Chapter Thirty-One: So It Was an Aphrodisiac

When Lam finished dressing and walked out of her room, she was truly adorable. Liu Yunfei had originally thought to arrange for her to serve as a maid in the palace, but to his surprise, she was unwilling no matter what and insisted on staying with him. Unable to refuse, he had to accept this little shadow. The three of them ate breakfast together—thankfully, it was just flatbread and coffee. Although Liu Yunfei could return with a single somersault, the initial excitement had worn off, and laziness set in; he dreaded the effort. Besides, finding a precise location from such heights was no small task—looking down from the sky, all you saw were rooftops. Anyone who has searched city satellite maps on Google knows the feeling: you see nothing but roofs, and finding your own house is quite a challenge.

They hadn’t finished eating when the old king called. He already knew Liu Yunfei had returned and was relieved. When Liu Yunfei arrived at the king’s study, the old prince was already there.

Liu Yunfei recounted in detail everything he had overheard. Upon learning that Owari was their target, the old king fell into deep thought. He still didn’t know their true purpose, but his only grandson being targeted by villains was his greatest concern, so much so that he barely heard the rest of Liu Yunfei’s words.

Liu Yunfei then described how he had revealed himself and rescued people, battling Hadina. The old prince, after listening, took a stack of documents from his oversized bag—one usually used by women—and said, “The water sample you brought back yesterday has been analyzed by our national laboratory. It contains an extract from a plant called poison milk-vetch, which grows in the mountainous border region between Afghanistan and Iran. Its main effect is to numb the nervous system and cause hallucinations, making people follow commands unquestioningly. It can also stimulate the deepest cells of the brain, awakening the most animalistic side of human nature: greed, lust, selfishness. There is one benefit—it’s a powerful aphrodisiac. But because of those side effects, no one uses it as medicine.”

Liu Yunfei thought to himself: So this explains my strong animal instincts. Apparently, the side effects have been expelled from my body, but the aphrodisiac effects remain. I should thank Hadina for giving me such a boost.

The old prince continued, “Because poison milk-vetch requires very specific climate, environment, and soil, it cannot be artificially cultivated. It grows wild in very small areas and its yield is extremely rare, making it prohibitively expensive. On the international market, the concentrate costs tens of thousands of dollars per gram—and even then, it’s impossible to buy. Yunfei, I estimate the cloud Hadina used on you must have required at least several hundred grams of concentrate.”

“So that means they spent millions of dollars on me in one go—that’s real wealth,” Liu Yunfei exclaimed.

“So you don’t need to worry. According to this report, the world’s annual production of the concentrate is only a few kilograms. Even if he has money, he can’t have much of it,” said the old prince.

“Yunfei, take Owari away for a while,” the old king, who had been silent for some time, suddenly spoke.

“Huh? Where to?”

“I’ve thought about it. Since Owari is important to them, we’ll secretly take him somewhere unknown to them and see what their plans are. Besides, I’m uneasy about Owari always being with them. Each time he visits, he drinks that stuff—what was it? The poison something?” said the old king.

“It’s poison milk-vetch, Your Majesty. Where shall we go?” the old prince explained.

“Somewhere they couldn’t possibly know. I bought a castle near Florence, Italy, a while ago. I haven’t stayed there yet, and no one knows about it. We’d like Yunfei to take Owari there for a while. We also need time to investigate the old grandmaster you mentioned—who he really is, and what he wants,” the old king had made up his mind.

“But I could help here. Their abilities are formidable,” Liu Yunfei was worried about Riyadh.

“There’s no need to worry. We can transfer a few Guardians from the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Their cultivation is profound. No one actually goes to break the seal; that’s just legend. The twelve masters should contribute to the nation and its people. There's no need for them to always guard Mecca,” said the old prince.

“Alright then. I don’t know how long this will take—I only have a month before school starts. Actually, I was thinking… maybe I could take Owari back to China… but then again, if those cultists found out, wouldn’t that bring trouble to my homeland?” Liu Yunfei’s words trailed off before he finished.

“In that case, Salih, make the arrangements quickly and keep it confidential. Yunfei, don’t tell Owari until just before departure,” the old king sighed as he thought of his grandson.

“Oh, I rescued a little girl this time—let’s take her along. Old prince, please arrange a new identity for her. Her name is Lam,” Liu Yunfei remembered his little shadow. “Hey, Old Salih, wait for me. Your Majesty, I’ll go prepare.”

Liu Yunfei hurriedly saluted King Abdullah and chased after Salih. “Hey, Salih, why are you running off? I have something to discuss.”

“By Allah, Yunfei, why are you so impolite? For us Muslims, calling someone ‘old Salih’ is very disrespectful,” the old prince feigned annoyance.

“Alright, alright, Prince Salih, but that’s such a long title—don’t you find it troublesome? Please help with Lam’s situation. I’ve been here so long and haven’t yet visited Shalena. I’ll soon leave for Florence; surely I should say goodbye to her,” Liu Yunfei said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

“Hmm?” The old man eyed Liu Yunfei suspiciously. “Do you really like Shalena? She is my precious jewel, you know.”

Seeing his mischievous smile, Liu Yunfei thought: If you were Owari, I’d have punched you by now.

The old prince’s face grew serious again. “Just remember your status. How can an uncle be thinking about his niece all day? But if that day truly comes, I won’t call you Yunfei anymore. I’m older than your father—so when I meet him, what should I call him?”

The more the old prince thought about it, the more he felt his daughter must marry this young man; otherwise, he really couldn’t face Liu Yunfei’s parents.

Seeing the prince so amused, Liu Yunfei became smug, humming a tune as he returned to his small villa and entered his room. Suddenly, a thought struck him: I just ingested millions of dollars worth of aphrodisiac—did it make me bigger? In those novels I read, the protagonists are always more endowed than ordinary people, at least as much as foreigners.

He hurried to sit at the bedside, pulled up his robe, loosened his shorts, and looked down at his little Liu Yunfei. “Doesn’t look bigger—millions spent on fake medicine,” he muttered, then reconsidered, “Wait, I can transform! I’m foolish—I can make it bigger or smaller whenever I want. The drug just extends duration and enhances effect. That’s right, that’s right.”

He was mumbling to himself, when he suddenly looked up to see Lam blushing, standing in the corner watching his little Liu Yunfei. Startled, he quickly shrank back and pulled up his pants. “You—you—what are you doing, haunting me in broad daylight? You come in without knocking, so quietly I didn’t even hear you with my good ears.”

Lam, seeing his expression and actions, understood his meaning and thought aggrievedly: I didn’t come in—I was here all along. It was you who came in and took off your pants. I don’t want to look at that thing—it’s so ugly.