Chapter 87: Royal Garden

Words : 1105 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 87: Royal Garden Lin Fan couldn’t get Lan Yinyin out of his head. "She looked at me..." he muttered, grinning stupidly to himself as he wandered into the royal gardens like a lovesick puppy: "That means something, right? Right?" He glanced around and spotted Lan Yinyin sitting gracefully beneath a parasol, sipping tea like a living portrait. The gentle sway of her hair in the breeze, the glimmer of her jewelry—Lin Fan felt his knees buckle. He straightened up quickly, smacked his own cheeks, and marched toward her. "Princess! Or Lady? Or Highness? Wait—wait—hold on, let me start over—" She looked up, expression unreadable, and calmly said, "...You again?" Lin Fan nodded: "Yes! I thought maybe we got off on the wrong foot. So I brought you this!" He held up a single daisy. Not a spirit herb. Not even a rare flower. Just a daisy. Slightly wilted. Lan Yinyin stared at it, then looked up at him. "That’s... from the flower beds near the latrine, isn’t it?" Lin Fan froze. "Uh..." "You picked me a bathroom flower?" "Symbolism!" Lin Fan blurted. "It symbolizes my pure—my earthy—my down-to-earth love!" A long silence. Lan Yinyin put down her tea, her patience clearly being tested. "You know," she said calmly, "you remind me of someone." "Really?" Lin Fan perked up. "My cousin’s goat. It once ate a brick and tried to chase a carriage. Hit its head. It was never the same again." Lin Fan blinked. "So... I’m like your cousin’s goat?" "Exactly." Behind a nearby pillar, Lan Jinhai was watching with arms crossed, sighing so hard his chest deflated. But Lan Yinyin, despite her aloof demeanor, couldn’t hide the slight twitch in her lips. It was entertaining, after all. "Lin Fan," she said coolly, "you amuse me. Like a jester." "A jester?" Lin Fan asked, half-proud, half-wounded. "Jesters are important in a palace. They make people laugh. But they never sit at the high table." Lin Fan’s expression cracked. "Wait... so you’re saying—" "Shhh." She placed a finger close to his lips without touching him: "Let me enjoy the quiet for a moment."f.r e\(e)(l).c om As she sipped her tea again, Lin Fan turned around, dejected. But the moment he walked off— Lan Yinyin whispered under her breath, "Still no news on Hei Long...?" One of her maids appeared beside her, kneeling. "No, my lady. We’ve checked the auction list. He registered under a false name, and he’s evaded every tracking method."Correct content is on w.e(b)nov el.c.om Lan Yinyin clicked her tongue. "Interesting..." As Lin Fan tripped over a pebble and nearly face-planted in the grass, Lan Yinyin smiled faintly. "Annoying goat," she whispered, "but I’m hunting the dragon." Meanwhile, Somewhere in Ocean City... Hei Long lounged back on the rooftop of an inn, casually sipping spiritual tea as the city bustled beneath him. A lazy smirk played on his lips while Sheng Moxian fanned him with a peacock-feather fan like some deranged yet devoted empress. "I heard she’s obsessed now," Sheng Moxian said, clearly annoyed. "She’s been sending her dogs sniffing after you since the auction." Hei Long tilted his head, amused. "Lan Yinyin, huh?" "The royal brat herself," Sheng Moxian huffed, pausing. "I don’t like it." Hei Long chuckled. "Relax. She’s just the next piece on the board." "You kissed me last week," Moxian said, narrowing her eyes. "If I see her try to take what’s mine, I’ll pluck out her eyelashes one by one and feed them to her spirit crane." "Spoken like a true romantic," Hei Long muttered. Just then, a shadow approached. One of Sheng Moxian’s undercover spies—a pale girl with eyes like fog—dropped to one knee and whispered, "My lord... word has spread. Lan Yinyin’s head servant is offering a reward for your name and identity. Five hundred high-tier spirit stones." Hei Long sipped his tea. "Five hundred? That’s insulting. I’m worth at least a thousand." He stood, stretching lazily. "Time to let the fish tug on the line a little more. Let her get desperate." Sheng Moxian pouted. "And what about me?" He winked. "You’re the one holding the rod." She melted on the spot. Elsewhere – "Okay... this time for sure," Lin Fan muttered to himself, standing in front of a mirror. He’d stolen a fancy-looking outfit from a minor noble’s laundry line—a flashy blue robe embroidered with cranes, and sandals two sizes too big. "Women love status, right?" he said, posing. "Now to impress her again..." He confidently strutted toward the royal pavilion, where Lan Yinyin was entertaining guests—nobles, young masters, and elders—all seated on silk mats sipping aged nectar wine. "Princess!" Lin Fan called, grinning. Lan Yinyin didn’t even look up. Someone whispered, "Who let the laundry boy in?" Lin Fan stopped in his tracks. "Laundry b—?! I’m a core disciple of a Sect!" One noble girl muttered, "He has the vibe of someone who gets kicked out of auctions." Another said, "Didn’t he pick a daisy from the toilet?" A gentle wave of laughter rippled through the guests. Lin Fan’s lip quivered. "Th-That was symbolism!" Lan Yinyin glanced at him for half a second and then spoke to her attendant. "Make sure the entrance is sealed next time. The garden’s getting infested." Lin Fan fled, holding back tears. "She loves me... I just know it..." Back with Hei Long As night fell, Hei Long now wore a cloak to obscure his identity, watching from the shadows as Lan Yinyin’s guards patrolled the streets. "Your highness!" One of her guards ran up to her carriage. "We think we’ve spotted him—east district, but he’s elusive." Lan Yinyin’s cool expression didn’t crack, but her eyes sharpened. "Tell the Shadow Viper Squad: if they can’t catch him, they’d better not return." Hei Long leaned against a rooftop ledge above them, grinning. "Step one: mystery. Step two: insult her pride. Step three... I show up just when she’s ready to explode." He pulled a paper fan from his robe and flicked it open. On it, in ink, was written: "When you beg me to show up... make sure your hair’s done right.—H.L." He tossed it down, letting it drift onto her carriage roof. Lan Yinyin picked it up as it fluttered past her. Her fingers trembled. Her cheeks flushed. "...He’s mocking me?" Her personal maid whispered, "Shall I burn it, my lady?" "...No." Lan Yinyin closed it and placed it in her sleeve. "Seal the city gates. I want every guard, every spy, and every beggar on his trail." But deep down... her heart fluttered.

Chapter 87: Royal Garden

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