The red collared guard’s pupils shrank, not moving a muscle . His mind felt as if it was spinning for a moment before a sharp pain pounded on his head . Taking advantage of his blindness, Chen Li grabbed him and the other 2 guards before throwing them against the courtyard door!
Chen Li stood in front of the heap of men, a look of contempt on her face . “ Even if you were the descendants or even the king himself, I would still not let you off with hurting my people!”
The door shut, leaving the three men only able to groan with pain as they supported each other up . They all stared at each other in silence, not sure of what to do . From inside the courtyard, 3 stones suddenly dropped on them painfully . As fast as an arrow, the 3 guardsmen ran, not daring to even stay a second longer . Unexpectedly though, one of the guardsmen stopped and cautiously stared at the home before taking out a card .
~~~
After a moment of silence, Xing Yun looked calmly at Chen Li .
“Say, when did I become one of your people?” A faint smile was on the edge of Xing Yun’s lips as he clutched his stomach painfully .
Chen Li did not answer, only staring coldly at him before pointing to the stone that he had kicked when he was being dragged out . “What is that?”
“ A stone . ”
“Do you want a beating?”
“Uh, well it’s actually the centerpiece of an array stone…”
“Why put an array stone here?”
“In order to suppress magical powers . ”
“Why would you need to suppress magical powers?”
Xing Yun looked at her, hesitating before finally letting out a sigh and admitting, “ This is the array I have put up a few nights ago, since otherwise you would be running around here and there with power to do your own activities like before; That would not be good, nor would it be convenient to play wi-…… Naturally, it’s to defend you and me from beings that are far too powerful and give us a place to relax . That after all is most important, to create a peaceful place for us to live . Not to mention a man and woman sharing a room is not proper . ”
“In other words… A few nights ago, I would’ve once again been able to return to a human form…” Ah yes, on that day, he was sending off that commoner girl . Chen Li’s eyes were frosty as she retorted, “Ah, but that day when I went out, if I could’ve returned to my human form, I wouldn’t have been scrambling around and almost made into chicken stew!”
Ah… She should’ve phrased it less embarrassingly…
“Ah about such a matter,” Xing Yun shook his head, letting out a helpless sigh . “ I didn’t expect for you to see through the secret nor escape, really sorry . “
Helpless… . Sad…?!? He actually had the nerve to even feel sorry for himself! Please, she should be the pitiful one here!
This guy, in the end, actually could’ve just moved the stone all along,… Ai, how much of her dignity had she lost already!! No… This guy, he must see her as a joke, enjoy seeing her struggle in vain!
Chen Li felt her killing intent surge, enough to scare someone into a seizure . “ If I do not kill you, I am afraid my heart will never have enough blood out of anger!” Her teeth clenched as she stressed out each syllable to Xing Yun . However, when she looked at him, she was shocked to find him clutching his stomach as he kneeled on the floor in front of Chen Li who glared at him . “ Don’t even! Hmth, it’s too late to apologize!”
“No, just… . Cough, cough… . . ” Before he could finish, his whole body slumped forward lifelessly and fainted .
Chen Li felt shocked as she watched him, hurriedly catching him . She felt slightly panicked as she placed her fingers in front of his nose, feeling for breath . Only now did she remember that Xing Yun was in the end, a frail and weak mortal . After being beaten by the guard so heavily… How could he bear with it? Chen Li’s furious temper felt like it just had a pot of cold water poured on it . When she received little response, she chose to kneel down and check his pulse instead . Fingers on the neck, she felt it .
Weak . Slow . Almost to the point where it was on the verge of death .
Throw Xing Yun into the courtyard before leaving him alone grandly or, carry him over and help him lie down on the rocking chair… . Chen Li debated in her head, hesitating as she looked at Xing Yun’s body .
Chen Li believed that Xing Yun should definitely pay for playing her as a joke for so many days; He cannot die to escape punishment! Scavenging around the home, Chen Li searched and searched for the medicine Xing Yun normally sold . When she found them, she heaved with effort as she carried piles of medicine to Xing Yun . Walking in front of him, Chen Li observed the fainted Xing Yun . Pondering a little, she forced open his mouth and proceeded to dump the medicine into Xing Yun’s open mouth .
