Chapter 247
Chapter 247: Don’t Pursue Me, There’s No Result, I’m A Demon Who Wants To Cultivate And Become Immortal
[He’s hung up on her?]
[He wants to pursue her with marriage as the goal?]
[Isn’t the hidden meaning just this: you are easy to get pregnant with dragon eggs, you are good at carrying and giving birth, so if I chase you, marry you and bring you home, I can control you better, and you can keep having babies, babies, babies!]
[Ha, men. Their abacus beads are about to bounce from the M31 Star System all the way down to the Demon Realm and smash her face in.]
Jiang Tea Tea lifted her hand to pry his fingers off as she said: “Someone as outstanding as me doesn’t need one more person who is hung up on me, one more person who likes me…”
Chong Ming tightened his grip on her wrist: “I think you misunderstood. I’m not hung up on you and pursuing you because of the youngling in your belly.”
He looked straight at her as he said: “I’m hung up on you and pursuing you because you are you. This isn’t something I decided on a whim. I thought it over very carefully, and only after I was sure it had to be you did I make this decision.”
Jiang Tea Tea clicked her tongue and said: “Can you not act so serious, like being hung up on me and pursuing me is as serious as handling your big national affairs?”
[In the end, it’s still all for the cub in her belly, for the great matter of the Golden Dragon Clan’s bloodline. Don’t think she’s just a newly grown little demon and that a few sweet words can coax her into blooming with joy and turning into a late-stage love-brained fool. She’s sharp, okay!]
Chong Ming nodded, very serious: “You’re right. Pursuing you and being hung up on you is as serious as handling national affairs.”
“You don’t have to believe me, but I still want to make it clear. I have never dared to hope I would have my own youngling. If it comes, that’s my good luck. If it doesn’t, I already accepted that long ago.”
“I pursue you and I’m hung up on you because I like you, not because of any other outside condition.”
Jiang Tea Tea couldn’t pry his hand off. She opened her mouth to remind him: “Do me a favor and let go. My hand bones are about to be pulled apart by you.”
Chong Ming loosened his strength a little, but he still didn’t let go: “If I let go, are you sure you won’t run?”
Jiang Tea Tea rolled her eyes at him: “Running is my freedom. What the hell does that have to do with you? Hurry up and take your claws off me.”
Chong Ming didn’t take his claws off. Instead, he pulled her and made her sit down on his office chair.
He put both hands on the armrests, bent over, caging her in the chair and staring into her big black bright eyes as he asked: “Jiang Tea Tea, what do you say?”
Jiang Tea Tea did not flinch and did not pretend to be weak. She opened her eyes wide and met his golden gaze head on. Even though she felt a bit guilty inside, she still didn’t look away first: “What do I say about what?”
Chong Ming answered her: “About me pursuing you.”
Jiang Tea Tea couldn’t help laughing out loud: “You pursuing me is your business. What does it have to do with me?”
“You even ask me what I have to say. What can I say? The men and women who like me and are hung up on me line up from the Zhenlin Empire all the way to the Western Kingdom and then circle around the M31 Star System once.”
“If I had to give everybody an answer every time someone confessed to me, I wouldn’t have time to do anything else. I could just move a little stool, sit there and give answers all day and I’d go straight to the peak of life, don’t you think?”
Her maternal grandmother, who slept her way through all three realms and had countless lovers, never became a god or became immortal. She had already become the negative example in their Demon Realm.
The Great Demon Stage elders felt that she really deserved to be called an ancient demon. She lived freely, casually, clear-headed and bold, as if heaven and earth were hers alone.
But whenever something happened and some demon turned into a love-brained fool who wanted to die for love, stopped cultivating, and stopped wanting to become immortal and become a god, they would drag her grandmother out as a bad example, as a warning from the past, and whip her name over and over just to push those unmotivated demons to work harder.
If she accepted his confession, it would mean signing a marriage contract with him. A marriage contract was an emotional debt, and emotional debt was the hardest damn kind of debt to deal with.
Back in their Demon Realm, when a fox spirit or snake spirit repaid kindness with their body, they either ended up skinned and their bones pulled out, or pressed under a tower. Just thinking about it was scary.
