Chapter 196: Chapter 196: Yamada Aiko Laments: A Group of Demons in Children’s Skin
"New territory, off to our new territory~"
Meimei hummed the whole way, skipping and hopping with glee.
She seemed to be looking forward to it immensely.
Yun Zhenyue turned to look back and saw the hundred or so servants behind them. They were all carrying various odds and ends, and the carriages were filled with the finest food ingredients. Since they were all of the Blood Race, the long trek wouldn’t tire them out.
It was plain to see.
The Blood Race Marquis had gone to great pains to send them off.
Yun Zhenyue then looked at the other children.
Pangpang was holding a bunch of food, eating as he walked without missing a beat.
Noticing Yun Zhenyue’s gaze, the little fatty gave a sheepish grin, scratched the back of his head, and held out a large chicken leg to her.
"Want some, Sister?"
"I’m not hungry. You can have it."
"Okay~"
"..."
After leaving the manor, Kuku seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He was visibly more relaxed.
Shoushou was holding a paintbrush.
Whenever he saw beautiful scenery along the way, he would stop for a moment to paint.
"This flower’s nice. I’ll draw it!"
"GASP! A blue butterfly! Don’t fly away!"
As for the child who looked so much like Gu Yuan.
Yun Zhenyue could sense him trailing behind them the entire time.
’How should I put this?’
Yun Zhenyue had the distinct feeling she was a babysitter.
It was like she was chaperoning a field trip.
Their party was so conspicuous.
Any strange creature they encountered was so stunned by their procession that it would retreat to a safe distance.
Yun Zhenyue’s heart gradually settled.
But even after walking for nearly ten kilometers, they were still within the Marquis’s territory.
’Completing the mission to learn etiquette...’
’...only requires me to get to my territory.’
’And then find a few maids to teach me.’
’It’s not difficult at all.’
’In fact, my real task right now is just to play with these kids.’
’Once they’ve had their fun...’
’...I just need to take them back to the orphanage.’
’Simple as that.’
Yun Zhenyue took a deep breath, her entire body relaxing.
Han Sumei and the others behind her, however, did not share the sentiment.
She was panting as she carried a sack of rice, her legs aching and weak.
Looking at Yun Zhenyue, who was sitting leisurely atop her ghost horse...
She felt like she was about to grind her teeth to dust.
"Damn it!"
’Why is it that every time I have a mission with Yun Zhenyue...’
’...I end up with some kind of ridiculous bad luck?’
’I didn’t even do anything to provoke Yun Zhenyue this time, did I?’
’I was doing just fine in the manor, and then suddenly I’m Yun Zhenyue’s servant!’
’And now I have to trek fifty kilometers to her territory. This is inhuman!’
"We actually got off easy, you know."
Yamada Aiko, who was also carrying a load of sundries with aching shoulders, heard Han Sumei’s quiet curses. With a complicated expression, she said, "At least we still have a chance to complete the mission."
"Besides, now that we’re away from the Marquis’s manor, the danger has been drastically reduced. And that Bonnie from the Corruption Country..."
"I heard she was locked deep in the cellar because she made that one child cry, which caused the entire castle to collapse."
Han Sumei looked completely unconvinced.
’Bonnie’s fate had nothing to do with her. You can’t blame anyone else when you bring disaster upon yourself.’
’As for the castle collapsing?’
"That little pipsqueak?"
She glanced at the silent Kuku. A moment ago, someone had tried to talk to him and nearly scared him to tears. A simple pinch on his cheek would probably send him into a flood of tears. ’He was the one who did it?’
She’d been in the bathroom when it happened. The whole place was shaking so violently she thought a Great Evil was attacking.
’This kid could cause that much of a ruckus?’
’Yeah, right!’
Han Sumei glanced at Meimei and the others, still skeptical.
She wracked her brain but couldn’t figure it out.
’Where on earth did Yun Zhenyue find this pack of little monsters!’
"Sigh..."
Seeing that Han Sumei refused to believe her, Yamada Aiko couldn’t be bothered to explain further.
’Some idiots are just stubborn. They only believe what they want to believe. It’s useless to say any more.’
