Chapter 48 (Part 1) (1/2)

Chapter 48 (Part 1) Original and most updated translations are from volaretranslations.

The door was still swinging lightly on its hinges, but the person was gone. I remained dazed for a while before looking down and viciously pinched myself. The pain was tremendous…

There was no mistake. That Immortal-like being really existed, and his name was Fang Hua.

Now that I was more clear-headed, my first thing upon becoming alert was to feel my own body. I slipped beneath the covers and looked left and right, even opening up my robes for inspection. Tsk, my body didn’t feel pained, itchy, or sore…

Some a.s.sa.s.sin had sneak-attacked me in the palace, then did a poor job of carrying me out and jolting me all this way. Yet I didn’t even have any bruises. Did someone give me medicine already, or was I innately blessed with a st.u.r.dy body? Or perhaps the a.s.sa.s.sin had no intentions of harming me at all and took measures to protect me…

But why did he leave me outside Fang Hua’s house?

—

It was really weird. I stuck my head out of the covers and took a long breath. The room was very quiet, and that lousy bird had flew away as well. I stayed on the bed and straightened out my messy robes, looking around the room. There were bamboo curtains, a landscape painting on a wall, accented with straight and forceful written words that gave it a certain charm. It seems like the owner of the house had made it himself with bamboo, and the feeling against my hands was…very agreeable. The workmans.h.i.+p was meticulous as well.

Rubbing my eyes, I casually put on my shoes and sat on a chair, pouring myself a cup of water to drink. It was cool and refres.h.i.+ng spring water that carried a hint of sweetness. This cup was made from a thick bamboo tube, extremely smooth to the touch. Someone had faintly carved ‘Fang Hua’ into the surface, and my lips puckered at the sight. Resting my head on my hands, I stuck my legs up in the air and dangled in my chair, eyes spinning.

Everything here was good, but it lacked food.

This Fang Hua, an Immortal-like man who looked as beautiful as a flower, wasn’t planning to starve me, right?

I pouted, hands over my empty stomach as I s.h.i.+fted to the door and pulled it open with both hands. Glittering sunlight shone down in its radiance to saturate my entire body. It was extremely warm and bright enough to make it difficult to open my eyes. Soft rustling accompanied a sudden burst of cool wind.

It carried with it the sound of a child’s voice.

I shook my head to clear my eyes, but the walkway before me was empty. Still, I hadn’t walked more than a few steps before my feet started to pivot, and my head grew dizzy. I supported myself with the wall to try and invigorate myself, eyes narrowing as a few figures appeared on the walkway and grew clearer.

A preteen youth had two cooked eggs stuffed in his s.h.i.+rt, rubbing his hands as he blew on them. “Come help take these off me.”

The other walked leisurely in front of him, not even bothering to look back. “How come?”

“Because I cooked the eggs, started the fire, and hid the evidence from your yifu. You want to eat them just like this?”

“Of course not,” the thinner and more emaciated of the two stopped, pausing before speaking valiantly. “You have to peel the skin off for me before I eat it.”

“Y…y-you, don’t be too over the top.” the egg-holder was angry enough to rush up, his face delicate and pretty, exactly like a younger copy of the current emperor.

“You cooked the stolen eggs and lit the fire, so the blame is still on you…” the other gave him a habitually leisurely glance, a toothy smile lighting up that filthy, dark face. The teeth were very white. “I’ll go tell yifu right now.”

“I’ll peel it, I’ll peel it. Isn’t that enough?” the little emperor was completely dejected. When he got no reaction from pulling the other’s sleeve, he set his heart and stomped the ground. “At the worst, I’ll give them both to you.”

“Peel,” the infuriating voice drifted over.

The other obediently lowered his head and peeled as told. One ate the eggs in satisfaction while the other wore a long face, but a smile tugged at his lips as if he took pleasure in it.

I gave a snort, feeling as if I’d seen this familiar scene somewhere before. Yet in the s.p.a.ce of a blink, the air around me flashed, and the two youths disappeared from the walkway. My mind suddenly buzzed, and I hastily walked to where they’d been before. When I looked down, there wasn’t even the trace of eggsh.e.l.ls from before.

Did I started hallucinating from hunger?

The wind blew gently, rustling the bamboo forest. I wandered about in a circle before raising a fist to pound my head. How evil. Looks like I was really starving to the limit. Now the most pressing matter was to fill my stomach.

