Chapter 178 - System vs. System (28): Rising at dawn, dawdle in bed, an old friend’s wish
Translator: kiribold
editor: yoantlers
There was a numbing silence in the ‘In between moments.’
The AI hesitated several times before carefully turning off the projection screen.
The image of Lou Ying using the quilt to hold Chi Xiaochi from behind gently turned into a line and disappeared from the screen.
The AI whispered, “You again….”
The Lord G.o.d’s voice was furious. “Shut up!”
The AI obediently shut up, thinking that he was indeed angry.
The Lord G.o.d trembled with anger. “How could 061 have escaped?! Is that Lord G.o.d a waste?! Is their security system just for show?”
On this matter, the AI said, “We had a similar situation a few days ago.”
Lord G.o.d: “…Shut up!”
The AI said, “I just want to demonstrate that it is possible.”
The Lord G.o.d stopped talking, trying to get the other party to shut up with silence.
The AI: “Do you want to send an official letter asking about the situation?”
The Lord G.o.d’s trigeminal nerve ached.
What official letter? Do you want to run up and ask: Why didn’t you properly lock up the person I wanted to lock up?
Isn’t this just a case of nothing?
It’s not enough to be embarra.s.sed. Do you want to be embarra.s.sed continuously?
The Lord G.o.d’s voice turned cold. “Chi Xiaochi can’t leave this system. Anyone can, but him.”
The AI thought it was over. He had eaten defeat and held on.
It said helplessly, “Do you have any other good ideas?”
The Lord G.o.d didn’t say anything. He thought quietly for a moment and suddenly smiled gloomily, “I won’t care about Chi Xiaochi.”
The AI thought it was over. He gave up on himself.
The Lord G.o.d said, “He just relies on 061’s power to do whatever he wants. What if 061 doesn’t work anymore?”
AI sighed deeply. “Are you going to break the contract again?”
The Lord G.o.d thought of a good idea, and his mood improved a lot, so naturally, he wouldn’t mind the offense of the word “again” from the AI. “It’s not breaking the contract, just imposing some minor restrictions.”
The AI continued to breakingly say, “What if that’s not enough?”
The Lord G.o.d sneered. “Then I also have a way.”
What Chi Xiaochi really wanted, Lou Ying couldn’t give him, but he could.
…
The following day, Chi Xiaochi woke up early.
It was dawn outside, and the morning sun was like a piece of melted honey candy slowly penetrating through the window.
He mobilized a cloud at his fingertips to block the sunlight, hiding the sun properly to prevent it from disturbing the peaceful slumber of the man beside him.
He discovered that he was sleeping on the inside of Wen Yujing’s sleeping couch. Lou Ying was sleeping on the outside, facing his back, one hand rested a few inches above his head, and the other hand hung down naturally, stretched into the quilt. His pinkie finger touched his own, simulating a position of hand-holding and embracing.
The injuries made Lou Ying tired, and he didn’t realize that Chi Xiaochi had woken up.
Chi Xiaochi got up gently and washed up outside by the clear lake. He first decocted the medicine and brewed a bowl of hot egg tea. He brought it to the room, sat beside the bed, and looked at him for a long time before reaching out and touching the tip of his ear lightly.
Lou Ying, sleeping soundly, felt something, his eyebrows wrinkling slightly.
Chi Xiaochi withdrew his hand and leaned down to greet him. “Shifu, good morning.”
Lou Ying heard Chi Xiaochi’s voice and opened his sleepy eyes slightly. “…Hmm?”
His voice was hoa.r.s.e. He opened one eye to reveal gray-blue pupils, apparently waking up consciously for the first time and confusing the cat body with the human.
Chi Xiaochi smiled lightly. “Shifu, get up and eat.”
Lou Ying closed his eyes again. His body moved into the bed, giving up half of the bed as if to dawdle in bed.
This was the first time Chi Xiaochi had seen such a childish Lou-ge.
Chi Xiaochi also became playful, pressed a little closer to the inside, and intentionally said, “Shifu, if you don’t get up, I’ll sing for you, ah.”
Lou Ying turned over without saying a word and caught Chi Xiaochi’s wrist.
Chi Xiaochi lost his balance instantly, falling on the vacant half of the bed.
Lou Ying lifted the quilt, covered his body, and gently wrapped his arms around his neck through the quilt. “Sleep a little longer, stay with me.”
He said like he was saying something that couldn’t be more natural.
Like he was saying that the moon always revolves around the earth.
Chi Xiaochi felt that he couldn’t move.
No romance novel or script told him how to deal with such a situation in reality.
