Chapter 117
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Xue Yao had experienced such a fierce gaze before. Mostly when he got caught feeding snacks to the Sixth Prince, Lu Qian would give him that look, eyeing the food in his hands.
Now, when that gaze fell on him, Xue Yao couldn’t immediately figure out where he had gone wrong.
The girl behind him, A’Zhu, laughed. “Why so silent? Is the young master feeling shy?”
Xue Yao finally realized!
Because he had quoted part of Lu Qian’s lines from the novel, A’Zhu transferred the originally intended coquetry from Lu Qian to him!
What would happen if one compete with Long Aotian for a wife?
Xue Yao didn’t want to know at all. He turned and straightforwardly told Miss A’Zhu, “I won’t tell you!”
【Lu Qian’s sense of security +1】
This prompt left Xue Yao’s mind blank, and then a blissful numbness spread from the back of his head throughout his body!
The sense of security that had been frozen for a year and a half suddenly came back to life!
It turned out that Long Aotian’s wounds truly needed the solace of a beloved woman.
With Xue Yao merely establishing clear boundaries with A’Zhu, Lu Qian regained a bit of his sense of security.
“Why won’t you tell me?” A’Zhu, confused, looked at Xue Yao’s fair face flushed with excitement. A’Zhu laughed, revealing a row of neatly arranged teeth. “Are you feeling shy again? As a young lady, I don’t keep secrets. Why be shy?”
“I’m not shy. I’ve simply chosen to step back.” Xue Yao, with a resolute expression as if seeing through the essence of life, said, “A’Zhu, forget everything that just happened.”
A’Zhu had actually already forgotten. With a puzzled expression, she sought help, “What just happened?”
Xue Yao smiled in relief. “That’s good. You’re a sensible girl.”
A’Zhu, not quite sensible, asked, “What does the young master mean?”
“I hope you can understand. In my heart, the most important thing is brotherly camaraderie.” Xue Yao, with deep emotions, turned to look at Lu Qian, his gaze as if it had experienced the changes of time.
Lu Qian was left bewildered, his expression shifting from extremely fierce to perplexed. Squinting, he repeated A’Zhu’s words and asked the little reader-in-waiting, “What does the young master mean?”
Xue Yao smiled faintly, patting Lu Qian’s shoulder. “As long as you understand in your heart, be bold and speak up whatever you wish.”
These two men, one with deep emotions and the other looking perplexed, stared at each other for a long time.
A’Zhu’s forehead gradually creased with worry. Since around the age of thirteen or fourteen, wherever she appeared, men’s gazes were always fixed on her face. So, what was going on with these two handsome gentlemen before her? Where did things go wrong? Why weren’t they looking at her?
A’Zhu lowered her head to inspect her outfit and embroidered shoes for the day. Everything seemed fine. Then she turned to ask a maid, “Is there any dirt on my face?”
“No, Miss, you’re perfectly clean,” the maid replied.
Perplexed, A’Zhu turned back and found the two men still engaged in a staring contest.
Were they done yet?
Xue Yao encouraged once again, “She’s still here. Let’s forget about our previous plans. If you want something, just say it outright, no need to hold back.”
Lu Qian, squinting with suspicion, pressed, “What does your grandpa want?”
Xue Yao, with a knowing smile, said, “I know that you also know it in your heart. Go tell Miss A’Zhu.”
Lu Qian’s pupils subtly shifted, his indifferent gaze slowly landing on A’Zhu’s face.
A’Zhu’s heart inexplicably quickened, her cheeks displaying a “healthy flush” similar to cute young gentlemen.
Her sixteen-year-old mind couldn’t quite figure out why her face was blushing at this moment.
Was it because Lu Qian was the most handsome man she had ever seen?
It wasn’t just that.
It seemed to be some primal, beast-like danger emanating from this young man that made the survival instincts inherited in her blood scream.
It was the combination of danger and attractiveness, the stimulation activating A’Zhu’s natural instincts.
The desire for thrilling conquest, a blend of danger and allure, made her inexplicably want to pull the tail of this wild beast.