In any case, Yamada Aiko was convinced of one thing.
’Do not provoke any of these children!’
’Because they were all demons in children’s clothing!’
...
After walking for a while longer.
Meimei’s excitement started to wane.
"We’ve walked so far. How much longer, Sister?" she asked, turning her head.
Pangpang, having finished his snacks, saw the butterfly Shoushou was drawing. With a GULP, he swallowed the butterfly. Shoushou panicked and grabbed Pangpang’s cheeks, trying to save the butterfly.
But it was too late.
Pangpang swallowed it with a GULP and looked up with innocent eyes.
"It wasn’t tasty."
Yun Zhenyue could see that the children were getting tired of walking.
But there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t teleport them there, and they’d barely covered a third of the distance. There was still a long way to go.
"Shoushou, why don’t you draw a paper airplane for us?"
"Huh?" Shoushou blinked, then immediately answered with excitement, "Okay, okay! I’ll draw a super-duper big paper airplane this time! We’ll definitely fly all the way there in one go!"
Meimei’s eyes went wide. "Here we go again! That’s what you said last time!"
"Then why don’t you walk?" Shoushou huffed.
"Well, uh, I..."
Meimei faltered. The paper airplane it was, then.
No sooner said than done!
Shoushou immediately took out a piece of drawing paper and began to sketch with his brush.
In no time.
A crude, cartoonish airplane appeared on the paper.
Then he reached his hand into the drawing.
VMMM!
The drawing paper rippled like the surface of water.
He pinched the top of the cartoon airplane and, with a great heave, pulled!
The cartoon airplane bizarrely materialized in front of them.
Compared to a real aircraft, however, this cartoon plane was less than ten meters long. It looked like something straight out of a cartoon, and its appearance before them felt surreal and strange.
"All aboard! The Count is about to take off!"
Shoushou excitedly sat in the cockpit.
He invited Yun Zhenyue and his friends to join him!
"Hm?"
Curious, Yun Zhenyue went inside and sat in the front row. She discovered the plane was made of paper, but the paper was incredibly tough and difficult to pierce with external force.
She couldn’t help but be shocked by Shoushou’s ability.
’Turning illusion into reality!’
’It’s simply incredible!’
Yun Zhenyue told the accompanying servants to continue to the destination on their own.
Soon, the cartoon airplane began to take off.
With a ROAR!
They soared high into the sky, and the people below grew smaller and smaller.
But the speed...
...was honestly a bit slow.
It was more like drifting through the sky.
Only a little faster than walking.
It couldn’t even compete with that ghost supercar from the city of wraiths.
After a minute passed...
They could still see the Blood Race servants below.
Meimei sighed in exasperation. "This is so slow. Shoushou, can’t you put some muscle into it?"
"You guys said I was flying too erratically before, so I slowed down! Now you want me to go faster? You’re the ones who said it!"
"Hold on tight!!!"
Captain Shoushou was indignant.
He immediately channeled his yin energy, pouring it into the cartoon plane to accelerate!
With a WHOOSH!
The entire plane shot forward like a streak of light, piercing through the red mist!
Full speed ahead!!
Everyone on the plane was stunned.
The intense force pushed them back into their seats, just like on a rollercoaster.
Just then, they flew into a patch of dark clouds and torrential rain.
As the cartoon plane flew through it, rain drenched the paper aircraft.
A violent shudder ran through the plane, as if it were about to disintegrate at any moment!
"AHHH!!!!"
The children screamed in terror!
Yun Zhenyue was also a little panicked.
’Something’s wrong.’
’Why is the paper airplane getting smaller?’
"Slow down, slow down!"
"My bag fell out! Hey, Kuku, don’t cry, we’re almost there!"
"Wait, where did the roof go? The tail! The tail wing flew off too!"
"The brakes! No, hit the brakes!"
Drenched by the rain!
The cartoon airplane disintegrated in the sky.
Faced with the terrified children shouting for him to stop the plane!
Shoushou said awkwardly, "It would need to have brakes for that."
"I’ve never seen one, so I don’t know how to draw them."
"Um... I think we’re about to crash. Again."
