# 1699
# Chapter 1699: You're Not Just Playing Around, Are You?
After the Queen Mother of the West's figure vanished completely, Jialan remained kneeling on the ground before the alchemy hall, unable to bring herself to rise for a long while.
Looking at the blue-robed figure abandoned before the alchemy hall, everyone felt somewhat helpless. Although Jialan hadn't spent much time with them, this young girl was indeed quite likeable. They didn't know the full story, only that Jialan seemed to have been expelled from the Jade Pool because of Lin Qiye...
Instantly, their gazes toward Lin Qiye turned hostile, all wearing expressions that screamed "heartbreaker."
Lin Qiye sighed deeply and walked to stand before Jialan. A face streaked with tears like rain-soaked pear blossoms came into view.
"Do you hate me?" Lin Qiye asked softly.
Jialan shot him a fierce glare, a fair fist slamming heavily against Lin Qiye's chest as she shouted through her sobs:
"I told you not to save me, not to save me... You had to take the opportunity to shove the Immortal Pill into my mouth! Now look— even the Queen Mother doesn't want me anymore! You混蛋 you混蛋 you混蛋 you混蛋..."
Jialan's fists rained down on Lin Qiye like a storm. Lin Qiye didn't dodge; he simply endured her battering for a long while without saying a word.
After a while, Jialan lowered her head and glanced at her reddened fists from the impact, crying even more heartbreakingly.
"Are you satisfied now?" Lin Qiye asked.
"No!" Jialan wiped her tears and punched Lin Qiye again, quietly hiding her trembling hand behind her back.
"I know you gave me the Immortal Pill to save me... but I'm just a Pearl Soul. My only mission is to serve the Queen Mother. Besides occasionally accompanying Her Ladyship to shoot arrows for entertainment, I can't even fight properly. How could I possibly bear something so important...
Now look— the Queen Mother doesn't want me, the Jade Pool doesn't want me... I'm completely alone in this world."
Looking at Jialan's reddened eyes, Lin Qiye suddenly felt a surge of guilt...
The current Jialan was merely a Pearl Soul nurtured by the Queen Mother of the West. Strictly speaking, the Queen Mother of the West was her mother, and she was nothing more than an innocent young girl who could be easily tricked into being sold to a brothel with just a few sweet words.
Because of him, the Queen Mother of the West had expelled Jialan— it was the same as a daughter going out to roam with some street hoodlum and getting pregnant, only for the parents to discover it and immediately disown her, severing the mother-daughter relationship.
And Jialan was the most wronged one; she never intended to elope!
But Lin Qiye had no choice... He couldn't just watch Jialan die before his eyes, could he?
He instinctively responded, "It's fine. If they don't want you, I do."
The moment these words left his mouth, Lin Qiye wished he could slap himself. He felt increasingly like a scoundrel who had seduced an innocent young girl.
Jialan shot him an exasperated glare, stumbling up from the ground. "It's all your fault anyway... You have to take responsibility! At least... at least find me some work in the mortal realm, something where I can eat my fill!"
Hearing this, Lin Qiye's mouth twitched violently. He suppressed a smile with effort and asked calmly:
"Any other demands?"
Jialan thought carefully. "Yes! I won't do any job where you wear barely any clothes and dance in front of crowds!"
"...Alright." Lin Qiye turned around, constantly massaging his facial muscles which were about to cramp. He took a deep breath twice before his mood finally settled.
Lin Qiye strode toward the group nearby. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed they were all staring at him with strange expressions.
"What?"
"When are you planning to marry her?" Zhan Yuwu asked seriously.
Lin Qiye was confused. "What?"
"What? Still trying to argue?" Chloe raised her chin, wearing an expression that suggested she had seen through everything. "The first time I saw you two together, I could sense something off about the way you looked at her. You clearly took a liking to her!
Tell me— did you deliberately set things up so she would be expelled from the Jade Pool, just so you could make your move?"
"Brother Seven Nights, it's understandable that a gentleman would admire a beautiful woman, but you've gone this far. If you don't marry her, it'll be hard to wrap this up nicely." Yan Zhong counseled earnestly. "You're not just playing around, are you?"
"Scumbag." Gongyang Wan said coldly.
Lin Qiye: ...
"I-I'm not saying I won't marry her either..." Lin Qiye glanced at Jialan, who was wiping her tears in the distance, and said quietly, "Anyway, let's put this matter aside for now. Matters of importance come first... You all stay here and watch over the Marquis. I'll go find the Queen Mother of the West one more time."
"What for?" Zhan Yuwu asked.
"Did you forget why we're here?" Lin Qiye pointed to the willow branches nearby. "Right now, in all of Great Xia, the Queen Mother is the only remaining deity. Without her help, how are we supposed to kill Cthulhu?"
"That's true... but you just angered her. Now you're going to find her again. Is that appropriate?"
"Don't worry." Lin Qiye turned to look into the distance. "She... is the Queen Mother of the West."
...
Jade Pool, the bedchamber.
The Queen Mother of the West stood atop the ruins, her gaze sweeping slowly across the blood-stained earth below. Besides those foul-smelling willow branches, rows of heavenly soldier corpses lay upon the ground. Her hands clenched tightly, and a trace of guilt flickered across her expression.
At that moment, a figure appeared behind her.
"What is it?" the Queen Mother of the West said deeply.
"The Queen Mother, although the chaos in the Jade Pool has been resolved, the Willow Tree's true form still resides near Kunlun Mountain..."
"That monster destroyed my Jade Pool. I shall kill it." A sharp killing intent burst forth from the Queen Mother of the West's eyes, her voice growing increasingly low and cold. "This is a grudge between gods. You mortals need not interfere."
"Queen Mother, this Cthulhu Faction god comes from beyond this world. Their strength cannot be underestimated. Relying solely on Your Ladyship alone, the odds of victory are extremely slim." Lin Qiye spoke solemnly. "Now that the Heavenly Court is outside our realm, if Your Ladyship were to fall, no one else in this world would be able to slay that monster. I implore Your Ladyship to consider the common people of the world and not act rashly!"
Hearing this, the killing intent in the Queen Mother of the West's eyes quickly cooled. She furrowed her brow in deep thought, then turned to look at Lin Qiye.
"What do you propose?"
"Let the pursuit and killing of Cthulhu be left to us. Once we've gravely wounded It, Your Ladyship can then strike the final blow. That is the most secure strategy."
"You want me to hide behind you mortals?"
"Mortals are not weaker than gods, Your Ladyship. If you don't believe me, would you dare battle me?" Lin Qiye's voice was utterly calm.
Upon hearing these words, the Queen Mother of the West's gaze hardened. She studied Lin Qiye with furrowed brows for a long moment before slowly shaking her head:
"I am already fed up with killing my own kind... Since you have a plan, I shall comply."
The Queen Mother of the West extended her hand and offered the Kunlun Mirror to Lin Qiye. "Keep this mirror on your person. In critical moments, I will definitely act."
"Thank you for Your Ladyship's assistance."
Lin Qiye respectfully accepted the Kunlun Mirror. As he was about to leave, the Queen Mother of the West's voice rang out once more:
"Wait."
Lin Qiye疑惑地回过头望去。
Queen Mother of the West hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked into the ruins of the bedchamber, retrieving a pale yellow hardwood bow from within.
"替本宫，将这弓箭转交给Jialan吧。"
Please deliver this bow and arrows to Jialan for me.