ICAWZ Chapter 210

No one would doubt that Lin Kong was telling the truth—not even Hermes.

[…]

Hermes stared at Lin Kong in silence, wondering why this prey of his was worried about his pain. There was no connection between them, was there? But no matter how long Hermes pondered, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

By the latter half of the night, Lin Kong had already dozed off beside him, exhausted. Yet, Hermes was still no closer to figuring it out.

This prey’s body was scorching hot, and his heartbeat pounded like thunder. If one were to count time by the rhythm of his pulse, it would already be the early hours of the next day.

Hermes’ fingertips twitched slightly before he slowly wrapped them around Lin Kong’s throat in the darkness. To say he was choking him wouldn’t be quite right—his grip was loose, barely pressing down at all. Lin Kong didn’t even wake.

Should he kill him?

Hermes was uncertain.

All he knew was that this prey was something rare—vivid and alive. If he killed him, there would likely be no other like him in the depths of the forest. And a lifeless corpse was nothing but dull and uninteresting.

Hermes’ life had always been dull and uneventful. So now that something lively had finally appeared, he found himself reluctant to let go.

Unknown time passed before the beast finally withdrew its claws, as if giving up on something. Outside, the stream continued to murmur, its endless trickle seeming as though it would flow on to the very ends of the world.

Forget it. Let him live a few more days.

Hermes thought to himself—if prey became scarce, he could always kill Lin Kong later.

The next morning, when Lin Kong groggily woke up on the stone bed, Hermes was already gone.

Something suddenly came to mind, and he panicked, reaching up to feel his neck—only to be surprised that his head was still firmly attached.

A wave of lingering fear washed over him. He had completely forgotten that today was supposed to be the day he died. If he had been killed in his sleep, there wouldn’t even be a place to cry about it.

But that deranged bastard actually didn’t go through with it?

Lin Kong couldn’t help but find it a little strange. He got dressed, rose from the stone bed, and stepped outside the cave, scanning his surroundings for any sign of Hermes.

“Hermes?!”

“Are you there? Hermes?!”

Lin Kong no longer had any thoughts of escaping. He knew full well that he wouldn’t survive alone in the dense forest. As he searched for Hermes, a crisp voice suddenly rang out in his mind—

[Who are you? What do you want with Hermes?!]

Startled by the voice, Lin Kong instinctively turned toward it. A shadow streaked down from the treetops, landing softly on the grass. The newcomer wore robes similar to Hermes’—the long vestments of the clergy. With golden hair and striking blue eyes, he was so beautiful he hardly seemed human.

Lin Kong was startled and instinctively took a step back. “Who are you?”

That day, a red-haired man in black clerical robes had suddenly appeared in the forest, fighting Hermes to the death. Lin Kong had nearly been caught in the crossfire. Now, seeing another figure dressed in similar robes, he couldn’t help but grow wary.

[My name is Xue Po.]

Xue Po raised a hand and pulled back the black hood, revealing a cascade of golden hair. His deep blue eyes studied Lin Kong curiously before he suddenly leaned in, sniffing at his neck. Licking his lips with a hint of hunger, he murmured, [You smell delicious. Hermes actually hid a piece of prey here—why didn’t he kill you?]

The scab on Lin Kong’s neck had yet to fall off. When Xue Po unexpectedly closed in, a chill ran down his spine. He instinctively pressed himself against the stone wall. “Who exactly are you? Where did Hermes go?”

[I don’t know where he went. He left a mark calling me here.]

If Hermes was a cold and frosty kind of beauty, then Xue Po was more like a dazzling prince. He stepped closer to Lin Kong, and as if struck by a sudden thought, his eyes lit up. [Could it be… you’re the prey he’s gifting to me?!]

Lin Kong: “…”

No way. He hadn’t even figured out how to deal with one deranged lunatic, and now there was another?

Lin Kong glanced at Xue Po and tentatively asked, “Is Hermes really that generous?”

Though their time together had been short, Lin Kong had a strong feeling that Hermes had an overwhelming sense of possession. Someone so ruthless—would he really just hand over his prey?

Xue Po faltered at the question, suddenly realizing how absurd his own assumption was. Tilting his head in thought, he frowned and asked, [Then who are you? Why are you in Hermes’ cave?]

Lin Kong stammered, “I… I’m his…”

[His what?] Xue Po pressed.

Lin Kong’s mind raced before he finally came up with an answer. “I’m his subordinate.”

After saying it, he felt that those words lacked weight, so he deliberately emphasized, “A very important subordinate.”

Xue Po eyed him skeptically. [Are you sure?]

Lin Kong nodded firmly. “Of course. Why would I lie to you?”

Surprisingly, Xue Po was easy to fool. Without hesitation, he pulled out a brand-new set of clerical robes from who-knows-where and tossed them into Lin Kong’s arms. [Perfect. Give these to Hermes for me.]

Lin Kong instinctively caught them. “You came all this way just to deliver clothes to Hermes?”

Xue Po had already been about to leave, but hearing that, he paused mid-step and turned back to glance at Lin Kong. [Of course. I rushed to the temple this morning to pick them up for him—I didn’t even have time to brush my hair. I still need to go catch some moonlight bugs.]

It was the first time Lin Kong had heard the word “temple” and it made his heart skip a beat. “What is the temple? And what about moonlight bugs—why do you need to catch them?”

Xue Po stretched lazily. Suddenly, a pair of translucent wings unfurled from his back, shimmering with iridescent colors under the warm sunlight. The brilliance was almost blinding. With a proud flutter of his wings, he declared, [The temple is the temple, and moonlight bugs are just moonlight bugs. If I eat them, my wings will shine even brighter and look even more beautiful~]

Even someone as worldly as Lin Kong couldn’t help but be stunned by the sight. He stared for a moment before coming back to his senses and admitted honestly, “Your wings are indeed quite beautiful.”

