Chapter 77
Li Yu spent a period of time hiding his identity and running around in chaos. King Jing sympathized with Li Yu because he had never traveled far before. If they passed by a small town along the way, he would stay at an inn for a few days, take Li Yu shopping, eat a few hot meals, and wait for Li Yu to have enough rest before continuing on their journey.
Because it was a journey, they brought a lot of dry food with them. Eunuch Wang prepared a lot of side dishes and meat patties, and they finished them in a few days. Li Yu’s human form was a little tired of eating dry food a few times, but he could turn back into a fish, and a fish could eat fish food all the time. King Jing would take him to eat meat from time to time, and he also ordered Wang Xi to buy snacks from the towns along the way for Li Yu. Li Yu, who was still carefully cared for, felt that he didn’t suffer much.
When they were in the middle of nowhere, they pitched tents on the spot several times. Li Yu would give up the comfortable carriage and sleep with King Jing in a thick blanket wrapped in thick fur. Li Yu, this fish, was a shameless little scoundrel once a certain tendon in his brain was twisted. He even pestered King Jing to be intimate, saying that it was a different kind of fun in the wilderness. King Jing usually couldn’t persuade him on this matter, so he did as he was told. The two of them hugged each other and listened to the sound of the wind outside the tent, feeling each other’s warm heartbeat. If only Young Master Li didn’t panic and scramble into the carriage with his clothes disheveled.
There were several sections of the journey that were completely in the wilderness. Li Yu was bored and even discovered a new skill.
He tried to find wild vegetables on the hillside, and he always found one. He also tried to dig up sweet potatoes, and he always found one. Compared to Wang Xi who came back empty-handed every time, Li Yu came back with a full load. He couldn’t even carry it with both hands, and Wang Xi was very envious.
Li Yu’s luck was also very good when he encountered a river. As long as he stood on the shore where the current was not turbulent, he would gently pat the rocks there, and a lot of prawns, crabs, and loaches would emerge from under the rocks. Sometimes, there would also be fish.
However, Li Yu no longer ate fish. He would put the fish back into the water, and the rest of the prawns, crabs, and the like could be eaten after cooking the freshwater fish to preserve the original taste.
While Wang Xi was amazed, she insisted on taking the pot and cooking it for Li Yu. She was determined not to let Li Yu do it. Li Yu felt strange. He had cooked in the Wang Mansion before, and Wang Xi had never stopped him. Why couldn’t he do it this time?
The sharp-tongued Eunuch Wang immediately stammered. Why not? In fact, it was because they were afraid that Young Master Li’s cooking skills would spoil the freshwater fish. However, Her Highness had ordered that no one was allowed to talk about Young Master Li’s cooking skills.
Wang Xi was tight-lipped. Li Yu asked several times, but he didn’t get any information.
This was just a small matter, and Li Yu threw it to the back of his mind in a flash. For him, it was more practical to be able to find all kinds of ingredients than to be able to cook. Li Yu also realized that he was always very lucky when it came to finding food.
Only then did Li Yu understand that the system’s so-called good luck in terms of food and clothing was not referring to his outstanding culinary skills, but it was referring to his ability to find food (and perhaps, clothes in the future), to get what he wished for.
Li Yu silently cursed the system for always putting the fish’s good luck in evil ways, and then he rejoiced that the koi fish that could find food would not go hungry.
After thinking about it carefully, he realized that it was true. Except for what he had done, he had never been hungry.
Two months later, they finally arrived at a small town in the western border – Fallen Maple Town.
This was the temporary residence that the Emperor had specially chosen for King Jing.
The mayor of Fallen Maple Town had already received a secret order from his superiors to prepare a residence for King Jing and his entourage. It was the best residence in the area, and it had been completely cleaned. King Jing took Li Yu to have a look. Although it was called a residence, it was actually just a house with two courtyards. It obviously couldn’t be compared to the huge Wang Mansion.
Li Yu usually lived in a fish tank, so he didn’t think that the size of the courtyard had anything to do with it. King Jing silently rubbed the fish’s head. In King Jing’s eyes, not being as big as the Wang Mansion meant that Little Fish was wronged. Moreover, because the crystal fish tank was too far away and inconvenient to carry, King Jing only brought a few smaller fish tanks that he often used.
King Jing even felt that Little Fish was wronged, even though Little Fish didn’t show any reaction.
King Jing also brought a lot of imperial bodyguards and a few servants with him this time. Two courtyards weren’t enough for them to live in. Wang Xi had an idea and spent some money to buy the neighboring houses so that they could live in them. Although the original residence had been cleaned, it was still a bit old. Wang Xi originally planned to renovate it and expand the main courtyard, but King Jing shook his head.
This time, they actually came here under the imperial decree, so it wasn’t appropriate for them to do too many things outside of the decree.
Once Li Yu arrived at the new territory, he first walked around the rooms one by one. He saw that the fish tank was still placed in King Jing’s room. This room was much smaller than the one in the Wang Mansion, and the furniture was also ordinary. Li Yu feit that it would be very inconvenient for Young Master Li to transform. Just as he was about to speak, King Jing asked Wang Xi to tidy up another room beside his room for Young Master Li.
“Young Master Li, aren’t you going to stay with His Highness?”
Wang Xi couldn’t figure it out, or perhaps he was too surprised. His master only rode a horse and didn’t take the carriage. It was already doting enough for him to let Young Master Li sit in the carriage. Could it be that he wanted to separate from Young Master Li? Was he so obsessed with Young Master Li’s pregnancy?
King Jing faintly glanced at Wang Xi. The place was too small, so Young Master Li couldn’t sleep well.
Wang Xi: “…”
Originally, the room next door was going to be King Jing’s study room. Since King Jing insisted, Wang Xi couldn’t say anything. He quickly tidied it up and gave it to Li Yu.
Li Yu was very embarrassed, but he couldn’t say anything. After all, Young Master Li had something that he couldn’t say.
Because the new residence wasn’t big, King Jing set new rules. The servants who came with him to Luofeng Town didn’t have to come over to serve him at night. Except for the guards who were on duty in shifts, the rest could take care of themselves.
“Young Master Li, I’ll leave His Highness to you!”
Wang Xi held Li Yu’s hand and reminded him repeatedly. Eunuch Wang was also sent to rest by King Jing, so he could only ask Li Yu for help.
Li Yu agreed with a red face, but there was actually a trace of joy in his heart.
After Wang Xi and the others left, Li Yu unskillfully poured some hot water into a clean copper basin. After thinking for a while, he added some cold water, mixed it until it was warm, and brought it over to King Jing.
“His Highness, first … wash your face and hands.”
Li Yu wasn’t very good at taking care of people, so he followed his usual habits.
He had already combed his hair by himself. He took out a hairpin and casually tied his long hair into a bun at the back of his head, so that it wouldn’t fall in front and hurt his eyes.
King Jing liked his casual appearance very much. He held Li Yu’s hand, put it into the warm water, and gently rubbed his palm.
Li Yu couldn’t be more familiar with water. He cupped a handful of water and poured it on the back of King Jing’s hand. King Jing smiled, and the two unconsciously played with the water for a while.
Li Yu secretly cursed and forgot the time again. He secretly glanced at the silver hourglass he brought from the Wang Mansion.
This hourglass just happened to be able to calculate the time of his transformation. Li Yu quickly estimated that it was more than enough time for him to take a bath.
“Does His Highness want to take a bath? I, I can help His Highness wipe his back.”
Li Yu blurted out. After asking, he felt that he was being stupid. He had just washed his face and hands. How could he say that he was taking a bath?
He was a fish, and soaking in water all day long, so he wouldn’t be dirty. King Jing, on the other hand, was tired from traveling for two months. He only had the means to wipe his back when he stayed at an inn. He was worried that King Jing would feel uncomfortable.
King Jing understood his concern and nodded with a smile. Afraid that Li Yu would be busy, King Jing took the initiative to walk to the bathtub. Wang Xi had left a lot of hot water. King Jing had seen Li Yu add water into the copper basin, so he was determined not to let Li Yu carry the kettle again. King Jing tested the temperature of the water while doing it himself.
