Chapter 45: Sudden Change

Just now, while chatting with Yue Li, she had unconsciously acted spoiled, just like a real girl.

She seemed to have changed without realizing it, becoming unlike her initial self.

But…

It didn’t seem unpleasant.

Thinking this, Xing Lian couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

It was fine to change.

Over a decade of life in her previous world had left her feeling deeply repressed. 

Only upon coming to this world did she truly feel happiness.

Even though she had become a girl, being able to receive care and affection she’d never had before made this small price to pay utterly insignificant.

Xing Lian let her thoughts wander for a while before lowering her head to read.

Although she didn’t rely on her eyes to see, holding a book while staring blankly straight ahead still felt a bit strange.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when footsteps suddenly approached.

Xing Lian looked up, feeling a slight stiffness in her neck, and couldn’t resist reaching up to rub it.

“Lian’er, the tonic is ready. Come drink it quickly.”

Yue Li walked to the table, set down the medicinal soup, and beckoned to her.

Xing Lian put down the book and walked to the table.

Yue Li pushed the bowl of soup in front of her, then walked behind her, gently massaging her neck.

Xing Lian squinted her eyes in enjoyment, waiting a moment for the soup to cool slightly before picking up the porcelain bowl and taking small sips.

They say good medicine tastes bitter, and that saying was absolutely right. 

With the first spoonful in her mouth, her brows couldn’t help but furrow.

‘So bitter!’

But even though the tonic was extremely unpleasant to drink, she forced herself to endure, gulping it down until the bowl was empty.

“How do you feel?” Yue Li asked curiously.

The restorative soup brewed today wasn’t an ordinary one. 

It was much more precious than before and had cost her a fair amount of money.

“The effect is excellent.”

Xing Lian closed her eyes to sense it.

Good stuff was good stuff. 

After drinking it, she felt warm all over, and her whole body became much more energized.

“That’s good. I’ll buy it for you often from now on.” Yue Li excitedly curled the corner of her mouth.

Because Yue Li had bought something good and she had benefited from Yue Li’s kindness, Xing Lian wanted to repay her.

She had nothing of value herself, so she could only make it up to her at night.

Xing Lian’s responsiveness made Yue Li extremely excited.

Although this wasn’t the first time she had been responsive, Xing Lian’s instances of reciprocation were few, making each one especially precious.

Yue Li became engrossed, tormenting Xing Lian for a long time. 

Only when Xing Lian was exhausted, her body limp and unable to move anymore, did Yue Li reluctantly let her go.

Finally… it was over.

Xing Lian’s forehead was covered in sweat, a strand of hair stuck to her face. 

Lying in Yue Li’s arms, she let out a soft sigh of relief.

“Tired, right? Rest quickly.”

Yue Li kissed her forehead and happily closed her eyes.

Xing Lian felt very tired and also closed her eyes, soon falling into a deep sleep.

She thought this night would pass peacefully, but something unexpected happened.

“BOOM!”

A tremendous roar suddenly sounded, startling Xing Lian awake from her deep sleep.

“Thunder?”

Xing Lian woke up groggily, blinking her eyes in confusion.

Yue Li woke up at the same time. 

Holding Xing Lian, she pricked up her ears to listen carefully.

The rumbling sound continued incessantly, not sounding like thunder at all, but more like the noise of a fight.

This wasn’t a commotion an ordinary beast-girl could create!

A bad premonition suddenly arose in Yue Li’s heart.

“Ah!”

A scream suddenly pierced the air, startling Xing Lian.

She had heard a similar sound many days ago. 

Hearing it again now made her body tremble involuntarily.

“Th-that just now was…” Xing Lian’s body shook as she looked nervously at Yue Li.

Yue Li frowned deeply, threw off the covers, and got out of bed.

“Get dressed.”

The sound just now was a scream, a death rattle. 

This was inside the city, guarded by soldiers. 

‘How could there be such a commotion?’

The bad feeling in Yue Li’s heart grew stronger. 

She quickly put on her clothes, then helped Xing Lian into a dress.

“Wait here. I’ll go outside to look.”

With that, Yue Li pushed open the bedroom door and walked towards the direction of the courtyard’s outer gate.

Yue Li’s departure made Xing Lian feel extremely tense. 

With no one to protect her by her side, she instantly felt insecure.

‘What exactly was this rumbling commotion? And what was with the screams?’

Not understanding the situation, she couldn’t help but let her thoughts run wild, growing more and more uneasy with each thought.

“Why isn’t she back yet?”

Although only a few minutes had passed, to Xing Lian it felt like an eternity. 

She paced anxiously back and forth in the room.

And just then.

“Tap-tap-tap.”

Footsteps suddenly sounded.

From the perspective of the gemstone necklace, she ‘saw’ Yue Li’s figure appear. 

Xing Lian breathed a sigh of relief but the next second, her heart tightened again.

Yue Li’s complexion was poor, her brows tightly furrowed, and she looked extremely agitated.

In the past, Yue Li had always been calm and composed, never showing such an expression before.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

The moment Yue Li entered the room, Xing Lian couldn’t wait to ask.

“I’m not clear on the specifics either. I only know the city is in chaos right now. It’s unsafe everywhere.”

“What does that mean?”

“I…”

Yue Li was just about to explain when another “BOOM”, a tremendous roar, came from the distance.

This time it wasn’t a thunder-like explosion, but the sound of something collapsing. 

And the sound was very close to them.

“Tap-tap-tap-tap.”

Footsteps sounded again, very chaotic. 

Just from the sound, it was definitely not just one person.

‘Someone had broken in!’ Xing Lian’s eyes widened. 

She seemed to understand what the earlier sound was—probably the front courtyard gate being kicked open.

“A-Li.”

She looked up at Yue Li, her fingers tightly clutching Yue Li’s clothes.

“I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”

Yue Li’s gaze gradually turned cold.

When she went out earlier, she saw many people fighting and killing. 

She hadn’t wanted to get involved, but now that others had broken down her door, hiding was no longer an option.

In that case, they could all die.

To prevent Xing Lian from getting hurt, Yue Li hid Xing Lian inside the bedroom and took the initiative to go out herself.

Xing Lian stood by the bed, trembling.

In her black-and-white perspective, Yue Li quickly walked out of the room, gradually disappearing from the edge of her vision. 

Not long after, the sounds of fighting came from the distance, followed by successive screams, then everything fell silent.

‘Was it over? Did she win?’ Xing Lian’s heart was pounding with tension.

Yue Li’s figure soon reappeared. 

Her clothes were stained with quite a bit of blood, making Xing Lian’s breath catch for a moment.

Fortunately, the blood was only on the surface. 

Yue Li had no wounds on her body. 

It must all be from others. 

She wasn’t injured.

“We can’t stay here. We need to leave quickly.”

Yue Li entered the bedroom, came to her side, and scooped her up in her arms.

Xing Lian didn’t speak, just held onto her tightly, burying her head in Yue Li’s chest.

Yue Li quickly walked out of the bedroom, through the main room, and into the courtyard.

Up close, Xing Lian saw the situation in the courtyard, and her pupils abruptly constricted.

Corpses. 

A ground full of corpses.

Seeing dead people again, and a pile of them at that, Xing Lian felt panicked. 

But soon, she stopped paying attention to them.