Chapter 49 False Love The fragrance emanating from her body lingered on his knuckles…

Lin Yanshu had no idea what her simple expression of affection would bring about.

But she knew that Li Chengyi was stunned. Lin Yanshu leaned forward and rubbed her nose against Li Chengyi's knuckles.

Li Chengyi watched as Lin Yanshu rubbed her fingers together, the touch quick and fleeting. Her fragrance lingered on his knuckles.

Li Chengyi laughed, though he didn't know what he was laughing at.

"Fool."

Lin Yanshu looked at Li Chengyi with confusion, wondering why he said that.

"Just because you know what 'like' means, doesn't means you can just spout nonsense."

In his eyes, Lin Yanshu's current state is no different from that of a seven or eight-year-old child, who is happy today and says he likes it, and unhappy tomorrow and says he hates it.

Lin Yanshu was displeased that his words were being questioned, and explained, word by word:

"Of course I know!"

"I like to cling to Ah Zhao, I like Ah Zhao's touch, I like you rubbing against me like this. It makes me happy."

Li Chengyi listened quietly to Lin Yanshu's words, to her joy. If these were her words after regaining her memories, he would be very happy. But in Li Chengyi's eyes, these words were just Lin Yanshu's fear of being abandoned, just because he had been her "mother" for a while.

Oedipus complex.

Even if it's a false love, he still wants to cling to it a little, a fantasy he's woven and directing himself.

"Yes, me too."

Li Chengyi's heart pounded with a tingling sensation before he realized that Lin Yanshu had stripped his upper body naked. He got up and pulled his clothes back together.

Lin Yanshu stood to the side, watching Li Chengyi slowly and methodically get dressed.

After Li Chengyi explained things to her, Lin Yanshu stopped calling him "mother," but she still clung to Li Chengyi as always.

He still shared a bed with Li Chengyi every night. Li Chengyi went from being uneasy at first to handling it with ease, and could even naturally hold Lin Yanshu in his arms in bed.

Until Lin Yanshu's master returned.

Ji Yuan schemed and plotted at the princess's residence, finally persuading the princess to grant him a title. He felt he should inform his good disciple of this, as she would soon have a master's wife.

Ji Yuan ran back excitedly, but couldn't find Lin Yanshu in her courtyard, so he called out Lin Yanshu's name all over the yard.

Lin Yanshu vaguely heard someone calling her in her sleep. She opened her eyes, nudged Li Chengyi beside her, and mumbled:

"It sounds like someone is calling me."

Li Chengyi pulled Lin Yanshu back into his arms and listened intently to the sounds outside.

The more he heard it, the more familiar it sounded. Li Chengyi's heart tightened; it was his master, Lin Yanshu.

He suddenly opened his eyes, quickly got up, and put clothes on Lin Yanshu.

Lin Yanshu was suddenly lifted up by Li Chengyi and forced to wear an outer robe. She stared blankly at Li Chengyi, still dazed. Li Chengyi was dressing himself.

She said unhappily, still grumpy from waking up:

Why are you all so flustered?!

Li Chengyi didn't want to be flustered, but if Master Lin Yanshu saw him sleeping together before they were even married, it would be disastrous.

Although he was the crown prince, he felt that there was a high probability that he would be beaten.

He hastily dressed the two of them and was about to leave his room with Lin Yanshu when Li Chengyi pulled Lin Yanshu out in a daze.

Ji Yuan was wandering around outside, peeking out and looking for Lin Yanshu.

He slipped into Li Chengyi's courtyard, thinking that since he was with the Princess, and Li Chengyi was considered a junior in the family, he might as well say hello to him.

Li Chengyi anxiously came out of the house, pulling someone behind him. Ji Yuan greeted Li Chengyi with a smile:

"Your Highness is well."

When he saw clearly who Li Chengyi was pulling behind him, Ji Yuan's smile froze.

