"Alas, now it's fine, no need to rush anymore," Bai Cha sighed lightly as she sat on the wall, pressing her temples with a headache. "I hope I can make it to school before classes start tomorrow... Eh? Eh? Eh?!"
Just as Bai Cha finished speaking and before she could move, the ground suddenly vanished from beneath her. Startled, she quickly grabbed Lucifer's shoulder. The suddenness of the event caught Bai Cha off guard, and before she could react, Lucifer scooped her up in his arms.
Fortunately, Bai Cha was quick-witted and managed to restrain the instinctive movement of her right hand. If it were a stranger doing this, Bai Cha would have already dealt them a fatal blow to the neck with a dagger.
"Lucifer, don't scare me like that," Bai Cha said, held horizontally in Lucifer's arms, feeling a bit speechless. Considering how many times she'd been startled like this, she couldn't help but feel exasperated. "I trust you, so I'm not on guard, but that doesn't mean you can be so informal with me every day..."
If this were any stranger, they would have lost their life by now. No one had ever dared to be so presumptuous with her.
"Because you trust me, so you're not on guard?"
Lucifer accurately seized on the key point. His earlier displeasure immediately turned into delight.
"It's better for the Master to conserve her strength when injured, so she has enough energy to deal with any unforeseen circumstances." Lucifer's mood improved. He carried Bai Cha and flew towards the sky. He was already handsome, like jade and orchid, and with a smile like this, it was as if a spring breeze was caressing Bai Cha, making her slightly surprised.
She had only scratched her leg; what strength needed conserving? Bai Cha was puzzled, but seeing Lucifer's serious expression, she swallowed the words she was about to say.
Lucifer always maintained a proper smile, distant and polite, a typical facade merely for the sake of etiquette, regardless of who he faced. But now, it seemed Lucifer was genuinely in a good mood.
As Bai Cha was lost in thought, Lucifer's gentle voice drifted down from above.
"The Master always puts me behind her instead of charging into battle, making me think the Master doubts my abilities." Lucifer seemed genuinely happy and added a few sentences to clarify Bai Cha's confused expression. "You always have me handle logistics. I thought I wasn't important or that you lacked trust in me."
"Huh? You... you are very important?" Since Lucifer was already holding her, Bai Cha couldn't be bothered to make any unnecessary movements. However, Lucifer's words were truly baffling to her. "Isn't it because I trust you completely that I let you protect those people?
Before, I didn't dare to fight with peace of mind even when they weren't withdrawn. Even after they withdrew, I worried about ambushes. Sometimes I wished I could split myself in two. Isn't this much better now?"
Bai Cha's reasoning was indeed sound. After all, Bai Cha was only one person, and a single misstep could leave her vulnerable from all sides. The rear was also a very important aspect.
"But battle is very dangerous. Protecting those people is too easy. Perhaps I'd prefer to do something more dangerous..." Lucifer hesitated, trying to express his meaning more tactfully. "Or, rather, I'd prefer to ensure your safety."
After all, the others were not important to him; he only needed to guarantee his Master's safety.
"My safety is not important, Lucifer."
Bai Cha said this with a perfectly calm expression, as if stating the most ordinary of facts.
Lucifer: "..."
After a brief silence, Lucifer finally understood why he felt troubled by Bai Cha's decisions. Bai Cha's stance seemed different from his own, or from that of most people.
"Lucifer, I am from the Bai family. I am the leader of the Shadows," Bai Cha murmured. In a daze, she seemed to recall the moment her mother held her in her arms.
"Mom, can't I not go?"
"No, my darling. Mom is from the Bai family, you see."
Ah... she remembered it again, that scene of her mother, who had been gentle her entire life, shouldering everything at the last moment.
Yes, everyone was part of the Bai family.
Everything seemed to have come full circle once more.
Bai Cha pressed her temples and fell silent. She looked up at Lucifer and sighed lightly.
Lucifer was indeed a distinguished and handsome man, elegant and graceful. Attractive people easily inspire good feelings, especially those of the refined gentlemanly type, like a jade tree amidst orchids.
Bai Cha quietly averted her gaze and said somewhat helplessly, "Lucifer, my life is not important. I can't die is simply because my death right now would be too troublesome. Completing the mission is the most important thing. Surviving is just a byproduct. Can you understand what I mean?"
"...Yes, my Master," Lucifer replied dejectedly.
He couldn't refute it; he was powerless to refute it.
But he just wasn't happy. The joy had completely vanished, and he didn't know why he was angry. He just felt inexplicably stifled.
"With your words, I can confidently leave the rest to you. It's like a substitute. If I can't go on, you're the one who has to step in," Bai Cha gestured, trying to explain her meaning clearly.
She had never explained so much to anyone before. She had always been decisive and efficient. This time, she had finally managed to explain in a roundabout way, but the example she used felt a bit lame even to herself.
How could one compare an important partner to a substitute? But Bai Cha truly couldn't find any better words.
The situation became inexplicably awkward, so awkward that Bai Cha was already reflecting on whether she had truly said something wrong that had hurt Lucifer.
Perhaps it would have been better not to explain at all? Her eloquence was truly lacking. Besides saying "you are very important," she really couldn't come up with anything else.
After a while, Lucifer suddenly asked, "Master, am I also one of your successor candidates?"
"What?" Bai Cha asked in surprise.
