The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 251

"So, no matter what, I must keep my promise to the Serpent Envoy, right?"

Liu Yue nodded: "Yes!"

She looked at him expectantly: "Then, could you take me to see the great hero?"

She insisted that Liu Yue take her because she had a hidden agenda: those men in black were incredibly terrifying, and they could appear at any moment to kill her. With Liu Yue's martial arts skills—even great heroes praised them—and the fact that she had personally witnessed him kill that man in black, she believed that if he was willing to protect her, she would certainly be safe…

Liu Yue knew, of course, who the great hero Zhu Huihui was talking about was. He stared at her, his face unreadable, and simply asked, "I'm right here beside you, yet you're going to find Feng Xuese?"

Zhu Huihui was taken aback: "Huh?"

Suddenly it dawned on him, oh dear, how utterly clueless he was about social etiquette! These people of the martial world are all very proud; by saying such things, he was clearly showing no respect for Brother Liu Yue. No wonder he was angry!

She looked at him apologetically, took his hand, and shook it gently.

Liu Yue remained silent for a while before finally breaking into a smile, though it was obscured by the misty water.

"Alright, I'll take you to see Brother Xuese!"

As dusk fell, a light drizzle began to fall, and a thin mist hung over Dongting Lake. The green hills and dark waters appeared and disappeared in the mist, creating a scene reminiscent of a fairyland.

A dragon boat sailed from the Yangtze River into Dongting Lake, slowly traveling along the waterway.

Inside the luxurious and comfortable cabin, Liu Yue, dressed in an apricot-colored robe, leaned against the vermilion railing of the porthole, gazing at the lake with a touch of melancholy on his handsome face. The orange light streaming from the palace lanterns at the bow cast beautiful arcs of light on him, making him appear ethereal yet mysteriously lonely.

Zhu Huihui lay on a vermilion sandalwood table, her hands supporting her cheeks, looking at him from behind, feeling that he was very, very far away.

Yes, she was very, very far away from him.

She recalled that day at the cemetery; in fact, she had felt that way back then…

"Alright, I promise I'll go see Feng Xuese!" Liu Yue said slowly that day, "but—"

"only?"

He walked to the window and looked out through the open pane. A faint glimmer of white had appeared on the eastern horizon, making the silent graveyard appear desolate and bleak.

“But you can rest for a while now. We’ll set off after dawn,” he said coldly. “It’s almost dawn.”

Zhu Huihui lay on the bed, looking at his profile.

His profile was incredibly beautiful, with sharp, defined features, elegant features, clear eyebrows and eyes, a high nose bridge, and lips shaped like a bow—so exquisite that it almost seemed unreal.

She paused for a moment, her eyes opening and closing repeatedly, until finally she couldn't stay in bed any longer. She put her feet down and whispered, "I can't sleep."

Liu Yue gave an "Oh," glanced at her sideways, and didn't even change the curve of her lips, looking completely indifferent.

Is he angry? Zhu Huihui felt a little wronged. She hadn't done anything to him, so why was he angry?

She also put on a stern face, turned her head to the side, and ignored him.

Liu Yue remained silent for a long while before a faint smile appeared on her face: "I'm jealous!"

"Huh?" Zhu Huihui looked into his deep, unsettling eyes. She couldn't quite make out what was inside them, but suddenly felt a pang of panic. She nervously scratched her hair. "What is it?"

"Because when something happens, the first person you think of is Fengxuese."

Huihui chuckled dryly, "That's because I'm more familiar with the hero!" This person is really petty. She only said one wrong thing, she didn't really look down on him, yet he keeps making a fuss about it.

Liu Yue gazed at her silently for a while, his gaze unfathomable, then suddenly smiled: "That makes sense! But—" He paused, "one day, you'll find that I know you better than Brother Xue Se..."

"Miss Zhu, please have some tea!" A sharp voice interrupted Zhu Huihui's reverie.

A fair and delicate hand placed a jade cup on the sandalwood table. The cup contained light green tea, and white steam rose gently from it.

"Ah! Thank you, thank you!"

Looking at the fair-skinned, beardless middle-aged man, Zhu Huihui was somewhat flattered. Such a high-ranking person actually personally poured tea for her—it was truly… truly unbearable!

Don't underestimate this chubby, effeminate man; Brother Liu Yue calls him "Chief Steward Qin." He's no ordinary steward of a country bumpkin, but the chief steward of a prince—a very high-ranking official!

However, although his official rank was not low, he still had to listen to Brother Liu Yue—there was nothing he could do, since Brother Liu Yue was a prince! His rank was even higher!

In the past, the largest official she had ever seen was a prefect, and she only saw him when he was in court and she was seen outside the government office.

How many ranks are there between a prefect and a prince? Zhu Huihui tried to calculate it several times, but still couldn't figure it out.

That day, at the hut in the cemetery, just as dawn broke, someone outside reported: "The matter has been settled. Please depart, Your Highness."

At the time, she didn't know what was going on and thought that enemies had come again, which terrified her. Liu Yue comforted her and told her not to be afraid, saying that the people who came were family.

She hid behind him and saw the people he was talking about.

At the time, she thought Liu Yue's guards were opera singers; their costumes were all so colorful that they made her eyes pop out. The plump, effeminate head steward wore a bright red python robe adorned with flowers, while the other dozen or so shrewd and strong men wore gold embroidered robes with long swords at their waists—Liu Yue called those the Golden Flying Fish Robes and Rusty Spring Blades.

Then she learned that Liu Yue was actually a prince.

Tsk tsk! The prince's entourage is truly grand...

When Steward Qin noticed that the silly girl was lost in thought again, he coughed and said expressionlessly, "Miss Zhu, you don't need to be so polite with this old servant!"

"Oh! Okay, okay! You're welcome! You're welcome!" Zhu Huihui always felt that this Steward Qin was strange, so she felt uneasy when facing him. Well, he's a eunuch, so it's understandable that he's a bit odd...

Steward Qin noticed that the silly girl's gaze had suddenly become strange. He gave her a sinister glare and quietly retreated to the side.

Zhu Huihui was startled and immediately turned her head away, pretending nothing had happened. She stood up, put her hands behind her back, and strode over to Liu Yue's side. She then pretended to lean on the railing and looked out with him.

A light drizzle falls on the river and sky at dusk, the lake is shrouded in mist and haze, and dragon boats cut through the waves, as if in a painting.