Looking at her former younger self, Guwu Lin couldn't help but remember how she was always surrounded by maidservants and guards. If one were to look at it from afar, it looked more like a canary in a cage, rather than a protected jewel.
Sometimes, you have to take another look before you can see the truth.
Had someone admonished her, instead of spoiled her, she may not have done stupid things. Come to think of it, she can't remember why she thought it was a good idea to forcefully take the Third Prince of the Jade Court home.
Those events happened to long ago, to the point she had gaps in her memory.
Now that she could reflect upon it, she wonders why she did what she did in the first place. Perhaps, being in the past will allow her to remember.
When Little Plum returned to the room, Tangyu Sanjun was the same as she had left him. He might have moved slightly to the right, but otherwise, he hadn't changed at all.
Little Plum took a deep breath. Right, from now on, she could only rely on herself. The burden of the devil world weighed heavily on her shoulders. And there was no one to share that burden with.
Little Plum set the tray of food down with a bright smile on her face.
"Your highness, the food is here."
Tangyu Sanjun stared at the strange food in front of him. In the celestial world, he ate divine fruits and drank from the pool of sacred creation.
When did he ever have to eat food covered in ash?
Little Plum picked up a parcel of food still wrapped in leaves. In the devil world, where trees were scarce, everyone cooked food in the volcanic ash. Food was wrapped in leaves to protect it from the ash debris.
Tapping the parcel on a plate, Little cleared most of ash on it off. Then she opened the parcel to reveal the inside. A fragrant smell dispersed into the air.
This was the meat of the fire snake, a rare delicacy.
She used to eat this almost every day for her noonday meal.
When Little Plum thought of her happy past, she wondered if she could get it back.
After preparing the fire snake meat, she set the plate in front of Tangyu Sanjun.
"Please use this meal," she told him.
Tangyu Sanjun pursed his lips and after a moment of thinking, he asked, "Can one really eat this?"
Little Plum clenched her hands into tight balls.
"Of course this can be eaten. This is a rare delicacy in the devil world."
"I won't eat it. Mother empress said not to eat food randomly given by strangers."
The smile she tried so hard to keep on her face fell. Little Plum took a deep breath to calm her anger and asked through clenched teeth, "Your highness, do I look like a stranger?"
Tangyu Sanjun directly nodded, not giving Little Plum any face.
"Calm yourself down," Little Plum told herself. "He doesn't recognize you now. Just introduce yourself to him and gain his trust. This isn't difficult. This is just a single obstacle. You can overcome this."
After giving herself this little pep talk, she cheered up and recovered her motivation.
"Tangyu Sanjun, I am your personal maid, Little Plum. I was born in the mortal world as a little dandelion weed growing on the edge of a great desert. When I awakened my consciousness, I was kindly taken in by a kind, loving couple and taught to cultivate."
"What is it like to grow up without father or mother?"
"It's lonely," Little Plum answered from the depths of her heart.
"If you know its lonely, then why are the devils keeping me away from my own parents?"
Huh? Just why was this kid so smart!!!
"Your highness, I'm just a lowly servant. Please don't make things difficult for me."
Countless times over the years, Guwu Lin had heard these lines. She always knew to give the servants a little leeway when they said these words.
Just when Little Plum thought she was safe, Tangyu Sanjun asked her, "Then, surely you can pass a message to my parents in the celestial realm?"