Chapter 233 - 231: Lu Ying, you’re utterly boring

Words : 1403 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

Lu Ying was silent for a moment and said, "Come here and kowtow to pay respects." His attitude was so resolute that Shen Yinning had no choice but to walk down to the riverbank and join him in honoring her parents and elder brother. As they walked back, although the sky was filled with stars, the night was treacherous with dark shadows of trembling trees, and the mountain steps leading to Shengguo Temple were especially steep and perilous. Lu Ying carried a lantern and walked ahead, but soon noticed the footsteps behind him growing faint. He turned back to look and saw that little trickster sitting on the steps, one hand clutching her elaborate dress, tears brimming in her eyes. Shen Yinning looked up at him, aggrieved: "I twisted my ankle..." Lu Ying frowned. This was already the third time she twisted her foot. So delicate. He thought to himself as he walked over, handed her the lantern, then crouched in front of her, "Get on." Only then did Shen Yinning stop crying, climbing onto his back, one hand gripping the lantern tightly, the other holding firmly onto his shoulders. Lu Ying carried her up toward the temple. The little fox spirit was so light. Light enough to lift with just one hand. The night breeze carried hints of spring soil and budding shoots, while the shadows of trees swayed on either side of the mountain path. The resplendent golden temple in the distance still seemed far away. Shen Yinning looked at Lu Ying’s profile and teased, "Look at that shadow up ahead, its claws stretched out—doesn’t it look like a ghost? Lu Ying, the ghosts have come for you!" Childish. That was obviously just a tree’s shadow. Lu Ying thought silently and didn’t respond. Shen Yinning, failing to scare him, pouted in defiance: "You’re so dull." Feeling bored, she rested her chin on his shoulder, gazing at his face in the lantern’s light—the interplay of shadow and illumination, his long eyelashes emerging clearly from the flickering glow. After a moment, she suddenly pointed skyward: "Lu Ying, look! A celestial dog devouring the moon! My mother said celestial dogs are incredibly fierce. If they see us, they’ll eat us too!" Lu Ying glanced at the moon. What celestial dog devouring the moon? It was just a cloud drifting by, obscuring the moonlight. The idea that celestial dogs could eat people was probably something the Duchess made up to frighten this little fox spirit, stopping her from wandering outside and causing trouble late at night. Shen Yinning saw that he remained silent and couldn’t help leaning closer to his ear, whispering, "Lu Ying, you’re unbelievably boring." Lu Ying took step after step up the mountain path. His mind wandered back three or four years, to when Shen Yinning had criticized him in front of Lu Shiyan for being too quiet, dull, and overly serious. A sharp ache spread in his chest. He suddenly wondered: Had he not been good enough before, which was why this little fox spirit resented him? After a long silence, he whispered, "The celestial dog fears fire. Since you’re carrying a lantern, it won’t dare eat us." Shen Yinning was stunned. After regaining her senses, she laughed uncontrollably, tilting her head smugly. "Lu Ying, I just tricked you! There are no celestial dogs—how could you fall for that? You’re so foolish!" Lu Ying neither got angry nor retorted. He simply curved his thin lips imperceptibly into a smile. Finally, as they reached Shengguo Temple, Shen Yinning jumped off Lu Ying’s back, delicately lifting a small section of her skirt as she extended her leg in its embroidered shoe, toes pointed straight. She said slyly, "Lu Ying, look—I didn’t twist my ankle. I just didn’t want to climb the steps, so I tricked you." She smiled, her eyes crescent-shaped, as if she had gained a tremendous advantage. Lu Ying wasn’t annoyed either. He reached out, gently ruffling her hair: "Shen Zhaozhao is the best at lying." His palm was broad and warm, carrying a trace of affection and indulgence. Shen Yinning froze. By the time she looked up, Lu Ying had already stepped into the mountain gate. "You’re acting so strange today..." She muttered quietly, taking small