Ojos encantadores

Capítulo 13

"Just one more bite!" Zhu Yu pulled the thick, warm fur coat over her body. "The snowy climate outside the cliff is much colder than inside."

For more than twenty days, she had been staying in the warm "Snow King's Pavilion" in the hot spring. Suddenly, she came out of the cliff. The huge temperature difference, coupled with her unhealed injuries, made it difficult for her to even hold the strong liquor she was using to keep warm. Zhu Yu wrapped her in a warm fur coat and pulled her into his arms again, feeding her personally.

"Your Majesty, don't forget, we're still inside the carriage."

"Yes! It wasn't enough at 'Snow Jade Pavilion,' they wouldn't even let us be with Young Master Su outside."

Separated by a veil, Wuyou and Wuchou, sitting in front of the carriage, grumbled and complained.

Especially in the last two days, Su Shaochu has been almost entirely behind the curtains on the bed. Zhu Yu only allowed them to bring him three meals and medicine, and did not let them stay for even a moment longer, let alone see Su Shaochu.

"Trying to steal someone from me? Wait until you're strong enough!"

He casually handed the wine jug to them.

"Always so domineering."

"Exactly!"

The two girls took the wine, grumbling and complaining as they poured and drank.

"Once we arrive at the inn on Yunfeng Peak, you should rest well and recuperate on your body, which has been in disarray for the past two weeks." Zhu Yu said to the person in his arms with half-closed eyes, "The scenery at the inn on Yunfeng Peak is extremely beautiful. The sea of clouds at dawn and dusk is like a dream. You will love the feeling of being in a dream."

On Yunfeng Peak, Zhu Yu owns a residence called Yunfeng Haizhan, which is also a warm and cozy hot spring. Yunfeng Peak is known for its ever-changing sea of clouds. High up, immersed in the steaming hot spring, one can feel the leisurely feeling of wandering among the clouds.

In the past, Zhu Yu would usually stay for a few days in early winter or early spring, but this time he was delayed in going up Yunfeng because of Su Shaochu.

"With His Majesty here, can I get some rest?"

"It's a lie!"

Before Su Shaochu could respond, the carefree and worry-free people ahead whispered among themselves.

"It's not like we just met the Emperor today. Young Master Su even said that the Emperor is a devilish prince."

"That's right! Seeing how much he's tormenting Young Master Su, Young Master Su was absolutely right."

The two maids felt quite indignant for their young master Su, and they murmured amongst themselves again, their lips pursed.

"You two girls are getting bolder and bolder." Lately, they've learned to openly and subtly insult their master. "Then when we get to Yunfeng Sea Inn, I, the prince, will ensure that you two continue to be unable to even see Young Master Su. If you two start arguing again..."

Zhu Yu's slow and deliberate voice effectively silenced the two maids' chatter.

The person in her arms had a slight smile on their lips.

"You're willing to smile for them, but you're always reluctant to show a smile to this prince." Zhu Yu rested his head on his hand, feeling jealous of her smiles over the past two days, even if they were just slight smirks.

Especially in the last two days, she has become quieter and less talkative. She still does not refuse his hugs, and when he covers her body, she will press herself close to him, close her eyes as if sensing something, but does not respond to any of his words or actions, just letting him do whatever he wants.

Occasionally, when he cups her face in his hands and kisses her gently, urging her to open her eyes, she always slowly opens them beneath her trembling eyelashes. The captivating, intoxicating glow of passion often leaves him mesmerized.

"You already have so much, yet you've never cared about it. Do you even care about these things now?"

"If I could exchange everything I possess for a genuine smile from my beloved younger brother, would you smile back at me with all your heart?"

Su Shaochu looked at him, seriously considering the possibility of this.

"Hmm... Perhaps if you wore eight fewer gems on your fingers, less gold and silver on your clothes, less deep eyes, less cruelty in your personality, refined your ruthlessness, messier hair, and two scars on that overly handsome face that caused trouble, then Shao Chu's smile would be more likely to contain some sincerity. After all, sincerity must first have 'truth.' If you can see these things, Shao Chu will even have a knowing smile."

It's hard to imagine what Zhu Yu would look like without his flamboyant attire. His innate noble aura shines without needing jewels. But, a disheveled Zhu Yu, with messy hair and even a lost handsome face, is something that truly requires imagination. Just imagining it would make Su Shaochu not only smile knowingly, but...

"puff!"

The burst of laughter was not from Su Shaochu, but from the two girls in front of him.

"No need to spread rumors. I think the Emperor would look more charismatic with a bald head and two scars."

"Haha, good, good, I also think this completely changed look is pretty good." Wuchou clapped his hands, admiring Wuyou's imagination.

"No worries, no sorrows."

Upon hearing Zhu Yu's voice again, before their master could speak again, Wuyou and Wuchou immediately responded obediently.

