Lang Yuan is thankful that almost 99% of the flowers in this world is the same from his previous life. There are some that are new to him but those are recognizable and have distinct colors and shapes so it's not hard to remember. All he needed to do is to know how to cut and pick the flowers when the competition will happen. Zhong Song is helping him throughout the job.
"I went to a flower arrangement contest a few thousand years ago," Zhong Song said proudly. "Even though I'm only a spectator, the participants should follow a certain theme."
"Ju Laosi, is your thousand years old knowledge reliable?" Lang Yuan asked.
"Are you checking my credibility? First of all, there is this language of flowers the ladies often talk about. I even know a few of them," Zhong Song humped.
But I mostly know them all, is what Lang Yuan thought but he remained silent as he watched the Imperial Scholar gather a few bundles of flowers and a pot. He placed it in front of Lang Yuan with a perplexed expression. He had read about flowers and such the other day before buying these objects. he even asked the Imperial Gardener the things needed to make a flower bloom. Yet, none of the information managed to stay inside his mind.
After all, Zhong Song is a scholar. He could have solved any political issues anyone throws at him, but he has no idea about this craft the women are fond of. Let him fight the war and he still can win. Make him decorate flowers... err... it might look like a funeral. Dragons are indeed skillful but Zhong Song is highly unrelated to this part.
"You needed to cute the stem of these flowers to let them drink water," Zhong Song is reading a manual on his hands. "Then let your artistic side decide what kind of design you wanted to do... huh? What is this? It didn't include the process of decorating the flowers at all."
Hopeless.
And what's with that manual anyway? Is that a Do-It-Yourself instruction? Lang Yuan thought it's funny to have such thing on the ancient. Zhong Song keeps on reading the instruction but it's obvious from his face that he is unsatisfied. Finally throwing the object away, the scholar looked at Lang Yuan with crying eyes.
"Want to forfeit the first match?" The Scholar asked, totally giving up.
Lang Yuan sighed. He knows how smart this Zhong Song is, to the point of calling him a teacher. But Zhong Song can't give what he doesn't have from the first place. If the teacher gives up, how about the student?
"Maybe Ju Laosi only needed some time to rest. How about calling the Imperial gardener to let us show how it is done," Lang Yuan suggested.
"Good point. I'll excuse myself for a while. I will bring one later," and Zhong Song fled the scene with determination from his eyes. He will definitely catch that gardener who kept on refusing his request.
Left alone by his self, Lang Yuan only heaved a sigh as he stared at the flowers Zhong Song tried to make do. The scholar experimented on a few rose stalks cutting the stems messily. He felt sorry to the flowers. They are massacred mercilessly.
Lang Yuan picked the flower one by one only to be pricked by one of the thorns. He hissed, jerking his hands letting the flowers fall. Red blood slowly surfaced from that small prickle forming a round shaped blood. Lang Yuan pressed the wounded finger to let more blood out.
"How careless can you be? Prickling yourself over a flower," a voice suddenly said.
Lang Yuan was surprised by the voice that he unconsciously stepped back losing his balance. The pot Zhong Song brought is right just on his back ready to be smashed by the incoming youth. It could have happen if only the person who owned that voice did not managed to catch Lang Yuan on time. The stranger held on his hips pulling him up on his chest.
"Why are you always falling whenever I see you around?" A delightful smirked appeared from the half-masked stranger.
Lang Yuan held on the stranger's chest for a while before pushing him away. He looks up, seeing the same stranger whom he met days ago. The stranger is still wearing the black mask that only covered half of his face. His clothes are also the same following the color of the mask. The stranger smiled widely when Lang Yuan is checking him out.
"At least, when you fall, make sure that I am there to catch you," the stranger added.
What the fu-... Lang Yuan almost puked. Where did he hear that same ol' weird pick up line again? He only knows one coming from this world.
"Who are you?"
"They call me, The Mighty Black Mask. You can call me White Dragon."
What's the difference with calling him as Mighty Black Mask and White Dragon? Even the colors are contradicting. But Lang Yuan thought that both names are long so he will never use any. instead, he muttered...
