After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 31

The letter Xie Zhifeng sent slightly beautified Lang Xiaoxiao’s actions, but the core of the events was just as described.

 

The return journey was not as urgent, and after some calculation, Lang Sa’s attendants estimated that at their current pace, they would reach An Yu in about nine days.

 

Xie Zhifeng pondered briefly and said, “The palace’s Spring Festival celebrations shouldn’t be arranged so early. We can afford to take our time, a day or two won’t make much difference.”

 

So, the group slowed their pace.

 

This made Lang Xiaoxiao very happy.

 

At first, she could still sit obediently in the carriage, occasionally lifting the curtain to look at the scenery outside.

 

By the second day, she couldn’t sit still anymore and simply stopped riding in the carriage. She waved off Lang Sa’s attendants, sat on a horse herself, and said, “This princess will drive the carriage!”

 

Even the usually calm and composed Xie Zhifeng was stunned and said repeatedly, “This doesn’t seem appropriate.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao said, “Don’t worry, Second Prince! My horse-riding skills are excellent!”

 

Xie Zhifeng: …That’s not what I meant.

 

Unable to stop her, Lang Xiaoxiao had already mounted the horse.

 

Fortunately, Lang Xiaoxiao was not bragging; she was indeed skilled at driving the carriage. However…

 

Every time they passed a place, she would stop to look around curiously, wanting to explore everywhere.

 

However, she felt a bit embarrassed in front of Xie Zhifeng, so every time she had to come up with reasons to justify her stops.

 

Passing through Pianyang Country, she once again wanted to stop and explore.

 

Having used all the possible excuses—like the lush crops, unique scenery, pleasant climate—Lang Xiaoxiao racked her brain, unable to think of any new reason to convince Xie Zhifeng and his sister to get off the carriage and explore with her.

 

She looked at a nearby attendant, signaling him to come up with an idea.

 

The attendant quickly averted his gaze, avoiding eye contact.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao was exasperated.

 

Unexpectedly, this time it was the usually shy Xie Zhiyue who came to the rescue.

 

Inside the carriage, the two had already guessed that Lang Xiaoxiao wanted to go out and play again, seeing that the carriage hadn’t moved for a long time.

 

Xie Zhifeng shook his head, smiled, and called his sister over, whispering, “Xiao Yue, let me teach you how to persuade the wolf tribe princess.”

 

After that, Xie Zhiyue lifted the curtain and sat behind Lang Xiaoxiao, saying, “Sister Lang, can we not hurry for now? Xiao Yue wants to buy a hairpin.”

 

She showed Lang Xiaoxiao the hairpin in her palm, saying, “The bunny ears on this hairpin have fallen off. I want to buy a new one.”

 

“Sure, sure!” Lang Xiaoxiao cheered, “I’ll help you choose!”

 

*

 

The wolf tribe princess did not understand the aesthetic tastes of the An Yu princess, nor did she know what kind of hairpins she liked—of course, this An Yu princess didn’t really want to buy hairpins either.

 

So, the scene turned out to be somewhat peculiar.

 

“Do you think this one looks good?” Lang Xiaoxiao asked.

 

Xie Zhiyue awkwardly replied, “It’s… it’s okay.”

 

“Great, I’ll buy it!” Lang Xiaoxiao picked up another one from the shop and said, “I think this one is nice too!”

 

Xie Zhiyue: “…Mm, mm.”

 

“Bought.”

In this manner, Lang Xiaoxiao almost bought all the hairpins in the shop.

 

She pointed to them and said to the shop owner, “I’ll take them all!”

 

Xie Zhiyue hesitated to speak.

 

The shop owner, seeing the two girls, couldn’t help but murmur to himself, and quietly asked, “Do you have money? These… aren’t cheap.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao said, “I— I have money, plenty of it!”

 

She was about to take out the money when a clear male voice came from behind.

 

“Wait—ladies, hold on.”

 

The two princesses turned to see a well-dressed young man. Behind him were four or five attendants, each carrying a small to medium-sized box.

 

With a smile, the man walked towards them and said lightly, “The hairpins in this shop might not be suitable for you ladies.”

 

He pointed with his folding fan at Xie Zhiyue and said, “This young lady here would find them too old-fashioned, and as for this young lady—”

 

He then looked at Lang Xiaoxiao and said, “The hairpins from this shop are too dull. You seem lively, so why dress yourself so boringly?”

 

Xie Zhiyue frowned slightly.

 

She thought this person was quite rude—how could he point at someone with a folding fan?

 

Xie Zhiyue pouted and discreetly moved closer to Lang Xiaoxiao.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao didn’t notice these things—or rather, she had no concept of etiquette or manners. She just found this person interesting and handsome, so she asked, “Then what kind of hairpins do you think would suit us?”

 

The man thought for a moment and said, “I know of a nearby shop that might have suitable hair accessories for you two. Are you interested in going there with me to take a look?”

 

Xie Zhiyue tugged on Lang Xiaoxiao’s clothes and shook her head, saying, “Sister Lang, let’s not go.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao turned around and saw Xie Zhiyue’s unhappy face.

 

Even though she was carefree, she knew she had to take care of her twelve-year-old younger sister. Lang Xiaoxiao scratched her head, turned to the man, and said, “Forget it, thank you anyway.”