The man who made her feel threatened shifted on his toes, striding closer with long legs and coldly staring down at her.
Breathing solely through her nostrils left A’Zhu lacking oxygen. She had to slightly part her lips to assist in inhaling, resisting the gaze of this handsome man.
On the side, Xue Yao smiled and encouraged Lu Qian, “Speak up, tell her what’s in your heart.”
Encouraged by the little reader-in-waiting, Lu Qian slightly lowered his eyes, his eyelashes like sharp iron fans partially shielding the aggressiveness in his light eyes. “A… Zhu?”
A’Zhu, trembling like a wet kitten, asked softly, “What is it?”
Lu Qian questioned with a dark tone, “The lamb stir-fried by your chef, not a hint of five-spice or star anise, the gamy smell hasn’t been removed. How does one even taste it?”
A’Zhu suddenly sighed, feeling a strange sense of loss enveloping her. “I… I’m sorry.”
Lu Qian snorted coldly. “If it won’t go well with lamb, just stir-fry some pork belly, got it?”
A’Zhu tearfully nodded.
Encouraged by the little reader-in-waiting, Lu Qian expressed his dissatisfaction from the previous night. Then, he stood up, indifferently motioning towards the door, signaling A’Zhu to leave.
A’Zhu and the maids, filled with guilt, obediently withdrew.
Turning around, Lu Qian saw the little reader-in-waiting’s painfully despairing expression.
Xue Yao’s current mood was like pulling his own child out to perform poetry for guests, only to have the child perform a martial arts stunt.
“What lamb, what pork belly?” Xue Yao’s heart trembled as he roared at Lu Qian in exasperation, “What lamb, what pork belly!”
Do you know you’re messing up my tyrant’s fluttering heart quest!
Lu Qian used his index finger to plug one ear while facing the little reader-in-waiting. “It was the late-night snack they sent last night. You were still asleep, so your grandpa didn’t wake you up. There should be more tonight.”
“I don’t want meat!” Xue Yao rushed forward, grabbing Lu Qian’s lapels angrily. “I’m asking why you told A’Zhu about lamb and pork belly!”
Lu Qian was now half a head taller than him, requiring him to lower his eyelids to look at him.
This expression carried a natural intimidation, making Xue Yao instantly realize the disparity in combat power. Any disrespectful move could be highly dangerous.
So, he released Lu Qian’s lapels, obediently smoothed out the wrinkles on Lu Qian’s clothes, and murmured softly, “How could you complain about the food to the lady?”
Lu Qian frowned. “You were the one who said to speak freely.”
“I didn’t mean for you to say that!” Xue Yao’s demeanor was fiercely intense.
“Then what did you want your grandpa to say?” Lu Qian’s intensity escalated.
“I wanted you to be a bit more domineering to win her favor.”
Lu Qian’s bad mood vanished with this reminder. He lowered his head, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the little reader-in-waiting. “Continue.”
Xue Yao looked up and asked, “Continue what?”
“Practice.” Lu Qian opened his arms, waiting for the little reader-in-waiting to fall into them.
“No more practice.” Xue Yao resignedly turned away. “In A’Zhu’s eyes, you’ve already become a man with the flavor of pork belly. There’s nothing left to act.”
Lu Qian still had his arms open, indifferently watching the uncooperative little reader-in-waiting, starting the countdown, “Three, two, one.”
“Snap—”
Xue Yao obediently fell into the fiercely intense embrace of Long Aotian, pouting in a resigned manner.
“Speak.” Lu Qian urged.
“Speak what?” Xue Yao stared with dead fish eyes.
“The young master and this servant,” Lu Qian reminded him of the lines.
Xue Yao rolled his eyes. “Young master, this servant despises you.”
“That’s not it.” His Highness was dissatisfied.
Xue Yao stood up, staring at him. “What’s not it? Then how is it?”
Lu Qian frowned and gestured, beginning to direct personally, “Just now, you were supposed to wiggle around and say it while wiggling.”
“We don’t need to practice seriously anymore, Your Highness. A’Zhu has already been scared away by you!”
