bookbashuk Chapter 993 Beautiful Morning
Chapter 993 Beautiful Morning
The man in the top hat was not surprised to see that Barbara still had feelings for Mond and her own beliefs.
After all, not everyone can deny their past.
Then the devil said slowly: "If you don't want to leave, that's fine; I'll give you another choice."
Barbara looked up. She didn't know what this so-called "other option" would be, but at least now she still had a choice.
Then, the man in the flattering hat explained the second option in detail.
"You can even continue to serve the God in your heart. If you feel that the God in reality does not meet your expectations, I will grant you the ability to shape him!"
Barbara's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she heard.
How is it possible to create a god?
She has always served the God of Wind devoutly and never thought of changing him.
However, the words of the man in the flattering hat were like a seed that planted a bold idea in her heart.
"Shaping, God?"
The man in the flattering hat didn't explain much, but simply put the two options he gave Barbara in front of her.
“It’s a choice between reality and faith.”
"Now, do you choose to live for yourself, or choose to be the creator and shape the god in your heart!"
Barbara summarized the devil's advice to herself, saying, "Leave, or create the god within me?"
The man in the top hat nodded, then produced a platinum box from his left hand, showed it to Barbara, and said:
"Here's a new suit of clothes, a purse, and a dagger to protect yourself."
"If you choose this gift, you will find peace, but you must swear to abandon your faith! You must never believe in any god, and you must never pray, for the rest of your life!"
At this point, the man in the top hat described Barbara's punishment for breaking her oath without any emotion.
"Once you break your oath, you will be captured on the first night you break it! You will become a slave!"
"In the morning, you must kneel down and lick the dirt off your master's leather boots with the tip of your tongue. If he doesn't think it's clean enough, he will step on your cheek and roll it across the stone pavement."
"Even if your cheeks are rubbed to a bloody mess, the master's whip will not stop. It will wrap around your back like a poisonous snake, whipping the festering wounds until new blood blooms."
"At night, you must curl up at the foot of your master's bed. If you move, your fingers will be stepped on by an iron boot."
"You no longer have your own name, and your master will call you the most obscene words."
"When he needs pleasure, you have to wag your tail and beg for mercy like a pet, enduring those humiliations that make your soul tremble."
"If you resist even a little, the red-hot iron will be branded on your flesh, making you realize in excruciating pain that you don't even have the right to cry."
"Death will not be a relief. When you take your last breath, your soul will fall into a pool of sulfur, and thousands of iron hooks will rise from the bottom of the pool, hooking your body and dragging it upwards."
"The nightmare with goat's hooves will burn your soul with a red-hot iron, and in the end you will never be able to close your eyes in the boiling blood."
Barbara was frightened by the words of the man in the top hat. She took a half step back and shivered in the cold night wind.
Then, the man in the top hat took out another gray box and introduced it, "Inside this are two maps and a bottle to replace the bottle containing the Wind God's soul."
"The first map shows the location of the bottle containing the Wind God's soul. When you carry the Wind God's soul, go to the location marked on the second map. I will continue to give you guidance then!"
The man in the top hat handed the two boxes to Barbara and reminded her, "You can only choose one! If you choose one, the other gift will disappear."
“You don’t have to rush to make a choice, but you will eventually make your choice because you can’t stay still forever.”
Barbara accepted the two gifts from the devil and quietly looked at the two boxes that would determine her future destiny.
Choose to live for yourself, or continue to believe in the God in your heart.
"I..." Barbara raised her head, wanting to ask something, wanting to confirm something, but there was nothing in front of her.
The man in the top hat disappeared without a trace, as if he had never appeared.
Only the two boxes in her hands reminded her that what had just happened was not a dream.
The night wind blew harder, and Barbara stood there, feeling like she was standing at a fork in the road of fate.
The moment of choice will eventually come, but right now, she doesn't know which direction to take.
.........
The next day, as the dawn broke, Liyue Harbor was still bathed in a hazy glow.
The mountains in the distance were dyed a light golden red, and there were sporadic movements of fishing boats in the harbor, with masts looming in the morning mist and the sound of waves hitting the embankment.
The sun's rays were weaving tiny spots of light on the floor through the windows of the Qun Yu Pavilion, and the tiny dust particles floating in the air were floating gently in the beam of light.
The affectionate atmosphere of Shao Yun and Ying last night still lingered in the room.
The wrinkles on the quilt and sheets silently tell of last night's warmth.
Shao Yun was awakened by the sunlight and opened his eyes.
Then he saw Ying curled up in his arms like a lazy kitten, her cheek pressed against his chest, her breathing even and long, with a trace of crystal saliva hanging from the corner of her mouth.
Shao Yun looked at his lovely wife and felt so happy in his heart. He could live such a good life every day in the future!
He raised his hand cautiously, trying to tidy up the hair that was stuck to her cheek.
Then, Shao Yun inadvertently turned his head to the bedside, glanced around, and his whole body froze in an instant.
Ningguang, wearing a translucent gauze dress, was kneeling beside the bed, her skin faintly visible under the gauze.
At this moment, she was respectfully waiting for Shao Yun's instructions.
"Fuck! Ningguang, what are you doing?" Shao Yun was frightened by the sudden scene. His whole body trembled violently and his voice changed.
