It's just a back view, as if I don't have one!
❤️
Licheng.
A grey-robed man suddenly appeared in the demon general Li Mou's sleeping quarters. His voice was slightly hoarse, and the clothes he wore hinted that he hadn't had an easy time recently.
"Li Mou, how is the formation?" His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't drunk water in a long time.
Li Mou, seated in the main seat, calmly played with the thumb ring in his hand. "Almost."
The grey-robed man didn't seem satisfied with the answer. His expression suddenly became agitated, and he stood up, rushing to Li Mou. "At this point, you tell me it's almost ready?!"
"What's the hurry? Thousands of lives aren't something that can be conjured up instantly. If we're too reckless, we'll be targeted by both the cultivation world and the demon realm, and neither of us will escape."
The grey-robed man's impatience turned into anger as he saw Li Mou's relaxed demeanor.
"No wonder you were suppressed by Fu Zi for so many years. It's just a formation, and it's troubling you this much!"
In his anger, he flicked his sleeve, knocking over the teacup on the table.
As the sound of shattering porcelain echoed, Li Mou raised his eyes to glance at him. Unsure which word had struck a nerve, he sneered and said,
"Do you still think you are that high and mighty Lotus Flower Immortal Lord?! Lotus Flower, recognize your situation. You can only rely on me now. No one else can help you!"
As if awakened by this remark, Lian Hua (Lotus Flower) suppressed his anger, making his voice calmer. "How many more people are needed? Fu Zi has already regained control of the demon race, and besides..." Sudan Novels.
He paused, recalling that night. "I deliberately let that woman, Shen Jianxi, kill me in front of Cheng Wenyu. I don't know what that fool was thinking. There wasn't a single whisper on Chongjian Continent."
"If Fu Zi gets the support of the Shen family again, our plan might become even more difficult to execute."
Mentioning Shen Jianxi made Lian Hua's teeth itch. She had thwarted his plans time and again, and he couldn't even kill her.
That day, he had transferred his soul to this prepared puppet using a secret technique. Even so, the dagger provided by Fu Zi had caused him considerable damage.
Moreover, the after-effects of the secret technique were constantly tormenting him.
Lian Hua couldn't stand it anymore. After being revered and living a life of luxury for so many years, he now had to hide like a rat. This immense contrast filled him with hatred, and he could no longer bear it.
This also intensified his hatred for Fu Zi and Shen Jianxi.
Li Mou glanced at Lian Hua. The sinister look in his eyes was nothing like his former proud demeanor. He chuckled softly, slowly stood up, and walked to Lian Hua's side.
"Immortal Lord Lian Hua, do not fret. It will be soon. Only a hundred more lives are needed to activate the formation. When you and I become gods, who on Chongjian Continent will be able to stop us, right?"
Li Mou knew how to offer a carrot after a stick, especially when dealing with the former number one immortal lord. This method was even more effective.
As expected, Lian Hua gave a proud "Hmm" and then stood up. "Hurry up, don't keep me waiting."
With that, he vanished from the room.
Li Mou snorted coldly as he watched the direction Lian Hua disappeared. If not for the fact that only Lian Hua knew how to activate the formation, why would he tolerate his arrogance?
❤️
By the time Shen Jianxi returned to her room, it was already slightly dawn.
Lin Xinglan must have arrived some time ago. When she entered, he was curled up in a ball, fast asleep.
He didn't even wake up at the sound of her footsteps.
Shen Jianxi gently picked him up, pulled out the blanket he was lying on, and then carefully stepped over his small body to lie down on the inner side of the bed.
After finishing all this, she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Lin Xinglan hadn't been disturbed.
Perhaps sensing a familiar scent, Lin Xinglan snuggled closer as soon as Shen Jianxi lay down, rubbing his head unconsciously.
His cute little appearance melted her heart.
Propping her head with her hand, she turned to the side and quietly watched Lin Xiao Mao Mi's sleeping face, feeling an urge to play.
Shen Jianxi couldn't resist. She tentatively reached out with her other hand and stroked his head. Seeing no reaction, she boldly took his paw and massaged his soft little paw pads.
After playing for a while, she lay back down.
She closed her eyes, trying to count sheep, but found that method wasn't very effective.
Recalling a deduction from a protagonist in a certain drama, she began counting dumplings instead.
Dumplings (Jiaozi) sounded like sleep (Shuijiao) in pronunciation, a psychological trick to make herself sleepy.
This method worked. Before long, her eyelids started to droop, and she let out a yawn.
Shen Jianxi tightened her arm, pulling Lin Xiao Mao Mi closer into her embrace, and then fell asleep.
...
Knowing that her injuries had not yet healed and she needed rest, Qiu Tao didn't come too early, opting for midday.
Fu Zi was still angry about her answer yesterday and naturally wouldn't come to her again without saving face.
Perhaps Shen Jianxi had forgotten to close the door when she returned last night, Qiu Tao saw the door ajar and assumed she was awake, so he stepped inside.
"Xiao Xi'er, how are you feeling today? Are you uncomfortable anywhere... What are you doing?!"
Shen Jianxi was awakened by his angry voice. She rubbed her eyes and was about to speak when she noticed something was wrong.
The texture under her hand felt... wrong.
No fur, just smooth warmth.
Startled, she opened her eyes wide.
She then realized that Lin Xinglan had returned to his human form and was lying beside her, completely bare. He had his arm around her shoulder, and she had hers around his waist.
The pose looked undeniably suggestive.
With Qiu Tao's loud voice, Lin Xinglan couldn't possibly have not heard. Having grown accustomed to being a cat, he opened his hazy eyes, looked at them both, and instinctively stretched. This movement caused the covering on his body to shift further.
Just as he was about to be fully revealed, Qiu Tao quickly grabbed the blanket and covered him.
Seeing Shen Jianxi's startled and confused expression, he knew things weren't as he had imagined.
Although his heart still felt a bit heavy, he was at least not as angry as he had been a moment ago.
"Lin Xinglan, put on your clothes. I'll wait for you outside."
His anger couldn't be directed at Shen Jianxi, but he wouldn't be so lenient with Lin Xinglan.
Qiu Tao's expression and tone were extremely cold. After saying this, he walked out.
Shen Jianxi and Lin Xinglan exchanged glances.
"Uh... perhaps you should put on your clothes first?"
She couldn't help but speak first.
The scene was so awkward, as if they had been caught in the act by Qiu Tao.
Even though nothing had happened between them.
Lin Xinglan had already realized what had happened.
Unlike before, when he would only blush, this time his entire face turned red.
He lowered his head and softly replied with an "Mm," not daring to look at her.