Chapter 52 It's a misunderstanding! Isn't it true that you can celebrate your birthday whenever you want...?
This is Tinglan's bedroom where she takes a midday nap; no outsiders are usually allowed in.
The expensive cloak had been removed and was casually scattered on the ground.
Tinglan's fingertips turned slightly white. The cold touch of the screen neutralized the warmth in his palms. He could only tense his body and lean gently against the screen, but he dared not exert any force behind him, for fear of knocking over the screen, making some noise, and attracting the attention of the people outside.
"Your Highness..." His ears turned bright red, but he didn't stop them, just stood there letting the fox undress him.
The black outer robe was half-undone, held together by the belt, and barely hanging on his arm, but the young prince continued, and Tinglan vaguely guessed his intention.
She had no choice but to slowly close her eyes and place her hands on her waist to make it easier for the little prince to move.
There was one floor left. The fox stopped what it was doing, and timidly raised its head to ask, "Is it okay?"
Tinglan opened her eyes, her breathing rapid.
The young prince's question caught everyone off guard. Tinglan pursed her lips, then slightly opened her mouth, but didn't say anything. In the end, she just nodded.
Having received permission, the fox became bolder, lowered its head, and gently unbuttoned the last layer of clothing.
Even without unbuttoning, the outline and color of the light and soft inner garment can be vaguely seen through the fine white fabric.
Now that it's unraveled, it's much clearer.
The clothes were hanging on Tinglan's shoulders. He raised his hand and pressed it against his shoulder to prevent the clothes from slipping down.
This was already the limit that Tinglan could accept.
Of course, the fox had no intention of going any further; he was just staring blankly at the scar on Tinglan's chest.
Only now has he clearly seen what that scar actually looks like.
It is long and thin, appearing whiter than the surrounding skin, and slightly sunken.
The fox reached out and gently touched it. "Does it hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
"It must have hurt a lot back then."
Tinglan was silent for a moment, then nodded.
The scene from that time still haunts me in the middle of the night, but thankfully, I don't feel pain when I dream about it.
The fox leaned closer, his lips slowly touching the scar, and murmured, his voice so soft that only he could hear it, "I wish I had met you sooner."
He looked up, gazed into Tinglan's eyes, and said very seriously, "I won't bite you too hard."
He didn't actually bite hard; the fox retracted its sharp teeth, leaving only red marks of varying depths on Tinglan.
"Your Highness, don't move there..." Tinglan was panting heavily, clearly not making any violent movements, but his words were incoherent.
He felt that every move the little prince made made him tremble all over, but if the little prince did nothing, he would be caught in the waiting and couldn't help but wonder where the next kiss would land.
The fox nodded, then its mischievous glint appeared again. It poked the pink thing with its paw; why wouldn't it let anyone touch it?
Tinglan was utterly ashamed. He sat half-upright on the carpet, covering his face with his sleeve.
This was the most outrageous thing he had ever done in his life: in broad daylight, he half-undressed, stood tall, and let the young prince do as he pleased.
His face was hidden by his sleeve, so you couldn't see it, but his earlobes were almost completely red, like a ripe cherry.
So the young prince temporarily spared his chest and instead gently kneaded Tinglan's red and burning earlobes.
"May I kiss you?" the fox whispered.
Oh, what a polite fox!
The cunning fox used this method to easily trick Tinglan into lifting the sleeve covering her face, revealing what appeared to be tearful eyes and flushed, hot cheeks.
Their lips met, and the screen behind them creaked softly.
Tinglan's tense nerves seemed to be startled, and she suddenly opened her eyes. After finding that nothing had happened, she slowly closed them again.
After finishing, Tinglan looked flustered and hurriedly straightened her clothes one by one.
The fox squatted down beside him, watching him, and generously lifted its collar, saying, "If you want to bite back, you can."
"No...no need." Tinglan stood up, picked up the cloak from the ground, held it in her hand, turned her face to the side, and said somewhat awkwardly.
"Oh." The fox closed its collar with some disappointment.
The cunning fox leaped up, a smug smile on its face.
The fox hopped and skipped around the person for a moment, then suddenly remembered the Taoist priest waiting anxiously next door and asked, "Do you need to see Zhou Yiqing? Why did you suddenly call him here?"
"It's nothing serious, I just have a few things to ask him."
The fox said "Oh," and naturally took Tinglan's hand. "Then let's go."
Tinglan was taken aback, then shook his head slightly. He walked to the window, opened it, and let the cold wind blow on him for a while until the burning sensation on his face subsided before stopping.
Otherwise, how can I go out and face people looking like this?
The heavy wooden door was pushed open, and Zhou Yiqing looked up at the doorway.