The blanket was full of Lou Ying’s residual body heat and fragrance. Chi Xiaochi didn’t even dare to breathe or raise his head, even though Lou Ying’s eyes were closing, and he didn’t look at him as if he knew how nervous he was.
To relieve the tension, Chi Xiaochi exhaled.
Lou Ying suddenly closed his eyes and asked, “Is the medicine smell on my body suffocating?”
Chi Xiaochi said, “Huh? No.”
Lou Ying did have the refined aroma of ointment on his body, but at this distance, there was only the smell of a little bit of fresh mint.
Lou Ying seemed to be uncomfortable with the smell of the medicine. He pulled on the front of the nightgown and frowned slightly. “The smell seems a little heavy. You smell it.”
Chi Xiaochi, afraid that he would be uncomfortable, naturally got closer to him. He pulled up the clothes on his chest and sniffed lightly.
…The medicine smell wasn’t very heavy.
He said, “It’s fine…”
As soon as he spoke, a warm hand held the back of his head, like a squirrel attracted by the aroma of pine cones, and pulled him into a serious hug.
Chi Xiaochi froze, suspicious that he would kiss him, so he shrank so tightly that the muscles in his shoulders tensed.
However, Lou Ying took no further action.
He sat up with him in his arms. “Hmm, I’m awake. Let’s get up.”
Chi Xiaochi returned to his senses and thought, was Lou Ying still not awake?
Lou Ying thought, did he frighten him?
So both of them were much more disciplined.
Lou Ying refused to take the egg tea, only letting Chi Xiaochi feed him mouthfuls. He drank it hot, and his stomach felt better than before drinking the medicine.
Chi Yunzi and the others felt sorry for their shidi, so all kinds of medicines were sent to Huaishou Peak like water. But they didn’t know what kind of evil thing he had been injured by. Even with countless elixirs, the red marks were stubborn and didn’t disappear, looking terrifying.
Every time Chi Yunzi came to visit him, he felt even more upset in his heart.
He blamed himself for his ignorance and for being too merciful. He didn’t know how many deceitful tricks Yan Jinhua had done right under his watch and didn’t even realize it.
Thinking of this, Chi Yunzi hated Yan Jinhua even more.
“I heard that the person in the Mingyue House is crying out injustice every day.” Wen Yujing leaned on the soft pillow and said warmly, “Shouting until his voice is hoa.r.s.e.”
“It’s better to be mute, so that he doesn’t say anything else that will ruin your reputation,” Chi Yunzi said. “I will deal with him on another day. Shidi be at ease and recover from your injuries, and this shixiong will give you an explanation.”
Wen Yujing put down his rolled-up sleeves and said, “Shidi has a presumptuous request.”
Chi Yunzi naturally agreed. “You say it, this shixiong will listen.”
Wen Yujing said: “I heard that when shixiong first accepted Yan-shizi as his disciple that Yan-shizi’s cultivation was not bad. He was talented, and he was willing to learn. How did he become so lazy and nefariously crafty? This shidi knows that when shixiong accepts disciples, he will not rashly admit into the inner sect without pa.s.sing the examination.”
Anyone would like to hear good words, and this soft-spoken piece of flattery ironed out Chi Yunzi’s heart a lot. “Shidi, you mean…?”
Wen Yujing pulled the quilt to his chest. “My guess is Yan-shizi is possessed by some evil spirit? Otherwise, why would he go against shixiong’s teachings and collude with evil demons?”
Chi Yunzi thought for a moment and felt that this statement was reasonable, then accompanied Wen Yujing to talk some more before hurriedly leaving.
Lou Ying noticed that the direction he was going was the Mingyue House.
He pulled down his rolled-up sleeves to cover the wounds and called Chi Xiaochi, who was standing outside.
Chi Xiaochi came in with a tray of medicine and sat beside the bed.
Lou Ying loosened the sash on his upper body and let his clothes slide down his back, lying on the soft mattress. He allowed Chi Xiaochi to gently heat the medicated oil with his fingertips and push it into the wounds on his back.
This medicine was exchanged from the system. It was fast-acting and potent. When the medicinal oil soaked into the wound, the pain was acute.
Chi Xiaochi wanted to pay attention and observe Lou Ying’s expression but found that his expression was very calm. He looked sideways at him thoughtfully, his heart palpitating for no reason, and he turned his eyes away. “…Did you tell him?”
Lou Ying: “Hmm…you actually still remember this matter.”
Chi Xiaochi’s eyelashes drooped gently. “Of course, I remember. Yan Jinhua was originally a person who should exist.”
