Chapter Forty-Three: Sea of Flowers

Perhaps favored by the heavens, a heavy rain fell that very night, washing away the bloodstains in the courtyard completely and saving her a great deal of trouble.

After the downpour, the air was exceptionally crisp, carrying a faint fragrance of fresh grass. The cheerful chirping of birds lifted the spirits, and looking at, Ruer playing and frolicking with Xiao Bai in the courtyard, a gentle, tender smile bloomed on Yan Ziyu’s face.

As Ah Li walked in, he saw Yan Ziyu smiling so radiantly. Unlike her usual bare-faced, unadorned appearance back at the Prince’s Manor, at this moment, her willow-leaf brows were gently arched, her watery eyes were as clear and expressive as if they could speak, her lips needed no rouge to be naturally red, and her face required no makeup to exude charm. A pure, ethereal beauty radiated from within, impossible for anyone to ignore.

At this sight, Ah Li was utterly captivated!

"How is it? Do I look good?" Seeing Ah Li standing in a daze at the doorway, Yan Ziyu walked up to him with a smile and asked playfully.

"You look good, hehe... Little Yu is the prettiest of all," Ah Li answered with a somewhat foolish smile, his tone entirely straightforward.

As their eyes met, Yan Ziyu finally realized why she had felt something was amiss earlier—the reason lay in his eyes!

In the past, Ah Li’s eyes were pure and bright; how could they have become so sunken, listless, and bloodshot after just a single night? It looked utterly bizarre.

How could this be? Ah Li’s eyes had clearly been so pure; why would they suddenly turn into this state?

Could it be that something happened last night while she was away from the manor?

"Ah Li, what's wrong with your eyes?" she asked with concern.

Ah Li blinked, pouting his lips with a wronged expression, and said, "Little Yu wasn't there, so Ah Li couldn't sleep..." He even mimicked Ruer, lowering his head and fidgeting with his fingers, leaving Yan Ziyu utterly speechless.

So he had stayed awake all night and lacked sleep!

Only then did Yan Ziyu feel somewhat relieved. Just as she would do to Ruer, she reached out to pat Ah Li’s head, wanting him to go inside and sleep for a while. To her surprise, he ducked his head away to dodge her hand. "Ah Li is a man; you can't touch a man's head."

Who knows where he had picked up such a bizarre theory, but Yan Ziyu was instantly left torn between laughter and tears.

"Am I not allowed to touch it either?" she deliberately teased, putting on an angry expression.

"Then... then you can touch it just once, okay?" Seeing that Little Yu was angry, Ah Li panicked immediately, quickly thrusting his head forward for her to pet, while not forgetting to bargain with a complete lack of fortitude.

Seeing his earnest expression, Yan Ziyu didn't have the heart to tease him any longer and burst out laughing. "Go on, go on. Who wants to touch you anyway? Aren't you afraid of being dirty! What are you doing here instead of staying in the Prince's Manor? Are you looking for me?"

"By the way, Little Yu, come with me. I'll take you to a wonderful place, follow me..." Without waiting to see if she was willing, Ah Li grabbed her hand and dashed outward. Thanks to the martial arts training Yan Ziyu had undergone in the past, she managed to keep up with his extraordinary speed.

Ah Li was clearly prepared in advance. Outside the General’s Manor, a carriage was already waiting. General Yan did not restrict her movements, but Ruer was not permitted to step a single half-step outside the General’s Manor. In other words, Ruer was his leverage, used to keep Yan Ziyu in check.

About an hour later—

"Ah Li—explain to me what this is!"

With a roar, the entire mountainside trembled!

Looking at the scene before her, Yan Ziyu felt like committing murder.

What kind of wretched place was this? The weeds were taller than she was, and in this desolate wilderness, there wasn't even a proper path. Her brain must have been kicked by a donkey for her to let Ah Li bamboozle her into walking half an hour through the mountains just to bring her to such a ghostly place. She even had the impulse to lunge forward and bite him a few times!

