Pulled a muscle in her back?
Li Yueying suddenly found it somewhat ridiculous. Had the current Li Jiangying truly become like a mere mortal?
She grabbed her by the clothes and, with a forceful tug, pulled her upright.
Li Jiangying cried out in surprise, a wave of dizziness hitting her. She faintly heard the sound of bones grinding. My poor old back! By the time she steadied herself, Li Yueying had already seized her by the collar and was scrutinizing her face to face.
Who knew what Li Yueying was looking for, as if seeing through this skin and flesh, straight into the depths of Li Jiangying’s soul. But the more intently she looked, the more Li Jiangying wanted to avoid her gaze.
Li Yueying suddenly spoke. “Li Jiangying, have you nothing to say?”
Li Jiangying wore a hesitant expression, shifting her eyes back but not daring to meet her gaze, only staring at her tall, straight nose and somewhat pallid lips. She held it in for a moment. “I do.”
“Your dying words?” Li Yueying sneered. “Speak.”
Li Jiangying began to stammer, saying this and that, unable to get a clear sentence out for a while. Li Yueying grew impatient. She reached up, grabbed a fistful of Li Jiangying’s hair, and yanked her forward.
Li Jiangying instantly held her breath and glared wide-eyed at Li Yueying. She could clearly see her own reflection in those blood-red, vertical pupils. Her scalp stung slightly, her feet stumbled, and Li Jiangying involuntarily crashed into Li Yueying’s arms.
The woman subconsciously reached out an arm to catch her, then quickly retracted it, sneering. “Throwing yourself into my arms?”
Li Jiangying, pulled off balance, had her smooth hair slip through the demon’s claws. She pitched forward. After a tumultuous jostle, Li Jiangying slid limply down a soft, yielding surface to sit on the floor.
Li Yueying stiffly reached her hand halfway out again, but it was too late. She regretted it; she should have steadied her.
Sitting on the ground, Li Jiangying reached out and tugged the Moon Shadow Devil Venerable’s robe hem. She said faintly, “You can’t blame me for that.”
In an instant, a brilliant blush rose on the Snake Demon’s sickly pale cheeks. The red spread all the way to the corners of her eyes and the tips of her ears, adding a touch of charm to the furious glare she shot.
The Moon Shadow Devil Venerable ground her teeth and reached down to grab Li Jiangying’s collar. “Li Jiangying, you’re courting death!”
Her strength was terrifyingly immense. Grabbed by her, Li Jiangying was as helpless as a chick. She stumbled to her feet and was forced to stand on tiptoes, nearly falling again. But luckily, this time the Venerable grabbed her collar, giving her no second opportunity to take advantage.
Li Jiangying steadied herself and tried to pull back a little, but with her collar held, she had to remain close enough to feel the Snake Demon’s icy body temperature. She said, “I feel… this isn’t my fault.”
“Li Jiangying, if you have no last words, this Venerable One doesn’t mind killing you right now.” Li Yueying threatened, soft and sinister, and refused to admit her own mistake.
Li Jiangying had no choice but to sigh deeply and said sadly, “Actually, I was waiting.”
“Waiting?”
“I was waiting for you.” Li Jiangying said frankly.
But the woman who heard these four words seemed to have her fatal weak point seized. She spaced out. Gradually, ripples stirred in her eyes, and her lips quivered as she said hoarsely, “Impossible.”
She was extremely afraid of something, yet buried this fear deep in her heart. So she repeated again, “Impossible. How could you be waiting for me? Li Jiangying, don’t think I’ll believe you just because you say so. How many more times do you want to deceive me?!”
Moved so deeply by just four simple words, Li Jiangying tilted her head, freeing her hair from between Li Yueying’s fingers. She watched the hidden panic and gradually unfocused look in her eyes and smiled contentedly.
Li Jiangying took a step back, taking in the disoriented Snake Demon. She smiled. “I really was waiting for you. I was just waiting for you to have an episode!”
She had only healed for but a short half-night. Waking up clear-headed was already extremely fortunate. How long could she maintain that kind of state?
Li Yueying looked at her, embarrassed rage flaring. “Li Jiangying!”
Laughing, Li Jiangying opened her arms. “Hey, I’m right here.”
In the next second, Li Yueying’s unwilling gaze gradually softened. Her vision blurred for a moment, and when it steadied again, she had opened her round eyes wide, looking at Li Jiangying and calling out with surprise, “Jiangying!”
Li Jiangying watched her, smiling, and thought to herself, Good, escaped by the skin of my teeth yet again.
Li Yueying spread her arms and rushed eagerly into Li Jiangying’s embrace. Unfortunately, she didn’t control her force well. The impact made Li Jiangying’s foot slip, and thud! they fell.
Oh no, I celebrated too soon.
Tears welling in her eyes from the pain, Li Jiangying rapped fiercely on Li Yueying’s head a few times. “My! Back!”
After a flurry of chaos, Li Jiangying lay half-dead on the bed. Li Yueying cried out as she reached out with both paws to massage Li Jiangying’s lower back.
“Lighter, lighter. A bit to the left.” Li Jiangying directed with her eyes closed.
Zhu Yue had left sometime ago, no one knew when, nor if she had witnessed Li Yueying’s changed temperament. Now, outside the damaged window, only the gentle lake water and the lotus flowers swaying in the breeze remained.
