Dream-Reviving Grass and Soul-Returning Incense (3)
Watching Yin Gu Huai fall asleep the moment he lay down—with that enviably sound sleep—Su Qingtang’s hands itched. If she were just a bit stronger, she’d have dragged him right off the bed. Truly, one should never cause too much mischief as a child—you never know what your childhood sweetheart might turn out to be.
Oh no—her childhood dragon.
Su Qingtang pushed a few chairs together, lay down sideways, and replayed the day’s events in her mind.
The real issue was those plant spirits. Should she go look for them first?
Grandpa Banyan had said that all plants born with spirits were innately kind and would never harm others—yet these ones dug pits and conjured fog. They clearly knew quite a few tricks.
[Tomorrow I’ll catch one and ask.]
Having done more physical work than usual that day, she quickly drifted into sleep.
On the bed, Yin Gu Huai opened his eyes. By moonlight, he watched her for a while, his fingers twitching slightly. When he saw the faint blue glow of the conch shell on her wrist, he lowered his hand and closed his eyes again.
Morning came earlier in the mountains than in the city. Su Qingtang, disturbed by the noise around her, tried to roll over for a bit more sleep—then suddenly remembered that she wasn’t on a bed.
Her body moved faster than her brain, and she rolled straight off the chairs with a thud.
“Ow, my poor back,” she groaned, sitting up. Yin Gu Huai’s bed was neatly made—he was clearly already up.
Then she spotted the noisy culprits: a cluster of tiny spirits fluttering nearby.
Her forced smile froze, and she yelled inwardly, [What the hell is wrong with you lot? It’s dawn! Don’t you ever sleep? Chirping away like maniacs!]
Maybe because she’d just woken up, her thought voice carried far. Everyone eating breakfast outside paused mid-bite.
“Huai-ge, is sister-in-law awake?” Gu An asked. He finally understood why Zhou Kaili had called Su Qingtang “sister-in-law” yesterday. That Qian girl’s hungry eyes were practically glued to their prince!
Yin Gu Huai set down his bowl, picked up Gu An’s steamed bun along with his own porridge. “I’ll take this to Qingtang. You eat the ones warming on the stove.”
That gentle “Qingtang” made Gu An’s skin prickle. “O-okay.”
When Yin Gu Huai opened the door, he saw Su Qingtang clutching her waist, talking to empty air.
“So you’re saying that old Madam Qian got greedy, hoarded wealth, then faced retribution—and now she wants the Patrol Division to clean up her mess?”
[That’s right! That’s right! You’re helping the wicked—why shouldn’t we punish you? And since only you can see us, we might as well deal with you first!] the spirits answered self-righteously.
“You—ow!” Su Qingtang started to scold them, but her waist ached again.
At the door, Yin Gu Huai knocked lightly. “Awake?”
Su Qingtang clenched her fists and glared at the spirits, then snatched the bun from his hand. “You’re up early.”
“Mm. We’ll enter the mountain today, so we start early,” he said, sitting and waiting for her to finish eating.
Su Qingtang looked at the morning light outside. “Oh. Can you tell me more about this Madam Qian?”
The spirits’ accusations still lingered in her mind—she wanted to believe in their nature.
“Madam Qian has two daughters,” Yin Gu Huai said. “The one you met last night is Qian Hua; the other, Qian Duo, went into the mountains to gather herbs some time ago and never returned. Later, Madam Qian dreamt of her daughter, who said the earth veins of Mount Wunian were damaged and that only one fated by Heaven could restore them—otherwise, she could never leave.
“As you know, ‘one fated by Heaven’ usually points to our royal bloodline. She even named me—the Crown Prince and head of the Patrol Division—and claimed to have found a dragon horn from Yinglong at the mountain’s foot. She sent it to the Astronomical Bureau as proof.”
He conjured a crystalline dragon horn and placed it on the table. Su Qingtang picked it up, marveling. It gleamed like fine glass.
“Does your dragon horn look like this too?” she asked before realizing how forward that sounded. [Was that too rude?]
Even the nearby spirits were impressed. [Rude? That’s putting it mildly! Why not just ask him to show you his true form?]
“I—I was only joking, Your Highness—ah!” she cried as the man before her shimmered and turned into a dragon, his long body coiling to fill the small room.
Su Qingtang found herself trapped in the middle. The floor beneath her was damp and cool. Panicked, the bun slipped from her hand, bouncing off the dragon’s scales to the floor. The cramped space seemed to shrink around her.
Flailing, she cried, “Huai Brother—no, Your Highness—I was wrong! I really was wrong!”
Yin Gu Huai leaned closer, exhaling a teasing puff of breath—garlic and chives.
Su Qingtang gagged, clutching the dragon horn. “Ugh, I’m sorry! What on earth did you eat—chives?!”
“As long as you know you were wrong,” his voice rumbled.
Still clutching the horn, she turned her head away and groaned, “Yes, yes, my fault, all my fault—now please back up! You’re huge! Get out!”
Coughing, she scowled as he shifted back into human form.
He looked down at her clinging to him koala-style. “Not getting down? How long are you planning to hold on?”
Startled, she jumped back. “Yin Gu Huai!” She raised a fist but he didn’t dodge, letting her weak punch fall before catching her hand.