"I can see that you brought Miss Yun back, and even instructed young Mr. Mo. These are all preparations for everyone's future, aren't they?" Lucifer frowned. His good mood had vanished, and even his voice had become heavier. "You protect me, also with the attitude that 'if I truly have an accident, Lucifer can inherit my position and hold on for a while,' right?"
Bai Cha: "..."
Did he have to be so blunt?
"Well... not exactly," Bai Cha said, awkwardly rubbing her chin. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet..."
"It's because you're already accustomed to operating under the premise that you might die," Lucifer sighed.
Just as his Master was accustomed to being injured, so too would she casually say it was just a minor wound, even if the scratch on her calf was deep enough to expose bone.
Bai Cha was completely speechless now. She couldn't refute him and could only awkwardly clear her throat. "Ahem, hmm, how about you change your perspective? I'm so strong, I won't die..."
"But you don't care about your own life!" Lucifer quickly retorted, his voice rising by two octaves as if genuinely angry. "Do you even care if I devour your soul! My Master."
He was angry, even furious.
His Master didn't care about her soul; shouldn't he be happy? This way, he could take her soul without any psychological burden.
But Lucifer just wasn't happy. The less Bai Cha cared, the angrier he became. Was it a sense of unwillingness? But why did his heart feel so uncomfortable?
How could someone not care about their own life and soul!
Bai Cha blinked, feeling a little guilty.
Was it really okay to undermine him like this? They would be Master and servant in the future, after all. Was it really okay to be so direct? Did she acknowledge him or not?
Your Master would be very embarrassed!
"You care about the mission and the safety of others, but I don't," Lucifer's voice was soft, like wisps of smoke drifting through the night sky, faint. "But I don't care about that; I only care about your safety."
Hearing this, Bai Cha was stunned for a long moment. Lucifer's words seemed to be serious, and he even stopped using honorifics.
"Uh... do you perhaps like what you can't get?" Bai Cha asked, completely bewildered. "If I'm safe, you won't be able to eat me, right? Shouldn't you be hoping something happens to me?"
Must he take such a convoluted route, making something easily obtained incredibly difficult before finding it sweet?
Lucifer: "..."
Now it was Lucifer's turn to fall silent. Why were humans so difficult to deal with? Weren't human females said to be emotional beings who were easily moved? Why was his Master so direct?
"I think we can put aside the matter of souls for now, my Master. For now, I am merely your most loyal attendant," Lucifer said, feeling a little weary. He hadn't expected to be so thoroughly cornered by Bai Cha that he was left speechless.
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Cha asked with an even more confused expression, "But isn't that your goal? Who works for free? What boss doesn't remember their employee's wages?"
Lucifer: "..."
Who compares their own soul to wages, themselves to a boss, and their dragon to an employee?
Lucifer almost fell from the sky, his body tilting. He took a deep breath, feeling somewhat resigned. "Master, I think your emotional intelligence might have been entirely channeled into your intelligence, leaving you extremely unbalanced in both areas."
"Ah?" Bai Cha blinked her beautiful peach blossom eyes, looking innocent and confused, which left Lucifer with a stomach full of frustration that he didn't know how to vent, so he had to swallow it back down.
Suddenly, it felt like, *snap*, happiness was gone.
Trying to enlighten someone who was emotionally dull and overly rational seemed like an overly fanciful idea.
"Master, let me add one more question," Lucifer said, unwilling to give up. "What was your first impression of me?"
"First impression? You're good-looking?" Bai Cha blurted out almost instinctively.
That's right, she was a bit of a looker.
To compensate for what she might have said wrong just now, Bai Cha thought for a moment and added, "Fast learner, powerful, pleasant voice, good physique, nice hands, long legs, slim waist, handsome and refined features that aren't effeminate, and a jawline clearer than my life plan."
Oh dear, it was getting worse.
Yes, she wasn't just a bit of a looker; she also had a slight tendency towards hand-fetishism, voice-fetishism, leg-fetishism, and physique-fetishism...
She swore, just a little bit.
Lucifer: "..."
Never mind. It was useless to ask.
Why had he harbored any hope for his Master's emotional intelligence? It seemed directness was the only reliable way to communicate with his Master.
Either superficiality, or work and learning abilities. Did she not think he was gentle, patient, and had a good domestic nature at all... or did she simply not care?
As if out of spite, Lucifer hugged Bai Cha tighter and accelerated, heading towards the mission location at an even faster speed.
Bai Cha was even more confused. She felt like Lucifer had a lot of internal drama just now, and his expression had been rather complex.
Had she said something wrong again?
Perhaps it would be better if she remained silent like before? The more she spoke, the more mistakes she'd make...
Thus, the two landed on the rooftop of a tall building in silence and awkwardness.
The night was deep and quiet. The resort still had lights on, and they could vaguely see figures moving within. This place was painstakingly crafted by country Z, with every detail, from top to bottom, inside and out, being a masterpiece.
"Um, Lucifer, you can put me down now," Bai Cha gently patted Lucifer's arm to remind him.
Lucifer finally came to his senses and quickly put Bai Cha down. He had been concentrating on sensing danger and had forgotten that his Master was still in his arms.
What's more, he hadn't felt anything out of place.
"Hmm... this should be the place."
Bai Cha carefully observed her surroundings and then opened the walkie-talkie again. "Qing Lin, send me the recording of your mission."
["Yes, sending now."]