Third Immortal Herb: Lovesick Heartbreak Red!

"Brother Qin, it's about time. I should be going."

Qian Renxue rose reluctantly. Looking at the dozens of Soul Tools piled across the table, she finally smiled in satisfaction.

"You remembered how to use all the Soul Tools I explained, right?"

"You're just an ordinary person. Whenever you go out in the future, remember to bring all of these with you."

"With these things, as long as you run into someone below the Soul Emperor level, don't be afraid. You can wear them to death if nothing else."

Seeing Qian Renxue's smug expression, Qin Shiyuan was truly on the verge of tears.

He had only just returned from Star-Plucking Tower after fighting for his life, barely making it back to the little tavern before Qian Renxue.

Yet before his seat had even warmed, Qian Renxue had swept through the door in a rush.

Without exchanging a single word of small talk, she had dragged him into a full hour-long explanation of how to use Soul Tools.

But the problem was, he had made all this stuff himself!

Listening to someone explain how to use his own creations?

It was laughable just thinking about it.

But the key was that he couldn't let anything slip. He had to feign confusion from time to time.

Heaven knew how many times Qian Renxue had called him stupid over that one hour.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, Qin is merely a commoner. Why don't you take these back?"

"You've given me so many things, but I have nothing here that Your Highness would fancy. I wouldn't feel at ease accepting them."

Putting on a flustered, unsophisticated act, Qin Shiyuan spoke with a bitter smile.

At those words, Qian Renxue's delicate brows immediately furrowed.

"If I tell you to take them, then take them. Why are you talking so much? If you die one day, who's going to mix drinks for me?"

"And who said there was nothing here that I could fancy?"

As she spoke, a sly gleam of triumph flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes.

As if she had planned this all along, she strode quickly to the bookcase and, with practiced ease, took out a palm-sized black box.

"Since you feel embarrassed about taking my things, use this to settle the debt."

As she spoke, Qian Renxue carefully slid the lid open from both sides.

Her eyes full of affection, she lifted out the exquisite hairpin inside.

The entire hairpin was gilded gold, its top carved into a phoenix poised to spread its wings and take flight.

Yet its most dazzling feature lay beneath the golden phoenix's beak.

Its closed beak held an incredibly fine golden thread.

At the end of that thread was a tiny, stunning flower carved from ruby, lifelike in every detail.

"Huh? You want this? But..."

Once Qin Shiyuan saw what Qian Renxue had taken out, his expression suddenly turned troubled.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, why don't you choose something else?"

"This is part of the bride price I prepared for my future wife. If you take it away, how am I supposed to find a wife later?"

"Hmph! Find a wife? How old are you? What wife are you looking for!"

Upon hearing Qin Shiyuan's words, Qian Renxue's face immediately darkened.

As though she had been holding back her anger, she glared fiercely at Qin Shiyuan.

"Hmph! Anyway, this is the only thing here that I like. I'm taking it!"

"If you can't find a wife, then don't!"

"B-but this hairpin is for girls to use, isn't it? What use does Your Highness the Crown Prince have for it?"

Qian Renxue still seemed to be angry. Hearing his question, she replied irritably.

"What business is it of yours what I'm using it for? Can't I give it to my future Crown Princess?"

At that, Qin Shiyuan seemed to shake his head helplessly.

"This... very well. Since Your Highness wants it so badly, Qin will give it to you."

"That's more like it."

A smile finally appeared on Qian Renxue's face again. Like a victorious rooster, she left the little tavern with a thoroughly satisfied expression.

"Then this Crown Prince will be leaving first. Brother Qin, no need to see me out..."

As that figure walked farther and farther away until she completely vanished from sight,

the air in the little tavern seemed to freeze, before a burst of utterly uncontrollable laughter suddenly erupted.

"Pfft!"

"Hahahaha, that silly girl is killing me!"

"Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"

Qin Shiyuan could no longer suppress the smile at the corners of his lips. He collapsed into the wooden rocking chair, clutching his stomach as he laughed without end.

Who knew how painfully hard he had had to hold back his laughter while watching Qian Renxue earlier?

His laughter echoed through the silent woods, continuing for dozens of seconds before slowly fading.

Holding his stomach, which now ached faintly from laughing, Qin Shiyuan slowly walked over to the table from before.

With a wave of his hand, he put away all the carelessly scattered Soul Tools.

Then he walked over to the box that had originally held the hairpin.

He gently picked up the black box and closed it.

By then, the amusement in his eyes had gradually softened.

"At last, the final one has been given away too."

Qin Shiyuan murmured to himself, a faint curve rising at the corner of his lips.

That was right. The golden hairpin from earlier had not been an ordinary hairpin.

The ruby held in the gilded phoenix's beak was actually the final Immortal Herb Qin Shiyuan had prepared for Qian Renxue.

Lovesick Heartbreak Red!

"Whew! I can finally get some rest!"

Like a survivor of a disaster, Qin Shiyuan dragged himself with difficulty toward the rocking chair.

The moment he lay down, a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

"Master, I'm afraid you won't be able to rest."

At that moment, Shi Nian hurried into the tavern again.

The moment he spoke, he nearly made Qin Shiyuan jump up once more.

"That girl came back?"

"Uh, not this time."

Shi Nian scratched his head awkwardly, then composed himself and said,

"This time, it's Sword Douluo Chen Xin, along with a Seven Rings Soul Saint named Lou Gao. They want to see you."

Hearing this, Qin Shiyuan had one of the rare occasions when he did not feel like smacking Shi Nian.

A profound gleam flickered in his eyes. After a long while, he gave two soft chuckles.

"Hehe, after waiting so long, they actually decided to come together..."

After saying that, he lay back down again, leaving only a faint voice drifting into Shi Nian's ears.

"From now on, unless it's news about Qian Renxue, everything else can wait until I wake up."

"I'll overlook this first offense. There won't be a next time."

"Yes, Master."

Shi Nian immediately wore a smile uglier than crying, while inwardly cursing Chen Xin and Lou Gao countless times.