“Eat, change, and get ready. We’re heading into the mountain,” he said, leaving and shutting the door behind him.
[Out, all of you. I’m changing,] she snapped at the spirits. Between being startled and annoyed, her patience was gone.
One spirit piped up, [But haven’t you noticed? Your back doesn’t hurt anymore.]
She touched her waist—it really didn’t hurt. Was that because of him? Still! He scared me half to death. Who’s actually seen a real dragon before? Too much!
[Out!]
Outside, Yin Gu Huai met Gu An’s sparkling eyes.
“Your Highness, you and Miss Su just now…”
He’d heard her earlier shrieks. Her dramatic screams were unforgettable, ever since the time at the Minister’s estate.
“Don’t pry,” Yin Gu Huai said coolly. “Keep an eye on Madam Qian. The spirits said she’s taken a life, and we still don’t know how much truth there is to her story. Don’t trust either of them completely.”
He glanced around—the mist was forming again. Was it those spirits’ doing?
Qian Hua soon appeared, smiling sweetly. “Huai-ge, how’s sister-in-law?”
Before he could answer, Su Qingtang’s imperious voice called from inside, “Gu Huai, come here! I can’t tie my sash!”
The tone dripped with spoiled command—it was clear she knew he’d come.
“Gu An, tell everyone to eat quickly. We leave right after,” he ordered, striding back toward the room.
Gu An understood. He turned to Qian Hua. “Miss Qian, please check on your mother. Our sister-in-law will be out soon.”
He said nothing more.
Inside again, Yin Gu Huai knocked and entered at her permission. Su Qingtang, now in travel clothes, stood with her back to him, excitement in her voice. “Come here! Look at this!”
He approached. “That’s… dragon sinew?”
As he lifted it with his spiritual power, a faint memory flashed through his mind—a dragon chained by its limbs, surrounded by cold darkness and stifling heat.
Seeing his expression, Su Qingtang asked, “So it really is dragon sinew?”
She’d found it after the spirits returned, insisting she stop meddling. Angry, she demanded proof, and one of them had led her to this chest. Having grown up on tales like Nezha Legend, she instantly recognized what it might be—but needed a real dragon to confirm.
Yin Gu Huai sighed. “Yes. Likely from the same dragon that lost that horn.”
Su Qingtang swallowed hard. “You don’t think… they skinned and flayed him, do you?”
He shook his head. “Wasn’t sure before, but now I am—he’s still alive. How, I don’t know. Dragons aren’t so easily destroyed—especially not by an old woman.”
He placed the sinew back in the box with a flick of his power. “Put it away. We need to move.”
She nodded and obediently stored it. “Should we still help them?”
Leaning against the wall, he replied, “We’ll enter the mountain. That dragon’s somewhere inside. No matter what, I have to find him—there’s a trace of my father’s aura on him.
“And once we’re in, stay close. Don’t wander. The terrain’s dangerous.”
“Oh, okay,” Su Qingtang agreed. [Spirits, can you behave for now? His Highness is a good man. Let him finish his mission first, then we’ll investigate.]
They exchanged glances. [Can you keep your word? We won’t spare Madam Qian otherwise.]
[If she’s guilty, the Patrol Division will punish her,] Su Qingtang said solemnly. [We can’t let the innocent suffer or the guilty escape.]
[Fine. We’ll trust you this once,] they relented. [But we’re following you.]
[Sure, the more the merrier,] she replied brightly—always eager for company.
Yin Gu Huai inwardly grimaced. If her thoughts kept leaking like that, Madam Qian and Qian Hua would surely become suspicious.
“Su Qingtang,” he blurted in desperation, “I… I like you.”
“Huh?” Her cheerful steps halted; she turned stiffly.
“I said I like you. So take care of yourself. The conch I gave you carries my aura—speak to it with your heart, and its bond will strengthen.”
Without waiting for a response, he took her hand and led her outside.
At the door, the team stood ready. “Huai-ge, sister-in-law, shall we?” Gu An called.
“Let’s go,” Yin Gu Huai said, glancing at the still-infatuated Qian Hua, then at the oblivious Su Qingtang beside him. Hopefully that confession was shocking enough to keep her quiet.
The group set off. For once, Su Qingtang was silent. The others, used to her chatter, found the quiet almost unsettling. But no one pressed her—especially when the tension between her and the Crown Prince was so palpable.
Her mind was a mess. She nibbled on the pastries her mother had packed until Qian Hua sidled up beside her.
“Little sister-in-law,” she began sweetly, “did you quarrel with Huai-ge? Young couples do that sometimes. But as women, we rely on men for our place in the world. If you push him away with temper, you’ll only lose him. Go on, apologize. Boys your age are hot-blooded—it’s normal.”
Playing the kind, understanding older sister, Qian Hua’s tone dripped with gentle wisdom.
[What on earth is she saying? A thousand-year-old fox pretending to be a kindly aunt from a romance tale? Huai Gu Huai just confessed to me, and she’s already trying to stir things up? Her abacus just hit me in the face?!]
Everyone nearby froze. Wait—what? The Crown Prince confessed?
Gasps rippled through the team. Their commander actually confessed—and Su Qingtang, who was supposed to be after his dragon pearl, has fallen for him?!