Scourge Messenger

Chapter 343 Who Will Be Lucky
“You’ve been so reckless and dangerous in the last few battles,” Yan Qing said, “What happened? Why are you suddenly acting so strangely?”

Yingru felt very wronged. Why was I acting so strangely? Wasn't it because you suddenly said something inappropriate and then suddenly gave up?

But she knew very well that she was wrong. The yellow dog really didn't know anything. She hadn't given any explicit or implicit instructions, and even deliberately acted as if she didn't care. Everything was a chaotic mess in her mind. If she could blame the yellow dog for this, she would be no different from killing someone without teaching them... She was just as perverse and cruel as Ying Le.

She struggled to suppress the raging storm within her and calmly replied, "I just feel that compared to the gains, this little danger is worth taking. Have you forgotten that we have the Bingzi Pepper Forest and the Heaven-Slaying Sword? Even if we're seriously injured, we can be saved. In the future, you might have to deal with even more powerful demons, right? Rather than taking risks in the future, it's better to take risks now. When it's time to be aggressive, we should be aggressive. What do you think? Hui will be in charge of long-range support, and you'll also be in charge of troop deployment, so the risky task will naturally fall to me. Do you think I'm not up to the task?"

Ying Rushi secretly applauded herself. Her tone was just right yet authoritative, and her logic, though not perfect, was flawless. The final rhetorical question was the most fatal blow, because Huang Quan always used questions like "Don't you consider me a teammate?" to torture her from a moral high ground. Now it was her turn to torture Huang Quan.

However, Yan Qing's words almost made her lose her composure: "Are you nervous? You talk so much."

"I'm not nervous!" Ying Rushi said, her face flushed. After taking a couple of shallow breaths, she added, "Why should I be nervous? I just saved you. Shouldn't you be thinking about how to repay me?"

"Alright, if Hui finishes eating and doesn't see us, she'll definitely be looking everywhere for us. We should go over there—"

"Wait." Yan Qing grabbed her arm. "I don't want the little rascal to hear what I'm about to say."

Ying Rushi's heart skipped a beat, as she recalled Yan Qing's mutterings from the previous night.

'If she's willing to take one step towards me, I'm willing to take the remaining ninety-nine.'

'Whenever I find a chance to be alone with her, I tell her I love her.'

Could it be because of his selfless rescue just now?

Is it now? Is it right here?
But I... I just made up my mind to give you up, how could you—

"The natural disaster organization invites you to join. Do you accept?"

A clear and indifferent voice rang in Ying Rushi's ears. She stared blankly at Yan Qing and noticed that he was holding a token with the words "natural disaster" engraved on it.

In a flash, a name came to her mind: "You are Yan Qing, the founder of the Natural Disaster Organization, who wants to rule the world!"

"That was a misunderstanding!" Yan Qing said with a dark face. He was amazed at how good their memories were. There was only one announcement, how could they all remember his name? It was one thing to remember his name, but they also remembered that embarrassing statement from his past. He should have just chosen the default "Welcome everyone to the Disaster Relief Organization".

"Just accept it."

Ying silently recited "join," feeling quite curious about this natural disaster organization. Then, a complex stream of information flooded her mind. Her pupils slowly dilated, and she stared blankly at Yan Qing.

"So, what do you think of [Immortal Journey] and [Love Lock]? Pretty good, right?" Yan Qing chuckled. "If you had asked me for help earlier, I would have brought you in sooner. You wouldn't be running around like this with Ying Le now."

"How could you bring me in? I can't even begin to assess the value of these two team skills. There's not even a mention of anything like it in the records left by the Divine Martial Ancestor. Let alone Foundation Establishment cultivators, even legendary Immortal Lords would crave them." Ying asked incredulously, "You trust me that much?"

Yan Qing raised an eyebrow and smiled, "When I brought the Crimson Serpent and Black Wolf in, they didn't ask me this kind of question."

