Chapter 5: I Won’t Listen, I Just Won’t Listen
“Cousin, are you ready?” Qin Yuexuan’s voice came from a distance.
Nan Xun hugged the long-eared rabbit to her chest and replied, “Cousin, I’ve finished washing up.”
At that, Qin Yuexuan appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye. He stared at the woman before him, seemingly seeing something that made him suddenly spin around.
“Cousin, I’ll go light a fire. Your clothes are wet—they need to be dried.” With that, he walked away unsteadily.
Nan Xun looked down at herself. She had just washed her hair, and now her long black locks cascaded over her right shoulder like a flowing waterfall. The tips of her hair were still dripping water, falling just over her side waist, soaking that part of her clothes and faintly revealing the skin beneath.
No wonder Qin Yuexuan had reacted like that.
Quickly, Nan Xun shifted the long-eared rabbit in her arms downward to cover the exposed skin.
But of course, the rabbit’s pair of crimson beast eyes stubbornly focused on that spot, capturing the enticing curve of her waist in full.
There was no emotion in those eyes—only a deep, unfathomable focus that didn’t seem to see beauty but… a sumptuous meal.
If Nan Xun had seen the rabbit’s gaze right now, she would have been horrified, flung the rabbit far away, and bolted on the spot.
Unfortunately, she didn’t see it—and the Void Beast, nestled inside the bracelet, didn’t bother to warn her.
Qin Yuexuan had lit a fire and was speaking animatedly to her from across the way, clearly excited as he outlined the next steps.
Nan Xun quietly listened, occasionally smoothing the long-eared rabbit’s fur in her arms, thinking that Qin Yuexuan probably truly admired Zui Li Xuan. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be showing such a shy, inexperienced reaction to romantic feelings—though she suspected he was secretly quite experienced.
When he finished speaking, Nan Xun suddenly said, “Cousin… let’s go back.”
Qin Yuexuan’s handsome face froze in disbelief. “Cousin, what did you just say?”
“I’m sorry, Cousin. I lied to you. I don’t like you. I was just too scared, which is why I wanted you to help me elope.”
“Cousin, don’t say that! I won’t listen—I don’t want to hear it!”
Nan Xun thought: Brother, you have to listen. If we kept going, once the Demon King found out, I’d be eaten alive, and you’d end up as a human mummy. I’m really doing this for your own good.
She didn’t wait for his reaction and continued, “Cousin, if I just ran away like this, the Zui Li family would be disgraced, and my father’s position as clan leader could be threatened. I have no attachments anyway. Let the marriage happen—it’s just one life. If sacrificing me can bring about peaceful coexistence between humans and demon beasts, it’s worth it.”
Even Nan Xun felt moved by her own righteous speech.
Qin Yuexuan’s expression changed, and he roared in near-hysterical anger, “Cousin, you’re crazy! You can’t go! Do you know what kind of bloodthirsty, violent monster the Demon Beast King is? If you go, you won’t come back!”
As he spoke, the long-eared rabbit in Nan Xun’s arms raised its gaze toward him. Its blood-red, viscous eyes exuded an extremely dark and murderous aura.
Nan Xun smiled faintly, her expression tinged with sadness, delicate and pure like a white lotus untouched by dust. “So what if it’s dangerous? If this is what everyone wants, I will fulfill their wish. I just hope my sacrifice truly brings the temporary peace they desire.”
“No! I won’t allow you to risk yourself! Cousin, you know my heart… so why… why did you suddenly change your mind?”
Qin Yuexuan muttered, trembling slightly, appearing utterly crushed.
Nan Xun said “sorry” again.
“At first light tomorrow, we’ll go back. I’ve wronged you.”
“Zui Li Xuan!” Qin Yuexuan shouted her name in anger.
His peach-blossom eyes were bloodshot, and he sneered coldly, “I pour my heart out to you, and this is how you repay me? Using me when you need me, and tossing me aside when you don’t?”
Nan Xun was startled by his ferocious expression.
Damn. She had expected him to react, but she didn’t anticipate he’d be this furious.
Step by step, Qin Yuexuan approached her, his expression growing increasingly dark and fierce.
