Wang Li Xun, the Crown Prince, goes out hunting for the Celestial Flower to save his mother from a terminal illness. When he nearly dies from the attack of a mythical beast, he is saved by a mysterious boy who lives in the mountains.
To repay his ki...
A month later, Li Xun's cousin, Zhang Wei, stood at the entrance and watched as the palanquin carrying his annoying little sister-in-law left his manor. Through the small window, her head peeked out and she gave him a grateful wink for helping her to set up a lunch appointment with the prince.
Rolling his eyes, he turned to Li Xun and nudged him lightly.
"So, what do you think?" he asked.
"Hm?" The prince was in the midst of playing with his Shih Tzu, who was running between their legs playfully. "What do I think of what?"
Zhang Wei snorted and shook his head disapprovingly at his cousin. Apparently, Li Xun was more interested in a dog than a beautiful woman, which was exactly why he hadn't managed to find himself a wife yet.
"Seriously? I refuse to believe such a brilliant man like you would be this slow-witted. Did you not see how my sister-in-law was fawning over you and attempting to charm you throughout the entire meal?"
Ignoring him, Li Xun scratched under the dog's chin, who was sticking its tongue out and wagging its tail happily. It was clearly happy that it was getting all the attention it wanted.
He complained to the little fellow. "Your owner is being ridiculous. Can you bite him for me?"
The dog barked excitedly, before tilting its head thoughtfully at its owner.
"Come on, are you mad at me?" Zhang Wei turned to him with a look of frustration, before glancing down at his pet. "And you! Stop giving me that face too. If you dare to bite me, you won't be getting treats for the rest of the week."
He picked up the tiny dog and handed it to one of his maids, hoping to stop his cousin from getting distracted. "You know how annoying my sister-in-law is," he continued, refusing to drop the subject. "She begged me for a few months to let her meet you in person. She even threatened to murder me in my sleep!"
Li Xun shot him a look of amusement. "So you lied to me and made me come all the way here just to entertain her? I thought you were on my side all along."
Zhang Wei scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I'm sorry, your Highness. I had no choice. It was death either way for me, and being killed by you seemed less terrifying than facing the wrath of a woman. Besides, this is exactly why you should find yourself a wife! I'm constantly being chased by women to deliver their love letters or help them to fix an appointment with you."
Li Xun furrowed his brows. "I haven't found anybody I'm interested in."
Never mind Zhang Wei's futile attempts. Even his own mother had tried several times to introduce potential candidates to be his wife, but each time it would only result in him turning them down.
It wasn't because he was fussy. He just couldn't seem to bear the idea of having children with a woman he barely knew and loved. Because of his stubbornness, he knew that it was only a matter of time before the Emperor would eventually take it upon himself to decide his future spouse for him.
For now, he was going to delay his marriage for as long as possible.
All of a sudden, a loud cry coming from the inside of the manor was heard. Zhang Wei's head snapped towards the direction where the sound came from, his face switching to a look of concern.
Without delay, Li Xun gently nudged him towards the manor.
"Instead of trying to play the role of a marriage broker here," he began, "why don't you spend some time with your baby? It's mid afternoon now and she's probably hungry."
Seeing his cousin's hesitation flicker in his eyes, Li Xun waved him away. "Don't worry about the formalities, I'll walk myself out."
Half-distracted, Zhang Wei hurriedly bowed to him. "Thank you for the kind gesture, Your Highness."
Watching him leave, Li Xun couldn't help but empathise with his cousin. Being a new father was a difficult task, a responsibility that could never be relinquished. Often, he would admire how his friend, who used to be full of mischief, had matured and become a lot more responsible after taking on the role of being head of the family.
As he slowly made his way out of the manor, his bodyguards fell into steps behind him closely. Ling Yao – a childhood friend and also his most trusted bodyguard whom he constantly kept by his side – leaned towards him.
"Your Highness," he whispered. "I have received word from the palace that you have a guest."
"A guest?"
He had a hunch but he didn't want to keep his hopes up. After all, a month had passed since their last encounter. But that didn't stop him from asking his guards at the gates to keep a lookout for him just in case.
Memories ran through his head. Back then, when he left the Great Heavenly Lake, he was hugely relieved to find his two guards alive after the fight with the rogues. Apparently, after he was pulled into the safety of the barrier, the rest of his men had turned up to provide their aid, subduing the rogues in no time.
But once they realised their prince was missing, they searched for him all night long. When he finally appeared, they were relieved but thoroughly confused at his sudden command to return to the palace.
On top of that, he didn't mention to anyone about his encounter with Long'Er.
When Ling Yao described his guest's appearance, Li Xun couldn't stop a smile from growing on his face. Excitement stirred within him. Grinning widely, he quickened his pace and headed back to the palace.
His guess was right after all and he was about to gain a new friend.
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