"This place is really different from my village." Looking at the bustling city in front of him, Yang Ze couldn't help but let out a deep sigh.
It's been almost twelve years since he left his village to join the Shen family as a servant. Now, the only memory he had of his village was that of its serene scenery and lush green forests. Other than that, everything else was covered in dust, even the faces of his own parents.
Though the scene in front of him was vastly different from the tranquil one in his mind, it still had its own sense of beauty.
This city in front of him was named Redleaf City due to the Redwood trees surrounding it. It was a city devoid of seasons. There was only one season, and that was 'spring'.
This made this city a particular hotspot for tourist locations as well as innumerable traders.
The city was relatively simple. With a population of almost three hundred thousand people, the entire city was divided into four sections, each one controlled by one of the four major immortal families.
There was the Zhao clan that controlled all the commerce in the city.
There was the Wu clan that controlled mining, blacksmithing and arms.
There was the Fang Clan that controlled herbs, medicines and temples within the city.
And finally, there was the Shen clan that controlled Martial Halls and the guards of the city.
And Yang Ze was one of the many servants of the same Shen Clan.
Twelve years ago, his parents sold him to the Shen clan for a grand total of five silver coins. At that time, he didn't know what was going on. He was just happy to see his parents smiling and doting on him before sending him away. But now that he was older, he could finally understand why they did it.
During those days, their village was hit by a wave of famine. To reduce the burden on their family and earn those few extra silver coins, his parents sold him without any hesitation.
But Yang Ze never blamed them. In his eyes, it was a matter of survival, and he was the only hope of their family.
Besides, his life in the Shen family wasn't bad either. He had three meals a day, got new clothes on New Year's Eve, and the work was relatively simple. If he worked hard, there was even a chance to embark on the path of immortality.
He just wished that his life could go on like this forever.
"Why do you always stop at this exact spot?" Just when he was busy thinking about it all, he heard a pleasant voice in his ears.
It sounded like the chirping of birds with a bit of coquettishness in it.
"Lan'er." With a smile, Yang Ze looked at the woman in a pink dress standing beside him with a smile on her face.
The woman looked no more than twenty, yet her figure carried a graceful charm. Her waist was so slender that it seemed one could grab it with just one hand, highlighting the curves of her chest and hips, making her appear both refined and mature. Her long black hair, which was glossy as ink, was bound with a jade hairpin, giving her a touch of elegance. Her skin was fair and smooth, her cheeks faintly rosy, and her lips were like red jade, soft and inviting. She stood only an arm's length from Yang Ze, her proud peaks almost brushing against his arm.
As she spoke those words, Yang Ze felt a faint breath spilt beside his ear, warm enough to stir his heart.
"Are you done shopping?" Today was one of the rare days when servants like him were given half a day off, so the two of them decided to spend their day roaming around the city and buying whatever they liked.
"Hmm..." Lan'er just nodded in response as she tucked a bunch of hair behind her ear.
"Then, do you want to walk around a bit more?" Yang Ze asked in a gentle tone.
Both of them came from the same village. He didn't know her full name, just that everyone called her Lan'er. She was the daughter of the village lord who joined the Shen family with him.
Due to the fact that both of them came from the same village and Yang Ze often used to play with her since he was a child, they stuck together even in the Shen family. It wouldn't be a lie to say that they were childhood sweethearts.
"Before that..." With a gentle smile, Lan'er took out a small necklace and, before Yang Ze could react, moved forward, burying his head between her perky breasts as she tied it around his neck.
"....." Yang Ze's mind almost went blank as he was rooted in his place. His sense of sight was blocked, but he could feel something soft pressing on his face.
Before he could react, he felt his vision returning to him. He couldn't even speak a single word as he looked at the woman in front of him, who was almost two heads taller than him.
If not for her beet-red face and the fragrance of roses on the tip of his nose, he would have wondered if he had hallucinated.
"What... what are you..." Before he could finish his sentence, Lan'er put her soft finger on his lips, preventing him from saying another word.
Feeling the soft touch of her finger that was almost boneless, Yang Ze's heart itched for a moment. But he soon focused back on the woman in front of him with a questioning gaze.
Throughout twelve years of living together in the Shen clan, he had never had such an intimate contact with Lan'er before.
"Happy Birthday." Lan'er just let out a gentle smile. The redness on her face has reduced a lot as she spoke further. "Congratulations on turning eighteen."
"Birthday, huh..." Yang Ze touched the jade necklace on his neck as his expression turned complicated.
Perhaps in this entire world, Lan'er was the only one who remembered his birthday. Even he himself had almost forgotten about it.
"Thank you." He whispered softly. He didn't say any lofty words like plucking the moon and stars for her. Neither did he promise her riches and treasures. But he kept her kindness in his heart. In the future, he will do his best to help her in every possible way.
"Hmm." Lan'er just let out a soft smile.