"Uh... Little Yu, are you angry?" Ah Li reached out to scratch his ear, looking at the erupting Yan Ziyu with a mixture of disbelief and utter innocence, and asked timidly.

Breathe... breathe... take a deep breath...

Yan Ziyu continuously suppressed her raging fury, forcing out a smile that was uglier than crying. "What do you think?"

Did she look angry? Did she?!

Good grief, she wasn't just angry; she was on the verge of exploding. She spent all day hunting geese, only to be pecked in the eye by a goose—and a foolish one at that. The only reason she hadn't died of anger was because her psychological resilience was exceptional.

"...Little Yu is the gentlest person ever, you wouldn't get angry." Ah Li looked Yan Ziyu up and down, hesitated for a moment, and said with absolute certainty, "Little Yu, come with me. I'll take you to my secret base; it's so beautiful and fun there..." Without waiting for Yan Ziyu's consent, he grabbed her and surged forward again.

Along the way, Yan Ziyu was poked and scratched by the weeds until her whole body itched, yet she had no chance to vent her frustration. Oh, how stifled she felt inside!

Finally, Ah Li came to a halt.

"Little Yu, look, isn't it gorgeous?" Ah Li pointed proudly at the valley before them, as if presenting a priceless treasure.

Yan Ziyu was already frozen, staring at the scene before her eyes with utter astonishment.

Down in the valley not far away stretched a vast sea of purple, resembling undulating violet waves swaying gently in the mountain breeze, graceful as forest fairies descending lightly to earth—refined, ethereal, and transcendent.

A gentle breeze blew without a trace, the blossoms falling and blooming in a way that tugged at the heartstrings!

"The wonderful place you spoke of is just this sea of flowers?" It truly was breathtakingly beautiful; no wonder he had gone to such great lengths to bring her here.

Ah Li tilted his handsome chin upward and said triumphantly, "Of course! This sea of flowers is the prettiest, and it's even more stunning in the summer. You can eat the nectar too—it's so fragrant and sweet."

Hearing this, Yan Ziyu actually stepped forward, plucked a purple petal, and popped it into her mouth to chew. Sure enough, the fresh, sweet fragrance that bloomed on her tongue caused her tightly knitted brows to slowly smooth out, and a natural smile graced the corners of her lips.

"How is it? Isn't it delicious? Hehe... I knew Little Yu would like it." Ah Li grabbed a handful of petals and stuffed them into his mouth as well. The fresh and sweet taste was his favorite, and his eyes curved into crescents as he smiled.

Seeing his triumphant expression, Yan Ziyu wanted to tease him further, a flash of mischievous amusement dancing in her eyes. "So-so. Things like this are only liked by little children. Looking at you, you're about the same as Ruer—why don't you just call me mother like Ruer does? Raising one is just as easy as raising two anyway."

Ah Li was momentarily stunned, not knowing what to say.

Yan Ziyu chuckled inwardly, but then Ah Li suddenly blurted out a remark that left her neither laughing nor crying.

"You're more fit to be the mother of my child! If you want to be a mother, hurry up and help me give birth to a son!" With that, he still wore a smug, victorious expression, much like a triumphant rooster.

Yan Ziyu was instantly struck speechless. Was this fellow not actually a fool?

"Ah Li, you aren't foolish," she said after a brief silence.

Upon hearing this, Ah Li immediately split his mouth into a wide grin. "I was never foolish to begin with! Little Yu, should our son call me 'Uncle' or 'Second Uncle'? Don't worry, Little Yu, when you lay your eggs, I'll feed you every single day, and I'll go find a huge, huge tree to build a big nest for you to lay your eggs in..."

Yan Ziyu pressed a hand to her forehead; she took back what she had just said! This fellow wasn't just foolish—he was utterly and hopelessly out of his mind!

She was on the verge of a breakdown. Would someone please come and take this evildoer away?

Suddenly, countless birds burst out from the depths of the dense forest, their piercing cries sounding exceptionally sharp in the silent, desolate mountains. Ah Li’s expression shifted, and without a word of explanation, he grabbed Yan Ziyu and bolted in the direction from which the birds had flown!