Calamity Messenger

Chapter 379 - 310: Dreamlike Illusion

"So, Ying Rushi, you’re the White Fox."

Ying Rushi suddenly woke up, instinctively gripping the hilt of her sword. When she looked up, she was frightened like a small animal whose tail had been stepped on.

The bandaged-faced Yellow Dog crouched on the ground and looked at her, chuckling softly, "No wonder you weren’t too surprised when you saw the Bingzi Pepper Forest in Ping City, and you weren’t very curious about me either. You got straight to the point in our conversation, as if reuniting with an old friend... I should have found it strange much earlier."

Black Wolf, with her burgundy ponytail, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, saying, "You’re so badly injured, it won’t delay the next mission, will it?"

"Don’t say that. She had no choice," the adorable Red Snake said, "What’s important now is how to help the White Fox."

Ying Rushi felt her mind was turned into a mess of mush, and stammered, "How did you guys get in?"

"You left your door ajar. I sneaked a glance while training with them and came in to take a look. I didn’t expect to find you sitting on the floor asleep." Yellow Dog sighed, "Not even sleeping in your own bed."

When Ying Rushi returned, she indeed opened the door to glance outside. She couldn’t remember if she had closed it, but she had used the technique of ’Slipping through the Gate’ so many times that she was dizzy, so forgetting to close the door was normal. She just didn’t expect to expose her identity because of it.

But before she could say anything, Yellow Dog asked, "I heard you defected from the Qi Kingdom? And you’ve been hunting down the most ruthless hounds and minions under Ying Le. You’ve done a great job in just a few days."

"...Yes."

Ying Rushi’s heart was suddenly pounding, observing Yellow Dog with eyes full of anticipation and trepidation, like a student waiting for a verdict from an examiner.

Yellow Dog sighed softly and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Well done."

Such a simple sentence, but Ying Rushi felt all the exhaustion and pain of the past few days melt away, and even her hands stopped hurting. She struggled to suppress the excitement within her and replied as calmly as possible, "I did it too late."

"The past can’t be changed, but the future awaits. As long as you have no regrets, it’s never too late to start," said Black Wolf, "In the Thief’s House, only you and Yellow Dog barely qualify to stand shoulder to shoulder with me. This attitude will only make me look down on you."

Red Snake’s eyes widened, "What about me?"

"You’re a pet that can cook."

"Then you’re a lecherous she-wolf!"

"How am I lecherous?"

"Your whole body is lecherous!"

Yellow Dog ignored their argument and asked, "What are you planning next? Are you going back to the Qi Kingdom to continue this seemingly futile battle?"

Ying Rushi retorted, "Didn’t you fight a seemingly futile battle before? Besides, it’s not a futile battle. There’s always someone who will benefit, someone who, because of me, survives a little longer. Maybe just one person, ten people, a hundred, a thousand... Maybe just for one day, a month, a year... No matter what, I have a reason to keep fighting."

"But I won’t die," Yellow Dog said, "You saw it yourself; I just used a clone to provoke Ying Le. From the start, I was undefeated. There’s no need for you to follow my path. The road I walk is mine alone, not suitable for anyone, including you."

"Your previous choices were not wrong. You’ve already done very well." He spoke softly, "I don’t expect a girl who has lived under Ying Le’s shadow since childhood to uphold justice. I’m not a devil. You’ve watched your friends, relatives, and acquaintances brutally killed by Ying Le for almost no reason. You haven’t become one of Ying Le’s hounds or been scared into submission as his prisoner. Instead, you’ve always wanted to resist Ying Le’s rule."

"Twenty years of storm and stress, yet the pearl remains as it always was... Regarding character, you are one of the most remarkable people I’ve known."

Black Wolf sighed, her expression softening, "Though I don’t want to admit it, if I were in your position, I might not have survived for long."

"Yeah, just hearing about it makes me feel oppressed and terrified. I honestly don’t know how you’ve held on all these years, White Fox," Red Snake clenched her fist and said, "But don’t be afraid; you’re not alone now! We’ll help you!"

Hold back, Ying Rushi thought, hold back.

