As Shen Yanchu rode along with Su Rongyu on the flying sword, a gentle breeze suddenly blew past, carrying a faint, subtle fragrance. He sniffed the air, closed his eyes exaggeratedly, and took a deep breath.
“Wow, Junior Brother Su, what kind of divine perfume did you use? It makes one feel as though they are floating on clouds!” Shen Yanchu said with a feigned look of intoxication, waving his hand in front of his nose as if trying to capture more of the scent.
Shen Yanchu thought to himself, As expected of the protagonist shou, who could possibly resist this kind of fragrance?
Su Rongyu gave Shen Yanchu an expressionless look while rolling his eyes inwardly. Giving a light cough, he put on a serious air and said, “Senior Brother Shen, this is merely a worldly trinket. How could it compare to your ability to identify scents even while suffering from such severe injuries?”
Upon hearing this, Shen Yanchu’s eyes widened, and he feigned injury. “Junior Brother Su, are you praising me or mocking me? Teasing me like this truly chills my heart.”
Su Rongyu could not help twitching the corner of his mouth, thinking that Shen Yanchu really knew how to act. Responding helplessly, he said, “Senior Brother Shen misunderstands. I am praising your extraordinarily sharp sense of smell.”
“Oh, so that is how it is. Then I can rest easy.” Shen Yanchu acted as though a weight had been lifted, then dropped his voice into a conspiratorial whisper. “Still, Junior Brother Su, you are not secretly using young maidens’ scented powder, are you?”
Su Rongyu was truly nearly amused to laughter by Shen Yanchu’s words this time. Suppressing his mirth with a straight face, he replied, “Senior Brother Shen, your imagination is far too rich. If I used scented powder, would you still be able to sniff out that I am a maiden?”
“Hey, hey, hey, stop right here!” Accompanied by Shen Yanchu’s rapid series of shouts, his voice rang out loud enough to pierce the clouds.
The moment they landed, before anyone else could react, Shen Yanchu leaped out of Su Rongyu’s warm embrace like an agile rabbit.
Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he spun around and chirped cheerfully at the others behind him, “Hehe, you guys wait here for a moment! I am going to buy some little trinkets inside and will be right back!” Before his voice even faded, his figure vanished like lightning into the entrance of a bustling shop.
This left Su Rongyu, Xie Huaizhou, and Ji Yanche staring at one another in blank dismay. For a moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, filled with a subtle, awkward atmosphere.
Yet, although Xie Huaizhou and Ji Yanche had walked side by side all the way here without exchanging a single word, the exchange of glances between them right now felt like two sharp flashes of lightning colliding in mid-air, sparking invisible flames.
Meanwhile, after storming into the shop in a whirlwind of activity, Shen Yanchu marched straight up to the busy shopkeeper behind the counter. Raising his head slightly, he announced in a crisp, clear voice, “Uncle Shopkeeper, please get me every single variety of candied fruit you have in the shop, and help me pack them into my storage pouch!”
Receiving an affirmative nod from the shopkeeper, Shen Yanchu nodded in satisfaction before sweeping across like a gust of wind toward the shelves displaying various scripts and storybooks on the other side.
Standing before the bookshelf, his bright, watery eyes darted back and forth while his slender fingers hovered undecidedly over the finely bound volumes.
After careful selection, he finally settled on three copies of spring picture books. Holding the three books to his chest with utter delight, he returned to the shopkeeper and said, “Shopkeeper, please make sure you wrap these three books up securely!”
Carefully packing away the three wrapped books, Shen Yanchu returned to Su Rongyu, Xie Huaizhou, and Ji Yanche with a mischievous grin. Seeing him return, the three wore different expressions, yet all were intensely curious about what treasures he had purchased.
“Senior Brother Shen, what rare trinket did you buy?” Su Rongyu took the initiative to ask, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
With a deliberately mysterious smile, Shen Yanchu pulled three exquisitely wrapped packages from his storage pouch and handed them individually to Su Rongyu, Ji Yanche, and Xie Huaizhou. “I picked these gifts out specially for you. You must return to the Taiyi Sect and only open them when you are completely alone.”
Taking the packages, the three looked at each other in mutual bewilderment, completely missing the meaning behind it. Xie Huaizhou furrowed his brow and asked skeptically, “Shen Yanchu, what kind of logic is this? Why must we be alone to open them?”
Blinking, Shen Yanchu put on a grave expression. “This is a token of my sincerity. If you open them now, I am afraid it might ruin your reputations. This gift is only meant to be savored in solitude.”
Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Ji Yanche muttered, “Xiaochu, you could not possibly have prepared some kind of cultivation manual for us, could you?”
Shen Yanchu burst out laughing and waved a hand. “There are no manuals, but I guarantee you will love this gift. Remember, you must look at it when you are by yourselves, or I am afraid you will blush.”
Gazing at the package in his hands, Su Rongyu felt a sense of foreboding rise within him, but seeing Shen Yanchu’s sincere expression, it was awkward to expose him on the spot. He could only nod slightly and reply, “Since Senior Brother Shen says so, we shall follow your instructions.”
Each of them tucked their packages away, their hearts filled with curiosity regarding the mysterious gift. Shen Yanchu, meanwhile, wore a triumphant look, as if he could already picture the expressions they would make when opening the presents.