"Pant, pant, pant... I'm sorry, Lady Yelan. I was too cocky. I'll never act like a weirdo again. Please forgive me."
Under Yelan's baptism of love (an education by iron fist), Shen Luolun submitted completely. Gone was his earlier arrogance; he lay prostrate at Yelan's feet, utterly humbled.
"You're a total weakling, yet you have no self-awareness. That's why you should've knelt before me and explained everything from the start. None of this would've happened afterward. You just had to make me teach you a lesson. You were asking for some love, you S&M!"
Yelan folded her arms and looked down at him with contempt in her eyes.
Having read so many novels written by a certain someone, she knew the meanings and uses of some modern slang.
Shen Luolun's situation fit the description that appeared most often in his novels: S&M.
The most typical symptoms: acting up and panting like a dog unless disciplined.
You'd better not fall into my hands.
The defiant Shen thought through gritted teeth.
"Yes, yes, you're right. As an S&M, I'm terribly sorry for troubling you, Lady Yelan."
His attitude fell just short of licking the tips of Yelan's shoes.
Being flattered like this by the man gave Yelan an indescribable sense of pleasure.
Ah, so this is what it feels like to bully the weak. How satisfying!
Sure enough, the strong are born to bully the weak. Otherwise, what's the point of getting stronger?
Lording it over others and terrorizing the neighborhood are instincts engraved in human genes.
Still, aside from despising the man for being spineless, Yelan also admired him somewhat.
The man was a dog, all right, but he really knew when to yield and when to stand firm.
When he acted tough, he couldn't take a hit, but when he submitted, his fawning and flattery could really make you feel good.
In her eyes, the present Shen Luolun was like a goofy pet Shiba Inu, both embarrassing and funny.
"Since you're so sincere, I forgive your rudeness and offense. Get up."
She spoke as though bestowing a great mercy, then held out her right hand, indicating that a certain someone should perform the hand-kissing ceremony, the highest etiquette used by nobles to establish who was superior.
Forcing a smile, Shen Luolun ingratiatingly took Her Majesty's hand and kissed it gently.
A real man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. Just you wait, little wench.
"Let's say you and that little girl are all right. The most important thing now is for you to take me to see that woman," Yelan said.
"Yes, yes, this way, Your Majesty," Shen Luolun said, bowing and scraping with a fawning smile.
The two left the east wing and walked to the door of the west wing opposite it.
Just as Yelan was about to push the door open, Shen Luolun suddenly spoke.
"Oh, right, one more thing. The woman I rescued was dressed in extraordinary clothes and accessories. Her background probably isn't simple. She must have made some enemies and ended up like that after being hunted down. I know you have a special identity, but when you investigate her, at least put on an act in front of her. Don't scare her away."
He was referring to Yelan's identity as an underground agent.
She specialized in handling matters for the authorities that couldn't be brought into the open.
That included dealing with dangerous individuals who might cause trouble for Liyue.
Strictly speaking, the mysterious woman in black stockings also fell within the scope of her duties.
Shen Luolun didn't want the two to have an unpleasant clash the moment they met. Although Yelan's personality made it unlikely she would do anything like that, he still had to remind her.
Yelan rolled her eyes at him.
"I don't need you to teach me. Besides, you think I want to deal with this? I only came to take a look because I was worried you'd be fooled by some bad woman of unknown origin. If a certain someone had just gone home and slept, none of this would have happened. But no, he had to stick his nose into other people's business."
Despite her words, there was little reproach in her tone. It sounded more like she was chiding him.
Yelan didn't object to saving people, but if saving someone could put a certain someone's safety at risk, she wasn't happy about it.
Shen Luolun averted his eyes and began to whistle.
"Creak~"
The door was pushed open.
Yelan entered first. She walked toward the bedroom, glanced at the bed, and frowned.
Shen Luolun followed close behind. He also saw the state of the bed, and a trace of confusion flashed in his eyes.
"Huh? Where is she?"
The bed where the mysterious woman had been lying was now empty.
The bedding was neat as new, as though no one had lain in it.
"I definitely put her here. Strange, how did she disappear?"
Shen Luolun refused to believe it and looked under the bed. No one was there.
He searched the bedroom and the entrance hall, even checking every corner where a person could hide, but still found no one.
"That's strange."
Shen Luolun looked at Yelan, who had just withdrawn her hand from the bedding and wore a calm expression, and said:
"I really did bring her back. I definitely put her right here, but she's gone."
"What do we do now?"
Yelan, however, looked impatient.
