The Little Fox Spirit Doesn't Want to Carry a Cub - Chapter 21.2

“I know.” Li Ruan had fully transformed into a teenage boy, wearing a set of common red cotton clothes and even putting on shoes properly. “I’ve cultivated for hundreds of years. Just a trip to the mortal world won’t result in trouble. And…” Jiang Shen is there. He wouldn’t let him be bullied. Li Ruan thought to himself.

Changming Mountain was only three hundred li from the capital. Li Ruan could fly there in a snap, but after descending the mountain, he didn’t head toward the capital. According to the news the sparrow brought back this morning, because the Emperor’s illness remained uncured, the Crown Prince had recently requested to go to the Ancestral Temple to pray for the Emperor for three days.

He had already departed early yesterday.

The Ancestral Temple wasn’t close to the capital. The sparrow had specifically eavesdropped—departing early on the first day, he wouldn’t arrive until around dusk on the second day. Li Ruan didn’t delay and took the sparrow toward the Ancestral Temple.

Jiang Shen was indeed on his way to the Ancestral Temple. The Crown Prince praying for the Emperor was a major event. The convoy heading to the temple was a long, grand procession, with the Crown Prince’s carriage right in the middle.

Jiang Shen leaned against the window. In this dynasty, purple was the color of nobility; he wore a dark purple brocade robe, complete with jade ornaments and a crown. From head to toe, not a single flaw could be found. He took a sip of the tea at his side before saying, “So, still nothing found?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, no.”

The interior of this carriage was extremely spacious. A young man in black was kneeling before Jiang Shen—it was the captain of the guards who had picked Jiang Shen up to return to the capital that day, Yu Xiu.

Yu Xiu said, “Your subordinate has sent people to investigate several villages near the capital. Over these three months, no one has seen Your Highness, nor has anyone seen or treated a seriously injured person.”

“Not a single one?” Jiang Shen furrowed his brows. “Villagers, merchants, traveling doctors—all have been asked?”

Yu Xiu: “All have been asked. None.”

Jiang Shen let out a soft breath. He stroked the teacup with his fingertips, seemingly finding it a bit funny. “Then how did my injuries heal? Was it cured by an immortal in the sky?”

Jiang Shen knew he must have forgotten something extremely important. He had been lured to the capital last winter by a fake secret letter and had been hiding among the people after being ambushed outside the city. During his time in hiding, he hadn’t stopped communicating with his subordinates; instead, he had designed the capture of the Governor of Huguang and, after his return, followed the clues to root out the Third Prince’s faction behind him.

During this period, the court was a storm of blood, and everyone was in fear—all at Jiang Shen’s hand. It seemed the matter should end here.

But Jiang Shen couldn’t understand. Why could he not remember where exactly outside the capital the assassination took place, or how he escaped? He only vaguely remembered that he seemed to have fallen off a cliff while seriously injured, but which cliff was it, and how did his injuries heal?

He could remember nothing.

Jiang Shen pressed his forehead, feeling inexplicably irritable. “What about that jade pendant?” Jiang Shen asked again. “How is the investigation?”

Yu Xiu said, “Your subordinate has sent people to search all the jade merchants in the capital, but everyone says the material of this object doesn’t belong to any jade used by the public or the imperial family. Whether it comes from the Western Regions is not yet known.”

That jade pendant was the only item Jiang Shen had found on himself that might be related to his lost memory. Yet even the origin of that jade couldn’t be traced…

Jiang Shen didn’t answer for a moment. Yu Xiu spoke hesitantly: “Actually… there is one place that hasn’t been searched.”

Jiang Shen: “You mean the Changming Mountain forbidden area?”

Yu Xiu: “Yes. When Your Highness met your subordinate, it was near Changming Mountain. Since the nearby villages have yielded no news, could Your Highness have… accidentally entered the forbidden area?”

“Changming Mountain cannot be entered.” Jiang Shen lowered his eyes and added another cup of tea for himself, saying calmly, “Rumors say that a disaster-bringing evil demon lives in Changming Mountain, and disturbing it might shake the very foundations of the nation. Haven’t you heard this saying?”

Yu Xiu: “But…”

“Nonsense, I know,” Jiang Shen said indifferently. “But the common people don’t think so. I am about to inherit the throne. If I disturb the forbidden area with such fanfare now, what do you think the result will be?”

“Public opinion is a fearsome thing…”

Yu Xiu lowered his head. “Your subordinate was inconsiderate. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

Jiang Shen: “Rise. I don’t blame you.”

The youth then stood up. Jiang Shen instructed, “Continue the investigation. If nothing is found near the capital, go further. If the jade merchants in the capital don’t know, go to the Western Regions, to Goryeo, to find all foreign merchants. If still nothing is found…” He turned his head toward the window and said softly, “When this matter is over, I will personally visit Changming Mountain.”

Yu Xiu looked up at Jiang Shen. Everyone said the Crown Prince was ruthless and good at plotting—for the sake of the throne, he wouldn’t even spare his own biological brothers. But he was only twenty-four this year; he was actually still very young. Yu Xiu was of a similar age to Jiang Shen and had been by his side since his teens; he should be considered one of the people who knew Jiang Shen best.

In Yu Xiu’s memory, the Crown Prince had never shown such a concerned attitude toward anything. Too many people were watching him; caring too much about something would make it his weakness—His Highness had always understood this logic best. Yet this time, he was willing to go to such lengths just to recover a lost memory.

Yu Xiu couldn’t understand. Losing memory was indeed strange, but Jiang Shen had been seriously injured, and leaving some aftereffects was understandable. Fortunately, the important events that occurred during those three months, including all the schemes, His Highness remembered clearly.

