Despite his current helplessness, his air of superiority remained unchanged. It was unclear where he found such confidence.
"A woman like Moon Consort is indeed unworthy of my third brother. I've heard that Minister Yu has a daughter of exquisite beauty who would be a perfect match for you," Xuanyuan Sheng said.
Xuanyuan Yan replied slowly, "No matter how beautiful she may be, I cannot see her. Your Majesty need not concern himself with this matter."
"Since my third brother shows no interest, I won't insist. The spring weather is pleasant now, so you shouldn't stay cooped up in your residence. It would do you good to go out more often."
Xuanyuan Yan paid little heed to Xuanyuan Sheng's words. If he were to go out every day as suggested, His Majesty would likely find fault with that too.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
After Xuanyuan Yan spoke, silence fell over the cabin. The two men looked at each other wordlessly.
Xuanyuan Sheng observed Xuanyuan Yan, who sat quietly in plain clothes, yet exuded an innate nobility. It seemed that whether in the past or present, he had never really changed.
"Your Majesty, it's getting late. I should take my leave now."
Ming Jiu entered to support Xuanyuan Yan, and at that moment, the pleasure boat suddenly began to rock violently.
Qi Tan rushed in to protect Xuanyuan Sheng, but for some unknown reason, the boat suddenly capsized. Everyone on board fell into the lake without exception.
"Your Majesty, this old servant will save you!"
Xuanyuan Sheng was held tightly by Qi Tan, who, to the emperor's surprise, possessed unexpected strength. In no time at all, he had dragged Xuanyuan Sheng to shore.
Meanwhile, Ming Jiu was frantically searching for any sign of Xuanyuan Yan.
"Your Majesty, should we send someone to look for Prince Xian?" Qi Tan asked.
Xuanyuan Sheng glared at him. "Since when did you become so considerate?"
Qi Tan stammered, "This... this old servant was merely thinking aloud."
"Send someone to investigate this pleasure boat," the emperor ordered. What rotten luck.
Qi Tan quickly complied, "Understood, Your Majesty. Please wait a moment while I have someone fetch you some dry clothes."
The capsizing of the boat had alarmed other lake-goers, who quickly steered their boats to shore.
After changing into the dry clothes brought by his guards, Xuanyuan Sheng immediately ordered a return to the palace, showing no concern for Xuanyuan Yan's fate.
On the other side, Ming Jiu was in a state of panic.
By all accounts, Xuanyuan Yan was a strong swimmer and his martial skills surpassed Ming Jiu's own. He shouldn't have drowned.
But even after searching the entire lake, there was no sign of him.
There was no one in the lake, and despite sending people to search the surrounding area, they still couldn't find him.
His master's encounter with Xuanyuan Sheng today had been premeditated, and falling into the lake was part of the plan.
But his complete disappearance was entirely unexpected.
Unable to find his master, Ming Jiu had no choice but to return to the residence and prepare to continue the search.
...
After finishing her afternoon classes, Feng Qingyi had dinner in the cafeteria before leisurely making her way to the villa.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw a long-haired man sitting on the sofa. The only person who could come and go freely in her home should be Qin Yuchuan.
But he had just left today, and shouldn't be able to return at this hour!
Unless his teleportation array had been upgraded, which would explain it.
"Qin Yuchuan, you're here? Have you had dinner? If not, I can take you out to eat."
The person on the sofa stood up. "Miss Feng, it's been a while."
Feng Qingyi, who was changing into slippers, was startled by the voice.
This was not right. This wasn't Qin Yuchuan at all.
She turned to see Xuanyuan Yan, his hair still damp.
What was going on? Was her house some kind of dimensional nexus?
Everyone seemed to be popping in uninvited.
The man before her appeared to be blind. Had Qin Yuchuan sent him here for her to take him to a doctor?
But without an ID card, he couldn't even register at a hospital.
Even if that was the plan, Qin Yuchuan should have informed her in advance so she could figure something out.
"How did you get to my house?" she asked.
Xuanyuan Yan had been here for several hours, and everything around him was utterly foreign.
Wary of this strange world, he hadn't dared to move around much.
He remembered falling into the lake, hitting a rock, and then a flash of white light brought him here.
"Your house?" he questioned.
Feng Qingyi said, "Please have a seat. I need to talk to Qin Yuchuan and have him take you back."
"Take me back?" Xuanyuan Yan was still confused. Was his presence here related to Qin Yuchuan?
Feng Qingyi took out her phone to message Qin Yuchuan, who responded promptly this time.
[Qingyi: Did you bring your friend here?]
[Yuchuan: Which friend?]
[Qingyi: The one we had dinner with, the prince or whatever. If you brought him here, you should have told me first. He doesn't have an ID card, so I can't take him to see a doctor!]
[Yuchuan: See a doctor?]
[Qingyi: Wasn't it your doing?]
[Yuchuan: I know nothing about this.]
[Qingyi: ... Then how did he get here?]
[Yuchuan: He's at your place?]
[Qingyi: Yes, what should I do? I barely know him!]
[Yuchuan: I'll figure something out. Please look after him for now.]
[Qingyi: Alright, but hurry!]
Feng Qingyi put down her phone and looked at Xuanyuan Yan. "May I ask how you got here?"
"I was boating on the lake today, fell into the water, and then found myself here," Xuanyuan Yan explained.
"Did you receive any strange object?" Maybe he had a phone too?
She remembered that Qin Yuchuan first came here when he was in danger, and this situation seemed similar.
Xuanyuan Yan asked, "What kind of strange object does Miss Feng mean?"
"Something square, shaped like a wooden board."
He couldn't see, so even if he had a phone, he wouldn't be able to use it. Her question was pointless.
Xuanyuan Yan shook his head. "I did not."
"Qin Yuchuan said to look after you for now. Please stay here for a while, and he'll take you back once he figures out a way."
Xuanyuan Yan asked, "Where exactly is this place?"
"My home," Feng Qingyi replied, looking at Xuanyuan Yan's eyes. They didn't seem like the eyes of a blind person at all.
As Feng Qingyi observed Xuanyuan Yan, he too was studying her.
Her clothes were strange, and her hair wasn't tied up. He had never seen such attire before.
He always felt that this should be a country completely different from Tianqi, where everything was unfamiliar to him.
"This is the first time I've seen such houses," Prince Xian said. "Miss Feng, could you please tell me where exactly this place is?"
Hearing Xuanyuan Yan's words, Feng Qingyi asked, "You can see?"
"Yes," Xuanyuan Yan didn't deny it.
Feng Qingyi recalled the first time she met him, when she felt something wasn't quite right. It turned out that he had been pretending to be blind all along.
However, this was fine. At least he could take care of himself.
