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Liu Erlong moved her lips slightly, dissatisfied. She was sitting behind the reception desk of the huge spiritual tool store. It had been a long time since she had seen Percy, so she was worried about his safety. On top of this, the inheritance of the god of love was problematic. And while she managed to overcome several trials and increase her power, every time she interacted with the spiritual image that the goddess left behind, she felt a little upset.
The goddess of love was a bit of an extreme woman due to the betrayal of her lover a long time ago. Maybe it wasn't like that now, but her spiritual image was annoying.
And for some reason, Bibi Dong had decided to leave her in that place alone.
Suddenly, the bell above the doors of the store rang and Liu Erlong frowned.
"It's closed! It's lunch time!" she shouted angrily, but when she looked up to see who it was, she was shocked. Her body froze as she saw Percy raise his eyebrows with a slightly relaxed expression.
"Percy!" she shouted before jumping over the table in front of her and charging towards him. Percy, who saw this, smiled a little and let Erlong hug him tightly. He used his hand to gently pat the woman's back.
"I'm back…"
"Um…" Erlong muttered as he nodded with a smile. But he tilted his head slightly when he saw Percy's face.
"What's wrong?"
"You look different… you changed a bit."
Percy blinked before nodding slowly, "I realized a few things, remembered others, and changed a few others. Despite the killing intent that I have yet to fully control, I feel much more relaxed."
"That's good, very good," Liu Erlong smiled as she held Percy's right hand in one of hers.
"Me too… I realized some things," she led him to sit down as she told him about her trials with the goddess of love, which surprised Percy, especially when she mentioned Bibi Dong. He knew about her thanks to the old man, but she wasn't supposed to help Liu Erlong. He should hate her at best!
"Why did she decide to help you?" Percy asked with a frown. It didn't make sense. Bibi Dong was a woman who could hold her grudges deep in her heart and mind, but when she saw the right opportunity, she would strike with all her might and hatred inside her.
Liu Erlong shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't. Even if it bothers me, it's something you'll find out in the future."
Percy wasn't satisfied with that answer, but he knew how stubborn Erlong could be.
"Please trust me," she asked in a whisper as she looked into Percy's eyes. He looked into the black eyes that now held much more life than when he first met her. Something in his heart was screaming at him no; that he shouldn't trust other people so much, but a small part of him was urging him to say yes, that he trusted Liu Erlong.
Squeezing his eyes shut, Percy groaned a little before nodding stiffly.
"Fine..."
Liu Erlong smiled before moving closer in one swift motion and kissing Percy's cheek.
Caught a little off guard, Percy looked at Liu Erlong, but she had turned her head as she searched for something in her bracelet. Still, he could see Liu Erlong's white ears changing to a pretty pink color.
Percy couldn't help it, he laughed a little at this.
"You're a grown woman now, what are you ashamed of?"
"Shut up!" she growled before handing him a small lunch box. "You should be hungry, eat some."
"Well…" Percy nodded. He was indeed hungry. He had barely eaten properly in the city of slaughter. And it was worse on the road to hell. And even if spirit masters could survive much longer without food or water, it was still too long for Percy.
"By the way, why did your eyes change?" she asked curiously.
"Power. I have no idea who gave it to me, I might have some suspicions, but I couldn't say for sure."
"God's inheritance?" she asked.
"Did you know?"
"I know about the city of slaughter, but not that well. Bibi Dong told me, she was also going through god's trials when she came to find me to take me to the goddess of love's place."
"I'm not surprised. The goddess Rakshasa had intervened with the previous heir of the god who created the city of slaughter," Percy snorted, a little annoyed with the amount of information Bibi Dong seemed to have. That woman seemed to know him quite a bit, which completely puzzled Percy.
"I see..." Liu Erlong nodded as she placed her hands on her cheeks and her elbows on the table in front of her. Her eyes looked towards the front windows of the shop, watching the people passing by on the street, some looking at the spiritual tools behind those windows and others just going about their business.
Liu Erlong's black eyes were a little doubtful.
"What do you want to ask?"
"Eh?" she looked at Percy with a little bewilderment.
"I've known you long enough to know what you're thinking..."
Liu Erlong couldn't help but smile at those words, but her face soon changed. Her eyebrows were even and relaxed, but her eyes were a little sad and hesitant.
"Percy... can you tell me what happened to you?" she asked, watching as Percy's face turned a little cold.
"Why do you want to know?"
"... Why..." she hesitated for a moment. She inhaled sharply as she closed her eyes before opening them again and letting out a breath of air through her nose.
"Why... I fell in love with you."
