Chapter 49 – Awkward

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Zhu Zhuqing's mind was racing with wild thoughts, and her cold skin felt as if it were burning. Ye Lan followed Zhu Zhuqing's gaze. Two curv

Zhu Zhuqing's mind was racing with wild thoughts, and her cold skin felt as if it were burning. Ye Lan followed Zhu Zhuqing's gaze. Two curv

Zhu Zhuqing's mind was racing with wild thoughts, and her cold skin felt as if it were burning.

Ye Lan followed Zhu Zhuqing's gaze. Two curved lines came into view, and he immediately understood what had happened.

During the treatment of her injuries earlier, he had made a mistake and accidentally loosened her chest wrap. That was what led to the current misunderstanding.

Maybe this was it—his social death was imminent! Zhu Zhuqing must have mistaken him for a pervert who took advantage of her unconscious state.

Damn it, this is a huge misunderstanding!

Ye Lan activated his brain, along with his eight external mental cores, scrambling to form a proper explanation.

Time to put his "eight-faced finesse" to the best use yet!

"I'm really sorry! Earlier, when I used Blue Silver Grass to treat your wounds, I accidentally knocked it off. At that time, you were completely wrapped in Blue Silver Grass, so I had no idea what was going on underneath!" Ye Lan summoned the Blue Silver Grass and tried to recreate the spherical form it had taken earlier to demonstrate the situation to Zhu Zhuqing.

As the temperature on her flushed cheeks slowly returned to normal, Zhu Zhuqing's heart gradually settled. Just as she had hoped, the person before her wasn't some shameless scoundrel.

"I believe you. No need to show me!" Zhu Zhuqing looked at the flustered Blue Silver Grass as it awkwardly twisted itself into knots...

Having calmed down, Zhu Zhuqing felt a strange tinge of disappointment rise in her heart.

Was she really that unattractive to him? She had been completely unconscious, yet he hadn't done anything?

No! Zhu Zhuqing, what are you thinking?

You're already engaged!

Seeing the trust in her eyes, Ye Lan finally relaxed his tense body.

With a gentle smile returning to his face, he said, "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Ye Lan."

Lost in her own thoughts, Zhu Zhuqing stared at Ye Lan's gentle smile, becoming more and more convinced that he was simply kind and naturally helpful—not someone who held any special feelings for her.

"Come on, I roasted a big green fish," Ye Lan said, walking ahead and motioning for Zhu Zhuqing to follow.

Though Zhu Zhuqing had already caught the scent of grilled fish due to her Nether Shadow Cat senses, her chaotic thoughts had suppressed her appetite.

Now reminded by Ye Lan, her mind cleared slightly—and her stomach let out a loud growl.

Ye Lan pretended not to hear it, and Zhu Zhuqing's face turned red again.

He split the fish into two portions—one for himself, one for her.

Zhu Zhuqing took the portion wrapped in a large leaf. The roasted fish had a golden, crispy exterior and tender, snowy white meat on the inside.

It was sweet, with just a hint of spice.

"Delicious!" Zhu Zhuqing exclaimed instinctively, astonished by how good it tasted. From Ye Lan's appearance, she never would have guessed he could cook like this.

Ye Lan bit into the fish himself and found it surprisingly good. Though the seasonings weren't as refined as in his previous life, the quality of the fish was on a whole different level.

As long as you're not a terrible cook who turns fish into charcoal, it's hard to mess this up.

"The fish meat is top-tier," Ye Lan said.

Before he could take a second bite, Xiong Er and Big Orange silently shuffled over, their eyes glued to the half-eaten fish in his hand. They didn't move or make a sound.

Just stared quietly at the fish. Their dumb, earnest gaze made Ye Lan feel awkward.

With a helpless sigh, he tore off half of his fish and gave it to the two of them. Xiong Er and Big Orange immediately lit up with joy, gently taking the fish in their mouths and savoring it with their eyes closed.

Zhu Zhuqing looked at the heartwarming scene of one person and two beasts. Although Xiong Er's appearance was terrifying, in front of Ye Lan, these two soul beasts were like a dog and a cat.

Zhu Zhuqing gave part of her fish to Ye Lan and curiously asked, "How did you manage this? Even powerful Soul Elders might not be able to handle these two beasts."

"Just gave them a beating. That's all it took." Thanks to Zhu Zhuqing's question, Ye Lan realized something—his Blue Silver Grass in Living Spirit Form seemed to have a strange attraction to soul beasts.

Maybe soul beasts were highly vulnerable when injured and feared being hunted down by others, so healing powers felt rare and precious?

Or maybe it was the extreme life attribute of his Blue Silver Grass that drew them in?

"Probably has something to do with my spirit. These soul beasts seem to like Blue Silver Grass," Ye Lan replied casually.

"Blue Silver Grass? You're saying that golden vine is Blue Silver Grass?" Zhu Zhuqing was stunned. She hadn't fully registered it earlier, but now she clearly heard Ye Lan mention it.

She couldn't believe that the golden-patterned vine was the same Blue Silver Grass found all over the Douluo Continent.

"It's hard to believe, I know. My Blue Silver Grass used to look just like the common ones you see everywhere," Ye Lan said, amazed at how much it had changed.

"So mysterious!" Zhu Zhuqing touched the Blue Silver Grass with curiosity lighting up her eyes.

"What about you, Zhu Zhuqing? What's your spirit?" Ye Lan asked.

"Nether Shadow Cat!" Zhu Zhuqing activated her spirit, and two black cat ears popped out.

Ye Lan stared at them—Cat ears!

"Nether Shadow Cat? Zhu Zhuqing, are you from the Zhu Clan of the Star Luo Empire?" he asked, quickly shifting the topic to hide his internal scream: So cute!

"Yes, the Nether Shadow Cat is the Zhu Clan's inherited spirit." A trace of sadness crossed Zhu Zhuqing's face.

"As far as I know, the Star Luo Empire holds inherited spirits in high regard. Except for major events involving the Heaven Dou Empire, their spirit masters rarely travel here," Ye Lan added.

"…" Zhu Zhuqing fell silent, unwilling to reveal that she had fled her clan to seek her fiancé and a sliver of hope. Maybe it was out of sorrow, maybe to hide the truth, or maybe just fear.

Seeing her silence, Ye Lan didn't press further. He simply looked up at the night sky of the Douluo Continent.

The stars glittered brightly above, but Ye Lan's gaze was fixed on one dim star.

"I ran away from my clan," Zhu Zhuqing murmured, lowering her head.

"For what?"

"I don't know. Maybe I was lost, unsure of what to do. I wanted change, so I left," Zhu Zhuqing recalled the confusion and isolation of her past. She had felt abandoned, without support.

Everyone avoided her like the plague, fearing that being close to her would provoke Dai Weisi, the future emperor of Star Luo.

From childhood, she had trained and grown alone in an environment of isolation and discrimination.

Ye Lan patted her shoulder and, after a moment, said, "It's really cool that you chose to change things."

He was starting to understand her mindset. Zhu Zhuqing had always been a character from words on a page, but now—through her words—he could feel her loneliness, her confusion, her strength.

Zhu Zhuqing's downcast face brightened with a smile, even though her eyes were rimmed red.

For the first time in six long years, someone acknowledged her.

And that rare smile finally returned to her face.

Ye Lan was stunned by how beautiful her smile was. Zhu Zhuqing, not daring to meet his gaze, didn't notice the way he was looking at her.

(End of Chapter)