Chapter 37: Going Home
Jiang Cheng and his two friends left the buffet restaurant at nine o’clock in the evening.
Cao Wang, with his big belly, ultimately failed to achieve his goal of eating Jiang Cheng into bankruptcy.
The day after tomorrow is the last time Wuyue Advanced Middle School will call students back. At that time, the school will issue the college entrance examination results and high school diplomas.
Once the college entrance examination scores come out, Cao Wang’s good days will be over.
According to him, he will inevitably be severely scolded by his parents and then dragged off to repeat the year!
Afterward, it’s clear that Jiang Cheng will head off to Capital University, while Cao Wang stays behind in Wuyue, studying alone.
With things having reached this point, it’s inappropriate not to drink a little.
However, as always, Cao Wang couldn’t hold his liquor, and after several cans of beer mixed with white spirits, he became so drunk he liked to slide as he walked.
“Old Cao, we should take you home first,” Jiang Cheng said, not feeling reassured by Cao Wang’s state.
Even though Cao Wang was drunk, he hadn’t lost his temper.
“Why do you need to take me? I’m not drunk! I’m not drunk, I tell you. You want to take me home? Fine, but let’s drop Liu Qing off at her place first. Then you and I, brother, can have a quiet, quiet chat.”
Jiang Cheng supported Cao Wang and glanced at Liu Qing.
Liu Qing had also drunk a bit, but the alcohol seemed to have no effect on her. She remained cool and quiet, standing peacefully beside Jiang Cheng.
“Okay,” she said.
“Then you lead the way.”
“Hmm.”
Walking ahead, Liu Qing led the way, with Jiang Cheng and Cao Wang following half a step behind.
This seemed to be the first time Jiang Cheng walked behind Liu Qing, as she always used to follow him.
Jiang Cheng didn’t know where Liu Qing lived, but as the streets grew quieter and more deserted, he was sure Liu Qing didn’t live in any fancy area.
The three continued walking until the city quieted down in this neighborhood.
The night wind was in a hurry to get home, moving swiftly, pressing the thin summer clothes against the bodies of the latecomers.
Even in the scorching heat of June, Liu Qing was still dressed in long sleeves and trousers, seemingly unaffected by the heat.
The evening breeze first flattered Liu Qing’s figure, and then carried away the cool fragrance from her body, blowing it onto Jiang Cheng’s face who followed behind her.
Under the pale yellow streetlights, the lingering effect of Jiang Cheng’s moderate drinking finally kicked in, and the hot alcohol made his cheeks slightly feverish.
The normally carefree Cao Wang, hugging Jiang Cheng’s neck, suddenly noticed this abnormality.
On a regular day, Cao Wang wouldn’t even notice if Jiang Cheng changed clothes, but now, drunk, he had become incredibly perceptive.
“Old Jiang, are your cheeks flushing?”
Liu Qing also turned to look at Jiang Cheng.
Her cool eyes were mixed with a hint of curiosity.
Jiang Cheng composed himself, “It’s because you’re too heavy, Old Cao. You’re wearing me out.”
“Really? Seems like I, the great lord, need to lose some weight.”
“Let’s keep walking,”
Jiang Cheng said to Liu Qing.
Liu Qing sniffed lightly—apart from alcohol, there was a hint of lies in the air.
Liu Qing was used to the smell of lies.
This kind of scent usually came with the foul stench of hatred, which she hated very much.
But the lies she smelled just now had nothing to do with hatred, instead, they had a bit of sweetness to them.
It was a nice smell of lies.
Sweet and fragrant, like having candy in your mouth, it made her mood much better.
Why was this?
She couldn’t figure it out.
Human friends, so strange.
The three arrived at the edge of Wuyue City, where the area was overgrown with trees and weeds sprawled wildly.
“We’re here,” Liu Qing said to Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng:
I’m really foolish, truly.
I shouldn’t have harbored any unrealistic expectations towards the Monster.
She couldn’t even be bothered to cook raw meat, yet I actually expected her to rent a place to live on her own.
Cao Wang mumbled in confusion, “Where are we?”
Liu Qing seriously replied, “My home.”
Cao Wang chuckled, “Your home? This broken woodland? Then where do you sleep?”
Liu Qing glanced at the tree branches.
Jiang Cheng took a deep breath.
Thinking to himself: Cao Wang, if you keep asking, the two of us might not see tomorrow’s sun.