In The Mermaid Immortal, the original “Yan Jinhua” was never a villain.
That northwest goods had occupied the magpie’s nest for many years. It was time to spit out the things that he had eaten over the years with interest.
Chi Xiaochi thought for a while about what was on his mind. While applying the medicine to Lou Ying’s waist, he quietly turned his face back again and took a peek.
Who would have thought that Lou Ying was still leaning on his arm, looking at him sideways in a dignified manner?
That gentle gaze seemed to impartially sc.r.a.pe on the tip of his nose, making Chi Xiaochi’s body tingle.
Chi Xiaochi calmed down and said with a smile, “Shifu, lie straight. You are distorted like a big Tianjin Mahua.”
Lou Ying gently said, “Let me take another look. It works well as an anesthesia.”
It took a while before Chi Xiaochi understood what he meant.
He felt a little like he was floating, but he didn’t dare to think about the meaning of his words.
In the subsequent application of medicine, the drifting Chi Xiaochi felt like he was rubbing honey on a Mahua twist.
Of course, it wasn’t just the Five Jingxu Peak Lords that cared about Huaishou Peak.
On the third day after the public trial, Ye Jiming hid in a wine jar and finally snuck up the mountain.
When he quietly came to Huishou Peak, Chi Xiaochi was boiling mushroom oil.
Wild red pine mushrooms that were freshly picked in autumn and dried boiled in refined and clear tea oil. The boiled juice from the fat and tender goose foot-like mushrooms had the rich aroma of pine needles steamed with oil. It was so delicious that the smell alone could entice people to eat a bowl of noodles.
Ye Jiming followed the fragrance and came in. He circled the entrance of Huaishou Peak several times, but he couldn’t get in, so he collected his voice and shouted, “Duan Shujue–little fish! Fish head! Wooden fish!”
Chi Xiaochi heard the sound, went out to catch a snake, and returned.
“You reek of alcohol,” Chi Xiaochi joked. “Just in time for me to add a wine-soaked snake.”
“f.u.c.k you.” Ye Jiming looked around. “Where is that surnamed Wen, I heard that he was seriously injured.”
Chi Xiaochi let out a huff and opened his front shirt flap. Inside the bulge hid a white velvet kitten hanging onto his chest, coiled into a soft and warm ball of wool, sleeping soundly.
Ye Jiming snorted. “Troublesome.”
Evidently, jealousy made him unrecognizable.
After the mushroom oil was fried, Chi Xiaochi didn’t plan to eat it immediately. He took a few jars, stored them, and brought his Shifu back to his room for a nap.
In Chi Xiaochi’s own words, if you have something to say, go talk to the person in question. In any case, you already made this trip, and your concern is not whether we are dead or alive.
This is precisely what Ye Jiming wanted.
Afterwards, Chi Xiaochi climbed onto the couch and fell asleep with the cat tucked in. Ye Jiming turned into a small snake coil, circling his right hand twice. He licked the middle knuckle of the right hand with his snake tongue and said with pride, “Wooden fish, come out for this lord.”
The hand moved in response to the sound and moved to gently hook his fingertips at the edge of the couch. The range was minimal as if he was afraid of waking up Chi Xiaochi.
After confirming that Chi Xiaochi and Lou Ying were fast asleep, Duan Shujue wrote on the edge of the couch, “Ye-xiong, long time no see.”
Ye Jiming stretched his neck to see him write. “It’s good that you’re not dead. This lord hasn’t slept for a few days and nights because of this s.h.i.t. How are you going to compensate me?”
Duan Shujue said, “I let Ye-xiong worry.”
Ye Jiming: “Hmph. That’s it?”
Duan Shujue patiently asked, “What kind of compensation does Ye-xiong want?”
Ye Jiming snorted disdainfully. “It’s not like you can afford it. If you’re driven down the mountain with your powers completely ruined, you would still have to rely on this lord to support you. When the time comes, what can you do for this lord?”
Duan Shujue thought seriously and wrote word by word, “I can still fish frogs for you to eat.”
Seeing this line, Ye Jiming suddenly felt a bit moved.
In his previous life, Ye Jiming had always liked Duan Shujue very much. He thought of many scenes after he and Duan Shujue were together, but none of them were as heartwarming as the little scene Duan Shujue just described.
Ye Jiming hissed, lowered his triangular snake head, and gently rubbed against his right finger knuckles. “Get lost! This lord never eats frogs.”
He thought, you only need to pick a small basket of snakeberries every day for this lord, and this lord will reluctantly take care of you for a lifetime.