Yet the composure that remained unfazed in front of Ying Le seemed shallow at this moment, like a little girl. Tears blurred her vision, and her breath caught in her throat. At this moment, someone pulled her into an embrace, and Black Wolf’s voice, gentle as water, whispered in her ear, "Don’t worry, this is a place where you can cry."

Ying Rushi could no longer control her emotions and broke into loud sobs in Black Wolf’s embrace. She cried her heart out, cried till she was at a loss. Red Snake squatted beside her, gently stroking her head with a handkerchief, wiping away the tears and bubbles of snot she shed.

She didn’t know how long she cried, but she stopped only when she felt exhausted. Sniffling, she kept her head buried in Black Wolf’s warm and soft embrace, unable to show her face. She felt embarrassed for crying like a child, unable to face her fellow thieves again.

After a while, she took a heavy breath and looked up at Yellow Dog, who was lightly smiling. Her face flushed slightly, but she steadfastly said, "I will not leave the Qi Kingdom. I will continue to assassinate Ying Le’s minions, even if it means dying without regrets!"

"I understand." Yellow Dog nodded, "Since you can’t be dissuaded from your path of no return, we’ll accompany you all the way."

"What?"

"You don’t mind having a helping hand, do you?" Black Wolf gently patted Ying Rushi’s head, "Don’t overthink it; I’m not helping you personally. But my Dragon and Snake Seven Kills has long hungered to devour the blood of Third-Turn Messengers, especially those from the Qi Kingdom. Just thinking about it gets my blood boiling."

"I’ve heard the scenery in the Northern Territory is unlike anything in Nanliang. I’ve always wanted to visit the Qi Kingdom," Red Snake giggled, "Killing while admiring the sights, it seems interesting just to think about it. It’s settled; you guys handle the killings, and I’ll enjoy myself!"

"Slapping Ying Le once isn’t enough for me," Yellow Dog said, "Thinking about it now, the plan to sweep through the Qi Kingdom is still too crude and reckless. Now with you as an insider, we can precisely dismantle Ying Le’s power structure. Even if we can’t kill her, we can prevent her from using the Court to spread her cruelty."

Ying Rushi’s lips trembled, "You all..."

Yellow Dog interrupted, "Don’t worry about us. Unlike you, who’s so dead-set, if we encounter danger, we’ll just return to the Thief’s House. We each have our own way. Our lives are precious and won’t be wasted on a place like the Qi Kingdom."

"But how will you get here? Is it..."

"That’s right. You might have guessed it? Besides the Return Order, we have another mode of transport. We used it to save the Rabbit Heroine from the dungeon Secret Realm, accurately transporting us to your side and safely back."

Black Wolf held Ying Rushi tightly, "The next task is against the Fourth-Turn Demon Golden Seal Divine Hunter. You can no longer push your body like this. Now that we are here, you can relax a bit and lean on us a little. But don’t expect me to hold back when it comes to Qi people. Prepare yourself mentally."

Red Snake took hold of Ying Rushi’s hand, "Your hands are badly injured... Let me heal them later. Yellow Dog had similar injuries before, but they healed quickly without a scar. I promise you’ll be as smooth and soft as before!"

Bombarded by a series of surprises, Ying Rushi was at a loss, pinching her cheeks hard. It hurt.

Yellow Dog laughed at the sight, "What’s the matter, feel like you’re dreaming? Feel like we can’t possibly be so kind?"

"No, I don’t, I just..." Normally eloquent, Ying Rushi stammered, eventually hiding in Black Wolf’s embrace. Everyone couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and Ying Rushi laughed as well, though tears still streamed down uncontrollably, as if she’d been saving these ten years of bitterness and sorrow just to weep them all out in one go.

"It’s about time for dinner," Red Snake said, "I’ll go prepare it then."

"My clothes are soaked; I have to go change as well."

"Alright, White Fox, we’ll be off then. Take a rest and join us for dinner later."

"Remember, no disguises. One bandaged weirdo is enough at the Thief’s House, and we all know your identity anyway."

Watching Yellow Dog and the others bid farewell and leave, Ying Rushi wanted to stand to see them off but found her legs too weak, leaving her to sit on the floor and wave. As her mind relaxed, exhaustion engulfed her once more, and she drifted off again.