The Daily Life of a Female Esper in Ancient Times

Chapter 224

Lu Liucheng refuted Li Xia's words, "That's not true at all, I'm telling the truth. Little Uncle, isn't that right?"

Inside the room, Lu Xuanyu was at a loss for words. How could he respond to that? He decided to pretend he hadn't heard and continued reading his book.

Seeing that Lu Xuanyu wasn't acknowledging him, Lu Liucheng leaned against Li Xia and said, "Mom, Little Uncle is too absorbed in his book."

"You should learn from your Little Uncle and study hard," Li Xia said. Although she didn't care whether Lu Liucheng pursued an official career through the imperial exams, she believed that gaining more knowledge was always beneficial.

"Mom, you're one to talk. Second Grandma told me that you didn't like studying when you were young," Lu Liucheng retorted, having heard many stories about Li Xia's childhood from Xu Xinyue.

"So you want to be like your mom and lie around all day?" Li Xia flicked Lu Liucheng's forehead.

"Of course not, I want to be like Dad and become a great general," Lu Liucheng declared, his ambitions soaring high.

"Then you need to study hard. A general can't have poor academic skills," Li Xia encouraged, not wanting to dampen his spirits.

"What should I study?" Lu Liucheng asked.

"Ask your father about that. He's the general, so he knows best," Li Xia replied.

"But Mom, you're a female general too," Lu Liucheng persisted, hoping to learn something from Li Xia.

"Your mom is just a brute, not a general," Li Xia's answer left Lu Liucheng unsatisfied. He shook Li Xia, whining, "Mom, please tell me about it?"

"Tell you about what?"

"Mom, how did you fight bandits?" Lu Liucheng had heard many impressive stories about Li Xia from Aunt Qiu Chan.

"Oh, I just drugged the mountain bandits. Then I led people to plunder their treasures," Li Xia explained simply, so simply that Lu Xuanyu, who had been listening intently, dropped his book in surprise.

This clearly wasn't the story Lu Liucheng wanted to hear. He tried to get Li Xia to elaborate. Li Xia insisted this was the truth, a distilled version of the story.

Lu Liucheng didn't believe it and kept pressing Li Xia for more details.

"Then let me tell you a different story," Li Xia suddenly said, looking at Lu Liucheng.

"Okay, Mom, go ahead," Lu Liucheng sat up, ready to listen attentively.

"One day in the future, a group of meteorites fell to Earth. These meteorites carried a virus. When humans were infected, those who survived gained abilities like control over metal, wood, water, fire, earth, lightning, speed, strength, and so on. Those who couldn't survive turned into monsters, flesh-eating monsters. They ravaged the entire world, and humans took up arms to fight them, hoping to eliminate all the monsters and restore peace. Later, the virus further evolved and mutated. Not only humans, but animals, plants, water, and soil were infected. This infection further compressed the living space for humans. Humans had to hide in fortresses, barely surviving, not knowing how long they could last. ... Those born with abilities had to learn how to fight monsters from birth. They spent every second of their lives fighting, until death."

Li Xia's voice was calm, but Lu Liucheng listened with a frightened expression.

"Did I scare you?" Li Xia looked at him with a 'gotcha' expression.

"Mom, you're mean. Telling such a scary story to frighten me," Lu Liucheng hid in Li Xia's arms.

"So, do you still want me to tell you stories?"

"No, no, never again," Lu Liucheng shook his head vigorously. He didn't want Li Xia to tell him any more stories. This one was too terrifying. How could people turn into flesh-eating monsters?

When Lu XuanNing returned that night, he saw that Lu Liucheng's Nian'an residence was brightly lit. Puzzled, he approached and found Qiu Chan guarding the door.

"My Lord," Qiu Chan greeted Lu XuanNing with a bow.

"Why are you here?" Lu XuanNing asked, confused by Qiu Chan's presence at the door.

"The Lady told a story that scared the young master," Qiu Chan explained. Lu Liucheng had begged her to guard the door, to prevent monsters from entering. Qiu Chan found it somewhat amusing as she said this. She hadn't expected the young master to be so easily frightened.

"What kind of story did she tell?" Lu XuanNing wondered what story Li Xia could have told that would make Lu Liucheng ask Qiu Chan to guard the door.

"I don't know," Qiu Chan replied. She had been with Cao Dabao at the time and didn't know what story Li Xia had told. Qiu Chan was also puzzled; she had previously told Lu Liucheng about the bloodshed on battlefields, and he hadn't been scared at all, but rather excited.

"Go back and rest, don't stand guard here," Lu XuanNing told Qiu Chan.

"My Lord, I promised the young master I would guard for the whole night. I can't go back on my word," Qiu Chan refused, determined to keep her promise to Lu Liucheng.

"Then guard inside the courtyard, in the room," Lu XuanNing knew that Li Xia cared deeply for her four Qiu attendants. If Li Xia found out that Qiu Chan had stood guard outside all night, Lu Liucheng would likely get a spanking the next day.

"Yes, My Lord," Qiu Chan entered the courtyard and rested in the small room. This was where the night watchwoman usually rested during her shift.

Lu XuanNing entered the room and saw that Lu Xuanyu was also there. When Lu Xuanyu saw his elder brother enter, he tried to get up, but Lu Liucheng was clinging to his arm. Lu Liucheng whimpered, his face showing a hint of fear.

"Lie still, don't move," Lu XuanNing came over and patted Lu Liucheng. "Chengcheng, go to sleep. Dad's here, don't be afraid."

Feeling Lu XuanNing's presence, Lu Liucheng calmed down and fell into a deep sleep. He released his grip on Lu Xuanyu's arm, allowing Lu Xuanyu to get up from the bed.

After soothing Lu Liucheng, Lu XuanNing turned to see Lu Xuanyu looking like he wanted to say something but was hesitating. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Brother, could you tell Sister-in-law not to tell such terrifying stories in the future?" Lu Xuanyu said, his face showing fear as he recalled the content of Li Xia's story.

"Xia, what kind of story did you tell?" Seeing Lu Xuanyu's expression, Lu XuanNing knew he was aware of the story and couldn't help but ask.

Lu Xuanyu hesitated for a moment before quickly recounting the story. His face showed a frightened expression.

After all, Lu Xuanyu was only a 10-year-old child.

"It's just a story, it's not real. Don't be afraid," Lu XuanNing said, placing his hand on Lu Xuanyu's shoulder. He personally escorted Lu Xuanyu back to his room and watched him fall asleep. Then he went to check on Cao Dabao, tucking him in.

Instead of returning to the bedroom, he went to the study and stayed there for quite a while. Only then did he return to the bedroom, wash up, and lie down next to Li Xia.

"I scared Chengcheng today," Li Xia said, her voice tinged with regret. She shouldn't have frightened the child like that.

Lu XuanNing held Li Xia close. He finally understood why Li Xia liked to lie around lazily, not wanting to move. It was because from birth to death, she had been constantly fighting just to stay alive.

She loved to eat, and became very happy when she ate something delicious, because she had always been hungry.

She wasn't afraid of pain, because not feeling pain meant turning into a monster. Pain was proof of being alive.

She didn't like the color red, because red represented endless fighting and killing, a future without hope.

... Lu XuanNing felt a lump in his throat and a pain in his chest. He wanted to say something but didn't know how to express it. He could only hold Li Xia tighter, conveying his emotions through his embrace.

"I can't breathe," Li Xia patted Lu XuanNing, asking him to loosen his grip.

Lu XuanNing didn't let go, but relaxed his hold slightly, still keeping Li Xia in his arms.

"You're acting strange. Did something happen?" Li Xia turned her head to look at Lu XuanNing.