Chapter 140 – Carrot and the Stick
Smoke rose into the sky from the tiny island on the sea along with an alluring scent of smoked fish which had been cooked to a golden colour. Mochou’s eyes had grown several sizes larger as she carefully watched the delicious looking fish cook like a hungry wolf.
“Be patient little piggy, we’ll be able to eat very soon.” Xuanyuan was delighted. Cooking animals and fish was a special talent he gained from living in the forest for so many years. Of course Mochou wouldn’t be able to resist the smell of his cooking.
s.h.i.+guan looked at the two of them and felt a warmth in her heart. She liked this young boy and at the same time, she harboured a deep hatred for him. He was lovely during these moments, but she wouldn’t forget how extremely hateful he was when people refused his requests.
“I’m not a piggy! It smells so good, aunt Mei would’ve liked it…” Mochou remembered the tragedy and the excitement in her eyes dimmed. Xuanyuan’s heart also sunk – no one understood that empty feeling better than he did.
“Mochou, aunt Mei didn’t truly die. She merely went to another place far, far away. You and she will meet again one day if fate allows it.” Xuanyuan smiled encouragingly.
“Is that true?” Mochou looked up sharply.
“Of course. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Xuanyuan said, but inside he was sighing. Everyone had to die at some point. Even people as strong as the Xian or the Emperors, they all faltered under the power of time. Though he wasn’t lying about seeing aunt Mei again, perhaps they would meet again after Su Mei’s reincarnation.
“I look forward to the day that I get to meet aunt Mei again!” A bright smile replaced the sadness on her face. A child’s sorrow could pa.s.s by very quickly, unlike the sorrow of adults. “Brother Xuanyuan, I’m very hungry!”
“Well, this fish is too heavy for you. You won’t be able to carry it. Let me feed you.” The fish from the Blue Sea were extremely large. They all weighed at least a few dozen jin. Mochou was still a little girl and had never strengthened her body, she wouldn’t be able to carry the giant fish with one hand like Xuanyuan. He lowered the stick with the fish on and held it next to Mochou’s mouth.
Mochou quickly opened her mouth when she noticed s.h.i.+guan. She told Xuanyuan, “Xuanyuan, Lady s.h.i.+guan wants to have some fish as well. We’ll share it.”
s.h.i.+guan blushed and said in a quiet voice, “I don’t.”
“You’re lying!” Mochou screamed. s.h.i.+guan and Mochou had chatted for quite some time when Xuanyuan was in the sea. Mochou could guess what she was thinking and easily revealed her lies.
“Don’t worry. Mochou and s.h.i.+guan will share this fish. Alright?” Xuanyuan smiled innocently.
Mochou nodded and immediately took a big bite from the fish. Judging from her satisfied smile, it was obviously very tasty.
“Your highness, come, eat some.” Xuanyuan moved the stick and placed it next to s.h.i.+guan’s mouth. Mochou nodded towards s.h.i.+guan and gave a thumbs up as if to say that it was extremely tasty.
She finally nodded reluctantly and glared at Xuanyuan. He had been giving her a hard time the entire day, but she still opened her red lips and took a tiny bite. Xuanyuan looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.
“What are you looking at.” s.h.i.+guan demanded.
“Xuanyuan likes you!” Mochou giggled.
“Stop speaking nonsense!” Xuanyuan pretended to be angry. “Eat the fish.”
Mochou pouted, “I didn’t speak nonsense, you’re the liar! You won’t admit that you like s.h.i.+guan.”
s.h.i.+guan’s face turned crimson and her heart was pounding. She had never been in this type of situation before.
The fish was shared between the three of them until the sun set and the moon could be seen high in the sky. The island was very quiet and peaceful at night. Mochou had already fallen asleep on the soft gra.s.s. Xuanyuan and s.h.i.+guan sat under a giant tree and gazed at the gentle silver moon, thinking about their past and future.
“So, are you sure you don’t want to give me the technique?”
“Stop pus.h.i.+ng me. I am not lying to you. Studying it will only be harmful.” s.h.i.+guan was displeased.
“I was able to seal your power, what do you think a mere technique can do to me?”
“Even if you can study the technique, there will be a.s.sa.s.sins sent from the Mo royal guards. It’s the most highly guarded secret of the Mo royal family.” s.h.i.+guan sighed. After a while, she blushed again, “Unless…”
“Unless?” Xuanyuan was excited. The devouring technique’s potential could only be revealed by combining different powerful techniques. So he wanted s.h.i.+guan’s technique desperately.
“Unless, you became consort of the court….” Her voice was low, it was almost a whisper.
“Well, would you marry me?” Xuanyuan was serious.
s.h.i.+guan couldn’t find the words to say at the moment. She was fl.u.s.tered and only replied after a long period of shock, “Who would marry you? I’m not going to marry you.”
“Well, if that’s the case, give me the technique instead. Or maybe I will make it so the royal family is forced to recognize me as your husband.” Xuanyuan said as he moved closer to s.h.i.+guan.
“Please don’t…” s.h.i.+guan was shocked.
“Then give it to me. I promise you that I won’t study it if it’s dangerous to me. I’m not stupid, I don’t do things to get myself killed. I just want to see if it can be beneficial to me. BUT if you don’t give it to me, I’ll make myself the consort. You will be able to return to the land of the Mo with my child. Your family would be happy to have someone with my talents joining the family.” Xuanyuan was using the carrot and the stick approach.
There was no more room for s.h.i.+guan to argue and she handed over the technique at once.
“Greed examined the technique he just received and told Xuanyuan, “That’s the one. This girl has tons of other interesting things on her. Don’t you want to take some more?”
“No. I have my own principles. There are things you can take and things you can’t. s.h.i.+guan is a good person. I won’t take advantage of her.” Xuanyuan told Greed.
“Alright, if you say so.” Greed felt a bit tasteless.
At this time, s.h.i.+guan looked at Xuanyuan very seriously, “Promise me. If you feel that the technique is incompatible, you won’t study it any further and you mustn’t let other people know about it.”
“Naturally.” Xuanyuan nodded. “Alright, we’re all very tired. Get some rest. I will be taking Mochou back to the sect tomorrow. You should go back to the Land of Mo. You’re powerful, but you are in the lands belonging to humans. You will be at a great disadvantage in human territory.”
“s.h.i.+guan looked at him from head to toe, “Don’t you know how much you can get if you give me to the sect? You can earn a lot of merit points and rewards, also you will instantly receive an elevated status. However, if they know that you let me go, you’ll be punished.”
“Do you want me to take you back in exchange for rewards?” Xuanyuan asked, he didn’t know what to do.
“If you’d be punished for letting me go, I wouldn’t mind following you back to the sect.” She grinned. Xuanyuan rolled his eyes, he refused to discuss anymore with this lunatic.
—
The next day when the sun was up, Xuanyuan, s.h.i.+guan and Mochou went to the beach to wash their faces.
A giant eagle gave out a long cry as it flew through the sky. On the Eagle was a man, Lu Yuxiang. He had noticed Xuanyuan and laughed hysterically, “Xuanyuan, I finally found you. You killed sister Biyue and brother Kuiya then ran away from your crimes. No one can save you here. My anger will only be soothed once I kill you!”