“Wai-!!” Under this moment of peril, Xing Yun awoke frantically . His face was pale as he coughed up some of the choked medicine . He pushed Chen Li’s clumsy hands away with a sigh . “I can do it myself . ”
Chen Li arched an eyebrow . “ Were you simply acting out of cowardice?”
“Ah no, earlier, I really did faint . I’ve just woken up and only wanted to enjoy the sensation of being cared for . “ Xing Yun laughed . “But I suppose I must’ve hoped too far . “
“You really have hoped too far!!” Chen Li glared angrily, “ Today, you’ve eaten all of the bacon, teased me so many times, I’ve even had to help you with some scumbags today!” She struggled to restrain her anger, her legs splayed out as her bum fell to the floor unconsciously . When she registered this, she suddenly remembered that she was no longer a chicken! Her body stiffened up from embarrassment as she jumped up onto an squatting position .
Alas, Xing Yun looked as if he was already fully healed as he laughed at Chen Li, “See? You really are much more comfortable as a broiler chicken, right?” Despite his ill appearance, his face was still enough to make one’s heart beat .
However, regardless of Xing Yun and his face, Chen Li clenched her fists as she took deep breaths before sighing .
“ Do you think there’s a reason preventing me from killing you?! . ”
One could feel a mixture between awe and murderous intent, yet he not only listened happily, but even let out a calm smile as he scolded . “ Stop it, give me the medicine . I’ve saved half the bacon in a secret place in the kitchen . If you want it, I need to recover . If you are still hungry, I can cook you a bowl of broth to drink . ”
Critical hit! Chen Li staggered back- Xing Yun’s smoothly crafted words had easily deflected the hit .
The reason to kill… . So easily gone… .
Unable to find a reason to clench her fists any longer, Chen Li thought that within this house, he must’ve set up an array so he could always get the upper hand!
~~~
Chen Li’s human form has been restored, but her foundation is presently very unstable . For example, her powers had still only recovered 1-2 percent . All afternoon, Chen Li was wondering about when she will have to leave this small courtyard . Xing Yun’s fight had been placed of great timing, undoubtedly helping her restore her powers even faster . However, if she stays, the demon emperor fill surely find her, and when that happens, the mortal… .
“Help me get the bacon . “
Xing Yun’s voice suddenly sounded from the kitchen, “The meat is strung up too high . My waist cannot bend, I cannot get it . “
Chen Li looked at the struggling Xing Yun, a flower of guilt slowly blooming in her gut . Her pursuers chasing her are bad enough, if this mortal gets involved… Chen Li sighed, “Where?”
She got and walked to the kitchen, looking up to see a long piece of meat hanging from a beam at the top of the kitchen . At the side, Xing Yun handed her a long pole to reach it . Chen Li chose not to take the pole, instead grabbing a bowl and throwing it like a frisbee at the bacon . The bowl cut the string holding up the meat and flew back through the air with a graceful curve, just in time to catch the bacon before flying safely down in Chen Li’s hands .
Showing off such a skill, Chen Li naturally felt very proud . Relishing the feeling, Chen Li snook in a glance at Xing Yun, wishing to see him marvel at her prowess . Yet when she saw him, all he did was walk calmly to the stove to take out a extremely dirty rag and gave it to her, “ Great . Now that you’ve taken all this effort, might as well wipe the beams clean with this as well . “
Chen Li stared at the cloth in her hands, it’s color to filthy too even discern it’s original color, dumbfounded . With a subtle tone in her voice, she asked slowly . “ Might you know who that you are ordering about?”
Xing Yun just laughed, carefree . “ I never asked you about who you were, nor your identity . So how would this humble commoner know?”
Chen Li’s face became even more ugly .
Xing Yun could only shake his head helplessly as she threw away the rag . “ Ah, okay, okay . You don’t want to mop, then you don’t have to… Come, at least help me with these 2 pots of water . ” Chen Li only stared at Xing Yun coldly . In response to this, Xing Yun folded, his arms clutching his stomach as he cried out, “ It hurts! Doing this all to feed you… My injury hurts!”
Chen Li just clenched her mouth as she twisted past Xing Yun . Being mistreated whilst in the wrong body may be somewhat acceptable, but currently could not! However, when she tried to get past him, her chest had actually brushed against Xing Yun’s . If this was a normal situation, perhaps Chen Li could’ve gone faster and no one would’ve knew… . But alas, dressed in Xing Yun’s overly large tobes, her hem got stuck on a hook, leaving her in an very embarrassing position .
