Chapter 138.1
Anonymous swede ❤, thank you for the Ko-fi!
Editor: Casey
Shi Qing paid no mind to the accusatory gaze of his cousin.
His eyes were on the man valiantly arriving on a white horse.
Jiang Bieyu was actually wearing the clothes Shi Qing had designed back then.
They were close-fitting enough to not affect his movements while also elevating his attractiveness to the next level. Even his fierce features were softened quite a bit by his nice outfit.
Of course, the gentle way he was looking at Shi Qing could be the main reason as well.
The devil incarnate Jiang Bieyu was actually not as scary as the rumours made him out to be. Some girls snuck out knowing that the person Crane City had surrendered to, the future master of this city, would be arriving today. Their first impression of the man was favourable.
It wasn’t that they fell in love at first sight with Jiang Bieyu’s face.
…Fine so maybe they did have a bit of a crush. Anyways, his appearance caused their fear of him to diminish considerably.
After all, the majority of people were natural facecons.
One of the girls seemed to think that Jiang Bieyu wasn’t too unapproachable. She was even bold enough to throw a silk flower she had sewn down to him.
The silk flower was spun lightly through the air, falling in front of the handsome man on the white horse.
Although it only blocked his view of Shi Qing for less than a second, it was enough to make Jiang Bieyu frown in displeasure. He gave the girl who had thrown it a look of warning.
The vicious glance frightened the girl so much that she stiffened and almost burst into tears.
Those girls were not the only ones who had come to watch. Many were seated by the windows of various restaurants overlooking this road. They had all relaxed upon seeing Jiang Bieyu’s pa.s.sable features and temperament. The atmosphere had eased slightly, with some even making light of things.
But when Jiang Bieyu’s expression suddenly turned cold, the crowd was so frightened that they didn’t even dare to squeak.
This was the devil incarnate, the current master of Crane City.
Who knew what he would do to someone who annoyed him.
As Jiang Bieyu led his troops through the long street, only the sound of hooves clopping and soldiers marching could be heard.
In this eerie silence, Shi Qing leaned out the window and took off the jade pendant he was wearing around his waist.
“Hey!”
The little master suddenly raising his voice caused many eyes to fall on him.
Only one thought pa.s.sed through their heads after seeing the Shi family little master leaning out the window with a smile and shouting down towards Jiang Bieyu.
Does he have a death wish?!!
However, Shi Qing wasn’t afraid at all. He had an unrestrained smile on his face as he waved the jade pendant at Jiang Bieyu who was looking up at him.
“Catch!”
He tossed the jade pendant towards Jiang Bieyu.
The general sitting on his horse actually extended his long arm to skillfully intercept the jade pendant.
Then, before the flabbergasted crowd, Jiang Bieyu, who had been nicknamed ‘the devil incarnate’ early on, who supposedly took lives without blinking and always remained aloof…
He actually slowly smiled at the person who gave him the jade pendant, Shi Qing.
Like a melting iceberg, the sight captivated everyone.
Without any pretence, Jiang Bieyu pinned the jade pendant to his waist with a smile on his lips. He looked quite content.
Shi Qing returned to his seat and ate a few more bites.
w.a.n.g Zhancheng’s heart was in his throat out of worry for his cousin. Yes, he had met Jiang Bieyu at the Shi family manor beforek2026;
But this was the devil incarnate they were talking about!
What if he flipped out after his cousin behaved like this in public?
w.a.n.g Zhancheng only relaxed when he saw that Jiang Bieyu was not only not angry, but in a good mood.
“Cousin, what exactly is your relationship with the devil…ah, I mean with General Jiang? Why did I see him at the Shi family manor last time? Have you two been in contact before?”
Because Jiang Bieyu’s faint smile affected him so much, w.a.n.g Zhancheng temporarily let himself forget about the tragedy of ‘his cousin lying to him again’. He curiously sat next to Shi Qing, who ate a peanut and replied casually:
“He’s my lover.”
w.a.n.g Zhancheng: “……”
At this moment, he completely agreed with his aunt’s a.s.sessment of Shi Qing.
Although his cousin was good-looking and seemed to be as pure as jade…
He was really bad-natured, ah.
Look, he’s lying to my face. Again.
Shi Qing patted him on the back after noticing his cousin’s look of disbelief. “Cousin, I’m not lying to you. Jiang Bieyu really is my lover.”
“Qing-er, you can’t go on like this. How can you always lie to me? If you weren’t my cousin, I would have gotten angry already.”
w.a.n.g Zhancheng had a serious look on his face. “Come on, who is he to you really? I promise I won’t tell.”
“But I’ve told you already, ah.”
Shi Qing looked completely innocent. “Jiang Bieyu really is my lover. We’re a couple.”
w.a.n.g Zhancheng: …Only a fool would believe you.
A few days later, on a dark and windy night, w.a.n.g Zhancheng, who was currently staying with the Shi family, couldn’t sleep. He came out for a stroll and happened to witness a dark figure flip over the wall. That person then took Shi Qing, who was waiting on the other side, into his arms.
The two touched the tips of their noses together in an intimate fashion. They were even more clingy than the cat w.a.n.g Zhancheng had seen before.
Then, under the bright moonlight…
The man who was holding his cousin looked up sharply. His harsh gaze peered in w.a.n.g Zhancheng’s direction.
w.a.n.g Zhancheng, who got a clear look at Jiang Bieyu’s face: “!!!”
T-t-the devil incarnate?!
The devil incarnate’s eyes were so frightening that w.a.n.g Zhancheng was paralyzed in place like someone had hit his pressure points.
He could clearly hear Jiang Bieyu say to Shi Qing, “There’s someone out there.”
“Wu?”
