Level 1 Transmigrator, Max Level Charm: My Unwanted Harem

𝐸𝐿𝐸𝑉𝐸𝑁

第十一章
eleven

It was so quiet up here, Mu Yuling felt like she was the only person left in the universe. The only sounds were the wind against the wooden hull and the gentle creak of the ship as it moved through the night sky.

She was sitting inside the small private space Xiang Lang had made for her. He had found some old, patched-up sails and a length of rope, tying them up to create a little corner for her near the back of the deck.

For comfort, she had her backpack in her lap. It was the one thing she had from home, her real world. She decided to go through it, to see what had survived the jump into the temple pool.

Yuling unzipped each pocket, her fingers brushing against each item. The first thing she pulled out was her taser. It was a little damp to the touch, and she worried the water had ruined it. When she pressed the button, bright blue spark crackled loudly between the metal prongs. A wave of relief washed over her. It still worked.

Next, she found her flashlight. She clicked the switch on. Then off. Then on again. Nothing happened. The bulb remained dark, not even offering a faint glow. It was completely dead, a useless piece of plastic and metal now. She put it aside with a disappointed sigh.

Then came her phone. Her heart sank as soon as she saw it. She held down the power button, hoping for the familiar logo to appear. She shook it gently, then pressed every button on the side. It was no use. The device was as lifeless as a stone. She thought of her aunt,  she's probably worried, calling her phone over and over only to get her voicemail. 

Yuling kept digging and found a half-eaten pack of gum, the foil wrapper crumpled. A small notebook was there too, but all the words had bled into blurry, blue smudges, making the pages unreadable. A simple black hair tie. Then, her fingers touched something crinkly. She pulled out a full bag of colorful gummy bears.

She grinned, but then remembered the disgusting algae-filled water of the temple pool. She had jumped right into it with this bag on her back. The gummies had been soaking in that filth.

"We're coming up on a clean river." he announced. "We'll stop so everyone can wash up." He paused for a moment before adding, "You especially. You still smell like that perfume district."

***

The river was wide and clear, its water making rushing sound as it moved over smooth stones. The moon and stars shone down. Mu Yuling walked a good distance downstream from where Xiang Lang and Li were, wanting some privacy. She found a spot hidden by a thick patch of tall reeds and willow trees.

She stepped into the water, gasping slightly at the initial cold shock. But it quickly began to feel wonderful. She used the rough cotton cloth Xiang Lang had given her, scrubbing at her skin until it felt clean. She washed her hair, dunking her head under the water to rinse away the last traces of dust and the cloying smell of perfume that had clung to her from the district. She was silently thankful that, despite everything she'd been through, her body odor wasn't strong. 

When she was finally done,  she wrapped the large cloth around her body. It was big enough to work like a towel, covering her from under her arms down to her knees. She held the end tightly closed with one hand and made her way back to the small campfire Xiang Lang had built on the riverbank.

Xiang Lang was already there, dressed in a clean set of dark trousers and a light tunic. He was sitting cross-legged by the fire. He was focused intently on a task. In his hands was a needle and a spool of sturdy thread. He was carefully sewing one of his own spare tunics, a dark blue one she had rarely seen him wear.

Mu Yuling stood by the fire. "What am I supposed to wear?". She pulled the towel a little tighter, feeling suddenly very exposed.

Xiang Lang simply nodded toward the tunic in his lap, his eyes still on his stitching. "This one. I'm almost finished. It'll still be big on you, but it won't fall off your shoulders."

The cold night wind chose that moment to sweep down from the trees, rustling the leaves and making Mu Yuling shiver. Xiang Lang saw her shiver from the corner of his eye.

"Go wait inside the ship." he said. "It's too cold out here to be standing around wet. I'll bring the tunic to you when it's done."

Just as she was about to turn and hurry back to the shelter of the ship, her stomach growled. Yuling's face flushed with embarrassment and she pressed a hand against her abdomen.

Xiang Lang's hands stopped stitching for just a second. He still didn't look up at her, but she saw his shoulders rise and fall with a faint sigh.

The next morning, Mu Yuling woke up surprisingly 'early.'

She pulled her backpack onto her lap and decided to go through it one more time, hoping to find something else useful. As she rummaged through a small pocket on the side, her fingers brushed against a small box, a handful of colorful elastic hair ties is inside. She also found her small mirror. It was a little scratched around the edges, but when she looked into it, her own reflection stared clearly back at her.

Yuling spent the next 30 minutes carefully combing her fingers through her hair. She divided it into sections and began to braid it, when she reached the end of the braid, she secured it with one of the bright blue hair ties. 

After she finished, Yuling pushed the curtain aside and stepped out onto the main deck. The morning air was fresh and cold. She saw Li standing alone at the ship's railing at the far end of the deck. He was staring down intently at the large red ruby, turning it over and over in his palms. He looked completely lost in thought.

"Good morning." Yuling greeted as she walked over to him.

Li flinched so violently he almost threw the precious gem right over the railing. Thankfully he managed to catch it just in time. "Don't do that!" he snapped.

Mu Yuling blinked, taken aback by his strong reaction. "You're up early." she commented.

 "Early? It's almost noon."

"Ah?" Yuling looked up. Sure enough, the sun was high overhead. She had slept much, much longer than she had realized.

Just then, the door to the ship's small cabin creaked open and Xiang Lang stepped out, yawning and rubbing the back of his neck. "We'll be arriving at another town in a few minutes." His gaze swept over the deck and landed on Yuling. He did a slight double-take, his eyes focusing on her hair. "Huh." he grunted, a note of surprise in his voice. "That's... pretty." 

A proud smile instantly spread across Mu Yuling's face. The simple compliment had warmed her from the inside. 

Xiang Lang turned away from her and walked toward the ship's steering mechanism. As he did, the ship gently broke through a low-lying cloud, and a new sight came into view ahead of them. Another town, this one smaller and more peaceful than the bustling Xianjing. Its buildings were painted in earthy colors of ochre and tan, and lush green vines tumbled down its sides like waterfalls of leaves.