Half an hour later.
The night sky above Zhongling County had returned to calm, with the stars twinkling like they were yawning, and the moon sinking low as if it was about to fall asleep.
The thin county magistrate had left with gratitude, probably to handle the aftermath of the villagers who had met with disaster.
Over a hundred green-armored soldiers had returned to their camp, and Liang Zhen and Cao Shu had also gone back to their rooms.
In the small courtyard of the inn, only Wei Changtian and Liang Jin sat side by side under the eaves.
“Brother Changtian, I’m sorry…”
Liang Jin hadn’t changed her clothes, and although there was no blood on her body, a faint smell of blood still lingered.
The evening breeze gently swept past her hair, leaving a faint coolness.
It was unbelievable that someone who had just been in the midst of a group of bandits, now looked like a guilty child, constantly fidgeting with her clothes…
“It’s okay, I understand.”
Wei Changtian turned to look at Liang Jin’s embarrassed expression and smiled: “Besides, what you said was right; I really have become more ruthless than before.”
“Before, I just bullied ordinary people, but now I even dare to kill a prime minister, haha.”
The sudden laughter echoed in the courtyard, and Liang Jin stared at him with wide eyes, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Wei Changtian had originally wanted to crack a joke to lighten the mood, but now he seemed like a fool.
“Cough, don’t laugh.”
He rubbed his nose awkwardly, feeling embarrassed.
The two of them just stared at each other in silence for a while, until Liang Jin said seriously: “Brother Changtian, you’ve really changed a lot in the past three years… sometimes I feel like I don’t recognize you anymore.”
This was the second time Liang Jin had said this, and Wei Changtian thought to himself that his “Brother Changtian” was no longer the same as before. He pretended to joke: “Impossible, a handsome man like me should be unforgettable at first sight.”
“Brother Changtian…”
Liang Jin’s eyes widened in surprise: “You never used to talk like that before.”
“It was the past, besides…”
Wei Changtian waved his hand, and asked seriously: “Don’t you think I’m handsome?”
“…”
Liang Jin stared at Wei Changtian, then suddenly blushed and lowered her head, murmuring a soft admission.
“Handsome…”
“That’s all I need.”
Wei Changtian leaned back, propping himself up with his elbows on the steps behind him, and gazed up at the crescent moon above, shining like a silver thread.
“Even the moon changes every day, so why can’t people change?”
“No matter what, after thousands of years, the moon is still the same moon.”
“……”
It was unclear whether Liang Qin was fooled by Wei Changtian’s explanation, which seemed to say something but actually meant nothing. Regardless, she didn’t continue to ask questions, and instead, a subtle, unexplainable emotion appeared on her face.
She hesitated for a moment, then gently shifted closer to Wei Changtian, silently hugging her knees together.
The two of them sat together, not too close, not too far, their clothes occasionally fluttering in the wind and lightly touching each other.
Liang Qin closed her eyes, savoring the tranquility and peacefulness of the deep night, and murmured:
“Brother Changtian, sometimes I think… if there were no demons or bandits in this world, and everyone could live in peace, that would be great…”
“……”
Good grief, this woman may not have a large chest, but her aspirations are certainly grand.
However, a pampered young lady from an official’s family might never understand why so many people would risk their lives to become bandits, even if it meant tying their heads to their waistbands.
Wei Changtian didn’t speak immediately, nor did he mock Liang Qin’s somewhat naive sentiment.
At the very least, this desire was a good one.
The night air was cool and refreshing, with a new moon hanging in the sky like a bow.
After a while, he finally sighed…
“When will the world be full, when will the world be at peace?”
……
After parting ways with Liang Qin, Wei Changtian went directly to Yangliu Shi’s room.
The commotion outside had kept her awake, and she was now leaning against the window, gazing at the moon in a thin cloak.
“Sir…”
Seeing Wei Changtian enter, Yangliu Shi gently closed the wooden window and turned to ask with a smile: “What did you talk about with Miss Liang?”
“National affairs.”
Wei Changtian gave her a white eye, sat down at the table, and beckoned her over.
“Sir…”
The cloak slid down slowly, and Yangliu Shi crawled two steps forward, reminding him softly: “There’s a bed over here…”
“……”
Good grief, do I look that untrustworthy?
Wei Changtian’s face darkened, and he sternly ordered: “Put your clothes on! I have serious business to discuss with you!”
“Hmm?”
Yangliu Shi was taken aback, but seeing that Wei Changtian wasn’t joking, she put the cloak back on.
“What do you want to ask, sir?”
“Earlier, when we went to suppress the bandits, we encountered a spider demon…”
Wei Changtian took out the deep blue demon core and tossed it to Yangliu Shi, briefly recounting the events before asking:
“…Why was this spider demon able to transform after only sixty years of cultivation? Do you know the reason?”
“Yes…”
Yangliu Shi looked at the demon core, thinking for aartz moment before responding: “Normally, it’s indeed impossible to transform. This demon must have obtained some kind of opportunity.”
“In fact, there are many spiritual medicines in the great mountains that can help our demon tribe transform earlier. This isn’t a rare occurrence.”
It’s just good luck.
Nodding, Wei Changtian continued to ask: “After your demon tribe transforms, how does your strength change? Why did this spider demon, despite its high cultivation, get killed by me with one strike?”
“Hehehe, that’s because you acted too quickly, sir. She hadn’t even reacted yet.”
Yangliu Shi covered her mouth, laughing, and added: “However, once demons transform, their strength indeed takes a significant hit. The main reason is that they lose their tough, resilient skin.”
“It’s like the spider demon, if it were still in its demon form, you’d probably have a hard time breaking its defense with one strike.”
“I see…”
After listening to Yang Liu Shi’s explanation, Wei Chang Tian had some understanding, but also some doubts.
“But didn’t you say that the training methods before and after the demon tribe transforms are the same?”
“Since transforming doesn’t help with cultivation, and might even make one’s strength decline.”
“Then why do you all want to transform into humans?”
“Uh…”
Yang Liu Shi couldn’t answer immediately and instead showed a thoughtful expression.
It was the first time she thought about this question.
As Wei Chang Tian said, since transforming only has drawbacks and no benefits, why do they still take it as a goal to strive for?
Is it to hide themselves better and not be discovered by humans?
But isn’t it safer to just hide in the deep mountains and old forests?
Yang Liu Shi thought for a while but couldn’t come up with a reason. Just as she shook her head and looked at Wei Chang Tian again, a vague answer suddenly appeared in her mind.
“Perhaps… it’s to experience the taste of love, hate, and emotions in the human world.”
“……Is that so?”
Wei Chang Tian nodded, neither confirming nor denying: “You’ve been transformed for so long, have you understood it now?”
“Can’t say about the rest, but this ’emotion’…”
Yang Liu Shi said while taking off her cloak again: “I’ve already known what it tastes like…”
“Whoa!”
Looking at the white flowers in front of him, which seemed to blend with the moonlight, Wei Chang Tian cursed in his heart – fox spirit!
Today, I’ll not only let you understand what “emotion” is but also teach you what “romance” is!
“Snap!”
He snapped his fingers, and the candles in the room went out.
Yang Liu Shi’s gaze paused slightly.
“Prince, you’ve reached the sixth rank… ah!”
“Uh… cough…”