The Shi family little master glanced over from within the tall man’s arms before withdrawing his gaze in disinterest. He reached for Jiang Bieyu’s neck as he replied stickily:
“It’s okay, it’s just my cousin.”
Contained within his voice was a sweetness that w.a.n.g Zhancheng had never heard before. It was more petulant than a cat’s mewls, elongated, glutinous, and spoiled all at once.
“Let’s talk inside. It’s cold out here.”
As a result, after Jiang Bieyu conquered Crane City, he didn’t show favour to any of the major clans here. He even apprehended some people who tried to take advantage of the chaos and cause trouble while pretending to be the Jiang family army. The culprits were all beheaded straightaway. Then, the devil incarnate Jiang Bieyu wasted no time picking up his cousin and whisking him away.
A st.u.r.dy cloak firmly shielded Shi Qing from the cold wind.
w.a.n.g Zhancheng could only stand there, dumbfounded, as Jiang Bieyu strode towards him with his cousin.
Then the man pa.s.sed him by……
Pa.s.sed him by……
By……
Jiang Bieyu basically ignored him after noting his presence in the beginning.
And his not-so-reliable cousin was busy leaning comfortably in the man’s arms. He seemed completely smitten with the man and didn’t even spare w.a.n.g Zhancheng one look this whole time.
w.a.n.g Zhancheng: “……”
w.a.n.g Zhancheng stood there for a long time after the other two had left before he processed what happened. He shifted slightly.
…Was I dreaming just now?
The devil incarnate and his little cousin…
They were a couple?
Surely he was dreaming.
So was he awake or still asleep right now??
If I’m dreaming, then this won’t hurt.
w.a.n.g Zhancheng looked down at his hand. Then he ruthlessly grit his teeth and fiercely pinched his face.
“Ow!!!”
The little master who was disrobing on the bed with Jiang Bieyu froze for a second when he heard the commotion.
The always cautious Jiang Bieyu subconsciously rose to find out what happened, but Shi Qing pulled him back.
“Don’t mind him.”
The little master’s soft voice was a few hints sweeter than usual.
“My silly cousin has always been like this. Let’s continue.”
How could the man refuse his beloved’s invitation?
Jiang Bieyu smiled as he turned back and untied the bed curtains.
As for what was happening inside…
Only the two of them were privy to that.
The next morning, Shi Qing was comfortably nestled in the bedding, asleep.
He was quite satisfied.
Previously, Jiang Bieyu was busy fighting elsewhere and could only spare a few moments to visit him. He was in such a rush that the two of them couldn’t properly engage in harmonious activities.
Even if his animosity value had reached zero long ago, Shi Qing still felt unhappy.
But things would be better now that this guy had finally taken down Crane City.
He used a fingertip to nudge the still-sleeping man. “When are you planning to declare yourself emperor?”
Jiang Bieyu was always a light sleeper. He woke up as soon as the little master did, but he craved this moment of warmth too much to open his eyes.
He turned over when he heard Shi Qing’s question, wrapping him in an embrace and chuckling quietly.
“I’m not going to be emperor, you are.”
Shi Qing didn’t seem the least bit surprised or overjoyed. He just patted the man’s cold, hard cheek. “So this was your plan all along?”
Jiang Bieyu smiled and touched the little master’s long, thin fingers. Although his face was still cold and hard, his eyes were filled with fondness.
“Everyone now knows of your name. With me by your side standing guard, no one would dare to object to you declaring yourself emperor.”
He had thought of this long ago. Otherwise, why would he have insisted on being referred to as a general instead of a king?
His Qing-er was raised like a treasured pearl. When had he ever been mistreated growing up? If Jiang Bieyu were to become emperor, it would be impossible for him to spend a single moment apart from his beloved. He could already imagine what the history books would say about Shi Qing in that case.
The fact that Shi Qing was a merchant was enough for some to look down on him. If Jiang Bieyu became emperor and his relationship with Qing-er was exposed, Shi Qing would be the one who everyone badmouthed.
Jiang Bieyu wouldn’t care if it happened to anyone else, even himself…
But he did care about Shi Qing.
Moreover, if he were to become emperor, he would no longer be able to act as freely as he could now. It would also mean that the Jiang family would become royal relatives.
The only reason Jiang Bieyu hadn’t wiped them out was because a bit of his Qing-er’s kindness had rubbed off on him.
And most importantly, there was no place in the world more luxurious than the imperial palace, making it the perfect place to keep his Qing-er.
He gently coaxed Shi Qing, “Don’t they always say that I’m too hostile? Then why not have someone like Qing-er, who is known far and wide for his virtue, sit on the throne to shut them up.”
Shi Qing smirked. “Aren’t you afraid that I’ll gather a harem of three thousand beauties after becoming emperor?”
“I’m not.”
Jiang Bieyu sniffed the milky scent of the little master’s body before smiling trustingly.
“Because I know you wouldn’t do that.”
The System was almost moved to tears.
[Oh my G.o.d, what kind of fairy tale companion is this? A man who came from nothing like him is actually willing to give his throne to another… Wuwuwuwu, I’m going to cry.]
Shi Qing: [You foolish little thing.]
He looked at Jiang Bieyu and smiled widely. “It’s good that you’re not afraid.”
The man chuckled quietly.
He kept the rest of his words to himself.
He knew his Qing-er wouldn’t do this.
But if that day did come, he would use the position of emperor to imprison Qing-er. He would trap him within the golden cage that was the palace forever so that the only person he could see, touch, and speak to day and night would be Jiang Bieyu.
Jiang Bieyu had confidence in his plan.
The throne was just a gilded prison to ensure the canary he has always dreamed of catching stayed in his arms.
After all, the only thing he’s wanted since the beginning was Qing-er.
Rain
I uhh…may have forgotten it was Friday. Quarantine is doing weird things to my brain. Sorry about that 人(_ _;)