423: Chapter 423 Boss, your eyes were practically drooling just now.

The corner of Jiang You's eye twitched twice.

He stood in the wind, staring expressionlessly at the night sky, choosing to ignore the shameless nonsense spouting from Kidneys deep in his mind.

Just then, a voice that rarely took the initiative to get involved in such gossip suddenly echoed in the group.

[Eyes] blinked those deep blue pupils that could see through falsehoods, its tone deep and tinged with a hint of vicissitude:

"Alright, Kidneys and Right Hand, stop making such a racket over there; you're annoying the Boss."

"You two are still too young; you don't understand the Boss's deep thoughts at all."

Hearing Big Brother Eyes speak, the group quieted down slightly.

Jiang You felt a sliver of relief in his Heart.

Eyes was reliable after all; it knew he was weighing the pros and cons, restraining his emotions, and knew he carried a heavy, unspeakable mission.

However, before Jiang You could even catch his breath from that relief, [Eyes] suddenly sighed, its tone shifting, instantly transforming into a ruthless machine of dismantling:

"But Boss, this matter can't entirely be blamed on Kidneys; the primary responsibility actually lies with you."

Jiang You: "???"

[Eyes] spammed a row of sighing emojis in the group and said gloomily:

"Back in the cave, you could have just talked or acted aloof. But why did you keep making me stare fixedly at that young girl's eyes?"

"When you fight with those people from Imperial Preceptor Wen Wangshan, I've never seen you reveal such a look—it was practically stringing out!"

"I'm enduring visual pressure that I shouldn't have to at this age!"

Upon hearing this, [Kidneys] immediately shouted excitedly in the group:

"Right, right! I told you the Boss's intentions were definitely not pure!"

"Big Brother Eyes is fair and hits the nail on the head!"

"He usually acts like a sexless monk, but when the critical moment comes, his closeted perverted nature is even worse than mine!"

[Right Hand]: "Got it! So the Boss likes to play with this kind of forbidden tension of extreme pulling!"

[Legs]: "Boss is awesome! Taking one step forward and two steps back—you've really mastered the art of playing hard to get!"

Jiang You: "..."

Jiang You's originally cold, stern face had now turned as black as charcoal, the veins on his forehead throbbing violently; he could even feel his temples swelling frantically.

"These chatterboxes..."

Gritting his teeth, Jiang You directly severed the connection with the [Organ Chat Group], forcibly locking these noisy guys in the dark room.

In an instant, the noisy clamor in his mind that was enough to cause a nervous breakdown dissipated completely. The world finally returned to peace.

Jiang You slowly lowered his head. He took a deep breath, the cold and dry air entering his Lungs, allowing his somewhat taut nerves to calm down completely.

At this moment, he flipped his wrist slightly. A faint ripple appeared in space, and a leaf of unknown material, glowing with a faint green light, appeared out of thin air in his palm.

Jiang You looked at this leaf, standing in the wind, stunned for a moment. The specks of faint green light on the leaf flickered in the pitch-black night.

It was like an invisible hand, silently tearing at Jiang You's Heart, reminding him of a cruel and unavoidable fact!

He was, after all, a passerby who did not belong to this Great Zhou world. His roots were on Blue Star.

There were cities destroyed by war, old friends buried under ruins, and comrades who, like him, had crawled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

He still had a very important mission to complete; he absolutely could not sink into the gentle embrace of Great Zhou.

Jiang You brought the glowing leaf closer. The faint green light reflected in his eyes, appearing somewhat eerie and profound.

"Great Zhou..." Jiang You whispered. The moment these two words left his lips, they were instantly torn apart by the howling cold wind and swept toward the bottomless cliff.

No matter how good the world of Great Zhou was, no matter how prosperous the red walls and green tiles of the Imperial City were, and no matter how innocent the girl who would save osmanthus cakes for him was—to him, it was ultimately just a big dream. He had to go back.