Lu Qian suddenly lowered his head, staring into his eyes, and said in a deep voice, “Practice is practice.”
His expression seemed as solemn as handling a military exercise.
A’Zhu, with two maids, stood in the courtyard with a puzzled and dazed expression.
Her expression still remained in a bewildered and lost state.
“Is the lamb stir-fried by our kitchen really that bad?” A’Zhu turned her head and asked the maids in confusion.
“Not bad, quite delicious,” one maid said.
“It’s just that the young master has a unique taste, don’t mind it, Miss,” the other maid said.
A’Zhu then slightly eased her worry and teased the maids about the shy young gentleman from earlier, “That young man in the blue robe is quite interesting. Judging by his physique, he doesn’t seem like a martial artist. If he has no connection with Gu Qingyuan, why not let him out to entertain us?”
The maids burst into giggles at the thought of that young man. He had a unique charm that was quite likable.
It was the kind of contradictory temperament combining innocence and intelligence, a bookish and naive yet sharp and clever aura.
He was a type of man they rarely encountered in their ordinary lives — untouched by worldly impurities, his eyes free of any hint of coarseness. Like the sweet spring water in the mountains, it brought a refreshing comfort to the soul.
“The sect master probably won’t agree to let him out now. It depends on how Gu Qingyuan responds in a few days,” one maid reminded.
A’Zhu calmly said, “If Gu Qingyuan responds with a letter agreeing to release my uncle, those young masters won’t be able to stay.”
“If Miss asks him to stay, he’ll stay, won’t he?”
“Exactly! That young master has been enchanted by Miss. Just a glance and he’s blushing like that. He must never have seen such a beauty like Miss before.”
A’Zhu giggled, lifted her eyebrows playfully, and looked at the maid with a flirtatious gaze. “I actually think the man by his side is more beautiful than me. I feel embarrassed, being compared to a man.”
“Even if a man looks good, what’s the use? That young master only knows how to make Miss blush.”
“Not necessarily. I heard there are many dandies in the capital who are into delicate young boys under fifteen.”
With this reminder, A’Zhu’s flirtatious eyes widened suddenly. The image of that young man and the fierce youth silently facing each other flashed in her mind — their gaze…
“Could they really be…” A’Zhu looked at the maids in astonishment, “in that kind of relationship?”
“No way.” One of the maids, seventeen years old and particularly knowledgeable in this area from reading many handwritten romance novels, confidently informed her mistress, “For relationships between men, you first need to observe their demeanor. That shy young master looks like he’s three to five years older than the other young man. I’ve seen a lot, and if it were that kind of relationship, the older one should be several years older, so they’re probably not.”
A’Zhu still wasn’t entirely sure. “Should we sneak a peek?”
So, the three young girls tiptoed back to the room where the Sword Saint’s disciple was detained. They pressed against the door to eavesdrop.
They happened to hear the shy young master pleading from inside, “I really can’t do it anymore. Let’s do it next time!”
“Continue.”
A’Zhu and the two maids involuntarily gasped for breath!
The three pairs of young girls’ eyes widened in astonishment!
Inside the room: “I’m begging you. I haven’t eaten all day. I don’t have the strength to wiggle anymore.”
The three pairs of young girls’ eyes widened even more, emitting beams of excited light!
Inside the room: “What strength does it take? Is wiggling so tiring for you?”
The maid leaning against the door bit her handkerchief!
Suddenly, the cool voice of that attractive young man echoed from inside, “What are you trying to eavesdrop on? Come in and listen.”
A’Zhu shivered and turned to whisper, “Is he talking to us?”
Inside the room: “Yes.”
The three girls shuddered!
In the room, Xue Yao, who had practiced the routine eight hundred times, was still embracing Lu Qian. “Who are you talking to?”
As soon as the words fell, the door creaked open, and the three girls entered as if caught red-handed.
Xue Yao, who was intimately embracing ‘A’Zhu’s man’: “! ! !”
When did they get outside!
It seemed like the fluttering heart quest was probably completely ruined!
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
LMAO I’m gonna fcking die XD
Thank you for the update