ARLQLCC chapter 61

The demon race kitchen moved quickly. As soon as Chu Zhaoye’s request was delivered, they immediately got to work preparing it.

Although during this period the Demon King was not in the palace and there was rarely a need to put effort into cooking, the kitchen of the Demon King’s palace was staffed with top chefs that Chu Zhaoye had recruited from the mainland. Even though they had only been making simple dishes, their cooking skills had not declined.

Soon, the lively sounds of chopping and stir-frying could be heard from the kitchen.

Chu Zhaoye didn’t request any complicated dishes. He only mentioned Su Ji’s preferences and taste, letting the kitchen decide on their own.

When the dinner for two was finally prepared, Tu Yan also arrived at the kitchen entrance with a group of palace attendants curious about the appearance of the Demon Queen.

Two trays were brought out of the kitchen and handed to Tu Yan.

He and Hu Sansan each carried one tray, followed by the attendants who came after hearing the news. The long line followed them like tail, all the way from the kitchen to the entrance of the Demon King’s bedchamber.

Apart from curiosity about what kind of person this Demon Queen was, they were also worried because not long ago, when a lord came to cause trouble, he said: the Demon King’s seclusion had failed, no one knew whether he was alive or dead, and he was no longer in demon territory.

Although Tu Yan strongly assured them that Chu Zhaoye was safe, those words still left all the palace attendants deeply uneasy.

Now that the Demon King had come out of seclusion, they could finally relax and were eager to see their king and greet him.

Tu Yan was also happy to see them so devoted to Chu Zhaoye, so he took the opportunity of delivering food to bring them along to see the Demon King who had returned with his partner.

And also to satisfy their curiosity about what the future Demon Queen looked like.

Through the door, Tu Yan could no longer feel that eerie aura from the daytime. It seemed his guess was correct—Chu Zhaoye had indeed regained consciousness.

A large group of people walked over in an imposing manner, but although there were many of them, they were very quiet.

Before coming, Tu Yan specifically told them not to make any noise, afraid the Demon Queen would feel shy and they wouldn’t get to see him.

The little demons took his words as absolute truth and even wrapped a layer of spiritual energy around their feet just to make their footsteps silent.

Tu Yan and Hu Sansan stopped at the door. They exchanged a glance. Hu Sansan signaled with his eyes: “Bringing so many people suddenly… won’t Boss and Brother Su Ji get angry?”

Tu Yan replied with his eyes: “Everyone is worried about boss’s safety. Boss won’t get angry over something like this.”

Hu Sansan still wanted to say something when Tu Yan directly raised his hand and knocked twice on the door.

“Boss, dinner is ready!”

The voice traveled from outside the door into the bedchamber, reaching the ears of the two inside. Su Ji lifted his eyelids slightly and patted Chu Zhaoye’s hand around his waist.

“Let go. I’ll go get it.”

Chu Zhaoye didn’t really want to let go, but he knew Su Ji was hungry. He sat up and looked at him.

“I’ll go. Didn’t you… cough, say you don’t have strength anymore? Just wait here.”

Su Ji: “……”

He pinched Chu Zhaoye’s side waist.

“Whose fault is that?”

Su Ji didn’t have much strength, so even the pinch was light. It was ticklish, leaving a string of numb, tingling sensations.

Chu Zhaoye felt secretly pleased, but still said in a begging tone: “My fault. I asked the kitchen to make dessert to make it up to you. You should like it.”

He reluctantly let go and got off the bed to go to the door.

Su Ji sat on the bed watching his back as Chu Zhaoye opened the exquisitely carved bedchamber door.

From earlier, Su Ji had already recognized Tu Yan’s voice, so he didn’t hide. He simply stayed facing the door, waiting for Chu Zhaoye to bring the dinner back.

The door opened, and the first thing that came into view were two familiar people standing straight with trays in hand.

One wore a gentle smile, the other looked awkward. After seeing Chu Zhaoye, they greeted him warmly:

“Boss, we thought we wouldn’t see you again until seven days later. Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

Led by Tu Yan, Hu Sansan gave an awkward laugh, and the palace attendants behind them—who had been extremely curious—peeked out one after another. Seeing Chu Zhaoye’s slightly stunned face, they said in unison:

“Good evening, Your Majesty—!!”

The sound was so loud it echoed through the corridor, startling a few birds outside the palace.

Chu Zhaoye: “…………You all… good evening.”

He was tall, but even in human form he was not taller than the doorway. With the door opened, there was a large gap on both sides. The attendants in front, after greeting him, quickly shifted their attention away from Chu Zhaoye and secretly peeked into the bedchamber.

Although they respected the Demon King, they had already seen him many times over the years. Now that they confirmed he was safe, their curiosity completely shifted to the mysterious Demon Queen.

Through the crack in the door, they could see a green figure sitting on the bed.

The person had fair skin, a refined nose bridge, red lips, a slender build, and a pair of peach blossom eyes with a faint watery sheen. At that moment, he was frowning slightly, staring blankly at the endless crowd at the door.

