XIAO SHUXIANG'S

445 - Dew [Revised]

This large room was illuminated by six lanterns, but the light was still very dim.

One of the lanterns was on the back of the right side of Yi Wen's chair. So even though the atmosphere around him seemed dim, he could clearly see the face of Qian Kun.

"You..." Yi Wen stood up and then slightly advanced his body. He looked at the face of the figure in front of him with great precision.

"... No way," Yi Wen sat back down, she tried to be calm even though her eyes clearly showed annoyance.

"What the fuck.. How can you have a face that pretty? Who the hell are you?" Yi Wen crossed both hands.

Some time ago, he had clearly heard Qian Kun's heavy voice like a grown man. But when he saw the face of the figure in front of him, he became unsure whether he had just been exposed to an illusion or not.

"It's not my face."

!!

The voice just belonged to a woman, it sounded very feminine. Yi Wen subconsciously opened his mouth and stared strangely at the figure in front of him. He began to think of the worst possible.

"Qian Kun, are you... Can I change my face?" her voice was slow, but as she said it-Yi Wen heard her unusual heartbeat.

The figure's lips were attracted to form a smile, his red eyes seemed to glitter. She had a bright, soft facial skin, yet was covered in layers of snow and frost.

The figure's thin smile seemed to answer a question from Yi Wen. This Xiao Shuxiang-like brother felt that he had met a terrifying creature.

"Sometimes when I'm bored, I replace it."

!!

Yi Wen was surprised. Right before his eyes, he witnessed for himself how the face as well as the voice of the beautiful woman in front of him changed. Now it looks younger as if it has just turned 15, whereas the previous-face-face she saw was a woman of about 30 years old.

"This guy.." Yi Wen exhaled, he adjusted his heartbeat until he calmed down. He stared at the red-eyed figure in front of him while hiding how shaken he was.

"Qian Kun, are you such a creature..? A figure capable of turning his face into anyone, 'A Thousand Faces Being'?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Ehm.. No. gabe. I'm just asking, you don't have to answer if you don't want to.." Yi Wen tried to hide her nervousness, she now felt that she would rather talk if Qian Kun put on his mask again.

The figure in front of Yi Wen with his cold voice said, he could only use the face of the person he had already killed with his own hands.

The face of the young girl he was currently showing, was the daughter of a wealthy merchant whom he had killed a few days ago.

"Kun Qian.. What about your real face? You've been wearing a mask, and now you're wearing it again in some other form. Are you really that scared you have to hide your identity?"

"Hh, scared?" qian Kun's eyes flashed again, he grinned before returning to his voice. "...Yi Wen, I am showing you something that you need in order to always be careful. I may be one of your closest people."

!!

"Qian Kun..!" Yi Wen spontaneously stood up, he began to understand and looked surprised. "If until you do something to my friends, you'll never let go."

A small laughter sound rang out, the figure in front of Yi Wen gave a hideous smile. "Relax... If I had acted first, do you think your friends were still alive? They will all die and the world... It can't be this peaceful. You can't even stop me so easily,"

Qian Kun returned to wearing his mask, he requested that Yi Wen sit down and stop acting like a person who cared about the safety of others.

Qian Kun wasn't even sure Yi Wen would be that cool to his own friends. This girl in front of him was a person full of gimmicks.

"... Now let's talk about something else. What about the job I gave you, did you finish it?"

"If it's about that, I haven't done it yet.." Yi Wen muttered softly, yet could clearly be heard by Qian Kun.

"Hmm, so now you don't want to do this job anymore?"

"It's not that, it's just that I'm busy approaching someone. He was an annoying young man." Yi Wen's mood began to deteriorate when he recalled the events he had experienced lately.

He had previously made the decision to approach the Mad Beggar Boy and make the young man fall for him. But everything he did, never worked.

Let alone being able to embrace the young man, walking nearby even Yi Wen was blocked by a one-and-a-half-meter-long stick. The Mad Beggar Boy would push him on a bamboo stick if Yi Wen dared to break the distance.

"Damn. That fellow... He's so outrageous. His way of looking as if I was the source of the disease, even though I tried to help him from his perverted behavior. She's peeved.. Very frustrating!"

