Chapter 2 002 (Major Revision) Such a bad temper, just like a dog…
In front of Yue Hong's imposing figure, she looked so petite curled up in his arms, her hair as white as raven feathers, which made her face appear even paler.
Yue Hong had seen all sorts of expressions on her face—nervous, timid, fearful. But the look on her face now was unlike anything he had ever seen before—a hazy, languid bliss.
It's like... like a withered flower that, after being nourished by sweet rain, regains its vibrant life force.
Yue Hong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly reached out, grabbed her chin, and forcefully pulled the person who was clinging to him away, his tone sinister: "What are you rubbing against?"
His arms were around her back, and his most natural move would have been to slide up her spine, pull her hair, and move her away. But her hairpin was nowhere to be found, and her black hair was all disheveled, so he changed his mind and started pinching her cheeks instead.
Her face was so small, like tofu. He didn't even realize he was using force; the calluses on his fingertips had already rubbed two faint red marks on her cheeks.
It's actually quite easy to pinch.
The thought flashed through Yue Hong's mind, and he tightened his grip on his fingers a little more.
Unbeknownst to him, Lu Yuanyuan's vision was filled with a brilliant white light, and she could only vaguely see his lips moving. Apart from the system notification sound, she couldn't hear anything else.
"Ding! Health is increasing. Do not remove the contact point during the process."
...
Seeing the increasingly awkward atmosphere between the two, the older palace maid in brocade robes on the opposite bank hurried across the stream with small, quick steps, came to Yue Hong's side, bowed, and whispered, "Your Highness, the princess doesn't look well. Her face is so pale; in my opinion, she's most likely suffering from heatstroke. I don't know if she bumped or fell when she dismounted earlier. We should probably find a physician to examine her as soon as possible... Besides, the Crown Prince is also searching the mountains..."
This palace servant was nearly forty years old, with a fair complexion, no beard, kind eyes, and a plump figure. At first glance, he resembled a Maitreya Buddha. He was Eunuch Zhang, who used to serve Consort Xie and was highly regarded by her. After Yue Hong turned twelve, he was assigned by Consort Xie to take care of her daily needs.
Yue Hongjian's eyebrows twitched, and finally, out of pity, he released his grip on her: "What a nuisance."
He stood up, slightly bored, and gestured with his chin toward Lu Yuanyuan on the ground: "You two, take her back. The rest of you come with me, let's continue the hunt."
"Yes!" Another palace attendant, Zhang Gonggong's godson, quickly stepped forward, said "Princess, please forgive me," squatted down, and planned to lift Lu Yuanyuan up from the left and right sides together with his godfather.
Yue Hong stopped looking at them and turned to leave. However, he had only taken one step when a small hand gripped his sleeve tightly. The hand was so strong that the slender knuckles turned white, and a faint, desperate plea reached his ears: "Don't go..."
Yue Hong stopped, turned around, and found someone had slung over his leg.
The last person who foolishly tried to cling to him had long been kicked away in the chest. Yue Hong's face darkened, but when his gaze swept over Lu Yuanyuan's face, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
Just now, Lu Yuanyuan seemed only a little weak. But in the short time it took him to turn around, she seemed to deteriorate rapidly; her face went beyond pale, turning into the gray of a dead person, and her body swayed precariously. Even in this state, she still clung tightly to his leg.
Eunuch Zhang also noticed the problem. Supporting Lu Yuanyuan, he said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, the princess's condition is very strange..."
Yue Hong's expression shifted between light and dark. He looked down at Lu Yuanyuan for a moment, then changed his mind: "Forget it, she looks half-dead. Go get my horse, I'll take her back myself. That way it'll be faster, and I won't have Father blame me."
Eunuch Zhang responded with a "Yes," and hurriedly ordered someone to bring over Yue Hong's mount.
Yue Hong squatted down on one knee, bent over, and used his shoulder to support Lu Yuanyuan's stomach, hoisting her onto his shoulder like a sack in one smooth motion.
Before Lu Yuanyuan could speak, her feet left the ground: "..."
