Chapter 1382 - To Go or to Stay
With a gentle leap, she turned into a white deer and rushed towards the entrance of the dwelling.
“I won’t allow it!”
Ruan Yaozhu suddenly raised her hand. Green vines danced madly, weaving together and sealing off the entrance. Leaves and flowers spread and bloomed furiously.
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The nine-coloured deer raised her head. “Do you know just how many years it’s been since you’ve lost your temper like this? Softwood, is this your letting nature take its course?”
Ruan Yaozhu’s expression changed slightly. The matters in the world would never turn out as a person wished. She had already grown accustomed to the greed and danger of human nature. Although she continued to nag everyone and stick her nose in the business of others, she had given up on changing anyone a long time ago. She would rather just retreat to the Hundred Herbs garden and let everything go with the flow. If Le Tian wanted to gamble, then he could go gamble. If the White Deer country was supposed to be destroyed, then it would be destroyed!
However, Li Qingshan could be changed. Even though he persevered with his path, he was not slow-witted and absolutely stubborn. He had faced tremendous difficulties to make it here, but he still retained his kindheartedness. He could finally find some peace in the Hundred Herbs garden, so how could she just turn her back on him?
She did not feel like this was some feeling of love. However, as soon as she imagined his stunned and disappointed expression, she could not bear to see that. She could not allow something like this to happen.
“Jiu’er, this is my matter.”
“Ruan Yaozhu! How dare you say that! You’re driving me crazy. If you’re so capable, then keep stopping me. I’m not going to stop until I chase that kid out of the Hundred herbs garden.” The nine-coloured deer waved her magnificent horns. The flowers wilted, the leaves fell, and the vines collapsed.
“Alright, stop being angry.” Ruan Yaozhu walked over and stroked her neck softly. She comforted her gently. “I know you’re doing this for me. If this becomes a tribulation of fate, that’s because my will was not firm enough. You can’t blame anyone else.” She twirled around where she was, making her green dress fly. She smiled. “Am I really so timid and easily-exploited that you can’t trust me?”
The nine-coloured deer came up with an idea. “Why don’t we make a bet?”
“There seems to be an awfully lot of bets recently. You know I don’t gamble,” Ruan Yaozhu said helplessly, “Alright then. What do you want to bet on?”
The nine-coloured deer said, “We’ll bet on whether that kid will leave the Hundred Herbs garden!”
“This…”
Li Qingshan was currently in an extremely good mood. After understanding the path of the qilin, he had overcome the bottleneck all of a sudden. Now, it was enough as long as he just proceeded accordingly. At the same time, he made preparations to take care of this “field of responsibility” of his that spanned fifty kilometres.
With a familiar cough, the nine-coloured deer approached him slowly through the wind and snow.
“Oh, why have you come again? Where’s senior sister Ruan?”
The nine-coloured deer said reservedly, “She’s cultivating in the dwelling. I came here secretly. There’s something I want to say to you.”
“What is it?” Li Qingshan studied her. Surely he had not caught her eye? However, he did wonder how she looked in human form.
That glance of his aggravated the nine-coloured deer. “I hope you can keep your distance from her!”
Li Qingshan thought, What a familiar conversation. I feel like I’ve heard it somewhere before. He smiled. “Isn’t it distant enough right now?”
“I hope you can leave the Hundred Herbs garden.”
“Why?” Li Qingshan asked curiously. Just earlier, he was getting along with Ruan Yaozhu. This d.a.m.ned deer had always found him unpleasant to look at.
“Because you’ve disturbed the order of the Hundred Herbs garden. You’re not a good influence.”
“That’s not fair at all for you to say that. They were clearly the ones who came to make trouble for me. Also, once I undergo the fourth heavenly tribulation, I’ll obviously set up a new order in this place.”
Li Qingshan said confidently, which convinced the nine-coloured deer, but she purposefully sneered. “A new order? What a boast!”
Li Qingshan spread his arms. “When I undergo the fourth heavenly tribulation, I’ll have ten times as many clones, and I’ll understand the path of nature even better. By then, you can chase out that kid Shen Yushu.”
The nine-coloured deer found it rather difficult to counter his words. If others said something like that, she could treat it as arrogance, but he really did seem to be capable of doing so. She said impatiently, “Let’s just say this. I don’t wish for her to become too close with any men.”
Surprised, Li Qingshan took half a step back. “You have that kind of relationship?”
Surely not everyone had a gay side to them, right? He recalled what Ruan Yaozhu had said. When she was at the lowest point in her life, it was all thanks to the nine-coloured deer’s support. After thinking that, it no longer seemed particularly strange. However, it was just such a pity.
As soon as he said those words, his foot ached violently. A deer hoof crushed down on his foot viciously. The nine-coloured deer ground her teeth. “What the h.e.l.l are you saying!?”
A gentle laugh rang out from the Hundred Herbs dwelling. Ruan Yaozhu laughed over how the nine-coloured deer suffered in her conversation with Li Qingshan, but she also felt touched. She did all of this for the sake of her. They had accompanied each other for a millennium, sharing joys and sorrows, going through thick and thin together. They were even closer than “that kind of relationship”.
Li Qingshan glanced at his foot and shrugged. “I was wondering! I’m clearly doing a good job and helping out senior sister Ruan, so why do you suddenly want me to leave? Is this what you want, or what senior sister Ruan wants?”
The nine-coloured deer lifted her hoof slowly. “Alright, I’ll come clean. Yaozhu doesn’t know about this. This is what I want.”
Li Qingshan said in annoyance, “Just why do you dislike me? I have a bit of the qilin’s bloodline after all, and I helped you win a great sum of Green Jade bookmarks. Even if you don’t want to befriend me, you don’t have to oppose me like this!”
“I’ll be honest. You’re very impressive. I don’t dislike you. Just from the fact that you helped us win a lot of Green Jade bookmarks, I should go easy on you. However, Yaozhu is currently at a critical juncture in order to become a Human Immortal. I hope that no one and nothing will disturb her and make her lose focus.”
“She’s very gentle to everyone. It’s exactly because you’re very good that she’s particularly gentle to you. I don’t think anything will happen between the two of you, but even if there’s a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I’d still want to avoid it. Do you understand me? How about this? I’m not going to chase you away with nothing. If you’re willing to leave, I’ll give you a hundred Green Jade bookmarks. Treat it as compensation.”
Li Qingshan fell silent for a good while, pacing around the tree with his hands behind his back a few times. Suddenly, he said, “You’re very right. I need to leave, but I don’t want the bookmarks. You don’t owe me anything, so you don’t have to compensate me.”
Otherwise, this situation would be far too familiar. It was basically going along the beat of “I’ll give you a million dollars if you leave my daughter”.
“So you’re agreeing?”
The nine-coloured deer was surprised. Originally, she thought he would ask to see Ruan Yaozhu again at the very least. She never expected him to agree to it so happily.
“Yeah, I’ll go put in my notice with senior sister Ruan right now- no, it’s best if I don’t see her again. I’ll write up a notice, and you can take it to her!” Li Qingshan said that as he began looking for paper and a brush. He actually did not hesitate for even a second.
The nine-coloured deer blinked her eyes in confusion. Everything happened far too smoothly, such that it felt surreal.
Why? Why? This kid is clearly as stubborn and conceited as you can get. He’s definitely not someone whose mind can be changed by words. He clearly didn’t agree to it either because he fears me. He doesn’t even take Le Tian seriously, and he said he wanted to become softwood’s senior brother. He even turned the Green Jade bookmarks down bluntly. Why in the world is he doing this? Oh no, if this is the case, then wouldn’t I have lost the bet?