Chapter 87: The Ancestors’ Delayed Rebellious Phase (14)

An attendee asked whether he had ever seen a snake like that before. Brother Jiang shook his head. No. A black snake was already rare enough on the continent, let alone one of that size.

"It doesn't have even a trace of demonic aura," the disciple said. "Nor any spiritual energy. How strange."

If it could serve as a contracted beast, then it was certainly no ordinary snake. Ordinary snakes could never grow that large.

For some reason, Jiang He thought of Cheng Tinghan, the one who had died at Clear Sky Sect. If this snake could change size at will, then the twin punctures on Cheng Tinghan's neck...

Jiang He immediately ordered, "Stay alert. Do not let your guard down."

"Yes!"

...

Seven Star City.

The city had been built according to the layout of the Big Dipper in the heavens, and so it bore that name.

Bustling and prosperous, it was one of the great cities renowned across the continent.

The streets were crowded with people. The cries of merchants, the quarrels of women, and the laughter of children mingled together into the warm, smoky pulse of mortal life.

Lou Xingluo stood before the notice board visible as soon as one entered the city, as if lost in thought.

"Is it really that fiend, Moonfall Candle?"

"Of course it is. The news came from Clear Sky Sect; it can't be wrong. That fiend really has come out. And Yue Lu Villa is on her side..."

"No way. How could Yue Lu Villa..."

"You haven't heard? Let me tell you, back then..."

Listening to the murmurs of the passersby beside him, Lou Xingluo roughly understood the situation.

The sealed patriarch of the Moon clan, Moonfall Candle, had emerged.

And Yue Lu Villa was connected to the Moon clan.

After leaving that barren forest, they had never once gone anywhere with people. This was the first such city they had reached.

And during that time, Ling Qiong had never mentioned her own name, and Lou Xingluo had never asked.

So it was only now that he learned all this...

Putting these things together, Lou Xingluo understood what Jiang He had meant by the warning he gave him earlier.

Still, it was rather unexpected that the esteemed and prestigious Yue Lu Villa had ties to the Moon clan.

Moonfall Candle...

The Moon clan from a thousand years ago...

No wonder Jiang He had called her their little ancestor.

If she was Moonfall Candle, then it all made sense.

However, he truly had not seen the fiend the others spoke of in that girl who looked so gentle, obedient, and, from time to time, a little foolishly sweet.

Then again, thinking of her strength, perhaps it did make sense after all.

"Young Master Lou."

Jiang He, bringing two people with him, called out from the outer edge.

Lou Xingluo walked out from the crowd.

With no expression on his face, Jiang He said, "It's not very safe in the city. Young Master Lou would do better not to wander around. If the poison were to flare up, that would be troublesome."

Lou Xingluo apologized in a pleasant manner. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Jiang He gestured for him to proceed. "This way, please."

Neither Jiang He nor Lou Xingluo mentioned the notice board.

As long as one went to any place with a crowd, one would learn of it sooner or later, so Jiang He had already warned Lou Xingluo in advance.

As for Lou Xingluo... he already had enough troubles of his own and naturally would not make a fuss.

The place where they settled down was a manor, likely a hidden property belonging to Yue Lu Villa.

"Where is your young mistress?"

Lou Xingluo had walked around the place and still had not seen her, so he asked a disciple nearby.

"The young mistress went out."

"..." Did she not fear being recognized?

...

Only later did Jiang He learn of this matter. After sending Lou Xingluo back, he hurriedly took people out to search.

None of them were easy to manage!

When Jiang He brought the others back, not a single one of them had empty hands.

Their young mistress had even changed into a brightly colored dress, walking through the gate with a smile in her eyes and a light, buoyant step.

"Senior Brother, nothing happened, right?"

"It should be fine." Jiang He was exhausted. "Clear Sky Sect doesn't have a portrait of the ancestor, so there shouldn't be many people who can recognize her."

"No, I meant, did the ancestor cause any trouble?"

"..."

Jiang He wasn't entirely sure.

Probably not.

In such a short time, the ancestor probably would not have had the chance to stir up trouble.

...

Lou Xingluo sat on the stone bench in the courtyard. For some reason unknown to him, the black snake was beneath his foot.

"Young Master, please slow down!"

A voice came from the other end of the corridor. Lou Xingluo moved his foot away, and the black snake shot into the nearby bushes with a swish, vanishing without a trace.

Lou Xingluo lifted his eyes toward the corridor.

Just then, the girl turned the corner. Her scarlet dress suddenly entered his view, and the vivid, radiant color made her look full of life and vigor.

"Lou Xingluo."

The girl's voice was sweet and soft, and that one call seemed to strike straight at the heart.

"I bought you a gift."

Ling Qiong came over, gathered her skirt, and sat down. Smiling, she said, "Take a look. Do you like it?"

What she pushed toward him was a carved wooden box.

"A gift?" Lou Xingluo was surprised. "Why are you giving me a gift?"

"It looks good." Ling Qiong lay on the table. "I thought it suited you, so I bought it."

Lou Xingluo: "..."

That plain and unadorned reason was impossible to refute.

Under Ling Qiong's urging, Lou Xingluo opened the wooden box. Inside was a white jade coronet; the craftsmanship was decent enough.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

"Yes." Lou Xingluo put the coronet back. "But this is rather valuable. I have given no service and therefore cannot accept it."

The girl's eyes widened. "But I've already bought it. I bought it specially for you."

[...]

Wasn't that just something they threw in as a free bonus?

Having learned the truth, Shiny did not want to speak.

...

When Lou Xingluo met those clear eyes, nothing about them seemed different from usual, yet he somehow felt that the girl might be a little wronged.

He had refused too harshly.

His lips moved slightly before, at last, he sighed. "...Then thank you, Miss."

"I'll help you put it on." Ling Qiong stood up happily and picked up the coronet.

Wasn't the joy of raising a child found right here?

Creating everything about her cub with her own hands!

[...]

Heh.

Lou Xingluo did not even have time to stop her before the coronet on his head had already been removed.

His body tensed slightly. Forcing down the impulse to stand, he clenched the hand hidden within his sleeve little by little into a fist.

The faint sensations from his head, each tiny touch, were enough to keep testing Lou Xingluo's bottom line.

The girl probably had never put a coronet on anyone before; it took her two tries before she finally managed it.

"Done." Ling Qiong admired her work with satisfaction for a moment. "Looks nice."

It was not clear whether she was praising him or the coronet.

"Thank you, Miss."

"You're welcome." Ling Qiong smiled, eyes curving, then sat back down and rested her chin in her hand. "Did you hear the rumors outside?"

Ling Qiong changed topics too quickly, and asked so directly that Lou Xingluo actually froze for a moment.

After a while, he nodded. "Yes."

Ling Qiong said, "So do you have anything to say?"

Lou Xingluo replied, "I have nothing to say."

Ling Qiong tilted her head. "They say I'm a fiend. Don't you have any opinion on that?"

Lou Xingluo shook his head and said softly, "Miss Yue, my situation is the same as yours."

If the people of the continent were searching for her everywhere...

Then the people of Brahma Void City were also searching for him everywhere right now.

Their situations were the same.

Ling Qiong curved her lips in a smile. "We're not the same."

Lou Xingluo looked at her in confusion.

The girl's smile was brilliant as she said in a soft voice, "You have me."