HEART PROTECTION: CHAPTER 54
Before when Yan Hui had no money, she set her heart on gaining money as fast as possible. Now she had money. It was enough to buy a house with a courtyard in this town and hire ten Fatty Zhangs as cooks, but she unexpectedly didn't know what to do with it.
Yan Hui lead Tian Yao to the best inn in town and got the best room from the innkeeper. While they were waiting for the porter to lead them to their room, a voice suddenly called out: "You guys are here too!" It was filled with irrepressible delight.
At the sound of the voice, Yan Hui immediately felt a throbbing start in her head. She turned her head to look. As expected, it was Qing Qiu's crown prince standing there.
He was probably the person Yan Hui most didn't want to meet. Yan Hui looked through him, as if she didn't see him at all.
The crown prince's servant tried to hold the prince back, but the prince broke free after two or three attempts. He firmly walked toward Yan Hui: "No matter how I looked at it, it has to be you. Why do you pretend to not recognized me?"
Yan Hui sighed. She planned to face this head-on, but then a person stepped in. It was Tian Yao standing in front of Yan Hui. He precisely blocked the crown prince's path.
The crown prince was shocked. Yan Hui was also shocked. She didn't have time to collect her thoughts when she felt something warm on her wrist. Tian Yao had unexpectedly grabbed her wrist and started tugging her upstairs.
Yan Hui gazed up at the back of Tian Yao's head. She still hadn't fully processed their current position up the stairs yet.
Usually.......it was her leading the way.
Perhaps Tian Yao sensed Yan Hui's vacant gaze because he slightly turned back to look at her: The waiter is already ahead to lead the way. You don't want to go back to your room?"
The way he said it implied the waiter was very busy, that they shouldn't waste other's time......
Yan Hui was still being tugged along by Tian Yao. The crown prince seemed to suddenly recover. He hurriedly moved to catch up. He followed behind Yan Hui and continued to ask: "Who's that person? Why is he with you?"
Tian Yao didn't even look back and completely ignored the crown prince's presence. Yan Hui didn't respond either. Thus, the crown prince followed them upstairs. He persevered: "I truly continued to look for you after what happened back then. My nine......my clan believes in repaying kindness. You saved me then, so I will definitely repay you."
Yan Hui couldn't endure it in the end. When they reached the end of the stairs, she turned back to speak to him: "The best repayment would be to leave me alone. Pretend like the past didn't happen and leave."
The crown prince stopped in his tracks and solemnly replied: "What happened is what happened. I can't pretend like it didn't exist. I said I would repay you, so I will definitely repay you." He pointed to the neighboring room. "This is my room. I still have some matters in the village, so I'll be here for the next several days and won't leave. If you need to do anything, I will help you."
The crown prince scarcely finished when Tian Yao led Yan Hui back to their room. The door closed with a snap.
The closed door isolated them from the outside world. All that was left in the room was Tian Yao and Yan Hui. Her wrist was still being grasped in his hand. Yan Hui thought it was a little strange and wiggled her hand.
Tian Yao was a very astute person, so he immediately released his grip. Then acting as nothing had happened, he nonchalantly walked toward the table and sat down. He poured himself a cup of tea and started sipping.
Yan Hui fixed Tian Yao with a look: "I requested two rooms. You're staying next door."
"I'm tired." Tian Yao said. "Going to rest here before going."
Yan Hui didn't think further about his words and also sat down. Her expression was still quite heavy. Tian Yao glanced at her. Yan Hui noticed and couldn't help let out a sigh. Tian Yao set down his cup: "There's really no reason for you to be troubled over what we just heard. You didn't do it, and it's not something you can control either."
"Do you know who," Yan Hui gestured toward the door with her chin. "......is?"
"I do." Tian Yao took a sip. "Even though he has no aura, by how he talks and your reaction, I more or less can guess it. He is one of the fox demons you set free from the cages in Chen Xing Mountain." Tian Yao lightly looked at Yan Hui. There was a subtle look in his eye. "By luck, good or bad, you actually saved a member of the nine-tailed fox demon clan."
