Ye Liangqing was the first to speak, exclaiming in surprise, “Su Shenzi?”
“Why is he in the Demon Realm?”
Shi Qinian also asked, “When I left, I heard that Su Shenzi was in seclusion in the Peach Grove. How could he appear here now?” And in such attire, no less.
“Unknown.”
In truth, if any other Divine Son from the Divine Realm had appeared here, they would have been overjoyed.
But Su was different.
The Divine Officials and Divine Sons of the Divine Realm had never held any innate goodwill toward Su, who was born a demon.
They were no exception; seeing him now, their hearts were filled with suspicion.
However, compared to a true demon, their concerns were somewhat lesser.
Jun Si, on the other hand, had no desire to dwell on such matters. “If you ask me, since Su Shenzi is helping us unconditionally, we should simply accept it gladly. Why overthink it?”
“Moreover, in my opinion, Su Shenzi likely came because of Zhao Zhao.”
Hearing this, Zhaozhao was taken aback. “What makes you say that?”
“His eyes have been glued to you from start to finish. Isn’t that obvious enough for you to notice?”
Zhaozhao had indeed felt that intense gaze, but he had automatically ignored it and hadn’t given it much thought.
He never wasted his attention on irrelevant people.
But was Su truly irrelevant?
Zhaozhao couldn’t help but reflect.
Shi Qinian cleared his throat and said, “In that case, let’s not dwell on it any further. Since Su Shenzi is willing to help, we shouldn’t let his goodwill go to waste.”
Jun Si nodded, and Ye Liangqing agreed.
Only Zhaozhao remained silent.
But the others knew Zhaozhao’s temperament well and assumed he had acquiesced.
Zhaozhao pursed his lips. It wasn’t that he was being harsh toward Su; it was just that he knew the direction of the plot—Su might very well defect to the Demon Clan in the future.
Moreover, he had just noticed that the Evil-Restraining Bracelet was no longer on Su’s wrist.
As the song and dance downstairs came to an end, the group quietly left Manchun Pavilion. Waiting patiently at the entrance was Su.
Su was idly fiddling with an accessory in his hand. When he saw them emerge, he immediately approached Zhaozhao.
Zhaozhao glanced at Su, who had draped an arm over his shoulder. Su grinned and said, “It’s been a thousand years. Have you missed me, Zhaozhao?”
Zhaozhao brushed his hand away and uttered two words flatly, “Not at all.”
Undeterred, Su clung to him again. “Hahahaha, it’s alright. Zhaozhao is busy with countless affairs; it’s only natural you haven’t had time to miss your elder brother.”
“It’s all my fault for not making time to visit you.”
Su’s enthusiasm remained undiminished, with none of his usual bad temper on display.
Su was slightly taller than Zhaozhao, and with his arm around him, his eyes were gentle and doting. Zhaozhao looked up and met those smiling eyes, his own now similarly reddened, flashing with helplessness.
“Why did you come to the Demon Realm?”
“I heard you were here, so I came too.”
The reason was simple, yet Zhaozhao didn’t doubt its truth in the slightest.
For some inexplicable reason, he believed Su wouldn’t lie to him.
“Mm,” he nodded.
Su smiled again. “It’s too dangerous for Zhaozhao to be in the Demon Realm. Your elder brother couldn’t rest easy.”
“If you’re uneasy, then follow along.”
As he said this, Zhaozhao turned his head away awkwardly.
Hearing this, Su’s eyes immediately brightened. He couldn’t resist ruffling Zhaozhao’s hair, only to be met with a glare.
Su smiled dotingly. “Alright, alright, I won’t ruffle it anymore, okay?”
“Don’t be angry, Zhaozhao.”
A dark line crossed Zhaozhao’s handsome face. What was with this tone, as if he were soothing a child?
Ahead, Zhaozhao and Su walked side by side.
Behind them, Shi Qinian and the others watched the interaction between the two brothers with curiosity, all somewhat surprised. They hadn’t expected the rumored mysterious and powerful Su Shenzi to dote on Zhaozhao so much.
Shi Qinian stared at Zhaozhao in a daze, and when he snapped back to reality, he unexpectedly met a pair of deep crimson eyes.
Su, with a bewitching smile curling his lips, said calmly, “Shi Shenzi, regarding the upcoming rescue of the Divine Maiden, you must be careful.”
Then his tone shifted, “Make sure you don’t drag our Zhaozhao into trouble~”
Shi Qinian met his gaze, neither humble nor arrogant, “Naturally.”
“I will do my utmost to protect everyone here.”
His words were spoken in a calm and gentle tone, and most present simply took them as polite formalities.
Zhaozhao glanced at him a moment longer. Knowing the plot, he understood that although Shi Qinian ultimately failed to rescue Nanyue, even battered and bruised, he still ensured everyone’s safety in the end.
His gaze suddenly met Shi Qinian’s as the latter looked up. Faced with this Divine Son of sincere heart, Zhaozhao softened his tone unusually, “I believe in you.”
Shi Qinian was taken aback. Those clear, pure eyes were filled with trust in him, and he couldn’t help but return a smile.