Chapter 57: Can’t Help but Curl One’s Toes

The air seemed to fall into an awkward silence.

Shen Yian couldn’t help but curl his toes a couple times. Wasn’t this way of meeting a little too cliché?

Compared to this toe-curlingly awkward encounter, he’d rather grab that storyteller by the collar and ask: Where did you learn this bizarre story? Don’t you understand copyright? Did the original author agree for you to spread it around?

Back then, he took a boat south to Huizhou. When he was bored, he would tell the sailors and passengers stories he had adapted to pass the time.  He still vividly remembered the super mishmash “Takumi and Guan Yu’s Big Adventure on Mount Akina” – he had made it up as he went along.

If you asked him to tell it now, he’d barely be able to recount the full content.

Perhaps because the stories in this world were too dull and boring, such an outlandish tale actually won the applause of everyone on the boat.

Suddenly, a faint fragrance wafted into Shen Yian’s nostrils. It wasn’t an overpowering scent, but very light and soft, making one feel comfortable.

With a “plop”, the gauze hat fell to the ground. The beauty was already in his arms, her delicate hands clutching his clothes as if they would never let go.

Shen Yian’s stunned expression gradually softened.

“This king has returned as promised.”

“Liyan missed Your Highness so much…”

The grip on his clothes tightened, her voice barely audible, just enough for the two of them to hear.

“This king missed you too.” Shen Yian affectionately rubbed his cheek against Ye Liyan’s forehead.

Ye Liyan’s eyes reddened slightly, her small face buried in that warm chest like a pitiful kitten confirming if this was all real.

The two maintained this posture silently for several dozen seconds.

Except for Jinxiu and Jinlian who were already used to it, the other women looked as if they had seen giant pandas. Their faces flushed with excitement, eyes sparkling, just short of screaming out loud.

Qiu Lanlan’s hand pressed on Jinxiu’s shoulder as she panted heavily: “Sister Ye looks so cute! The King of Chu is so handsome and gentle! Ah ah ah ah! A match made in heaven! A match made in heaven!”

Jinxiu nervously said: “Miss Qiu, your… your nose is bleeding…”

Qiu Lanlan casually wiped it with her sleeve: “I’m fine!”

“Yaoyao! In the future, I also want to find a man like the King of Chu as my husband!” Qiu Lanlan turned around, excitedly shaking Lu Lingyao with both hands.

“Blood… Lanlan… blood!” Lu Lingyao’s eyes rolled back and she chose to faint directly.

“Oh no! Yaoyao fainted at the sight of blood!” Qiu Lanlan cried urgently as she held Lu Lingyao.

The commotion from the girls instantly broke the incredibly intimate atmosphere.

Only then did Ye Liyan realize just how brave an act she had performed moments ago.

Although it was twilight and there were fewer people on the street, it wasn’t deserted.

Besides the girls, two more groups of young masters and misses had come out.

She had just embraced His Highness in front of so many people.

Her mind went blank. Her gauze hat… seemed to have fallen off too.

How utterly embarrassing.

The temperature on Ye Liyan’s small face instantly surpassed that of Shen Yian’s chest.

Was this silly girl only now realizing?

Shen Yian held back his laughter, holding the candied haws in one hand while reaching out with the other to grab the gauze hat that Jinlian had just picked up.

With a subtle vibration of true qi, the dust that had settled on the hat when it fell instantly disappeared.

Shen Yian wanted to step back to put the hat on Ye Liyan, but found that her small hands hadn’t loosened their grip on his clothes at all. He said softly, “It’s okay, it seems something’s happened with your friend. Let’s go check on her first.”

Ye Liyan obediently nodded and let go, her voice a bit weak as she said, “Your Highness, Liyan didn’t mean to be so forward with you…”

“Is that so? If it wasn’t unintentional, could it have been deliberate?” 

“No…” Just as Ye Liyan was about to explain, but the gauze hat had already been gently put on her head, and the big hand pressed down lightly.

“Whatever the reason, this king likes it very much,” Shen Yian said in a low voice, particularly magnetic.

This caused the already blushing Ye Liyan’s ears and neck to turn red as well. Her small hands fumbled to pull the gauze hat down a bit more.

