Calamity Messenger

Chapter 384 - 315: Sharing a Bed

When Yan Qing emerged from the hot spring, the exhaustion brought by the "Tongyou World" was almost completely dispelled.

Returning to the living room, he saw Murong Hui sitting cross-legged in front of the coffee table, her long hair cascading down to the wooden floor, drinking canned milk while working on a puzzle. The puzzle theme was still... Strike Freedom!?

"Do you know what this is?" Yan Qing was dumbfounded.

"Of course, it’s similar to the Mechanical Puppets in Heaven and Earth." Murong Hui put her hands on her hips: "My Grandpa has a Divine Technique akin to Heaven and Earth; it can move mountains, cut rivers, overturn seas, subdue monsters, and suppress demons..."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Yan Qing glanced at her attire, still in her tank top and shorts outfit, with caramel-colored, long legs crossed together. He was a bit skeptical whether she got this tan naturally or if it was from sun exposure; if it was the latter, it couldn’t possibly be so even.

He opened the fridge for a look and found quite a variety, though all were knock-off drinks. But who needs a bicycle anyway if you can still drink cola despite crossing worlds?

Fizz~ Pop.

The sound of the carbonated beverage being released was like a heavenly melody. After a good soak in the hot spring, Yan Qing took a big gulp of cola, feeling as if his entire nervous system was activated. Besides soda, the cabin also had many snacks. Yan Qing grabbed a bag of spicy strips, bit into them, and ran to sit on the sofa, taking out his prepared "Primordial Daoist Venerable Black Moon Tide Scroll." After just showering, he wasn’t planning to sleep immediately and decided to read the novel for a while.

As he read, a warm body snuggled over. "In this volume, Primordial Dao Venerable ends up with another woman, and she’s my favorite female character."

"You’ve read it already, yet you’re still peeking over?"

"Even if I’ve finished it, I can read it again." Murong Hui said, leaning her elbow on his shoulder.

"What do you plan to do next?" Yan Qing asked.

"What do you mean do? Tomorrow, wherever you go, I’ll take you there."

"Did you forget there’s still an assassin targeting you out there? Since this hot spring cabin is fairly safe, you can stay put inside and, after five days, directly leave the Demon Gathering Land."

"The hot spring cabin is indestructible but not absolutely safe." Murong Hui shook her head. "Just from what I know, there are five ways to infiltrate the hot spring cabin: wall penetration, transformation, unlocking, earth escape, and shifting. Staying inside doesn’t mean safety, but rather gives the enemy more preparation time."

"But in the narrow terrain of the hot spring cabin, surely no Third-Turn could stand against you, right?"

"Well, you could definitely beat me, couldn’t you?"

"Hmm?"

Yan Qing was taken aback. She saw through him? But he hadn’t even used Bingzi Pepper Forest...

"When I asked to follow you earlier, you were reluctant, but you never showed any worry whatsoever. You were very sure of your ability to control the situation even after witnessing my Lightning Flying Knife and shadow dancing speed." Murong Hui nudged Yan Qing with her elbow, giggling. "No wonder you’re my chosen companion!"

"Over the next few days, if you want to stay in the hot spring cabin, I’ll stay with you. If you want to go out, I’ll follow you. Compared to the hot spring cabin, being with you clearly feels safer. Just like earlier, I couldn’t even react to the assassination, but you did. It’s foolish of me to even consider separating from you."

"Then you’re very smart oh."

"Of course, Grandpa always says I’m smart as a whip!"

Yan Qing closed the book. "Let’s rest, check out the second floor."

Upon arriving at the cabin’s second floor, there was just one room with two beds, but it had three windows, offering little cover from the outside. After experiencing the long-range sniping earlier, even with the curtains drawn and windows shut, the environment felt quite insecure.

"Bring the quilts downstairs to sleep," Yan Qing said. "The first floor feels safer."

Murong Hui nodded: "I also think the ground floor is better. Before, I used to read on the first floor until I fell asleep, never bothering to come up to sleep in bed."

Murong Hui moved the coffee table and placed the two quilts on the floor, using chairs, other furniture to surround the makeshift bed, like a child constructing a fortress base out of bedding. Although it’s somewhat childish, it indeed felt reassuring.

"Will you keep watch the first half of the night or the latter half?" Yan Qing asked.

"I’ve never kept watch, nor am I capable of doing so." Murong Hui honestly shook her head, "You could have me fight, chase, sneak, but when it gets boring, I easily fall asleep. If I keep watch, I’d either have to be doing something else or fall asleep sleepily in between. It’s hard to stay attentive to the sounds outside... sorry."