Both of them silently admired the scenery around them as they made their way towards the Shen family grounds.
The journey back home wasn't anything special. The roads were wide and clean. The entire road was paved with an unknown stone that glittered like stars during the night. This eliminated the need for any street lamps. Though the exquisite wooden buildings throughout the city were always adorned with paper lanterns. Even though it was almost nighttime, the bustling city didn't seem to stop. On the contrary, the women who were usually busy with household chores during the day would finally be able to have some free time for themselves.
This made the night city particularly lively as one could see beauties of all kinds.
Although for Yang Ze, none of them even came close to Lan'er in terms of beauty. There were even a few males who, upon seeing Lan'er, were smitten by her.
Halfway through their journey, the two of them inevitably came across a particular row of buildings that they never liked.
These dense rows of buildings were filled with the sound of laughter as the fragrance of precious dishes spread across the streets. Numerous women, wearing scantily clothes, were standing in front of the buildings, inviting men inside. There were even a few women who would lock arms with inexperienced men and drag them forcefully into the buildings.
A few of these women even came to Yang Ze, wanting to take him inside, but upon seeing the death glare of the exceedingly beautiful woman beside him, they ultimately gave up on this idea.
"What!? Do you want to go in?" After leaving the street, Lan'er looked at Yang Ze with a smile as her eyes narrowed into slits.
Yang Ze, who was about to nod unconsciously, shuddered in response and felt a chill down his neck.
"NO! What kind of person do you think I am?" Patting his chest in response, he immediately denied the idea of wanting to stay there. On one hand, none of the women there were as beautiful as Lan'er, while on the other hand, he didn't have enough money.
"Snort." Letting out a cold snort, Lan'er quickened her face. Yang Ze, upon seeing her action, let out a bitter smile before chasing after her.
He never liked to travel across that street, but unfortunately, that red light street was the best shortcut for reaching the Shen family. Without it, they would have to take a large turn, wasting almost two hours.
Soon, the two of them, holding the things they bought, reached the Shen family grounds.
"Well, if it isn't the pair of lovers?" The moment they stood in front of the entrance gate, an old man in his seventies with a head full of white hair let out a gentle smile.
"Grandpa Bao..." Lan'er immediately retorted in anger while Yang Ze lowered his head in embarrassment.
"Go... go..." The old man just waved his hand with a slight smile on his face.
"Hmph!" Lan'er gave a death glare to Yang Ze, as if blaming him for not speaking up.
Just when the two of them were about to walk further, they were greeted by the sight of a rather fat man who was walking around with an unhurried expression.
The man seemed to be in his late twenties with a bulging stomach. His face was filled with fat, so much so that one could see layers of his skin dropping near his neck.
His hair was tied up neatly, barely revealing his facial features. Compared to Yang Ze, the man was almost four times his size.
Wearing a luxurious set of clothes, he was rubbing a dry leaf in his hands before throwing it in his mouth. After doing that, a satisfied expression appeared on his face as if he had entered a trance.
"Young master."
"Young master."
Both Yang Ze and Lan'er greeted him at the same time.
The man standing before them was Shen Yuan, the fourth son of the current patriarch of the Shen family; someone neither of them dared to disrespect.
"Hmm!" Shen Yuan opened his eyes as he glanced at the two of them before nodding in response.
"Where have you been?" His voice was devoid of any emotion as he asked in a flat voice. And with every word he spoke, the fat around his face trembled.
"Young master, we had half our day off, so we were out in the city to buy a few things." It was Lan'er who replied in a gentle voice.
"Hmm..." Shen Yuan looked at the woman who was bowing to him as his eyes seemed stuck on the two large mounds on her chest.
"Go on." After waving his hand, he dismissed the two of them.
Yang Ze and Lan'er both gave him a respectful bow before taking their leave. There were all kinds of rumours floating around in the city about this young master.
Yang Ze didn't want to have too much contact with such a person. So he immediately made his way towards his living quarters.
Lan'er, on the other hand, gave young master Shen Yuan one more bow, glanced in the direction Yang Ze had left before letting out a deep breath. She didn't move her gaze until the figure of Yang Ze disappeared from her sight.
It was only after he was gone did she took a step forward before heading towards her own quarter.
"..." Looking at her curvy departing back, Shen Yuan just let out a cold snort before glancing around him and then slowly walking away.
---------------------
Due to how massive the Shen family's area was, every servant was given their own separate quarter.
Although most of the servants' quarters were just grouped together, Yang Ze was a lucky case. His living place was in a rather remote area, far away from the other servants.
It was a relatively simple place with one hut that was made out of crude materials, a small garden in front of the hut and a stream of water in the distance. The closest building from here was almost a hundred meters away, giving him plenty of personal space.
After reaching his house, Yang Ze first took off his clothes and directly jumped into the stream near him. Feeling the sudden change in temperature, his body trembled for a moment before relaxing.