His excitement caused his body to shake violently, which directly woke up Ying who was sleeping soundly.
Ying frowned in dissatisfaction, and muttered incoherently with the laziness of someone who hadn't woken up yet: "What's wrong? What are you arguing about so early in the morning..."
As she spoke, she subconsciously shrank closer to Shao Yun's arms, obviously not yet figuring out what was going on.
Ying's eyes were still a little hazy when she opened them, but when her sight fell on the figure kneeling beside the bed, the remaining sleepiness was instantly wiped out.
She saw that it was Ningguang wearing a translucent gauze skirt, and in panic she grabbed the quilt and hid herself.
"Wooah! Ningguang, what are you doing?"
Ningguang, who was kneeling beside the bed, had a look of confusion on her face.
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes moving between Shao Yun and Ying, who was hiding under the quilt, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"
Shao Yun raised his hand and rubbed his still dazed eyes, his gaze falling on Ningguang again.
"What are you doing kneeling beside the bed so early in the morning? How long have you been kneeling?"
When Ningguang heard the question, a look of humility immediately appeared on her face. She lowered her head slightly, and her voice was incredibly gentle.
"As your slave, it is my duty to help you two get up."
"slave?"
After hearing this, Shao Yun felt a headache, closed his eyes speechlessly, and raised his hand to press his temples.
"No, can you be a little more normal?"
Ningguang didn't respond, but simply lowered her head even lower and asked in a cautious tone befitting a "slave girl":
"Master, do you want to continue sleeping for a while, or get up now?"
Shao Yun looked helplessly at Ningguang who was kneeling beside the bed, waved his hand, and said impatiently:
"You go out first. Ying and I will get dressed. We'll talk later..."
Ningguang did not leave after Shao Yun waved his hand. Her eyes fell directly on Shao Yun who was lying on the bed.
The sounds she heard last night while eavesdropping on the wall suddenly flashed through Ningguang's mind, and her heartbeat involuntarily quickened.
She knew that Shao Yun and Ying were not wearing any clothes yet, so a bold idea arose in her mind.
"I can help you two dress." Ningguang mustered up the courage to say this.
When Shao Yun heard Ningguang's shameless words, his face darkened instantly.
No, Ningguang, do you really think I don't dare to kill you now? What the hell is going on?
"Get out! If you really have nothing to do, go prepare breakfast!"
When Ningguang heard Shao Yun ask her to prepare breakfast, she nodded expectantly like a pampered puppy and said, "Yes!"
Then, Ningguang slowly stood up, placed her hands neatly on her lower abdomen, lowered her head, took small steps, and slowly walked out of Shao Yun's room.
Seeing Ningguang finally leave, Ying finally crawled out from under the quilt with a sense of relief.
Her hair was a little messy and she looked like an upset kitten.
"Really?" Ying muttered, expressing her dissatisfaction with Ningguang's behavior.
But considering it's already daylight... I should get dressed quickly.
"Put on some clothes quickly, I don't want to be seen naked."
……
Ying and Shao Yun quickly put on their clothes and went to look for their daughter.
The couple’s world of two is over, and it’s time to live as a family.
When I pushed open the door of Shen He and the others' room, a faint scent of milk wafted over.
I saw Shen He sitting on a low couch by the window, holding Xi, who was wrapped in a swaddling cloth, in his arms.
The baby is holding the bottle and sucking his food.
A little milk would occasionally overflow from the corners of her mouth, but Shen He would gently wipe it away with his fingertips.
When Paimeng saw Shao Yun and Ying coming in, an expression of "I know everything" appeared on his little face.
She looked the two of them up and down, covering her mouth and giggling.
"Hehe, you two, did you have fun last night?"
Ying's face turned red in an instant.
She subconsciously hid behind Shao Yun, feeling like a frantic deer in her heart.
Is the soundproofing of the rooms in Qun Yu Pavilion so poor?
She clearly remembered that she had been very restrained last night, so how could Paimon hear it?
This little guy's ears are so sharp!
"Paimon! You... you heard it last night?" Ying's voice was a little stammering with embarrassment.
Paimeng looked at Ying's cheeks, which were as red as ripe apples and her eyes were avoiding people, and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Her little body swayed in the air and she waved her hands: "Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore."
She rolled her eyes and deliberately dragged out her tone.
"I didn't hear anything, I just guessed, and I didn't expect my guess to be right!"
Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief, but still glared at Paimon a little embarrassedly, and the blush on her cheeks did not fade for a long time.
Shen He, who was standing by, was holding Xi, who had already drunk enough milk and burped, with a look of pure confusion on his face.
"I can attest that there was no other sound last night except the baby crying for milk."
"What's wrong? Did something strange happen in your room yesterday?"
Seeing that Shen He was so innocent, Shao Yun and Ying didn't want her to know too much and thus destroy this innocence, so they quickly shifted the topic to the child.
"It's nothing strange," Shao Yun smiled as he walked forward and looked at Xi's tender little face. "We were just worried about whether the baby had disturbed you at night."
Ying also came over, her eyes falling gently on her daughter.
"Xi looks very energetic today."
Shen He carefully handed Xi to Ying.
"Indeed, here, hold me for a while."
The baby felt the breath of his mother and made cute babbling sounds.