She was a demon, a demon tree who had been cultivating for thousands of years, a demon who wanted to cultivate and become immortal and become a god. To weld herself in place for the sake of one piece of emergency rations, then after he died still go look for his next life, stop cultivating immortality and not become a god – her brain would have to be broken for her to accept such a losing deal.
Chong Ming’s golden eyes were as deep as night as they wrapped around her: “You’re right. Pursuing you is my business. Whether you accept me is your business. I was too impatient.”
“But I still want to make it clear to you again and again. I’m pursuing you and I want to register a marriage with you not because of the youngling in your belly, but because of you as a person.”
“You like to overthink and fill in the blanks in your head. I hope you can pull all those messy thoughts and wild brain-fills out of your head.”
Jiang Tea Tea: “…”
[See? This is men. He confesses to her, hasn’t even really started pursuing her yet, and he’s already pointing fingers at her, saying she overthinks and makes things up in her head.]
[So what if she overthinks and makes things up?]
[She’s a big old demon tree who has been cultivating for thousands of years. If she believed others’ words that easily, she would have been swallowed whole and eaten as a supplement long ago.]
Jiang Tea Tea put her hand on Chong Ming’s shoulder and pushed hard, shoving him to the side and standing up herself: “Listen to my advice. Don’t like me. Don’t pursue me. There is no result.”
Chong Ming straightened his clothes: “Whether I like you and whether I pursue you is not for you to decide. It’s for me to decide.”
Jiang Tea Tea let out a long sigh and spoke like an old elder: “If you don’t listen to the words of the elders, you will suffer in front of your eyes. Listen to my advice. If you know there is a tiger on the mountain and you can’t beat it, then don’t go up the mountain.”
Chong Ming stayed calm and confident: “How do you know I can’t beat it if I don’t try? Maybe I won’t just beat it, I might even capture it alive.”
Jiang Tea Tea shrugged her shoulders: “Fine. If you don’t listen to advice, you’re the one who will suffer. When you cry, don’t come looking for me.”
[She can’t control whether he likes her, but she can control herself, right?]
[If he wants to pursue her and wants to register a marriage with her, that’s harder than living a thousand years. If he doesn’t believe it, let him run his head into the southern wall until his head is bloody and he’s half dead. Then he’ll know how powerful she is.]
Chong Ming was half amused. He opened his mouth to tease her: “If I can’t catch you, of course I’ll come cry to you. Lend me your shoulder then.”
Jiang Tea Tea snorted: “Keep dreaming…”
“Knock, knock, knock!”
A few knocks on the door cut off Jiang Tea Tea’s words.
Jiang Tea Tea and Chong Ming turned to look at the door at the same time.
A few seconds later, the door was pushed open from the outside. Deputy Officer Ai walked in and said: “Commander in Chief, Sui Xuan Chu, your schoolmate, has come to see you.”
Chong Ming nodded: “Let him in.”
Deputy Officer Ai backed out again. Sui Xuan Chu, who was standing at the door, gave him a small nod to signal him to let him in.
Sui Xuan Chu bared his teeth in a grin at Deputy Officer Ai, then quickly walked inside. After he greeted his uncle, he turned to Jiang Tea Tea to ask: “Roommate, you said you’d make us a protective detox potion. Is it done?”
When he couldn’t find his roommate, he had asked Deputy Officer Ai. Deputy Officer Ai told him she had come to the Imperial Military Headquarters, so he rushed up right away.
It seemed like he had come just in time. She hadn’t been here long and was probably talking with his uncle about the detox potion.
Jiang Tea Tea pointed at Chong Ming as she said: “I just remembered what the raw materials are, so I came over to tell your uncle. Your uncle said he can get the ingredients within five hours.”
Sui Xuan Chu asked in disbelief: “What kind of thing is it that my uncle needs five hours to get?”
Chong Ming sat down on his office chair and picked up the topic: “Top-tier contraband items, rare protected plants, imported medicinal plants.”
Sui Xuan Chu let out a loud wow, then gave Jiang Tea Tea a thumbs up: “Roommate, I knew it was you. Even the raw materials for the detox agent you make are this awesome.”
Jiang Tea Tea said faintly: “Roommate, don’t flatter me in such an exaggerated way.”
Sui Xuan Chu laughed: “I’m praising you from the bottom of my heart.”
