Chapter 57: A Classic “Man and Woman Alone” Script
“Master Shen, shouldn’t you explain why you’re here? The Bureau of Immortal Inspection and the Chilin Guards are searching for you, and His Majesty has personally ordered that you be safely escorted back to the Imperial Capital. You’ve used yourself as bait—what exactly are you planning?”
“You and I have always stayed in touch through the Transmission Jade Talisman, so why did you suddenly go missing these past two days…”
Wu Ruyue took a deep breath and poured out all the doubts that had been weighing on her heart.
Shen Yanzhou’s smile faded. As if expecting her question, he explained softly, “As you can see, I came here to protect myself—and to draw out those in the prince’s mansion who wish to harm me. Once everything settles, I’ll return to the capital with you.”
“As for the Transmission Jade Talisman—it was confiscated by the people of the Nether Cult. You should know they wouldn’t allow me to communicate with anyone outside.”
“It wasn’t that I saw your messages and ignored them…”
“I see.”
Wu Ruyue was stunned for a moment after hearing that, unable to find anything else to say.
Indeed, that made sense.
Since Shen Yanzhou had pretended to be captured by the Nether Cult, it was natural that his Transmission Jade Talisman would have been seized.
“I wasn’t doubting you, Master Shen. I just wanted to understand the situation clearly…”
Her tone softened considerably.
“I understand. After all, I was the one who dragged you into this. It’s my fault for not explaining things sooner,” Shen Yanzhou said, nodding.
“……”
Wu Ruyue fell silent again, her slender fingers clutching at Shen Yanzhou’s robe.
Shen Yanzhou continued, “Just now, the situation was urgent—you were unconscious, covered in blood, your soft armor torn. I took the liberty of removing your outer garments and soft armor to clean them. But since men and women are different, I did not touch the inner garments beneath.”
Wu Ruyue let out a quiet hum, her eyes lowered. Her fingers tightened around his robe, and the tips of her ears turned faintly red.
Who would strip someone’s clothes while they were unconscious…
Still, since Shen Yanzhou had done so out of pure goodwill—
Gurgle…
Suddenly, a sound broke the silence.
Wu Ruyue instinctively pressed a hand against her stomach, her porcelain-white, delicate face flushing under the glow of the campfire.
Shen Yanzhou couldn’t help but chuckle. He handed her a freshly washed wild fruit from the side. “Here, have a bite first.”
For martial practitioners, supplementing blood and energy was part of daily cultivation.
Once their True Qi was depleted, hunger struck fast.
Wu Ruyue kept her head down, hands unmoving, replaying every humiliating moment of her life in her mind.
Shen Yanzhou, of course, didn’t tease her. He stood up and said, “This underground river we don’t know where it leads. The water is freezing cold, and I didn’t spot any fish earlier. I’ll take another look, see if I can find something edible.”
After speaking, he rolled up his trouser legs, took off his inner shirt, revealing a lean and powerful upper body, and with a splash, dove straight into the underground river.
Wu Ruyue froze, her bright, water-like eyes glimmering like polished ink beneath the firelight, watching Shen Yanzhou splashing in the dark current.
Somehow, the scene felt amusing.
The embarrassment from her rumbling stomach slowly faded.
So she reached for one of the wild fruits beside her and began to nibble.
Shen Yanzhou was more thoughtful than she had expected.
The fruit must have been tested beforehand—its taste wasn’t bitter but slightly sweet, with a hint of spiritual energy.
Likely not an ordinary fruit.
Who would have thought the infamously dissolute young heir of the Imperial Capital would have such a side to him?
Of course… that playboy persona was nothing but a mask.
Wu Ruyue couldn’t help but let her thoughts wander.
The cave was quiet.
Only the crackling of the fire and the dripping of water echoed within.
After about half a stick of incense’s time—
A strange fish, roughly palm-length, its scales faintly patterned with cloud motifs, suddenly shot out from the turbulent dark river and landed by the fire. It thrashed about vigorously its life force clearly strong.
“Master Shen, you even know how to fish?”
Wu Ruyue glanced over.
Fish living in these swift underground rivers were rare, usually found only in calmer spots.
“Just read about it in a book—this is my first time trying.”
“The surface of the river looks turbulent, but beneath it’s relatively still. With True Qi forming a barrier to push the water aside, it’s easier to catch them.”
Shen Yanzhou surfaced, dripping wet, a few more fish clutched in his hands, smiling as he spoke.
Wu Ruyue nodded lightly.
When she had trained in the southern borderlands, she too had lived in the wild and learned similar survival tricks.
Her gaze lingered on Shen Yanzhou’s upper body—strong and lean.
In the capital, she had thought him frail, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.
Who knew that beneath those robes hid such strength?
“Is there something on my face?” Shen Yanzhou asked with a smile, catching her gaze.
“N-no, nothing. It’s just… those fish look rather ugly.”
Wu Ruyue lowered her head at once, turning away as her face grew hot.
Shen Yanzhou chuckled, tossing the fish onto the shore.
He had, of course, made that explanation up. When he dove into the river, a sweep of his divine sense had revealed everything.
A single pulse of internal force could stun not just fish but even a small beast. He simply picked a few that seemed edible.
The fish from this dark, sunless river looked… less than appetizing.
Once back on shore, Shen Yanzhou shook himself lightly, evaporating the water from his body with True Qi. Then he picked up a sharp stone and began cleaning and gutting the fish.
A classic setup—one man, one woman, alone by the fire in a cave, with freshly caught fish roasting over the flames.
In any other life, this would have been the perfect “protagonist wins the heroine’s heart” moment.
If Wu Ruyue’s head had a visible “affection meter,” Shen Yanzhou figured this little act would’ve raised it by at least a third.
Not that he was trying to court her intentionally he simply needed her help to complete the next part of his plan when they returned to the capital.
After all, the Chilin Guards and the Bureau of Immortal Inspection weren’t fools. They’d surely piece together the clues along the way and realize his “abduction” wasn’t the work of the Nether Cult.
Most likely… they’d pin the blame squarely on the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion.
Which was precisely what Shen Yanzhou wanted.
Later, he would have Song Tiemu and Zhu Chansi spread rumors about the “real and fake heirs.”
Once that happened, the pieces would fall into place, and people would start drawing their own conclusions.
By then, the Demon Suppression Prince’s Mansion wouldn’t be able to escape the blame—whether they wanted to or not.
And the only person aware of the truth—was Wu Ruyue.
If Shen Yanzhou had been a bit more ruthless, he could have easily killed her in Hidden Moon Mountain and blamed it all on the maddened beasts afterward.
But then—how could he explain surviving such a perilous place?
The matter of the Martial God’s inheritance would inevitably be exposed.
Yet Shen Yanzhou did not wish to stand in the limelight, attracting envy and greed.
He preferred to stay hidden in the shadows, harvesting negative emotions quietly while growing steadily stronger.
Therefore, he had to push Wu Ruyue into the open.
As a former Martial Champion, it was perfectly reasonable for her to have obtained the Martial God’s inheritance.
In the original plot, this opportunity had actually belonged to her—Shen Yanzhou had merely seized it ahead of time.
Sizzle sizzle…
By the fire, Shen Yanzhou skewered the cleaned fish meat on a branch, controlling the heat evenly as he roasted it.
Though he had no seasonings, the fish meat was tender.
As the hot oil dripped onto the flames, sparks crackled, and the color slowly turned golden.
Soon, a rich, primal fragrance spread through the cave.
Thanks to his past experience as the “grill assistant boyfriend” during picnics in his previous life, Shen Yanzhou was rather confident in his skills.
Not a single girlfriend had ever said his grilled fish tasted bad.
When Wu Ruyue first saw how skillfully he cleaned the fish, removed the entrails and scales, she was quite surprised.
Could it be that he often did such chores even in the prince’s mansion?
As the scent of grilled fish drifted to her nose, she couldn’t help but swallow slightly.
Why did it seem as though Shen Yanzhou knew how to do everything?
During her time in the southern borderlands, she too had often hunted in the wild, roasting meat over a fire. But her cooking was always crude—just grilling until it wasn’t too raw or fishy, enough to fill her stomach.
Yet Shen Yanzhou’s meticulous movements made even ordinary fish seem delicious—almost pleasing to the eye.
“It’s ready. Would you like to try my cooking?”
Shen Yanzhou stood up and handed her the grilled fish, his refined face softened with a faint smile.
Though he appeared to focus on grilling, his peripheral gaze had been on Wu Ruyue the entire time. After all, casting charm at a blind man would be a waste.
