Chapter 116: The Ancestor's Belated Rebellious Phase (43)

Lingqiong held the plate, feeling the fruit as she took a bite. A sweet and tart flavor spread through her mouth.

After eating one, she suddenly tugged at Lou Xingluo’s sleeve and said in a soft, coaxing voice, "Why don't you let me have a taste of yours?"

Lou Xingluo: "..."

Could this girl please act a little more properly?

"Don't mess around," Lou Xingluo rejected her request. "What time do you think it is?"

Lingqiong twisted his words, "So, tonight is fine, then?"

"..."

Lou Xingluo felt like shutting himself away.

"City Lord," someone entered from outside and whispered a few words into his ear.

Lou Xingluo immediately said, "I have some matters to attend to."

Lingqiong pouted, "Oh."

Lou Xingluo leaned down and kissed her forehead, "I’m leaving then."

"Is tonight okay, though?" Lingqiong kept tugging at his sleeve, looking up at him. Her eyes seemed to carry a dizzying, soul-snaring power, and Lou Xingluo instinctively said yes.

As soon as he finished speaking, he took a step back.

Lingqiong smiled and let go of his sleeve, looking as sweet and well-behaved as ever, "I'll be waiting for you."

"..."

Lou Xingluo sighed, patted her head, and left with the visitor.

...

After Lou Xingluo left, Lingqiong started her boring card-pulling session again. After all, she had already invested the money, so it would be a waste not to pull. She had to get the last two cards. She wouldn't be able to rest until she got them! It was enough to drive a perfectionist crazy.

Lingqiong didn't know how many she had pulled, but finally, she saw a golden light while flipping through the cards.

The card slowly turned over. The background was filled with clusters of brilliantly blooming snow-white flowers. Lingqiong examined it carefully several times, but aside from the white flowers, there was nothing else.

What place was this?

The card had no stamp, proving it was not yet time to use it.

Lingqiong glanced at the collection count; only one card remained. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists in encouragement. It was just the last card. She, the great Lingqiong, would definitely be able to get it!

Lingqiong flipped through the cards she had already unlocked, her expression growing more and more delighted the more she admired them. Why was her "cub" so good-looking? He came with a natural, peerless beauty filter. Handsome boys truly brought joy.

Lingqiong suddenly sighed; it would be even happier if it wasn't just one person. Wouldn't a harem of three thousand be delightful? It would be wonderful!

[Dear, let's try to be a bit more exclusive.] Shanshan advised.

Lingqiong retorted, "I am very exclusive."

[...]

Lingqiong reasoned with Shanshan, "Look, I’ve seen so many handsome boys, have I ever flirted with any of them? Doesn't that prove my loyalty?"

Giving up a whole forest for her "cub"—what a great sacrifice she was making!

[...]

Shanshan didn't know how to respond to that.

...

Half a month later.

Lou Xingluo had been busy for the past half-month, leaving early and returning late every day. That evening, he returned under the starlight, his body carrying the dampness of the night dew.

Lingqiong was already asleep. He lowered his voice, helped her pull up the blanket, and uncovered her small face.

Lingqiong lifted her head in a daze, "You're back."

"Yes."

Lingqiong was terribly sleepy, and after muttering that, she went back to sleep.

"..."

Lou Xingluo sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought, motionless.

A long while later, Lou Xingluo’s fingertip brushed against Lingqiong’s forehead, tucking away a stray lock of hair. Then, he leaned down and woke her up.

Lingqiong’s face was flushed, her lips slightly parted, and her eyes, filled with confusion, stared at him.

"Lou Xingluo, what are you doing!"

Not sleeping in the middle of the night and suddenly coming to bother her—was he having fun?

Lou Xingluo: "We are going somewhere."

"I'm not going, I'm sleeping." Lingqiong refused flatly and turned her back to him.

Lou Xingluo: "..."

Lou Xingluo coaxed her for a long while before Lingqiong, woken up, sat up reluctantly. Lou Xingluo helped her put on her clothes and shoes, his movements gentle and careful, as if he were handling a precious treasure. Once she was dressed, he wrapped a cloak around her and picked her up.

Lingqiong snuggled comfortably into his arms, "Where are we going?"

"You'll know when we get there."

"Oh."

Lou Xingluo stood in the courtyard and waited for a moment. The Ink Snake appeared from some corner, grumbling as it carried them into the sky. Throughout the journey, Lingqiong’s ears were filled with the Ink Snake’s muttering.

"It told on you earlier," Lingqiong said suddenly.

"Huh?"

The Ink Snake instantly went silent, its inner shock beyond words.

Seeing the Ink Snake go quiet, Lingqiong casually made something up: "It said you abuse it."

Lou Xingluo: "..."

If it hadn't been acting up, would he have laid a hand on it? And it was snitching now? Lou Xingluo made a mental note to deal with it later.

The destination was not far; the Ink Snake flew for only a few minutes before arriving. It dropped them off and, as if something were nipping at its heels, darted into the clouds and disappeared.

Lingqiong stepped onto the soft grass, "Why are we here?"

It was a vast grassland, bathed in moonlight, rippling as it was caressed by the wind.

Lou Xingluo: "You'll see in a moment."

Lingqiong: "???"

Lou Xingluo had her sit down. They were at the highest point of the area, able to see everything around them. Lou Xingluo held Lingqiong and asked in a low voice, "What do you think is the meaning of living?"

"The meaning of living here is you."

Back in the day, she was a master of romance. How could she not handle this little trick?

Lou Xingluo: "..."

Lou Xingluo squeezed Lingqiong’s palm and said slowly, "There was a time when I didn't know what the meaning of living was."

Before he met her, he had already decided to destroy those people using the very things they desired most. But... during this plan, someone had suddenly broken in.

"I am very grateful to have met you."

"Why are you suddenly saying these things?" Lingqiong felt something was off, "You're not going to die, are you?"

Lou Xingluo choked on the wind. He slowly exhaled and said, "I just wanted to tell you."

Lingqiong was suspicious. Suddenly making things so ceremonial—in television dramas, this usually meant either something was about to go wrong or someone was about to bow out.

Lingqiong: "Is there something wrong with your health?"

"...No, I'm very healthy."

"That's good."

Lou Xingluo: "..."

The night wind blew gently, and a faint, sweet scent seemed to linger on the tip of his nose. Lou Xingluo looked into the distance, "I have a question I want to ask you."

"Mm, go ahead."

"When... when did you start liking me?"

Lingqiong: "The moment I saw you."

The moment she saw him... wasn't that when she saved him? So early...

"I'm sorry," Lou Xingluo suddenly whispered an apology.

"???"

Lingqiong’s little head was full of big question marks. What was this trope?

Lou Xingluo murmured, "I didn't like you back when you first liked me." Later, he had even used her, and eventually left without a word. The more Lou Xingluo thought about it, the more of a jerk he felt. If he had known then what he knew now, he wouldn't have acted that way.

Lingqiong didn't care much about that; her task was just to conquer the paper-thin character and fall in love. Since it was a conquest, it had to be a slow process.

"Look."

Lou Xingluo’s voice melted in her ear, scattered by the wind.