OuYang ShaoChen swiftly caught the pillow and placed it aside. He shot a glance at Murong Xueâs direction and promptly left the room.
She followed his stare and realized that she was looking at her chest. Admittedly, she was stilla little bitimmature but she was just 14 years old and had plenty of room for improvement!
Just like the body she had in the modern times, after she became 17 or 18, people had admired her for it!
She folded back the bed covers and got out of bed. Behind the folding screen, she then wore her undergarments, dress robe and prepared herself to look presentable. Only after then did she emerge from the room.
Outside the room, there was an oak table amidst in which dishes, pastries, spring rolls and porridge were placed upon. The aroma of the enticing food was enough to send anyone drooling.
OuYang ShaoChen was standing by the washing basin cleaning his hands. The crystal clear hot spring water passed through his hands, uncontaminated. Seeing that Murong Xue had appeared, he took up a wet cloth and wiped the water beads from his hands.
âItâs getting late, letâs eat,â he said dryly.
Murong Xue frowned. At first, it was to sleep together on the bed and now, eating together at the same table? This sounds more like a husband and wife thing to doâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ wait, why did she think of it that way?
âMuch thanks, OuYang your highness, but Iâm not famished right now and returning to the Zhen country palace to feast then, wouldnât be too late either,â
An arm stretched and gripped her shoulder; it was as if the fingers on it were made out of jade itself. OuYang ShaoChen then directed her to the oak table.
âYesterday, you were suffering from Cold poison and was tossing and turning the whole day. For 7 or 8 hours, you did not eat anything and even if you arenât hungry, you should at least eat a bit. Or else your body will become weaker!â
MuRong Xueâs beautiful eyes glistened and squinted. Silently, she tried to escape from her constraints.
However, with just the slightest touch of OuYang ShaoChen finger which contained immeasurable power, MuRong Xue wasnât able to move! Her powers couldnât be exerted, not even in the slightest bit.
She knew she couldnât stand a chance against OuYang ShaoChen immense power and stopped struggling. She lifted her head to glare at him.
OuYang ShaoChen ignored her glare. Seeing that she had calmed in some measure, he released his touch and gracefully sat beside her. He then scooped some rice porridge, daintily placed some vegetables on top and placed a few pieces of plum cakes in the small dish in front of her.
MuRong Xue gazed at the fragrant plum cakes, shocked.
âHow did you know I like plum cakes?â
âTry guessing,â OuYang ShaoChen replied, his jet-black diamond eyes gleaming with a hint of humor.
MuRong Xue glared at him again.
She thought,Fine. Not like Iâm interested anyway.
MuRong Xue picked up a plum cake and shoved it in her mouth. The fragrance and the softness of the cake filled her mouth.
One tends to not feel hungry after recovering from the poison; however, it is encouraged to have some white porridge to regain strength. MuRong Xue thought it was appropriate to eat something to nourish herself and coincidentally, plum cakes were her favorite, so she ate a few more pieces. Moreover, OuYang ShaoChen was eyeing her from the side. She felt compelled to eat something or else he would never let her go.
MuRong Xue used impeccable speed to finish the plum cakes and stood up after that.
âOuYang your highness, Iâve had my fill, please take your time to have your meal!â
OuYang ShaoChen expression turned solemn. He put down his bowl and chopsticks and brought over the dish with a wet cloth. He proceeded to pat his hands with the cloth. What seemed like a simple action was more of a graceful gesture when it was done by him.
âIâll send you back to the Zhen country palace!â he bellowed, his clear voice piercing the air.
MuRong Xue quickly shook her head and said, âThank you, your royal highness for your kind gesture! But the Zhen country palace isnât far, please, I have no need to trouble your highness. Your royal highness, you better hurry back to pay respects to your father and mother instead!â
It is known for noble people being filial first among all else. OuYang ShaoChen hadnât been home for 10 years and now he had just returned. Itâs only a matter-of-fact that he should pay respects to his parents.
She thought:this is the best excuse to get him away from me.
âTheyâre not in Jing City, they went to explore the great mountain, DaChuan,â he said wryly, as if it were a common thing to do at that time, âThey wanted to see it for themselves â the Sakura and blossoms at Gangnam, the desert outside the Great Wall.â
They abandoned the duty in which the palace called and together they explored the world. His royal highness and His Queen really are royalty people who do not care for either fame or power.
It was no wonder OuYang ShaoChen left the palace when he was just eight years old! He was out touring the world, ah so this trait was inherited from his parents!
âItâs still early and Iâd like to stroll around the city for a while without a chariot. I wonât trouble your royal highness in sending me home, goodbye!â MuRong Xue excused herself with a polite smile and without waiting for OuYang ShaoChen to reply; she turned and paced quickly outside.
Once out of the yard, she followed the black-stoned path. Hastily, she ran out of the palace and took a few quick turns in the alley. She stopped and looked at the empty streets behind her. Secretly, she was relieved. Thanks to herself, she had fast reflexes and body movement which enabled her to swiftly do countless corner turns. To be fair, she thought he was a fairly decent guy, but he exuded a dangerous aura and she didnât want to be associated with him in any way.
Murong Xue strolled on the streets of Jing City and saw the hustle bustle of the city scenes. The varied hawkers doing their business and the rowdy haggling that came from them made the corner of her mouth tilt and it emitted a small smile.
The host has lived in a district that snowed, had very little exercise, had a body in which, when the wind blew would knock her out. This resulted in frequent frostbites which was so painful that you were better off dead. She had to walk more and train her body to become better so that when that happened, she wouldnât feel as much pain.
A gentle breeze blew and gracefully lifted her thick, inky black hair. With the radiance of the sun, she looked even more beautiful. In which, this attracted many onlookers to admire her beauty â her fair skin, her glistening eyes like pristine waters â and wondered, which noble family did she belong to?
Murong Xue, however, was oblivious to the stares and continued walking. Her distant stare broke the rowdy haggling and the hawkers doing business!
âCousin!â a sudden enthusiastic voice bore into the scene.
The voice came from a young man who was wearing a silvery white long robe. He hurried to catch up with her and was soon in front of her, blocking her path. The man took a greedy stare at her beauty before saying, âXue my cousin! Long time no see! Donât pretend to ignore me when youâve already seen me!â
Looking at his spontaneous actions and stare, she raised her brow.
âWho are you?â
This man knew her name and even called her cousin! But there was no memory of this person in the host.
The man laughed and lifting his chin, as if keen on introducing himself he replied, âI am Du ChenJiang, cousin, surely you have heard of my name!â
Du ChenJiang! Isnât that the eldest grandson of Du families!
Every New Year, he and his family would come to the Zhen country palace as a guest. But because of the fact that the hostâs body wasnât in good condition and the Du family did not take a liking to her, she was never asked to go to the courtyard to meet guests.
Murong Xue let out a soft âhmm!â and continued on her way, her pale green dress robe fluttering in the breeze which brought out the faint feminine scent of herself.
Du ChenJiang breathed in her scent and his eyes glimmered. Seeing that Murong Xue had passed him and resumed her walk, he hurried to catch up to block her pathway again. He did not bother to hide his gaze admiring her from top to toe or even his gleaming eyes.
He said, âXue cousin, donât walk away from me! Since weâre cousins and hardly meet, letâs chat more!â\n