For a moment the three of them were a little silent.
They were all carnivores and simply couldn’t understand what was so tasty about this grass.
Yan Yu’an looked up and saw the three watching him. He couldn’t help glancing at the grass in his hand, his expression a little conflicted.
He stroked the grass, his expression slowly turning grave.
This made Xie Ji and the other two think again that he’d eaten something he shouldn’t have, and they hurried to check what was wrong with him.
But unexpectedly, little Yan Yu’an closed his eyes, worked up his mental preparation, and then handed the grass in his hand to Xie Ji, the one closest to him.
Xie Ji: “???”
Shen Yuanzhou unobtrusively glanced at Xie Ji, then understood the strange reason behind Yan Yu’an’s behavior—but inside, he felt anything but good.
On what grounds give the grass to Xie Ji first? Shen Yuanzhou was so angry his teeth itched.
Ning Bingque lowered his eyes. He more or less understood what Yan Yu’an meant too. Though displeased, he still didn’t show it.
“F-for me?” Xie Ji pointed at himself in surprise. After seeing Yan Yu’an nod, he glanced smugly at Shen Yuanzhou and Ning Bingque beside him, then carefully took the grass Yan Yu’an handed over.
To make it easy for the little Yan Yu’an to eat, A Xuan had specially torn a big stalk of grass into small pieces.
It was just right in Yan Yu’an’s hands, but in Xie Ji’s it looked exceptionally tiny.
“Eat!” Yan Yu’an said generously.
After seeing Xie Ji accept the grass, he went rummaging through the little basket again, and finally took out two kinds of grass. He stood on tiptoe, trying hard to hand them to Ning Bingque and Shen Yuanzhou.
Ning Bingque unhesitatingly took the grass from Yan Yu’an’s hand and swallowed it, while Shen Yuanzhou smiled and patted Yan Yu’an’s head.
“If you want to eat it, eat it yourself.” His voice wasn’t as cold as usual—instead it carried a trace of indescribable tenderness.
The unknown little grass in his hand still carried a few water droplets. Shen Yuanzhou gently shook it, and the droplets fell on Yan Yu’an like rain.
Yan Yu’an wasn’t annoyed. The shrunken Yan Yu’an was like a little cub—at this “light rain” he just giggled nonstop.
Miscalculated… Ning Bingque thought with a dark face.
Xie Ji stared fixedly at the little Yan Yu’an, as if he could bore right through him with his eyes.
After teasing the little Yan Yu’an, Shen Yuanzhou cupped him in his palm and carefully wiped the water droplets off him to keep him from catching a cold.
Yan Yu’an liked this man with a cold face but a warm heart more and more.
After he was wiped dry, he hurriedly went rummaging through the little basket for something again, and then found a small yellow flower. Together with the grass he’d first given Shen Yuanzhou, he handed them both to him.
Shen Yuanzhou froze. Looking at the little flower before him, not knowing what he thought of, he curved his lips into a smile and obediently took the grass and flower from Yan Yu’an’s hand.
The youth tilted his head and looked at Shen Yuanzhou seriously. “The grass can be eaten. The flower can’t.”
Shen Yuanzhou nodded with a smile.
Xie Ji clicked his tongue. He hurried over to Yan Yu’an’s side. “What about me? You gave him a flower—what about me?”
The tail behind him lifted high, furry like a little ball. Yan Yu’an thought for a moment and rummaged around again, found a stalk of foxtail grass, and handed it to him.
Xie Ji: “…” On what grounds was Shen Yuanzhou’s a flower while his was foxtail grass?
After taking the foxtail grass, he glared at Shen Yuanzhou in a huff—but Shen Yuanzhou didn’t mind in the least. He placed the little flower in his palm and looked at it closely, simply unable to put it down.
Ning Bingque fell silent. He looked at Yan Yu’an with a resentful gaze, and Yan Yu’an couldn’t help shivering all over. He hurriedly scrambled up to keep searching in the little basket.
In the end he found a strangely shaped stalk of grass. He happily handed it to Ning Bingque, his face written all over with the words “praise me.”
Ning Bingque: “Really great.” He said these three words dryly, then examined this rather unimpressive grass closely, and only after a long while accepted that Yan Yu’an had given him such an ugly thing.
Yan Yu’an was happy. He plopped down onto the table, exhausted. He looked up and glanced around, then finally flopped over the basket.
“I’m about to turn back.” He said loudly. He could feel a strange power inside his body continuously spreading to other places. “I feel like I’m about to turn back into my true form.”
The moment these words fell, not only Xie Ji and the other two—even A Xuan, who was off to the side eating meat and watching the fun, came over.
Its small black nose pressed close to Yan Yu’an and sniffed for a long while, then it patted its claws, its tone certain. “At the latest, tonight. Master will turn back!”
At these words, Xie Ji immediately grew happy. He cupped Yan Yu’an and kissed him, while Ning Bingque silently found a pot of soil from who knew where and planted that ugly grass into it.
Yan Yu’an noticed they’d been holding the grass he gave them without eating it, and hurriedly said: “Eat it quick, you guys! This grass is good for you!”
