Eating Brother

Those big eyes were still as clear and bright as ever, without a trace of impurity.

That proved that what Gu Xiaoli had said was still the truth—the honest truth.

From the time she had met Gu Chengyin until now, the only thing she had ever lied to him about was hypnotizing Luo Zhao.

She had never deceived Gu Chengyin about anything else, nor had she ever done anything that might harm him.

And after Gu Chengyin lifted the hypnosis on Luo Zhao, the only matter on which Gu Xiaoli might have deceived him naturally ceased to exist.

As long as Luo Zhao was conscious, then whatever she did was of her own free will.

Since it was voluntary, Gu Xiaoli would not interfere as long as nothing went wrong.

So the catgirl was now utterly devoted to Gu Chengyin.

Gu Chengyin gave a slight nod at her answer.

He was not particularly disappointed, since he had never held out much hope to begin with.

Gu Xiaoli had already provided him with an enormous amount of information—far more than he had expected.

Enough to make this trip to the Crown Prince’s Palace worthwhile, and enough to allow him to make the necessary preparations.

Empress Lin had never said what kind of energy the square box needed, so Gu Xiaoli did not know.

Emperor Luo might know, or he might not. Luo Zhao might know, or she might not.

But when all was said and done, there were only so many kinds of energy: true qi, spiritual power, vital energy and blood, soul power, the essence of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and so on.

Whatever it was, it was ultimately something that already existed.

And as long as it existed, there would certainly be a way to obtain it.

Given Luo Zhao’s status and position, replenishing the energy was merely a matter of time.

So the key was not what the energy was, but what would happen after it was replenished.

Once he knew that, he would have expectations and be able to prepare a response.

It was not knowing that made people afraid, made them let their imaginations run wild, and made them turn something that was not all that frightening into a catastrophe capable of bringing down the heavens simply by frightening themselves.

Gu Chengyin now knew what the square box was, who possessed it, and that it needed to replenish its energy.

That information was already enough.

From here on, no matter when Luo Zhao used it or what she intended to do with it, Gu Chengyin could ensure that everything proceeded according to his plans.

That meant that whatever happened next would not unfold as Luo Zhao wished, but as he wished.

Now that he had learned everything he needed to know, Gu Chengyin prepared to leave.

He had not spent an especially long time at the Crown Prince’s Palace, but neither had his visit been brief.

From the moment he entered until now, at least the time it took to finish a cup of tea had passed. He could not remain here much longer.

If possible, it was best not to let the Imperial Household Department know he had been here.

The moment they learned of it, his movements would appear before Luo Zhao.

And once they appeared before Luo Zhao, they would effectively appear before Lin Qingyan as well.

Gu Chengyin could come to see Gu Xiaoli, but he could not let them know that he was investigating Empress Lin’s relic.

Otherwise, given how perceptive those two were, they might guess something.

Not everything, but at least part of it.

And even that little part would be enough to make them uneasy and set their minds racing.

“Xiaoli, go back to sleep. I’ll be leaving…”

Gu Chengyin was just about to leave when a small hand caught hold of the hem of his robe.

He turned back in confusion.

The little hand clutching his clothing trembled slightly.

It was as if Gu Xiaoli had needed to summon enormous courage and make a tremendous resolve before she could bring herself to do it.

“Big Brother, are you still going to eat Xiaoli?”

Gu Chengyin blinked. Looking at Gu Xiaoli’s sparkling eyes, he could not help but laugh.

“That was only meant to frighten you. How could Big Brother eat Xiaoli?”

“His Highness is perfectly fine, so you can rest easy, Xiaoli.”

Gu Chengyin assumed that Gu Xiaoli had taken his words literally.

Of course, it was also possible that this catgirl had started putting on an act again.

In any case, Gu Chengyin did not believe for a moment that Gu Xiaoli had failed to understand what he really meant.

And Gu Xiaoli naturally knew that nothing had happened to Luo Zhao.

She was not stupid, nor was she some little girl who knew nothing.

Gu Xiaoli could smell Luo Zhao’s scent on Gu Chengyin. It was strong—so strong that it was impossible to ignore.

But she also knew very well that this did not mean Gu Chengyin had chopped Luo Zhao up and cooked her into a stew, braised her, roasted her, or steamed her.

It was because the two of them had gone through some indescribable instruction and training.

Luo Zhao was fine. More than fine, in fact. She might even be better than she had ever been.

So much better that she could now begin plotting things she had once never even dared to imagine.

There was no need for Gu Xiaoli to worry about Luo Zhao. In truth, she had never worried about Luo Zhao at all.

Instead, she was a little worried about herself.

There was a faint sense of grievance in Gu Xiaoli’s heart.

After all, Gu Chengyin now carried not only Lin Qingyan’s scent and Shangguan Yunying’s scent, but even Luo Zhao’s scent as well.

Lin Qingyan’s scent was cold, like winter snow, a spring in the deep mountains, or the frigid wind high above the nine heavens.

Pure and aloof, it made people afraid to approach, yet unable to resist drawing near.

Shangguan Yunying’s scent was warm, like the breeze of spring, the autumn sun, or bright afternoon sunlight.

It made people want to curl up within it, to think of nothing and do nothing, and simply remain there forever.

Luo Zhao’s scent was bitter at first, then sweet, like a well-aged wine—sharp and biting upon the first taste, yet leaving behind a lingering sweetness after years of fermentation.

You had to savor it carefully to taste the sweetness hidden at its very core.

Each of these older sisters had left her own mark on Gu Chengyin.

They were bonds that could never be severed.

And karma that haunted their dreams.

But what about her?

What about Gu Xiaoli?

Although she neither fought nor competed, neither quarreled nor made a fuss, never caused anyone trouble, and never needed anyone to worry about her…

Although she never showed all kinds of expressions in front of Gu Chengyin…

She couldn’t have nothing at all, could she?

Gu Xiaoli wanted a little something of her own—even if it was only a tiny trace of flavor.

That was why she held on to Gu Chengyin. She didn’t want him to leave.

But when she truly had to say it aloud, Gu Xiaoli hesitated.

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind: Would Big Brother refuse? Would he think she was being childish?

Would he think that, just like her older sisters, she had begun to make things difficult for him too?

Gu Xiaoli didn’t know. She wasn’t sure, and she didn’t dare to gamble on it.

Yet she simply couldn’t stop herself, because of that small, sour sense of grievance in her heart—the discomfort that urged her on, pushed her forward, and told her:

If you don’t say it, Big Brother will never know.

If you don’t dare, Big Brother will never have it.

If you hesitate, you’ll regret it forever.

Gu Xiaoli lowered her head, her chin almost touching her chest. Loose strands of hair fell over her forehead, veiling her eyes.

Only the tip of her reddened nose and her tightly pressed lips remained visible.

Her ears were so red they looked ready to drip blood, while her neck was flushed like clouds dyed by the setting sun.

Her entire body was enveloped in a faint blush, making her look especially vivid—and especially alluring—in the sunlight.

After a struggle within her heart, Gu Xiaoli spoke softly, her voice barely audible.

It was like a breeze exhaled from her throat, passing through the air and the sunlight,

through the dappled shadows between the leaves, before falling into Gu Chengyin’s ears.

“Then… can Xiaoli eat Big Brother?”