FRGNM -Chapter 112 Teasing

“I didn’t see him! He wore a mask, dressed all in black, and… he was so cold, so murderous!” Ling Ruoxi clung tightly to Luo Mingyu, her voice trembling. “Luo Mingyu, please don’t go, okay? I hate that man… I really hate him…”

“All right, all right, I’m not going anywhere.” Luo Mingyu held her close, gently stroking her little head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He let her drift into a deep sleep in his arms, cradling her as she lay there.

Having you here… it feels so good.

Setting her down gently, Luo Mingyu saw her fully awake without the drunken antics. Perhaps she really had been frightened. Even lying there on the bed, she still clutched his clothes, refusing to let him leave.

Frustrated? Smiling softly, Luo Mingyu placed a finger on her acupoint, channeling his Dou Qi to seal her sleep point. Only then did the sleeping girl release her small hand. He tucked a blanket over her, smiled lightly at her flushed little face, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before rising.

He opened the window casually, then leapt down, landing with perfect poise. Outside, someone had been waiting; they nodded as he appeared. “Your Highness, this way, please.”

“How did things go? That foolish woman… it took her so long to untie herself. Didn’t she know she could use the dagger in her ring?” The man smiled faintly, lifting the strange mask and placing it lightly against his cheek.

Stepping forward, his silver-white garments instantly turned black, exuding a fearsome presence, as if he were a war god emerging from the night. His once-pure aura was now restrained, filled with killing intent.

If Ling Ruoxi knew she had been played again by this man, she would have cut him without mercy.

It wasn’t until morning that Ling Ruoxi woke from her headache, finding herself lying naked on the bed. The man who had made her so angry was leaning casually nearby.

Her entire body ignited with rage. She kicked Luo Mingyu off the bed and shouted, “Luo Mingyu! You little brat! Who allowed you on my bed?!”

“My back…” Luo Mingyu groaned, struggling to support his waist, eyes still bleary. He scratched his hair and raised a brow. “What do you mean ‘I’m on your bed’? This is my bed. Also, who drank too much last night, shouting at me and then begging me not to leave because they were scared…?”

The last part perfectly mimicked Ling Ruoxi’s drunken state from the night before. But seeing him do it now… it was infuriatingly shameless!

Wrapping herself in the blanket, Ling Ruoxi shouted, “Then why did you take off my clothes? Were you—”

But the bed smelled of nothing unusual—it really wasn’t…

“You nonsense-spewing woman! You vomited all over yourself yesterday; I even had the innkeeper change the sheets. It took half the night before I could sleep, where would I have had time to do other bad things?” Luo Mingyu said, looking at her with a mock embarrassed expression.

It was as if he had suffered all the hardship, though in truth Ling Ruoxi was the one manipulating the situation, forcing him to do things.

Ling Ruoxi’s lungs felt ready to explode from anger. She paused, bewildered: “I drank last night?”

“Yes, not sure why someone was drowning their sorrows in alcohol.” Luo Mingyu adjusted his clean clothes.

Drowning her sorrows? Wait—she vaguely remembered buying flower balls, then… then what? She slapped her forehead, trying to recall, but couldn’t.

She vaguely remembered screaming on the street, and finally seeing Luo Mingyu. “Wait… why was I screaming last night? I remember being so scared, constantly searching for you…”

She stopped herself mid-sentence.

Luo Mingyu raised a brow, smiling. “Looking for me, right? I already told you: last night some woman ran madly in the streets, yelling at me, saying she was scared, so nervous…”

“That’s enough, or I’ll kick you out.” Ling Ruoxi’s face flushed red. Why did such serious words sound so different coming from Luo Mingyu’s mouth?

He wasn’t the paragon of light she imagined—he seemed lecherous in her eyes. Publicly shameless in front of her, yet pretending to be refined for others.

She glared, grabbing her clothes.

