clergé

Chapitre 76

He Shaoxin, unusually, got up very early and stood in front of the palace gate, yawning, to see off the "golden boy and jade girl".

"Nephew, could you bring some local specialties for my daughter?" He took out a blue-and-white cloth bundle and, still half-asleep, handed it to He Qinglu.

He Qinglu turned to the side and did not take the package.

Pang Wan stood to the side watching, feeling somewhat embarrassed, so she took the initiative to put the package into her arms: "He will, Palace Master, please rest assured."

He Shaoxin lifted his eyelids to glance at her, a slanted upward curve to his lips.

"My niece-in-law is the best." He reached out to put his arm around Pang Wan's waist, his eyes full of affection. "I say, niece-in-law, my nephew is a bit unreasonable. You'd better keep an eye on him and give him some pointers along the way."

Facing He Qinglu's murderous gaze, He Shaoxin whispered two whole sentences into Pang Wan's ear.

"My adorable niece-in-law, if I find out you've lied to my nephew again, I'll skin you alive and make you into a flower drum, okay, Holy Mother?"

He chuckled in a voice only he and Pang Wan could hear, as if he were making a harmless joke.

Pang Wan's face instantly drained of all color.

With a heavy heart, she followed He Qinglu down the mountain until the slightly salty wind filled her nose, and then she realized that she had come to a seaside cliff that she had never seen before.

"What is that?" She stared wide-eyed at the enormous, all-black creature at her feet.

“That’s my boat.” He Qinglu turned his head and smiled slightly at her. “Its name is Mountain Demon.”

"We're going to travel by water?" Pang Wan looked up at him in surprise. "Isn't riding a horse faster?"

“If it were a month ago, I would naturally take you by land. However, starting from the beginning of this month, the sea will change direction and flow eastward, so traveling by water will be faster than traveling by land.” He Qinglu looked at the roaring waves crashing against the reefs with a calm and distant expression. “Besides, the waterway is also very safe, and we won’t encounter bandits along the way.”

Pang Wan didn't say anything, but couldn't help but admire him inwardly.

"Young master, everything is ready." Someone stepped forward to report, it was Jin Diluo, whose hand injury had just healed.

He Qinglu nodded, and without saying a word, he grabbed Pang Wan and jumped off the cliff.

The cold wind howled, making his clothes flutter. When he landed safely on the deck, he saw the pitiful look on the face of the person in his arms, who looked utterly lost and dejected.

"So timid? Doesn't seem like it." He muttered, trying to let go of Pang Wan, but she panicked and hugged him even tighter, her face as white as snow.

He was surprised, but at the same time happy—this silly girl really can't live without me, he thought to himself.

So he slowly lowered his head and casually tapped the girl's forehead.

"What are you doing?" Pang Wan woke up from her nightmare of falling off the cliff and shoved the person next to her away.

"Kiss you!" Amber gazed at her calmly, while He Qinglu's handsome face remained serene.

Pang Wan sighed, "How could this person say such shameless things without batting an eye!"

"Young master! You...you shouldn't be like this..." She took a deep breath, thinking that she should tell this prince-obsessed man that there is a huge difference between a fake lover and a real lover.

But He Qinglu frowned: "Shouldn't this be?" He thought for a moment, then reached out and pulled Pang Wan into his arms, planting a light kiss on her red lips.

"I understand, so that's what you wanted me to do." The girl's lips were as sweet as cherries, making him feel comfortable and happy. His eyes narrowed into long, narrow ones. His second uncle often used this trick to coax his female confidantes. Even if he had never eaten pork, he had seen pigs run.

Pang Wan's face turned bright red, not from embarrassment, but from anger.

She simply didn't believe that He Qinglu would actually like her.

—At most, he just found her interesting. His fondness for her was like his interest in studying various mechanisms—it was just a fleeting novelty.

Oh well, if he kisses me a couple of times, consider it like being licked by a puppy; it's paying off a debt.

She thought to herself resentfully, but ultimately did not utter a word of protest.

Anyway, after meeting Sang Chan in Linyi, the two of them will definitely go their separate ways.

She would never again believe any advances from handsome men on this continent.

Chapter Fourteen

Marmalade Love

After sailing for several days, the Mandrill stopped at a port as planned to replenish its fresh water and food supplies.

Pang Wan felt itchy after being cooped up on the ship for several days, so he wanted to go ashore for some fresh air. But as soon as he reached the cabin door, someone grabbed him by the collar.

"Where are you going?" He Qinglu stood behind her, a shadow flickering in his eyes.

"Go out and buy some fruit." Pang Wan was slightly surprised. Why did this young master walk so quietly?

He Qinglu nodded in agreement: "I also happen to want to eat oranges." Without waiting for Pang Wan's protest, she took her hand and walked towards the dock.

Pang Wan had no choice but to follow reluctantly.

The street vendor Wang Erga had a stroke of good luck today. He was selling two baskets of tangerines on the street when a generous young man bought them all for the exorbitant price of five taels of silver. Just as he was overjoyed, he suddenly heard a discordant voice.

"How can we possibly eat all this?" A little girl jumped out and accused his God of Wealth.

To be fair, the girl was quite pretty, about fifteen or sixteen years old. Her fair face was wrapped in a black fox fur collar, and her bright red cloak made her cheeks look as pink as peach blossoms. Her dark, bright eyes revealed a clever and mischievous air. She was clearly from a wealthy family.

But being pretty is one thing, but being pretty doesn't put food on the table for the farmers, so he got angry at the little girl who was blocking his path to wealth.

"Young lady, it's none of your business if your young master wants to buy so much." He glared at the girl.

The little girl was unhappy and ignored him, only pouting and tugging at the young man's clothes: "I'm not moving this basket, I can't move two big baskets."

"Young master, please give me an address, and I'll personally pick it out for you!" Wang Erga was afraid the deal would fall through, so he quickly offered a home delivery service.