“It’s nothing. It’s just that this kid seems to worship the Saint so much, he even treasures an old piece of clothing from the Saint like a precious gem.” Luo Ren curled his lips expressionlessly, but his tone was as sour as if he had eaten ten lemons. Yet he himself didn’t seem to notice.
Su Sheng glanced at Luo Ren in surprise, carefully choosing his words. “Well… the Saint was elected by the Light Clan. It’s only natural for people to admire him.”
Inside the Duke’s mansion, a beautiful young girl descended the staircase.
She wore a pink dress, looking youthful and vibrant. Following closely behind her was Duke Ki Li.
The moment Duke Ki Li saw them, his expression darkened. He shielded the girl with his body and turned to a maid in the house, saying, “Throw them out.”
Ki Laishi’s face changed. He stopped the maid and bowed apologetically. “Father, don’t be angry. These are the two healing mages I invited. Didn’t you say Mother hasn’t been sleeping well lately? I specifically brought them here to examine her.”
Duke Ki Li sneered. “Healing mages? Don’t think I don’t know, all those mages you’ve been secretly keeping are meant to use against Kai Li!”
“You fool! Idiot! How dare you use the money I gave you to plot against your own mother!”
Su Sheng frowned. It seemed Duke Ki Li wasn’t as fond of Ki Laishi as the rumors suggested.
Ki Laishi didn’t dare talk back, speaking meekly instead. “Father, it’s true.”
Su Sheng quietly observed the young girl but found nothing unusual. Meanwhile, Luo Ren, standing beside him, seemed to have discovered something interesting, revealing an intrigued smile.
As the father and son’s argument was about to escalate, Luo Ren lazily interrupted. “Pardon me, but although I’m a knight, I also studied healing magic as a secondary discipline.”
As he spoke, he cut his palm, and the wound healed instantly.
This sight made both father and son stop arguing simultaneously. After a moment, Ki Laishi’s father asked suspiciously, “Is this for real this time?”
Ki Laishi shot Luo Ren a grateful glance and nodded eagerly.
“Then follow me upstairs,” Duke Ki Li said, taking the girl’s hand and leading the way.
They arrived at a bright, spacious bedroom. Duke Ki Li helped the girl lie down and gently reassured her. “It’s alright, Kai Li. Let him examine you. I’ll stay by your side. Trust me.”
The girl timidly glanced at Su Sheng, but when her gaze swept over Luo Ren, it turned fearful. Like a startled bird, she grabbed Duke Ki Li’s hand and trembled, saying, “Please make them leave.”
Duke Ki Li spoke gently. “Dear Kai Li, haven’t you been having trouble sleeping lately? It’s perfect timing to have these two mages examine you. Seeing you so exhausted lately has been breaking my heart.”
At this moment, Luo Ren impatiently interrupted. “Alright, alright. If you want her cured, please step outside first.”
Once Duke Ki Li left, Su Sheng flicked his fingers and cast a shielding spell.
Luo Ren smiled, though not a trace of warmth reached his eyes. “Now, tell us. Why does a succubus like you have both human and elf blood flowing within you?”
Kai Li, shedding her previous fragile demeanor, sat up and smiled. Her gaze slowly swept past Ki Laishi, a flicker of disdain inadvertently crossing her expression, then moved over Luo Ren, finally settling on Su Sheng:
“Let me see. Hmm, a knight who can take on ten opponents single-handedly, and a mysterious mage. It was Ki Laishi who sent you here, wasn’t it?”
Ki Laishi cursed loudly, “You filthy demon! What was your purpose in bewitching my father?”
Kai Li giggled, “You all have so many questions. Which one should I answer first?”
Her eyes passed over Luo Ren, and her expression grew slightly uneasy. “Then I’ll answer yours first.”
“The blood in my veins comes from my parents. In their pursuit of power, they conducted a fusion experiment, and I was the failed result. My abilities are only one-third that of a succubus, yet my body is as frail as a human’s, and my appearance inherited the traits of the elves. Naturally, I was abandoned.”
“Back then, I was very weak. After Duke Ki Li saved me, I chose to repay his kindness.”
Ki Laishi was taken aback, “Repay kindness?”
Luo Ren remarked, “Interesting.”