Yi Wen grumbled, she tugged at a bit of her front hair after several twists. He seemed to have forgotten his nervousness facing this figure in front of him.

Qian Kun himself seemed to be unconcerned about Yi Wen's personal life, he simply said to have Yi Wen return to do his duty after finishing grumbling.

"Qian Kun's.." Yi Wen now had a serious face, "..You're this strong, why do you still need them? You can electrify a continent with your current strength, so why not do it if you want to destroy it?"

"Yi Wen, did I never tell you that the one in charge of destroying is your Brother Xiao?"

"My brother wouldn't be able to do that,"

"Therefore I exist, to make Xiao Shuxiang do his duty."

!!

The atmosphere suddenly became tense between Yi Wen and Qian Kun. Both of them to be seen however, they were people filled with gimmicks.

Yi Wen had all this time only helped Blood Scarlet in carrying out some small tasks, she was doing that just simply to drive away her saturation. A reason that was certainly unacceptable to someone like Xiao Shuxiang.

Although Yi Wen denied being part of the Blood Scarlet, he was still involved in the actions the group took.

If Xiao Shuxiang knew of the matter and Yi Wen could not give a reasonable explanation to that Alchemist Chef, he would truly end up pitiful.

On the other hand, Qian Kun did indeed possess a power that could make a continent shake. But still, there was a risk that he had to take on himself.

Qian Kun could not be reckless, his only purpose in life was to keep an eye on Xiao Shuxiang and set the path of his son's life in order to fulfill the destiny that the creatures of his world had prepared.

Xiao Shuxiang is a tool. The reason why he knew the truth of his destiny was considered a mistake for a being like Qian Kun.

It was frustrating when they almost reached their perfectly planned goal and ended up just like that just because Xiao Shuxiang used 'Resurrection Path'.

The four Worlds should have been mastered over a hundred years ago had Xiao Shuxiang not let out that stance in the seconds of his death.

Qian Kun did not have to wait for long and looked for where Xiao Shuxiang had risen. If he wanted to accumulate anger, he was really very angry. Especially now, Xiao Shuxiang was trying to escape the shackles of his destiny.

Yi Wen let out a slow breath, he had regained his calmness even though the atmosphere he felt was still tense. "Kun Qian.. I don't know what you're up to, but I hope you're not making trouble for my brother's wedding."

"of course. Searching for trouble at a time when warriors and strong cultivators were gathered was not a wise act. After all, making a rabbit happy before it is slaughtered is an interesting thing."

Qian Kun's voice now sounded manly. Inwardly, Yi Wen convinced herself to mark the figure in front of her as a monstrous being that she should be wary of.

As Qian Kun thought, Yi Wen was indeed full of ruse. The girl had never cared about the chaos on this continent.

His birthplace alone, the Western Continent dared him leave without ever looking back.

His task, which was the Pillar Protector of the Continent was not even he cared about at all. So the chaos that might arise, of course, is not his business.

It was no longer important that another reason from Yi Wen, that was to help the Blood Scarlet in order to test Xiao Shuxiang who was designated as the World Pillar. Clearly, he only wanted to witness how his Brother Xiao could deal with all of this.

'Making a rabbit happy before it is slaughtered', Qian Kun actually took an interesting phrase. This seemed to imply that the figure wanted Xiao Shuxiang to be happy just for a while.

*

*

*

Xiao Shuxiang was indeed enjoying his quiet time at the moment. He was in the Elf World with his White Cat and witnessed many things together.

Ling Qing Zhu was taken to one of the forests in the Central Region, a favorite place of Plant Elves.

The trees Ling Qing Zhu saw were larger in size than the trees in the Human World.

His Guardian explained that the Plant Elves lived inside the tree, they made holes arranged in such a way that they resembled windows and doors. But there are also Elves who make a home from vines.

Ling Qing Zhu wanted to touch the Plant Elves that he saw and visited in their home, but Xiao Shuxiang and Schonheit held him back.

The three of them were indeed walking around, but had to hide so as not to be seen by the other Elves. This was the first time in life, Xiao Shuxiang who was an emperor had to hide from his own people.

Kruyuu~

Eins was now not a dragon, but a white stoat and appeared to be coiled around Xiao Shuxiang's neck. He was indeed the only beast that could transform into any animal in this world.

