Even hybrid monsters have their day

Chapter 185 Talking and Inquiring

He seemed startled and quickly withdrew his hand. Meeting her questioning gaze, he looked away with a slightly unnatural expression. After a moment, he regained his composure and said in a emotionless voice, "You are the Emperor's third princess, and I am his subordinate. Saving you is my duty."

Although Geng Miaowan didn't think he would save her because of her identity, just as he had never given her a second glance because of her identity before, since he had said so, she didn't need to press him for an answer.

A silence seemed to fall over the courtyard. She wanted to say something to break the atmosphere, but couldn't think of anything to say. Qiu Pi, on the other hand, remained calm. After standing for a while, he strolled over to where Geng Miaowan had been sitting and sat down, looking at her and asking, "Where's Xiaobai? I haven't seen it."

Geng Miaowan felt a pang of sadness. They hadn't seen each other for over thirty years. He could at least ask where she'd been, what she'd been doing, how she'd returned, and what she was planning to do—though even if he asked, she might not tell him. But how could he just ask about Xiaobai like that? Did he think she, a grown woman, was less important than a little white dog…?

She could only silently weep inside.

After bursting into tears for a while, she realized he was still there waiting for her answer. She straightened her chin and, for some reason, suddenly didn't tell the truth, "I didn't bring it out."

Next, he finally asked the questions she had been thinking about, "Since we parted ways at the Green Mountain Sect, you've been out of touch with us. Where have you been all these years? Back then, the people at the Green Mountain Sect were saying that you died in the explosion on the mountaintop. I thought you were really dead."

"When the explosion happened, I was swept off the cliff by the blast wave, but I was rescued by an old man who even took me as his apprentice and taught me magic," Geng Miaowan said, recounting a story she had already prepared.

She felt she had the potential to be a bad person. Lying came naturally to her, and she could do it without even blushing or getting out of breath.

Qiu Pi stared intently at her, not missing a single expression on her face; his eyes were utterly calm. Geng Miaowan, seeing him looking at her like that, wasn't sure if he believed her or not, and somewhat embarrassedly touched her face. "Is there something on my face?"

He then looked away. "No, it's just that you seem to have changed a lot."

The old Geng Miaowan. He could make her blush for ages just by glancing at her. But this one before him could look him in the eye so calmly. And looking at her like this reminded him of that strange dream.

Perhaps those weren't dreams, because he saw with his own eyes a tooth mark on her collarbone that was exactly the same as in his dream, and the power within her body that didn't belong to her. But, apart from dreams, he couldn't explain everything that had happened in any other way.

Everything about her was like a mystery, slowly spreading before him, blurring his vision. It also blurred her figure, making her unseen and intangible.

Hearing him say that, Geng Miaowan lowered her hand and chuckled, "People always change. Just like when I saw you this time, I felt that you had changed a lot."

"Oh?" Qiu Pi raised an eyebrow, his hands clasped in front of his chest, and asked, "How have I changed?"

She beckoned to him with her finger, and as he leaned over, she whispered in his ear, "It can only be understood, not explained."

Seeing the fleeting look of surprise on his face, she giggled, seemingly finding teasing him quite amusing. Qiu Pi, on the other hand, appeared to be in a good mood, as his tightly pursed lips curved into a pleasing smile. It wasn't a large smile, but it softened his features considerably.

"You said you were saved by an old man. Who is he? Where have you been living all these years?" He continued the previous topic, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the table, looking quite relaxed.

Geng Miaowan was taken aback. She didn't know why he would ask such a question. In her memory, he had never been the type to meddle in other people's business. Did he suddenly ask this because he wanted to know something, or did he already know something?

This thought made her feel terrible.

However, she quickly dismissed the idea, because it didn't make any sense. They hadn't even met in over thirty years, so how could he possibly know anything? He must have just asked out of curiosity. Thinking this, she felt much more at ease.

“Oh, him…” Geng Miaowan said casually, “He’s a reclusive master who dislikes me telling others his name and where he lives…”

The saying "lying without thinking" and "blatantly lying" probably refers to someone like her.

She glanced at Qiu Pi discreetly, and seeing him nod thoughtfully, seemingly believing her, she breathed a sigh of relief. To avoid telling more lies to cover up the previous one, she decided to immediately change the subject, "By the way, what brings you to the human realm this time? And my father…"

A flicker of wariness crossed Qiu Pi's face, so quick that Geng Miaowan didn't even have time to notice. "Did the Left Protector say something to you?"

"No, she didn't say anything." She denied it quickly, but it was precisely because of this unwavering denial that people felt Zuo Lengdan had said something to her, at least that's what Qiu Pi thought.

Perhaps she herself realized this, because when Qiu Pi showed a somewhat mocking look, her dark eyes moved unnaturally from side to side.

“Even if you don’t say it, I know what she’ll say.” Qiu Pi’s smile faded, and he said seriously, “No matter what, we will never cooperate with the demons.”

When he said this, his expression was so calm that it made you feel that what he said was the truth.

"But……"

"Are you referring to the massacres of those sects?" Geng Miaowan nodded, and Qiu Pi continued, "Those were indeed the work of the demons, but they have nothing to do with us."

With a single sentence, he absolved himself of all responsibility. Seeing her still seemingly unconvinced, he continued, "Our Emperor is an extremely proud man. Even if he wanted to unify the Six Realms, he would never do so through the hands of others." He paused, his face showing a troubled yet unavoidable expression, "Actually, there are indeed people in the Demon Realm secretly colluding with the Demon Realm. We only just learned of this. We came to the Human Realm this time to find the person behind this scheme. However, the Left Protector, having listened to someone's slander, insists that we are colluding with the Demon Realm, and that she stole the Demon Realm's treasure and then fled."

Geng Miaowan knew that Gongye Hong was an extremely arrogant and conceited person. If she hadn't known about his criminal record, she might have believed Qiu Pi's words. However, his words also seemed to make some sense, and for a moment, she was unsure of whom to believe.

Suddenly, Huangfu Aoran's voice echoed in her mind, "Why are you with him?"

He must be nearby, otherwise he wouldn't know she was sitting with him. (To be continued.)