Xie Ji looked at Shen Yuanzhou and Ning Bingque, then silently stuffed the first stalk of grass Yan Yu’an had given him into his own mouth.
In an instant, a strong bitter taste spread through his mouth. Xie Ji scrunched up his face and forced down the grass Yan Yu’an had given him, then looked at the other two with schadenfreude.
Shen Yuanzhou didn’t show any particular expression—but Ning Bingque nearly threw up the moment he ate it. However, when he met the little Yan Yu’an’s big, bright eyes, he still forced down the urge to vomit and swallowed it.
No sooner had they finished the few stalks of grass than Yan Yu’an again felt a flash of white light before his eyes. He couldn’t help squinting.
Then he immediately covered his private parts.
After all, a person could grow bigger or smaller, but clothes wouldn’t!
He’d shrunk so suddenly that even the last bit of animal hide on his body had fallen onto the bed—it was Xie Ji who’d finally made him a tiny hide that could only cover a small part of his lower body.
He couldn’t help slapping his own head, feeling his face grow a little hot.
Naturally, no white light appeared for Xie Ji, Shen Yuanzhou, or Ning Bingque, so they could only watch as Yan Yu’an, who’d been sitting there obediently, suddenly grew bigger.
Xie Ji’s face went red at once. Ning Bingque began pacing uncomfortably, and even the usually composed Shen Yuanzhou couldn’t help turning his head away.
Embarrassing—truly too embarrassing… Yan Yu’an couldn’t help thinking.
But soon Xie Ji handed him his original animal hide and even tied it around his waist himself.
If Yan Yu’an hadn’t seen his bright red face, he really would have thought Xie Ji was as calm as he looked on the surface.
He gave a light cough. “I don’t know why I suddenly turned back either.”
A Xuan came over and clung to Yan Yu’an’s leg. “I know, I know!” Seeing the others look at it, A Xuan proudly puffed out its chest. “Because master ate the grass around this time, so now the effect has worn off!”
Shen Yuanzhou nodded. Actually, it was about what he’d expected—he just hadn’t expected Yan Yu’an to turn back so suddenly, giving them no preparation at all.
Thinking of the scene he’d just seen, Shen Yuanzhou only felt that place of his aching faintly, even…
Of course, Shen Yuanzhou wasn’t the only one thinking this.
Fortunately, Yan Yu’an didn’t think so much about it. He said to them: “I don’t know why either, but these past few days I’ve always been interested in these flowers and grasses.” He paused, then continued, “The moment I hold these things, it’s as if their uses appear in my mind.”
Ning Bingque’s tone carried a trace of uncertainty. “So, what use were those grasses just now to us?”
Yan Yu’an pointed at Xie Ji. “That stalk of grass can restore your ability. Feel it now—isn’t it about fully recovered?”
Xie Ji blinked, then immediately channeled his power. At once he felt a power both familiar and unfamiliar appear in his body.
Unlike before, this power was strong and filled his entire body.
The next second, he used his ability to appear outside the door. The three in the room all looked toward him, and they saw his fingertips move slightly—and in an instant, the earth shook and the mountains trembled.
Seeing this, Ning Bingque closed his eyes too. At once, the power of that former monster was only a small portion left in his body, and that one small portion was nothing to fear at all.
Seeing Ning Bingque’s eyes fly open, Shen Yuanzhou understood that the monster in his body had probably been suppressed. He couldn’t help rubbing his fingers.
What about me? What kind of power will my Snake Queen give me?
Yan Yu’an knew full well that Shen Yuanzhou was an extremely conflicted person, so he hurriedly said: “That stalk of grass just now can enhance abilities and prolong life.” As he spoke, he scratched his head embarrassedly. “Because you’re very strong, I didn’t know what to give you, so I could only give you the most ordinary one.”
Shen Yuanzhou smiled—a rare smile this happy. Nothing could compare to his Snake Queen saying he was strong.
“Try it quick!” Yan Yu’an urged.
Shen Yuanzhou nodded lightly and easily mobilized his power.
That mobilization made Xie Ji and Ning Bingque beside him couldn’t help stopping what they were doing and watching him seriously.
For a moment, the wind stirred and the grass moved. Perhaps because the poison was hard to use, Shen Yuanzhou didn’t use his ability.
But just that slight mobilization was enough to create the scene just now—clearly his ability had been strengthened who knew how many times over.
A Xuan said smugly: “Once master recovers his true form, you’ll each eat a leaf of his.” It clicked its tongue twice. “Then in this place, no one will be your match.”
Yan Yu’an nodded. Actually, he too vaguely felt that power inside him growing more and more vigorous—it even brought many memories into his mind.
Many memories he hadn’t known before, memories of these three men before him.
But there was still much he couldn’t remember, so he could only set it aside for now and didn’t tell them.
…
Night fell quickly. Today, everyone except A Xuan was especially nervous—three pairs of eyes fixed dead on Yan Yu’an, afraid something might happen to him because of this.
“I’m really fine.” Yan Yu’an waved his hand carelessly. “You all go rest. Don’t worry about me.”
But not a single one of them moved. They all refused Yan Yu’an with their expressions.
Yan Yu’an: “…” Fine.
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