Nevertheless.. The color, the sound of speech, and the golden yellow eyes of Eins will always be like that. It cannot be changed to any other color, unless one day it evolves.

Xiao Shuxiang took Ling Qing Zhu and Schonheit to another place, they enjoyed the scenery while keeping their distance from the Plant Elves.

Although Ling Qing Zhu's face remained flat, his eyes looked extremely excited. He was amazed when he saw the huge wild mushroom, even he was able to sit on it.

Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his nape and smiled. When he first came here, his response was similar to Ling Qing Zhu. It's just that, the White Cat is still full of authority despite having a high curiosity with various things in this place.

Schonheit himself seemed to blink, he did not know what to say to the white-haired, thin-veiled girl before him. Several times he was even surprised by the girl's unexpected behavior.

!!

[You guys.. Please be careful,"]

Schonheit was close to hanging when he witnessed how Xiao Shuxiang had Ling Qing Zhu compete to get out of the siege of the vines' living roots. The place where he was now was a forbidden part within the forest.

Although Schonheit had not been able to forget Ling Qing Zhu's treatment of him, he was still worried if the girl was injured.

["Why should His Majesty ask him out on a date in a place like this? Is there nothing else? Something more beautiful?"]

Schonheit felt his head throb. Xiao Shuxiang's treatment of Ling Qing Zhu was similar to that of a father teaching his daughter how to survive in the wild, this was clearly different from his shadow.

Schonheit had to continue being with Xiao Shuxiang and Ling Qing Zhu, even during their second day in the Elf World. Eins took them to see the lives of the Moon Elves in the Eastern Region.

Unlike in the Middle Region which is full of natural green shades, in this place the atmosphere is very very different.

The eastern region is filled with water. The trees and muddy that Ling Qing Zhu saw produced water. Even something that amazed him was the home of the Moon Elves who were also made of water.

Every place was covered with dew, yet in this region.. The dust looks like a blue blanket when hit by the morning sunlight. Moreover, the color will be more beautiful when the night is approaching.

There was once an incident where Ling Qing Zhu was caught by two Moon Elves. It happened on his second night in the world. Fortunately, Schonheit used magic on Ling Qing Zhu until his ears, hair color, and eyes changed to resemble those of the Moon Elves.

Ling Qing Zhu's appearance was very different. His hair was dark blue with red eyes, and there was a crescent moon pattern in the middle of his forehead.

Ling Qing Zhu was still wearing a thin veil colored according to her lotus flower-patterned blue clothes. His human scent did not smell because he was bathing with water from the Cloud Protection Tree.

Schonheit and Xiao Shuxiang were misbehaved to see the unusual change of Ling Qing Zhu. The girl who had been beautiful since the beginning with her changes was now even more stunning. Eins was also fascinated.

Ling Qing Zhu's encounter with the two Moon Elves was electrifying. The elves who were the two young girls seemed to be unable to distract them.

Both of them thought they had met a great goddess. This was because Ling Qing Zhu had a different aura than the other Moon Elves. Especially when spoken to, the thin veiled girl just muttered softly and showed her cold shady gaze.

Ling Qing Zhu herself despite being spoken to like anything else by the two Moon Elves she met-she simply did not understand their language. But his ignorance is perfectly covered by his character and behavior.

Ling Qing Zhu even leisurely walked away from them even though both of his hands were itching to touch the hair and rubbed the Elf wings he had met.

Xiao Shuxiang and Schonheit who were hiding not far from where Ling Qing Zhu was walking seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Luckily the girl's disguise wasn't revealed.

On returning to the palace, Ling Qing Zhu asked Xiao Shuxiang to teach her some words of greeting using the language of the Elves.

Of course Xiao Shuxiang did not refuse, he even gave Ling Qing Zhu a thick book. His White Cat can take the book home to study.

On their third day in this world, Ling Qing Zhu was invited to the Western Region-where the Light Elves lived.

Eins was very fond of carrying Ling Qing Zhu and Xiao Shuxiang on his back. Right now, he was becoming a white-winged horse.

Eins was flying at medium speed, she appeared to be piercing through the clouds. The white wings are stretched and look shiny when exposed to sunlight.

