Chapter 34: Shěn Lí Wants to Hit Somebody |
[July 7, 2019] . . .
The man in Shěn Lí’s grasp was so scared by the sight of her red eyes that he almost fainted. The immortal next to him was like-wise really frightened. He quickly apologized to Shěn Lí, urging her to release his friend, however, Shěn Lí was too angry to hear his pleas.
Instead, the guy she was holding turned blue as her grip tightened.
This was not good, so Xíng Zhǐ called out to her.
Shěn Lí glanced at Xíng Zhǐ. Although she didn’t release her grip, she did loosen it enough for the man to breathe.
“Cruel . . . bar . . .baric . . . savage . . .” As soon as he got some air, he commenced talking again.
Shěn Lí turned to him and gave him a cold smile. “I wasn’t going to kill you, but since you’ve worked so hard to convince me, I’ll do you the favor. Aren’t you lucky?”
Shěn Lí tightened her grip further causing his color to change from blue to purple as he foamed at the mouth. Out of fright, the other immortals cried out in alarm, some even had tears in their eyes.
Xíng Zhǐ reached out to her and touched her hand but he didn’t force her to let go. All he said was, “Hurting him will make things more difficult for the people of the Demon realm.”
“Shěn Lí . . .” Xíng Zhǐ sighed helplessly.
Shěn Lí didn’t understand why it was bad to give vent to her anger by hurting the immortal in front of her. He and his kind constantly bad-mouthed her people with malicious gossip. It was frustrating to constantly be told to endure.
She roughly tossed the immortal to the ground then walked away, kicking the shrubs in her path as she did so.
The other immortals rushed to aide their fallen comrade. He was dizzy and slightly bruised, but otherwise unhurt. They still felt the need to complain.
“He only said a few words, such uncalled for anger. The Demon people really have no empathy, so unforgiving!”
Shěn Lí was amazed at the irony of the words coming from the group of immortals. “Empathy?” She laughed a laughter filled with qi. The force shocked the immortals and shook their hearts, forcing them to cover their ears from the power. “Isn't it because I empathized with you that I came and rescued you?”
In a fit of anger, she had continued speaking with qi in her voice and she would have continued some more had a hand not swiftly covered her mouth. All the qi was pushed back inside, making her take a step back in surprise and bumped into Xíng Zhǐ.
His chest was warm and his aura wrapped all around her. It was like a cool breeze had blown in and dispersed her resentment. All that remained was a stuffed up feeling in her chest that left her feeling flustered.
“My friends, just because those who captured you used demon magic doesn’t mean someone from the Demon race is involved. This could be a deliberate attempt to undermine the relationship between the two realms. I hope you do not listen to idle gossip and assist the villain inadvertently.”
Shěn Lí felt the vibrations in Xíng Zhǐ’s chest as he talked. It had a lulling effect on her and she zoned out without realizing it, but her annoyance came back upon seeing the immortals in front of her nodding along to what he was saying. She pushed his hand away from her mouth and struggled out of his embrace. Once successful, she turned around and gave him a glare before walking away and kicking the rocks and grass underfoot like an angry child.
Xíng Zhǐ shook his head lightly and smiled as he watched her walk away. He continued, “I won’t keep you all in the dark. I stayed in the Demon realm with the Demon people for several days not too long ago. They are not a bloodthirsty race. The people are straightforward and direct. If the act of kidnapping immortals in the Mortal realm was meant to start a war, then they would have prepared for it with the appropriate military preparations. I saw no evidence of this at their military camps while I was there.”
The gathered immortals mulled over what he said. A white-haired old man of the group touched his beard and spoke. ”As far as I know, the only immortal who visited the Demon realm recently was the Immortal emperor’s grandson, Lord Fú Róng, who is wedded to a person in the demon world. Could it be the woman who just now proclaimed herself to be the Azure Sky king is Lord Fú Róng’s wife, from that rumored married couple?”
Xíng Zhǐ’s brow twitched slightly and he glanced over at Shěn Lí.
Shěn Lí had not heard the old immortal. She was some distance away from them, leaning against a tree and looking at the waterfall. The corner of Xíng Zhǐ’s mouth arched up slightly. He didn’t deny the relationship but he did say, “Lord Fú Róng and the Azure Sky king are not yet wed.”
“If immortal lord says so, then it must be the case.”
“Azure Sky king is deeply dedicated to the Demon people and can not stand anyone speaking poorly of them. What happened just now was because of her short temper. I hope everyone can forgive her.” Xíng Zhǐ smiled as he continued. “She is a very direct and honest person with a righteous nature who approaches matters with a sincere heart. That kind of conviction and morality . . . even I can not beat.”
The old immortal tugged at his beard. “Lord immortal is very good to the king . . . unlike in the rumors . . . hahaha.” His sentence trailed off in awkward laughter.[notes]
Xíng Zhǐ’s smile drooped a little and his voice was restrained. “She is worth it.”
