Chapter 510

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Chapter 510: A Solo Date

It would be eighteen hours later when Bai Wei returned to the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom.

Eighteen hours passed as he traveled from the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom to Yingzhou and then to Europa, before returning to Yingzhou and looping back to Europa.

In the meantime, he managed to find time to have a training match with his younger sister. He also challenged the memory of ten battlefields in his mind, showing exceptional time management skills.

After a long while, he finally relaxed his mind and took care of some minor troubles.

When he returned to the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom, he was in a relaxed state of mind.

But just as he arrived, without even having a moment to rest, Chao Lu grabbed his arm and dragged him out.

"Aren’t we supposed to leave today?" Bai Wei asked in confusion. "Where are we going? Are we going shopping? Yesterday, you…?"

"Actually, we came back halfway yesterday," Chao Lu said. "Didn’t you notice that this place is already a different city?"

Bai Wei shook his head, realizing he hadn’t paid attention. He said, "I can’t believe I didn’t know."

"I noticed you were upset, and then suddenly stopped talking. Everyone lost interest and dispersed. We also received information about a possible attack, so we went back to prepare. We traveled through the night to reach another city, still following our planned route, so no need to worry about deviating."

Bai Wei noticed that Chao Lu was in a good mood.

"Are we not in a hurry today?"

"No rush, Xiangyang City is not far away." Chao Lu smiled and said, "We can relax a bit today and walk together, isn’t that fine?"

Bai Wei looked around and found that Nalan Qingshu, Yan Yubing, and Murong were not there. Without their chaotic presence, his resistance faded away. "Okay, I guess it’s fine. Are you sure I won’t bump into anyone along the way?"

"No, we agreed that today is my turn."

"Today? Then what about tomorrow…"

"Let’s focus on tomorrow’s matters when it’s tomorrow." Chao Lu looked at the sky. "We only have the morning because we need to continue our journey in the afternoon."

Bai Wei glanced to the side and looked at Chao Lu, who raised her hand to shield her eyes from the faint light. Sunlight streamed through the gaps between her fingers, illuminating her face. She was simply a stunning fairy, with almost no flaws in her beauty. In terms of looks, she could match Yagyū Simozi evenly, but her figure was even more mesmerizing. His gaze landed on Princess Bai Ze’s horn. He had been quite curious about how it would feel to touch that horn, whether it was different from the pair that Raiden Mei had.

"If you want to touch it, you can." Chao Lu said.

Bai Wei’s true intentions were seen through, yet he remained a gentleman and said, "Thank you, but I won’t touch."

His gaze shifted downwards and caught Chao Lu’s incredibly calm eyes, free from any trace of darkness, bright and clear.

"Are you in a good mood?" Bai Wei couldn’t help but ask.

"Of course," Chao Lu smiled, wrapping her arm around the young man’s, "After all, this is our first time together."

"What?"

"It’s just the two of us going on this trip."

"Doesn’t what happened before count?"

"There was only a short distance where it was just the two of us. Other times, there were always other people around – Yubing, Nalan, Crouching Tiger Sword…"

"Even Crouching Tiger Sword?"

"Alright, this tiger always acts mean to me. Is it a female?"

"…Who knows?" Bai Wei was poked in his blind spot of knowledge.

The embodiment of battleships are maidens, commonly referred to as Mrs., Miss, or sister by the crew. So it’s normal for a battleship to be portrayed as a beautiful girl. However, the gender of weapon personifications is not universally recognized, and it is generally believed to be dependent on the weapon’s holder.

"Anyway, there were always people following us along the way, so there wasn’t much chance for us to be alone. It was the same in Yingzhou, Dundun was following us, and there was Yagyū Miss too." Chao Lu counted and regretfully said, "Indeed, there wasn’t much opportunity for us to be alone."

"Is it necessary?" Bai Wei questioned in a very straightforward manner, "Being alone together doesn’t bring many benefits. There’s strength in numbers. Even if we want to level up our bonds, it’s just like hanging on an accessory."

Chao Lu wasn’t discouraged by his words, instead, she said, "To me, it holds great significance. After all, this position… I still have it exclusively, and I don’t want to just give it away to someone else."

"What position?"

"The position on your left side," Chao Lu whispered, "If we were in Yingzhou, that position could only belong to Yagyū Simozi, right?"

…I don’t necessarily think so, it could be someone else.

Bai Wei said, "It doesn’t matter where we are, you’re too sensitive. We don’t have that kind of relationship."

"Then, what kind of relationship is it?" Chao Lu asked softly, her voice trembling, filled with fear, anxiety, and nervousness.