Jiang Tea Tea stayed doubtful: “Oh, I thought you were covering for me in front of your uncle.”
Sui Xuan Chu paused: “You noticed?”
Jiang Tea Tea snorted: “Enough. Don’t keep praising me and showing off in front of your uncle. He knows exactly what kind of people we are.”
She waved her hand as she said: “Come on, let’s go find Huang Da Zhuang and the others and take them to see how the research on Reboot is going with Cheng Lin Yue and her uncle.”
Sui Xuan Chu lifted his hand and pointed weakly at his uncle: “Didn’t my uncle tell you? Reboot has been unconscious since she passed out and still hasn’t woken up.”
Jiang Tea Tea frowned: “Reboot is still unconscious and hasn’t woken up? That’s impossible. I didn’t hit her that hard.”
Chong Ming stood up again, walked around the desk and came to stand in front of Jiang Tea Tea: “Sui Xuan Chu is right. It’s not because of the hit you gave her. After Chong Xing Qi left the Imperial Military Headquarters, she suddenly went limp like someone pulled out her batteries and fell into a coma.”
Jiang Tea Tea thought for a moment and then asked: “Have you found that researcher who looks exactly the same as Chong Xing Qi?”
Chong Ming answered: “No clue at all.”
Jiang Tea Tea went on: “Reboot is a gene fusion, an illegally bred female. That means she needs to be eliminated.”
Chong Ming hesitated for a second: “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Jiang Tea Tea said: “There is nothing about Reboot in Chong Xing Qi’s memory. He doesn’t even know that person who looks exactly like him exists.”
“That means the person who looks like him is hiding very deep. Reboot is the product he placed high hopes on and was satisfied with. For people like them who do experiments, it’s not easy to make a product they’re satisfied with.”
“So, why don’t you make a big show of it in public, say you’re moving Reboot to Nisu Town, or to some other place, and then kill her.”
Chong Ming’s eyes flashed: “You mean luring the snake out of its hole?”
Jiang Tea Tea nodded: “Yes, lure the snake out of its hole. First, if the other party comes to save her, it means she is really very important, and she is the only Living Dead who has evolved intelligence. Second, if the other party doesn’t come to save her, it means he has more than one Living Dead like her on hand.”
“If it’s the first case, that’s not too bad. But if it’s the second case, you really need to be careful. Someone like Reboot can hide in a crowd. If she doesn’t expose herself on purpose, no one can notice her.”
Chong Ming agreed: “You’re right. I’ll pick a good place and draw out Reboot’s dad, and at the same time see whether there are other people infected.”
Sui Xuan Chu listened with growing excitement. His blood was boiling. He quickly raised his hand: “Uncle, when we ambush the enemy, can I bring my little buddies?”
Chong Ming lifted an eyebrow: “Of course. Among you there is a dog-type beastman called Huang Da Zhuang. His enhanced sense of smell and speed-type ability are very strong. We can use him.”
Sui Xuan Chu’s eyes lit up: “Then I’ll go tell him.”
Jiang Tea Tea added: “Wait.”
Sui Xuan Chu and Chong Ming both turned their eyes to her.
Jiang Tea Tea explained to the two of them: “I suddenly remembered that when it comes to detox, the one with the greatest innate talent might actually be Huang Da Zhuang.”
Sui Xuan Chu: “???”
[Huang Da Zhuang has innate talent for detox? How come he didn’t know that?]
Chong Ming became interested: “What do you mean?”
Jiang Tea Tea answered: “I can’t explain it clearly in just a few sentences. I’ll go find Huang Da Zhuang and ask him first, then I’ll tell you.”
Chong Ming’s gaze darkened slightly: “Alright. Go handle it. Keep in touch at all times.”
Jiang Tea Tea didn’t spare him another look. She crooked her finger at Sui Xuan Chu like calling a puppy and walked out of his office. On the way, they ran into Zhong Li He and Kong Que.
Zhong Li He walked in front of Kong Que. His whole body carried a beautiful aura that made people instantly picture him as a phoenix bird with bright, gorgeous feathers.
Kong Que followed behind him, carrying his coat in his hands. His low-key, restrained aura made him look like a loyal flunky and also like a bodyguard whose hands were stained with blood and who held many lives.
