PART 09

Ruan Yang looked at me with eyes full of compassion, slightly moved, and gently comforted me: "Do not be so anxious, you can go wherever your thoughts take you. Now that you are by my side, no one will be able to bully you even a little bit!"

The Ninth Prince sent a carriage to pick up Ruan Yang. Ruan Yang lifted his robe and walked ahead. As he approached the sea horses, all of them collapsed in fear. Ruan Yang gently nodded to the little crab soldier driving the carriage and said, "I will go by myself, you may proceed first"

The Ninth Prince let out a sound, indicating his disinterest, turned his head, and continued to watch the singing and dancing. The snake beauties twisted joyfully, their bodies adorned with bells that jingled softly, while a wave of a fragrant yet fishy scent wafted into his nose.

His slender fingers glided across the crystal tabletop, and I noticed the lines etched upon it. Puzzled, I pondered for a moment before lifting my head and shaking it.

Everywhere is cool and chilly

I feel completely calm; when a person completely abandons their appearance, their inner self becomes immensely strong

quickly lowered his head again

The little crab soldier, feeling anxious and fearful, lowered his head and complied, swinging the reins in his hand several times. It was only when Ruan Yang was five hundred meters away from the carriage that those seahorses let out a neigh and ran away in a frenzy.

The guard at the entrance bowed to Ruan Yang and hurriedly ran ahead to lead the way

With a warm and gentle smile: "Xia Mi, you are truly mischievous, standing behind me and making all sorts of strange faces. Are you trying to scare others?"

I suddenly recalled the surname Long mentioned by the elder of the shrimp clan, and immediately interjected reflexively: "I do not want to be called Lobster!"

Her name is Summer Honey

The Ninth Prince was willful; during his childhood, he took a fancy to the pearl necklace around the Dragon Mother's neck. He persistently pestered the Dragon Mother, insisting on having that necklace. When the Dragon Mother refused, he took a knife by himself and stealthily ventured to the lair of the demon god in the Western Regions, seeking a necklace similar to the one around the Dragon Mother's neck

At noon, Tingwu was clearly in a daze. When Ruan Yang and I walked out of the barrier, he was still lost in thought. I turned back to look at him, and that large circle became smaller and smaller, gradually closing in on itself.

Ruan Yang smiled gently, her eyes softly glancing over at me. Suddenly, she bit her lip and lowered her gaze, taking out a small comb made of white jade from her bosom. She opened my hand and gently placed it in the center of my palm. The comb felt cool to the touch, smooth and lovely.

"Ruan Yang, won't there be many girls who like you!" I looked at him for a while, and I didn't even know why those words slipped out of my mouth.

Ruan Yang, with a good-natured demeanor, sat down in a flirtatious manner, took some fruit wine from the table, and placed it in my hand, seemingly afraid that I might be frightened, remaining very close to me throughout.

Ruan Yang fell silent, merely placing a hand on his shoulder, letting out a gentle sigh. From her sleeve, she took out a small pearl glimmering with a faint pink hue and slowly placed it in Ting Wu's hand

The banquet for the Ninth Prince was set in the backyard of his own home. As Ruan Yang and I strolled over, he was lazily reclining on a crystal-carved throne, squinting his eyes as he watched a beautiful woman with a human body and a serpent's tail dance.

Ruan Yang smiled gently, reached out to touch my hair, and softly scolded me, "Naughty!" He did not answer the question, but instead clasped his hands behind his back and walked ahead of me

Shall we go find the Seventh Prince now? I asked Ruan Yang

He kindly took me to wash my face, gradually using a clean white silk handkerchief to wipe away the ink spots on my face

I looked at the seahorse running wildly with some curiosity, and it took me a while to retract my gaze and look at the calm-faced Ruan Yang

Ruan Yang shook his head, reached out to smooth my hair. My sparse hair was gently caressed by him, one stroke after another, and my heart began to soften under his touch.

He spoke so gently, and fortunately, it was indeed gentle; otherwise, I would have thought he was mocking me in some way

The shrimp soldiers and crab generals received a response, deeply bowing in great respect, and retreated backwards from their rickety fence.

Ruan Yang saw that I had obtained something and no longer dwelled on my issues. Changing the subject, he turned to Ting Wu and asked, "Are you going to confine yourself here and never go out again?"

Ruan Yang is vigorously writing a series of cryptic symbols at the desk, and I stand beside him, my face contorted in a grimace, for Ruan Yang's appearance is likely just a personal quirk; anyone standing next to him, assisting in grinding the ink, is bound to suffer.