Wasn’t that enough?

Inheriting the throne was imminent, and every move of the Crown Prince could be described as walking on thin ice. What could… be more important than these? He had doubts in his heart but didn’t dare ask more, only softly responding with a “Yes.”

It wasn’t until dusk that they finally reached the Ancestral Temple. Jiang Shen didn’t need help; he jumped off the carriage and instructed those behind him, “Rest for the night. The ancestral ritual begins tomorrow morning. Make sure—”

His voice stopped abruptly.

The little eunuch behind him waited for a while for the rest of the sentence. He looked up in surprise and saw Jiang Shen staring at a grove of trees in the distance, not knowing what he was looking at.

“Your Highness?”

Jiang Shen snapped back to his senses. “Nothing…” He cleared his throat. “This ancestral ritual is to pray for the Emperor. Confirm the ritual process once more tonight; ensure everything is prepared and no flaws occur.”

“Yes.”

The eunuch immediately went down to pass the order, while Jiang Shen took another look in that direction. Had he just… seen a small animal? Was it a puppy?

“Almost got caught…” After most of the people in the grove had left, a fluffy, round head poked out from behind a tree.

Li Ruan blinked and was about to follow when the sparrow stopped him. “Are you going to go over just like that?” the little sparrow asked.

“Of course not. I’m not stupid.” Li Ruan said so, but his gaze couldn’t help but peek in the direction Jiang Shen had left, as if he couldn’t wait another moment. “I’ll wait until no one is around him before finding him.”

Mortals mostly feared demons; the fewer people saw him, the better. That was what Li Ruan thought.

The little sparrow asked again, “What about after you find him? How do you plan to explain all this to him?”

Li Ruan didn’t understand and tilted his head. “Just tell him straight?”

“Tell him straight that you used him as a furnace for cultivation before, and after finishing, you wiped his memory and threw him away? And as a result, you’re now carrying a cub, and your spiritual power isn’t enough, so you have to come back and continue using him as a furnace?” The sparrow flew in two circles around Li Ruan. “Is that what you plan to say?”

“I didn’t want to throw him… forget it, it seems that’s right.” Li Ruan said, “Can’t I say that?”

“Of course not!” The sparrow flapped its wings in a panic. “If it were you, being used as a furnace and thrown away, and now being picked back up—would you be happy? If you say that, Jiang Shen will definitely be angry.”

Li Ruan: “Jiang Shen won’t get angry with me.”

Little sparrow: “But he doesn’t remember you now…”

Li Ruan: “…True.”

Li Ruan lightly swished his tail and took another look in the direction Jiang Shen had left. “Then what should I do now?” Li Ruan asked.

The sparrow landed in front of him and cocked its tail feathers proudly. “I have an idea.” It signaled Li Ruan to lower his head, and the two small animals began to whisper. “It’s very simple. Just don’t tell him you caused his memory loss. You say it like this…”

The night grew deep. Inside the Ancestral Temple, only the Crown Prince’s quarters still held candlelight. Guards were stationed at both the front and back of the residence. A little fox used the night as cover to slip silently into the courtyard from a corner.

Inside the room, Jiang Shen reviewed the ritual process for the last time and pressed his forehead tiredly. Since his return to the capital, he hadn’t rested for a single day. First, he investigated the assassination case, then he prepared for the succession. There were too many things to consider in the transfer of the throne, especially while the Emperor was still alive; he needed sufficient preparation to take the position steadily. This ritual was one such part.

If it were just these things, he could barely manage, but… he couldn’t calm his mind. Jiang Shen had never felt this way before—inexplicable unease and anxiety, as if his heart were constantly hanging, unable to find a place to rest. He knew this must be related to the part of his memory he had lost.

The lamp oil hadn’t been refilled for a long time and had dimmed. Jiang Shen picked up a bronze needle and gently adjusted it, letting out a long sigh. What exactly had he forgotten…

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door. Jiang Shen asked, “Who is it?”

The person paused for a moment and didn’t answer, continuing to knock. Jiang Shen furrowed his brows. He didn’t like being disturbed, so all guards stayed outside the courtyard. Anyone who could reach his door must have already been searched by the guards; they wouldn’t be so ill-mannered.

Jiang Shen thought for a moment, quietly took a sword from the table, hid it behind his back, and then stepped forward to pull open the door.

With just one look, he froze.

Standing before his door was a youth in red. The youth was dressed simply; his clothes looked a bit thin in the deep spring mountains, outlining a slender figure that seemed slightly fragile. But the youth’s face was very beautiful, and his gaze toward him was bright and clear, as if holding a hint of a smile.

Before Jiang Shen could react, just touching that gaze made his heart suddenly beat violently.

“You…” Jiang Shen opened his mouth, only then realizing his throat was dry and his voice a bit raspy.

Li Ruan was actually very nervous too. Perhaps because Jiang Shen had never had such a handsome and formal appearance before him, or perhaps they truly had been apart for too long—the invisible yearning of the past seemed to materialize at this moment. Li Ruan only felt the air had become thick and heavy.

He struggled very hard to control the urge to pounce onto Jiang Shen and remembered the words he and the sparrow had agreed upon. He pinched himself secretly with his hand hidden in his sleeve; when he looked up again, his eyes were quickly red.

“Have you already forgotten me?” The youth’s brows knitted, his gaze toward Jiang Shen full of reproach.

“I’m carrying your cub. How could you forget me?” Li Ruan said indignantly. “You must take responsibility!”

Jiang Shen: “???”