Chapter 17: Maybe… She’s Already Reluctant to Leave
When Yu Xiang returned to the inn, she found that Chen Yin was nowhere in sight.
Not knowing where he had gone, she had no choice but to sit in the room and wait.
As she waited, she drank cup after cup of tea to pass the time.
She was suddenly reminded of the times when she used to do the same thing.
She would prepare a meal at home, then sit at the table, waiting quietly for Chen Yin to come back.
But so many times, the food would go cold, and there'd still be no sign of him. When he did return late, it was usually with the smell of alcohol, exhaustion written all over his face…
…and the lingering fragrance of other women on his clothes.
Since she was young, Yu Xiang had a sensitive nose. Especially for women's scents, she could almost always identify each woman's personal fragrance or choice of powders.
Each time she smelled a different woman's scent on him, she felt unhappy.
And then, in silence, she'd sit and eat the now-cold food on her own.
Still, whenever this happened, Chen Yin would sit down with her and eat too, never complaining about the food being cold. Sometimes he'd even start complaining about how his master had eaten at a tavern and left him to apologize and settle the bill before they could leave.
But Yu Xiang didn't want to hear his explanations.
Her senior brother's affairs, she felt, were none of her business. Even if he really was out fooling around, she didn't feel she had any right to stop him.
But she still felt a tinge of sadness and discontent.
There was no reason. Or, perhaps, the reason was simple and straightforward.
She just didn't want to smell another woman's scent on him.
While she was lost in thought, the door to the inn opened, and in walked Chen Yin, muttering curses under his breath. He was holding a paper bag filled with buns and snacks.
"Unbelievable! Those merchants are ruthless, raising prices right before the Heavenly Beauty Summit. A single bag of buns for a whole silver tael?"
"Good thing I can haggle! After three hundred rounds, I finally got them for the original price."
He walked over to Xiang'er and happily held out a bun. "Want to try one, Xiang'er? They're expensive, but I have to say, they taste amazing."
Yu Xiang accepted the bun, but instead of eating it right away, she stared at it for a while.
"Did you… go out to buy buns, senior brother?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yeah." Chen Yin looked at her strangely. "You went out shopping too, so I figured I'd take a stroll myself."
"Not just buns—I got all kinds of snacks, look!"
He poured a large bag of sweets and pastries onto the table, but Xiang'er didn't seem interested.
—Liar.
He still had the scent of other women on him. More than one, in fact.
Only close contact could have left those traces.
"Why bother coming back so early?"
Xiang'er quietly put the bun back and said in a low voice, "I wouldn't be scared waiting alone in the room."
"You could've stayed out fooling around a bit longer, so those other women wouldn't be left waiting."
Chen Yin almost choked on his half-eaten bun, coughing twice before awkwardly saying,
"Cough—What are you talking about, Xiang'er? I wasn't out fooling ar—"
"Still denying it," Xiang'er said, turning away with a pout.
Chen Yin put his half-eaten bun on the table and carefully moved closer to her. "Xiang'er…are you jealous?"
"Why would I be jealous of a stinky senior brother?"
Her voice had a faint trace of sadness, but she tried not to show it too obviously, sulking quietly without looking at him.
"So… does it bother you when I go out fooling around?" he asked softly.
"Of course it does…I mean…who cares what you do?"
Seeing that she wasn't easy to comfort, Chen Yin sighed, reaching out to ruffle her hair affectionately.
"Alright, alright. No more sulking, little vinegar pot."
"On my way back, I ran into our sect's eldest senior sister and then the Luo Shang Fairy from Tianluo Sect. They got into a bit of an argument."
"As a disciple of Misty Spirit Sect, I couldn't just ignore it, so I stepped in to help mediate, that's all."
"Fooling around… How could you think that? When I have a beauty like you by my side every day, why would I care about anyone else?"
Xiang'er turned to him, eyes doubtful. "Really?"
"If you don't believe me, we can go see Senior Sister after the Heavenly Beauty Summit for confirmation."
Chen Yin chuckled, gently pinching her cheek. "So, can my little vinegar pot finally put the lid back on? Otherwise, you'll end up pickling the bun with all that sourness."
"Who's your little vinegar pot!"
Xiang'er puffed up her cheeks indignantly, biting into the bun with a fierce little snap, as if the bun itself was her bothersome senior brother.
Seeing she was finally appeased, Chen Yin breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his bun to continue eating.
But when he looked down, the bun he'd half-eaten earlier had mysteriously disappeared.
Not only that, but the snacks in the bag seemed to have noticeably dwindled.
Glancing out the window, he caught sight of a fluffy fox tail swaying gently.
Chen Yin: "…"
—This little rascal, Luo Luo, couldn't she hold back even for a moment? Did she really have to sneak a snack in front of Xiang'er?
