The thunder rumbled several times, and then a torrential downpour ensued, drenching the two individuals almost to the point of resembling soaked chickens.
Ye Yang already felt cold, and the densely cold rain nearly sapped away the remaining warmth from his body. He shivered incessantly, his lips turning bluish from the cold. His fingers grew so stiff that he could barely hold onto the reins, and his feet slipped off the stirrups several times. At this rate, he feared he might fall off his horse. Moreover, enduring such temperatures amidst the relentless downpour, he doubted they could last much longer.
Now, they urgently needed to find a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Otherwise, they might freeze to death in the downpour before Shen Shaoheng could locate them.
Feng Luan closely trailed behind him, a worried expression etched upon his face as he watched Ye Yang with deep concern.
Yun Yang’s frail body struggled even more in the rain, making it difficult for him to endure for long. Within the hunting grounds, apart from seeking refuge under trees, he had no idea where else they could hide. As they had been walking for quite a while, just when Ye Yang began to fear that Feng Luan might become the first emperor to freeze to death in the hunting grounds, he faintly glimpsed remnants of walls and ruins ahead among the tree shadows. Upon closer inspection, their horse led them to discover it was an abandoned temple.
He was somewhat surprised, unable to fathom why there would be a dilapidated temple within the imperial hunting grounds. However, before he could voice his puzzlement, Feng Luan cleared his confusion, saying, “Zhen has heard that outside the hunting grounds, there used to be settlements of commoners. This temple might have been left behind after they relocated. But zhen has never been here before…… Zhen is also surprised to discover such a place within the hunting grounds.”
Regardless of the origins of this derelict temple, it stood as their sole refuge from the rain. Even if Ye Yang were told at that moment that the temple was haunted, he would still seek shelter within. He and Feng Luan tethered their horses under the eaves of the temple. Inside, the temple leaked from all corners. Although they managed to find a relatively intact area, their situation did not improve by much.
With their clothes damp and clinging to their bodies, Ye Yang still shivered from the cold. They had nothing to start a fire and no source of light. After the rain, the dimness of the post-rain daylight made it impossible for them to see the conditions inside the dilapidated temple. Ye Yang could only draw upon the limited survival knowledge he had in his mind, yet he was utterly uncertain about where to begin in their current predicament.
Feng Luan was deeply concerned.
He was close enough to Ye Yang to roughly discern his current condition. Seeing Ye Yang shivering uncontrollably, he instinctively reached out and grasped Ye Yang’s hand. He felt a chilling coldness that alarmed him. Ye Yang’s voice trembled as he spoke, unable to suppress a soft, subdued cough. His tone was feeble, and even when returning the grip of Feng Luan’s hand, there was an obvious lack of strength. Given his current state, lasting another half an hour might pose a serious challenge.
Feng Luan rarely found himself in such a state of panic. Almost at a loss, he resorted to desperately scouring the dilapidated temple in the faint hope of finding anything that could potentially be used for starting a fire. After all, in this deserted temple, there might be something useful hidden within its walls.
He was indeed fortunate.
From beneath a table in front of a deity statue, he retrieved a package, unaware of who had left it there. To his fortune, it contained a few flints and tinder. It was his first time using such items, and it took him some effort to figure out how to ignite the tinder with the flints. Finally, a small flame flickered to life, allowing them to get a glimpse of the conditions inside the dilapidated temple.
Further inside, there was an extinguished fire pit, appearing to have been lit not too long ago. Half of the fire had burned, and nearby lay some dried grass and firewood. Although he couldn’t fathom why these items were present there, he had no leisure to dwell on it at the moment. Squatting by the fire pit, he endeavored to rekindle the flames.
Feng Luan, in a state of panic, made several attempts. When the fire finally caught, a wave of relief washed over him. However, as he turned to check on Ye Yang, who moments ago had been instructing him on fire-starting techniques, he found Ye Yang leaning against the wall, looking ashen and on the verge of falling asleep. Startled, Feng Luan realized the severity of the situation. Lacking experience in emergencies like this, he relied on his intuition. He swiftly moved to Ye Yang’s side, lifting him away from the wall and immediately began removing his soaked clothes.
At least Ye Yang was just drowsy; he still had some awareness. When Feng Luan suddenly picked him up and attempted to remove his clothes, Ye Yang, feeling startled, tried to push Feng Luan’s hands away. He coughed lightly and asked, “What are you doing!”