The night wind poured in continuously. Being at a high vantage point, it carried a chill. Throughout this day, Li Jiangying had been tired, frightened, and injured. Now, under the little madwoman’s massage, her body gradually relaxed, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Li Yueying obediently massaged her back and waist. Feeling her Yingying’s breathing gradually become peaceful and gentle, she bent down, lowered her head, and seriously studied her face.
There was a transparent droplet of water, splashed up from the lake and left on her face, forgotten and unwiped.
Li Yueying suddenly pursed her lips. Her two eyes quickly darted left and right. Although the window was wide open, there was no one. Good, no one could sneakily see and tattle.
So she leaned close to her Yingying’s face, extended her forked tongue-tip, and slurp, swept the droplet away.
Li Yueying smiled contentedly and lay down on her side next to Li Jiangying. She stretched out a finger, hooked a strand of Yingying’s hair, and twined it together with her own long hair, as if this way, they could be together forever, never to part.
Li Yueying couldn’t bear to close her eyes. Looking at Li Jiangying’s peaceful sleeping face, she traced her features in the empty air with her finger.
Her hand was needed to draw her Yingying, so she couldn’t massage her anymore. Clever Li Yueying lifted her tail, planning to use the very tip to massage Yingying’s lower back instead.
And so, she finally saw… that her tail seemed to have changed color.
The next day, bright early morning. The moment Li Jiangying opened her eyes, she saw Li Yueying sitting in the large, broken hole in the wall, her tail dangling outside. She heard Li Jiangying getting up and turned her head back in a daze, her face full of grievance.
Li Jiangying, just awake, was still a bit groggy. “What’s wrong?”
Then she saw the bright pink, long tail slowly, slowly lift. Li Yueying stretched out both paws and hugged her own tail, facing Li Jiangying plaintively. “Tail… so ugly… can’t wash it off!”
A stab of guilt hit Li Jiangying. She hurried to salvage the situation. “Is that so? I think it looks great!”
Li Yueying looked at her suspiciously.
Li Jiangying returned her gaze with serious earnestness. “Look, who else in the world has a tail of this color? You are the most unique snake! There’s a poem that goes: ‘Peach blossoms by the wild inn show pink and tender grace, Willows on the field ridge trail green mist-like lace.’ With such a pink tail, paired with a green outfit, you are the most dazzling snake in the Devil Domain!”
Li Yueying: “Really?”
With no reason but plenty of bravado, Li Jiangying declared, “Absolutely true!”
Li Yueying stared at her. Staring and staring, she suddenly opened her mouth wide and wailed, “Yingying lied to me!!!”
Li Jiangying: “…”
The little madwoman flung herself backward, her tail thrashing with a slap, slap. She wailed and began rolling on the ground. The floorboards and potted plants, already shattered all over, were crushed to pieces by her.
“Yingying, how could you lie to me, Yingying, wuwuwuwu!!!”
Li Jiangying: “Enough!!”
Frustrated, she covered her ears and walked over to the Snake Demon, who was rolling all over the floor. She poked her with the tip of her foot. “Stop crying. I’ll wash it for you, okay?”
Li Yueying sobbed and hugged her calf. Her top and hair were a mess from rolling around. Her red eyes brimmed with tears. Coupled with the chaotic floor, she looked like a little wife who had just been ravished. “Really? Yingying can’t lie to me!”
“This time, I really won’t lie to you.” Li Jiangying swore with zero sincerity.
Instantly, Li Yueying’s mood turned from gloomy to sunny, revealing a smile. She let go of Li Jiangying’s calf, propped her two paws on the ground, and twisted her flexible snake bones, pouncing toward Li Jiangying.
Li Jiangying hurriedly shouted, “Stop!” She successfully halted the little madwoman right in front of her palm.
She let out a sigh of relief. “Please, spare my back.”
Li Yueying grabbed her hand, planted a kiss on it with a loud smack, and cheerfully wrapped herself around Li Jiangying, pressing close.
Li Jiangying couldn’t be bothered to bicker. She turned her head to the table and frowned. After that, she washed her face, then dragged Li Yueying downstairs, huffing and puffing.
“Hey! Anyone here?!”
Li Jiangying shouted twice. No one responded. Left with no choice, they followed the water corridor forward. As they walked, they suddenly heard someone ahead shouting, “Sister Ying Suanli—”
It was Jiang Sujin! They soon met. Li Jiangying was dragging Li Yueying, while Jiang Sujin was being led over by a maidservant.
“Are you alright?” Li Jiangying looked her over. Seeing Jiang Sujin’s complexion ruddy with no sign of harm, she felt relieved.
“What about you, Sister Ying Suanli? The City Lord didn’t make things difficult for you two, did she?” Jiang Sujin quickly glanced at the smiling maidservant and asked in a low, worried tone.
“No trouble at all. The City Lord is very generous, gentle, and considerate. She specifically invited us to stay and play for a few more days.” Li Jiangying said with a smile. “So surely, the City Lord’s honored guests can’t stay in a dilapidated house, don’t you think, miss?”
The maidservant’s expression remained unchanged as she replied meekly, “What the honored guest says is true. If the honored guests have any instructions, you can ring the bell hanging in the Star-Picking Tower. We servants will then come to attend to you.”
“I see. No wonder there’s no one around. That is convenient.”
The maidservant continued, “The City Lord is very considerate of the honored guests and specifically instructed this servant to escort Miss Jiang here to meet you. I wonder if the honored guests require this servant’s company?”
