Yang Changtian made his way over to the dining area which was bustling with activity , people were rushing back and forth getting ready .
By no means was this feast a fancy one, but they made do with the things they had.
Song Lian and some others went off to hunt some rabbits , while the others gathered some vegetables . Li Cheng was chatting with Mo Ling and Zhang Anying.
Yang Changtian walked over , " Li Cheng , I need to speak with you."
Li Cheng nodded and followed him , " What's wrong Brother Yang ? "
" Li Cheng , I don't want you to tell anyone about Liu Ying and her team going back ."
Li Cheng tilted his head . " I didn't tell anyone because it's not my place to tell them , but if you don't mind me asking , why ? "
" I just want to see something ," Yang Changtian answered mysteriously.
Li Cheng scratched his head, but ultimately he nodded back. " Okay Brother Yang ."
" Great ! So , what are we having tonight ? "
" Roasted rabbit , I asked Song Lian to try catching a chicken or pheasant for Liu Ying , they also gathered some vegetables for her."
Yang Changtian nodded , " Wonderful spread considering our situation."
" Speaking of Liu Ying , you look happier , did you speak with her ? "
Yang Changtian nodded , " Yes , I apologized to her , thankfully she's somewhat easy going. She accepted my apology."
( Liu Ying is a lot of things but she certainly wasn't easy going , in fact she's more likely to hold grudges forever , but she is quite impartial towards Yang Changtian and Li Cheng.)
Li Cheng patted Yang Changtian's shoulder , " Well , I'm glad you two made up , or it would be so awkward."
" By the way Li Cheng , you don't believe what I just heard . Apparently Dr. Lv is from the merchant Lv clan. You know the one that was almost completely wiped out."
" You mean the one Sister tried to save ? But the patriarch completely ignored her warnings ? "
Yang Changtian nodded , " You remember that small koala that was clinging onto Jingyou ? That was Dr. Lv."
Li Cheng began to chuckle , " Fate sure is strange , Sister saved her once , and she's saving us now ! Sister would be so proud of her."
Yang Changtian nodded , " Li Cheng , I want to freshen up , so I'll leave you to it okay ."
Li Cheng nodded while Yang Changtian walked off.
As the sun got lower and lower , the light got dimmer and dimmer , yet the camp was in high spirits. Despite their rather solemn and isolated situation , the camp felt very crowded today ,the hustle and bustle of the camp gave off a celebratory sense.
It was close to dusk , and the feast was set. True to his word , Song Lian had caught a pheasant for Liu Ying , but he was devastated to hear from Jin Wei that Liu Ying didn't eat pheasant meat either . But one of the ladies stepped in to save the day , she offered one of her chickens in exchange for the pheasant.
Song Lian was more than happy to exchange the pheasant , he only caught it in the first place for Liu Ying . He thanked the woman and rushed off to the kitchen to hand the chicken over .
Li Cheng saw Song Lian rushing over so he waved , " Song Lian ! You really got a chicken for Liu Ying ! Good job," he said, patting him on the back.
Song Lian blushed , he was basking in the praise when murmurs began to erupt through the crowd.
" What's with the fuss ? " Li Cheng asked, trying to look past the crowd.
Song Lian just shrugged, " Who knows ? " .
Li Cheng being somewhat of a busy body moved closer to see , he spotted two familiar figures making their way through the crowd .
Li Cheng was just about to call out , but he froze when he got a closer look at them.
Liu Ying who usually dresses in a glamorous yet masculine fashion has changed her aesthetic completely.
She was dressed in a soft flowing robe , her hair pulled into a bun pinned up using some simple yet elegant ornaments. Liu Ying never bothered to wear makeup , by no means did that hide her exquisite face , but today her face was an artwork , made to be admired by everyone.
The soft blush gave her face a hearty and healthy glow , her usually sharp eyebrows were softened , and her lips were the most fabulous shade of pink. Her high nose bridge was the perfect addition , painting a picture of absolute perfection.
Everyone was staring at her with their mouths hanging open , one even spat out when a fly decided to explore his oral cavity ,mistaking it for a small cave.