Ruan Yang felt a bit worried, unable to find a handkerchief, and directly used his sleeve to wipe my mouth, gently and meticulously wiping it a little at a time, then patted my hand, completely ignoring the fact that the Ninth Prince's face had turned green.

Ruan Yang smiled gently, taking my hand as we walked over, and settled me onto the white jade chair, while she signaled to the maid to move a regular chair instead.

I curiously asked him: "And then?"

I looked up at him with some confusion

This response is completely off the mark. I believe that even if he is living in seclusion, it is only he himself who would feel panic towards strangers. As for those minor characters, those seahorses and shellfish, why do they all appear both surprised and respectful upon seeing him

"I don't want to go out, I am unwilling to go out, I don't want to see them at all..." He muttered to himself, then turned to look at me, somewhat melancholic: "I am quite fine here!"

His expression seemed devoid of any disguise, leaving me unable to discern the true answer. I could only suppress my curiosity and shrink within the bubble he conjured, flying together towards the residence of the Ninth Prince

His smile is so kind, and his movements are so gentle. Although he is not as handsome as the Seventh Prince or as alluring as the Ninth Prince, when he stands there, fresh and clear, with his refined features, he exudes an air of elegance that others cannot compare to.

I reached out to touch my hair, feeling a warm sensation in my heart, yet I mumbled, "I can't style my hair, so giving me a hairpin would be in vain!"

I felt at ease, smiling as I changed my clothes again and followed him out the door

Every time he picks up his pen, he splatters ink all over my face in an instant. I cannot dodge it, and I end up with ink spots from my head to my chest. Since I cannot avoid it, I simply stop trying to dodge and let him splatter to his heart's content

The small fish near the house, although they are close to me, will scatter in all directions as soon as Ruan Yang approaches

The Ninth Prince's face turned green again and again, but he finally managed to suppress it. He waved his hand, signaling the maid to clean up the filth, and then circled around me, asking: "It seems you are quite fond of this child. Have you given her a name? Should we have Father include it in the records and grant her a royal surname?"

"Summer honey, how can a girl have her hair down?" He smiled slightly, took a peach wood hairpin from his hair, gently gathered my hair, and cleverly covered my slightly thinning crown.

Summer Honey, if you are unwilling to follow the past, you can wander around by yourself. On Royal Avenue, there are many shops selling hairpins and precious items. As a girl, you should like these, right!" He took out a thumb-sized luminous pearl, placing one after another in my hand, and like an elder, he patted my head: "Buy whatever you like, dress yourself up beautifully!"

However, once the question is asked, I am very eager to know the answer

He turned his face away in distress and replied to me matter-of-factly, "There is nothing more to it!"

Ruan Yang slowly smiled, tapped the table with her finger, and then took my hand to walk forward, saying as we walked: "When the Ninth Prince was young, he loved to catch clams to search for pearls. That crystal table was the place where he personally opened clams and threaded pearls!"

These four characters fell like cold water into boiling oil, with a sizzling sound, as the Ninth Prince jumped off his chair for the first time, disregarding his demeanor, looking at me with surprise and suspicion

Ruan Yang gently advised him: "So how long do you want her to wait for you outside?"

He seemed quite confused by the question, and after pondering for a long time with his head down, he finally lifted his head to answer me: "Perhaps it is because I am usually unwilling to get close to others... Do they perceive me with a sense of unfamiliarity?"

I fully believe this statement

I foolishly gazed at him, and he simply stood here, allowing me to look at him.

I was completely taken aback by his nonsensical story, unable to respond for quite some time. This guy, Ruan Yang, aside from often sincerely criticizing me, has now gained an additional quality, which is that he is very good at entertaining himself by telling half-finished stories

Ruan Yang walked ahead calmly. I turned my face to look at him and found that he no longer wore the gentle smile he usually had; his entire expression was subdued, as if he were deep in thought.

I felt a splitting headache, and as I turned my face, I suddenly vomited all the fruit wine out.

I followed closely behind him, fearing to fall a step behind, treading on his shadow, feeling a strange sense of security in my heart

The Ninth Prince seemed somewhat surprised, arrogantly glancing at me with a sidelong look and asking, "Who is she that you go to such lengths to take care of?"

Today, he wore a pure white robe without any patterns, with a loosely tied light silver belt around his waist. His hair was not as neatly combed as last time; it was simply wrapped with a silver chain about the thickness of a little finger. The top of the chain was adorned with delicate small gemstones, which faintly reflected a soft white halo in the seawater.