“His Highness, let me wipe your back!”
Li Yu’s eyes were bright. He put a cloth towel on his arm.
King Jing narrowed his eyes and secretly glanced at the silver hourglass. There should still be enough time. King Jing suddenly reached out and pulled Li Yu, who was standing beside the bathtub, into the bathtub.
“His Highness, what are you doing?”
Li Yu suddenly fell head first into the hot water. He was scared out of his wits.
King Jing smiled and pressed him against the edge of the bathtub. His Highness not only wanted to wipe his back, but also wanted to eat fish.
Li Yu’s cheeks were flushed from washing himself. The corners of his eyes were still wet. He sat on the chair and kicked his legs restlessly. King Jing helped him put on a snow-white silk undershirt and wiped his wet hair clean.
Li Yu, who suddenly felt that it was the other way around, was speechless.
Forget it, fish doesn’t care about trifles!
Li Yu threw the cloth towel away and stepped on King Jing’s foot with a smile. He didn’t wear any shoes or socks, and there were still some water stains on his feet. He rubbed his feet against King Jing’s feet. Stepping on one foot wasn’t enough, so he stepped on the other.
King Jing was speechless.
Li Yu knew that he was fanning the flames. The two of them had been dating for almost half a year, and their feelings for each other had deepened. He had followed King Jing from the Prince’s Mansion to this dilapidated courtyard, but he still felt that it was quite sweet. Did that mean that he could cross the line a little more?
Anyway, the three rules that he had agreed on were not because he didn’t want to, but because he was afraid that he would be exposed if he transformed into a fish halfway through.
In fact, transforming into a fish wasn’t completely impossible. He now had a very accurate timer, so he could accurately divide the bed activity into two halves. For example, he could arrange to transform into a fish at night, close to the wee hours of the morning. When the silver funnel was almost empty, he could use the excuse that he needed to go to the toilet and return to the other room. After transforming back into a fish, he just had to wait for a while until the wee hours of the next day.
Simply put, he could make the two transformations infinitely close, and the night was a good time to exercise. Hard work paid off. The fish had even thought of such a clever idea, so he definitely had to try it. King Jing had almost become a monk in the past few months. Li Yu had secretly seduced him several times, but King Jing was too rigid when it came to keeping his promise. He didn’t even enter the door. Li Yu was very suspicious that he might become a monk if this continued.
Really, why did he fiddle with the three rules back then? Retribution has come. Sob, sob, sob, the fish really wanted to die!
Li Yu’s feet rubbed against King Jing’s, which made him uncomfortable. He got up and took a step forward, trying to figure out the fish’s intentions. Li Yu stepped on his feet and was in a daze. He lost his balance and was about to fall. King Jing quickly reached out to support him.
Li Yu took the opportunity to throw himself on King Jing. He rubbed his eyes and pretended that he was very sleepy.
King Jing carried the dishonest fish to the bed and gently put Li Yu down. Li Yu quickly clung to him, grabbing and refusing to let him go. Although he had taken a shower, he knew that Li Yu was actually holding back his desire and was not relaxed.
After guarding the three rules for so long, he still knew how to stir up the other party’s emotions.
King Jing was soon aroused. The two glanced at the silver funnel from the corner of their eyes at the same time to confirm the time.
After being intimate for a while, Li Yu felt that he was about to succeed. King Jing released him as usual, but Li Yu did not say goodbye. Instead, he whispered, “Your Highness, wait for me.”
King Jing was stunned. Li Yu winked at him mischievously and gave him a look that he thought was charming. He was about to rush to the other room to prepare.
At this moment, something unexpected happened. Suddenly, someone outside the room shouted, “Your Highness, be careful!”
Then, Li Yu and King Jing heard the sound of swords clashing at the same time. The two looked at each other at the same time. Who would have thought that an assassin would appear in a small town on the western border, thousands of miles away from the Imperial City?!