But before returning... A flash of chilling, palpable murderous intent suddenly erupted from the depths of Jiang You's eyes. He had to clean up Imperial Preceptor Wen Wangshan, that cancer that had turned Great Zhou upside down, while he was at it!

He wanted to help her, to let her return to who she used to be.

Jiang You finally let out a long breath. The hesitation and conflict in his eyes faded away bit by bit, replaced once again by that thick layer of solid ice.

He closed his fingers and tucked the faint green leaf away close to his body.

The following days were as calm as stagnant water, yet rippled with something one couldn't bear to break.

Jiang You spent every day with The Fourth Princess. He took on all the dirty and tiring work. He would hunt in the deep forest in the morning, boil herbs in a stone pot at the cave entrance at noon, and keep watch by the campfire at night, adding firewood.

He took meticulous care of The Fourth Princess, but in his actions and words, he deliberately maintained a cold boundary with her.

He no longer touched her head, nor did he make those cheeky jokes with her. Every time he brought medicine or water, he would put the things down and immediately turn to walk to the cave entrance, crossing his arms and closing his eyes to rest, looking just like an emotionless door god.

The Fourth Princess was not stupid. She could clearly feel the invisible high wall standing between the two of them. But she acted as if she were blind, completely ignoring Jiang You's distance.

When Jiang You sat at the cave entrance feeling the wind, she would wrap herself in a large black trench coat, dragging her ailing body over like a little tail, and sit beside him.

If Jiang You didn't speak, she would find topics herself. From the recipes for pastries in the Imperial Palace's royal kitchen to the interesting stories of her father taking her to ride horses beyond the Great Wall when she was a child. Even if Jiang You only replied with an "Mm" the entire afternoon, or simply didn't even lift his eyelids, she was never discouraged.

She remained like a little sun that couldn't feel his coldness, happily following by his side every day, a sweet smile always hanging on her pale cheeks.

Actually, she really liked the days spent with him. Even if he didn't pay attention to her, as long as she turned her head and could see his cold, stern profile, her Heart felt as full and secure as if it were stuffed.

One night, a torrential rain began to fall outside the cave, the raindrops hitting the rocks and making a dull sound. The Fourth Princess rested her chin in her hands, looking across the flickering firelight at Jiang You, who was whittling wooden skewers with a dagger.

"Jiang You." The Fourth Princess spoke suddenly, her large eyes sparkling with curiosity, and asked softly: "Tell me, if there hadn't been that terrifying Spiritual Energy Awakening you spoke of? If in your hometown, everyone was just an ordinary person who didn't have to fight and kill..." "Would you be different from how you are now?"

Jiang You's hand whittling the wood paused slightly. The dagger stopped in mid-air. He looked up, gazing at The Fourth Princess's beautiful and refined face in the firelight. In his originally cold eyes, a rare flash of serious contemplation appeared.

"Then I might have become a salted fish that likes to lie flat." Jiang You put down the dagger, speaking more than usual, his lips curling into a lazy, self-deprecating arc:

"I'm actually a very lazy person!" "Without having to sleep with a knife to my throat every day, I'd probably sleep until I woke up naturally every day, and if I could lie down, I'd never sit. Then I'd find a group of good friends who were equally unambitious but had compatible personalities, and we'd eat barbecue and drink beer at street stalls every day."

The Fourth Princess listened with bright, sparkling eyes, the corners of her mouth unable to help but curl up. But Jiang You soon shook his head again, letting out a helpless sigh:

"Well. Come to think of it, if I were too much of a salted fish without any social life, I probably wouldn't make so many friends." "Besides, since I'd be an ordinary person, I'd definitely have to work a bitter, grueling job." "By then, it would probably be even harder to be a salted fish."

Jiang You spread his hands, looking utterly hopeless: "Every morning I'd have to squeeze onto the subway, worry about next month's rent, and have no choice but to bow my head to the evil capitalists, selling my life and time by the pound."