"Yes, let's continue enjoying the scenery. Your Majesty, Young Master Su, you may continue."

"The snowy nights at Yunfeng are truly beautiful! Especially when the bright moon hangs high in the sky."

That's true; the two girls were happily humming a little tune as they looked at the night sky.

"Since what I possess is not enough to earn a genuine smile from you, why should I care about what I have? I only care about what I want."

He gazed at her renewed smile and composure; tonight, she was clearly in a different mood than the night before.

"If it's related to Shao Chu, hasn't the Third Prince already gotten everything he wanted?"

"Is that so?" Zhu Yu lifted her chin, looking directly at her. "Your body and soul are temporarily entrusted to another. This prince wants to know, for whom do you reserve your body and soul?"

"Is this important to the Third Prince?" A glint flashed in her eyes, clearly indicating she didn't want to answer. "Whatever the answer is, the Third Prince has already gotten what you want. In the past few days, is there any part of Shao Chu's body that you find unfamiliar?"

"That's not enough. As long as it concerns you, Su Shaochu, this prince will want you body and soul."

"Oh! I forgot that you, Third Prince, are quite greedy, always wanting everything you have." She raised an eyebrow, her soft, smiling lips deliberately brushing against his, but without letting him respond, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder. "Perhaps, let me rest for a while, and when I'm feeling better, I'll tell you."

This action left Zhu Yu with no choice but to hold her. He could forcefully turn her around and interrogate her, but he didn't want to ruin her rare act of taking the initiative to get close. He never imagined that he would be so moved by someone's initiative to get close to him.

"Your young love for your younger brother has shown me your willful side."

She didn't want to talk, and it was a way of brushing him off, but she did it in a way that he couldn't get angry about.

"Being with an old man who's almost ten years younger than me, I can only be willful."

"Old...man!" No one had ever dared to call Zhu Yu old in front of him. Always dressed in flamboyant attire, he was the last person one would imagine as hunched over and frail. There was a slight age difference between them, but in her eyes, was Zhu Yu...that kind of outward appearance? "You—"

"I'm tired and sleepy, could you please stop being so...shrill?"

Hearing her weary voice, Zhu Yu had no choice but to swallow this unfamiliar and unaccustomed bitterness.

The two girls, Wuyou and Wuchou, were bouncing around on their shoulders, clearly about to burst into laughter. They were holding it in, afraid that if they really laughed out loud, their master would be angry. They decided to wait until they reached their destination before laughing wildly.

Zhu Yu held her close, feeling her body temperature, and couldn't help but close his eyes. He had never felt this tranquility before.

Although the air was cold, it possessed a clear and pure quality. Especially on a snowy night in Yunfeng, the moonlight created a serene beauty. The group, including Feng Yan who rarely showed any expression, felt a sense of calm and tranquility.

Under this silvery snowy night, when the sound of the zither suddenly rang out, with a strange and eerie melody, everyone was on alert. It was as if the mysterious sound was surging in from all directions and surrounding them!

"Watch out!" Yan Pingfei immediately raised his hand to signal the convoy to stop.

Under the bright moon, a graceful figure held a zither with one arm, while the other hand moved fluently across the strings, producing powerful notes. Three swordsmen stood proudly beside him.

"The Three Profound Swords of Taoism!" These three individuals were the personal swordsmen who had always protected Su Shaochu, and the one in the middle was none other than—"Fourth Young Master Su?!"

"Different people!" Feng Yan stepped aside, his sharp, piercing eyes revealing a piercing gaze. "Completely different!"

The carefree and worry-free people inside the car lifted the curtain and were somewhat stunned by what they saw!

[Worry-free, carefree, what happened?]

"Your Majesty, it is...it is..." Wuchou was speechless, unable to answer for a moment. He looked ahead and then back at the veil, as if confirming something.

"There's another one...Young Master Su!" Wuyou answered directly.

"Another one!" Zhu Yu's eyes narrowed sharply.

The musician playing the zither under the bright moon pressed his hand onto the strings, and the melody ended. His elegant and composed demeanor was different from Su Shaochu's carefree and unrestrained style, yet both were equally unforgettable. He neither followed any official etiquette nor the customs of the martial world, but simply said, "Su Xuechu, the seventh son of the Su family, pays respects to the Third Prince." His voice was deep and soft, yet in the vast snowy night, it seemed to ring in one's ears—clear and resonant.

His handsome and refined face was almost identical to Su Shaochu's, but his demeanor was as pure and clear as ice and snow.

"The seventh son, Su, Xue, Chu!" A glint of blade flashed in his eyes. Zhu Yu stroked the hair of the person in his arms, sighing with a languid smile, "My dear brother, arranging this snowy night on Yunfeng Peak must have taken a lot of effort on your part!"