Helpless, Chen Yin mumbled, "I'll go down and order some side dishes so we can eat properly," and then stepped out of the room.
Rounding the corner outside the inn, he stood behind the little fox, who was happily munching away.
At that moment, Luo Luo, still unaware, was gleefully devouring a big meat bun, her cheeks puffed up, crumbs and grease at the corners of her mouth.
"Enjoying yourself?" The sudden voice nearly made her choke on her food.
"Cough— cough—" She hurriedly hid the bun behind her back, then turned with a guilty grin. "Yo– Young Master…"
"Don't bother hiding it. Look at that huge pile; you couldn't possibly keep it out of sight."
Luo Luo scratched her head sheepishly, chuckling.
"You know…" Chen Yin sighed, exasperated. "Couldn't you hold back? Snacking right in front of Xiang'er—how am I supposed to explain it if she finds out?"
It took a lot of effort to console that little vinegar pot, and if Xiang'er realized he had a fox spirit following him around, especially one who affectionately called him "Young Master"…
Chen Yin didn't dare to think about it.
Hearing his words, Luo Luo's little fox ears and tail drooped, and she pouted slightly, looking genuinely crestfallen.
"I'm sorry, Young Master… Luo Luo knows she was wrong."
Seeing her eyes grow red and brimming with tears, Chen Yin, despite himself, couldn't bring himself to scold her further. He could only sigh.
Luo Luo kept her head down, anxiously waiting for rebuke, but then she felt a gentle hand on her cheek.
The other hand held a handkerchief, carefully wiping the grease from the corners of her mouth.
"Why the rush to eat? Take your time."
Chen Yin said softly, "I'll give you some silver, so for the next couple of days, you don't have to stay by my side constantly. If you see something tasty, just go get it."
Luo Luo looked up, her eyes lighting up with sparkles.
"Thank you, Young Master!"
She threw herself into his arms, her fluffy ears brushing happily against his chest.
"Young Master is the best!"
Watching her transformation from a pitiful pout to a beaming smile, Chen Yin couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to stroke her ears.
"You little fox…"
Foxes, he thought, seem to be born with these acting skills in their very bones.
"Oh, and one more thing."
Chen Yin reminded her, "While you're out, keep an eye out for any traces of demonic faction activity, like the one in Liuyun City."
"If you spot anything, don't act rashly; come tell me immediately."
Luo Luo nodded obediently, though, judging by her contented munching, he wasn't sure how much she had actually absorbed.
Still, while this little fox spirit might seem a bit silly, she hadn't caused him any trouble thus far. Besides, with her around, even if he was captured by someone like Luo Qiaoqiao, he'd have a decent chance of getting free.
Watching her happily munching, Chen Yin couldn't resist reaching out to pat her soft ears again. Then he carefully wiped her mouth.
"Try eating a bit more gracefully; look at this mess you've made."
Luo Luo stood still, letting him wipe her mouth with an obedient, slightly embarrassed look, and quietly murmured, "Young Master will wipe it for me anyway."
"Hey! Who's the servant here, you or me? Since when does the master wipe the servant's mouth?"
Luo Luo giggled, stuck her tongue out playfully, then turned and vanished into the void with her bag of treats.
Shaking his head, Chen Yin shrugged and went back upstairs.
Once he was gone, a little furry head slowly reappeared from the void.
Luo Luo peeked through the inn's window, watching his figure retreat upstairs. Then she looked at the pile of snacks in her arms.
Her face bloomed with a look of pure contentment and happiness.
"System," she murmured to herself, "do you think my mother would like a man like him?"
A teasing voice chimed in. [I don't know about that. But if you keep wasting time here, I'd say your chances of seeing your mother might just slip away.]
Luo Luo pouted. "Why the rush? There's still plenty of time—five whole years."
"Five years…time enough for my awakening, right?"
[Who knows?] The system clicked its tongue. [All you ever do is play around. With not a single task completed, who knows how long it'll take for you to awaken.]
[In any case, stay focused. You know the consequences if you don't awaken within five years.]
A shadow of sadness flickered in Luo Luo's eyes, and her tail drooped low.
"I…I know."
"Don't worry. I'll only stay by his side for a little while. Maybe while he's tracking down the demonic faction, he'll find the ones who killed Yaya and the others."
"When I've avenged Yaya and the others, I'll go back and awaken properly. I won't wander anymore."
[Easy to say,] the system snorted. [But who's to say you'll be able to leave your 'Young Master' when the time comes?]
Luo Luo stuck her tongue out at the sky with a mock glare, then turned to gaze quietly at Chen Yin's room.
"Maybe not," she whispered, her gaze softening.
…I might already be too reluctant to leave.
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please join my Patreon, for $5 each month, you can read all of the available chapter.
Patreon Account:
Latest Chapter In Patreon:
Link to the latest chapter: