Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 86: Thriller
I don't know how long I slept, but a slightly urgent knocking sound pierced the silence of the room.

Bai Yuekui stirred in Yang Chen's arms, her long eyelashes trembling slightly as she opened her eyes, still dazed from just waking up.

Yang Chen woke up at almost the same time, and his arms tightened instinctively for a moment before relaxing.

"coming."

Bai Yuekui's voice was hoarse from just waking up. She rubbed her temples, got up from Yang Chen's warm embrace, and walked towards the door.

As soon as the door opened, Bai Yuetian's face, with a slightly ingratiating smile, appeared outside.

It was already dark outside, and the village was dotted with lights.

"Hi, dear sister, I'm here to freeload a meal." Bai Yuetian squeezed in, his gaze sweeping over his sister and Yang Chen, who had just sat up and whose hair was slightly disheveled.

His smile widened. "Oh, did I disturb your rest? I thought the food would be ready by now."

"I didn't come empty-handed this time. Here, I brought you some things."

Bai Yuetian gestured with the ingredients in his hand.

Bai Yuekui ignored his teasing, took the ingredients, and turned to walk towards the kitchen area: "Are you settled in?"

"All settled, all settled!" Bai Yuetian sat down at the dining table as if they were old friends.

“I arranged for him to live next door to me,” he smacked his lips.

"I think he's a bit dazed right now. He woke up from a nap and found out it was the end of the world."

Yang Chen also got up, walked to Bai Yuekui's side, and took the ingredients she had just taken out to start washing.

Bai Yuekui then picked up a kitchen knife, preparing to process the vegetables on the cutting board.

Soon, the sound of running water and the crisp sound of chopping vegetables filled the kitchen.

Bai Yuetian watched the figures bustling side by side in the kitchen, the light outlining their silhouettes, the soft clattering of pots and pans conveying a warm, homely feeling.

He leaned back in his chair, the playful smile fading from his face, replaced by a hint of wistfulness in his eyes.

Bai Yuetian suddenly spoke up: "If Dad were still alive, seeing you like this..."

He paused, seemingly imagining the scene.

"He'll probably be shocked."

Bai Yuekui's hand, which was chopping vegetables, paused almost imperceptibly.

The blade hovered above the emerald green vegetable leaves, as if time had frozen for a moment.

After a few seconds, she gave a very soft "hmm," her voice so low it was almost drowned out by the sound of the flowing water.

The blade fell, continuing its regular and crisp rhythm.
Bai Yuetian keenly noticed his sister's momentary silence.

He coughed dryly, abruptly changing the subject: "Speaking of which, that girl named Hongkou hasn't come back since she went to Village No. 2 today?"

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he pursed his lips, glanced at the two people busy in the kitchen, and then wisely stopped trying to get on the topic.

He stood up and strolled over to the comfortable-looking sofa in the living room.

"Alright, you guys go ahead with your work, I'll have some fun first."

Bai Yuetian hadn't been fiddling with things on the sofa for long when enticing aromas wafted over from the kitchen.

"Brother, it's time to eat."

Bai Yuetian was engrossed in the game when he heard Bai Yuekui's call. Reluctantly, he paused the game and tossed the controller aside.

He moved closer to the dining table.

"Wow! It smells delicious!" He craned his neck to look at the dishes that Bai Yuekui and Yang Chen brought out one after another, and couldn't help but rub his hands together.

"It seems I brought just the right amount of ingredients."

The three sat around the dining table. Bai Yuekui served the rice, and Yang Chen ladled soup for each of them.

For a moment, the only sounds were the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the chewing sounds.

Bai Yuetian ate a few mouthfuls of food, swallowed them, and then looked up at Yang Chen as if he suddenly remembered something.

He asked indistinctly, still chewing something in his mouth.

"Hey, Orange, what are your plans for the next couple of days? Is there anything exciting happening in the village that needs my, the most handsome and invincible Bai Yuetian, to handle?"

Yang Chen picked up a piece of green vegetable with his chopsticks, and after hearing this, he thought for a moment: "It seems that I don't have any classes these two days. The children just finished visiting the ecological base. Qiu Shi said to let them digest the information and write observation diaries."

He paused, then looked up at the night view outside the window.

"In a couple of days... I plan to go out for a walk."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuetian immediately stopped chewing, her eyes widening: "Go out for a stroll? Where to? Take me with you!"

He instantly perked up and leaned forward.

"Have you discovered some fun place? Or does some settlement need reinforcements? Fighting? Exploring? My new body is just looking for a place to stretch its muscles."

Yang Chen felt the blazing enthusiasm that Bai Yuetian had suddenly ignited, as well as the calm yet questioning gaze that Bai Yuekui cast from the side.

He put down his chopsticks and picked up a spoon to gently stir the milky white soup in the bowl.

