I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

In a daze for quite some time, Jin Honglian finally realized what had happened during the month when Di Yu had vanished. Ye Yong had not shown himself either; they must have been engaged in secret cultivation.

In just a month, the Demon Emperor realm had broken through three layers, shattering common sense. It seemed that Ye Yong’s sacred words were not merely a means of communicating with the heavens.

Once certain truths are known, many long-standing confusions can be resolved effortlessly. Jin Honglian felt a sudden clarity; she earnestly thanked Ye Yong: “At first, Qingwu said you were an extraordinary member of the human race, and I was skeptical. But not only did you bring me the token, you also allowed Lord Di Yu to be reborn, saving Shilin City from dire straits. Such a tremendous favor, I fear, a lifetime may not suffice to repay.”

“The City Lord is being too kind; I haven’t done much.”

“No! You may think you’ve done something trivial, but for us, it is a matter of life and death.” Jin Honglian bowed deeply to Ye Yong: “I have nothing to repay you with right now, but please believe that if the opportunity arises in the future, I will certainly repay this kindness.”

How to repay? With flesh?

The striking golden-haired woman was quite appealing to Ye Yong; she belonged to a more Western type, which was rare in this fantasy world. However, as a city lord, Jin Honglian likely couldn’t serve as a companion like the fox beauty, so he could only indulge in fantasies.

But having more friends means more strength. In the future, if the Kunlun realm faces difficulties, Jin Honglian could bring the soldiers of Shilin City to support them. It was certainly wise to forge a good relationship now.

“City Lord Jin is being too formal. Sister Qingwu has allied with Shilin City, so I am also in an allied relationship with Shilin City. Helping each other is only natural.”

Favorability +2.

Ye Qingwu hadn’t expected to be mentioned; Ye Yong even attributed the credit back to her choice. Surprised yet comforted, she felt that everything she had done before was worthwhile. Keeping the secret of the Black Water Secret Realm from her kin, repeatedly helping Ye Yong out of peril, even at the cost of her own injury—what Ye Yong had given her in return far exceeded all that. The Xuande realm would be the best place for her rise.

“An alliance is an alliance, and a favor is a favor; one must keep things clear.” Jin Honglian had a carefree disposition, and after expressing her gratitude, she tucked it away in her heart, not one to keep it on her lips and annoy others. She straightened up, pondering for a moment before saying to Ye Yong, “Since you call Qingwu ‘sister,’ why not do the same for me?”

Relationships always begin to shift with the way one addresses another. The golden-haired queen of the Void Spirit Beast actively extended her thigh; if one could embrace, why not?

“Honglian Jie.”

Jin Honglian did not expect Ye Yong to call her that so directly and naturally. She paused for a moment, slightly blushing as she wiped her nose, feeling a bit shy. “It’s my first time being called ‘sister’; it feels strange, but not bad.”

A twinge of discomfort suddenly rose in Ye Qingwu’s heart, as if something of hers had been taken. She interrupted the conversation, “As the city lord, you should return to the lord’s mansion after coming out of the secret realm. There are many matters waiting for you to handle.”

“Indeed, I almost forgot.” The golden-haired queen, completely oblivious to the awkwardness, stood up and prepared to leave. “Little brother, I’ll come find you later. We’ll drink together; we won’t return until we’re drunk.”

After Jin Honglian left, Ye Qingwu turned to Ye Yong, a smile on her face. “How wonderful, you’ve gained a sister from the Void.”

Ye Yong had never heard Ye Qingwu speak in such a peculiar tone before. Realizing something, he hurriedly explained, “City Lord Jin is straightforward; you know that, Qingwu Jie.”

“Oh? She just called you ‘brother’ and then switched back to ‘city lord’?”

Surely, one couldn’t insist on calling her ‘sister’ when they knew she was in a bad mood, right?

Ye Yong understood that his status in Ye Qingwu’s eyes had risen. Although she might not yet see him as an equal male, she certainly regarded him as a close junior, which was a good sign. Regardless of their current positioning, as long as his favorability increased, he could, at the right moment, shift her perception from a little boy to a grown man, completing his strategy.