Xue Po grew even more pleased with himself at the compliment. He flaunted his wings a little longer before finally folding them away. Then, he leaned in close to Lin Kong, running his fingers through his silky hair with undisguised fascination. [Oh~ I really like you. Your hair and eyes are black—I’ve never seen this color before!]

As he spoke, he absentmindedly licked the tips of his sharp teeth. His gaze on Lin Kong was eerily similar to that of a starving man staring at a plate of braised meat, contemplating where to take the first bite.

“…”

Lin Kong subtly dodged Xue Po’s touch. The other’s nails were long and sharp—sharper than a cat’s claws—which gave him a vague sense of danger. Keeping his tone casual, he asked, “And what about the temple? You still haven’t told me what kind of place it is.”

But Xue Po simply repeated, [The temple is the temple.]

Useless!

A vein throbbed on Lin Kong’s forehead. This vain peacock kept spewing nonsense!

Noticing how Xue Po was constantly tending to his golden curls with great care, an idea struck him. Lin Kong turned back toward his luggage, rummaged through it, and pulled something out.

“Hey,” he suddenly called out. “How about this—you tell me what the temple is, and I’ll give you this.”

Xue Po instinctively looked up. Before him, Lin Kong held out a translucent white comb.

Frowning, Xue Po took it and tapped it with his sharp nails. [What is this?]

“This is called a comb,” Lin Kong explained.

He ran it twice through Xue Po’s long golden curls, demonstrating how to use it. “Your hair is so long—you could really use one of these. It’s for brushing your hair.”

Xue Po’s eyes lit up instantly. He snatched the comb away in excitement.

[Oh my god! This thing can brush hair? You’re really giving it to me?!]

Lin Kong quickly snatched the comb back. “Not so fast. First, tell me what the temple is… No, actually, just tell me where it is.”

Xue Po pointed beyond the mountain range. [The temple is on the other side of this big mountain.]

Lin Kong coaxed further, “And who lives there?”

Xue Po thought for a moment before answering, [The Zerg King lives there, along with lots of insect eggs. When the weather is warm, the worker zergs carry the Zerg King outside to bask in the sun. But on stormy days, the Zerg King hides inside the temple to rest.]

Ze.. Zerg King?

Lin Kong’s expression turned strange. A creeping suspicion formed in his mind—surely it wasn’t that kind of insect?

“You… What does your Zerg King look like?” he asked cautiously.

Xue Po gestured with his hands. [It’s long, white, and plump. We are all children of the Zerg King. Only by finding more prey to feed it can it lay more eggs.]

[Out of countless eggs, the Zerg King selects the four strongest larvae and sends them to the temple for a ritual. They become high-ranking divine attendants.]

[Hermes is one of the attendants, you know. He always catches the most prey, so the Zerg King favors him the most~]

As Xue Po spoke, he cautiously pointed at the comb in Lin Kong’s hand.

[Can I have the comb now? You won’t be needing it anyway. Your life force is so strong—Hermes will probably kill you in a few days to offer you to the Zerg King.]

Lin Kong finally snapped out of his shock. His voice rose in disbelief. “You’re saying… you and Hermes are both insects?!!”

Holy shit! He had almost slept with a bug yesterday?!

Xue Po nibbled on his sharp claw and tilted his head. [Do we not look like it?]

Then, as if nothing had happened, he urged impatiently, [The comb. Hurry up and give me the comb.]

Lin Kong wanted nothing more than to yank out all of Xue Po’s hair and leave him bald. Clenching his teeth in silent agony, he shoved the comb into Xue Po’s arms and snapped, “Take it, take it! It’s yours!”

He was doomed. He had spent the past few days flirting with a bug. Right now, all he wanted was to kneel before his ancestors’ memorial tablets and knock his head against the ground eighty-one times, hoping to avoid divine retribution.

Xue Po, oblivious to Lin Kong’s existential crisis, mistook his expression for reluctance to part with the comb. Patting Lin Kong’s shoulder, he offered kindly, [Hermes isn’t back yet. If you hurry, you can escape now. I’ll pretend I didn’t see you… He won’t notice.]

Before Xue Po could finish speaking, a sudden gust of wind howled through the air. The distant rustling of the forest signaled something fast and dangerous charging toward them.

“Whoosh—!”

The sound of powerful wings beating against the air.

Xue Po looked up in surprise, just in time to see Hermes dive down from afar. In his right hand, he clutched the still-twitching body of a long-necked feathered dragon.

With a thunderous “boom”, the half-warm corpse slammed heavily onto the ground in front of them.

Hermes retracted his wings as he landed, his entire figure shrouded in shadow against the backlight. His sharp gaze locked onto Lin Kong, brows furrowing, his voice laced with an unmistakable edge of hostility:

[What were you just talking about? Who wants to escape?]

Xue Po: “?!!”

Lin Kong: “!!!”

Xue Po shot out of the cave like a flash of lightning, putting a safe distance between himself and the others. With his jade-like finger, he pointed at Lin Kong from afar, decisively severing all ties: [Him. He’s the one who wants to escape.]

Lin Kong was utterly stunned: “?!!”

You backstabbing little snake!

He wasn’t ready to die yet! Without hesitation, he grabbed onto Hermes’ arm, urgently pointing at Xue Po.

“He’s lying! Hermes, this ugly freak just stole my stuff—hurry up and beat him up!”

Shave him bald!

 

 

 

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