Chapter 28

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By the time she got back to the courtyard, Zhu Yan was so tired that she couldn’t hold on any longer and wanted to fall asleep immediately. However, after falling into the sea, her body was drenched and her hair was wet, so she had to brace herself to delay the sleep and asked the maids to prepare hot water and a wooden bucket of spices, and bathed from head to toe.

When she was done, she wrapped a soft and warm robe around her and came out, re-pulled her hair back up with the Jade Bone, and said to Nanny Sheng, “You should wash that little one too, by the way, he’s all dirty, I don’t know how long it’s been since he last had a bath.”

“Aye.” Grandma Sheng ordered the maids to change the hot water, she picked up the unconscious little shark, took a look and said, “Though his face is dirty, his features seem to be quite well formed and handsome.”

“That’s right, it’s Yu Ji’s child after all.” Zhu Yan sat in front of the mirror combing her hair, “Even if we don’t know who his father is, he should be a beautiful child just by virtue of his mother’s lineage.”

“How old is this little one? He’s so thin and skinny, I’m afraid he’s never had enough to eat?” Grandma Sheng muttered as soon as she got her hands on him, surveying the unconscious child, “His arms and legs are as thin as reed sticks, but his stomach is bulging… is there a tumor inside? It’s so sad… I don’t know how long he’s going to live.”

As Nanny spoke, she took off the child’s ragged clothes, and suddenly she could not help but blurt out another exclamation.

“What’s wrong?” Zhu Yan was wiping her hair and glanced back.

Grandma Sheng said, “Look, on this child’s back!”

When Zhu Yan put down her comb and looked over, she couldn’t help but inhale a mouthful of cold breath – the child’s body was very thin, skin and bones, so thin that every rib was clearly visible, and his whole body was covered in scars. However, on the pale skin of the back, there was a huge cloud of black ink, like a faint mist, that filled the entire tiny back of the child.

“What’s that?” Zhu Yan blurted out.

Grandma Sheng touched it and frowned, “It seems to be a black mole, how come it’s such a big size?”

She picked the child up and put it into a wooden bucket large enough to accommodate him inside, muttering as she did so, “Princess, this little shark you picked up is full of faults, so I guess it won’t fetch you a too high price when you take it to Yecheng.”

“Are you saying that I’ve picked up a money-losing item?” Zhu Yan gave the Nanny a blank look and said without good grace, “Don’t worry, although the Red King’s House is poor, it’s not poor enough to be a human trafficker. I can afford to take care of a child!”

“What, does Your Highness still plan to hire a doctor to see this child?” Grandma Sheng laughed and put the child in her arms into the water – however, as soon as the unconscious child was dipped into the fragrant liquid, he suddenly struggled, frowned and let out a low moan.

Grandma Sheng said in surprise, “Hey, it looks like he’s waking up!”

“What?” Zhu Yan stood up at once and rushed to say, “Be careful!”

Before the words left her mouth, in the next second, Grandma Sheng flung her hand away in a flash and let out a cry of surprise: a row of deep teeth marks was left on her wrist. The child, floating in the barrel, opened one eye and pressed its thin body against the wall, looking viciously at the person in front of him, like a small beast trapped in a cage, with all its claws and teeth erected warily.

“Told you to be careful! This little brat is vicious.” Zhu Yan instantly became angry, stood up, rushed over and pushed the biting child away, sternly saying, “Biting as soon as you wake up? Last night, I tried my best to save you from those people, but you little brat really don’t know how to be nice!”

In her anger, she struck a little harder, and the child couldn’t avoid it, so he hit his head on the barrel with a thud, obviously in pain, but he straightened up without saying a word and stared at her. Zhu Yan didn’t expect to hit him squarely, so she didn’t hit him a second time, and stared at the child as well. After a while she grunted, “Hey, what’s your name?”

The child turned his head away from her and didn’t answer.

“Not saying? Fine, I’ll call you little brat then!”

She was not bothered, and immediately gave the boy a new name at her leisure, then asked, “How old are you, little brat? Are you sixty years old?”

The boy still ignored her, turning a deaf ear.

“Let’s say you’re sixty, then. The milk stinks.” Zhu Yan snorted coldly, “Alright, Grandma Sheng, hurry up and help this little brat finish his bath, I’m going to bed!”

“Yes.” Grandma Sheng held out a piece of fragrant toilet soap, yet before she could get close, the boy leapt back, a fierce light in his eyes, and with a wave of his hand, he splashed hot water on Grandma Sheng’s face in one go!

“How dare you act recklessly! Do you think I won’t teach you a lesson?” Zhu Yan was so furious, she stopped care about anything else. Rolling up her sleeves, she grabbed the boy’s hair and pressed it fiercely against the barrel wall, raising her hand – the boy thought he was going to be beaten again, so he subconsciously bit the corner of his mouth and closed his eyes.

However, the slap did not fall, and a thin itch suddenly came from behind. Zhu Yan held down the little devil and quickly drew a talisman on the child’s back with her finger; then with a snap of her fingertips, she instantly imprisoned the little devil who kept struggling!

The child finally stopped moving and floated in the wooden barrel, his eyes looking at her fiercely.

“What’s wrong, little brat, do you want to eat me?” Zhu Yan bound the other little devil’s hands and feet with the Spirit Binding Spell, knocked the child’s little head in victory and spoke provocatively, then turned her head and ordered, “Nanny, wash this little brat properly for me!”

