfastness, forbearance, and rationality she had cultivated while serving Ying Le were shattered in that moment, as if she had reverted to the crybaby she once was.

"No matter what happens, I will never give up on you, you silly woman." Yan Qing muttered to himself, "Tomorrow, I'll be honest with you tomorrow. If we're together, at least you won't cry in your sleep, right?"

Ying Rushi was startled, but if that were the case—

"As for Black Wolf and Red Serpent," Yan Qing sighed softly, "I feel pity for Black Wolf and gratitude for Red Serpent. They are both very good, but... you need me the most, and I want you the most."

What are you saying? Ying Rushi bit her lower lip lightly. So it was because he saw my body that he got lustful. It's all Hui's fault. If Hui hadn't caused this, he definitely wouldn't have thought so much... Although she kept criticizing Murong Hui's mischief in her heart, she couldn't help but feel excited.

She had secretly observed the appearances of Black Wolf and Red Serpent before, and even though she had inherited the Ying family's renowned beauty, she dared not claim to surpass them. Hearing his heartfelt words that he desired her most, Ying Ru Shi felt a bittersweet sensation, like drinking a glass of chilled plum juice.

She heard Yan Qing return to the window, her voice full of worry: "But what if she rejects me? If I confess my feelings, will we even lose each other as teammates? She knows about my relationship with Black Wolf and Red Serpent. Even if I say I only love her, will she not believe me? No, what if it's just wishful thinking on my part all along, and she doesn't actually have those feelings for me at all? After all, we haven't known each other for very long."

"How about forgetting it?"

You should tense your body in this way.

"Let's see how it goes. As long as... as long as she's willing to take one step toward me, I'm willing to take the remaining ninety-nine. Whenever I find a chance to be alone with her, I'll tell her I love her."

Ying Ru secretly breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly thinking that this wasn't so bad; at least the initiative was in her hands. Maybe she should just give up. Black Wolf and Red Serpent were both so good, so well-matched with him. She was already in a quagmire; why drag him into it…

But the thought of him with the Red Serpent and the Black Wolf brought a pang of sorrow to Ying Rushi's heart. If she hadn't heard those words, Ying Rushi would have accepted her sadness willingly, but knowing that she could have him if she just took one more step, she still forced herself to give up... It was like deliberately stabbing herself in the heart, the pain making it hard to breathe.

Even if he had betrayed Ying Le back then, it wouldn't have been this hard to make up his mind.

Ying thought and thought but couldn't figure it out. Her mind was a mess, and she became increasingly sleepy in a daze.

I do not know how long it has been.

Ying Rushi abruptly opened her eyes, pushed away Murong Hui's long legs, and squeezed past the demon guards. She saw Yan Qing still sitting by the window, half his body shrouded in darkness, the other half illuminated by the dim streetlights, his figure possessing a unique charm even in the hazy light. Seeing him like this, Ying Rushi recalled Yan Qing's earlier self-talk, and her heart pounded wildly.

"Do you want to sleep a little longer?" Yan Qing asked. "You look very tired."

Ying Rushi shook her head and walked over silently to relieve Yan Qing. As they passed each other, Ying Rushi suddenly grabbed Yan Qing's arm. Under Yan Qing's puzzled gaze, she hesitated for a moment before finally managing to say, "Thank you for your hard work." Yan Qing raised his eyebrows and hummed in agreement. "Remember to wake up the little rascal later. She said she'd keep watch. Don't let her get away with it."

“Also,” Ying Rushi said, mustering her courage, “although you are entangled with Black Wolf and Red Serpent, I don’t actually think you are a promiscuous person.”

Yan Qing was taken aback: "Thank you."

Yan Qing walked to the bed, kicked away Murong Hui's wildly outstretched hands and feet, and lay down comfortably on the bed, lost in thought.

Why are you suddenly saying I'm not promiscuous?
Am I not promiscuous?

Am I not?

No, I'm not!
Although I was so bored on night watch that I kept daydreaming and even thought about what to name my grandchildren with the pharmacist, I am not!
Yan Qing closed her eyes with a sense of peace.

……

...

the next day.

"Keeping watch is so boring. We can't do anything else but stare blankly." Murong Hui asked curiously, "What do you do to pass the time when you're on watch? I'm fantasizing about unleashing my divine power after reaching Foundation Establishment, unifying the Central Plains, and venturing into the outer realms. My timeline has already progressed to the sixth stage of Foundation Establishment, and I'm almost about to ascend!"

Yan Qing blinked, and mumbled while eating fried noodles, "Me too."

"Me too." Ying Rushi echoed somewhat guiltily, glanced at the pancakes on the table, pursed her lips, picked up a pancake and gave it to Yan Qing: "Try this, it's hot."

"Try this too!" Murong Hui held out the spicy strips. "I've discovered that spicy strips taste even better when mixed with fried noodles!"

Yan Qing wanted to refute it, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that adding spicy strips to fried noodles was similar to adding chili sauce. Some people might like this flavor, but he had gotten tired of it during his student days, so he naturally declined.

"Who are we planning to kill today?" Murong Hui asked. "Boss Yellow Dog, let's have a good slaughter!"

"Today we're going deep into the Demon Gathering Land to deal with the third-tier demons," Yan Qing said. "Without a specific target, I need to gather as much information as possible about the puppet tokens."

There are limits to the size of a dragon servant. Even if Yan Qing tries his best, he can only grow 1000 to 2000 stats per day at most. He can only have one ascended dragon servant and one ordinary dragon servant at most. Let alone dealing with the fourth-level demon team in the city center, he would have a hard time even dealing with the Hundred Guards Squad.

Today is the third day, and Yan Qing doesn't plan to stay in the Demon Gathering Land for too long. He will leave on the fifth day, and he must change his lineup today!

If he hadn't transmigrated or hadn't been able to log into the game forums of his previous life, changing his lineup wouldn't have been difficult; he could have just checked out the strategies. But Yan Qing couldn't even identify all the puppet cards, so how would he know which lineup suited him? Therefore, he could only take the brute-force approach: examine as many puppet cards as possible and select a rough lineup from them.

However, Yan Qing was not entirely clueless. The fact that the puppet cards were divided into different race series meant that players of the same race would naturally form a good lineup.

The plan was set, and everyone packed their belongings to leave. Yan Qing was putting on her socks when Murong Hui suddenly stretched out her foot. "Yellow Dog, help me put on my socks!"

"Okay!" Yan Qing grabbed her toes and dug his thumb into the soles of her feet.

"Ahhh, let go! Let go!" Murong Hui pulled her foot back. "If you don't want to help, then don't. Really."

Ying Rushi couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, only suppressing her laughter when Yan Qing looked over. As Yan Qing passed by, he suddenly looked at her and said, "Don't move."

Yingru thought there was something wrong with her attire, so she stood there waiting for Yan Qing to help her. Instead, Yan Qing reached out and pinched her cheek.

"You were laughing quite well just now, keep it up." Yan Qing laughed, "You should balance things out with that little rascal, she laughs too much and you laugh too little."

"Don't touch me!" Murong Hui slapped Yan Qing's hand away: "If you're not buying, don't touch me like that!"

For a moment, Ying Rushi forgot her anger towards Murong Hui. She rubbed her burning cheeks and secretly made up her mind.

(End of this chapter)