"But I'm not the Black Wolf or the Red Serpent! They belong to you—"

Ying stopped halfway through her sentence, realizing that her emotions were not right. She kept telling herself, "Don't be like this, don't be angry, you have no reason to be angry," but she was still angry, angry at Huang Quan's differential treatment, angry that Huang Quan couldn't see through her thoughts.

Black Wolf and Red Serpent would never ask such a question, but you and I are just teammates and friends, how can I accept this so easily? Why would you compare me to Black Wolf and Red Serpent? What exactly do you take me for?

But Yingru was most angry at herself. Why did she make so many connections from a simple sentence? Huang Quan's rhetorical question was clearly just to express his trust. As a friend, she should be happy. Why did she feel wronged and uneasy? This is not a position that only friends should have.

I hate this version of myself—jealous, resentful, suspicious…I hate it so much, I don’t want to become this kind of person!

I want to get closer to him, but I can't help wanting to hurt him. If this continues, we might not even be able to be friends anymore.

Ying Rushi took a deep breath, swallowing all the bitterness. She exhaled a breath of stale air and looked at Yan Qing, saying, "Thank you, but the seat in the Natural Disaster Organization must be very important, right? The team's skills are so powerful, only a few people can use them. If you need me in the future, you can kick me out to make room for me, I don't mind."

“You’re the first person to tell me something like this,” Yan Qing said.

"Of course, because the black wolf and red snake will never leave you..." Ying Rushi tried to interrupt her thoughts and turned to leave. She dared not stay any longer; before she calmed down and understood her place, every word Yan Qing said could pierce her heart like a thousand arrows.

“However, I won’t kick you out,” Yan Qing said. “After all, you’ve begged me so sincerely.”

Ying was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "What did I ask of you?"

"You must stay with me forever, never to be separated from me for a moment." Yan Qing sighed, "I never expected that your first request would be a lifelong request. I can only mercifully grant your request."

Ying Rushi quickly shook her head, her face turning red with anxiety: "That only applies to the Demon Gathering Grounds! It doesn't count once we leave!"

“You didn’t add that condition, I don’t care, I’ve already taken it seriously.” Yan Qing said leisurely, “According to you, it was agreed to be always, so even if it’s a moment less, it doesn’t count as always.”

“So,” Yan Qing reached out and wiped the blood from her face, “I will give you my life.”

"【Love Lock】is activated on the nearest ally, which means that the next time you risk your life, it will be my turn to risk my life." Yan Qing blinked. "But White Fox, you are my most trusted teammate, the best and calmest thief in the Thieves' House. I trust your judgment. If you want to gamble with your life, I will gamble with you."

"Don't let me lose."

Ying Ru stared at him blankly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Yan Qing felt guilty. He had deliberately made his words so emotional to stop Ying Rushi from taking risks, but it seemed to be too effective. Did he really have such good eloquence?

"You said," Ying Rushi suddenly stepped forward, "that you want to stay with me forever?"

“You were the one who begged me,” Yan Qing stepped back and corrected, “but I agreed, after all, it was the first time you asked me for a favor.”

"Even if we leave the Demon Gathering Land?" Ying Rushi took another step forward.

Even after leaving the Guiding Lands.

"No matter what happens?"

"Whatever happens."

Yan Qing took a few steps back, feeling that the conversation was getting weirder and weirder. It was time to reveal his secret: "What I mean by 'always' is, of course, 'always' as a fellow thief. From now on, the Thieves' House is mine. You just need to complete the mission for me."

Ying Rushi took another step forward, and Yan Qing wanted to retreat further, but his back was pressed against the solid bookshelf, leaving him nowhere to go. He watched as Ying Rushi's watery eyes drew closer, almost touching his face. He could feel her tension, shyness, fear, and desperate courage.

Ying Rushi pursed her lips, staring intently at Yan Qing, her voice carrying a faint, almost imperceptible sob:

"Prove it to me."

The one who falls in love first is stripped of his sharp edge and becomes a subject.

(End of this chapter)