On the way back, both of them were unusually silent.
Zhu Ziqian looked left and right, silently minimizing his presence.
The car was on auto-pilot; they would be dropped off at the same location they had started from.
The city lights illuminated the road, and the neon glow of tall buildings painted the night with vibrant colors.
As light and shadow flickered across Lu Zhi's eyes, he suddenly asked, "After you woke up, why didn't you come to me immediately?"
"Huh?" Zhu Ziqian snapped back to attention, hesitated, and then said, "Actually, the adults told us not to actively seek you out."
Lu Zhi sighed softly, propping his chin in his hand and nudging Shen Qi with his knee, "Sigh, what was I even thinking? Only saying half of everything and acting all mysterious about it."
Shen Qi lifted an eyelid, his voice dripping with mockery, "So you admit you're a little bit crazy."
"Yeah, and quite seriously so." Lu Zhi rolled his eyes, then leaned closer to Shen Qi, "Hey, I've noticed you've been looking gloomy and restless lately, what's going on?"
"Something concerning you," Shen Qi replied without hesitation, then suddenly glanced coldly at Zhu Ziqian.
Zhu Ziqian: "...You two talk, I'll take my leave." With a 'poof', he vanished from the car.
"Hey, what are you doing?" The moment Zhu Ziqian left, Shen Qi pulled Lu Zhi onto his lap, seating him face-to-face.
Fortunately, this car was a modified, spacious version, otherwise Lu Zhi's head would have been hitting the roof.
"What are *you* trying to do?" Shen Qi's handsome face loomed closer. As their breaths mingled, a beam of headlights flashed across their intertwined lips.
The sound of tires on the road couldn't drown out the burgeoning symphony of intimacy, and the temperature inside the car inexplicably rose. Shen Qi's long fingers, as if by accident, slid into the fair skin of Lu Zhi's lower back. The touch of his cool fingertips against Lu Zhi's warm skin sent shivers down his spine.
The kiss, which lasted for several minutes, left Lu Zhi's lips an astonishing shade of red. His dark, bright eyes were filled with moisture, appearing exceptionally clear in the dim car.
"Tsk." Lu Zhi licked his slightly numb lips, raising an eyebrow, "Is that all the big move you've been holding back for days?"
Shen Qi narrowed his eyes and suddenly tightened his knees, causing Lu Zhi to slide further into his embrace. Both of their ears began to heat up uncontrollably.
"Only knows how to flap his gums." Shen Qi chuckled lightly, his kisses grazing Lu Zhi's earlobe, "Shall we continue?"
Lu Zhi braced his hands against Shen Qi's firm chest. Perhaps it was due to their intimacy, but the floral scent emanating from Shen Qi made his heart race uncontrollably.
"No." Lu Zhi was unwilling to admit it, but the vast difference in their power levels meant he would surely be the one at a disadvantage. Once his memories returned, who knew who would be on top?
His dark eyes glinted mischievously in the car. "Weren't we discussing important matters? Calm down, it's not time yet. Let me down first."
Shen Qi made no move to release his arm around Lu Zhi's waist. Mimicking Lu Zhi, he raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, "We'll discuss it like this."
Lu Zhi glared at him in annoyance, but it had no effect on Shen Qi. "First, tell me, why are the Twelve Zodiacs so against you?"
Shen Qi narrowed his eyes, "Change the subject."
Lu Zhi couldn't help but chuckle, "No, answer me this question first."
Shen Qi tsked, "They're just jealous that they can't be by your side. Next question."
Lu Zhi pouted, suspecting Shen Qi was lying, but he couldn't force him to say more. "You've been preoccupied lately, saying it's something concerning me, what is it?"
Shen Qi lowered his gaze, asking instead of answering, "If one day, you discovered you might disappear, what would you do?"
Lu Zhi blinked, then thought for a moment, "If there was enough time, I'd accomplish the things I want to the most, leaving no regrets."
Shen Qi suddenly wrapped his arms around Lu Zhi, looking directly into his eyes, and said, "The most important thing..."
Lu Zhi looked confused, cupping Shen Qi's face with his hands, "You're not the sentimental type, what have you been thinking about?"
Shen Qi's emotions seemed to stir, his voice deepening slightly, "Many things."
Lu Zhi was silent for a moment, then said, "When did you recognize me? Was it when we made the pact, or during the time at the Tree of Life?"
Shen Qi: "When I made the pact with you, I hadn't fully regained my sanity. No matter what I become, I won't harm you."
That's right, when Lu Zhi met the divine Shen Qi, he probably hadn't recognized him. "But why did you make a pact with me?"
Shen Qi suddenly smiled, a faint glimmer of light flowing in his eyes, "Instinct. I'm very glad it was me who made the pact with you."
It was like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.
Lu Zhi: "You remembered me only after merging with your human avatar, right?"
When he first entered the cage, neither the divine Shen Qi nor the human Shen Qi had any memory of Lu Zhi, nor could they have recognized him.
It was only after the two merged that Shen Qi truly regained all his memories.
"Why did you split into two?" Lu Zhi had always been curious about this.
This time, Shen Qi didn't answer Lu Zhi's question directly, "I forgot."
Lu Zhi suspected, "Did you forget, or are you unable to say, or dare not say?"
"Both."
Lu Zhi scoffed, "At this point, what else is there to hide?"
"At this point, when will you remember everything?" Shen Qi retorted.
Lu Zhi felt utterly innocent and wronged, "Come on, it's not like I don't want to recover my memories. At the very least, I need to know where the Horse God and Dragon God are, right?"
"I know the Dragon God," Shen Qi's fingertip traced Lu Zhi's spine, making Lu Zhi straighten up like a stroked cat.
"You know?" Lu Zhi grabbed his hand, highly skeptical.
"As long as we know where that tiger is," Shen Qi said, and the moment he finished speaking, he suddenly vanished from the car with Lu Zhi in his arms.
Rumble—
A lightning bolt flashed across the dark night sky, and the special police car exploded into pieces. Fortunately, there were few vehicles on that stretch of highway, otherwise, it would have caused a massive pile-up.
"What's going on?" Lu Zhi looked up at the night sky.
He saw a brilliant blue shadow and a burly man appear in the night sky, the palm of his hand flashing with electric light.
Immediately after, countless black spheres began to fall from the sky above the city. Upon closer inspection, they were all lightning balls; any one of them hitting the ground would possess the terrifying power to destroy an entire city.
Shen Qi: "Don't worry."
Suddenly, several rays of light descended like shooting stars around the two invaders. They were none other than the least powerful deities among the Twelve Zodiacs.
The first to speak was Hei Bao Tu, who had always spoken in a soft, adorable voice. Her bloodstone eyes shone with divine light in the darkness, "Do you think China has no gods?"