Isn't this Lin Yanshu, whom he's been looking for all day? Anyone with eyes could tell from her appearance that she had just woken up. With a little thought, anyone could guess that Lin Yanshu had stayed at Li Chengyi's place last night.

Lin Yanshu yawned sleepily and leaned unsteadily against Li Chengyi.

Seeing Ji Yuan's expression, Li Chengyi knew that things had been exposed. Oh well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Ji Yuan wasn't blind; he knew that Li Chengyi had feelings for Lin Yanshu, and that his disciple also had some different feelings for Li Chengyi. But before, it was always his disciple taking advantage of Li Chengyi; it was all just minor squabbles.

If word got out, he could still boast about his disciple's charm, but this clearly showed that Lin Yanshu had been fooled!

It's unclear where Ji Yuan got his bias towards his disciple, but he was completely convinced that Lin Yanshu had been deceived and that Lin Yanshu had actually forced him into it.

In an instant, a surge of protective instincts welled up within them.

His face was ashen, and he pointed angrily at Li Chengyi, striding forward to berate him:

"You lecherous scoundrel! How could you... how could you! The world is going to the dogs, and people's hearts have lost their former virtues!"

"They're forcibly abducting women!"

As Ji Yuan showed signs of about to hit him, Lin Yanshu suddenly stood in front of Li Chengyi, shielding him behind her, and retorted with puffed-out cheeks:

"You old man, it's one thing to curse, but why do you have to hit me?"

"How rude!"

Ji Yuan felt a lump in his throat. He was furious with his disciple. He was clearly standing up for her, but she had turned the tables and started scolding him, her master.

"Can't I hit that lecherous scoundrel?"

"Where is he a lecher!"

The two started arguing without regard for anything else. Li Chengyi, feeling helpless, grabbed Lin Yanshu's wrist to stop her, a signal that Lin Yanshu interpreted as a plea for help.

Unable to withstand the old man's insults, Li Chengyi pleaded with her for help in his vulnerability.

Li Chengyi had always taken care of her, and now that she finally had a chance to protect him, Lin Yanshu truly showed her abilities.

She looked resolutely at Li Chengyi, indicating that he could rest assured that she would definitely fight back for her.

Looking into Lin Yanshu's eyes, Li Chengyi realized something was wrong, and indeed, things were developing in a bad way.

"Isn't it enough that he, a man, is coaxing you to spend the night with him a lecherous scoundrel?"

"Pah!"

Lin Yanshu was already displeased that someone was insulting Li Chengyi. But the old man opposite her inexplicably ignited a nameless anger within her. She put her hands on her hips and said aggressively:

"You're wrong. I asked Ah Zhao to spend the night with me. He's not a lecher."

"On the contrary, you old scoundrel who's cursing here are more like a lecher!"

Ji Yuan was so angry that he kept pounding his chest to catch his breath. This disciple, Lin Yanshu, was truly… incomprehensible!

When Li Chengyi heard Lin Yanshu talking so confidently about who had stayed overnight with whom, he was so embarrassed that his head almost hit the ground.

"Fine, fine, I'm a lecherous scoundrel."

"In short, you will be sleeping in separate rooms starting today!"

As soon as Ji Yuan finished speaking, Lin Yanshu vehemently refuted him:

"Why should I!"

"Just sleep! Just sleep! Just sleep!"

Li Chengyi, listening from behind, felt a headache coming on. The two, one old and one young, were about to turn from a standoff into a fight, as if he were leading two children, one old and one young.

Ji Yuan rolled up his sleeves, and Lin Yanshu rolled up his sleeves as well, both looking determined not to give up.

Li Chengyi pulled Lin Yanshu back, pulled her sleeve down, and explained in a softer tone:

"Uncle Ji, Yan Shu has lost her memory and doesn't remember you. Don't be angry with her. Once she regains her memory, she'll go back to sleep on her own."

Ji Yuan had also heard about Lin Yanshu's amnesia and how she treated Li Chengyi as her mother, and he was quite patient with it.

"Has it been so long, Yan Shu still hasn't remembered?"