Yue Hong's shoulder armor was cold and hard, making her stomach churn as she walked. If she had to stumble back like this, she would definitely vomit up the stream water she had drunk and the pastries she had eaten that morning. Helpless, she struggled several times, but Yue Hong ignored her. Her fists hitting his back felt like tickling him. In desperation, Lu Yuanyuan had no choice but to grab a lock of his hair: "Put me down!"
Suddenly, his hair was violently yanked, causing a sharp pain in his scalp. Yue Hong gasped, his face turning ashen. He turned his head to the side and gritted his teeth, saying, "Let go!"
The person on his shoulder remained motionless. After a while, a muffled, soft voice came from beside his ear: "Put me down first, and I'll let go."
"..."
After a brief standoff, Lu Yuanyuan finally got her wish and was put down on the ground.
There was a deathly silence all around.
The soldiers who witnessed the whole thing were all dumbfounded. Two or three of them couldn't control their expressions; their mouths were agape enough to fit an egg.
As imperial guards, they served in the palace year-round and were quite familiar with the temperaments of the various nobles. Who didn't know that this princess of Yan was nominally the future crown princess, but in reality, her status was even lower than that of the powerful eunuchs in the palace? It was truly unexpected that appearances could be deceiving; she was incredibly audacious, daring to provoke such a powerful figure.
In particular, the Third Prince's face was so ugly it looked like he was about to kill someone.
Lu Yuanyuan completely ignored his gloomy face. After regaining her balance, she still clung to his arm, as if afraid he would shake her off and leave. She looked up and whispered to him, "Could you carry me in front of you? Don't carry me like that. I feel terrible and I'll throw up on you."
Her breathing was soft and gentle, and her expression was innocent, but she clearly conveyed the meaning of "I'm doing this for your sake."
Yue Hong was furious but laughed. But to everyone's surprise, after glaring at Lu Yuanyuan for a moment, he actually gave in and changed how he held her, putting one arm around her lower back and the other under her knees, and lifted her up in his arms.
Noticing the gazes around him, Yue Hong said coldly, "What are you looking at? Don't you want your eyes anymore?"
The soldiers all lowered their heads, keeping their eyes down and avoiding his piercing gaze.
In a short while, Yue Hong's horse had been led to the stream. This horse had Western Region blood, was incredibly handsome, tall and strong, with jet-black, glossy fur. When it saw its master carrying a stranger approaching, it pricked up its ears.
Yue Hong pushed Lu Yuanyuan onto the horse before mounting himself, straddling her behind, and grabbing the reins. He noticed a few beads of sweat on Lu Yuanyuan's forehead, and she was biting her lower lip, as if enduring something. He paused, then asked suspiciously, "What are you doing?"
Lu Yuanyuan lifted her eyelids and shook her head: "It's nothing, I just chafed my thigh while riding a horse today."
This place is deep in the valley of Langya Mountain, and the journey back to the camp is quite long. Yue Hong wanted to ride his horse at full speed, but unfortunately, he had a burden sitting in front of him, so he couldn't do this or that. He could only hold his breath and felt uncomfortable no matter what.
The woods were filled with jagged rocks, and deep green moss grew in the crevices where sunlight never reached. Sunlight was filtered through the green branches overhead, creating shimmering, golden rays that fell on the horses' manes.
Lu Yuanyuan remained silent, her eyelashes drooping as if she were drowsy, but in reality, she was just too lazy to talk.
When she woke up this time, her body was so weak that she was panting heavily with the slightest movement, looking as if she might stretch out her legs and pass away at any moment. This was something that had never happened in her previous life.
The only difference between the two lifetimes is the time she traveled through.
Could this be another example of the butterfly effect? Because the second cycle restarted early, she transmigrated into the original owner's body three months earlier, making it difficult for her to adapt to this body?
System: "Correct. If the health points drop below 0, the host will face the consequence of their soul leaving their body and losing their home."
The soul leaving the body, to put it bluntly, is death.
Lu Yuanyuan closed her eyes.
When she encountered Yue Hong, the moment that golden light entered her body, it was as if she had been injected with a large dose of stimulant, giving her abundant vitality.