Mourning readily apologized so sincerely that Yan Qing couldn’t really criticize, given Murong Hui’s background. Even when she was out and about, it wasn’t up to her to stay up to keep watch. Moreover, even though Yan Qing volunteered to keep watch, he himself had no real experience in doing so, pretty much equal footing with Murong Hui.

"Alright." Yan Qing thought for a moment and beckoned. Two Dragon Attendants lounging by the door immediately flew over, nearly covering half of the living room. Just past the midnight bell, Yan Qing retreated with Murong Hui to defeat a wild Dragon Attendant and obtain a new Dragon Servant Puppet Card, equipping to the second puppet slot for activation.

"Dragon Attendants have an absolute defense barrier, regardless of the magnitude of attack, it’ll block it entirely. While we’re sleeping, one can protect each of us, allowing for a peaceful nap before the Dragon Attendant is shattered."

"Great!" Murong Hui accepted the suggestion without hesitation. Seeing her eyes sparkling with excitement, Yan Qing suspected she even wanted to snuggle up next to the Dragon Attendant.

Yan Qing glanced around the living room, "You sleep here, and I’ll sleep—"

"Sleep here too!"

Murong Hui tugged Yan Qing into the "fortress", patting one side of the makeshift bed: "Every time I spend the night with Little Fox, we always sleep together! Let’s do it!"

Seeing Murong Hui looking all spoilt and delightfully hopeful, Yan Qing instinctively shook his head: "I’m not Ying Rushi."

Murong Hui proposed: "But don’t you think a single Dragon Attendant won’t cover us entirely? If we sleep together, two Dragon Attendants can guard us from both sides, covering all angles."

Yan Qing looked at the Dragon Attendants, unable to deny Murong Hui had a valid point. The angles protected by the two Dragon Attendants were indeed seamless. While another reason could still decline, Yan Qing reconsidered. If Murong Hui didn’t mind, reasoning too much about it would be petty; no need to waste time on this.

"Then let’s sleep, goodnight."

One large one small, the two Dragon Attendants spread their bone wings, sealing away all light and danger outside. Whether slightly unaccustomed to the bed or due to another reason, Yan Qing lay there with closed eyes for quite a while without falling asleep, sensing a pair of intense gazes. He turned his head to find Murong Hui lying sideways, staring at him wide-eyed.

"What are you up to again?"

Murong Hui shook her head, chuckled: "I was thinking, I’m really lucky, every time I find such great companions."

"When did I become your companion?"

"But if you’re not my companion, why have you never considered abandoning me even after a second assassination attempt?"

Yan Qing was taken aback.

He hadn’t thought about it; normally, someone as troublesome as Murong Hui, saving her the first time would be happenstance, but after another assassination attempt, it should be worth considering if continuing to team up with her was worthwhile. However, Yan Qing bypassed this entirely, even thinking about tracking down the assassin.

Thinking it through, it’s likely because Yan Qing never felt fear; after all, the opponent couldn’t kill him instantly, so why retreat? Facing Ying Le, sure he might be nervous, but against a Third-Turn Assassin, scared? Scared of what.

Yan Qing was simply uninterested in causing trouble, but when trouble found him, he was more enthusiastic than anyone else.

Even if Murong Hui could help out as a map, even if she was no more than a wasteful kid like Qian Gongyu, Yan Qing would still protect her. In a gamer’s eyes, storylines serve only as justifications for havoc; activating the "Murong Hui" questline means playing it through, with nothing better to do for those five days, Yan Qing would play cat and mouse with the assassin.

More importantly, there was a certain unspoken pride in Yan Qing’s heart... Trying to avoid trouble is being merciful, does someone dare to cause trouble with me? Think I won’t go to battle?

"I simply feel that mere assassins aren’t worth causing me to retreat."

"Ah, why do my companions never admit to liking me straightforwardly?" Murong Hui lamented: "Clearly, you all are captivated by my magnetic personality."

Yan Qing felt both speechless and amused, poking Murong Hui’s forehead: "I’m going to sleep now."

"Mm." Murong Hui lay flat, "Are you asleep yet?"

"Already asleep."

"I’m kind of worried about Little Fox, she must be in a predicament again."

Yan Qing paused for a moment: "Once you’re outside, get her involved quickly."

"How about we get together when the time comes?" Murong Hui nudged Yan Qing with her elbow, "You’re all my friends, you guys will definitely get along well."

For a long while, there was no response; Murong Hui assumed Yan Qing fell asleep, pouted, closed her eyes, then suddenly heard a soft sound:

"Indeed."