Kai Li continued, “That’s right. Your father once saved me. His wish was to drive away your ugly, greedy mother and marry a beautiful, understanding wife. So, I came.”
Ki Laishi widened his eyes, “A wish?”
“Exactly. I can hear your father’s prayers,” Kai Li said with a sorrowful expression. “All these years, I’ve done my best to fulfill his desires, helping him eliminate political rivals. But I never expected his wishes to grow more and more numerous. I’m almost at my limit.”
Ki Laishi stood there with his mouth agape, too shocked to speak.
But soon he asked, “Then what crimes did those male servants commit? Why did you take their lives?”
Kai Li opened her sorrowful blue eyes, which brimmed with tears. “Because it was all your father’s intention.”
Quickly, Ki Laishi seemed to understand something, his face turning as colorful as an overturned palette. Yet he remained unwilling to accept it and questioned, “Why should I believe you?”
Kai Li coughed lightly, “Your father can no longer restrain himself. He’s about to enter.”
Sure enough, Duke Ki Li pushed the door open and walked in.
Ki Laishi turned to Su Sheng and Luo Ren, removing his hat in apology. “The matter has been resolved. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
Luo Ren chuckled softly but said nothing.
Su Sheng still frowned and said, “It’s already late today. May we stay here for the night?”
Ki Laishi immediately replied, “Of course. I’ve specially prepared a banquet for you tonight.”
Su Sheng waved his hand, “There’s no need for a banquet.”
But Luo Ren interrupted, “A banquet? Sounds good.”
Ki Laishi nodded in acknowledgment, “Thank you both for honoring us with your presence.”
…
When evening arrived, Su Sheng and Luo Ren were led to the ballroom where the banquet was being held.
Most of the guests had already arrived. As the two entered, all eyes turned toward them.
Su Sheng looked up and saw Duke Ki Li and Lady Kai Li standing on the stage. Upon noticing their arrival, Lady Kai Li subtly retreated a step.
Su Sheng averted his gaze.
The banquet officially began. As the main guests of the evening, coupled with their formidable strength, many sought to befriend them.
At this moment, Luo Ren was nowhere to be seen. Su Sheng had cast a disguise spell, so no one recognized him as the Saint.
Many people approached him with wine glasses, hoping to strike up a conversation, but he declined them one by one. It seemed no one had expected him to be so aloof, and soon a small space cleared around him.
Luo Ren returned, carrying two glasses of red wine and two pieces of cake he had somehow procured from somewhere.
“Norton, would you like a drink?”
Luo Ren gently swirled the wine glass in the air, holding it between two fingers. Su Sheng initially intended to refuse, but seeing Luo Ren’s smiling expression and expectant gaze, the words of refusal somehow vanished before they could be spoken.
Thus, a wine glass was pressed into his hand, and a delicate piece of cake was placed in his other hand.
Having eaten nothing throughout the entire banquet, Su Sheng began to focus on enjoying the cake. Few people actually knew that his favorite food was sweets.
Another piece of cake was handed to him, accompanied by a remark.
“Don’t eat too much, or you’ll get cavities.”
He casually accepted it and looked up to see Luo Ren cutting the cake on the table, dividing it evenly into small pieces.
But he still detected a hint of teasing in Luo Ren’s tone.
So he glared back, let out a cold laugh, and said, “Me? Get cavities?”
As if realizing how little intimidation he projected in this state, he swallowed the cake in his mouth and added lightly, “If an alchemist gets cavities, he’d be a laughingstock.”
Luo Ren shrugged and continued cutting the cake.
He wasn’t sure what kind of wine this was, but even sipping it slowly, Su Sheng began to feel dizzy.
After eating and drinking his fill, he found a corner to lean against, closing his eyes in an attempt to suppress the drunkenness.
In his dazed state, someone approached.
“Who is it?” Su Sheng opened his eyes, his muscles tensing as he simultaneously drew a dagger and pressed it against the person’s throat. When he saw the familiar, smiling face, he paused slightly and lowered the dagger.
“Why are you here?” Su Sheng sighed and asked.
Luo Ren lowered his head and took a sip of wine. For some reason, his voice sounded slightly low and somewhat hoarse. “You’re drunk. Do you need to rest?”
