In an instant, countless scraps of paper fluttered through the air. The scene was so brutal it was something nobody had ever seen before.
The Rakshasa Phantom gave its expert opinion: This man's bite could rival that of an adult hyena from the Star Dou Great Forest!
"Mm, I'm done eating. Satisfied now?"
After gnawing down the last section of the map, Xu Yan mumbled indistinctly.
"Here." Qian Yuhan thoughtfully handed Xu Yan a coconut with a paper straw stuck in it. His eyes were full of admiration for this Soul Douluo of the Sun Moon Empire. What a talent!
"..."
This time, Xu Yan didn't refuse the coconut Qian Yuhan offered him, either. His throat really was a little clogged.
For the rest of the journey, Xu Yan and Qian Yuhan didn't exchange so much as a single word. The reason was simple.
Xu Yan, who had eaten the map raw, was sulking.
That was just how Xu Yan was. After eating the map, all he needed to think about was whether Xu Tianzhen was awake yet at this hour. If she wasn't, where should he wait so he wouldn't get bored? And whether the snacks at Princess Mansion would be any good today.
But Qian Yuhan, who'd tricked him into eating the map dry, had a lot more to think about.
'Old Qian, what are you thinking about?' The Rakshasa Phantom lay across Qian Yuhan's back, basking in the sun. It yawned and tilted its head, muttering softly.
'I'm thinking about how to persuade that little girl to turn back before she loses her way and wastes her youth,' Qian Yuhan said.
'That's easy. Come, come, let me personally teach you how to speak with tact. I guarantee that rebellious little brat will be convinced and start studying properly.'
'Really?' Qian Yuhan asked doubtfully.
'Are you kidding? Who do you think I am? I'm a professional! Trust me! It'll be fine!'
As if afraid Qian Yuhan wouldn't believe it, the Rakshasa Phantom thumped its chest so hard it went thump, thump. Even Xu Yan, walking beside them, heard a faint whooshing sound suddenly coming from nearby.
'All right! Then I'll have to trouble you to enlighten me!'
And so, one man and one spirit—one willing to listen, the other eager to talk—spent the whole journey cramming in lessons.
Only when they reached the gates of Princess Mansion did the Rakshasa Phantom pat its backside and shrink back into Qian Yuhan's shadow. It left just one fist waving in the air as it enthusiastically encouraged Qian Yuhan:
'Keep your spirits up, Qian Yuhan! We fought our way out of the Soul Beast Forest! Don't lose face! Just do what we agreed on!'
'Sure!'
Though he felt that what the Rakshasa Phantom had taught him was somehow off in a way he couldn't quite put his finger on, Qian Yuhan had hardly ever spent a long time talking with a "peer of the opposite sex," so he could only trust the Rakshasa Phantom this once.
"Say, should we find a restaurant and eat first?"
Just as Qian Yuhan lowered his head, lost in melancholy, Xu Yan's words instantly ruined the beauty of his lovely, if slightly imperfect, memories.
"..."
Qian Yuhan slowly turned his head and raised one eyebrow. It seemed to say: It's not mealtime yet, is it?
"!"
Realizing he'd said something incredibly stupid, Xu Yan covered his mouth with one hand under Qian Yuhan's devastating stare. With the other, he fumbled around his clothes, pretending he was very busy in an attempt to ease the awkwardness.
"You're old enough to know better. Why are you always making a fuss? Can't you be a little more like me—steady and mature?"
Knock, knock, knock!
After giving Xu Yan's reckless temperament a stern dressing-down, Qian Yuhan walked alone to the tightly shut vermilion gates of Princess Mansion. He knocked three times on the copper ring clutched in the mouth of the tiger head mounted on the gate.
Creak—
As the solid, copper-clad vermilion gate slowly opened outward from within, Qian Yuhan flipped his wrist. The palm that had been empty a moment ago now held the golden token Xu Tianzhen had pressed on him back in the Star Dou Great Forest.
"You are..." The page in a green robe first looked Qian Yuhan over, then let his gaze pass right over him and land on Xu Yan behind him.
"Ah! My lord! Why didn't you tell us you were coming? I could've prepared some snacks in the main hall!"
The page forced a flattering smile, shoved Qian Yuhan out of the way, and hurried over to greet Xu Yan like a lackey.
'Damn, Old Qian, you're not going to teach him a lesson?'
Seeing his human-shaped summon get looked down on, the Rakshasa Phantom felt slighted too. It poked its head out of the shadow, fuming as it quietly egged him on. But all it got in return was Qian Yuhan's righteous reply.
*'?'*
'Why would I teach him a lesson?' Qian Yuhan asked, glancing at the Rakshasa Phantom, which was grinding its teeth and silently fuming. His voice was solemn.
'If I attack him just because he unintentionally offended me before he knew who I was, using my position to bully him, wouldn't I become exactly the sort of person others should despise?'
'Tolerance is a virtue.'
'All right, all right, fine, fine. Yes, yes, you're a cultured man, a gentleman. You talk a lot, so you must be right.' The Rakshasa Phantom pouted and turned back into Qian Yuhan's shadow.
"My lord, please come in." Beside Xu Yan, the page in the green robe, who sported a pair of uneven mustaches, bent at the waist and spoke in a most obsequious tone.
"..."
Seeing that Qian Yuhan looked perfectly calm and showed no sign of anger, Xu Yan thought he should help others as much as he could. He patted the page on the shoulder meaningfully and offered a kind warning:
"You can't keep judging people by what you think they're worth. Sooner or later, it'll get you into trouble."
"Huh?!" The page in the green robe raised his head in confusion, about to ask what he meant, but Xu Yan had already walked past him to the gate. Pointing solemnly at the half-grown youth he'd just mistaken for an ordinary passerby and shoved aside, Xu Yan said:
"Today's real guest isn't me. It's this young man you just pushed. He's just being good-natured and letting it go. Otherwise, if your princess found out, she definitely wouldn't let you off."
The page: "!!!" Oh no! I've made a huge mistake! Everyone, do you think I'll still live to see the sun rise tomorrow after offending someone I can't afford to offend? If I get down on my knees and apologize right now, do you think he'll forgive me?｡ﾟ(ﾟ´ω`ﾟ)ﾟ｡!
With that thought, the page scrambled over to Qian Yuhan. He was just about to slam his knees into the ground to show how sorry he was.
But just as his knees were about to touch the ground, an incredibly gentle golden Soul Power rose up beneath him and helped him stand again.
"No harm done! It was only a small matter. Just be more careful next time."
With that, Qian Yuhan stepped over the threshold of Princess Mansion, and went inside with Xu Yan.
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