A tiger uses its full strength even when hunting a rabbit, let alone when facing a divine-grade alchemist like Ye Lanshan. From the moment Sikong Chengqing looked down on Ye Lanshan, he had already lost.
On a peaceful and sunny day, Liu Chunsheng grew increasingly clingy toward Ye Lanshan.
"Shanluo, I find myself liking you more and more. What should I do?" Liu Chunsheng blushed slightly, her eyes filled with shyness.
Oh no—only these two words crossed Yun Di's mind. He quickly whispered in Ye Lanshan's ear, "The 'like' Liu Chunsheng means is the romantic kind of like."
Ye Lanshan had just smiled, ready to tease Liu Chunsheng, but Yun Di's words made her freeze on the spot. Liu Chunsheng liked her? How had she not noticed?
Hey, that's not the point, is it? Liu Chunsheng was still blushing, waiting for your answer.
"I like you too. Who wouldn't like such an adorable little sister? If you ever find a man you fancy, you must bring him to me. I'll personally test whether he's worthy of my sweet sister." Ye Lanshan patted her head again, carefully choosing her words, afraid of hurting her feelings.
Liu Chunsheng was delighted at the first part, but the latter half felt like her heart was being split in two.
So he only saw her as a sister to cherish? Lan Yexin, who had just walked in, heard this and stopped in his tracks. If that were the case, did he still have a chance?
"So Shanluo only sees me as a sister?" Liu Chunsheng asked, her voice trembling, a mix of heartache and unexpected relief in her tone.
"Of course, what else would I see you as?" Ye Lanshan asked with a hint of confusion, as if she didn't understand why Liu Chunsheng would ask that.
"I bet no one has ever pursued you, Shanluo-gege," Liu Chunsheng said playfully, trying to sound lighthearted.
Ye Lanshan shook her head honestly. "Actually, there have been. One died in my arms before I knew her feelings. Another one—we clashed every time we met, but in the end, he confessed to me more than once. I still don't understand why he changed his attitude so quickly. Love is truly baffling."
Ye Lanshan's mind drifted to the image of Ye Yutian.
"Can I meet the one who confessed to you?" Liu Chunsheng didn't know how to express the turmoil inside her after hearing this.
"You probably can't see him anytime soon. He's unconscious. But don't worry, you'll meet him eventually." Ye Lanshan said it lightly, as if she weren't talking about her own affairs.
These were people who had given so much for her, who had left deep marks on her heart. Was it really okay to speak of them so casually, without any emotion?
Liu Chunsheng fell silent, unsure of what to say. Yet, his brief recounting gave her aching heart a temporary calm.
Who could ever tame a heart like his? At that moment, Liu Chunsheng completely gave up on pursuing him.
Someone so sacred and unattainable, gentle to everyone but so slow to grasp love—she simply couldn't handle it.
Unlike other girls who would break down and run away crying after a failed confession, she quickly composed herself and called out sweetly, "Shanluo-gege."
Lan Yexin, standing outside, heard everything. His heart was a tangle of emotions, and he didn't know what to say. But no matter what, he could now openly pursue Liu Chunsheng.
That night, Ye Lanshan gazed at the moon with a puzzled expression. For some reason, the image of Ye Yutian kept surfacing in her mind today. What was going on? She suddenly felt a longing to see him.
"Mo Ran, once I take over the Sikong family, take me to see Ye Yutian. I'm curious what kind of person could knock him out."
"If you want to see him, go yourself. I'm not taking you." Mo Ran sat coldly on a tree branch, a wound on his shoulder slowly healing but still looking fierce.
He had been thoroughly annoyed by the endless waves of assassins these past few days. If not for his brother being in Ye Yutian's hands, and the inconvenient fact that this divine-grade alchemist was Ye Lanshan—the one Ye Yutian cherished most—he wouldn't be stuck guarding her like this.
Ye Lanshan glanced at his wound and casually tossed him a pill. Mo Ran caught it by reflex. A divine pill?
His face twisted slightly. Even as carefree as he was, he had never been so reckless as to toss divine pills around like that. If outsiders knew, they'd probably want to strangle Ye Lanshan. Even a divine-grade alchemist shouldn't waste pills like this.
"Aren't you going to eat it? If not, give it back." Ye Lanshan saw him staring blankly at the pill, his face slightly contorted as if he didn't trust it.
"Who said I'm not eating it?" He scoffed, as if afraid someone might snatch it, and tossed the pill into his mouth in a flash.
Instead of the usual bitter taste of pills, a unique sweetness spread through his mouth—a faint, refreshing fragrance, nothing like a pill at all.
Just as he thought Ye Lanshan was playing a trick on him, his wound began to heal, and the tightness in his chest eased.
This was a real divine pill. But why did it taste so different from others? Mo Ran was utterly baffled.
"Your pills have a peculiar flavor. How do you make them?" Mo Ran squinted, still savoring the barely perceptible taste in his mouth.
"Don't you find other people's pills disgusting?" Ye Lanshan asked lightly.
"Well, they are pretty awful," Mo Ran nodded. Though pills were essential to them, the bitterness was something you never got used to, even with daily consumption.
"So, to avoid eating nasty pills in the future, I changed the flavor," Ye Lanshan said casually, as if she didn't realize how earth-shattering that statement would be outside.
Good heavens, was this something a person could do? Who else could be so monstrous as to dislike the taste of pills and whimsically turn all her concoctions sweet? Ask anyone under heaven—who could alter a pill's flavor? Now Mo Ran thought he understood why the Holy Land was so desperate to capture her.
With a genius like this, such a prodigy, anyone would want to have her under their control. Well, Mo Ran didn't know the real secret. If he knew the fire element within her was one of the Nine Heavenly Spirits—the Red Lotus Karmic Fire—he'd probably be shocked speechless.
No wonder Ye Yutian treasured her so much. Had he known all along how extraordinary she was? If someone this remarkable could help him, defeating his father would be within reach. A sly, wicked smile curled at the corner of Mo Ran's lips.