Perhaps it was because Luo Ren was exceptionally good-looking, or perhaps it was because Su Sheng was too deeply intoxicated, but he found himself staring blankly at Luo Ren’s moving Adam’s apple, thinking: Why is his Adam’s apple more attractive than mine?
At that moment, he didn’t realize that this was a rather provocative and improper gesture.
But he kept watching, and he continued to watch.
“Norton.” Luo Ren’s Adam’s apple moved again, his gaze deepening as his low, husky voice brushed against Su Sheng’s ear. “What are you looking at?”
Drunk and muddled, Su Sheng slowly shook his head and said, “Nothing. I’m not looking at anything.”
“Really?” Luo Ren curled his lips, his eyes carrying a hint of teasing and provocation. His fingertip tapped lightly on Su Sheng’s lips, his voice dropping as if laced with temptation. “Your gaze isn’t behaving very well.”
Su Sheng frowned, feeling his mind clouded and his thoughts tangled like a messy ball of yarn. Even now, he didn’t realize he should look away, continuing to stare blankly at the person before him.
“Really, I wasn’t looking.” He paused before adding, “At your Adam’s apple.”
“…”
“So obedient, my Norton.”
Luo Ren patted Su Sheng’s head, slowly pulling him into an embrace, and then smiled triumphantly.
After the banquet, Su Sheng was half-supported by Luo Ren back to the bedroom. During this time, Ki Laishi wanted to help but was firmly refused by Luo Ren. Ki Laishi seemed to understand something, merely pointing the way before leaving and instructing the servants not to disturb the two unless necessary.
As Luo Ren placed Su Sheng on the bed, he heard him murmur a name softly. His hand, which was tucking Su Sheng in, paused for a moment.
“Still thinking about helping those fools.”
Luo Ren turned and left the room with a sigh, but a moment later, as if recalling something, his tone lightened:
“In that case, I’ll lend you a hand. As repayment, I’ll be collecting the interest myself later.”
In the middle of the night, Su Sheng slept restlessly. He dreamed again of that strange dream, his limbs bound and placed in the center of a spired castle. Strangely, a bed had appeared there at some point. Waking up, Su Sheng nearly jumped out of bed in shock.
After clearing his mind for a while, Su Sheng remembered there was still something he hadn’t done. At that moment, Luo Ren also woke up, turning his head to look at him and asking, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
Su Sheng shook his head, then frowned and said, “Duke Ki Li’s wife seems a bit odd.”
Luo Ren smiled and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it Norton, I’ve already taken care of it.”
Su Sheng raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Taken care of it? How?”
Luo Ren replied, “After bringing you back, I went to see the duchess. I neutralized her succubus bloodline. From now on, she’ll no longer possess abilities beyond the ordinary, nor will she be able to hear that duke’s wishes.”
However, Luo Ren kept one detail to himself: he extracted the young woman’s succubus bloodline but didn’t discard it. Instead, he collected it. After all, something this interesting was worth studying, wasn’t it?
He understood the demons’ relentless pursuit of power, but the fact that such a bizarre experiment had been conceived was truly…
Su Sheng’s frown eased slightly.
“So rest easy,” Luo Ren said with a smile.
Su Sheng drifted back to sleep.
…
The next day, upon learning they were leaving, Ki Laishi gave them a flying unicorn, saying:
“This unicorn is a carefully bred descendant of our family. Its speed is ten times that of an ordinary unicorn, and it will help you reach the vicinity of Silver Moon Bay quickly. There’s only one, but I trust you won’t mind.”
Su Sheng asked, “How do we return it to you?”
Ki Laishi replied, “No need to worry. It knows its way back.”
Su Sheng couldn’t help but feel that Ki Laishi’s gaze toward them today was strange, as if he had discovered something entirely new, leaving Su Sheng puzzled.
Before their departure, Ki Laishi whispered in Su Sheng’s ear, “A mage and a knight make a perfect match. Blessings to you both.”
Then, with a slap on the unicorn’s rump, he quickly slipped away.
As the unicorn carried them higher and higher into the sky, Su Sheng thought Ki Laishi’s words made no sense. When had he and Luo Ren become a couple? And blessings to them?
It was utterly baffling.
But what Su Sheng didn’t notice was that just an inch below his collar, there was a faint kiss mark.