Chapter 37 (Part 1)

Xiao Yuqing crouched down slightly, gathering the shattered pieces of the bowl into one spot.

As he picked up the shards, he kindly reminded her, “Be careful where you step, Miss Yu. There might be tiny fragments left behind.”

Yu Zhengzheng froze for a moment, not hearing a word he said. Her gaze was fixed on the crook of his arm.

His skin was pale and smooth as jade, like a freshly peeled boiled egg, glistening in the golden sunlight. There wasn’t even a hint of fine hair, let alone any red marks.

Could she have misunderstood him?

Guilt crept into Yu Zhengzheng’s heart, but at least she felt some relief.

Xiao Yuqing had helped her many times. Deep down, she didn’t want him to be associated with An Ning in any way.

Yu Zhengzheng squatted down and picked up a shard of porcelain. “Thank you, Brother Xiao.”

This time, her gratitude came from the bottom of her heart.

Xiao Yuqing continued to smile warmly. His slender fingers gently covered her hand. “You shouldn’t touch these. If you cut yourself and leave a scar, it’d be a shame.”

Yu Zhengzheng was nearly melted by his words. He was the epitome of a warm and caring older brother figure, radiating gentleness and thoughtfulness in every action.

Especially compared to that ghost king—a temperamental brute who either scowled at her, grabbed her by the collar, or strangled her neck—Xiao Yuqing was like an oasis in the desert, a refreshing rain after a long drought.

The warmth of his fingertips rested lightly on the back of her hand. Though the gesture seemed innocuous, when performed by someone as gentle and courteous as Xiao Yuqing, it carried an entirely different implication.

Yu Zhengzheng noticed his slightly flushed face. She wasn’t sure what he had to be embarrassed about, but after a moment of hesitation, she decided to play along, adopting a bashful demeanor herself.

Instead of pulling her hand away, she deliberately lowered her gaze in a shy, coy manner, sneaking a glance at him.

Xiao Yuqing, visibly flustered, averted his gaze, though his hand remained absentmindedly atop hers.

Yu Zhengzheng was only teasing him. Once she felt satisfied, she prepared to withdraw her hand. However, her gaze inadvertently fell on a large bruise on his elbow.

She froze.

The bruise was quite prominent. How had he managed to injure his elbow like that?

Xiao Yuqing noticed her prolonged silence and turned his head to see her slightly dazed expression. Following her gaze, he looked at his elbow and explained with his usual calm smile, “I must have bumped it while unconscious and being brought here. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Yu Zhengzheng nodded. “Brother Xiao, that looks like quite a hit. Be sure to apply some medicine, or it might get sore in a couple of days.”

Without waiting for a response, she got up and walked away.

Her steps were slightly stiff, and the smile on her face had vanished completely.

That day, the man hiding in Anning’s bamboo hut had used his elbow to smash through the wardrobe and wall to escape.

The man had used his right elbow, and Xiao Yuqing’s bruise was also on his right elbow.

Could it be just a coincidence?

No. Xiao Yuqing’s actions earlier had been too unusual.

He was always steady and composed. How could he have fumbled and dropped a bowl of water?

Even if it was an accident, considering his usual genteel demeanor, it seemed entirely out of character for him to roll up his sleeves and expose most of his arm in front of a woman—it was uncharacteristically improper.

It was as though he had done it on purpose, exposing his arm to prove his innocence.

Yu Zhengzheng returned to the wooden table, lost in thought, only to hear a faintly mocking laugh nearby. “What a touching little scene. Quite the performance.”

She looked up, startled, following the voice to its source.

Rong Shang sat there, the corners of his mouth curled into a smile, but his eyes were as icy as the coldest frost in midwinter. There was not a hint of warmth in his gaze.

It took her a moment to process his words, and then she realized he was referring to her and Xiao Yuqing with the phrase “touching little scene.”

Instinctively, she explained, “Don’t misunderstand. He was just giving me a bowl of water to rinse my mouth—”

Rong Shang sneered. “Giving you water, and your hands just happened to overlap?”

Yu Zhengzheng: “…”

What was he insinuating now?

And how did he even know their hands had overlapped?

