"Candied hawthorn!" Nangong Xiao's eyes lit up. He quickly took a skewer of candied hawthorn from Shen Lixue's hand, and with one bite, most of the skewer was gone. He savored it with relish, and didn't forget to praise, "It tastes good. Where did you buy it?"
"Li Xue!" Ye Qianlong did the same, taking another string of candied hawthorns from Shen Li Xue's hand, taking a quick bite, and then asking in a wronged tone, "Why did you take so long to get here?"
"Something came up at the Prime Minister's residence, which delayed us!" Shen Lixue smiled apologetically, subtly changing the subject: "Didn't either of you have breakfast?"
"I was competing with Ye Qianlong in lightness skills and didn't have time for breakfast. It's already noon!" Nangong Xiao said casually. A faint fragrance wafted in the wind, and he suddenly stopped eating the candied hawthorn. He looked at Shen Lixue following the scent, and his eyes sparkled again: "You even brought some snacks!"
Nangong Xiao reached out to grab the pastry bag from Shen Lixue's hand, but Ye Qianlong snatched it away first, looking at him warily: "The pastry is for me!"
"You lost the contest, so it's only right that the winner takes the loser's spoils..." Nangong Xiao glared at Ye Qianlong and declared confidently.
"I used my lightness skill to search for Li Xue in the surrounding area, not to compete with you..." Ye Qianlong replied coldly, clutching the pastry bag tightly.
"This is such a big bag of snacks, you can't finish it all by yourself, you should share it with everyone..." When he couldn't take it by force, Nangong Xiao tried to persuade him with his emotions.
"No way!" Ye Qianlong refused without hesitation. He would never share the snacks that Li Xue gave him, which he could not finish in one meal, or even three.
The arguing continued, growing louder and louder. Shen Lixue shook her head helplessly. These two were actually arguing endlessly over making pastries...
"Here you go!" A white robe flashed by, and a string of candied hawthorns was stuffed into Shen Lixue's hand. The top one was missing a piece of brown sugar.
Shen Lixue looked up at Dongfang Heng. He had walked the whole way without eating any candied hawthorns. She had deliberately kept a distance from him so that he could eat something.
Shen Lixue broke the candied hawthorn in half, kept one half for herself, and stuffed the other half into Dongfang Heng's hand.
Dongfang Heng frowned: "I don't like candied hawthorns."
“You’ve been carrying these all the way. Even if you haven’t done anything great, you’ve still put in the effort. How can you not eat a single one? They each have a skewer, so let’s each have half!” After saying this, Shen Lixue suddenly realized that her words were ambiguous, so she quickly shut her mouth and lowered her head to eat the candied hawthorn.
"Dongfang Heng, you're actually eating candied hawthorns too!" Nangong Xiao suddenly turned around, looking at the candied hawthorns in Dongfang Heng's hand, his smile smug and wicked. The mighty Azure Flame War God, actually eating candied hawthorns...
“Nangong Xiao, you are the heir of the Yun Prince, your status is no lower than Dongfang Heng's. If you can eat candied hawthorn, why can't he?”
Uh! Nangong Xiao was speechless at Shen Lixue's question, and sighed inwardly. She always helped Ye Qianlong or Dongfang Heng, but never him...
With a soft whoosh, a figure in crimson purple appeared before Shen Lixue, Dongfang Heng, Nangong Xiao, and Ye Qianlong, exuding an imposing aura and sharp gaze.
"Royal Uncle!"
"Lord Zhan!"
Nangong Xiao put away his playful demeanor and greeted the War King together with Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue.
The War King agreed, his sharp gaze sweeping over Dongfang Heng, Shen Lixue, and Nangong Xiao before finally settling on Ye Qianlong. With a slight glance, his slender figure instantly appeared before him, swiftly reaching out to lift the stray hairs from Ye Qianlong's forehead. Every movement happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that no one could react. Even with Ye Qianlong's superb martial arts skills, he was unable to stop him in time.
A realistic line appears in the center of the smooth forehead.