Feng Luan said, “Please remove your damp garments first.”
The fire had ignited, and it was indeed time to remove the wet clothes for drying. However, having someone else help undress was always rather peculiar to Ye Yang…… Muttering about doing it himself, he attempted to undo the fastenings of his clothes. Yet, his fingers, stiffened from the cold, struggled, and despite considerable effort, he couldn’t manage to untie the knots. He intended to try again, but Feng Luan had already grasped his hand, restraining his movements with a controlled tone, saying, “Please don’t move.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Tf Tjcu, “……”
Lbk mbeiv tf obgufa!
Ejlcs cluta! Glijqlvjafv afwqif! Gjwq mibatfr!
Isn’t this just like a classic scene from a romance novel where the main characters’ feelings start to grow deeper?
Next should be the classic move of huddling together for warmth, right?!
Cyrbieafis cba! Lf tjr cb lcafcalbc bo mevvilcu eq klat atlr vbu fwqfgbg obg kjgwat.
Tf Tjcu ugjyyfv Mfcu Oejc’r tjcv jcv rageuuifv tjgv, rjslcu, “P-P-P’nf abiv sbe, P’ii vb la wsrfio!”
By now, Ye Yang seemed to have lost most of his strength; his struggles seemed more like playful gestures. Feng Luan couldn’t be bothered and simply removed Ye Yang’s outer garment. When he hesitated while reaching for the inner clothing and saw Ye Yang glaring at him, he paused for a moment, ultimately deciding not to proceed further. Instead, he moved to take off Ye Yang’s riding boots. Ye Yang, feeling utterly defeated and giving up the struggle, pondered inwardly, After we return, besides jogging in the imperial garden, it seems I need to incorporate weightlifting into my routine.
Qtja’r rb ugfja jybea yflcu j yfjeas? Lf kjcar ab gfnfga ab atf ues ktb mbeiv vb tjculcu rla-eqr bc j kliibk agff!
Feng Luan removed Ye Yang’s shoes and socks, placing them by the fire to dry along with his outer garment. Simultaneously, he took off his own outer robe. As he glanced back, he noticed Ye Yang staring at him with widened eyes, standing awkwardly on his tiptoes, feeling embarrassed. Ye Yang timidly asked, “Um…… Your Majesty…… Could you bring over a piece of clothing……?”
The ground was strewn with gravel and weeds, upon closer inspection, revealing several crawling insects. He felt a bit uneasy and didn’t want to step directly onto the ground, given the insects. Wanting to use a piece of clothing to cushion his step, but with the clothes placed too far, he couldn’t reach them. Reluctantly, he felt embarrassed to ask for help, suddenly feeling that his request sounded pitifully unlike his usual style.
He noticed Feng Luan still standing by the fire, his gaze lingering on Ye Yang’s fair and slender legs, visible as he rolled up his trousers.
Now that they were finally out of danger, it seemed like only at this moment did he start to come back to his senses—
The beauty’s garments were completely soaked, with some fabric snug against his body. The damp material clung to his fair skin, partly revealing it beneath the clothing. Strands of his slightly disheveled black hair, loosened by the galloping horse, stuck to the side of his face. Water droplets trailed down his cheeks, slid along his neck, and trickled into the overlapping layers of fabric. Following Feng Luan’s gaze that slowly drifted downward, one could see the drenched shirt outlining his slender collarbones, a hint of allure around his chest.
Ye Yang was unaware of what Feng Luan was looking at. He was preparing his words, coughing lightly, and then said again, “What…… What are you gawking at? Always daydreaming all the time! Hurry up and fetch a piece of clothing.”
Feng Luan, “……”
Feng Luan raised his gaze, pretending as if he hadn’t seen anything, casually grabbing a piece of clothing and tossing it over without looking back. He then turned his attention towards the fire pit, picking up a thinner dry twig, attempting to stoke the fire to make it burn more vigorously, without glancing back again.
The flickering flames before him mirrored the restlessness in his heart, stirring with an uneasy agitation.
The dripping of water from the eaves of the dilapidated temple echoed like ripples in his heart. Suddenly, Feng Luan felt an urge to talk to Ye Yang. He recalled memories of his late father and mother, reminiscing about his past experiences. He had never considered sharing all of this with anyone else, but now……
He couldn’t bring himself to look back, so he just stared at the flickering flames, softly murmuring, “Yun Yang, zhen……”
Perhaps his voice was too low, as Ye Yang seemed not to have heard him. Instead, Ye Yang asked with a hint of confusion, “Aren’t you going to take off your shoes and warm your feet?”