But Cao Wang, far from panicking, was actually amused: “Old Jiang, wouldn’t have guessed our Liu Qing is actually a camping enthusiast. This place is not bad, desolate and uninhabited, perfect for getting rid of someone. ”
Knowing he mustn’t expose Liu Qing’s identity, Jiang Cheng forced calm and laughed along with Cao Wang.
“Yeah, who would have thought Miss Liu liked camping, haha.”
Liu Qing shook her head at Jiang Cheng and then glanced at the tree branches again.
Jiang Cheng nodded hastily, “Yes, yes, yes, branches are good for starting a fire!”
Liu Qing tilted her head slightly.
She didn’t understand why Jiang Cheng, who could communicate with her seamlessly on ordinary days, suddenly couldn’t understand what she was saying now.
“I sleep, in the trees,” she told Jiang Cheng.
At this moment, Jiang Cheng was already sweating profusely.
Is this guy for real? Not shying away from strangers at all?
Does she really not know that talking like this would expose her identity as a monster?
So is she deliberately testing me, or does she just not have a clue?
The situation was extremely urgent, but fortunately, Jiang Cheng’s mental resilience was very strong, and he had done a lot of psychological preparation for Liu Qing being a monster.
“Trees? Oh, you mean a treehouse! Treehouses are great, cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and especially eco-friendly.”
Liu Qing blinked, “Want to, together?”
Jiang Cheng forced himself to stay calm, “Forget it, forget it, Cao Wang snores at night, louder than a tractor. It’s getting late, Miss Liu, I need to hurry and take Cao Wang home.”
Liu Qing stood by the roadside, with dark, desolate woods behind her.
“Mhm,” she nodded lightly, not trying to keep Jiang Cheng any longer.
Cao Wang retorted, “My snoring is clearly not as loud as a tractor.”
Jiang Cheng: “Ah, right, right, right.”
Jiang Cheng, supporting Cao Wang, started walking back. After a few steps, he couldn’t help looking back at Liu Qing.
The silent moonlight showered the ground, and the coldly beautiful figure still stood there, quietly and a tad obediently watching them leave.
Her lovely face bore the usual lack of expression.
But for some reason, Jiang Cheng could see a hint of loneliness in her eyes.
Jiang Cheng’s heart tightened, and he said, “Miss Liu, I don’t need to draw talismans tomorrow. Cao Wang probably won’t be up either; would you accompany me to look at houses?”
“Okay.”
She agreed without hesitation.
Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.
He slowly walked away, supporting Cao Wang.
Once back in the bustling area, Cao Wang suddenly looked up, “Old Jiang, there’s one thing you got wrong.”
“What’s that?”
“I can get up tomorrow.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Cao Wang had been drunk before, and true to his nature, he was bound to sleep till the afternoon tomorrow. Jiang Cheng was a million percent sure Cao Wang wouldn’t get out of bed.
Otherwise, Jiang Cheng wouldn’t have thought to ask Liu Qing to accompany him to look at houses.
It was mainly because Cao Wang had drunk too much.
This one was definitely Cao Wang’s fault.
After sending Cao Wang home, Jiang Cheng took the time to draw a calming talisman.
There was no special reason, just to help his good brother sleep well.
Greatness needs no words.
At this moment, it was already half-past eleven at night.
Walking on his way home, Jiang Cheng opened his Reusable Type communication talisman and found “Liu Qing”.
He composed a message: Tomorrow morning, eight o’clock, meet at the entrance of Cao Wang’s residential area.
Send.
No sooner had Jiang Cheng put the communication talisman back in his pocket than the talisman rang.
The caller was “Liu Qing”.
“What’s up?” Jiang Cheng answered the communication talisman.
“Okay,” Liu Qing’s cold voice came through the talisman.
Jiang Cheng: ?
“Did you call just to say ‘okay’?”
“Mhm.”
“You could have replied to my message.”
“I, can’t.”
Jiang Cheng sighed, “All right then. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to hang up”
“Oh.”
In the outskirts of Wuyue, on a clean branch, sat a beautiful female cultivator with her long legs crossed lightly.
From her gourd-shaped figure after sitting down, she was not frail. Yet the branch didn’t bend in the slightest, as if what sat on it was not a gracefully charming beauty but a feather without any weight.
With her hands holding an ice-pink communication talisman, she looked at it until its twinkling light slowly faded away.
Thus, the moon once again became the only source of light in the forest.
The moonlight was generous and bright tonight, but it had nothing to do with her.