When she got closer , Li Cheng noticed that she had drawn a red lotus huadian on her forehead. " Ms.…. Ms. Liu , " he stuttered , " You look wonderful today."
Liu Ying looked at him with her eyebrow raised , this simple action caused Li Cheng's heartbeat to quicken.
" Why ? Didn't I look wonderful before ? " Liu Ying asked him teasingly.
" I… I …. I didn't mean it like that ,Ms. Liu , you always looked wonderful, but you look so different today ! Li Cheng answered blushing.
" Well , you'll have to thank Dr. Lv for this , she threw a fit till I allowed her to dress me up."
" Ms. Liu ! I did not ! " Lv Ling began to whine.
" Is that right ? I wonder who sulked till I agreed , " Liu Ying shot back.
Lv Ling just smiled back meekly , " But do you see their reactions ? Even Mr. Li's mouth was hanging open."
Li Cheng immediately denied , " Dr. Lv , I did no such thing ! "
Lv Ling just looked at him with a mocking smirk.
" Senior Brother ! Here you are , I was-" Mo Ling's voice carried over , but he was cut off mid sentence .
'When the three of them turned , they saw Mo Ling looking at Liu Ying with her mouth open .
" You looked just like that , " Lv Ling said, turning to Li Cheng.
Mo Ling was still frozen looking at Liu Ying , feeling embarrassed Li Cheng quickly rushed over and smacked his head bringing Mo Ling back to Earth.
" I …. Me….ahhh , who ? " he stuttered.
Liu Ying and Lv Ling both stared at him strangely . Li Cheng smacked him on the head again , " Forgive this child's behavior , I'll take my leave now ladies , " Li Cheng said dragging Mo Ling away , he had a reputation to maintain , and Mo Ling was about to completely demolish it.
Both Liu Ying and Lv Ling both looked at Li Cheng dragging Mo Ling away with their eyebrows raised.
" That was strange ," Liu Ying finally said.
" They're completely bewitched , you should really start dressing in a more feminine manner , " Lv Ling added.
Liu Ying shook her head , " I do not see the point in doing that , it'll only be a hassle."
Lv Ling wanted to disagree, but thinking about it Liu Ying had a point. Her usual masculine style gave her a regal and authoritative aura , making people listen to and obey her. But when she was dressed like this , though she was still regal and ethereal , people would overlook her authority and expertise to just admire her beauty. And her looks were too eye-catching , attracting a lot of attention , that included unwanted attention , for someone like Liu Ying , that was indeed a hassle.
" I understand Ms. Liu , but it won't hurt to dress up once in a while, " Lv Ling protested.
Liu Ying sighed heavily , " I guess so Dr. Lv , you have a point."
Lv Ling hadn't expected her to give in that easily , but she was over the moon when she heard that. She was physically beaming after she heard that so Liu Ying was looking at her amused.
Jin Wei and Da Xiong were just roaming when they heard a commotion , then they spotted Li Cheng dragging Mo Ling away, so they got closer to see what the fuss was about .
Jin Wei almost tripped when he saw Liu Ying looking like a portrait , she was standing and smiling at Lv Ling indulgently , her smile was pulling at everyone's heartstrings.
" Where did this angel come from ? "
" That's Lady Liu ! "
" Lady Liu ?! Woahh she looks so angelic."
" I know ! Her aura changed completely , before she had this regal masculine energy to her like a god , but now she looks like a literal goddess."
" It's a shame ."
Jin Wei rushed up to Liu Ying and Lv Ling , he grabbed Liu Ying by the shoulders and he began to inspect her closely.
Da Xiong rushed over next , just when Liu Ying thought he was here to peel Jin Wei off her , Da Xiong also began to examine her closely.
Unable to take it any longer , Lv Ling walked over and smacked the both of them before dragging them away from Liu Ying.
" Let me go ! " Jin Wei screeched , " Senior ! Why were you hiding this ? You can literally rival the goddess in high heaven ! "
" Jin Wei , be careful or a goddess might get angry and curse you ! " Liu Ying warned ,teasingly.