Xíng Zhǐ asked the group of immortals some more questions about their kidnapping before letting them disperse and return to their respective territories. It was unlikely their kidnappers would appear again so soon, so they wanted to use the opportunity to report to the Immortal realm.
Xíng Zhǐ walked to Shěn Lí after everyone left. He didn’t have to say anything; she knew he was there.
She glanced quickly over at him and asked, “Are they gone?”
Xíng Zhǐ nodded. “It seems like there is still another group that needs to be rescued. I don’t know the specific location, but it should be somewhere in the south.”
“This is your business. It doesn’t have anything to do with me. Go and save your people by yourself. I’m going to Yáng Zhōu .” Immediately after saying her piece, she walked away.
Xíng Zhǐ trailed behind her.
“Stop following me.”
Xíng Zhǐ gave a helpless smile and shrugged. “Yáng Zhōu is also in the south. We’re heading in the same direction.”
Shěn Lí was silent for a moment, but eventually resumed her walking. There was still lingering resentment in her heart, but her pace wasn’t as fast as before. The distance between them kept getting shorter and shorter until they eventually walked side by side.
Xíng Zhǐ shot a glance at her. “Hungry?”
Shěn Lí was reluctant to admit it, instead she said, “No,” just before her belly betrayed her with a low rumble. It made her frown, and Xíng Zhǐ smirk. Now she was even more annoyed!
She called forth a cloud to ride away, but he grabbed her wrist and interrupted her.
“There’s a small family run restaurant down the mountain. Why don’t we go there? It’s been a while since I’ve had any of the five grains. I miss them.” Perhaps Xíng Zhǐ’s mortal life as Xíng Yún influenced his immortal preferences.
Shěn Lí eyed him dubiously. “You do?”
“I do.” Xíng Zhǐ nodded with a smile.
“Alright, let’s go then.”
The restaurant was actually just a stall by the side of the mountain. The sign in front read, “Tea.” It was a good resting place for travelers; there were even a few tables and stools outside for people to sit and enjoy a drink.
Shěn Lí barely sat down when a middle-aged woman approached.
“Would the two of you like tea? Please sit, sit.”
“Auntie, we’ve had a long journey and we’re hungry. Can we borrow your kitchen to make something to eat?”
The woman blinked, a bit taken aback. “What do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you.”
Xíng Zhǐ laughed. “This sister here has really picky tastes. It’s difficult to please her. We’ll pay you for the use of course.”
The lady silently thought it over for a moment before replying. “Let me clean up a little first. Here, in the meantime, have some tea.” She poured them both a cup before hurrying back inside.
“This is a suspicious shop.” Shěn Lí stroked the cup as she said this.
“Is Your Highness afraid?”
Shěn Lí raised her head and drank the tea in one gulp. “Personally I don’t think “私以为，他们还是黑不过神君的。” 行止浅笑：“王爷抬举。”
Upon returning, the woman was surprised to find her new customers still sitting upright in their chairs. She pushed the flicker of hesitation that went through her mind aside and put a smile on her face as she approached them. “Everything is in order young master. Please, this way.” She picked up the teapot and was shocked at how light it was. It had to be at least half empty. She looked at Shěn Lí and Xíng Zhǐ in astonishment.
This made Shěn Lí ask her if something was wrong.
“Nothing, nothing. I was just surprised you weren’t tired after walking around the mountain. You must have a lot of stamina.”
“It’s not bad. I’ve killed hundreds of monsters.”
Something flickered in the woman’s dark green eyes. “My goodness, young miss enjoys joking a lot I see.”
Shěn Lí wasn’t as patient or as calm as Xíng Zhǐ. She reached over the table and grabbed the woman by the neck. “I don’t joke.” She reached for the tea pot with her other hand and poured the liquid into the woman’s mouth.
The woman struggled but only ended up with swallowing more lquide in her efforts to break free.
Shěn Lí was relentless. She raised the woman higher and shook her harder until her limbs shortened and a tail sprouted from her back. It dragged to the ground as her skin smoothed into a different kind of flesh and the woman resembled a python.
Shěn Lí tossed her to the ground and shouted in a cold voice, “All of you come out at once, otherwise I will kill her.”
A girl crawled frantically from out of a haystack as soon as Shěn Lí said this.
“I’m coming! I’m coming! Please don’t kill her!” yelled the girl in a fuzzy voice. Her lower half kept transforming, alternating between a snake tail and human legs. It made her gait unsteady and she kept falling and smashing her face into the dirt.
Xíng Zhǐ smiled. He was about to speak when Shěn Lí stepped forward and helped the girl up. She patted the girl’s dirty cheeks, not at all minding the dust. In a happy voice she said, “Xiǎo Hé!”[notes]
The girl looked at Shěn Lí confused. Her voice shook, and she stuttered because she was so afraid. “I’m . . . n – n – not Xiǎo Hé. I’m . . . I’m sorry.”
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