hurried steps to catch up. Inside the temple, ancient trees soared into the heavens, and in the lateness of night, the atmosphere felt eerily quiet and unnerving. As Shen Yinning and Lu Ying passed by a secluded Zen Temple, they heard shouts and cries coming from within. "Your Highness, please stop! I... I just wanted to invite you to tour the ancient temple at night and discuss Gan State’s culture and customs. That’s all! I didn’t mean anything else!" "Oh? So now you’re pretending? Go ask around—who in the Capital doesn’t know this Prince favors men? You invited me out in the middle of the night—if it’s not to throw yourself into my arms, then what is it?! What, you want to play the hypocrite now?" "Your Highness, I had no idea—truly, I didn’t know—" A resounding slap echoed twice. Evidently, Prince Zhuang was enraged and awarded Gao Zheng with two hefty slaps. Prince Zhuang sneered sinisterly, "Little wretch, the more you cry, the more excited I get. Now strip your pants off!" "Your Highness, I am a man among men, the sole heir of three generations—I cannot do such things! Unless... unless I offer you my wife instead?! She’s the Capital’s top beauty—you’ll surely fancy her!" "Shut up! Worthless scum—sending your own wife off to others’ beds, and you call yourself a man? Bah! Quit inflating your worth!" "..." Shen Yinning listened, her eyes sparkling with interest. Gao Zheng really was a fool. She had suggested he invite Prince Zhuang, and he actually dared to do so! Since he found it so simple to trade bedding with others for his career, she thought he might as well try it himself. She wanted to listen further, but Lu Ying dragged her away directly. Forced to match his stride, Shen Yinning pouted, "Why are you walking so fast? I still want to hear more." Lu Ying’s face darkened. What was there to listen to in that kind of thing? Dirtying one’s ears for no reason. He said coldly, "Not allowed to listen." Shen Yinning couldn’t help rolling her eyes at his back but was soon led to a brightly lit Buddhist Hall. She wasn’t a believer. Back when her parents and elder brother were imprisoned, she had wandered hopelessly with blood and tears, begging at every temple inside and outside the Capital. Yet, no Buddha or Bodhisattva came to save her loved ones. Her mother, so devout all her life, had donated countless offerings, yet couldn’t escape her own tragic fate. Afterward, Shen Yinning never again prayed to the Buddha with sincerity. She stood by the side, watching as Lu Ying donated a generous offering, lit incense with reverence, and finally obtained an amulet. Tilting her head, she teased cynically, "The Crown Prince truly isn’t like us ordinary people. The Crown Prince meticulously adheres to traditional customs—eating zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival, hanging lanterns and decorating courtyards on the night of Qixi, eating gold ingot dumplings on New Year’s Day, tangyuan during the Lantern Festival, and always offering money and incense at temples. Crown Prince, you’re even more old-fashioned than the elders!" Lu Ying gripped the amulet. "Following tradition and living earnestly—is that wrong?" "Not wrong at all. It’s just that those customs are stale and outdated. You’re still young, yet you follow them so rigidly—it makes you seem overly dull. Take me: on Dragon Boat Festival, I deliberately eat rice cakes; on New Year’s, I eat spring rolls; during the Lantern Festival, I eat dumplings! And those deities, whether Daoist or Buddhist, I don’t believe in them either!" The hall was resplendent with beauty, palace lanterns aglow. The Bodhisattva held a flower in hand, gazing compassionately at the girl standing under the Lotus Lamp. The girl’s intricate dress flowed like a river; her eyes were radiant and defiant. She seemed adorned with rebellion and arrogance, her whole being brimming with resistance. Lu Ying suddenly reached out and flicked her forehead lightly. In a soft voice, he admonished, "In front of the Bodhisattva, don’t speak nonsense." "You—" Shen Yinning clutched her forehead, but before she could rebuke him, he placed the amulet around her neck.

Chapter 233 - 231: Lu Ying, you’re utterly boring

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