Chapter 14: She Protects Despite Her Fear
The b.u.t.terfly Effect!
Long Shiyan took Zi Linglong"s hand and walked at a moderate pace towards the direction of her family home. She was really careless. While she had been thinking about how to defeat Long Aotian, she did not pay attention to the whirlpool of family struggles that had been spinning for a while.
This world was not just about the world from within the book nor the world that solely revolved around Long Aotian. Here, everyone was a real living being.
Possessing their own will meant that their actions were a threat!
If she had thought of this earlier, then she would not have brought Long Pingtian out. But if she didn"t bring him out, she wouldn"t have had a reason to go out nor would she have been able to stop Long Aotian and Long Yuqing"s “date.”
In short, she must find a way to crack the illusion that was cast on her. But when did she fall into the illusion?
When she was inside her room, it was obviously impossible for her to get stuck in the illusion. How about when eating? It couldn"t be then. Therefore, only after she entered the inn did she encounter the illusionist"s enchantment.
That must have led to the present events.
The night breeze was cool, blowing past Long Shiyan"s cheeks. It was extraordinarily refreshing. The two round moons hung high in the air hang, revealing white moonlight. The stars in the sky were also bright. Even if no light was present, the streets would still be visible.
If the illusion wasn"t broken, then Long Shiyan simply wouldn"t be able to leave.
First of all, she had to examine the situation.
“Elder sister Yan Yan, aren"t we going to continue walking?” Zi Linglong"s blood-red pupils stared at Long Shiyan. She seemed very scared.
Long Shiyan shook her head and replied, “We will stay here. First, find a place to sit.” She said as she sat on a rock. Regardless of what will happen, she could only wait and see.
She closed her eyes and sensed the world around her.
When she didn"t have to use her eyes to see, she could sense the presence of living things. However, it was a pity that she only had the skills of a third-level magician. If she was stronger, then she would"ve had an easier time.
The moonlight of the sky was very bright and the stars were shining. The most striking thing was the red star in the sky. Its red was blood red, like blood-stained crimson. It flashed brightly.
Long Shiyan"s eyes were still closed, but she sensed Zi Linglong"s trembling body. She quickly opened her eyes and looked at the girl.
Her pupils were completely blood red and stranger than usual, but Long Shiyan wasn"t afraid. Suddenly, her mind jolted and something within it seemed to break.
After the severe pain, the street suddenly distorted and then, it slowly shattered.
What happened?
Long Shiyan"s heart sunk.
Broken roof-tiled walls appeared, encircling the duo. A thick stench of fumes a.s.saulted her nostrils, causing her little nose to twitch. The surroundings were aflame, and there was a group of people crowding around them with a look of curiosity.
Zi Linglong moved in front of Long Shiyan, preventing this group of people from advancing closer.
This group of men and women wore unkempt, old, and dirty clothes. Several men were led by three men with one burly and tall man and one skinny man, whose eyes were almost sunken deep into his sockets.
Long Shiyan was in an entirely unfamiliar situation.
“Don"t come closer. Don"t hurt elder sister Yan Yan.” Zi Linglong stood in front of her and opened her hands to stop the group, while she was standing on a dilapidated wooden box. A wall was behind her as they were inside an alley.
“Grumble!” The man in front swallowed his saliva as he stared greedily at the two small prey in front of him. He didn"t know that he would chance upon some unexpected fortune. Just a moment ago, he just received a report that two aristocratic children suddenly entered their territory. One of them was in a daze while the other was apparently an idiot.
However, the items on their persona were extremely luxurious. Furthermore, they would definitely sell for a hefty price when they grew up.
After observing them for a moment, he discovered that no else rushed over to rob the duo. He also didn"t expect that the n.o.ble"s servant girl would continue to remain loyal and protect her foolish master to the very end.
“Are you demanding for money? I can give you a hundred gold coins, but you have to let us go.” Zi Linglong took out the gold coin purse at her waist and lifted it up.
The leader of the group mindlessly urged, “Go over there and take it from her.”
“Boss, don"t be hasty!” His younger brother suddenly interrupted, “These two are n.o.bles. If we let them go back, then we will definitely be killed by their family. We can"t act carelessly nor can we handle them. They must have a ton of valuable items in their possession.”
“Yes! Yes!” The people beside them also agreed. Although money was great, if they provoked the n.o.bility, then they will meet a bad end. Obtaining riches from the n.o.bles was a huge risk that made them think twice.
Zi Linglong"s small face was pale; her red pupils were full of fear. She had always lived in the slums, so she never understood the mentality of these types of people. Back then, she only had to worry about filling her stomach.
She also didn"t know what was going on with her little angel. When she left the inn, she acted very oddly. She kept muttering to herself and ended up wandering into the slums.