Percy's eyes began to widen little by little as he looked at the woman in front of him. Of course, he knew such a thing. If it was something clear to dense people, it was also clear to him. However, he never thought that Liu Erlong would say it so directly and clearly at this moment.
"The trials of the goddess of love, even if they include things like fighting, are different from those of other gods. That woman, while giving a trial of fighting, will include emotions in each of the trials, and when I mean emotions, I mean all of them."
"When I went through the third trial, I realized that I had already fallen in love. My heart had wavered because of what happened to me years ago. I know what it feels like to be betrayed and manipulated. Your eyes when we first met, I recognized them immediately: I saw them every day in the mirror since that man abandoned me."
Liu Erlong smiled a little sadly.
"Right now, I really, really don't want to give up the chance to love once more. I want to be by your side, Percy. I want to love you, I want to know you more, much more."
Liu Erlong's eyes shone brightly and she said earnestly and lovingly, "I've already chosen you to follow. I've already chosen you to strive and win your heart, Percy. And I'm telling you now, nothing and no one will make me change my mind."
She stretched out her slender arm and took the cold hands of a surprised Percy into her warm and delicate yet powerful hands.
"Since I've chosen you, I can only follow you. I only have one request, no matter what you do, wherever you are, you must take me with you. You must not let me go and take risks for yourself. If you want to take risks, let's take risks together," she smiled forcefully, already determined to give her love to Percy. She would not let the same thing happen as the last time she loved him. She would not let her love go away anymore, she would not run away or regret it.
This is what Liu Erlong discovered in the trials of the goddess of love.
"This kind of life is exciting, but really meaningful. If one day we really risk a confrontation, I will bear it with you. Whether I live or die, we are both together. Therefore, you must think about it when making any decision, okay? If you die, I will die. There is no second chance. If you want to go to the God Realm, go, but I will go with you."
"I will become your woman, I will become your friend and the goddess who will be by your side eternally."
"It doesn't matter if you want revenge even from gods, demons or anyone. I, Liu Erlong, will take revenge with you. If you become the enemy of the whole world, then I will run to your side to be your only ally. Even if you become an ugly demon, I will become hideous by your side."
"That's why…" Liu Erlong was almost crying right now. She was pouring out her whole heart in front of the man she had fallen in love with; she felt nervous and scared.
"Please let me know you completely."
Percy looked at Liu Erlong's eyes, her face and expressions sincere and loving. His heart was pounding and he closed his eyes as he felt the blood rush through his body and warm his entire being. He had never received a declaration of love like this. He felt completely shocked. Even that time with Annabeth, it only started with a kiss and they barely said anything about each other's feelings, it just worked somehow.
Today, he had heard words filled with sincerity and love. And it was so heartwarming to feel the other party's love that a tear slowly trickled down his right eye.
"Are you sure you want to know?" "What do you want to see everything I go through?"
"Yes..." she said, answering immediately.
"It's not pretty. It's horrible. A hell worse than any other."
"It doesn't matter."
"You could change, even affect your mind."
"Then we'd be the same."
Percy nodded and looked once more at those onyx-black orbs. Percy's left eye lit up with a grey light at that moment. The so-called Eye of Ruin affected the spiritual sea, degrading and withering the mind with horrible scenes, feelings, and sensations. But Percy could also transmit his thoughts and memories with it. This ability, in fact, didn't have much use. At least for others, but with this, he could send out the images of Tartarus to torture people's minds.
At that moment, Liu Erlong saw Percy's entire life. From when he learned of the gods and the camp, to the two wars and when he was betrayed in Tartarus. She saw how Percy was tortured by the horrible environment and illusions sent by Tartarus itself. She saw how he had to survive by eating the flesh of beasts, how he had to suffer by drinking from one of the rivers there.
Liu Erlong was crying as she saw so much hatred in Percy's eyes, her heart ached as she watched him fall countless times to the painful ground and suffocate in the foul air of the place. In addition, she could hear horrible screams all around, as if people were being tortured every second, every minute, hour, and year.
When it was all over, she threw herself into Percy's arms while crying hard.
"It's not fair that you went through that!" she shouted angrily.
"The gods of my world are not fair. They are shameless, arrogant, hypocritical, and cruel."
Liu Erlong wiped away the tears that fell down her face and glared at Percy angrily.
"I'll tear them apart for what they did to you!"
A smile appeared on Percy's face as he raised his eyebrows slightly.
"You already sound like an angry wife."
"I'm supposed to act like one!"
"Even if I still don't accept your statement?"
"What?!" Liu Erlong cried out in surprise, but then opened her eyes tightly as Percy attacked her lips.
"Woo~," a sound came out of her mouth covered by Percy's lips as she narrowed her eyes. Then, feeling Percy's strong arms holding her body, she felt weak.
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