Celes blinked.
The prince did not mutter a word but observed her in silence.
A beautiful man has descended from some goddess' harem and entertained her with his presence. Such a beautiful man stood coldly in the centre of his guards. His hair was as silky as Jiang Yehan's. His skin was too but a pimple was popping out like a proud wrecker on his forehead. Not that it killed the elegance of his half-revealed face. His eyes were twinkling, black pools but were sharp and unreadable. Celes had the urge to yank away the fan off his hands to show the rest. To her relief, the prince nodded and closed the absurd object then kept it tucked in his long sleeves.
'What a dazzling man eyecandy,' she thought. An unlikely smiled appeared on her face immediately. 'This type of men like the gentle, soft and clumsy, trouble-maker types! Pinch me if I am wrong grandma!'
Thankfully, Celes have chosen to stop aggravating Chu Lian to greet his highness. If she could remember, Song Xiaoli mentioned he was the third prince sometime around the day.
"Your highness," Chu Lian greeted and bowed down. Celes looked at the 90 degree angle bar beside her and did not fret any further, following after the well-mannered woman in order to fix her image.
Song Xiao Li: "..."
But the third prince thought other wise. A young, foreign woman who is living here in the forest was able to save his younger royal brother. And even survived fighting against the highly, revered Chu Lian. This was the Forest of the Unforgiven. He expected an unruly, barbaric looking female yet only to meet a brown twig who paraded the forbidden robe only worn by the insolent prince of that kingdom. 'Now, what does this person want?'
The third prince studied her features. Her hair was black but not as silky and healthy just like the women of the empire. Her skin was wheat-coloured despite the foggy forest ruling out theories that she was born here. Her eyes, they were big and lifted at the sides like peach blossoms. Both had double eyelids and her lashes were long. Her lips did not look soft, pink and thin. Her nose was at least not flat. And her figure was too bony.
'Only one redeeming feature and nothing else. What curse did she put my stupid, little brother under?'
He remembered,
Celes Fallon de Lin was her name. She is clearly a foreigner. Despite all that, she spoke their language and completely understood the hiearchy as informed by Song Xiaoli and his observation. Also, she was said to be strong and was burning the mass grave with white light. Moreover, someone as heavy as Jiang Yehan was carried like cotton on her thin arms.
As the third prince of the Jiang empire, it was his duty to maintain the safety of his citizens and the reputation of his royal family. If this unattractive twig was to barge into the system, the prince wondered about the outcome. Such two-faced personality and unexpected martial arts skills did not come so obvious when they would see this girl.
"Heh", he grinned under his breath.
But Celes Fallon de Lin only found him more attractive. The calculative eyes he showed her seemed very amusing and the crazy could not help but feel adrenaline rush course through her veins.
Her eyes brimmed with eagerness when the attractive man nodded and proceeded to enter the 'humble abode'.
And yet,
"G-gold," the third prince's entourage mumbled in awe.
Even the prince smirked. 'Gold? Who owns this?'
As if someone had read his thoughts, rough-looking man came out carrying a dragon on his arms.
"Master, this is--" Celes wanted to say but was interrupted by the frosty gaze Ling Hou emitted.
For the first time in a long while, Celes remembered the first she saw this two-faced companion looking so angry.
"Your highness, third Prince, welcome to our humble abode."
"En, it has been a while Ling Hou, disciple of Zhao Shi."
Celes nodded to herself in understanding. 'So they know each other? Hopefully, they don't have any animosity between each other. Or else, it's be hard to take little chubs to my side!'
Ling Hou was silent.
Celes tilted her head and looked between the two men with impatience. Those two men could be so selfish that they cannot see anyone around them. While they are having a staring contest, the third prince's entourage look like they were about to collapse in exhaustion. Chu Lian herself may try to mask her pretty face with such an elegant demeanor but her eyelids were drooping.
She had no other choice, Celes spoke, "Shall we all go to sleep? Let's continue this tomorrow after next day's dinner!"
The soldiers were still humans in the end. There retired expressions brightened at her suggestion. Celes felt like she deserved a good breakfast as well.
Ling Hou looked at her with furrowed brows but he looked relieved nonetheless.
The third prince grinned back but spoke nothing.
His people were ready to collapse om the floor right now. They were in clear agreement with the unmannered twig.
But Chu Lian glared at Celes.
"What?" Are you gonna lie in front of the prince, girl, do not! I warn you! Celes mentally told her as she stared back.
Thankfully, the third prince agreed and was lead to a door with many engravements.