Feng Luan, “……”
He turned silently, wordlessly glancing at Ye Yang.
“What are you staring at with those wide eyes?” Ye Yang asked. “It’s so cold outside. Aren’t you freezing?”
Feng Luan, “……”
Feng Luan remained silent.
Ye Yang looked at him for a moment and felt he understood.
Could this dog emperor think his feet smell bad, hence refusing to take off his shoes?
“Very well then, we are both men of stature,” Ye Yang remarked earnestly. “Your feet have been trapped in boots all day. But I don’t mind if you think they might stink.”
Feng Luan, “Zhen……”
“Feel free to take them off; there’s nothing to worry about,” said Ye Yang.
Feng Luan, “……”
Feng Luan forcefully tossed the dry twig he held into the fire pit, expressionless as he stood up. He turned and walked to the side of the dilapidated temple’s entrance, adamantly refusing to engage in conversation.
“Huh,” said Ye Yang, taken aback. “The lad is quite shy.”
With his statement, Ye Yang lowered his head and hooked the clothing tossed by Feng Luan with his toes. As he stepped onto it, he suddenly felt something amiss.
Wait a moment, this is Feng Luan’s clothing, isn’t it?
He’s using the dragon robe as a footrest?
Feng Luan wouldn’t suddenly realize and kill him, would he?
Ye Yang was trembling with fear, still cautiously stepping on that piece of clothing with the tips of his toes, carefully avoiding the dragon patterns on the hem. He didn’t call Feng Luan back, standing on tiptoes for a while with difficulty, then suddenly heard a familiar sound of a system notification.
He raised his head and saw a -1 red character appearing above Feng Luan’s body; feeling a sudden shock, he immediately became alert.
Reduced favorability, reduced favorability! His favorability score had finally lowered!
Ye Yang kept his gaze fixed on Feng Luan’s silhouette, contemplating why Feng Luan’s favorability score might have decreased at that moment. After much thought, he could only come up with one reason: the young man seemed rather shy, hesitating to remove his shoes and lingering by the door in the cold breeze. Now, he wanted to get back to the warmth of the fire, but struggled to let go of his pride and return.
At this moment, Feng Luan must have been earnestly hoping to call him back to the fire, to offer him a way back, a chance to save face. Yet, if he stayed silent, Feng Luan’s favorability score would surely continue to drop!
Certainly seems that way!
Ye Yang sealed his lips tightly, deciding to act as if nothing had happened. He planned to wait until Feng Luan’s favorability score returned to a safe level before calling him back.
After waiting for more than a moment, Ye Yang indeed noticed another -1 red character appearing on Feng Luan’s body.
Ye Yang felt like applauding himself for his perfect plan. However, he found the rate at which the score was decreasing to be frustratingly slow. He wondered how much longer he’d have to wait.
He intended to wait a little longer, but Feng Luan had already turned around and was coming back.
Ye Yang asked, “What’s up? Not feeling shy anymore?”
However, Feng Luan appeared solemn and devoid of any inclination to jest or banter. Hastily, he conveyed, “There’s someone approaching from outside.”
“Is it the Imperial Guards?” Ye Yang asked, surprised.
Feng Luan shook his head.
“Considering their attire, they’re not part of the Imperial Guards. There must be others within the hunting grounds,” Feng Luan noted. He picked up a garment and draped it over Ye Yang’s shoulders, enveloping him tightly. With a contemplative gaze fixed upon the crackling fire pit, his brow furrowed slightly as he posed a question, “Have you ever pondered the presence of this fire pit within this derelict temple?”
Thank You for the new chapter (੭ु ›ω‹ )੭ु⁾⁾♡♡
thanks for reading!! ♡
In some settings, it could be the introduction of a more attractive concubine who is hiding and needs to be rescued. Thankfully this isn’t that kind of (K-drama) story. I am intrigued over who it is though 😮
How shameless of you to ask the Emperor to show his feet, that’s kinda sus Ye Yang 😏
Thanks for the chapter!
thank you for the chapter! i hope it’s not some evil people trying to kill the emperor🥲