But Luo Mingyu suddenly stopped, turning to smile. “Oh, I forgot to tell you: because it’s the Flower Ball Festival, the city gates won’t open for the next two days. Later, we can go out together. I heard there’s a street with great snacks nearby.”

“Eh? Really? Wait for me!” Nearly tripping over her pants, Ling Ruoxi hurriedly dressed and followed him outside.

As for Nangong Mo and Ye Ningfeng, their royal status meant they were being hosted officially in the town. Ling Ruoxi and Nangong Mo were still fugitives, so it was inconvenient to join. The “Green-Clad” (Qingyi) could just be treated as blind.

“I should’ve brought Da Huang along to enjoy the scenery. Oh well, he’ll find food anyway.” Qingyi lightly tapped a bamboo rod on the stones as they walked.

The rhythmic tap-tap-tap continued. Qingyi frowned slightly but smiled, walking on steadily.

In the crowd, a black-clad figure lowered his straw hat, eyes on Qingyi’s coin pouch, and briskly walked toward him.

Clang! Almost collided, Qingyi held the rod tightly. “Who’s there?”

“Sorry, accidentally bumped into you,” said the man, placing a heavy bundle of silver in Qingyi’s hands.

Qingyi shook his head with a smile. “It’s fine, young man. You just need to slow down.”

“Yeah, be careful too. Goodbye.” The man left quickly.

Turning, Qingyi inspected another heavy bag of silver. “Looks like a good morning haul. Strange woman—why be a thief?”

Removing her hat, the black-clad woman opened the pouch, frowning. It was full of broken stones, with a small note inside.

“Played?” Opening it, her face turned green. A challenge? Did the ‘blind man’ know she’d come for his money all along? Fine. She’d see what he could do.

Throwing away the fake coins, she returned determined to catch her prankster.

Meanwhile, Luo Mingyu patted Ling Ruoxi’s head. “These snacks aren’t bad, should suit your taste. Eat up.”

The girl devoured them with gusto, patting her belly with satisfaction. “The taste is really good… I feel so happy. I finished it all, will you eat?”

“Of course… but you ate all the side dishes. The best main dish will be mine alone,” Luo Mingyu teased, raising an eyebrow as the waiter brought more food.

Angrily, Ling Ruoxi kicked Luo Mingyu’s shin, glancing outside. On a herbal stall, a figure held a herb, seemingly explaining something.

Qingyi had come to town? Ignoring Luo Mingyu, she ran toward him.

“This is supposed to be thousand-year Ku Shen? Doesn’t seem so…” Qingyi sniffed the herb. “The soil is fresh, just dug. The root’s too thin, although it looks similar. It’s only three-year Dang Shen, not worth this much silver. Here, take it.”

“Hey! You blind man, don’t know quality!” the vendor shouted.

Qingyi lightly blocked Ling Ruoxi with his bamboo rod.

“Hey, Qingyi, what’s this? I wanted to scare you a little,” Ling Ruoxi patted her nose.

Qingyi smiled. “I could smell you from three feet away, no need to scare me.”

“All right, all right, your nose is sharper than Da Huang’s. Let’s eat; Luo Mingyu’s up there. That brat’s hogging the main dish!” Ling Ruoxi grabbed Qingyi’s hand, scanning the street for a black shadow. “Someone following you?”

“Yes,” Qingyi nodded.

“Then isn’t it dangerous? Are people from Qiongyu Immortal Island after you too?”

“No, just a minor character, no worries.” Qingyi remained calm. Sniffing at the air, he smiled. “Ah, it’s the Cuihu fish from Cuihuzhou. No wonder it smells so good—haven’t had it in ages. A specialty dish. Let’s eat together?”

In the end, the two mischievous friends had fun together, though Ling Ruoxi barely managed to eat a bite before feeling stuffed. The main dish far outshone the sides.

“There’s also a strait called ‘One Line Sky,’ the best scenic spot here. Let’s check it out.” Luo Mingyu hooked his arm around Ling Ruoxi’s neck, pinching her cheek playfully.