A chill ran down his spine.
And Celes seemed to have realized it. "My apologies your highness. Our small abode can only accomodate so many people so this considerate hostess is going to let you borrow the unused room. Please, follow me."
The cursed door with bloody names sent huge warnings to the Third Prince and his group but such was only a decoration to a killer for five lifetimes. Celes nonchalantly opened the door and walked in.
She hummed as she walked, proud to show off the newly renovated area.
In order to increase her foundation before meeting Jiang Yehan, she had trained well in this room. To train her martial arts, Celes thought that it would be a brilliant idea to use her strengthening exercise while widening the steep road to the altar.
From a narrow, deadly road became a well-lit path thanks to the lit torches attached on the wall and a railing on the other side. Behold, this were made from the spine of two of the previously sealed serpents hidden at the bottom of trench. Not that it reduced the quantity of those beasts, it was only two eliminated out of the remaining hundred below.
In order to avoid scaring the guest, Celes began singing some nursery rhymes from her old world to make them deaf and avoid hearing those unruly creatures. They would be bad for business.
". . . two hands, the left and the right! Show them apart, so clean and bright! Hold the-" she continued to sing.
Unfortunately, the low ranked martial warrior underestimated there keen hearing. Celes had forgotten that at least 90 percent of this world's population were martial artists!
Despite her singing badly and in a foreign language, the disturbing creatures below continued to hiss, roar and breath rapidly and loudly. Surprisingly, they weren't showing themselves.
The third prince grinned. Ling Hou might have really silenced these creatures. This girl is too lucky.
He observed that the railing were made of thick, spiky bones that looked like it belong to a long and gigantic serpent. This serpents should also have wings. He looked around for a huge pair of skin-covered wings but it has not been shown until they stopped before a tall, double-door. On it's body was a pair of wings hanging.
"Do you guys like the pathway?" Celes asked before opening the door.
The third prince spread his fan and smiled behind it. He understood what she wanted to say. This humble person does not want to brag but I decorated it myself!
"Anyway, please come in! This place has a lot of historical, aesthetic charms."
The altar became a bed and the front became a living room. In consideration of the entourage, Celes has shown them the rooms she had dug by herself before.
"It is not yet fully fixed but please make yourselves comfortable. Breakfast will be served tomorrow!"
She blew her left fist as she looked proudly at the rooms. It seems like her future plans for living here during vacation time from the capital have to be paused for awhile.
Nevertheless, the little prince has blessed her with his pure Qi. With him, purifying pits, consuming condensed Qi and finding Master Ling Hou's missing uncle was easier. Any draw backs from absorbing condensed Qi with evil miasma will be cured like a temporary headache thanks to Jiang Yehan.
'Ah, dual cultivation sounds nice too!'
Celes has left without any second thought to the third prince's surprise.
Usually, women would try to find their way to his bed but she did not. It was rare to find a woman like her, she knew her place very well.
The next morning, the third prince's lips twitched.
There were three reasons:
One, the whole night was a nightmare. After Celes left, the lurking beasts hidden by the darkness have attempted to eat them. It did not matter that the prince was a high ranked martial supreme! Because the beasts themselves were a mix of low to high ranked spiritual beasts.
Second, Celes had not come to serve breakfast.
Third, upon arrival into the golden room, he spotted Jiang Yehan cozily stuck by the brown twig's side. His brother was fat but was not ugly like that servant girl. In what world did he wake up to that such disturbing case happened before his eyes.
It was simply too unsightly. So repulsive.
Celes as usual could care less. Jiang Yehan still stuck by her and nothing changed despite the older prince's arrival. With her plans intact, she felt she had nothing to worry about.
Life was great.
As soon as she thought so, the grumpy dragon flew to her lap as Ling Hou came out from the kitchen to serve breakfast.
The third prince then came to a realization. His pride faltered.
A dragon was a member of Ling Hou's little entourage. Jiang Yehan, that stupid, little brother clung to the servant girl. They also lived in a majestic place hidden by the dangerous, uncivilized forest packed with Qi and treasures. Also, there food was abundant. For breakfast, it ranged from spiritual fruits to eggs that were cooked in a rather peculiar way and topped with some herbs. Some softened, red meat doused with honey as well. Not a single beast came to interrupt at such mouth-watering scent of the breakfast.
No wonder they could careless about them.
The third prince was stunned.
This life was only a dream in the empire.
There was no use of trying to get his favor as he could do nothing for this master and disciple.