" For heaven's sake , not only her face , even her persona and aura changed ! " Da Xiong added.
" I agree , I might like this Senior more. "
Liu Ying glared at them with her hand on her hips .
" Honestly Senior , your glares don't even look scary now , they just look endearing, " Jin Wei continued.
" Yes Senior , when you glared at us before , we would almost piss ourselves . But right now I just find you cute."
Liu Ying rolled her eyes ," You two just wait , if I didn't beat you two up today , I'm not your Senior."
" Senior, you can beat us up ! " Jin Wei replied while rushing over to Liu Ying but he was pulled back by Da Xiong.
" Senior ! Feel free to hit me first ! " Da Xiong yelled , wrestling Jin Wei.
Lv Ling could literally see steam coming out of Liu Ying's head .
" Fine since you two want it so much , I'll give it to you., " Liu Ying said ,her voice low.
Liu Ying walked over , she pulled her hand back and landed a punch directly on Jin Wei's face.
" Ahhh not my face ,Senior ! " Jin Wei screeched .
Next Liu Ying turned to Da Xiong , she delivered a punch right onto his shoulder.
" Senior ! That hurts ! " Da Xiong yelled clutching his throbbing shoulder .
" Oh I'm not done , I'm just getting started , " Liu Ying replied, cracking her knuckles.
Jin Wei and Da Xiong glanced at each other and nodded decisively before literally vanishing .
Lv Ling shook her head at them running away , " Only her face changed you morons ! " she called out behind them. " Honestly the idiocy and nerve of some people. "
" Come Lv Ling , let's go find a seat."
Yang Changtian finished dressing up , he chose to wear his signature white robe with gold accents. His hair was pinned up with a gold lotus crown .
Just as he stepped outside , he saw Li Cheng smacking a dazed Mo Ling on the head.
" Li Cheng ! What's wrong ? " he asked, walking over.
" This idiot will bring me shame ,I tell you , SHAME."
" What happened ? "
" Ms. Liu had a makeover , and this idiot decided to freeze and act like an idiot after he saw her . "
" Liu Ying had a makeover ? "
Li Cheng nodded , " Apparently Dr. Lv begged to dress her up , I must say she looked positively wonderful. Completely different from her usual vibe."
Mo Ling nodded dazed , " She can rival all the famous courtesans in our country ."
Li Cheng was enraged hearing this , he smacked Mo Ling on the head again , " You dare to compare her to a courtesan ?!?! I'm telling everything to Baicheng, he'll knock some sense into you."
Mo Ling tried to evade his attacks , " It was a complement ! "
" Don't say that again ," Yang Changtian added , his voice stern.
Mo Ling looked down and nodded sulking.
" Well , I'm dying to see her now , let's go Li Cheng, " Yang Changtian said dragging Li Cheng back.
" I'm telling you the truth Brother Yang ! She looked so different."
Yang Changtian chuckled , " I don't believe you Li Cheng , just how much can a person change by simply changing their dressing style."
Li Cheng shook his head , he then spotted something in front of them that almost took her breath away.
" You don't believe me right ? Look over there then," he said pointing.
Yang Changtian followed his hand , and he froze .
Liu Ying was sitting with Lv Ling and Song Lian , the soft rays of the setting sun surrounding her like a halo.
The various colors playing around in her hair , giving her a sort of vibrance that made one look twice. Her eyes were still sharp , but with her softened eyebrows , they now looked charming .
Yang Changtian was still frozen in place and Li Cheng was smirking at him .
" Brother Yang ! My hearing is not very good , could you repeat what you just said moments ago ? " he teased.
Yang Changtian swallowed hard , unfreezing his body , he coughed softly , " Heavens you were right ! Is that Liu Ying ? "
Li Cheng smirked, grabbing him by the arm , " Well let's go find out ! " he said, dragging Yang Changtian over.
" Ms. Liu I apologize for that child Mo Ling's idiocy before," Li Cheng apologized again.