But that was a matter for the future. Right now, Ye Yong needed to salvage the atmosphere to avoid further awkwardness. “City Lord is just a formal title.”

“Is that so? Then do you call me the Night family’s precious daughter in front of others?”

Indeed, it seems that no matter what jealousy they feel, women in this state are utterly unreasonable. Fortunately, Ye Yong had read enough novels to know that the best solution was to express his feelings, allowing her to sense her importance in his heart.

“How could that be!” Ye Yong replied earnestly, “Qingwu Jie is Qingwu Jie. She is the first sister I have, with no blood relation, yet we are very close.”

The phrasing of “first” and “very close” was just right.

Ye Qingwu was quite pleased; she nodded, “Well said. Although we don’t even share the same race, our relationship isn’t maintained by such things; it depends on how we act. Otherwise, even biological siblings can turn against each other.”

“I would never turn against Qingwu Jie!”

“I was just giving an example, look at how nervous you are.” Ye Qingwu chuckled lightly, then took the initiative to change the subject, “The Lion Forest City is gaining quite a reputation. Everyone wants a piece of you, the Holy Speaker. By acknowledging the city lord as your sister, those outsiders will definitely think twice before acting recklessly. This is good for you.”

Though she had just shown a bit of a temper, one couldn’t deny that Ye Qingwu was always considering Ye Yong’s interests.

“It’s the same with Qingwu Jie.”

“Not the same. I am ultimately an outsider, and I haven’t even broken through to the Demon Sovereign realm. My reputation and cultivation are far inferior to Hong Lian’s.”

“With Qingwu Jie’s abilities, I believe it won’t take long for you to surpass Hong Lian Jie.”

“Flattery doesn’t suit you.”

“Not at all, it’s all the truth.” Ye Yong had confidence in Ye Qingwu; no one understood the female lead better than he did.

“When do you plan to return to the Kunlun Realm?” Ye Qingwu intended to stay in the Xuan De Realm for a while, which meant that after Ye Yong returned, there would be trouble that she couldn’t address in time.

The trouble here specifically referred to the ultimate sycophant, Peng Zhang. There was no need to worry about the Ye family; the journey to the Xuan De Realm had already proven Ye Yong’s worth. Ye Qingwu only needed to write a letter to her elders explaining the situation, and they would understand.

“I’ll wait until Kuang Po Lou comes out of the secret realm.” The reason Ye Yong was still here was to confirm one thing.

“The reason?” Ye Qingwu couldn’t think of any connection between the two.

“Because I feel that there is more than one foreign demon seed; there should be others lurking in the Yao Lin secret realm, waiting for opportunities.”

“But what does this have to do with Kuang Po Lou?”

“Sister Qingwu, just consider it my intuition. Anyway, when the time comes, let Lord Zhi Yu check what he brings out. If there are no issues, that would be best. If there are, resolving them in advance could prevent a disaster.”

“Mm.” Ye Qingwu nodded; she trusted Ye Yong’s judgment.

Ye Yong’s belief was not without reason. Kuang Po Lou’s youngest son was dead, and his eldest son was imprisoned, awaiting severe punishment. With Zhi Yu’s strength and reputation combined, he simply couldn’t act as the city lord. All these troubles would surely weigh him down, and in the end, he would blame it all on the protagonist. At that point, if another demon were to tempt him, leading him to completely darken, it would make even more sense.

After all, as long as the villain opposed the protagonist, there was no way for them to end well. If left unchecked, the Kuang Po Lou family would surely reunite in the underworld, whole and intact.

Of course, Ye Yong’s intention was not to save Kuang Po Lou, nor to cut off the protagonist’s opportunities; he simply did not wish for Shilin City to become turbulent again. As long as Zhi Yu and the others could develop, the future invasion of the Kunlun Realm would surely change, saving many lives in the process.

Ye Yong may not be as great as to have the lives of the common people on his mind, but sometimes, even the smallest actions can change the course of events. Why not take the chance?

Now, he waits to see if his suspicions will prove true.