When Xing Yun glanced down, his eyes widened as he backed up slowly, his posture awkward . A cautionary distance away, Xing Yun cleared his throat with a cough loudly, “ Look, uh, I’m not saying that it’s hard for me…”
“What is not hard, hmpth! Making so much of a fuss!” Chen Li reverted back to her look of arrogant indifference as she quickly unhooked the robes and strode out from the kitchen as nothing that had just happened affected her in any way .
Xing Yun leaned on the stove, not moving . When the heat on his body faded, only then did he begin to move his back with tiny movements as he slowly stood up . His eyes moved as they looked past the doorframe to a small corner in the courtyard, landing on a figure of a woman lying down near the little pond as she scooped up water with the ladle . However, despite lying there for such a long time, she still did not even scoop out a single pail of water .
Xing Yun who was at the side, unconsciously rubbed his chest with his hand, feeling that it will take a long time for the water to come, better to just stir fry it with some oil instead…
~~~
Chen Li stared at the water, poking at the reflection staring back at her- Ai, really, what is wrong with this little courtyard! She stared at the maiden in the water with disbelief- It looked just like her, yet her cheeks were painted with a pink flush! Ai, Ai, What happened?! Who was it that painted her face? Chen Li felt like this couldn’t be possible .
The grand and famous Azure Sky King . Who wouldn’t know of her? Yet today because of a single mortal… . Had blushed .
“Cluck, Cluck! Time to eat . “
Chen Li wasn’t sure about how long she had been immersed in her thoughts, but when she heart Xing Yun’s cry, the blush that could hardly be seen for hundreds of thousands of years immediately disappeared . “ This… . One’s name is Chen Li! Don’t you dare use “cluck, cluck, cluck, to call for me again!” She turned her head around to see Xing Yun standing with a plate in his hands in the doorway, his shadow long against the grass . Looking at him, Chen Li unknowingly stared at him, distracted .
Seeing Chen Li stare at him in such a strange manner, Xing Yun’s eyes blinked, and rolled into a circle before his lips spread open as he laughed . “ Chen Li, time to eat . “
Seeing how Xing Yun had finally changed his manner of address, Chen Li nodded in a satisfied manner . Then, Xing Yun opened his mouth again, “ King, your meal . ”
“It’s Chen Li! Are you looking for a fight?!”
Those pharses, “cluck, cluck, cluck, “ changing to “Chen Li, “ before adding “King”, no one has ever said those in that order to her before . Making Chen Li reply in that manner… It all felt very foreign to her… . It felt almost as if she had found a home to live a carefree life .
Chen Li stared at the meat on the plate before looking at Xing Yun . “If you’ve ruined this meat, you have to give me some more . “
Xing Yun laughed softly . “ But what if it is too delicious? What would you give me?”
She pondered for a moment before opening her mouth . “If it is too delicious, than I’ll cook you something even better!”
Xing Yun looked stunned, then only smiling without a word .
If one could make ordinary bread turn delicious, how could the meat not be amazing? As the result, the next day when Xing Yun went off to sell wild ginseng at the city, Chen Li, with a manner of life and death, came up to him and thrusted 2 large, stone sized pieces of gold into his robes and told him seriously- “Buy meat!!” But even with Chen Li’s deathly serious request, he gave it back . He was afraid that bringing 2 large pieces of gold into the marketplace simply to buy huge bulks of meat would definitely get him arrested by the government from suspension . Thus, he refused .
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door . Hearing this, both Xing Yun and Chen Li turned to look, her brows creasing- The last time the door was knocked, 3 guards had stormed in and beaten Xing Yun up . Quickly, Chen Li threw the stones onto the ground, pointing at them quickly . Within seconds, the gold color seemed to melt as it faded away and became normal stones once again .
Xing Yun went to open the door, but before he could touch the knob, Chen Li stopped him . “I will go . ” Without waiting for Xing Yun to reply, she walked 2 steps forward and opened the door . There stood 2 men, dressed in the dark navy clothes of a guard . A sword were on their belt and a jade emblem were proudly created upon their chest . When the two saw Chen Li, they both bowed politely .