Chapter 11 

By evening, Chen Linyao had no choice but to bring Xie Zhengjie back to her apartment once more. 

Lu Yeqing didn’t believe her claims and even warned that abandoning the young man could result in severe consequences. Suspicious of her behavior, Lu Yeqing scheduled monthly check-ins, insisting she bring the young man to the police station or risk facing additional charges. 

Chen Linyao felt utterly exhausted. Though it was her day off, she hadn’t been able to rest, had narrowly escaped death, and now her nerves were completely frayed. 

Dinner will have to be delivery. 

“Mr. Xie, uh, Your Highness.” 

By now, Chen Linyao was inclined to believe he might truly be a prince. She thought she might as well wait until dinner to ask more about his background.

The problem was, she wasn’t familiar with the proper etiquette for addressing royalty. 

“We’ve already told you, you may call us by our name directly.” 

“Alright then… Xie Zhengjie.” 

“Hmm. What is it?” 

“Is there anything specific you’d like to eat for dinner? I was thinking of ordering delivery.” 

Seeing Xie Zhengjie fall into thought, Chen Linyao’s wits returned. If he came up with something too extravagant, she might not be able to find it, and he’d surely mock her for it again. 

“Actually, I’ll decide. Is there anything you can’t eat? Like beef or raw food?” 

“I’m not that particular. Though I lived in the imperial palace, I once studied at a remote mountain academy and even explored ancient ruins, surviving on dried rations alone. That was enough,” Xie Zhengjie replied. Then, as if remembering something, he added, “But I’ve had nothing but porridge for several days now. Only that instant noodle soup you made broke the monotony.” 

Chen Linyao remembered that the young man had woken up in the hospital, and the doctors probably assumed that even though he had no visible injuries, he should stick to easily digestible foods after the accident. 

She initially considered ordering fried chicken or a large pizza. But since he had saved her life, he deserved a more thoughtful meal. 

“Well…Let’s have hotpot.”

She happened to have an electric hotpot set in her room. In the past, Tang Beibei and Ru Yi often stayed over at her place. On such nights, they’d buy meat and vegetables to make hotpot—a more economical option than eating out. 

Actually, she would have preferred taking him somewhere nicer, but she was too tired. Besides, high-quality meals cost more, and she had to budget carefully until the end of the month. 

Xie Zhengjie didn’t object. Once back in the apartment, he went straight to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and settled down to watch TV with rapt attention. 

“Shufei is ruthless. Shen Chairen was only a few months pregnant. Who would have thought that after drinking the soup sent by Shufei at noon, she would bleed to death by evening.” 

“Your Majesty, I’ve been falsely accused!” 

Chen Linyao froze. She turned to look at the TV, then back at Xie Zhengjie, who was watching the drama with a serious expression. She was completely at a loss for words. 

"I never thought the people of your land could be so ruthless," Xie Zhengjie said, shaking his head. "That Shufei, even if she resented Chairen, still gave her nourishing soup out of courtesy. Who would have thought someone would seize the opportunity to frame her, when the truth is the poison was in the tea Lady Shen drank earlier in the afternoon." 

As if struck by a realization, Xie Zhengjie glanced at the bottle of water in his hand with sudden alarm. Pulling out a silver needle, he dipped it into the bottle to test it. 

Chen Linyao was at a loss for words. Not only was this prince completely engrossed in palace dramas, but he seemed to take them far too seriously. 

"Do you think I’d slip some kind of abortifacient into that water bottle? You can’t even get pregnant." 

The man turned to her with a look that seemed to question her intelligence before replying,

"A man, of course, cannot conceive. But I was merely worried that it might contain a sleeping drug or something to weaken my energy. If I were poisoned, and someone sought to take advantage of me, it would be difficult to resist." 

Chen Linyao, listening to this, grabbed her handbag and fished out a small mirror. She stared at her reflection. 

She was a bit tired-looking, but she was still undeniably attractive. 

How could someone as beautiful as me be considered suspicious? I don’t understand at all. 

Chen Linyao, after checking herself in the mirror, felt assured that her appearance didn’t seem suspicious. If anything was suspicious, it was that man’s brain. 

She played on her smartphone for a while before casually asking,

"When we went into the forest earlier, did you find anything?" 

She remembered that he had mentioned sensing something, but the whole falling-off-a-cliff incident had distracted her from following up. 