“I don’t have any particular goal.” His voice remained steady, with its usual gentleness.

His gaze first met Bai Yuekui's for a moment in a reassuring manner, before turning to Bai Yuetian, who was beaming with excitement.

"Just going out for a casual walk."

Just taking a casual stroll? Alone?

Bai Yuetian was clearly utterly disappointed by the answer. He leaned back dramatically, the chair creaking slightly, his eyebrows raised high. "What's the point of going? There's nothing but sand and rocks outside, and those ugly Devouring Beasts. I'm sick of seeing them."

He picked up his chopsticks again and poked at the grains of rice in the bowl.

"This is so boring. I'd rather stay home and play games, or go and spar with Xiao Deng and the others, or at the very least, tease that new guy Wumen. That kid is quite interesting."

Just as Bai Yuetian was grumbling and complaining, Bai Yuekui put down his chopsticks.

Her beautiful eyes were now fixed on Yang Chen's face.

The two were almost inseparable, and Bai Yuekui had a general idea of ​​Yang Chen's thoughts.

"I'll go with you?" Bai Yuekui's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out Bai Yuetian's complaints.

Yang Chen nodded: "Okay."

"Huh?" Bai Yuetian looked at his sister, then at Yang Chen.

The disappointment on his face was instantly replaced by a sour feeling of being excluded again.

"So it turns out you two planned this romantic getaway? You should have said so earlier! You made me all excited for nothing!"

He reluctantly picked up the bowl and shoveled the last few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

"Alright, alright, I won't disturb your romantic wasteland exploration anymore, I'm leaving!"

He put down his bowl, stood up quickly, sighed dramatically, and kept turning back to wink as he walked out.

"I'm leaving, sis, Orange." The door closed behind him, shutting out his last bit of chatter.

The room became quiet again.

Bai Yuekui looked at Yang Chen: "Pack up?"

"Okay." Yang Chen responded and stood up.

The two of them were clearing the dishes from the table.

The water gurgled again as Bai Yuekui washed herself, and Yang Chen took over to wipe her down.

After tidying up, Bai Yuekui walked to the sofa, picked up the game controller that Bai Yuetian had left behind, and turned on the screen.

"Want to play a game?" She looked at Yang Chen, the light from the screen reflecting on her profile.

Yang Chen smiled, sat down next to her, and took the other controller.

The little figures on the screen run, jump, and cooperate to overcome challenges in a virtual world.

The game features relaxing sound effects and the occasional soft laughter belonging to Bai Yuekui.
Time slipped away quietly in front of the screen where light and shadow shifted.

As the final puzzle was solved, the game screen froze on a beautiful ending animation showing the protagonists holding hands and gazing into the distance, and night had already fallen.

There were hardly any human voices in the village, only the faint sound of the wind outside the window.

Bai Yuekui put down the controller, the screen dimmed, and only the dim, warm light from a small nightlight in the corner of the room remained.

She stood up and stretched her shoulders and neck, which were a little stiff from sitting for a long time.

Yang Chen stood up as well.

Bai Yuekui's graceful movements carried a touch of languid beauty, and the lines of his shoulders and neck appeared soft in the dim light.

As soon as she lowered her arm, Yang Chen naturally moved closer.

He reached out and gently pulled her into his arms.

Bai Yuekui did not resist and leaned against him, her forehead gently resting against his warm neck, breathing in his clean and familiar scent.

After a long while, Yang Chen loosened his embrace slightly and looked down at her. Bai Yuekui also raised her head, her eyes reflecting that faint light, clear and serene.

"Tired?" he asked in a low voice, which sounded particularly deep in the silence.

Bai Yuekui shook his head, a very faint smile curving his lips: "Not sleepy."

Yang Chen understood, his arm still around her shoulder. "Then... let's rest."

"Ah."

The two walked into the bedroom in the dim light, without turning on the main lights.

Yang Chen gently closed the door behind him, shutting out the warm light from the living room.

Bai Yuekui walked to the bedside and was about to bend down to tidy the thin blanket when Yang Chen hugged her from behind again.

Bai Yuekui relaxed, lay down naturally, turned her head slightly, and took the initiative to meet his pursuing lips.

Their breathing gradually quickened, warm and tender.

After a long period of intimate affection, weariness finally washed over us like a tide.

The two separated, their foreheads touching, their breaths slightly ragged.

"Go to sleep."

Bai Yuekui gave a soft "hmm".

Bai Yuekui let out a satisfied sigh, snuggled back, found the most comfortable position, and completely relaxed.

Yang Chen kissed the top of her head and whispered, "Goodnight, Yue Kui."

"Goodnight." Her reply was heavy with sleepiness, and she almost immediately drifted off to sleep.

(End of this chapter)