"AAH! What a tiring day." Every day, he had to first clean the roads, then clean the houses, then take care of the horses and finally do a second round of road cleaning. It was physically tiring work that always drained all his strength.
Thankfully, the hard work wasn't without rewards. After years of working like this, his body was sturdier than before.
Looking at his reflection in the water under the moonlight, Yang Ze just let out a smile. Due to the lukewarm temperature of the city, his skin never got dark, even after working for such long hours under the blazing sun.
His black hair was let loose, reaching almost to his shoulders, and his face looked like the face of a delicate young master from a rich family. The most striking feature about him was his blue eyes that seemed to contain an ocean within them.
Overall, his features were those of a delicate young master. But if there was one thing that he wasn't satisfied with... then it would be his lack of muscles.
Unlike those burly guards he sees every day, his body didn't have any muscles. Though he could feel that his strength was much higher than a normal person, it still didn't change the fact that his body was lean and petite. If one didn't look carefully, they would mistake him for a girl.
"Patience... Once I manage to cultivate, I can build up some muscles." Consoling himself, Yang Ze closed his eyes as he enjoyed the tranquillity around him.
It wasn't until almost two hours had passed that he stepped out of the river and then changed into a new set of clothes.
"This is..." Just when he was about to go to bed, he noticed the small pile of things that he had thrown before heading to the bath.
"Uhm... These belong to Lan'er." Looking at the pink bag, Yang Ze patted his head in annoyance. How could he have forgotten about it? While they were roaming around the city, he took a few things from Lan'er so she wouldn't have to carry all that weight.
"I will give it to her tomorrow." Making up his mind, he was about to go to sleep when he saw the jade necklace around his neck.
"Forget it... What if she is anxious right now?" He could already imagine the scene of Lan'er looking for these things, thinking she might have dropped them somewhere.
Patting his clothes, he slowly walked out of his house and walked in the direction where Lan'er was living.
It was almost midnight, and other than a handful of servants and guards on the night duty, there wasn't anyone else present.
Lan'er's house wasn't very far from there, and it took him almost half an hour at a normal pace.
As he finally reached in front of her house, he admired the scenery around him. Compared to his own living hut, the place where Lan'er was staying was much more maintained. The hut was spotless, and a small patch of flowers was growing around the hut, giving it a dreamlike appearance. Other than that, there was also a small peach tree in front of the house that was laden with flowers, spreading a pleasant fragrance everywhere.
"Oh! She isn't asleep?" The lights in her house were still on; this meant that Lan'er was still awake.
"That's good." Thinking about how he didn't have to wake her up and incur her wrath, he let out a gentle smile. He didn't know why, but Lan'er would find every smallest thing to stay mad at him. To others, she was always a shy, soft-spoken person. But to him...
Thinking about it, Yang Ze took a step forward, intending to greet her, but before he could even reach the door, he heard a soul-stirring sound coming from inside.
"Mmm...Ahhhhh❤️"
How could Yang Ze not be familiar with this voice? It was the voice of Lan'er.
"What happened?" With a frown, Yang couldn't understand what was going on. And just then, he heard another moan...
"Hmm... Hmm❤️Hmm..."
It was as if Lan'er was trying her hardest to suppress her sound.
"Senior sister." Yang Ze, worried that something might have happened to his sister, shouted in a worried voice.
"..."
"..."
The moment he shouted, the voices inside the house stopped.
Even though Yang Ze couldn't see anything, he heard the sound of rustling, as if Lan'er was hurriedly searching for something.
"Senior Sister, are you awake?" he asked again, hoping for a clear answer.
The rustling grew frantic before the window finally opened.
Lan'er's familiar figure appeared once more. Yet compared to her almost fairy-like appearance from before, she looked completely different.
Her pink dress was messy, as though she had put it on in a hurry. Her hair was slightly damp, draping loosely over her shoulder. Her plump upper body was pressed against the windowsill, squeezed together in a way that exuded an obscene charm, trembling faintly with her rapid breathing.
"Ah! Ze'er… ah! ❤️ What are you doing here?"
Her peach blossom eyes were narrowed, her almond-shaped brows tilted upward as if she were enduring something. Her voice carried a soft, enchanting tone, and from time to time she bit her lips as she spoke.
Yang Ze looked at her expression with a frown before taking a step forward.
"Lan'er, are you okay?" His voice clearly carried a hint of care.
"Lan'er?" After not receiving any reply from her, he took another step forward.
"Wait...❤️... Just wait a minute! Ah~❤️"
This time, Lan'er's voice was even more charming than before, and one could even hear the faint trembling.
A blush rushed across her face as Lan'er glanced back uneasily before quickly focusing back on Yang Ze in front of her.
"Ze'er...don't... don't ❤️...come over here!!"