I sucked in a breath, slowing turning around to look at the different rooms. I remained still for a while before intuition had me pus.h.i.+ng open a certain door and peeking inside. Hey, what do you know…I guessed right.

I’m crying, crying tears of joy.

Slipping into the kitchen, I lifted the lid of a cooking pot to reveal…nothing. My hand felt inside. Not only was there no oil, but even a layer of dust had settled on my hands. My eyebrows quivered, and I squatted down to take a look.

Great, there wasn’t even a fire for the stove.

Cruelty even extended this far… That Immortal-like man, was he really planning to starve me to death? I’d always been a person who loved to eat, and I ate a lot. In the palace, I’d never had to suffer this way. If I had a choice of dying, I’d never choose to starve to death.

Time was pressing as I searched the entire room for food, even opening up the cabinets in my hunt. Besides two or three broken bowls with missing pieces, there was nothing inside. What did Fang Hua usually eat? Tears…

My footsteps kept walking until I paused to look around suspiciously. Raising my head, my nose sniffed the air until it caught the miraculous scent of something delicious. Holding back my drool, I couldn’t help but involuntarily follow the scent, turning left around a corner before I b.u.mped into a tall figure standing before a building.

He seemed to have been waiting for me, and caught me as we b.u.mped. This time, I lifted my head to give him a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, a chill creeping up my back as my scalp turned numb.

This man’s face was enough to bring calamity to the country and its people with his beauty. Add that to the mole by his eye and he was even more seductive. If he didn’t smile, he was like an Immortal, but one smile could cause more evil than an evildoer.

“Have you seen enough?” One of his hands held my waist in an embrace as his eyebrows raised slightly, before he lowered his head to m.u.f.fle another cough.

…that expression, what was he embarra.s.sed about?

I opened my eyes wide to blatantly stare at him before realizing our current situation was inappropriate. Slowly, I cupped my hands in a greeting. “Just now I’ve offended you.” I backed away quite a few steps, but couldn’t help shooting him a glance again.

He gave a start before his eyes curved into crescents. Both eyes and eyebrows seemed to suggest he was smiling.

Only after I backed away did my mind clear up. The one who’d held me in the arms and madly ate tofu behind my back, why was I…

How nefarious.

Fang Hua lowered his head to smile and caught me in place. Time seemed to stop. He didn’t speak, nor did I have anything to say. I gave him a dull look, but it wasn’t until my line of sight drifted down that I noticed something in his hand…a bowl resting in his palm.

To tell you the truth, his looks were more outstanding than mine. His upper robes were violet and very elegant. Even if he was holding a paltry bowl, a beautiful person would always have the grace of a beautiful person. The hand holding the bowl had long, tapered fingers like uncut jade that looked even fairer and more clear against the porcelain.

I raised my head and sniffed. What was he holding in his hand?

Fang Hua looked at me with a smile, body s.h.i.+fting to leave open a s.p.a.ce. Conveniently enough, it gave me unimpeded vision to a table in an inner room filled with warm dishes and white rice. My grateful amazement came from being unexpectedly rescued from a desperate situation. After that flash of joy, reason came in to hold back my impulses, and I gave him a doubtful look before shrinking back like a defensive hedgehog.

It was very simple…

This person held a strange att.i.tude towards me. He didn’t treat me coldly, or frown and scowl while singularly facing his rival in love. Instead, he was kind and genial. This room was even stranger. At times, unreal images would spring from within, and my eyes rested on that steaming hot bowl after I couldn’t take it anymore…

I swallowed. So fragrant…it whetted my appet.i.te even more than the imperial kitchens, but there was no promise he didn’t add something inside.

You should be guarded in the outside world.

“I haven’t cooked in a while, so I don’t know if it’s to your tastes,” he said simply, rolling back his sleeves to offer me the bowl in his hand. I had no way to retreat, but fell on my b.u.t.t on the threshold of the door, the pain jarring. A smile split his features, making me even more nervous.

This smile…

Even the curve of his lips was strange.

“You’re always muddle-headed like this.” He supported me to my feet, helping me lean against the door while bending down to wipe away the dust that had settled onto my person. My eyebrows arched up high.

W…w-what was he doing, I’m afraid…

He hadn’t tied up his hair, and the strands fell like a waterfall across his shoulders. A few threads of sunlight broke through the windows to shone on him. They actually favored such a cold and cheerless person. Fl.u.s.tered, I s.h.i.+fted my eyes until they rested on the food at the table.