Then, she stopped from time to time and resumed moving. But this time, she sat completely still. No matter how much Zi Linglong called out and shook her, it was useless. This was bad. They were suddenly surrounded by a group of terrible people. Wasn"t she a Long Family member? Why wasn"t anyone else protecting her?!
Although she was afraid, even though she was frightened, Zi Linglong could not let the little angel suffer, even if she had gone crazy.
“Come if you dare! She is the child of the Long family. If you dare hurt her, the Long family will definitely break all of your bones.” After Zi Linglong said that, Long Shiyan bit her lip, her eyes were fixed on the headed man.
Behind Zi Linglong, Long Shiyan gently smiled after seeing Zi Linglong protect her.
“Don"t I know you?” Long, the burly man, was a little surprised. “Aren"t you the… little monster?” He didn"t dare to stare at her eyes. He couldn"t help but feel feeble due to her imposing manner.
“So what!” Zi Linglong gritted her teeth. “I am now a part of the Long Family. If you dare make a move on me, then this won"t be the end.”
As soon as this was said, the crowd exploded like a sudden clap of thunder. There were many reasons for this clamor. The most important reason was that Zi Linglong had only disappeared for a half a day, yet she became a n.o.ble"s child in a blink of an eye.
“You… are you really that same Little Demon?” One of the unkempt old men trembled at the sight of her. This…this was impossible! Obviously, she held the same status as them, yet she suddenly became a higher rank than them. How could she become a n.o.ble child in a blink of an eye?
“I am. These eyes are the best proof.” Zi Linglong pointed to her own eyes. “I have been taken in by the little miss of the Long Family. From now on, I am her personal maid. Behind me is my master, the Long Family"s little princess, Long Shiyan. If you dare to make a move on her, wait till I head back and report to the Long Family. Then, you"ll see whether or not you will be safe and sound in the future.”
Zi Linglong"s face was tense. Although she was very scared, she must also stand up to them. After all, the current Long Shiyan was in a very strange state. And the only thing that could save them was their Long Family background. She hoped that she could scare the group away as she understood that it will be difficult to escape them otherwise.
However, what she did not know was that Long Shiyan had slowly woken up earlier from under her shaking, and now she was watching Zi Linglong"s every move.
As soon as Zi Linglong confirmed their suspicions, everyone"s face became pale. Although they couldn"t believe it, the evidence was right before them. The piece of trash had changed a lot since this morning and thus, they couldn"t recognize her right away.
In fact, when they saw Zi Linglong for the first time, the first thing that these people thought was the evil monster that they had bullied before. However, the difference between the two in appearance was too great. Even if they were the same, they didn"t think they would be the same person.
But it was merely the same monster.
What surprised them, even more, was that their background turned out to be members of the Long Family.
This time, the leader hesitated.
When Zi Linglong witnessed this situation, she was secretly relieved. Long Shiyan observed how she handled the sudden emergency situation and secretly nodded in approval.
Although there were no abilities involved, at a critical juncture, she knew how to use her wits. It was obvious that Zi Linglong wasn"t only a child who knew how to cry. But the situation… was still not optimistic!
If Long Shiyan had listened to the system"s explanations beforehand, then she could have figured out a way to avoid this disaster.
The leader whispered to the lanky man with a sharp-nose as he came forward. He said coldly, “Leader, if you let them go, then all of us will die. After they go back, they will definitely talk about this to the Long Family.”
“We shouldn"t let them go, capturing them will bring many benefits. We can then take the money, leave the slums, and go out of the city and find some other place to survive.”
After hearing the man"s words, the crowd exploded again and shouted. They all agreed with what he said.
Zi Linglong"s little face was pale, and she quickly said, "As long as you let us go, we promise not to speak of it. If you…"
“Don"t believe her. We will all meet a tragic end once they leave. She is most likely stalling for time. We have to begin quickly, and then leave here immediately,” the lanky man in the crowd nervously said.
Everyone was talking at once, and they all agreed. As the group approached, Zi Linglong couldn"t help but take a step or two backward. Mustering up her courage, she moved forward and threw the stones that she picked up at them. She then returned, trying to protect Long Shiyan.
But a thin woman quickly grabbed her arm. She raised her hand and swung her palm at Zi Linglong"s cheek.
Zi Linglong was scared, so she shut her eyes, preparing for the blow. She was bullied for a long time, which formed a serious psychological trauma. She did not dare to resist being hit. It was only when she chose to protect Long Shiyan that she obtained a little bit of courage.
However, the feeling of pain never came.
When she opened her eyes, she witnessed a small, white hand grabbing the larger, dark hand. At the same time, she only heard a loud bang, which was the sound of the aggressor"s bones breaking. And then, a small figure was standing in front of Zi Linglong.