My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 90 Interesting Stories on the Ship

A gentle river breeze blew, causing clothes to flutter and hair to dance wildly.

Xie Yan stood at the bow of the boat, gazing at the rows of wooden houses on the opposite bank that were getting closer and closer, when she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her.

"This martial arts alliance certainly knows how to choose a location. By choosing this place as the headquarters, they can quickly evacuate by water if anything goes wrong."

He turned around and saw Chu Ling standing behind him.

Behind Chu Ling, Xuan Feng and the others were playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would go on stage.

The river breeze ruffled a few strands of Xie Yan's hair, which were softly scattered around his forehead, before Chu Ling reached out and brushed them back.

He gently brushed his fingers against Xie Yan's ear, causing a ticklish sensation that made Xie Yan involuntarily shrink her neck.

What followed was a verbal battle that turned into a physical one.

Chu Ling chuckled and withdrew his hand.

Xie Yan suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He coughed lightly, turned his head away nonchalantly, and continued to look at the opposite bank.

He felt that Chu Ling had been acting strangely lately. Ever since the Cheng family incident, he had often felt a faint gaze following him.

That would be one thing, but this person kept coming over and touching him inappropriately.

For example, right now, instead of standing in the vast open space next to him, they insist on standing behind him, so close together.

As Xie Yan pondered this, she subtly took a few steps to the side, trying to distance herself from the dangerous situation.

But upon seeing this, Chu Ling casually moved closer.

This time, his hand was still firmly on Xie Yan's shoulder.

Feeling the force coming from her shoulder, Xie Yan narrowed her eyes, savoring the sensation for a moment before turning her head and hesitatingly asking, "Your Highness, you...you're not afraid of water, are you?"

Chu Ling loosened his grip on his shoulder, a smile on his face, and readily admitted, "Indeed."

Xie Yan was surprised for a moment, then turned around and looked Chu Ling up and down several times before clicking her tongue in amazement and saying, "I really can't believe that someone like Your Highness would be afraid of water?"

Just as he was about to continue teasing, Chu Ling raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "Because I was pushed into the water when I was a child and almost died."

Xie Yan: ...I deserve to die.

He choked up for a moment, swallowing back the words he was about to say, and after a long while he managed to stammer out, "Then, Your Highness, please help me up."

Chu Ling chuckled softly, and tightened his grip on Xie Yan's shoulder.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Young Master Xie." He lowered his head slightly and whispered in Xie Yan's ear.

The warm breath sprayed on her ear, and Xie Yan felt her whole body stiffen. Her ear and the back of her neck were instantly tinged with a light pink.

Looking at that blush, Chu Ling's eyes darkened slightly.

Xie Yan felt awkward, but then he sensed that Chu Ling behind him seemed to chuckle again, and the fingers on his shoulder gently scratched him a few times.

Xie Yan: ...You're pushing your luck a bit.

A gentle breeze blew across the river, and the two stood so close that their fluttering robes overlapped. From a distance, they truly looked like two very close friends.

The Lord of Zixiao Manor stood not far away, looking at the two people surrounded by an unknown aura, and his hand stroking his beard paused for a moment.

He turned to look at the Xuanzhen Sect leader, who was standing to the side with his hands behind his back, admiring the scenery. After thinking for a moment, he walked over and asked, "Don't you think... the relationship between Your Highness and Young Master Xie seems a little too close?"

The Xuanzhen Sect leader turned his head and followed the gaze of the Zixiao Manor Lord. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "You don't understand. This is how young people interact these days."

"This is how good brothers should get along!"

Looking at the Xuanzhen Sect Leader with a sigh, Master Zixiao thought, "..." Am I really getting old?

On the other side, Xie Yan pulled Chu Ling's hand, which had been slowly rubbing against the back of her neck, out for the third time.

He took a deep breath and smiled, "Your Highness, I only asked you to put your hand on my shoulder, don't put your hand on the wrong place."

"It was a slip of the hand," Chu Ling explained leisurely, looking with satisfaction at the reddened nape of his neck.

Xie Yan: ...I shouldn't be that old and have such slippery shoulders.

Xie Yan opened her mouth, about to say something, when a figure flew past them with a "whoosh" and rolled directly into the river.

With a "plop," a large splash of water erupted, successfully causing both of them to pause in their movements.

The two turned around and saw Tao Xian calmly withdraw her hand. The others nearby stared in disbelief at her action.

After a long while, Xuanfeng finally found his voice, "He Shan just won rock-paper-scissors against you, it can't be that serious..."

"Oh, my hand slipped." Tao Xian clapped her hands as if nothing had happened.

Xuanfeng and the others: ...Your hand slipped quite badly.

Xie Yan glanced at He Shan, who was bubbling and popping his head up in the water, then turned her head to look at Chu Ling, and chuckled, "No wonder the prince would slip up like that. It turns out this is a tradition of the Prince's Mansion."

Chu Ling remained expressionless and nodded in agreement.

As darkness fell and a thick fog rolled in, the boat slowly made its way to the opposite shore.

As the group disembarked, they saw a young man in a gray robe standing on the shore.

He had an ordinary appearance, but a gentle temperament that made people feel good at first sight.

Seeing everyone disembark, he hurried forward, cupping his hands to the Master of Zixiao Manor and the Head of Xuanzhen Sect, saying, "Greetings, seniors."

It seemed that both the Lord of Zixiao Manor and the leader of Xuanzhen Sect knew this person, and they both smiled and nodded at him upon seeing this.

Shen Yulin stood next to Xie Yan and introduced, "That is the old alliance leader's eldest disciple, Xiang Qingsheng."

"Disciple?"

Meng Lan followed behind, scratching her head in confusion upon hearing this, "Since the Alliance Leader has a disciple, why not simply let his disciple succeed him as Alliance Leader?"

Shen Yulin smiled and said, "The position of alliance leader is not a child's play. To take on this important responsibility, one must first gain the trust of the people."

"Moreover, the old leader needs to balance the relationship between the various factions. If he directly appoints his own disciple as the leader, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the people."

"That's why this martial arts conference was convened. Each sect and faction can compete for the position of leader based on their own abilities and select a suitable new leader from among the participants."

"So, you're saying," Xie Yan glanced at him teasingly, "Brother Shen, you're here this time also for the position of alliance leader?"

"That's right!" Meng Lan clapped her hands, realizing she'd mistaken the person again, and looked at Tao Xian. "Why don't you just ask Young Master Shen to get the treasure map for us?"

Shen Yulin looked at him with a wry smile and shook his head. "The martial arts world has seen a surge of talented individuals in recent years. I know I don't have that ability. I'm just here to join in the fun and broaden my horizons."

Xuanfeng and the others sighed inwardly: What a pity!