The silly fox hopped and skipped along, leading the Ninth Prince through the door.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Yiqing couldn't help but gasp, thinking to himself, "Truly, there's always someone who can subdue another. The Ninth Prince has been clever his whole life, how could he have fallen for this silly vixen?"
The Taoist priest bowed, sat up straight, and carried his whisk in his arms, putting on a very serious appearance.
"Daoist Master and Ji Qing have known each other for a long time?" Tinglan's face was calm, without the slightest abnormality. Anyone who only looked at him now would not have guessed how he had just blushed so much.
Zhou Yiqing nodded with difficulty, "I guess we're neighbors."
"I must thank you, Daoist Master, for taking such good care of Ji Qing in the past."
Zhou Yiqing immediately shook her head, "It's not really about taking extra care of them, since we don't see each other very often."
Good heavens! How could he dare admit that he usually takes care of the fox? Before, when the Ninth Prince saw the fox with him, it caused a lot of trouble. Now he can only deny it outright.
Tinglan's expression remained unchanged. He shifted his gaze to the fox, who was engrossed in eating snacks. Seeing that the fox was only focused on eating and hadn't noticed them, he lowered his voice and spoke.
"I have a very close relationship with Ji Qing, you should know this."
Zhou Yiqing nodded stiffly.
Tinglan paused for a moment, a slight blush creeping up her ears. "Do you know if his elders would care about this?"
"Ji Qing only has one older sister, but I suppose she wouldn't mind..."
It would be strange if she cared. Guan Ning is so old, why would she care about such things?
"That's good then." Tinglan nodded, but a hint of hesitation appeared on her face, and she couldn't help but ask, "Only his sister? Then who are his parents...?"
"I don't know, Ji Qing was probably... found." He scratched his head and said softly.
Even if she wasn't adopted, it should be close enough. Guan Ning's original form is a black snake, so no matter what, she can't have a fox spirit younger brother.
Upon hearing this answer, Tinglan fell silent.
He once thought that the little prince must have been pampered by his family to have developed such a personality, but he never expected that his background was so bumpy.
His sister must love him very much.
Finding a complete stranger and raising him alone is incredibly difficult, but thankfully you have some money to spare.
Tinglan frowned slightly, staring at the fox's back as it happily ate its meal, and sighed.
"Master, could you please tell me where Ji Qing lives?"
Zhou Yiqing was taken aback for a moment, then quickly waved his hand, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that our area is deep in the mountains and covered in snow all year round. Without someone to guide us, we can't even get into the mountains, let alone find someone."
"When is Ji Qing's birthday?"
Zhou Yiqing shook her head again. Goodness, those siblings celebrate their birthdays whenever they feel like it, several times a year. They even celebrate the birthday of their own pot for fun.
Tinglan was stunned for a moment, and then he thanked him again, "Thank you very much, Daoist Master."
Zhou Yiqing was flattered and thought to herself that love really can change a person. Looking at it this way, the Ninth Prince seems to be quite gentle.
The fox, munching on a snack, came running over. "What were you talking about?"
Tinglan raised her hand and ruffled the fox's head. "We didn't talk about anything."
His gaze towards the young prince inevitably carried a hint of heartache, for the prince had a troubled past, lived deep in the mountains, and depended on his sister for survival.
Is that why the little prince can eat so much?
The fox had no idea that Tinglan had already imagined a very tragic backstory for him.
He was still happily thinking about what to have for lunch.
Can I have roasted lamb chops for lunch?
My good friend usually doesn't let him eat too much oily food, saying it's bad for his spleen and stomach to digest.
The fox was always unconvinced. He had lived for over two hundred years and had never suffered from indigestion. He ate everything with great relish, and his stomach and intestines were very healthy.
"Okay, I'll have the kitchen prepare it."
The fox immediately jumped three feet high.
He immediately took advantage of the situation, counting on his fingers and starting to list the dishes, "Really? I'd also like to add a roast chicken, braised fish, sweet and sour pork ribs..."
Tinglan pursed her lips. "Okay."
"What about grape syrup?"
Tinglan nodded.
The fox tugged at Tinglan's sleeve, its eyes sparkling. "Is it some kind of holiday today? How can we eat so well?"
Tinglan paused for a moment, her tone inevitably tinged with bitterness, "There's no grudge."
The fox continued hopping around, "Then let's pretend it's my birthday today." He and his sister used to do this all the time, making up excuses to celebrate, just to have something special to eat.
Tinglan stopped, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart, her breath becoming unsteady.
Your Highness...
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Author's note: Tinglan, wake up! Don't forget that spendthrift, silly fox who used a luminous pearl to buy steamed buns!
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