Even now, although she can no longer see the golden light with her naked eye, she can still feel the gentle warmth flowing steadily into her body through the points where their bodies touch.
Moreover, in just a short while, the health points on the panel had already increased to 20/100.
Is this how you replenish health?
But when Grandpa Zhang and his godson came to help her, she didn't feel any similar fluctuations at all.
Why is it that only Yue Hong can do it, but others can't?
What makes him special?
Also, when will her body finally be able to run and jump like before? She can't keep relying on absorbing other people's energy to survive, can she?
System: "In the short term, there is no way. In the long term, there are two options: First, increase combat power. Second, increase spiritual power. But neither of these can be achieved overnight."
Lu Yuanyuan was a little annoyed. Her gaze fell on Yue Hong's hand holding the reins, and her thoughts quickly turned to another matter.
Circumstances dictate her actions. Before becoming independent, she shouldn't offend Yue Hong too much. If he really is her only lifeline within reach, then she'll definitely need him during these three months in the mortal realm.
He might hold a grudge against me for pulling his hair earlier.
Should I say a few nice things to him and try to mend our relationship?
She didn't really want to talk about it. But, money is hard to earn, and life is tough.
For her now, nothing is more important than survival.
As Lu Yuanyuan pondered, she gently stroked the black horse's mane with her fingers. After organizing her opening remarks, she cleared her throat and asked softly, "Your Highness, does the back of your head still hurt?"
That's exactly what they wanted to say; Yue Hong's face stiffened.
Lu Yuanyuan didn't see his expression and continued explaining in front of him, her tone sincere and apologetic: "I really didn't mean to pull your hair just now, I apologize. I just felt that you were kind enough to save me, and if I vomited on you, it would be repaying kindness with enmity, and you would be even angrier..."
"Shut up." Yue Hong interrupted her angrily: "From now on, if you say another word, I'll throw you down."
Lu Yuanyuan immediately stopped talking and lowered her head in a submissive manner.
With such a bad temper, he's just like a dog.
If you don't want to listen, fine, she's too lazy to say anything more.
She thought to herself.
After walking for an unknown amount of time along the forest path where the wild grass was taller than a horse's hooves, Yue Hong suddenly felt a weight in his arms. He glanced down and saw that Lu Yuanyuan's body was actually closed, leaning back and slumped into his embrace. He didn't know if she was too weak and dizzy, or if she was sleeping.
Her hair was disheveled, her face was so pale it was almost translucent, the only color in her lips was her fullness. As she lowered her head, her chin was hidden inside her clothes, her earrings swaying. She was unconscious, yet she still remembered to cling to his waist, to press herself against his body.
Yue Hong glanced down at her thighs again.
Did she just say that her thigh was chafed?
Even riding a horse can cause leg injuries; his ten-year-old sister isn't this delicate.
Are all the women in Yan so useless?
Thinking this, Yue Hong felt a little disgusted.
.
Lu Yuanyuan hadn't fallen asleep on purpose; she was simply exhausted. When Yue Hong woke her up, they were already back outside the camp.
Under a clear blue sky, banners fluttered at the temporary hunting camp of the Yong Kingdom, which was guarded by imperial guards on all sides.
Lu Yuanyuan rubbed her eyes and pressed her Jingming acupoint with her finger bones to wake herself up. She straightened her back, clenched her fist, and secretly felt the sensation.
Riding alongside Yue Hong along the way, she felt much more energetic, and her health points rose to 40/100. However, despite having so much room for improvement, when she touched Yue Hong now, she could no longer feel that slow, gentle flow of warmth.
Is there a limit to this?
System: "Correct. Everything has its limits; you can't take 100 health points from the same person."
Yue Hong, unaware of her absent-mindedness, nimbly dismounted and said irritably, "Get down."
Not wanting to irritate the wound on her thigh, Lu Yuanyuan slowly rolled over, holding onto the saddle. Yue Hong clicked his tongue, stepped forward, and grabbed her waist, about to forcibly pull her down, when he suddenly saw that the palace servants around them knelt down and bowed to the rear: "Your Highness the Crown Prince."
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