[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 97

“You love playing the indiscriminate do-gooder, yet you always drag me down with you?” Li Xuanci’s eyes lifted slightly, overflowing with an unconcealable, wicked aura.

Shiliu didn’t know how to coax him. In the end, she simply approached gently, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered into his ear, so softly only the two of them could hear, “I’m begging you. I don’t want to beg anyone else, only you.”

Li Xuanci looked down deeply into her eyes. His gaze was sharper than a blade, scraping lightly over her skin, leaving every inch feeling exposed.

“The debt you owe—can you even calculate it yourself? And now, what do you plan to use as collateral?” His face showed little expression, but even his hair seemed to radiate a teasing malice.

Shiliu could only curse her own clumsiness with words and her lack of thick skin. She stammered, “I’ll pay the debt, I won’t run away. Whatever you want, I’ll accept your disposition.”

If it were before, Shiliu would probably have thought he was just devising new ways to torment her. But now, standing so close, their breaths mingling, able to see each other’s eyelashes clearly—even in broad daylight, even with calamity looming—the underlying ambiguity between them grew like soft, resilient reeds.

The two of them stood there, speaking in whispers behind the others’ backs. Li Xuanci lowered his eyes slightly, deliberately and slowly leaning close to her ear. His breath, with no distance between them, washed over the soft cartilage, a fraction slipping into the small ear canal, like a scorching tongue silently licking.

“Tonight. Paid in full.”

The incomparably noble young prince, for the first time ever, had his fated partner take his evil root into her mouth. From then on, he became addicted to the bone-melting, soul-consuming pleasure, craving the taste of the marrow.

Shiliu nodded hastily. Behind her, her senior brother coughed quite sternly. She quickly put some distance between them and deliberately raised her voice to ask, “Do you have a more reliable method?”

“Since the White Child has been taken, that Lady Mouse must not be far away now. There are probably already rats hidden here, waiting to run rampant at night. While it’s still daytime, force all the rats out and see where they ultimately hide. That’s likely where the Lady Mouse is hiding.”

Just as Shiliu was about to rejoice, Li Xuanci spoke unceremoniously, “This method isn’t just troublesome; it’s also extremely dirty. If you expect me to do it, you might as well hang yourself with your belt—it’d be quicker.”

Shiliu restrained herself from rolling her eyes at this clever person who had just offered a good idea. She opened her mouth to say she would do it herself, but Li Xuanci, as if possessing divine sight, cut her off. “If you do it yourself, tonight I’ll strip you bare and hang you in a well to soak overnight and clean you up.”

The treat he intended to devour, to taste from her fingertips to the tip of her tongue, must remain entirely his, every bit of it.

So, in the end, the two diligent and dependable individuals—the good senior brother and the good subordinate—ended up covered in dust, searching for rat holes everywhere.

The temple had been abandoned for years, so there were many rat holes. They had to check each one, looking for those with smooth entrances and rat droppings nearby. Then they gathered dry grass, lit it, and tossed it into the holes one by one to smoke them out, blocking the entrances for nearly half an hour before seeing any movement.

But this only drove out a few scattered rats; most still showed no sign of activity.

Shiliu didn’t speak, only occasionally turning her round head sneakily to steal a glance at Li Xuanci. When his knife-sharp gaze met hers, she would turn back nonchalantly, pretending nothing had happened.

Li Xuanci couldn’t be bothered with this shifty-eyed, ungrateful little thing who was already thinking of burning bridges before even crossing the river. He simply signaled Jin Zhan to continue smoking the holes, sealing them tightly.

He himself slipped away from everyone’s sight, strolling casually around the deserted City God Temple.

Suddenly, he stopped beside an inconspicuous rockery. Beneath the damp grey stones covered in moss, there was actually a very faint, slowly rising swirl of smoke. It was easy to miss if one wasn’t paying attention.

He thrust his sword toward it, probing the hard stone for a while. Finally, with a click, the sword tip lodged into something.

A glint flashed in Li Xuanci’s eyes. He raised his voice and called out, “Come here.”

Like calling a little dog.

Soon enough, the little dog came running eagerly, her eyes full of expectant light. Li Xuanci looked at this little dog who seemed ready to sit and shake hands, his brow filled with triumphant evil spirit. He gathered his energy in the sword, exerted force fiercely, and actually split the stone open along the crack he had pierced, revealing a shallow passage underneath.

Before the two laborers could arrive, coughing and panting, to ruin the moment, Li Xuanci leaned down and whispered a few words in her ear.

“Tonight. Double.”