Li Chengyi shook his head and explained:

"No, I just have some scattered memories of familiar people and things."

Although Ji Yuan was unreliable, he knew he couldn't let Lin Yanshu continue to be foolish. If this foolish disciple continued to be foolish, he would sell himself out.

He took out the silver needles he always carried with him: "Go and get something to eat. I will treat Lin Yanshu after the meal."

Ji Yuan emphasized the word "treat illness" very heavily.

Lin Yanshu listened to Li Chengyi's words and went to have breakfast. After breakfast, Li Chengyi pressed Lin Yanshu down to the table, and the old man sat opposite Lin Yanshu, taking out silver needles in front of her.

He deliberately hovered in front of Lin Yanshu, gave her a threatening smile, and silently said:

"I'll stab you."

Lin Yanshu was still a child at heart. She frowned in fear and turned to look at Li Chengyi with teary eyes.

Li Chengyi was at his wit's end with this master-disciple duo. Helplessly, he patted Lin Yanshu's back gently and coaxed her softly:

"It's alright, I'm here with you, it doesn't hurt."

Ji Yuan glared at the two of them, his beard bristling. He stood up, straightened Lin Yanshu's head, and swiftly plunged an inch into Lin Yanshu's Baihui acupoint, twisting it.

Lin Yanshu suddenly opened her eyes wide and gripped Li Chengyi's fingers tightly.

Ji Yuan's techniques were skillful, stimulating Lin Yanshu's brain in varying degrees.

A flood of memories rushed in, and Lin Yanshu broke out in a light sweat from the shock.

She remembered everything. But Lin Yanshu felt it would have been better if she had lost her memory and couldn't remember anything at all.

I can't believe I did so many shameful things and acted like a scoundrel during this time.

Lin Yanshu closed her eyes and pretended to faint.

Li Chengyi hurriedly caught Lin Yanshu and looked nervously at Ji Yuan. Ji Yuan pulled out the needle and met Li Chengyi's anxious gaze.

He quickly explained, "That shouldn't be the case. I shouldn't be unconscious during acupuncture."

What he really wanted to say was that Lin Yanshu might be faking it.

But Li Chengyi wouldn't listen to him. He picked Lin Yanshu up and placed him on the couch.

Lin Yanshu felt Li Chengyi pick her up and gently place her on the couch.

"Go and fetch the imperial physician."

Upon hearing Li Chengyi's words, Lin Yanshu's eyelashes fluttered slightly, a detail that Ji Yuan noticed.

He quickly stopped Li Chengyi and said:

"My diagnosis of Yanshu is enough; she will definitely wake up today."

Lin Yanshu breathed a sigh of relief; it was still her master who had been holding her back.

Ji Yuan asked Li Chengyi to leave, and Li Chengyi left the room with Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan stood beside the couch, looked down at Lin Yanshu who lay on the couch with his eyes closed, and spoke:

"Alright, they're gone."

Lin Yanshu suddenly opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Still shaken, she looked towards the door to make sure no one would come in.

Ji Yuan grinned mockingly at his apprentice's worthless appearance.

"Oh, so my good disciple has learned to be shy now?"

"Who was arguing with me just now?!"

Lin Yanshu had no mind to argue with Ji Yuan right now; her mind was filled with the absurd things she had done recently, and she didn't know how to face Li Chengyi.

Lin Yanshu looked at Ji Yuan and asked in a pleading tone:

"Master, is there any way for me to forget what I did recently?"

Lin Yanshu knew that Ji Yuan always responded better to gentle persuasion than force, so she grabbed Ji Yuan's sleeve, shook it, and blinked her eyes pleadingly.

Ji Yuan shook off her hand. Did his disciple think he was a god?

"No."

Ji Yuan crossed his arms and looked at Lin Yanshu, explaining the purpose of his return to her:

"I came back to tell you that you're about to have a master's wife."

-----------------------

Author's note: I have an exam this weekend [pity][pity] I'd like to ask for a day off, is that possible? [pity]