The first group of little demons who saw him widened their eyes. Afraid of making noise and displeasing the Demon King, and also afraid of startling the Demon Queen, they quickly covered their mouths, eyes sparkling.

No wonder he could make the Demon King fall in love at first sight—he really was a fairy-like beauty!

There were many people greeting them, but not everyone could squeeze to the front to look directly at the Demon Queen. The little demons behaved very obediently. Even though they were dying of curiosity, they didn’t show it on their faces at all.

Tu Yan glanced at Su Ji on the bed from the corner of his eye and was slightly shocked inside.

So terrifying… the boss really wore him out in just one afternoon.

Truly someone who had been holding it in for thousands of years—no idea of mercy at all.

Just as Tu Yan was about to silently criticize his boss, Chu Zhaoye took the tray, narrowed his eyes, and glanced at him.

With that “you’re dead” look, Tu Yan panicked as the door slammed shut with a bang.

On the way back, Hu Sansan whispered: “…I told you, boss is definitely angry!”

Tu Yan stared blankly: “That shouldn’t be… boss should know everyone just came to see him… and, uh, also Su Ji. Why would he be angry?”

Hu Sansan: “You’re stupid! Boss is so possessive. Brother Su Ji just got seen like that by everyone, of course he’s angry!”

Tu Yan: “…………”

He had forgotten about that.

“Sigh.” Tu Yan rubbed his face. “Prepare my funeral.”

……

After shutting Tu Yan and the others outside, Chu Zhaoye returned with the trays, his face full of displeasure.

Su Ji slowly got out of bed and sat at the table in the bedchamber.

The demon race chefs were quite skilled. The dishes they made were far better in color, aroma, taste, and presentation than even those of the cultivation world.

Chu Zhaoye sat across from Su Ji and placed a piece of pork rib from his bowl into Su Ji’s bowl.

Su Ji rested his cheek on his hand and took a bite.

Sweet and sour flavor, moderately tangy and sweet, acceptable texture.

While chewing, he hesitated: “Just now…”

Chu Zhaoye pinched his chopsticks.

“It must have been Tu Yan who brought them here.”

Seeing his low pressure mood, Su Ji was a little confused.

Although he had been startled by the large crowd when the door opened, he could tell that the palace attendants’ concern for Chu Zhaoye was genuine. He didn’t understand why Chu Zhaoye seemed unhappy.

So he asked.

Chu Zhaoye paused after hearing him, then pouted.

“I’m not mad at them…”

“Hmm?” The sweet and sour ribs were good, so Su Ji took another bite.

Chu Zhaoye glanced at his slightly swollen lips and said softly: “You… your lips are still swollen. They just saw it.”

Su Ji froze.

It took him a while to understand what he meant.

Then his hand paused mid-air, and the blush that had already faded returned instantly, spreading across his face until his pale skin turned pink.

Su Ji touched his burning face and couldn’t help but glare at the culprit.

“It’s not my fault. You still have the nerve to be unhappy?”

Chu Zhaoye knew he was right, but he still couldn’t fully suppress the discomfort from earlier. He silently added another mark against Tu Yan in his mind, planning to deal with him properly after the heat cycle.

After they finished eating, the palace attendants came to collect the dishes. Chu Zhaoye once again took the tray to the door himself. When he returned, Su Ji was already lying on the bed, half asleep.

Chu Zhaoye felt a bit guilty. He climbed onto the bed and lifted Su Ji up, starting to help him remove his outer robe.

“Ah Ji, take off your clothes before sleeping.”

Su Ji’s whole body was soft. He could fall asleep instantly with just a tilt of his head and didn’t want to move at all, letting Chu Zhaoye handle him like a doll.

The green outer robe was gently removed by the man and neatly folded, placed on the side cabinet.

Su Ji, wearing a white inner garment, vaguely looked at Chu Zhaoye’s back. The fatigue from being overly “consumed” in the afternoon, along with the disappearance of hunger, became even more overwhelming. Before Chu Zhaoye could return to the bed, he tilted his head and lost consciousness.

When Chu Zhaoye turned back, he saw Su Ji’s small pale face buried in the soft pillow, breathing steady—already fast asleep.

Chu Zhaoye looked at his sleeping face, his gaze softening unconsciously. He lifted the blanket and lay down beside him, pulling him into his arms.

As if already used to his embrace, the person in his arms moved slightly, burying his face into Chu Zhaoye’s chest and finding a comfortable position to continue sleeping.

Chu Zhaoye’s heart softened completely. Watching this unconscious dependence, he felt both satisfied and empty, as if no matter how much he saw, it was never enough.

His Ah Ji was too independent. If he weren’t asleep, he would never act this softly and bury his face in his arms like this.

Chu Zhaoye sighed, lowering his head to place a kiss on his forehead.

“Ah Ji, good night.”

The candlelight went out in response. The bedchamber sank into the quiet that only night could bring.

Moonlight was gentle, lingering by the window lattice. Night had deepened.

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