Shen Lixue was startled: "Flames!" Having known Ye Qianlong for so long, she had always thought that the wisps of hair on his forehead were just covering his eyebrows. She had assumed that this was his preferred style of dress, but she did not know that he was hiding the flame pattern on his forehead. The flame pattern was extremely realistic. At first glance, it looked like real flames were burning fiercely, adding a touch of arrogance and domineering aura to his stunningly handsome face.
"I've heard that the Crown Prince of Qianlong of Xiliang was born with a flame pattern on his forehead, and it's truly well-deserved!" The War King's sharp gaze deepened. He let down his stray hairs and slowly walked towards the post station: "I have business to attend to. Please excuse me!"
"Was Qianlong born with the flame pattern?" As the War King walked away, Shen Lixue seemed to be talking to herself, or perhaps asking softly.
“Yes!” Ye Qianlong nodded: “Father, Mother told me the same thing.”
Shen Lixue frowned. The flame pattern on her body didn't look like a birthmark; it was rather strange!
"Li Xue, do you have a lot of things to do at the Prime Minister's residence?" Ye Qianlong came forward and grabbed Shen Li Xue's sleeve.
The temperature around them dropped instantly. Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened as he looked at Ye Qianlong's hand tightly gripping Chen Lixue's sleeve, without saying a word.
"Yes, why are you suddenly asking this?" Shen Lixue looked at Ye Qianlong with a puzzled expression.
“Every time you say you’re coming to see me, you’re always late, and the excuse you give is that there’s something to take care of at the Prime Minister’s residence…” Ye Qianlong spoke softer and softer, her voice full of grievance.
Shen Lixue coughed lightly, looking a bit awkward. "It won't happen again..." She really didn't mean to break her promise to Ye Qianlong.
"How about I move to the Prime Minister's residence to help you?" Ye Qianlong's eyes sparkled, her clear eyes flashing with a hint of a smile.
For a fleeting moment, Shen Lixue felt as if she had fallen into a trap set by Ye Qianlong. The temperature around her dropped again, and Shen Lixue tightened her clothes around her: "The Emperor has ordered you to stay at the post station. You can't wander around!"
"Then you should move to the inn. No one will bother you here!" Ye Qianlong suggested with a smile. He had already made plans for Shen Lixue.
“I am the daughter of the Prime Minister’s family, it is not appropriate for me to move to the post station…” Shen Lixue explained patiently.
Ye Qianlong was taken aback and said uncertainly, "Then you can move here after you sever your father-daughter relationship with the Prime Minister, right?"
Shen Lixue rubbed her forehead helplessly: "The father-daughter relationship isn't something you can just sever off whenever you want!"
Ye Qianlong lowered his head and said nothing more. In his wispy hair, the faint flames seemed to sense his sadness, and the patterns on them dimmed slightly.
A guard strode up to the group and said respectfully, "Your Highness, Your Highness, Miss Shen, Prince Zhan requests that Crown Prince Qianlong return to the inn!"
"Li Xue, come in with me!" Ye Qianlong said pitifully, tugging at Chen Li Xue's sleeve.
“Prince Zhan is a very good person, you don’t need to worry. He must have something urgent to tell you. Go inside quickly, I will definitely come to see you as promised!” Shen Lixue comforted her with a smile.
"Really!" Ye Qianlong looked at Shen Lixue, somewhat incredulous.
"Really!" Shen Lixue nodded emphatically. She would definitely make arrangements in advance and would never break her promise again.
"Then I'm going in. Remember to come see me!" Ye Qianlong made sure that Shen Lixue would come to see him again before following the guards to the post station, reluctantly turning back every few steps.
After entering the gate, Ye Qianlong disappeared. Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue turned and left. Nangong Xiao originally intended to follow, but when he saw Dongfang Heng's deep and sharp eyes, he gave up. Following Qingyan, the cunning god, would definitely not bring good things. He would rather find another opportunity to get close to the beauty.
Walking down the bustling street, surrounded by people, Dongfang Heng looked at the silent Shen Lixue and spoke first: "Lixue, have you noticed that Ye Qianlong is quite special?"
“Aside from his superb martial arts skills, he is no different from a child in other aspects!” Shen Lixue frowned slightly: Is the dignified Crown Prince of Xiliang born like this, or was he deliberately raised to be like this?