Fortunately, her reactions hadn’t disappointed him.
The timing, the atmosphere, the hunger—all perfect. Add to that a few deliberate movements while grilling… In his previous life, every frame of this scene could’ve been a viral clip that captured countless female fans.
Though Wu Ruyue was devoted to the Martial Path and claimed to abandon worldly emotions, that didn’t mean she was all that different from other girls her age.
At her core, she was simply strong-willed and disciplined—suppressing emotions that should’ve bloomed long ago.
In Shen Yanzhou’s view, if Shen Tian in the original story had been even a little bolder—less timid, less afraid of offending her—their relationship could’ve easily advanced much further.
No matter how strong or independent a woman might appear, she was still soft and fragile inside. And Wu Ruyue—she had grown up starved of love.
In truth, it was a hidden, approval-seeking nature.
Treat her a little kindly, and she would feel indebted—compelled to repay it twice over.
“Thank you…”
Still wrapped in Shen Yanzhou’s outer robe, Wu Ruyue hesitated briefly before sitting up to accept the fish.
She examined it carefully—the meat glowed golden, glistening with oil, its aroma rich and appetizing.
The heat had been controlled perfectly; there wasn’t a single charred spot.
She parted her moist lips and took a small bite.
The first taste was hot, purely meaty and fragrant. Then, as she chewed, subtle sweetness and savoriness bloomed on her tongue. Her bright eyes widened slightly in surprise—it was genuinely delicious.
Why had her own roasted meat in the wild never tasted like this, even without seasonings?
“Does Master Shen often grill fish at the mansion? This doesn’t seem like your first time.”
Wu Ruyue finished the fish quickly, still wanting more, and couldn’t resist asking curiously.
“My mother has a fondness for fish. I sometimes roast some for her in her courtyard,” Shen Yanzhou replied casually, smiling without the slightest hesitation.
Whether Yu Chenyu had ever liked fish, he didn’t know—but right now, she did.
“I see,” Wu Ruyue said softly, realization dawning.
Shen Yanzhou smiled. “Without seasonings, the flavor’s a bit plain. I hope you don’t mind.”
Wu Ruyue quickly shook her head. “It’s delicious—pure and clean, with a sweet aftertaste.”
“Heh…”
Shen Yanzhou chuckled, saying nothing more, and focused again on the roasting.
Wu Ruyue watched him silently, her bright eyes reflecting the firelight.
The cave grew quiet again, save for the sizzle of oil dripping onto the flames.
After a moment, Shen Yanzhou handed her another piece of grilled fish.
Wu Ruyue accepted it and murmured a quiet thanks.
For a while, an oddly intimate silence lingered between them—he cooked, and she ate.
Before long, the ground was littered with fish bones and spines.
At first, Wu Ruyue had been reserved, feeling slightly embarrassed. But soon she relaxed.
The scene before her brought an inexplicable sense of comfort—a warmth she hadn’t felt in years.
So this was what it felt like… to be cared for.
Since childhood, her parents had taught her to be strong.
They had forged her will through hardship whether wounded, bullied, or in pain from training, she was expected to endure alone.
Even when she bruised and bled, she was to grit her teeth and bear it.
Whenever she faced obstacles or trouble, she was left to solve them by herself. Her parents never helped nor did they ever try to.
Even when she fell ill, she simply endured until she recovered.
Their affection and care had always gone to her younger brother though he was disobedient, mischievous, always causing trouble… she had long stopped keeping count.
As she grew older, her strength and assertiveness only distanced her further from them. Even after becoming the Martial Champion of Great Qian, admired by many, her parents still scolded her for being less filial, less affectionate, than her brother.
“Master Shen, aren’t you going to eat?”
When Wu Ruyue realized that nearly all the fish he’d caught had gone into her stomach, she snapped out of her thoughts, her cheeks flushing as she asked softly.
“I’ve eaten some wild fruit earlier I’m not hungry,” Shen Yanzhou replied with a smile.
“You’re injured. You should eat some meat to recover.”
Shen Yanzhou smiled faintly.
“Master Shen, you’re surprisingly good at taking care of people. I hadn’t expected that before.”
Wu Ruyue lowered her gaze slightly, her slender finger absently twirling the sleeve of Shen Yanzhou’s robe.