Was he just overthinking things? And yet, what about that Qiankun pouch?
As the sun began to set, the maids around the pond slowly dispersed. After all, they had come to the mountain to work, not to flirt with immortals. Sneaking glances at handsome immortals was fine every now and then, but doing it all day would be foolish.
The once lively pine pavilion grew quiet, with only the sound of the flowing water remaining.
Yuan Zhong pushed his wet hair behind his ears and waved at Tan Yin from the pond. “Little Ji, I’ve been soaking in this water for over an hour. Aren’t you feeling sorry for me?”
Clearly, it was his own doing, yet he casually shifted the blame onto her with such ease! Tan Yin felt a flicker of anger but quickly gave in to a sense of helplessness. With her status, there was no point in arguing with someone as unruly as him.
She stood up, dusted off her clothes, and bowed once more, her voice full of exasperation. “Your Highness, the Grand Monk, could you please come out now?”
“No,” Yuan Zhong stuck out his tongue and made a silly face at her, then lay back in the water, sighing loudly. “Oh dear, is that all you can say?”
Tan Yin thought for a moment and tried again. “If you stay in the water too long, you’ll catch a cold.”
He didn’t know whether to jump out in frustration or laugh until his stomach hurt. After a long pause, he sighed dramatically, resting his chin on his hand, and looked at her seriously. “Little Ji, let me give you some advice. If a girl is too unromantic, men won’t like her, especially someone like you. Never mind, help me up.”
He extended his hand, pretending he was finally ready to come out.
Tan Yin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly reached for his arm. But just as she grasped it, he suddenly twisted her wrist, yanking her off balance. Before she could even let out a cry, she was pulled into the pond with a splash, water flying everywhere.
Yuan Zhong clapped his hands, laughing. “How’s the water, fun isn’t it?”
Tan Yin flailed wildly in the water, like a panicked cat. She couldn’t swim! The pond was much deeper than she had expected. In her panic, she thrashed about, grabbing at anything, but the shore, though close, seemed impossibly far for someone who couldn’t swim. The more she struggled, the farther she drifted, and the pond was deeper than she had imagined. She would bob to the surface only to sink back under, swallowing water, her feet unable to find the bottom.
Yuan Zhong made no move to help her, watching with a grin as she struggled in the water. Eventually, she sank below the surface, leaving only a trail of bubbles.
Oh no, could she actually drown? He leaned against a rock on the shore, watching the still water. She hadn’t resurfaced. Could she have really gone under? Drowning, with her stomach swollen from water, wouldn’t look good on a beauty like her. What a pity.
Without a sound, Yuan Zhong dove underwater. Sure enough, there she was, weakly struggling, having swallowed a considerable amount of water. He swam over and grabbed her by the collar, and as soon as her hands found something solid, she clung to him with all her might. Yuan Zhong quickly surfaced, but she was gripping him so tightly that his clothes were nearly torn. Drowning victims always had an immense strength, and she was practically choking him with her grip.
“Let go…” Yuan Zhong’s face turned pale. “You’re going to strangle me.”
It wasn’t clear if she heard him or not, but he dragged her to the shore, and as soon as Tan Yin felt solid ground beneath her feet, her entire body went limp. She collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently, vomiting up mouthfuls of water, barely able to breathe.
Faintly, she heard Yuan Zhong’s voice above her. “Why are you so stubborn? Shouting for help wouldn’t have killed you.”
The nerve! How could the very person responsible for her ordeal say something like that? Tan Yin coughed so hard her eyes turned red, too weak to stand. Suddenly, she felt a hand grab the back of her collar, yanking her up with no regard for her discomfort, which only set off another round of violent coughing.
“Alright, you’re on dry land now. Let’s go back.”
Yuan Zhong dragged her along roughly, pulling her this way and that. Sometimes she was lifted off the ground, other times she was tossed and dragged, making her look utterly pitiful. The anger in Tan Yin’s heart grew uncontrollable. He had deliberately pulled her into the water, left her to struggle, and now he was acting like nothing had happened. How could anyone be this vile?
Tan Yin pushed him away forcefully, her voice trembling with anger. “Let go of me!”
Yuan Zhong glanced at her, but didn’t move, his expression cool and indifferent. Ever since they’d met, he had always been either smiling or playing the fool, never showing such a cold face before.
“Are you angry?” he asked with a faint smile, his tone as if he were fanning the flames of her frustration.
Tan Yin glared at him, her eyes unintentionally drawn to the black silk glove on his hand. The glove was soaked, and yet he hadn’t made any move to remove or wring it out.
After staring at it for a moment, she turned her gaze away and silently started walking ahead.
She had to endure. She had gone through countless hardships to get here, and nothing, no matter how frustrating, could shake her resolve.
She hadn’t gone far when she heard footsteps behind her. Yuan Zhong caught up, smiling mischievously as he tugged at her sleeve and gently shook it. “Sister Ji, I was wrong. I was only joking with you. Please don’t be mad. Come on, smile for me.”
There really was no end to his shamelessness.
Tan Yin said nothing, keeping her head down as she walked, determined to leave all his noise and pestering behind her.
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