CROWN PRINCE'S CONCUBINE

722 Days in White Fox Valley

Warm sun. The bright light slipped through the thick leaves on the trees around the waterfall, making Bai Ying’s face light up. Big smile with playful shining eyes. Laughing while running after some beautiful butterflies of various sizes that fly around him. Not only that, this fertile and beautiful valley is also inhabited by several cute little animals, rabbits, and some little size chickens.

“Hehehe, you guys are so cute”

Young master Su who was looking for food for their lunch just then stopped in his tracks. Smiling broadly at how beautiful Bai Ying’s face was at that time, enjoying the bright morning air cheerfully. He looked like a kid his age again, running carefree.

“He, Brother Hua”

Young Master Su raised the fruits already in his hand higher.

“Junior Brother Hua, it’s time for lunch!” he exclaimed.

Bai Ying turned his head, grinning widely to see second master Su who was always very kind looking for food for the two of them. He lifted the cute bunny that was already in his hand and pressed his adorable nose. Then put it back on the grass gathered with the others.

“We’ll play again later, okay?” stood up and jogged toward young master Su. His eyes widened at what the young man had managed to get in his hands just now.

“Wow, young master Su, this is a red sweet potato, where did you get it?” he asked.

.....

Young master Su held up some rather large red-colored sweet potatoes in both of his hands.

“Yeah, I found this over there, there are sweet potato plants thriving near the rock. So I dug the ground and found so many sweet potatoes there, this is enough for two or three days”

Bai Ying couldn’t hide his joy, imagining roasted sweet potatoes, boiled sweet potatoes, and steamed sweet potatoes.

“Wow, I’m drooling just thinking of it, let’s eat, Young Master Su”

Young master Su and Bai Ying walked back towards the waterfall where young master Su had made a small roof to protect them from the rain near two trees not far from the waterfall. It is the perfect spot for them.

“Hehehe Brother, please don’t keep calling me young master Su, how about just Brother Su, it feels better to be heard than young master”

Bai Ying pursed his lips, looking at the young master’s smiling face, after all, he had helped him for two days there, otherwise, it would be hard to find food by himself. Bai Ying nodded.

“Sure, brother Su”

Both chuckled. The two get back to the waterfall area and sat down in their resting place.

....

The sky was getting dark. Beyond the White Fox valley.

Luo Xiang decided to walk back towards the White Fox forest following the instructions of the villager who had seen Bai Ying for the last time three months ago. Busy dealing with complex matters of the Li palace over the past few dozen days meant that he didn’t have much time to look more thoroughly. And now, he will not let go of that opportunity again. It’s been too long now.

With his white horse, Xiao Bai strolled along the path that was getting gone. Soon they will arrive at a place where almost no one walks past. According to residents, the road leading to the white valley is marked by two stones that stand firmly on the left and right of the path as the entrance gate. That’s according to rumors because none of the residents themselves could find the boulder. 𝐟𝘳𝐞ℯ𝚠e𝑏𝒏𝑜𝙫𝘦𝙡. c𝑜𝐦

Even so, the residents at the entrance and exit of the forest did not see the young man who asked the way three months ago out of the forest. It was possible that the boy had taken another path, a great distance on the other side of the forest, or he might have found the White Fox valley already. Also according to rumors, no one had made it out of the valley to say that they had found it. Don’t know if the valley really existed or was just a rumor, but all along, it was the rumors that made small-city Bu Li become a tourist destination for people from outside the area who would come and ask the White Fox for blessings.

Luo Xiang stopped his horse. It had arrived at the end of the road where the citizens indicated the direction of the entrance to the White Fox valley. He didn’t see any rocks or anything. He got off his horse, and looked around carefully, Luo Xiang took a deep breath. It was already the fourth month, and they might miss the Xian Yang City Lantern Festival. He wasn’t going to be there waiting for Bai Ying because Luo Xiang was sure that the kid wasn’t there right now, his feelings told him that.

“Heh, Ying Ying, where are you now?”

Bai Ying’s eyes widened. As if hearing someone call his name. He held his chest feeling the warmth of a voice that sounded so far away, yet close enough. Bai Ying sat on a rock beside the waterfall, taking off his shoes and dipping his two white smooth feet into the clear water.

Fresh air with a cool breeze blowing from the waterfall, so that the water that splashed towards him made some of his hair wet. Even though the sun was shining brightly, the water in the small river, which was inhabited by several small, colorful fish, was quite cold and refreshing for his tired feet. He had ridden non-stop and had walked quite a distance, farther than he had ever done before.

The trip from Xin Hua palace nineteen days ago, if he didn’t miscalculate, was enough to make him tired. It should be that long. Travel from Xin Hua to Chang San city for eleven days, then five days to Bu Li city, and head to the White Fox forest for about two days to find this valley. Well that’s right, he had walked all this time on his own, after all his life, he had wandered on his own without anyone else by his side all that time. Bai Ying smiled, feeling very proud of himself now. His Brother Ming Ming wouldn’t tease him as a little kid anymore after this.

Bai Ying looked into the water. Smiling when he saw the reflection of the Crown Prince’s face on the clear water.

“Hey, Your Highness”

Bai Ying remembered how the naughty Crown Prince stole his first kiss inside the waterfall river back then. How the Crown Prince pulled his waist and kissed him when he wasn’t ready at all. Thinking about all that, it was done not because of what he said, pretending to kiss him so others wouldn’t suspect his identity, but because from the beginning, that was what the Crown Prince intend to do to him.

“Your Highness, have you missed me? We’ve just been separated for dozens of days, but Ying er misses you so much, does, Your Highness feel that too? How stupid is that? I said I won’t miss you, but, how come my heart so hurt like this by thinking of you, it’s such a lame, right?”

Bai Ying couldn’t stop smiling until someone appeared behind him. In that place, there was only him and young master Su, who else.

Young master Su sat beside Bai Ying. Seeing Bai Ying’s two feet soaked in the water.

“Um, are your legs tired? How about big brother massages it, just for you to know, even though like this, I’m pretty good at massages” Young Master Su said.

Bai Ying turned his head, he had not finished answering when suddenly the young man lowered his hands and lifted Bai Ying’s two feet out of the water, placing his wet feet on the rock.

“Eh, young master Su, uhm, I mean, Brother Su, I don’t think it’s necessary, it will get better after soaked in cold water”

Young Master Su didn’t seem to hear him. He grabbed Bai Ying’s legs and placed them on his lap. While the young man looked clumsy and tried to pull his legs back, even though young master Su didn’t let him.

“No need to be shy little brother, I’m happy to do it. Look at your legs, the muscles are so hard and stiff, look at these veins, it’s a shame these smooth white legs, the veins are clearly visible. And cold water will make it worse. Em, are you tired from the long journey? Surely you have never left the house alone before, have you?”

Bai Ying bit his lips as he felt the pain from young master Su’s painstaking hand massage on his leg muscles which were indeed a bit stiff. He admitted the massage was enough to make his stiff muscles relax a little.

“Ah, Brother Su, please be gentle”

Su Liming smiled. He raised his other hand to brush Bai Ying’s front hair that fell to cover his view.

“Look at your eyes, they’re also a little swollen, Brother, you’re not sleeping well enough, tonight let me massage your back and you’ll be able to sleep better”

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