'Liu Ying turned around and Yang Changtian froze again , he felt his heat skip a beat. Thumph !
" Oh Mr. Li , please join us , and between you and mean there is no need to apologize for such minor matters. Oh , Mr. Yang , you're here too ! Please join us."
Yang Changtian opened and closed his mouth repeatedly , and Li Cheng facepalmed himself , ' Here we go again.'
But unlike Mo Ling , Yang Changtian record quickly , he perfectly masked his surprise and greeted Liu Ying back , sitting down next to her .
" What were you all talking about ? " Li Cheng asked settling down next to Yang Changtian .
" Oh nothing much , I just wanted Mr. Song's opinion about something . "
Li Cheng peeked out to look at Song Lian.
Getting his question , Song Lian rushed to answer , " Ms. Liu wanted to know if we had more bone charms."
" Bone charms ? You mean those Crazy-attracting charms that crazy shaman gave you ? Why do you need them Ms. Liu ?"
" I need them as bait. Considering our situation , it would be the ideal bait ," Liu Ying began to explain.
Yang Changtian and Li Cheng nodded back .
" Yes , and if I remember correctly we did have some more leftover at the shaman hut , I'll go and bring them over tomorrow."
Liu Ying nodded , " Thank you Mr. Song , also please come meet me before you set off tomorrow."
Song Lian blushed and nodded.
While they were chatting , the food was done , Jin Wei and Da Xiong walked over timidly , carrying a steaming pot.
Not daring to look at Liu Ying , they quickly placed the pots down on the table before escaping quickly.
" What's up with them ? " Li Cheng asked, confused.
Lv Ling chuckled , " Those idiots tried to play with Ms. Liu so she smacked some sense into them."
Li Cheng was speechless for a while before bursting out laughing.
" This smells good , what is it ? " Liu Ying asked.
Yang Changtian wanted to help her with the food , but Song Lian beat him to it .
Song Lian jumped up and opened the pot, a warm inviting smell filled the air around them , " This is chicken soup , since you don't eat any other meat , we made this for you Ms. Liu. Please allow me to serve you a bowl."
Liu Ying nodded and thanked him.
Li Cheng smirked , " Ms. Liu , Song Lian initially caught a pheasant but when he heard you didn't eat pheasant either , he exchanged it with a chicken."
Liu Ying's eyes widened , " You did that for me ? Thank you Mr. Song, " she said, accepting the bowl of soup from Song Lian.
Song Lian blushed harder , enticing an eye roll from Yang Changtian .
" It's the least I could do to thank you Ms. Liu, Dr. Lv please enjoy ," Song Lian replied, handing a bowl of soup over to Lv Ling .
Yang Changtian huffed and grabbed a bowl for himself , " Let the feast begin ! " he stood up and announced loudly.
Cheers erupted throughout the crowd , everyone began to partake. The food was nothing special , but it was wonderful . Song Lian and his team had caught multiple rabbits and even a deer, providing everyone with meat.
The atmosphere was bustling , people were happy to have an escape from the past that was nothing short of hectic. As the moon climbed higher and higher , everyone's excitement also rose with it.
Over at Liu Ying's and Yang Changtian's table. Song Lian dragged Lv Ling off to dance , Liu Ying was observing them silently with a small smile .
Yang Changtian noticed , " What's wrong Liu Ying ? "
Liu Ying shook her head , " Unexpectedly I've gotten close to all of you these past few days , and I feel reluctant to go back."
" Then stay , " Li Cheng added , " I know it's been mere days since we first met , but we all feel like we've known you for years."
Yang Changtian nodded along .
Liu Ying shook her head , " I consider the both of you dear friends too , but I can't disobey orders."
Li Cheng nodded softly , " Well then , I can only hope we can work together like this again."
Liu Ying smiled and nodded back.
Yang Changtian raised his eyes to look at the sky , admiring the starry sky.
Liu Ying and Li Cheng also followed his gaze up towards the sky . The stars were shining down on them brightly, enhancing the already bright atmosphere .