Li Yu was not mentally prepared. In addition, his transformation time was almost up. He was stunned for a moment and did not know what to do. King Jing reacted much faster than him. He took a big stride forward and pulled Li Yu, who was about to run out of the door, back. He half pushed and half carried him to the back of a wardrobe.
You hide here and don’t move!
King Jing nodded at Li Yu. He waited until the noise outside the room became louder, then he pulled out his sword and rushed out.
The western border was already in turmoil, but this house was originally unoccupied. As soon as he moved in, the assassins followed him. What a coincidence!
King Jing naturally thought that they were coming for him. Even so, he had to go out. There were only a few rooms in the courtyard. If he did not go out now, he was afraid that the assassins would sneak in and Xiaoyu would be in danger. If he went out and fought with his back to the wall, at least Xiaoyu would be safe.
King Jing turned around and went out, then immediately closed the door.
He calmed down and saw that in the courtyard, the imperial bodyguards were fighting with a group of masked men in black. It was hard to tell who was better.
King Jing kicked away an assassin who came to attack him and joined the battle. Sure enough, the men in black were already searching the house. When they saw King Jing appear, they stopped searching. More than half of the men in black focused on attacking King Jing.
There was a lot of shouting outside. Li Yu was anxious in the room. How could he hide by himself?
He ran to the window and pushed it open a crack. He saw that King Jing had already met up with the imperial bodyguards and was fighting with the men in black. Li Yu immediately felt relieved.
For safety’s sake, he looked around. Who would have thought that in the next moment, he would see someone drawing a bow in the distance?
Li Yu knew that something was wrong. He did not know if King Jing could escape. He was burning with anxiety. He casually looked around the room and his eyes lit up. There was a copper basin in the room for washing hands. Li Yu glanced at the silver funnel again and gritted his teeth. He still had some time. He just had to move faster and stop being so wishy-washy!
Li Yu picked up the copper basin and used it as a shield in front of his body. He pushed open the door and ran out.
“Your Highness, be careful of the archers!” Li Yu shouted.
As soon as he finished speaking, an arrow flew toward King Jing. Li Yu shouted in fear. King Jing calmly titted his head and dodged the arrow.
Li Yu jumped up and used the copper basin as a shield in front of King Jing.
Fear only lasted for a short moment. Li Yu’s hand holding the copper basin trembled, but he quickly calmed down.
He was also a man. He knew that King Jing went out to protect him. He was not afraid of death.
He had to protect King Jing!
Almost at the same time, Wang Xi arrived with more imperial bodyguards. There were also other people coming from nearby.
The men in black were gradually surrounded. Seeing that things were not going well, they began to flee. King Jing took a bow from Wang Xi and pulled the bowstring. He shot one of them without even aiming. It was the person who had shot the arrow.
The men in black were quickly surrounded by the imperial bodyguards. They should not be in danger. Li Yu rushed over and hugged King Jing tightly. He used to be afraid of blood. Now that King Jing was covered in blood, he did not care. Not only did he not care, he even laughed heartily.
For a moment, he had indeed thought about what would happen if King Jing were to be hit by the arrow.
Compared to the fear of the assassin, he was more afraid that he would lose him. He hoped that the two of them could live well and be together safely.
Li Yu’s state of mind changed. At the same time, the system notified him that “Sharing Joys and Sorrows” was completed.
Li Yu smiled proudly. He was about to praise himself when his smile suddenly froze on his face.
… Oh no, the transformation time limit is up!
Li Yu did not have time to say anything more to King Jing. He wanted to run back to the room. The moment he opened the door, Li Yu heard the hair-raising sound of a bowstring.
“Young Master, be careful!”
Wang Xi shouted anxiously. However, he was far away and could not help at all.
Li Yu’s eyes widened. He did not even have time to look behind him. Seeing that the arrow was about to hit him, King Jing jumped up and threw Li Yu into the room. The two of them fell to the ground and avoided the arrow.
Li Yu was firmly protected by King Jing. The corners of his eyes were a little wet.
“Your Highness …”