"Who's here? You're lying again. I'm going to teach you a proper lesson today."
She looked irritated, as though she thought Shen Luolun was playing a prank on her.
"I'm not! I really did rescue someone and bring her back!"
Master Shen felt wronged.
How had a perfectly alive person disappeared?
"Then where is she?"
"I..."
"Nothing to say, huh?"
Yelan sneered.
She seized his ear and pulled him outside.
"Ow, ow, don't pull, don't pull! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."
"Just wait till I deal with you outside."
Clack-
The door to the west wing closed, and silence returned to the room.
After the sounds of the two arguing had completely faded,
Quite a while passed.
The space at one spot in the bedroom rippled faintly.
A blood-red rift appeared, and a white-haired woman stepped out.
If Shen Luolun had been there, he would surely have shouted on the spot:
Isn't that the black-stockinged girl I rescued?!
The white-haired woman was badly injured. Although she had awakened, her face was pale, one hand was pressed to her chest, and a trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth.
She glanced at the window, then looked at the bed and suddenly gave a self-mocking smile.
"To think I was saved by a human."
Being unconscious didn't mean she was unaware of everything.
At the very least, she had been aware of Shen Luolun rescuing her and bringing her back.
The white-haired woman found it all ridiculous.
Truly ridiculous.
Humans had defeated her, yet now a human had saved her.
What was the meaning of it all?
Was fate playing tricks on her?
But after mocking herself, she couldn't help feeling lost.
What now? What should I do?
Where should I go?
Where?
Return to my former place?
No!
Having lost my authority, I'm no different from an exile. What use would going back be? Besides, do I really want to return? Return to that cold... cage!
Recalling someone's assessment of her, the white-haired woman's hexagram-shaped eyes dimmed.
If I'm not going back, what do I do now?
A phrase involuntarily surfaced in her mind:
Homeless.
Homeless... homeless...
The white-haired woman murmured the words, and a bleak smile gradually formed on her bloodstained lips.
Heh heh heh...
Homeless.
Can even the supreme one who looks down upon the world come to such an end...
Sure enough, it's just as he said... a fleeting life without dreams...
"Why did you pinch me?!"
Shen Luolun rubbed his reddened ear and looked resentfully at his good gal pal.
The woman had dragged him from the west wing to this secluded place at the slightest disagreement. She really was unreasonable.
His ear hurt like hell!
I curse you to never find a matching pair of socks again!
That was terrifying.
Yelan ignored a certain someone's self-pity and instead glanced toward the west wing, her expression somewhat grave.
"The person you brought back really isn't simple."
"Huh? What?"
For a moment, Shen Luolun didn't understand.
Yelan stepped on his foot.
Shen Luolun caught on.
He didn't answer her, instead saying haughtily:
"Oh? Wasn't someone refusing to believe me?"
"Now you believe me, and you still twisted my ear!"
Yelan was left somewhat angry and speechless.
Didn't this man realize how serious the situation was? He was still sulking at her.
She gave him a slightly forceful jab with her elbow.
"I wan' say~ Mamba~"
The pain made Shen Luolun's life flash before his eyes, and there was the Boss's smile.
Man~
"What was that for?!"
Yelan said calmly:
"The woman you brought back actually managed to evade my inspection. She's really not simple."
She had worked underground for years, and not the slightest clue escaped her sharp eyes.
Yet this time, she hadn't been able to find any trace of that person.
She was no ordinary woman.
"She probably hasn't gone far. No! My intuition tells me she must still be in that room!"
Hearing that this was serious, Shen Luolun stopped acting like a weirdo.
He hurriedly asked:
"She's still in the room? I searched everywhere, and you were watching too. Where could she possibly hide?"
"But speaking of which, how do you know she hasn't gone far?"
Yelan snorted.
"You can tell by feeling the bedding."
"If someone had only just gotten up, the warmth in the bedding wouldn't have faded so quickly."
Shen Luolun recalled Yelan touching the bedding and immediately understood.
"Impressive. You don't miss even that kind of detail."
"If you were just a little more observant, you could've noticed it too."
Yelan sighed softly.
"I'm guessing she had only just woken up. When she heard us coming, she hid and put everything back the way it was beforehand. But she forgot to get rid of the warmth in the bedding, which happened to leave us a clue."
"Since we know she might still be in that room, for safety's sake, don't come home for the time being."
"Huh? Then where am I supposed to stay?"
"My place."
Yelan spoke calmly.
"(I haven't had much time to update lately, so here's one chapter for now. I'll see if I can get a contract; if not, I'll have to move to another platform.)"