Yan Ze's eyebrows raised for a moment, but he still listened to her.
"Hmm~ ❤️"
Wanniang's brows suddenly furrowed, and beads of sweat trickled down from her forehead, sliding over her chest before soaking into the lapels of her clothes. Her lubricated body lurched forward, collapsing against the windowsill. Her lips opened uncontrollably, and her breath spilled out, fragrant like orchids.
"Are... aren't you here... ❤️uhm~ here to give me my things back? Just throw it to me."
"Hmm~ ❤️"
"I... Aaah ❤️, I am taking a bath."
"Oh!" Yang Ze immediately let out an embarrassed smile. No wonder she was like this. It seemed that he had disturbed her in the middle of her bathing session.
With an embarrassed smile, he tossed the small bag gently through the window.
"Just... Aaah ❤️... turn around~"
"Gulp..." Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Yang Ze turned around with an embarrassed expression. He had never seen Lan'er in this state before. Unknowingly, he felt a certain part of his body hardening as he tried to cover it up in embarrassment.
Thankfully, he had now turned his back on Lan'er; otherwise, he wouldn't have any face left.
Clatter, clatter, clatter——
There was a constant sound of water splashing on the ground. It sounded weird... it was as if someone was intentionally dropping a handful of water at a regular interval. But Yang Ze didn't pay any attention to it.
"I didn't thank you enough for this gift." Gently holding the pendant in his right hand, Yang Ze muttered softly.
"Mmm...Ahhhhh❤️, okay... Don't worry about it."
"You have already done so many things for me. It is the least... ah... least I can do ❤️ mmm..."
"But still, thank you." Yang Ze had a gentle smile on his face. "Since we were children, you have always taken care of me, one way or the other. I never thanked you enough for all that."
"Mmm... ❤️... I get it. Ah..❤️"
Suddenly, her body stiffened for a moment as Lan'er's eyes went wide. Placing her hand on her mouth, she suppressed her voice, but it was hard for her.
"I am coming~ ❤️ ummm"
"...?" Yang Ze was truly confused. What was she talking about? He was about to turn back, but held himself before asking.
"What are you talking about?"
Pa pa pa pa— accompanied by strange sounds, the windowsill suddenly closed, leaving only a beautiful figure leaning against the window paper, her graceful body shaking from time to time, as a voice came from the inside.
"Coming... Coming... ❤️ ummm... What I mean is that I am coming to your house tomorrow."
"Eh!?" Yang Ze felt that the Lan'er of today was acting extremely weird. He didn't think too much about it and was about to say something before he heard Lan'er's voice again.
"Ze'er... is there something else?"
Yang Ze wanted to speak a few more words, but ultimately held back. Swallowing his words, he shook his head with a helpless smile...
"Nothing. Just take care."
"Well, then... eh ❤️ .... eh ❤️... Take care and good night."
Yang Ze nodded and walked forward before pausing for a moment.
"Aren't you going to send me back?" There was a bit of teasing in his voice. He would usually request things like these when the two of them were alone, and every time he said something like that, Lan'er would lash out in anger.
"Hmm... Hmm❤️Hmm... I still haven't finished my bath... Just go by yourself."
Lan'er's tone was hurried, but for some reason, there was a hint of resentment in it.
"Oh! Okay." Yang Ze was surprised that she didn't throw water on him from the window.
Shaking his head, he slowly walked away from there. But he didn't even manage to walk five steps when he slowly turned around, hoping to catch one last glimpse of this breathtakingly beautiful woman.
Unfortunately for him, the windows were closed, and the only thing he could see was the silhouette of the person inside.
He saw Lan'er's back plastered against the windowsill as the robe on her body dropped down, revealing her graceful figure. Her breasts seemed to be jumping as her body moved up and down. Unfortunately, her body from the waist down was completely hidden under the window frame and wall, while one hand was placed on her mouth, and the other hand reached under her body as if she was pressing something down on something.
The sound of pa pa pa pa echoed out, like the sharp slapping of flesh, mingled with the gurgle of water.
As the rhythm of water and slaps grew faster and faster, Lan'er's movement of bouncing up and down also quickened.
Finally, with a soul-stirring "Hmm❤️", Lan'er suddenly raised her head as her body went stiff before trembling violently. This process lasted for a full fifteen breaths before she collapsed and her figure disappeared behind the windowsill.
"What the hell?" Yang Ze rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing things. But after a long time, he simply turned around and left the place.
"This woman is getting more and more stupid with the passage of every day. Why is she even bathing near the window in the first place?" He couldn't help but complain under his breath.
What if someone came and saw her in that state? The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he got. It seemed he needed to teach her a lesson about how to act in the future.
With these thoughts in mind, Yang Ze slowly left for his house, taking with him, the gentle fragrance of the peach tree and the soul stirring scenery that only he was lucky enough to see.