“Oh, I think I found the way back,” Xie Zhengjie replied offhandedly. 

Three seconds later, there was a loud thud as Chen Linyao dropped her phone. She looked up sharply, her voice rising.

"Why didn’t you tell me?!" 

"You didn’t ask earlier."

Chen Linyao stood up, grabbed her handbag again, and began rummaging for her car keys. Glancing out the window, she calculated the time—if they left now, it would be nightfall by the time they reached the forest. 

Heading into the forest at night was too dangerous. If he managed to return, how would she make it back out? 

After a moment of hesitation, Chen Linyao asked, "Why didn’t you just go back then?" 

"I explored the area but ran into some issues." 

"What kind of issues?" 

"My cultivation level is too low right now. I couldn’t activate the mechanism." 

Chen Linyao fell silent. There was nothing she could do to help with that. She didn’t even know what cultivation levels or mechanisms were. 

However, after realizing that the other party was not bound by normal human limitations, she was confident about one thing— Xie Zhengjie wasn’t from this world. 

That conclusion was drawn from all the novels she had read. Previously, she hadn’t believed such things were possible. But if Xie Zhengjie truly was a prince, he clearly wasn’t a prince from modern-day China. His name didn’t match any foreign royal lineage either. 

And then there was the outfit he had worn on the first day—a design rooted in ancient Chinese culture. 

"If you started cultivating again, how long do you think it would take to activate that mechanism?" 

Xie Zhengjie glanced at the young woman briefly before turning back to the television. Taking another sip of water, he finally answered, "Around thirty years." 

Chen Linyao froze in shock. From his tone, she could tell that admitting this wasn’t easy for him. 

"If I could refine elixirs, I might be able to shorten the time significantly."

Hearing that there was at least a possibility, Chen Linyao felt a bit more hopeful. She spoke firmly to the young man. “If there’s any way I can help, I absolutely will.” 

She was willing…if it meant sending him back faster, even racking up some credit card debt would be worth it. 

“It won’t be that simple,” Xie Zhengjie replied with a faint smile, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness. “As I said, my cultivation level has dropped significantly. I can’t transform energy into flames to refine high-grade elixirs. More importantly, I have no idea if this place even has spirit herbs. Those are rare treasures in my kingdom; some are so valuable they can be traded for an entire small city.” 

Turning to Chen Linyao, he added, “This would be too much trouble for you.” 

From his expression, Chen Linyao could tell it wasn’t an easy task. This time, he wasn’t doubting her abilities—he was being considerate. 

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Chen Linyao remembered that the hotpot ingredients she had ordered must have arrived. 

Outside stood Song Xiuying, the landlord’s daughter, along with the same deliveryman from before. After greeting the girl and paying for the delivery, Chen Linyao brought the bags inside. 

“I’ll clean up first. You can sit and wait.”

The young woman washed the vegetables, arranged them on plates, and cracked eggs into the marinated meat. Then she retrieved her electric hotpot from storage. 

The soup base she had ordered was still warm, and as soon as she poured it into the pot, it quickly began to boil. 

Once everything was ready, Chen Linyao called out to the young man to join her for the hotpot.

“Xie Zhengjie, I’m done preparing. Come eat.” 

Xie Zhengjie responded by adjusting the television so it faced the dining table. Chen Linyao could only shake her head. This prince is far too obsessed with television. 

When the young man finally sat down, Chen Linyao poured tea for them both. Normally, she would have liked to pair hotpot with a can of beer, but drinking alone with a man didn’t feel quite appropriate. 

After handing Xie Zhengjie the teacup, Chen Linyao noticed that he remained frozen, staring at it without taking it. Before she could say anything, she caught an unmistakable look of alarm in his eyes for the first time. 

His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something but couldn’t. His arm lifted, and she noticed he was holding something. 

“Spirit herb.” 

Xie Zhengjie’s astonished voice rang out, filled with disbelief. Chen Linyao, glancing at the object in his hand, was equally stunned. 

“The thing I just mentioned—this is so rare it could be traded for an entire small city.” 

Chen Linyao stared at the long, slender red object in his hand for a long time, struggling to process what she was seeing. 

The spirit herb he was referring to was a chili pepper!

A chili pepper?! A chili pepper?! A CHILI PEPPER?!