“Hey, how come you’re leaving just as I get here?” Zhong Li He waved at Jiang Tea Tea when he saw her and greeted her with a smile as cheap as a human trafficker’s.
Jiang Tea Tea walked closer and replied: “I didn’t know you were coming. If I had known, I definitely would have stayed in the Commander in Chief’s office to wait for you.”
Zhong Li He’s sapphire-blue eyes curved with his smile: “Jiang Tea Tea, your mouth is very sweet today. You seem to be in a good mood. Why don’t you accept my pursuit and come back to the Western Kingdom with me?”
Sui Xuan Chu: “!!!!”
[On his uncle’s turf and he’s still trying to dig at his uncle’s wall. That’s too much.]
Sui Xuan Chu shifted sideways to stand in front of Jiang Tea Tea, facing Zhong Li He as he said: “Chief Executive Commander Zhong, the Commander in Chief is waiting for you. You should go in.”
Zhong Li He’s smile grew deeper: “You little dragon cub, you’re really not obedient. Move aside, don’t block me from pursuing Jiang Tea Tea.”
Sui Xuan Chu just wouldn’t move. People who knew him knew his beast form was a phoenix bird. People who didn’t know would think he was a flashy peacock, spreading his tail everywhere to show off.
[Showing off in front of other people is one thing, but he even wants to show off to his roommate. His roommate is one person with two lives, and she’s carrying their Golden Dragon Clan’s cub in her belly. If she gets snatched away and taken back to the Western Kingdom, won’t he lose his dragon cub to play with in the future?]
Zhong Li He turned left and Sui Xuan Chu blocked left. He turned right and Sui Xuan Chu blocked right, and still wouldn’t let him pass. Zhong Li He finally stopped and said: “Little dragon, little brat, you’re not cute at all.”
Sui Xuan Chu gave a wild, unruly smile: “I never said I was cute.”
Zhong Li He almost choked in anger. He tilted his head to look at Jiang Tea Tea: “Jiang Tea Tea, I have a lot, a lot of money, and planets, and my own fief. How about trying to date me?”
Jiang Tea Tea copied his move and tilted her head too, looking into his sapphire-blue eyes. She opened her mouth and started spouting nonsense full of lies: “Thank you for your love. You are the 1,000,008,100th man to confess to me. Let me finish responding to the first one billion before I answer you, okay?”
Zhong Li He burst out laughing and followed along with her wild story: “Alright, alright, I’ll line up and take a number first. I hope, for the sake of how close we are, that you’ll let me cut in line later.”
Jiang Tea Tea nodded: “Sure. After I’m done dealing with this Living Dead matter, I’ll help you and your Kong Que calm your supernatural abilities and comb your spiritual power. You get your money ready.”
[It’s good to build a solid relationship with the Western Kingdom’s Chief Executive Commander. If she really can’t survive in the Zhenlin Empire, she can go over and mix in his territory instead. This is all networking.]
Zhong Li He agreed at once: “Yes, yes, yes, it’s decided then. I’ll urge my subordinates and the staff in my unit to cooperate well with you in handling this Living Dead matter.”
Jiang Tea Tea said with a smile: “Good. We still have things to do, so we’ll go first.”
Zhong Li He stepped aside and still didn’t forget to remind her: “Go, go. Remember to contact me alone when you have time. I’ll reply in seconds!”
Jiang Tea Tea gave him an OK sign, then pulled the about-to-speak Sui Xuan Chu into the elevator and closed the door.
Kong Que watched as the Chief Executive Commander saw Jiang Tea Tea off. Even when the elevator had already gone down, he still hadn’t pulled his gaze back.
Kong Que took half a step forward and said in a low voice: “Chief Executive Commander, you have once again gotten Jiang Tea Tea the healer’s promise that she is willing to help calm your supernatural abilities and comb your spiritual sea. You should go find Commander in Chief Chong Ming now and tell him this good news.”
Zhong Li He turned his head to look at Kong Que. His sapphire-blue eyes were shining brightly. He slapped Kong Que’s arm and said: “Right. I’m going to run over in front of that jerk Chong Ming, that dog of a man, and babble nonsense to him, tell him that the partner he couldn’t win has accepted my pursuit and is willing to date me!”