When he was at his highest point, Ling Qing Zhu realized something.

His heart suddenly thumped, he unhesitatingly pulled the hand of Xiao Shuxiang sitting behind him and wrapped the young man's hand around his waist.

"Tight hold." Ling Qing Zhu reigned and his actions made Xiao Shuxiang surprised.

Not yet had the youth respond, Eins started swooping down at an incredible speed.

!!

Xiao Shuxiang pushed forward and spontaneously tightened his embrace. "Eins..! Fly slowly..!"

"Don't listen to him."

"White Cat..!?"

Who said riding a horse with a partner would be romantic? It was precisely Xiao Shuxiang who was tormented because some of Ling Qing Zhu's hair was blocking his view.

He had no choice but to close his eyes and try to ask Eins to slow down his flying speed.

Xiao Shuxiang, "This is so embarrassing, shouldn't I be the one in front. White cat, you can sit in the back and hold on to me."

"Hmph, impossible. Later you even ease. Just hold on."

"White cat, I can't see. What if I get it wrong?"

"Then you're gonna die."

!!

Eins further accelerated his pace, he even circled around before returning to fly upwards.

Ling Qing Zhu nodded in satisfaction as he exhaled, he liked this adrenaline-inducing speed.

Schonheit could not match the flying speed of the Eins, yet he could still follow the creature from behind. He does not think Eins can act without control.

!!

Schonheit flinched, Eins again swooped down. He followed the horse and tried to catch up with the Emperor.

"White Cat..! Is this why you never want to sit in the back?!" Xiao Shuxiang was close to Ling Qing Zhu, but the strong wind caused him to spontaneously raise his voice.

"Mn, of course. Your hair will block my view."

"But now even your hair is blocking my view?!" Xiao Shuxiang protested, yet he still hugged his White Cat waist as if threatened with falling if his embrace loosened.

"Shuxiang, just hold on for a second. You should be grateful for the honor of hugging me."

"What?!" Xiao Shuxiang nearly let go of his embrace, but due to Eins' movements, he re-hugged his White Cat. At a time like this, Ling Qing Zhu instead asked him to argue.

"Hey, you're not wrong, are you?! It should be you who is grateful for having the honor of being embraced by me... Xiao Shuxiang."

"Hmph, you've been hugging people a lot. Your hug doesn't feel at all."

"God. Are you challenging me, White Cat?!"

!!

Ling Qing Zhu gasped, yet his eyes were still very calm. He pulled out the Eins mane plan and the horse used all its strength to fly back up. This time even a bunch of clouds disappeared due to the flapping of its wings.

Not only Ling Qing Zhu, but Eins also liked to fly very fast. He several times attacked the cluster of clouds and again swooped down, this time next to his wings he even tapped into the water before passing through the halo that existed in the Western Region.

Schonheit who was far behind was greatly amazed by the speed of Eins, his gaze as if only capturing the passing golden light. He was excited to catch up with them.

The Light Elves have a residence made of clouds, in this place is dominated by golden yellow and white, especially the Elves here are famous for their flying speed.

Xiao Shuxiang was finally able to calm down as Eins was now flying slowly. His right hand began to stretch out to get rid of some of the hair covering his face.

"Heah.. The two of you seem to be having a lot of fun without knowing anyone is suffering here," Xiao Shuxiang grumbled, he put away some of Ling Qing Zhu's hair that went into his mouth.

"... White cat, next time you don't growl your hair while we're flying in this position. Make braids or whatever, I'm really tormented back here."

"Mn? It's myfault. Just sorry,"

"You don't sound sorry at all, don't tell me you did it on purpose. And oh, next time you sit in the back. I don't want you to keep leading,"

"I couldn't have done it. You'll get more profit if I sit in the back."

Ling Qing Zhu was never willing. Now, his back still feels warm due to clinging to the chest of his Guardian Guard. The same possibility would happen if he was the one sitting in the back and he didn't want that.

Xiao Shuxiang was unable to argue, he was trying to catch his breath. Her White Cat was truly an amazing and unpredictable girl.

"Well.. Huh.. Alright. This time you win, I won't talk about it anymore.." Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his face and began to faintly smile, "... But on the first night, I'll get everything back..."

***