Gong Ming (1) The Day the Stars and You Will Never Disappear

　　--That was, in the distant past, a story that happened when the shopkeeper had not yet become a shopkeeper.

　　"Let go! You let go of me! You shameless thief!!!"

　　At nightfall, the deep shade of the trees shrouded the uninhabited countryside, and shrill, tender screams shot up into the sky.

　　The petite silver-haired girl was hanging upside down in mid-air, her tender face covered in blush was filled with an expression of shame and indignation, her hands covered the hem of her skirt under her waist, and her slender ankles wrapped in white silk were firmly held in the palm of a strong hand.

　　It was the 73rd year of the Huang Empire's old calendar, an ancient time when the Sage King, who ruled the world in the latter days, was still a child, the late Emperor died, the new Emperor had not yet been established, and the whole world was plunged into a tense atmosphere of tension due to the powerful enemies and the civil strife.

　　To the north of Brilliant Moon City, there was a dark jungle where everything was silent, and in this deep darkness where even the stars and the moon were covered by the trees, apart from the few chirps of insects and beasts, there was not the slightest hint of human existence at all, so it was only natural that the shrill cries that tore through the night would not be able to get a response from anyone.

　　--Except for the "shameless thief" himself, who was holding the girl's ankle in a death grip.

　　The man held the silver-haired girl's ankles, slowly raised his arms, and crouched his legs down slightly, letting his sight meet the other girl's blue eyes that were full of annoyance, and grinned at the corners of his mouth:

　　"I say, don't you know that this kind of cute reaction is more likely to stir up the 'shameless desires' of 'shameless thieves' now?"

　　"You you you - you coarse person!!!" The silver-haired girl cursed, but, I don't know if it was because the education she experienced didn't teach her how to curse, but the aggressiveness of her words could be described by the words "harmless", "Do you know what kind of person I am? How dare you, how dare you do such rude things to my generation!"

　　"Well ... a cute girl who came to the forest alone in the middle of the night and ended up being caught by 'shameless thieves'?" The man chuckled.

　　"?"

　　"That said, if I were to immediately kidnap you right now, it shouldn't be possible for your Brilliant Empire to find you in a forest so vast." The man put on a contemplative expression, and a hint of delight flashed across his face, "Then wouldn't I be able to lock you up in a small dark room and do something shameful day and night?"

　　The silver-haired girl's scalp chilled violently, and a thin layer of goosebumps rose on her back.

　　"You-you-you-you don't mess around! Aren't you afraid that you'll live the rest of your life being hunted by the imperial army!?"

　　"Joking aside, Imperial Grandmaster Gong Ming-sama, if I abduct you, within a few years, the survival of the empire will probably become a matter of two words." That "shameless thief" said with a smile, "There is that famous prime minister in the world, if there are only those two foreign enemies that don't have the climate, you don't need to worry too much about the destruction of the empire, but ... you should know better than anyone. know better than anyone else what the enemy that the Huang Empire, or rather, this world is really facing is really something, right?"

　　"Then why are you still suddenly tying up my generation?!" Gong Ming blackened his face, "Even if you are from the countryside, since you are aware of the existence of the foreign beasts, then you should be equally aware that the threat of this plague from the otherworldly world is by no means as simple as one person and one country, and even if you hide my generation in this forest, as long as that foreign beast shows up, this forest will immediately not be able to grow a single inch of grass under the beast's invasion, so- -"

　　"--So, how about we make a negotiation?" A bandy smile appeared on the thief's face.

　　"... What do you want to discuss?" Gong Ming's words stalled, and his tone of voice eased slightly, "Money? Or status? If you release my generation right away, I can forget about today's matter, and the things I promised can also be delivered as promised after I finish everything."

　　"Who wants those things anymore, I didn't expect that the grand imperial prince Gong Ming would actually be such a vulgar person, it's really disappointing to the extreme." The thief swept Gong Ming with contempt.

　　"... "The situation is stronger than others, I endure ...! Gong Ming lightly clenched the crown of his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Then what exactly do you want?"

　　"Ouch." The thief shook his head and sighed for a while, "Gong Ming adults, you should also see, in the next is just a perennial habitat and the human world outside the 'rough people', although in the chance to pick up some of the books recorded in the language of common sense and so on, but in addition to things well, such as what to behave? I don't know anything else, such as manners, morals, ethics, etc. Of course, I can't possibly have any money in this situation, right?"

　　"You want to remember books with knowledge?"

　　"Ai -" the thief shook his head in disgust, he pointed to his head, "I'm this old, how can I still have that brain to read ah."

　　... You don't look much older at this age, Gong Ming spat inwardly, then thought for a moment, "Then you want possessions that can enrich you for the rest of your life?"

　　"I was able to spend the first half of my life in the mountains and forests without relying on possessions, so it's useless to ask for these things in the second half of my life."

　　The thief said in a serious tone.

　　Gong Ming looked at the thief's face suspiciously, "... Do you really only know some common sense in words? How come I don't hear your verbal logic at all like you haven't read a book?"

　　"That doesn't matter." The thief smiled and shook his head, "What's important is that, Lord Gong Ming, as you know, this shitless place is unlikely to be frequented by anyone on a normal day, and to be honest, you're the first living person I've seen in my life in this forest, and I, on the other hand, have already spent more than a dozen years alone in this mountainous forest, and most likely won't meet a second person who comes to this forest for the rest of my life! meet the second person who comes running into this forest."

　　"So, do you think it's possible for me to let go of the only girl I own in this world who might turn out to be my wife?"

　　Ming Gong's heart was so shocked and furious that he couldn't help but break out in curses, "You-you-you-you shameless bastard, after talking for half a day you're actually still thinking about this kind of shameless thing?! Shameless!!!"

　　"How can this be shameless yet, Mencius said his old man, unfilial three, no later for the great, succession is the normal needs of mankind ah, although I am a mountain wild people, after coming to this world, really haven't seen my own parents, but well, at least it is also a man and a woman who gave me life, even if it is not able to touch them, I don't want to be unfilial to the two old people. unfilial ah." The thief said with a big smile.

　　"You--! Where in this world is this kind of crooked reasoning? And what kind of knowledge is it that you're calling it only in terms of language ah!!!" Gong Ming was a bit frantic, "Anyway, there's no way I'll marry a shameless man like you! If you dare to force yourself, I ... I I I I ... I wouldn't-"

　　"Tsk, don't reject me so quickly." That thief interrupted Gong Ming, "How about you at least listen to my conditions first?"

　　"If you want me to listen to your conditions at least put it down first!" Gong Ming glared angrily at the thief's face.

　　Obviously looking quite handsome, why would he do such an abominable thing? With this appearance condition, if he stood on the street with a little bit of dressing up, it would be impossible for there to be no wistful girls falling for him, right?

　　"That won't do, who knows if I put you down you will run away with your legs, although it won't take much time to capture you back, but I don't want to waste my effort on this kind of meaningless thing." The thief laughed, "How about you come and be my lady-in-arms, and I'll guarantee you a thousand years of worry-free life in the Huang Empire?"