Especially upon seeing Kong Ming reach out his hand in an attempt to gently stroke the fluff on the Little Phoenix’s head. An Ying’s gaze became as dark as ink, and spoke with a cold voice even before approaching: “Kong Ming is truly refined and cultured. To not pa.s.s through the main door properly, and stealthily slip into the rear courtyard of my Fu Ying Palace. — Do all in the Netherworld like doing such sneaky acts?”
For the Little Phoenix without any past memories, Kong Ming is still nothing more than a stranger. However, An Ying is the first one it saw after breaking out it’s sh.e.l.l, as well as the person it fully acknowledged and is the closest individual to it. Despite having originally consented in allowing Kong Ming to touch it’s fluff under the coaxing words of Kong Ming, the Little Phoenix immediately turned it’s head away after hearing An Ying’s voice. It flapped it’s little wings and flew towards An Ying, it didn’t even forget to report with a tinge of pride in a soft milky voice: “An Ying, An Ying, I can breath out a fireball!”
The ignored outstretched hand of Kong Ming immediately froze in place, quite a bit of time pa.s.sed before his hand dropped back to the side. He didn’t turn to the direction of the voice at all, but merely narrowed his eyes in response and said to An Ying: “……the Demon Emperor is really exaggerated.”
The tone is light and relaxed, but the words coming out from his mouth were as sharp as knives, as he straightforwardly said with an unsparing manner in the next second: “Be that as it may, this king can never compare to the Demon Emperor, who makes use of hypocrisy and pretenses skillfully. This king really wants to know, how delighted you still were in using the heart of the Phoenix as a medicine during that year? Can you still dare be at ease with that drop of heart blood essence which saved your foster father?”
“Kong Ming!” An Ying abruptly clenched his fist, and directly cut him off, “You talk too much.”
“Too much?”
Kong Ming turned around at long last. Under the sun, his dark red eyes were clearly both like the raging fires in purgatory and cold as ice, “That’s due to your guilty conscience. — An Ying, do you dare to answer these two questions in front of Tong Tong?”
The Little Phoenix perching on An Ying’s shoulder had no idea what was going on, but upon sensing the tension in the man’s body, it still subconsciously rubbed against his chin with it’s fluff. An Ying remained steady, neither speaking nor moving. No matter from which side, not a single trace of irregularity could be seen. But only he himself knows that he was merely doing his utmost to maintain this steady surface, as the tumbling emotions deep inside were like boulders crushing all his bones.
Because An Ying truly didn’t have the courage to answer. The regret and guilt were already crushing him as early as a thousands of years ago, without diminishing the slightest with the pa.s.sage of time. But had become even more deep-rooted with the increasing pa.s.sage of time. An Ying finally mustered a reply after a short gap, but this wasn’t the answer to those questions: “But are you innocent as well? Kong Ming, could your memory have gone bad that you’ve forgotten those dirty tricks you’ve done?!”
Kong Ming unconsciously released his imposing momentum. The unadulterated as well as gentle feeling from before completely disappeared without a trace. The same was true for An Ying. As the coercion force of these two beings invisibly surged in this courtyard, all the nearby Chinese parasol trees were harshly rustled. Only the Little Phoenix remained safe and sound.
The especially ill at ease An Ying, gently took the clueless and ignorant Little Phoenix into the protection of his arm from his shoulder, “Since I’ve let Tong Tong down, I will atone for it to him one by one. However, that is still a matter between Tong Tong and me after all, and is not something for an outsider to interfere in. A thousand of years ago, Tong Tong and I were Immortal partners with a mutually loving relationship. — Thus, may I dare ask, what status does the Netherworld King have to question me?”
The three words ‘mutually loving relationship’ were like sharp knives, ruthlessly piercing Kong Ming’s chest, that it dripped with blood. His previous mistakes were indeed more severe than An Ying, because the things An Ying had done back then, all stemmed from his ignorance, but his was a deliberate decision.
But irregardless of how hard his endeavours were, the Little Phoenix never had any feelings of love towards him.
Kong Ming’s imposing momentum increased a step further. But An Ying still stood there steadily, and continued to say: “If the Netherworld King is also under the grounds of atonement, it would be better for you to speak with me in private. If it is as an old friend, I can guarantee that I will do my utmost to take care of Tong Tong for the rest of my like. But if it is as a love rival,” he paused, “this Emperor won’t accompany you. May the Netherworld King go back.”
“The Demon Emperor is really so conscientious. Those three sentences are no different from atonement.” Kong Ming coldly looked straight at An Ying: “Then does your current care towards Tong Tong, actually stem out of love, or is it due to compensation and guilt? If you can’t even distinguish this, then stay away from Tong Tong!”
“.…..it is neither to compensate, nor due to guilt,” the haze in An Ying’s deep dark gaze which reached a certain point had unexpectedly been swept away. Instantly turning clear and bright, like the sky after the rain. He said word for word: “It’s love. I love him.”