Su Shaochu, her arms wrapped around his neck, simply rested her face against his shoulder, her eyes closed in repose. "Can't you accept the challenge?"

"Just consider it a challenge from you, what's wrong with that?"

Su Xuechu's imposing gaze was fixed on the carriage and the distinguished swordsman beside her. (Seal!)

"Shouldn't the nominal 'Fourth Young Master Su' be accompanying the Eldest Princess to Qianruo Temple to worship Buddha, cultivate himself, and study the scriptures? Why did he come to Yunfeng?" Zhu Yu's lazy voice came from inside the car.

"He is the sixth son of my Su family. I hope the Third Prince will return him."

"According to the laws of my Heavenly Capital Dynasty, among the four great families, if the sixth son has a daughter, she becomes a member of my Heavenly Family." Inside the carriage, Zhu Yu casually stroked the woman in his arms, yet his embrace tightened. "Becoming a member of my Heavenly Family means either being granted the title of princess, or being directly bestowed upon me as a member of the royal family. Either way, the sixth son is already mine, Zhu Yu's person. I wonder what gives the Su family the right to demand her from me!"

Upon hearing that the sixth son was already Zhu Yu's man, Su Xuechu's brows furrowed even more coldly.

"The sixth son belongs to the Su family, not the Tian family, and he doesn't belong to anyone else, especially you, Zhu Yu!"

"How dare you!" Yan Pingfei roared. "How dare you address the Third Prince by his given name!"

"Have the scholars and swordsmen of Nanyuan come to the Central Plains to aid and abet evil?" Su Xuechu's eyes flashed with anger. "The scholars are supposed to guide the Holy Maiden's son, and the swordsmen are supposed to protect him, not come here to be henchmen of tyrants! Yan Pingfei and Feng Yan, in the name of the current generation of swordsmen, I will bind you two and send you to Nanyuan to be punished!"

This stern and forceful tone startled Yan Pingfei and Feng Yan!

"What an arrogant tone and demeanor! Bringing up that old fellow Mingzong's name, it seems you, the seventh son of the Su family, have quite a background. You must be a young swordsman who has been living in seclusion in Meixiu Mountain and is highly respected by the Xuanyuanwa clan, right?"

Zhu Yu revealed Su Xuechu's identity, which shocked Yan Pingfei and Feng Yan. After all, the legendary little swordsman lived deep in Meixiu Mountain and was rarely seen.

"Unfortunately, Pingfei and Fengyan have come to my Central Plains and are now by my side. They are my men. Anyone who tries to harm them is making an enemy of this prince."

"Chuo'er".

At Su Xuechu's gentle call, a girl in green leaped down from a tree not far away, her beautiful face radiant and full of energy as she ran towards them.

"Let's learn a few tricks from our predecessors who share the same lineage!"

"Great! Great! I've been looking forward to this for so long!" Feng Chuo'er clapped her hands, then pulled Su Xuechu along, smiling sweetly. "If I beat him, how will you reward me?"

"Let your 'Young Master' play with you." Faced with the girl's liveliness, Su Xuechu remained indifferent and said calmly.

"It's that very gentle, very gentle 'Young Master Shao Chu' who's different from you." Feng Chuo'er, who only learned about the two of them in the last two days, asked with bright eyes.

"Yes, she is completely different from me. She is the 'Brother Shaochu' you have been longing for. Once she is out of danger, she will answer why there are two 'Brother Shaochu' and whether there will be a 'Brother Shaochu' who will accompany you for the rest of your life. The answers are all in her."

"Does what you're saying mean that the 'Young Master' who will be with me for life isn't you anymore?" She didn't like it. Why was he being so cold?

"Rescue 'Brother Shaochu' from inside the sedan chair, and she will give you the answer."

Hearing this from inside the car, Su Shaochu, feeling utterly defeated, buried her face in Zhu Yu's neck, groaning softly, "Little brother, you've changed. You've actually learned to set traps for me, throwing such a terrible problem at me, knowing full well that I can't bear to hurt a daughter's heart." Now she had no chance of escaping Zhuo'er's entanglement.

"Alright, I will beat you, Senior Brother Feng Yan!" Feng Chuo'er pointed at the swordsman in front of her and said with full confidence.

"She is..." Feng Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing her address and hearing her rather familiar demeanor.

"Like you, he is a disciple of Wu Xuanyi, and was the last disciple the Venerable Master accepted before his passing."

"My youngest junior sister." He remembered that when he returned to Nanyuan to visit his master more than ten years ago, she was still a child under five years old. She loved to cling to him and play. He, who did not like to be close to people, spent the whole day with her like that. Now, she has grown up so much.

"Master Wu Xuan bestowed upon her all his life's skills; she is an outstanding swordswoman from Nanyuan."

Upon hearing Su Xuechu's words, Feng Chuo'er became extremely proud and pointed her sword at Feng Yan.