This point was the most confusing to her.

At first, she didn’t allow herself to develop feelings for Bai Wei. She only hoped that they could cut off contact. She didn’t understand emotions well and didn’t want to owe anyone more.

It’s a lie to say she didn’t feel any attraction, but it was only a little bit. She only allowed herself a tiny bit, thinking that everything would end once she returned home.

But it was only the beginning. She found herself falling faster than she had anticipated, even though he had never expressed anything. She could sense his care.

Bai Wei never hid his intentions from himself, but his words seemed to have some hidden meaning.

The relationship between them was somewhat abnormal, with a misalignment in understanding.

Chao Lu didn’t want to use Bai Wei, but he went against her wishes.

She couldn’t understand clearly what the relationship between them was all about – support? manipulation? mutual prosperity?

It’s hard to explain it clearly unless it’s bound by noble and great love, but that’s not love. She could feel Bai Wei’s care clearly, but it wasn’t love. Love is never like this.

They didn’t even have time to spend alone, and they had only known each other for less than two months. How could love spark between them? She was sure it wasn’t love at first sight, and neither was it for the other person. So where did this intense care come from?

Bai Wei had a fixed answer to this question, but he couldn’t answer it directly. Liu Xiaowan had woven lies to hide their past to prevent any negative impact on Chao Lu. How could he expose it and make all their efforts in the past go to waste?

"You could understand it as a kind of agreement…" Bai Wei said.

"What kind of agreement?"

"An agreement that ensures you can achieve stability and happiness," Bai Wei said. "As long as it is your desired wish, I can fulfill it for you, even if it’s very difficult, I will overcome all obstacles."

"Why?"

"To… make up for all the regrets," Bai Wei recalled the remark before the cycle started.

"I don’t really understand," Chao Lu still puzzled, "You’re not a genie, why would you fulfill my wishes? Can someone else, like Nalan, do it instead?"

"Does it matter?" Bai Wei asked back, "Just think of it as winning the lottery and accept it peacefully."

Chao Lu took a deep breath, "In the past, this is how I comforted myself, but now I want to understand."

"Why?"

"No reason, I just want to understand."

… If I don’t understand, we can’t move forward. I would be too afraid to speak up. If I don’t even know the reasons for my failures, I won’t be satisfied.

Chao Lu’s eyes showed a hint of stubbornness.

Bai Wei said, "I hope that the rest of your life can embrace happiness. This is something real and true, giving you the freedom to weave your future. It’s my duty."

"Is it an obligation, a responsibility?" Chao Lu questioned further, "Is that why you care about me?"

"Yes, but not completely." Bai Wei said with mixed feelings. "I don’t really understand myself. Many times, I had a reason, so I took action. I didn’t expect that each thing would pile up and result in a chain reaction… Besides, even if I wanted to regret, it’s too late now. The sunk cost is too high."

Princess Bai Ze was not very satisfied with this answer, but she was not disappointed either. "Sincerely, rationally, neutrally…"

But what she wanted was a more emotional answer.

Suddenly, she regretted asking such a probing question, curious about what words were engraved on the back of ‘caring’. Once she tangled with its origin, she started to worry and imagine the possibility of being abandoned out of thin air.

Just by making this assumption once, she felt a suffocating pressure.

She silently gritted her teeth and self-mockingly thought, she must have become weaker.

Bai Wei calmly said, "Are you afraid?"

Chao Lu held her breath, "A little."

Bai Wei smiled and said, "That’s a good thing… Fear proves that you still care. It’s much better than before. When I first saw you, do you know what expression you had when I arrived in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom?"

"What kind of expression?" Chao Lu subconsciously touched her face.

"A look of waiting for death, not the peaceful acceptance of death, but the numbness of waiting for death." Bai Wei looked at the sunlight filling the streets. "Actually, you have already lost hope in your heart, I know, so I have to pull you forward. If I don’t, I’m afraid you will give up and bury yourself in the ground waiting to rot."

"At that time, I was quite embarrassed…" Chao Lu nodded, feeling shy and ashamed.

"So, knowing fear is also a kind of progress, it proves that you still want to fight for something, that you haven’t resigned yourself to fate." Bai Wei walked ahead. "If you have no life goals, why not place your hopes in me? I will show you a path, or even help you pave one. Instead of just waiting for death in a daze, why not let me take charge of your life and live without regrets?"

"Wait." Chao Lu realized that the conversation was going off track. "Young Master Bai, do you think I’m afraid of death?"