A barrage of sweet talk, fierce as a tiger; yet I’m just a yellow-flowered virgin.

“What’s going on?” 

Shen Yian’s voice rang out, and the group of bewildered young masters and misses quickly made way.

“Greetings to His Highness the King of Chu!”

“At ease.”

“Your Highness, Yaoyao has hemophobia, but this state is very unusual,” Qiu Lanlan said urgently, as if she’d found her pillar of support. Lu Lingyao’s face was pale, her limbs frighteningly cold.

“You… are you alright?” Shen Yian was startled, looking at Qiu Lanlan whose mouth was covered in blood stains.

Qiu Lanlan wiped away another nosebleed and shook her head, “I’m fine, Your Highness. Please check if Yaoyao is alright.”

“Let this king stop your bleeding first.” Shen Yian extended his fingers, sending several streams of true qi into Qiu Lanlan’s acupoints, instantly stopping her nosebleed.

“Eh? How magical!”

Qiu Lanlan was amazed; the feeling of blood flow in her nasal cavity had completely vanished!

“Your Highness, Liyan knows some medical skills. Perhaps Liyan could examine Yaoyao,” Ye Liyan said, her beautiful eyes filled with shyness as she endured the focused gazes of everyone.

Coming from a family of military officials, Ye Liyan had studied and researched medicine and classics. While not profoundly skilled, her level was on par with ordinary doctors and physicians, if not better.

“Alright,” Shen Yian didn’t refuse, stepping aside to make way.

“First, let’s have Yaoyao lie flat,” Ye Liyan instructed.

Everyone, disregarding the dirt, laid Lu Lingyao flat on the ground.

Ye Liyan crouched down to check her pulse, then sighed in relief, “It’s just a common case of hemophobia. Yaoyao just needs to rest a bit.”

While waiting, except for the girls and Shen Yian, the other young masters and misses took their leave after learning Lu Lingyao was fine.

“I… I’ll go wash my face,” Qiu Lanlan said, fearing Lu Lingyao might faint again upon seeing her current state. She stood up and walked towards a nearby teahouse.

“How is she?” Shen Yian asked.

Ye Liyan nodded gently, “Yaoyao has recovered and should wake up soon.”

“Sister Ye?” Lu Lingyao struggled to open her eyes, calling out instinctively.

“And His Highness the King of Chu? Gree… greetings to Your Highness.”

“No need for formalities, just rest well,” Shen Yian said with a helpless smile.

Qiu Lanlan brought a bowl of water for Lu Lingyao to drink, which visibly improved her condition.

“I’m sorry, Yaoyao! I forgot about your hemophobia! Wuwuwu!” Qiu Lanlan cried, burying her face in Lu Lingyao’s embrace.

“You really almost scared me to death,” Lu Lingyao pretended to be angry, lightly punching Qiu Lanlan’s shoulder with her small fist.

“I’ll never scare you again! Wuwu!”

“Lanlan!!!”

“Yaoyao!!!”

From down the street, two large groups of people came rushing over.

Marquis of Xinwei – Qiu Jingze.

Minister of Agriculture – Lu Jiu.

The two men’s voices competed in volume.

Someone had come to report that one’s daughter was covered in blood on the street, while the other’s daughter had fainted. How could they not be alarmed?!

“Greetings to His Highness the King of Chu!”

“At ease…” Shen Yian felt a bit tired of saying these two words.

After the formalities, the two men immediately turned their attention to their respective daughters.

“Daughter! What happened?! Let Father take a look! I’ll go to the palace right away to request the imperial physician for you!”

“Yaoyao! Let these famous doctors in Tianwu City examine you quickly!”

Faced with this surge of fatherly love, Qiu Lanlan and Lu Lingyao were momentarily at a loss.

After explaining the situation, the two men expressed their profound gratitude to Shen Yian and Ye Liyan, insisting on hosting a banquet for them.

“Sister Ye! I’ll come visit you another day!”

“Me too, Sister Ye!”

Facing the girls’ invitations, Ye Liyan smiled and nodded, “Alright.”

Shen Yian watched the group leave, then looked at the darkening sky before turning his head to meet Ye Liyan’s gaze through the white gauze.

“Would you like to eat some candied haws as a pre-dinner dessert?”