Chapter 88: A Deadly Measure

Song Ye had patrolled the city all the way to the gate of Everpeace Ward. Beyond that gate lay Changle Ward, the neighboring district.

Yet Changle Ward was a place he could never reach.

It had once stood outside Autumn Whisper Village, and now, with his palm held lightly before the gate, he could still feel that invisible barrier. He supposed it would only vanish once the other players descended and completed the player sparring quest with him.

“Little husband!”

He did not need to turn around to know who was calling him. Only she addressed him that way.

When Song Ye turned, he saw Qin Xuanxi approaching with Song Yan in her arms. A thought crossed his mind: should he invite Qin Xuanxi to watch the sunrise with him tomorrow morning?

But after a moment’s consideration, it seemed better to knock on her courtyard door at dawn and give her a surprise. After all, a female demon lord of her cultivation would never sleep in; she was almost always awake.

Qin Xuanxi came to stand before him, and the first words from her mouth were, “I’m leaving.”

“Huh?”

Song Ye froze for a moment, then asked, “Leaving where?”

“Out of Yan City, of course. I’m giving Song Yan back to you. While I’m gone, you’ll have to take care of her yourself.”

With that, Qin Xuanxi shoved Song Yan into Song Ye’s arms.

Song Ye immediately asked, “Then will you be back tonight?”

“No.” Qin Xuanxi shook her head.

“Then before dawn?”

“Still no.” Qin Xuanxi smiled. “What’s wrong, little husband? Now that you know I’m leaving, do you hate to see me go? This time, once I leave, it’ll be quite a while before I can return.”

Song Ye was stunned. Just moments ago, he had been mocking the game system for triggering an effortless chance encounter quest. Only now did he realize he had been far too naive.

The challenge had been waiting for him here all along.

He had thought that during all this time, Qin Xuanxi had been urging him to marry her, and that at the very least she would wait until after the wedding to leave. As for whether she would go through with the final step of the bridal chamber with him, that was another matter entirely.

And yet now, without the slightest warning, she had suddenly come to tell him she was leaving.

Song Ye even suspected that the game system and Qin Xuanxi had colluded to make a fool of him.

“Then could you leave one day later?” Song Ye asked hastily.

“No!” Qin Xuanxi said decisively.

“Or… why not leave tomorrow? Tomorrow I have a big surprise for you!”

“Then keep your surprise for now and give it to me when I come back.”

“Actually… I’ve fallen gravely ill. The physician says I may only live one more day at most. Little lady, stay in Yan City and keep me company for one more day!”

Qin Xuanxi laughed. “Enough. Whether you’re sick or not, do you think I can’t tell?”

Still, she felt faintly surprised. To think this honest fool would spin such a childish lie just to keep her for one more day.

But what use was it for her to stay and linger with him a little longer?

She was not some mortal woman who would feel blessed merely because a man said a few sweet words. If he wanted to keep her, he should be straightforward about it and simply say he wished to marry her.

So she said to Song Ye again, “I must leave within today. Still, leaving isn’t impossible either.”

“If you agree to marry me right this instant, then forget about leaving one day later—I’d even agree to never leave at all!”

Song Ye seemed to realize something.

So this was another of her tricks to force a marriage?

But at this moment, such a trick was a fatal blow to him.

After all, the reward for this chance encounter quest was a secret realm challenge ticket, and its value was no less than that of the guardian summons ticket—perhaps even greater.

Yet if Qin Xuanxi was not in Yan City before sunrise tomorrow, more specifically, if she was not within Everpeace Ward and Clear Sun Ward, then this [Companionship] chance encounter quest could not be completed.

When Qin Xuanxi saw Song Ye fall into thought, she felt, for some reason, a trace of disappointment.

It seemed he would not agree to marry her anytime soon after all.

“Then I’m going. I hope that by the next time I return, you’ll have prepared yourself to marry me.”

With that, Qin Xuanxi turned and walked toward the gate.

The shortest route from here to the North City Gate passed through Changle Ward. In the blink of an eye, Qin Xuanxi had crossed through the gate and entered Changle Ward.

Seeing this, Song Ye immediately cried out, “Don’t go, don’t go!”

Qin Xuanxi had already reached a place he could not follow, so naturally he was terribly anxious.

“I… I’ll marry you, then. Don’t leave!”

He shouted toward Qin Xuanxi from beyond the gate.

If he wanted to keep her, then agreeing to marry her was the only thing he could do.

After all, they were already betrothed; marrying each other was perfectly reasonable.

As for what hidden scheme lay behind Qin Xuanxi’s eagerness to wed him, that could wait for later. Right now, completing the chance encounter quest was what mattered most.

Qin Xuanxi really did stop, and even turned back to say, “What did you say? Louder, I can’t hear you!”

By then, quite a crowd had gathered nearby.

Qin Xuanxi was using these onlookers to spread the news that Song Ye intended to marry her, as quickly as possible and as widely as possible, as far and near as possible, until it reached the ears of the flute immortal.

“I’ll marry you!” Song Ye shouted at the top of his voice.

“When?”

“You choose the date!”

“Good, then I’m not leaving!” Qin Xuanxi said with genuine delight.

That ancient golden ape could be sought out later; there would be plenty of time for that. What mattered most was marrying her little husband—no, that was not right—the most important thing was luring the flute immortal into showing himself.

And yet, why did she feel so happy upon hearing that brat Song Ye wanted to marry her? It was merely one piece of her carefully laid plan. There was nothing to be pleased about.

Still, the way she had just acted before Song Ye really did make her look like a maiden newly awakened to first love. That was not good.

Then again, perhaps she was overthinking it. She had already lived for more than three hundred years. How could she possibly be in first love? Impossible.

Although, for three hundred years, she had still been a virgin...

No. Tonight, she would have to recite the Heart-Calming Mantra three hundred times to steady her spiritual resolve.

...

Today, Murong Qingyi finally gathered the courage to descend from the barren mountain and return to Yan City.

Before this, she had remained in that mountain wasteland for a full month and a half.

The reason Murong Qingyi still wanted to return to Yan City instead of going elsewhere was that she feared her mother would worry.

During the time she had been absent from Yan City, Murong Jingtian had surely already sent word of her disappearance back to Luo City.

In this world, she and her mother had depended on each other for survival. How could she bear to let her mother, alone in Luo City, worry about her for so long?

At this moment, the River Silk still coiled around her neck, and by now Murong Qingyi had completely abandoned the idea of shaking it off. She had begun trying to get along with it instead.