"It's my rotten luck!" Yan Hui said. "You aren't flustered after realizing his identity? He's already been to the jewelry store. He probably already knows information can be gotten there. In my opinion, that Know-It-All wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. Even though I threatened him at the end, that would keep him from drinking too much and blabbing everything. If it gets told to....." Yan Hui gestured to the door. ".....and the news sent back to Qing Qiu, then how will that in any way be good?"
"There is no bad nor good." Tian Yao said. "In the end, the ones who should know, will know. You didn't do the dirty deed. Why are you agitated?"
"Momentous situations will lead to an entire......"
Yan Hui hadn't finished when Tian Yao set down his teacup with a crisp sound: "Since Su Ying dared to do such an act, then she's sure to also be prepared to face the consequences. Why do you worry for her? The murderer kills with a clear conscience. And you as a spectator desperately wants to clean up their mess."
"I......" Yan Hui opened and closed her mouth, but nothing came out.
How was she trying to clean up Su Ying's mess? Her relationship with Su Ying, after thinking about it, was merely ten years of calling her "Master", that's all.
"It's been 50 years since the nations' boundaries have been drawn. The people have long since recovered. The demon races continue to ceaselessly claim the remote southwest lands. There's bound to be resentment. The Dao cultivators can't tolerate someone poking into their own backyard. Before, they didn't have the strength to do anything about it and just beared with it. But now......" Tian Yao lightly traced the rim of his cup with his finger, "There will be war between the demons and cultivators."
Yan Hui remained silent for a long time. "If there will be war, then there will be war. I just wish the war will be.......a little later."
Tian Yao didn't talk further, and the room sank into silence. They stayed like that until the sky grew dark. Tian Yao silently left then.
Yan Hui readied herself for bed and climbed in, but she spent the entire night tossing and turning.
Yan Hui woke up the next morning. Her mind was still blank from just waking up when she heard the sounds of frantic hoof beats galloping past outside. There were also shouting mixed in with the hoof beats, but she was unable to hear what they were saying.
By the time Yan Hui walked to the window and opened the shutters, all she saw downstairs were two rows of villagers flanking the road. They were standing there in a panic, looking confused and flustered.
Yan Hui was still standing in front of the window in bewilderment. Suddenly, the sounds of a rapidly approaching hoarse was heard galloping down that road. This time, Yan Hui could heard the cries of the rider: "Qing Qiu declares war! The demon races declare war!"
Yan Hui was stunned. She didn't even stop to brush her hair before turning on her heel and dashing toward the jewelry store. But right when she opened the door, she crashed into a youth. The young man's head slammed into Yan Hui's soft chest, and he stumbled back two steps.
The youth was steadied by the old man standing behind him. He stood there with a red face, and forced himself to calmly ask Yan Hui: "Your name is Yan Hui, correct?"
Yan Hui was surprised to see the two people in front of her. She grabbed the young man's collar and hauled him into her room. She slammed the door: "What's going on?" She had never sounded so worried before. "You have to know. What's going on?"
"Now you're not going to pretend to not recognize me?"
Yan Hui forcefully slammed her hand down on the table. There was a loud crack, and it split apart. Pieces fell to the floor. "TALK!"
"Su Ying harmed my aunt. Qing Qiu demands blood to be repaid with blood." The youth was Qing Qiu royalty, through and through. He wasn't frightened by Yan Hui's display of anger. As he spoke, there was a red gleam in his eyes, characteristic of when the demon races were prepared to kill.
In the beginning, Yan Hui was filled with confusion. But as she listened, she suddenly felt like there was no use to remain anxious. All that was left was slowly accumulating helplessness. She took two steps back; her face was bleak: "How.......did you know about that? Did the spies placed in Central Plains discover it?"
"Someone told me." The crown prince said. "My underlings thoroughly investigated it, and what that person said was true. I used magic early this morning to send the news to Qing Qiu. The king has been informed."