 

The man wasn’t annoyed by the straightforward refusal. He just smiled and said, “In that case, let’s leave it at that. Ladies, perhaps we’ll meet again.”

 

With that, he took his leave.

 

Lang Xiaoxiao sent Xie Zhiyue back to the carriage. After traveling for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Lang Xiaoxiao stopped again.

 

She ran to the carriage and said to Xie Zhifeng and his sister, “Hey, Second Prince, Princess, can we talk? How about I don’t go to An Yu with you? I want to explore around here in Pianyang.”

 

Xie Zhifeng said, “We can accompany you.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao waved her hand, “Second Prince, I appreciate your kindness, thank you. But you need to get back for the New Year, don’t you? If you stay here with me, you’ll be worrying about your return trip, and I’ll feel bad.”

 

She thought for a moment and honestly said, “I don’t have any particular goals; I just want to wander around. Second Prince, you have things to do, and I’m sure your brother and father are eager to hear about your trip, especially about how little Qing’er is doing on our prairie. I think you should hurry back and not keep them waiting. What do you think?”

 

Her reasoning was sound. Xie Zhifeng was just hesitant to refuse outright, but since Lang Xiaoxiao put it this way, he didn’t insist. “If that’s the case, we won’t keep you. But—”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao knew what he wanted to say and immediately said, “You don’t need to worry about my safety. Although my martial arts aren’t top-notch, beating anyone in your Central Plains is easy for me, haha!”

 

Xie Zhifeng had indeed heard of the wolf tribe princess’s prowess—Xie Zhiqing had told him about how she almost beat other tribal princes to a pulp.

 

Still, not entirely reassured, Xie Zhifeng said, “How about this, take a few of the wolf king’s attendants with you.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao said, “No need! My brother sent them to protect you. If I take them, he’ll beat me to tears when he finds out. Second Prince, I appreciate your kindness, but really, it’s not necessary!”

 

Having no other option, Xie Zhifeng agreed, “Alright then.”

 

So Xie Zhifeng wrote a letter to the prairie to explain the situation.

 

After bidding farewell to Xie Zhifeng and his sister, Lang Xiaoxiao wandered aimlessly in Pianyang for half a day.

 

The next afternoon, she encountered that young man again.

 

Although Lang Xiaoxiao was simple-minded, she wasn’t stupid. Meeting this person two days in a row made her suspicious, so she straightforwardly asked, “Hey, young man, are you looking for me?”

 

The man didn’t immediately answer but looked around. Seeing that the little girl from yesterday wasn’t there, he seemed a bit disappointed but quickly adjusted and replied, “Lady, we meet again. But don’t misunderstand, I wasn’t following you.”

 

Lang Xiaoxiao didn’t believe him, “Then why are we meeting again today? Pianyang isn’t that small.”

 

The man smiled slightly, “I’ve been visiting the people outside the palace recently, so I’ve been to many places. Meeting again is not surprising.”

 

“Outside the palace?” Lang Xiaoxiao asked in confusion, “Are you…?”

 

She carefully examined the man’s attire. His demeanor was refined, and his clothes were luxurious, not like those of an ordinary merchant’s son.

 

“My name is Xiao Qizhen,” the man said slowly, “I’m the Crown Prince of Pianyang. May I ask where you come from, young lady?”

 

*

 

Meanwhile, in Xie Zhiqing’s room, there was a continuous creaking of the bed and soft panting.

 

Xie Zhiqing was lying on Lang Sa’s chest, catching his breath.

 

Just now, the wolf king had proven with his actions that he wasn’t all talk.

 

He twirled Xie Zhiqing’s earlobe and held him tight.

 

Xie Zhiqing’s neatly tied hair had come undone, his long hair falling over his shoulders, smooth and silky, something Lang Sa couldn’t get enough of.

 

He glanced at the dressing table. The crown and hairpin Xie Zhiqing had used in the morning were thrown on the surface. Lang Sa took a cursory look and memorized their appearance roughly.

 

Xie Zhiqing’s breathing gradually became steady. Lang Sa carefully laid him down, covered him with a blanket, and propped himself up to watch him.

 

Xie Zhiqing’s lips were slightly swollen and moist, clearly showing how intense their earlier activity had been.

 

Lang Sa touched the corner of his mouth and couldn’t resist leaning in for a kiss.

 

Xie Zhiqing murmured in his sleep, his brow furrowing slightly before relaxing again.

 

The gentle kiss didn’t wake the little prince from his deep slumber.

 

Lang Sa chuckled, stopped teasing him, and lay down to rest as well.

 

Before sleeping, he lifted his shirt to check. The wolf mark had completely faded away.

 

He touched his nose and thought, he hadn’t known before that for the beast tribe to fully pass through their mating period, such intense activity was required…

 

He recalled the chaotic scene of carrying Xie Zhiqing to wash up a few days ago, finding it both amusing and embarrassing.

 

But at least, he no longer needed to worry about that issue.

 

Lang Sa turned to look at the sleeping little prince beside him, thinking that his mating period would no longer be a ticking time bomb threatening his life. He would live well and continue to protect Xie Zhiqing.

 

He mischievously pinched Xie Zhiqing’s nose and whispered, “Sweet dreams, little Qing’er.”

 

Author’s Note:

 

Today, I’ll finish Lang Xiaoxiao’s storyline. There will be another update later.