Chapter 247: Alright, She Killed the Conversation
Leave?
As if Xiao Li cared about leaving anymore.
All she wanted was to flatten these two damn world consciousnesses.
Why should she be the one to suffer for their fight?
Xiao Li said, "So what do you want now?"
’It wanted to kill me, but then it saved me, and now it’s keeping me locked up. Does it want me to stay in this black world forever?’
’Oh, I’m just terrified.’
Heh!
"I’m guessing you’re pretty conflicted right now. Back when the other one was protecting me, I kept ruining your plans, which made me your enemy. Now, I’ve broken away from it and been forced to stand in opposition. Logically, that should put us on the same side, which is why you saved me. But you’re not happy about it. You don’t want to team up with someone who has foiled you time and time again."
’Judging by its behavior, it doesn’t seem like it wants to protect me. It probably wants to kill me more.’
’And yet, it didn’t kill me. It saved me, and even appeared before me to waste its breath talking.’
’The reason for all this is certainly worth thinking about.’
’It doesn’t want to kill me? That must mean I’m useful to it. And if it wants to use me, then that’s my chance to use it.’
’And if it *can’t* kill me... Tsk, tsk. Now that would be interesting.’
"Truthfully, I’m not dead set on opposing anyone. All I want is to return to my original world."
"You brought me here by accident, so you can definitely send me back, right?"
She coaxed it sweetly, sounding more like a devil than the darkness itself.
𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
"It told me to wait three hundred years. By then, I’d have reincarnated eight times over! What would be the point of going back?"
"I am the Empress. As long as you can send me back, I can give you anything you want."
Xiao Li sounded just like a major villain luring an innocent protagonist astray. And if one were to ignore their current forms, the resemblance would be even more striking.
Clearly, the invader was no fool. It remained completely unmoved by her temptation and simply vanished from before Xiao Li, leaving her trapped in the boundless darkness.
Xiao Li wasn’t flustered. This was its domain; it was everywhere.
Bored and with nothing else to do, Xiao Li decided to chat with it. "What was the world you came from like?"
In this space shrouded in Death Qi, even sound couldn’t travel far. The air was utterly still. Just as Xiao Li thought it was ignoring her, a scene materialized before her.
Flying birds, roaming beasts, green mountains, and clear waters, all under wispy white clouds. It was, at a glance, a beautiful and ethereal world.
But it didn’t show any humans. She couldn’t tell if that was because there were none, or because it simply detested them.
"Then why was it destroyed?"
SNAP. The image vanished. Simultaneously, a surge of black energy slammed Xiao Li into some unknown corner.
Well, she’d officially killed the conversation.
In her current state, Xiao Li felt no hunger, thirst, or drowsiness; she was perpetually awake. A normal person would have gone insane being locked up in a place like this, but Xiao Li was already a madwoman to begin with, so she simply became even madder.
’Doing nothing is so boring. If it won’t kill me, then I’ll just have to kill it, won’t I?’
’An ant trying to bite an elephant might be laughable, but it’s better than an ant just waiting to be squashed.’
Xiao Li tentatively reached out to it, and then began to devour.
’When I was shattered into motes of light, it happened at the juncture of light and dark. That means I don’t belong entirely to the golden light; I can merge with the black power as well.’
By the time the black world consciousness finally paid her any mind again, Xiao Li had successfully eaten her way from a tiny mote of light into a small black sphere.
She didn’t have a mouth, but that didn’t stop her from letting out a satisfied burp.
BUUUURP~~~~~~
’I’m stuffed to bursting.’
The invader: "..."
Even the invader was disgusted by its own dark aura, yet here she was, happily gobbling it up.
’She eats anything and everything. Why doesn’t she just eat herself to death and get it over with!’
Xiao Li felt its disgust—because she was suddenly kicked out.
"..."
She snapped her eyes open to the sight of an embroidered golden bed canopy, unable to process it for a moment.
’Where has it sent me this time?’
CLATTER.
Something porcelain shattered on the floor. Just as Xiao Li was about to turn her head to see what it was, a figure rushed toward her like a whirlwind, cupping her face in their hands.
’Oh, my face... I have a body again?’
’Looking at Lou Yan’s familiar face, a wave of nostalgia washed over her. Have I returned to my own body?’
Lou Yan just kept holding her head, his eyes locked on her, completely motionless. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his expression frozen, so overwhelmed with emotion that only his eyes revealed what he was feeling.
Shock, disbelief... He probably felt like he was dreaming, the joy not yet registering past the initial stun.
Xiao Li didn’t mind him staring, but holding this position was making her neck ache.
"How about you let me sit up before you continue staring?"
At her words, Lou Yan actually let go of her face. His hands, gentle yet stiff, helped her up and propped her against a pillow to sit.
He stared at her without blinking the entire time. Once she was propped up, he slowly backed away to sit on the edge of the bed, looking at her as if he were completely stupefied.
"Your... Your... Your Majesty..."
Hong Yue came in and was instantly tongue-tied. The next moment, she was running over, ecstatic. "Your Majesty, you’re finally awake!"
"This is wonderful! You’re finally awake!"
Her smile turned to tears of joy.
"Your Majesty, you’ve been asleep for a year and three months. I’ve finally, finally lived to see you wake up... Waaaaah..."
Hong Yue couldn’t control her emotions, her sobs drawing in Lan Yue and Yang Jun. Then, Hong Yue and Lan Yue fell into each other’s arms, crying together.
Xiao Li knew they must have been worried sick, so she leaned against her pillow and let them cry, occasionally patting their heads in comfort.
The two of them knew this wasn’t the time or place, so after a few moments, they forced themselves to stop crying.
"Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell anywhere? I’ll go fetch the Imperial Physician."
Xiao Li raised a hand to stop her. "There’s no need. I feel fine. But for now, don’t let anyone know I’ve woken up."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Xiao Li got up, drank a glass of warm water, and waited for Hong Yue and the others to prepare water for her to wash up.
Although Hong Yue and her attendants had sponged Xiao Li’s body clean every day, taking a proper bath after waking was another matter entirely.
The two of them didn’t let any other Palace Attendants help, personally attending to Xiao Li’s bath—washing her body, shampooing her hair, drying it, and helping her dress.
Only after Xiao Li had changed into fresh clothes and emerged did she finally feel the solid, grounding sense of being alive again.
Nine dishes were laid out on the table. The main course was congee, and the rest were similarly light soups and pastries.
"Your Majesty has just woken up, so your stomach might be sensitive. Please eat just a little for now to let your body adjust."
Xiao Li picked up her bowl and began to eat the congee. A crowd of eyes watched her every move, afraid she might show the slightest discomfort. Each one of them was poised to run for the Imperial Physician at a moment’s notice.
But even though Xiao Li had been in a coma, her body had been so well-cared-for that she felt no discomfort at all.
Half a bowl of congee later, she still wasn’t full, but she stopped eating. She would take it slow.
While Hong Yue and the others cleared the table, Xiao Li sat to one side sipping tea, her peripheral vision catching sight of a certain someone still standing there like a statue.
"Lou Yan, have you still not snapped out of it?"
Lou Yan had already snapped out of it but hadn’t dared to approach. Hearing her voice, he lowered his head, stepped forward, and knelt on one knee. "This servant congratulates Your Majesty on your full recovery."
Xiao Li set down her teacup, leaned in slightly, and lifted his chin with her fingers, taking in his submissive posture.
"Is that the only thing you have to say to me?"
Lou Yan’s gaze fell, and he refused to look her in the eye. "As long as Your Majesty... is awake, that’s all that matters."
Xiao Li: Hmm?
’What’s with him? Did the shock break his brain?’