It was the nine-tailed fox demon clan's way.......
They paid great attention to bloodline. After receiving the news, there would definitely be a reaction.
And this village wasn't very far from the southwest border. It doesn't take long for information to pass between the two borders.
Yan Hui quieted down. The little prince straightened up and looked at Yan Hui: "My clan has declared war against the Guang Han sect. For sure the other xian sects won't sit back and watch. War will come again, and the Dao cultivators will not escape it. I heard you were banished from Chen Xing Mountain because you saved my fellow demons and me." The crown prince paused. Perhaps he still wasn't used to posturing. He clenched his hands into a fist and raised his voice more. It was like he was trying to bolster himself. "I want to take you back to Qing Qiu to protect you. Will you come with me?"
Yan Hui was still thinking over the heavy news. When she suddenly heard those words, Yan Hui looked at the prince. She was stumped for words.
Seeing that Yan Hui had no response, the prince's hands broke out in sweat. He clenched his hands again and said: "I am Zhu Li, the eldest son of King Su Qing, ruler of Qing Qiu. Although you are a xian cultivator, you are also my savior. My clansmen will definitely not slight you."
"Uh........I......"
"I will wait here three days for you. After three days, if you still don't want to come with me to Qing Qiu, I won't insist you do." Zhu Li stared at Yan Hui for a little. Then he drooped his head and mumbled out: "I'm done." Still with a gloomy and drooped head, he started to head outside but bumped into the door. The prince felt around the door frame and finally exited the room. He went downstairs with the old man and left to who-knows-where.
Yan Hui remained in the room and stared at the table that she broke. Her mood fluctuated between so many emotions. In the end, Yan Hui breathed out an empty, bitter laugh. She sat on the chair and tipped her head back.
What the hell was going on.........and what else was next......
Yan Hui hadn't sat there long when a figure appeared in the doorway.
Yan Hui didn't even look before saying: "Why did you tell them?"
Her voice was fairly steady; there was basically no difference with how she normally spoke. However, Tian Yao's sharp senses detected that Yan Hui was angry. Boiling mad.
"Yesterday I said that the demons and the cultivators were bound to wage war. Even if it didn't happen now, I would demand Su Ying to repay her debt after I regained all my magic."
Yan Hui's voice was slightly chilly: "That is a grudge between you and Su Ying. You have no need to draw in so many others."
"The one who drew in so many people isn't me, Yan Hui." Tian Yao said. "Su Ying is a deep schemer. She would've known killing a nine-tailed fox demon princess has heavy consequences. Perhaps she had already reaped the advantages. A plot against a princess. There's no way that your masters, Chen Xing Mountain, and other sects didn't know about it." As Tian Yao spoke, his gaze became chillier and chillier. "Think about the meeting three months ago at Chen Xing Mountain. Think about Zhenren Qi Yun's death. Has what I said not occurred to you? Do you not see the truth in my conjectures? The cultivation sects' ambitions are not small......"
"Enough." Yan Hui stopped him.
"It's merely that I am looking at it from a demon's point of view. I'm helping them take advantage of that Su Ying's scheme hasn't been completed. They can still make preparations. Yet you.........you look at from your own point of view. You're not willing to think about what is happening, and you don't want people to expose it."
At this moment, Yan Hui had no choice but to concede. Tian Yao understood her. He knew her more than she knew herself.
Tian Yao looked at the silent Yan Hui and said: "The xian cultivators and demons clans are destined to never coexist. 50 years ago, your sect's founder, Zhenren Qing Guang, and the ruler of Qing Qiu proved those words true with action. They fought in a bitter battle for life and death until both had no more strength to continue. Xian cultivators and demons cannot coexist."
Yan Hui shot Tian Yao a look at what she just heard: "These past few days, we've been sharing meals at the same table. Who said xian cultivators and demons can't coexist?
Tian Yao looked at Yan Hui for a long time. He lightly said: "Yan Hui, with a personality like yours, you ought to follow me and become a demon cultivator."