She is a recently adopted orphan of mine, who has been somewhat bullied earlier, resulting in her timid personality

I took the luminous pearl in a daze, gazing into his gentle eyes, feeling a bit nostalgic. What am I doing wandering alone on the streets, in an unfamiliar place? It would be safer to follow Ruan Yang than to venture out like this

Ruan Yang caught me sneaking a glance at him, so he simply turned his face and smiled directly, saying, "Do you have a question to ask?" The expression on his face was both amusing and restrained, as if he were looking at a young child.

I still have reservations about the Ninth Prince; upon hearing his response that he is willing to go, I felt quite displeased.

Tingwu licked her lips, looking somewhat bewildered at Ruan Yang, for the first time revealing a helpless expression: "Is she still waiting for me?"

I was secretly reaching into that veiled hat to peel off the newly raised old skin on my face, when the Ninth Prince glared at me, causing my hand to tremble and, with a tearing sound, I ripped my own facial skin, letting out a sharp scream of "Ah"

I cautiously asked him: "Why are all the aquatic creatures here afraid of you?"

Upon seeing Ruan Yang, he merely smiled lazily without rising, pointing to the jade chair beside him and saying, "Prince Ruan, please take a seat"

At noon, Tingwu shifted his gaze away from my eyes, somewhat sulkily waved his hand, and struck a large tree with his palm. The tree fell down with a crash, landing in the garden and stirring up some grass clippings, before the trunk gradually disappeared into the underbrush, slowly losing sight.

Summer Honey, look here..." As we passed a small table, he suddenly stopped, pointed at the crystal table, and said to me: "Do you know what it is used for?"

Ruan Yang retracted the water bubbles and leisurely led me inside. The last time I came, I was in a hurry and was knocked unconscious midway, leaving me still completely unaware of the Prince Jiu's palace. This time, I couldn't help but feel curious and craned my neck to look around.

The Ninth Prince felt somewhat slighted, casting a disdainful glance at me, and said with a smile, "What can it be called?" His tone was casual, lazily propping up his chin, as if he was ready to mock me at any moment

The shrimp soldiers and crab generals, seeing that he had not responded for a long time, quietly raised their heads to steal a glance. Upon seeing me, with a face full of ink spots and a fierce expression, they were all so frightened that they shuddered all over

I still remember the scene when I was taken in that day and fed the gel, surviving a near-death experience. As I approached the door, I couldn't help but shiver all over. Ruan Yang slightly turned his face, seemingly squinting at the distant sea anemones, but secretly reached out his hand and gently held mine. A warm current flowed from his palm to mine, instantly sweeping away my earlier panic and calming my mind.

In the evening, shrimp soldiers and crab generals came to visit Ruan Yang. Upon meeting, they bowed their heads, not daring to raise their eyes, with their hands held high above their heads, saying: "King of the Well Sea, the Ninth Prince invites Your Highness to the Ninth Prince's residence to enjoy songs and dances together"

It is indeed a peculiar hobby. When I think of the Ninth Prince, who has obsessive-compulsive disorder, delicately peeling open a clam with a silk handkerchief, I cannot help but feel a sense of strangeness

I smiled at him, and he smiled back at me

The Ninth Prince's complexion grew even paler, as if he had been frightened, biting his lip and approaching me step by step.

When Ruan Yang neatly tucked away the last character and turned to smile at me, I had already transformed into the 101 Dalmatians style.

I mustered my courage, tugged at Ruan Yang's sleeve, and asked him: "I want to follow you... it doesn't matter where!" I felt like a fledgling bird, unable to perceive anyone who could shelter me, leaving me bewildered and at a loss.

The reply from the sluggish shrimp soldiers and crab generals was: "Hmm, I will go later!"

Ruan Yang spoke halfway and then stopped

Ruan Yang smiled gently, soothingly pinching the back of my hand, and answered me in a leisurely manner: "This child has a name; she originally gave herself a warm little name, which is really nice to use!"

He smiled slightly and said, "Every day when you get up, you come to find me with a comb, and I know it is time for me to comb your hair!"

... ...

The prince's palace, like himself, is permeated with a pathological sense of cleanliness; everything is made of white jade or crystal. As one walks through, the surroundings are sparkling and translucent, and although they are stunningly beautiful, they ultimately lack a touch of warmth

Ruan Yang did not mind at all and replied to him in a calm and indifferent manner: "Her name is Xia Mi!"