He remembered that during their previous confrontation, he had mentioned to the Crown Prince how much he valued his childhood sweetheart.
Even though he felt the Crown Prince had some designs on him, Chu Yuan believed that woman wouldn’t be stupid enough to do anything harmful to Wan’er and risk breaking their relationship.
Having thought it through, Chu Yuan let out a turbid breath, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly.
But the lingering discomfort of being schemed against still sat in his heart, like a fishbone stuck in his throat, making him uncomfortable.
Withdrawing his gaze, he couldn’t help but stretch his limbs, his bones making crisp clicking sounds:
“After being toyed with by the Crown Prince all these days, I’d like to recover properly.”
“What do you mean by ‘toyed with by the Crown Prince’? Did that woman do something to my subject?”
Hearing Chu Yuan say this, the Gu Su Die coiled in Fox Venerable’s arms suddenly pricked up its ears. Its originally lazily drooping dragon tail stiffened abruptly, the tip quivering.
Gu Su Die’s gaze locked onto Chu Yuan’s profile.
In its golden vertical pupils surged a worry that even it was unwilling to admit.
It opened its dragon mouth as if to say something, but its throat felt blocked, and it ultimately remained silent.
Gu Su Die thought to itself:
‘What can I say now?’
‘Ask him “Are you okay?”‘
‘Wouldn’t that make me look like I care about him?’
‘What a joke.’
‘This stinking man!’
‘I hate him the most! But…’
Gu Su Die raised its eyes to carefully examine Chu Yuan’s face.
Noticing the chef’s slightly tired brows and still pale complexion, it began to worry:
‘What did that ugly woman do to him?’
‘This stinking man’s constitution really seems a bit off!’
Gu Su Die was conflicted, its dragon tail flicking irritably in Su Xuanxuan’s arms.
Feeling that increasingly worried gaze, Chu Yuan couldn’t help but look at the dragon cub buried in Su Xuanxuan’s ample embrace.
At this, the little dragon quickly turned its head away. But the movement was too forceful, nearly causing it to fall out of Su Xuanxuan’s arms. Its little claws scrambled wildly against the plush softness, barely steadying itself, and it didn’t forget to let out a cold snort from its nose, three parts disdain, seven parts guilt.
“Hmph~!”
Even though the hostility was no longer directed at him, the corner of Gu Su Die’s vertical pupils still tracked him.
Seeing it like this, Chu Yuan couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth. He knew very well that although the Sovereign kept saying “stinking man,” “get lost,” it still cared about him; it just couldn’t swallow its pride.
‘This awkward demeanor is a bit like how it was in the past life!’
A warmth rose in Chu Yuan’s heart. ‘It seems I really need to find a way to break the barrier between the Sovereign and me.’
Just as he was pondering, Su Xuanxuan’s vermilion lips moved slightly:
“Your Highness!”
Hearing this, Chu Yuan lifted his gaze to that enchanting, alluring face.
With one hand stroking Gu Su Die and the other tucking a strand of golden hair behind her ear, Su Xuanxuan smiled with confidence:
“It’s getting late. I’ve now moved into the Chu Clan branch. According to our plan…”
As she spoke, she took half a step forward, shortening the distance between them. Her tone was deep and seductive:
“How about you come directly to my courtyard and stay?”
A fragrant scent assailed him, like midnight-blooming datura, cloying and filled with an unyielding persistence. Those fox-like, seductive eyes fixed directly on Chu Yuan, hiding deep within a determination to achieve her goal at any cost.
Meeting her gaze, Chu Yuan frowned. He knew full well: ‘This fox is at it again!’
It was the same in the past life, and it was the same now.
Fox Venerable simply couldn’t accept the Sacred Son slipping out of her control, and she saw this as an opportunity to bring him back under her watchful eye. She talked about “the plan,” but her eyes were filled with “control.”
“No!”
Chu Yuan waved his hand and turned toward the door:
“Now is not the time!”
These few words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing Su Xuanxuan’s eagerness.
Before she could say anything more, Chu Yuan added his reasoning:
“Let me stay here for nine days. Then you can create a chance encounter, say you’ve taken a liking to me—that would be reasonable. Otherwise, people will definitely be suspicious.”
Hearing this, Su Xuanxuan couldn’t help but lower her eyelashes, hiding the fleeting gloom in her eyes. Her fingers unconsciously tightened.
The Gu Su Die in her arms let out a “hiss” from being squeezed, shaking its tail to struggle:
“Loosen up! My waist!”
“Sorry.”
Su Xuanxuan loosened her grip. When she looked at Chu Yuan again, he had already opened the door.
Soon, the three of them left the private room and returned to the Chu residence via a secret passage.
The passage was deep, with luminous pearls embedded in the stone walls on both sides, emitting a faint, cool light.
Gu Su Die lay in Fox Venerable’s arms, its vertical pupils half-closed, but its gaze always followed the chef’s back. Its dragon tail hung down from Su Xuanxuan’s arm, the tip swaying lightly with each step.
Chu Yuan walked at the front, his pace unhurried.
Through his divine sense, he could always feel the Sovereign’s gaze on him.
At the end of the passage, a stone door slowly opened. The moon hung like a hook over the eaves. The night wind, carrying the unique spiritual plant scent of the Chu courtyard, rushed toward him.
Chu Yuan stepped out of the secret passage and looked up at the moon in the sky. The corners of his mouth involuntarily lifted.
Su Xuanxuan, holding Gu Su Die, walked past him and bowed:
“Your Highness, since you’ve returned, please rest well tonight. If anything comes up, feel free to call me using that Warm Sun Jade.”
Chu Yuan clasped his hands coldly:
“Good. Thank you, Fox Venerable, for taking care of the Sovereign!”
Su Xuanxuan nodded and turned to leave.
As she passed, her sleeve lightly brushed against the back of his hand, carrying an elusive coolness.
Chu Yuan’s heart stirred slightly. He watched the fox’s seductive silhouette disappear at the end of the corridor. The lingering coolness on the back of his hand remained, like an invisible iron chain linking them together.
If he did not actively resist, he would surely be pulled along by it.
Reborn for a new life, Chu Yuan knew he had to become the one who tamed this fox, not the one tamed by her.
With that resolve, he turned and walked back to his shabby courtyard.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, he lay directly on the bed.
The bedboard pressed against his back painfully, but he found it more reassuring than any soft couch.
Finally having brought back his Sovereign and freed himself from the Crown Prince’s control, Chu Yuan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Without hesitation, lying on the bed, he immediately activated the Sleeping Art: Returning Yang Pose to continue recovering his strength.
A silent night.
The next day.
While still recovering, Chu Yuan suddenly heard a commotion outside. Extending his divine sense to investigate, he was startled:
‘The Crown Prince?’
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