"Emperor Yu?" He bluntly asked.
[A'N: Because Yu in Yu XueQin's name means white... I dunno coz Yu might also mean 'water'. Who cares if I got it right ha ha ha. You guys check it ha ha ha coz I'm not doing it ha ha ha *too lazy*]
The stranger only shrugged his shoulders.
"Do I look like the emperor to you?" He asked. "Though, I am actually worthy of that title but no, I am not. As what I can recall, there's not at least similar on our appearance."
Lang Yuan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Well, the stranger with the weird name is right. Yu XueQin is taller and has this oppressive aura around him. It's impossible that this one is he. But Lang Yuan still doubts. Nobody said morphing is impossible in this world.
"I-if that is so then you can leave..." Lang Yuan said reluctantly. Somehow, he wanted the stranger to stay. But because he is a total stranger that's why he has to be cautious.
"That's mean. At least you could have say thanks, you know," the stranger crouched down to reach a flower and handed it towards Lang Yuan. "Still pretty, looks the same. Pleasing to the eyes yet prickling."
Lang Yuan suddenly felt cold on his back. What does he mean by those words?
Lang Yuan could have wanted to accept the flower but he refused. The stranger only smiled and reached out for his hand forcing the flower to the youth. Then, the stranger brushed the wound on his finger and placed it on his mouth. Lang Yuan's eyes widened, wanted to retract his hand. But the stranger started sucking the wound like a baby on his bottle.
"Okay, I'm finally... stop struggling! I already told you that we needed your help. Don't always resist and..."
Zhong Song arrived with a boy flinging on his shoulders. The scholar is simply holding the boy like a sack and entered the scene with no problem. Zhong Song noticed Lang Yuan standing while staring in midair. He tossed the boy to the side and walked towards Lang Yuan.
"Hey? Whats wrong?" Zhong Song noticed Lang Yuan holding the flower. "What are you holding?"
Lang Yuan looks at Zhong Song with hazy eyes. The scholar noticed the dark mist forming from the youth's eyes. It alerted him for a bit, wanting to release a barrier to stop whatever is happening to the youth. But the mist eventually faded the next second, Lang Yuan looking at him with pure innocent eyes. He asked again.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
The gardener boy who seems to want to run away looked at Lang Yuan worriedly. Lang Yuan only shook his head sideways, clenching the flower on his palms. He noticed that there are no longer thorns on the said flower.
Zhong Song knows that something is up and will surely report it to the emperor later. But now, his duty is to teach this youth the way of flower arranging. Carrying the gardener on his collar, he tossed the boy beside Lang Yuan.
"Now, we only have a day and a half left for the Empress Candidate to learn Flower arrangement. Do your best on teaching him or else..." Zhong Song exuded a dangerous aura. "... You'll be ending your hermit life style."
The gardener scrambled on his feet quickly gathering the flowers and pots from the ground.
On the other hand, the masked stranger leaned on the wall hidden from the eye of the spectators. His breathing is raspy, almost chasing the lost oxygen on his lungs. The stranger remained motionless for a while clenching his chest. His eyes are both close suppressing the agony on his heart.
"He has been marked..." He almost whispered.
He thought that by drinking Lang Yuan's blood he could monitor the youth's activity. What he didn't know is that the Emperor's blood is already occupying the youth's system regulating the flow on the meridians. When he drank the blood, the emperor's blood strained his body prickling his throat like a needle. It seems that Emperor Yu XueQin is protecting the youth secretly.
The stranger made a horrid laugh. The tone is bloodcurdling, almost sending shivers to anyone that could hear it. He moved again, when the pain resided. He can still recall the taste of the youth and will never let go. Holding the only love left on his heart, the black masked stranger continued doing his mission.
"You will return to me, Yuan-er," he said before vanishing.
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Yay! Another update! 😂😂😂
Please correct me if I got the grammar wrong 😂😂😂 coz I'm not actually checking it (especially the tenses) 😂😂😂
Have a good day!