Time travel, quick transmigration

Shi Yan smiled broadly, looking like she was coaxing a child.

Unable to resist the tenderness in Shi Yan's eyes, Xiao Huanling slowly opened his mouth and drank the medicine from the spoon. Then, he reached out and took the bowl from Shi Yan's hand and ate most of the bowl of medicine in one go.

After taking a bowl of medicine, Xiao Huanling's handsome eyebrows almost froze. It wasn't until a sweet and sour dried plum fell into his mouth and he felt a slight sweetness on his tongue, with a hint of sourness, that he felt a little better.

Being fed by Shi Yan and watched with a teasing expression, Xiao Huanling coughed lightly, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"Alright, you'll feel sleepy after taking the medicine, so you should get some rest. I won't bother you anymore. I'll come over for dinner and we can have dinner together."

"I made you a mushroom and pheasant soup. The pheasant was caught for you by Xiao Jiang. It tastes so delicious."

"Okay, I'm not talking to you anymore, you should rest."

After saying that, she took the medicine bowl, put it back on the tray, and gracefully left.

Only after Shi Yan could no longer see him did Xiao Huanling turn his gaze away. Recalling Shi Yan's meticulous care for him over the past two days, a sweet feeling welled up in his heart. He casually picked up a paper bag from the side, took a dried plum, and put it in his mouth. As Xiao Huanling slowly chewed, he felt a sweet sensation lingering in his heart, and he was enveloped by a great sense of satisfaction.

In the past few days, he had clearly felt that Shi Yan was treating him more intimately and gently. If being injured once could get him what he dreamed of, he was willing to be injured several more times.

The next day, after discussing with Xiao Lianshu, Shi Yan used the jade bracelet on her wrist as medicine and paid off all the expenses for her lodging. Given that rumors were already spreading in Chang'an City because of her disappearance, and the emperor had even dispatched the Imperial Guards to search for her, if she did not appear soon, not only would the situation escalate, but Xiao Die, who was still at Dongling Temple, would also be very worried about her. In addition, since her and Xiao Huanling's injuries had greatly healed, Shi Yan decided to return to Dongling Temple as soon as possible to quell the situation.

"As you can see, if I don't return soon, the Emperor may not let this go easily, and it may even implicate some innocent people."

"After this dangerous encounter, His Majesty will certainly not allow me to stay at Dongling Temple any longer."

What's meant to happen will happen eventually. Although she had tried her best to delay her entry into the palace, there were still people in the palace who saw her as a thorn in their side and were unwilling to let her go. As long as Li Longji didn't let go of her, she would not have peace no matter where she was.

Wearing a veil, Shi Yan watched the Imperial Guards march past her, and the thought of entering the palace and losing her freedom inevitably made her feel somewhat depressed.

Shi Yan's whispers were like a thunderclap to Xiao Huanling's ears.

"Why do you want to go to the palace?"

"Are you really willing to be trapped in the palace forever..."

Xiao Huanling couldn't bear to watch the woman he loved be forcibly taken into the palace. He could see that Shi Yan had no feelings for the emperor and had been maneuvering against him in her own way. He thought that as long as he quickly became stronger and seized power, he could protect Shi Yan. He thought that as long as he had the strength to stand against the royal family, he could ensure that the woman he loved wouldn't have to compromise herself and would no longer have to pretend to be with a man who could be her father and had once been her father-in-law.

But now Shi Yan is telling him that she is going to enter the palace.

What should he do? He has nothing now and has no confidence or strength to let Shi Yan not fear the imperial power and just live according to her own wishes.

"If you don't want to enter the palace, I can take you away. Let's leave now..."

In desperation, Xiao Huanling grabbed Shi Yan's right arm, hoping to hear from Shi Yan that she was willing to leave Chang'an with him.

Shi Yan stared blankly at Xiao Huanling through the plain white gauze curtain, noticing the concern and anxiety in his eyes. She raised her hand and pressed down on his hand that was holding her right arm, then smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry about me, I can protect myself even if I enter the palace."

In truth, she longed to leave Chang'an. After arriving in this different time and space of the Tang Dynasty, she had never been anywhere except Chang'an. She had never seen the magnificent landscape, nor had she ever tasted its beautiful scenery and delicious food. At a young age, she had already left home to live a quiet and peaceful life in the Taoist sect. In the end, she still had to accept the fate of being brought into the palace by Li Longji, just like Yang Yuhuan.

She remembered why she came into this world, and continuing the path that Yang Yuhuan was meant to follow was her inescapable destiny.

“Ah Ling, I will eventually have to enter the palace; that is an unchangeable fact.”

Xiao Huanling sensed the helplessness in Shi Yan's words.

"Can't you be a little selfish and live just for yourself? The world is vast, I can take you to a place where no one can find you."

There were only the two of them there, and no one else could disturb them.

Once Shi Yan entered the palace, it would be very difficult for him to see her again. Entering the palace also meant that she had become the emperor's woman, and the thought of this made Xiao Huanling's heart ache.

Shi Yan didn't see the fleeting pain in Xiao Huanling's eyes. At this moment, she was thinking about how to explain herself to Li Longji without arousing his suspicion when she returned to Dongling Temple and met him, and how to conceal certain things from him.

“Ah Ling, I have a reason to go to the palace. Trust me, I am capable of taking care of myself. As for the Emperor, I also have ways to deal with him and ensure I don’t suffer any losses. You can rest assured.”

He patted Xiao Huanling's hand, signaling him to let go of him.

Shi Yan's confident demeanor made Xiao Huanling doubtful. Since he couldn't change Shi Yan's mind, he could only choose to respect her decision.

"Alright, I won't ask you why you insist on entering the palace. But if you do enter the palace one day, remember to take good care of yourself and protect yourself."

"I will become capable of standing on my own as soon as possible and be your strong support. So don't be afraid, no matter what, I will always be there for you."

Xiao Huanling looked deeply into Shi Yan's eyes and made a vow to her.

Shi Yan had not yet realized the weight of Xiao Huanling's words, and simply nodded with a smile.

"Okay, I've written it down."

"Ah Ling, come back to Dongling Temple with me. Xiao Die must have been worried sick while I was gone. That girl is so innocent, I'm afraid she'll get stuck on her own thoughts and blame herself."

Xiao Huanling nodded.

"Well, I'll take you back."

The two then headed towards Changlefang.

"Ah Ling, I've thought about it carefully. When the Emperor asks about my experiences these past few days, I plan to carefully select what happened and tell him. I don't want our relationship to be exposed to the Emperor, causing you unnecessary trouble. Men's minds can be very difficult to fathom. I might have to explain to him how we met, how you happened to save me, what our relationship is, where we've been, whether we've been together, and so on. Even if I explain all that, there might still be endless trouble afterward. Do you understand...?"

"Most importantly, I don't want you to get into trouble because of me."

“I will tell the Emperor that Xiao Jiang happened to be passing by the river and saw me unconscious, and kindly rescued me. Xiao Jiang is a medicine boy and lives in the mountains, so it won't arouse suspicion. What do you think?”