“Yes, Princess.” Grandma Sheng replied and ordered her attendants to come up and set out the various scented pans, cloth towels and flower dew water, rolled up her sleeves and began to wash. It took a whole hour and three buckets of water before the dirty child was washed clean.

The child, unable to move, kept looking up at the old sisters and attendants, his tiny body shivering slightly, not knowing whether it was from shame or from fear.

“Ooh! My dear boy…” Grandma Sheng wiped the child’s face clean and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration, “Princess, come and see! Guaranteed you’ve never seen such a good-looking child in the entire Yunhuang!”

However, there was no answer. Turning her head to look, on one side of the couch, Zhu Yan had long since fallen asleep, emitting a uniform snort, her long dark red hair falling down like a beautiful silk.

Sister Sheng sighed and carefully dried the water droplets on the child’s face and head with a flannel cloth, moving gently as she said softly, “Little one, don’t be so stubborn… don’t look at the Princess as being grumpy, she has a good heart. She promised your mother that she would take care of you, so she will do what she said – you are a crippled shark, and to find such a master, all the slaves in Yunhuang would envy you more than anything.”

The child in the water shook violently and raised his eyes, looking fiercely at the old Nanny. Suddenly, the old woman heard a small voice: “I have no master.”

“Hmm?” Grandma Sheng froze for a moment, coldly surprised that this seemingly mute child suddenly spoke, and did not react for a moment, “What did you say?”

“I don’t have a master.” The child looked at her, the light in his eyes bright and sharp, and said word by word, “I am not a slave. You are!”

“…” Grandma Sheng was dumbfounded and remained speechless for a while, when she heard a cold laugh as Zhu Yan rolled over diagonally, “Fine, you’re not a slave, you’re a grand master, alright? Nanny, no need to serve this grand master, you go back to bed and let this little brat soak!”

Grandma Sheng was in a dilemma: “It’s only March, the water will get cold in a while…”

“Sharks are still afraid of soaking in cold water?” Zhu Yan hummed and gave the boy a blank look, “Their blood itself is cold, poorly bred white-eyed wolves! You go to bed, it’s already midnight.”

Grandma Sheng hesitated for a moment and took another look at the child in the wooden bucket, “Yes, Princess.”

When all the maids had retired, Zhu Yan rolled over and propped up her chin, lying high on the couch, looking at the child in the wooden bucket and sneering, “Hey, little brat, following me is your blessing do you know? I will make you call me master!”

The boy sneered back and turned his face away, not even bothering to look at her.

“Just wait and see!” She said hatefully.

Her sleep lasted until sunrise the next day, and by the time Zhu Yan opened her eyes, the bright sun was already shining through the curtain from the window pane.

It was a lovely day… time to go into town today, wasn’t it? She yawned and sat up languidly, suddenly her eyes were just certain… The wooden barrel was, in fact, already empty.

What! That little brat, had he escaped again? At that moment she jumped up and rushed forward in a fury – but as soon as she reached the barrel, she took one look at it and gasped.

The skinny child was sinking under the water, sleeping soundlessly, motionless. The tiny body was curled into a ball, exhausted, the gills behind the ears all open, breathing slightly under the water. The long aquamarine hair floated slightly with the current brought out by his own breath, like beautiful algae. The small, washed face was as beautiful as a sculpture, with a pointed jaw, a straight nose, very long eyelashes and lips flushed a faint pale red, like an elf sleeping in the depths of the sea.

Zhu Yan was originally furious, but looking at him, she actually stopped being angry. What a beautiful child… simply beautiful beyond belief. No wonder the dignitaries were willing to pay so much for a shark – a creature that was indeed a hundred times more beautiful than the humans on the land of Yunhuang.

She couldn’t help but reach out her hand, wanting to touch the boy’s long eyelashes. However, as soon as her fingers touched the water, the underwater creature woke up with a “clang”. As soon as he saw her beside him, he trembled violently and drew back desperately, but his body could not move because he was still imprisoned by the spell.

Zhu Yan’s fingertips stopped just an inch away from the child’s cheek, and looking at the expression of fear and disgust in the child’s azure eyes, she couldn’t help but frown: “What, do you hate it when people touch you?”

The child bit his lip, pressed his body against the wall of the barrel and stared at her with a deadly look.

“Then forget it.” Zhu Yan withdrew her hand, “Who cares about touching you, little brat!”

The child was visibly relieved and his whole body loosened up. Zhu Yan bitterly went out the door, sat down in the outer dressing room and said to Grandma Sheng who came over with the golden basin, “Don’t mind me, go and help that little brat change his clothes, we can’t go into Yecheng with a naked little shark.”

“Good.” Grandma Sheng went down in a rush and in a few moments brought over some men’s clothes, saying, “I couldn’t find anything suitable in a hurry, there are only clothes that adults wear, so I’ll just have to make do with what I have.”

“What kind of clothes do you need for such a little child?” Zhu Yan freshened herself and waved impatiently. “Just take some of my shawls and wrap them around.” she said.

“Yes.” Grandma Sheng opened the trousseau and picked up several large cashmere brocade shawls out, all of which Zhu Yan had brought with her to the Imperial Capital this time. After comparing them, she picked up a pale white one and asked, “Just this one?”

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