She looked at him, puzzled. “How did you know our hands overlapped?”

Rong Shang froze.

How did he know?

Because he had seen it with his own eyes, of course.

But he had clearly turned his back to them earlier. When had he turned around and looked?

He couldn’t remember.

All he remembered was that when he looked over, he saw their hands resting together and her shy, timid expression.

After a moment of silence, Rong Shang resumed his air of indifference, his tone casual. “What were you two talking about? You seemed quite happy.”

Yu Zhengzheng replied honestly, “We weren’t talking about anything.”

Rong Shang raised an eyebrow. “Then why were you blushing?”

Yu Zhengzheng: “…”

When had she ever blushed?

Suppressing her irritation, she explained patiently, “He accidentally dropped the bowl, and we were picking up the broken pieces together. But I wasn’t—” blushing.

Before she could finish, Rong Shang casually placed his hand on the table. His fingers pressed slightly into the surface, and a wave of energy rippled outwards. A sharp white light swept across, shattering all the dishes on the long table. Ceramic shards, mixed with human flesh, scattered across the ground.

The wild men who had been eating immediately leapt up, scratching their heads in frustration as they searched for the culprit.

But they had no idea who was responsible or how it had happened.

Meanwhile, the real culprit bent down, calmly picking up a piece of shattered ceramic near Yu Zhengzheng’s feet.

After picking up two shards, he noticed her standing motionless and asked, “Why aren’t you picking them up?”

Yu Zhengzheng: “…” Why should I even bother?

She glanced at the thin layer of frost now covering the long wooden table. Even without thinking too hard, she could easily guess who was behind this.

Rong Shang noticed her peculiar expression but didn’t understand it.

Hadn’t she just said she was blushing because they were picking up broken pieces together?

Where had he gone wrong?

While Rong Shang was lost in thought, Yu Zhengzheng looked up and noticed the wild men slowly converging in their direction.

Her eyes shifted to the table in front of him, where a deeply embedded handprint stood out.

It all clicked. Rong Shang had dirtied their dinner, and now the wild men were looking for the culprit.

Seeing the spiked clubs in their hands, Yu Zhengzheng couldn’t suppress a shiver, as if those sharp points were already piercing into her head.

Without further hesitation, she grabbed Rong Shang’s arm and dragged him toward the nearby woods.

Still holding a piece of broken ceramic in his hand, Rong Shang instinctively followed her lead, his expression slightly dazed.

Through the thin fabric of his sleeve, her fingertips pressed against his arm. He could clearly feel her warmth.

The intense heat felt strangely familiar.

He pressed his lips together, his lowered gaze closely following her delicate fingertips.

Her fingers appeared soft; he wondered if they would feel the same when touched.

As he thought this, he couldn’t resist reaching out with his large, well-defined hand, seemingly wanting to gently touch her.

However, when his fingertip brushed a fallen leaf, the green leaf disintegrated into ash in the blink of an eye. He immediately halted his movement.

Reality hit him.

He couldn’t touch her; it would kill her.

A god is born standing atop a mountain peak, but the life of a god is destined to be one of solitude and melancholy.

The goddess had fallen from her divine status to touch the Third Prince of the Eastern Emperor, stripping herself of her divine powers.

What a foolish act.

He chuckled lightly, dismissing her small hand that had touched his arm.

He stopped walking, his expression calm. “Why are you running?”

Yu Zhengzheng, out of breath from running, bent over and pointed to the wild men outside the forest. “They… they want to trouble you…”

Following her direction, he saw the wild men holding wolf’s teeth and axes, angrily gesturing at the table.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. “So what?”

Yu Zhengzheng froze for a moment.

That’s right—he wasn’t afraid of them. Even if a whole group of wild men showed up, they would be no match for him.

Why was she pulling him to run?

No, it should be that she herself should run. Whether he could fight the wild men or not had nothing to do with her, and whether there was any danger should not even be something she considered.

She gave him a smile. “I won’t next time.”

It was clear that he had been the one to think she was making a big deal out of nothing, yet hearing her say that made him slightly displeased. “Why won’t you next time?”

Yu Zhengzheng didn’t understand what he meant. “Because you don’t need it.”