Chapter 75: The Free and Easy Young Marquis (8)
At the banquet, Huo Yuan did not display any lack of manners, but he was somewhat constrained. It was precisely this slight awkwardness that perfectly projected the image of a beggar from the bottom rung of society without seeming out of place.
Mindful of the distinction between men and women, the Eldest Princess hadn’t asked too much when she first met Huo Yuan. Now that Marquis Huo had returned, she probed without leaving a trace. Although Huo Xian frowned to show his disapproval of Marquis Huoâs scrutiny, he didnât voice it aloud; he didn’t want to give his parents the impression that he cared too abnormally much about Huo Yuan right from the start.
Fortunately, he had instructed Huo Yuan beforehand. If asked, he was to rely mainly on the original host’s memories and insert their “meeting” into a specific begging scenario.
Huo Yuan was, after all, an alien consciousness who had watched tens of thousands of movies and TV shows. Even if he hadn’t eaten pork, he had seen a pig run. His acting might not have been Oscar-worthy, but to Huo Xian, it looked flawless.
The banquet concluded with both the hosts and the guest in good spirits. Unfortunately, at the very end, the Eldest Princess pointed out a fatal issueâHuo Yuan was too clean. Not only was his skin fair and delicate, but his hands also bore no scars whatsoever. They didn’t look like a beggar’s hands at all.
The Eldest Princess had only mentioned it casually, but once said, Marquis Huo, Huo Xian, and even she herself realized something was wrong.
It was understandable if a beggarâs face was too dirty to see their true appearance, but a beggar who slept in the wind and dew all year round and often went hungry should naturally have some old scars from bumps and scrapes!
Huo Xian thought, Oops, I forgot about that!
Unexpectedly, Huo Yuan calmly fished out a small purse from his chest and said with a straight face, “This is a pill I exchanged half a flatbread for with a wandering Taoist priest a few months ago. He told me it would have miraculous effects. Half a month ago, I fell gravely ill and almost didn’t survive. In my half-dreaming, half-awake state, I remembered the pills. Thinking that a Taoist elixir might cure my illness, I took one.”
“And then? Did you recover?” Huo Xian feigned curiosity.
Huo Yuan blinked, nodded, then shook his head, continuing, “I don’t know if my recovery had anything to do with the pill. I was still groggy and sick for several days after that, but the external injuries on my body, the calluses on my hands, and even the birthmark on my face slowly disappeared.”
“There is such a miraculous thing?” Marquis Huo looked skeptical.
To strengthen the persuasiveness, Huo Xian played along with Huo Yuanâs story: “You had a birthmark on your face?”
“âŚMy entire face was covered in a birthmark,” Huo Yuan stammered.
“Eh? You didn’t deliberately blacken your face with soot?” Huo Xian acted surprised.
Huo Yuan said in a muffled voice, “âŚNo.” He felt that Huo Xian was even more immersed in the drama than he was. He quickly pulled the topic back, placing the small purse on the table and pushing it toward the Marquis. With a look of lingering fear, he said, “The priest gave me a total of two pills. After eating one, I became the way I am today.”
Huo Xian pretended to be curious, picked up the small purse, opened it, and sniffed: “Could it be an immortal elixir?”
“Yi’er, don’t touch it.” Seeing Huo Xian sniffing it, the Eldest Princessâs heart rate spiked. When she saw him reaching in to take it out, her heart leapt to her throat. Beside her, Marquis Huo also looked vigilant.
Huo Xian smiled and said, “Mom, don’t be nervous. Huo Yuan has no need to lie to me.” As he spoke, his hands didn’t stop, and he took out a beautiful pill that looked like white jade. “It actually smells quite fragrant.”
He didn’t need to say it; even from a distance, the Eldest Princess and Marquis Huo could smell a faint, elegant fragrance, cool and refreshing like a snow lotus from the heavens.
Huo Xian communicated with Huo Yuan via consciousness: [Huo Yuan, what is this?]
Huo Yuan answered quickly: [Jade Bone Muscle Regeneration Pill. I fleeced it from You Zi’an’s system.]
Huo Xian: [âŚâŚ]
He was speechless for a moment, then asked: [Why did you take it out?]
Huo Yuan replied matter-of-factly: [Otherwise, I couldn’t explain why my hands are so clean.]
Huo Xian: [âŚâŚ]
That made so much sense; he actually had no retort.
Huo Yuan continued: [Besides, Huo Xian, your dad in this world is actually quite suspicious. If he really doubts my identity and investigates, he’ll find out that the birthmark on the original body’s face wasn’t a secret. Saying I ate an elixir that removed the birthmark also patches that hole.]
[âŚLittle ancestor, you are so smart.] Huo Xianâs praise was sincere; after all, he had overlooked these details.
Huo Yuan glanced at him with small eyes, seeming very pleased with the praise.
Huo Xian almost raised his hand to pat his head, but remembering his parents were still there, he forcibly held back. He also had to add another patch to the story: “Huo Yuan wasn’t called Huo Yuan before; I gave him this name.” While speaking, he asked Huo Yuan in his mind: [Yuanyuan, what was this body originally called?]
Huo Yuan squeezed out three words with great difficulty: [âŚUgly Monster.]
Huo Xian: [âŚâŚ]
He was silent for two seconds before continuing to his parents, “People used to call him Ugly Monster. Later, when I met him and asked why he had that name, he didn’t answer. He only asked if I could give him a proper name with a surname. So, I named him Huo Yuan.”
“So there is such a history between you and Huo Yuan.” The Eldest Princess was indeed strong and spicy, but women were generally emotional creatures. Hearing Huo Yuan describe how he used to have a face full of birthmarks and was called an ugly monster, she felt a bit sour in her heart.
Huo Yuan followed up earnestly: “I thought that if I had a proper name and surname, if I starved to death later and a kind person gave me a thin coffin, they could erect a tombstone for me.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.” Huo Xian patted him lightly on the head.
The Eldest Princess also scolded gently, “Children shouldn’t say such unlucky things.”
Marquis Huoâs gaze moved from the white jade pill in Huo Xianâs fingers to Huo Yuanâs flawless face. A trace of suspicion flashed in his eyes, and he said, “No one knows the efficacy of this pill. Yi’er, it is better to invite a doctor back to examine Young Master Huo and ensure his body is unharmed.”
Huo Xian knew he suspected Huo Yuan, but there was no helping it. A pill that could eat away birthmarks was something likely no one in this world had ever seen.
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