Night of the Broken Gliph

South Imperial City, Evergreen Palace. 

Winter followed after spring. Just like the miraculous Four Season Mountain in the North, seasons were meaningless here. All kinds of precious and rare gliphic plants filled the place. 

A teenager sat on the grass, carving something subconsciously. Unlike him who was spacing out, his actions are nimble. 

“Brother Chin Kee!” A cheerful voice came forth, sounding just like the chirping birds in the Imperial Garden. It brought the teenager back from his daydream, who then looked at his hands to find a weird-looking mask that made the teenager laugh bitterly to himself. I’ve never cared about worldly affairs, but I can’t seem to forget the only relative of mine in the past life. 

He placed the mask down and looked up to see a young girl running towards him happily with a plate in her hands. He was a young and handsome teenager, but he shook his head like an old man.

“Ming Sum, no matter what, you’re still a girl, it’s not nice to be acting in a rough manner,” he said.

The girl running towards him was no other than Lam Ming Sum. Two years had passed; she was still almost the same as before, just that she became much taller and much healthier after being well fed and clothed in the palace. Despite not being considered as a pretty girl, she gave off a vibe that easily warmed the hearts of others. 

“Brother Chin Kee, hurry and try this. This is the candy I’ve just developed!” 

And the teenager was none other than Kam Chin Kee who reincarnated from another world. Beads of cold sweat dripped down his forehead when he heard her. “Why do you always make me your lab rat? That previous dish, what is it called… Deep fried calming grass… I had diarrhea for a few days after eating it…” 

“Are you really not going to try it…” Lam Ming Sumstared at him with teary eyes.  

Seeing this, Kam Chin Kee surrendered immediately. “Okay okay, stop using that trick again. I’ll eat it, okay?” 

Tears disappeared from Lam Ming Sum’s fox eyes instantly. She no longer looked pitiful. “Hurry! Hurry up and try it!” 

Kam Chin Kee squinted his eyes at the content on the plate. The beautiful and colourful beads on the plates were like frightening poison to Kam Chin Kee. 

Gulp. He swallowed his saliva and picked one up with his left thumb and index finger, all while pinching his nose with the other hand…

“Eh?” Kam Chi Kee’s eyes lit up. “It’s not bad.” 

“Of course!” Lam Ming Sum laughed, blinking her fox-like eyes. 

Kam Chin Kee popped another in his mouth. It bore a sweet taste and exploded in the mouth, filling Kam Chin Kee’s mouth with the scent of fruit. 

“Ming Sum, what is this?” 

Lam Ming Sum coughed softly, but she couldn’t hide the proud look on her face. “This is a dish made with unripe seeds of falling fruits, seasoned with honey, mint and others. Unripe falling fruits hold the characteristics of explosion too, but it’s less violent. After chewing, the scent will burst out in our mouth, and the flavourings added to it compress the seed further to enhance the taste.

“And ta-da, my new dish, Sweet Bomb!” Lam Ming Sum shouted, making a peace sign with her hand. 

“...” 

After sometime, Lam Ming Sum realised that Kam Chin Kee was not even paying attention to her. He only focused on eating what’s on the plate.

“Hey! Save some for uncle Kan! He hasn’t had them yet!” She whined. 

“Oh.” Kam Chi Kee stopped and burped. “Not bad, it’d go well with wine.” 

“Yeah!” Lam Ming Sum laughed. “Big brother Chui loves wine, I’ll make this for him in the future.” 

Speaking about Chui Yim, a blank expression washed over her face. “It’s been a long time since I saw him, I miss big brother Chui.”

Kam Chin Kee did not respond to Lam Ming Sum. In fact, Lam Ming Sum always mentioned Chui Yim when they chatted, and he was already used to it after two years. 

“Luckily I have you, brother Chin Kee, with me. You look like Big brother Chui somehow,” Lam Ming Sum looked at Kam Chin Kee and commented. 

There was a day where Kan Hang overheard Lam Ming Sum making this comment, and he thought that Lam Ming Sum needed to get her eyes checked as Chui Yim and Kam Chin Kee’s visuals were as different as cheese and chalk. 

“You have the same look in your eyes,” Lam Ming Sum said to herself. 

“Oh?” Kam Chin Kee replied randomly after eating. He fished out a wood piece and continued to carve.

“Both of you have a lonely look in your eyes… you two look lonely, as if there’s nobody who would understand you in the world.” 

Kam Chin Kee wore a calm expression hearing her. Of course there isn’t anyone who can understand me. Who in the world will understand what it feels like to traverse to another world?  

“Brother Kam!” A sweet voice called out. Lam Ming Sum and Kam Chin Kee turned around at the same time to see a girl coming towards them with three bodyguards. But when she saw Lam Ming Sum, her face fell immediately. “Why are you here?”

“I’ll go now.” Lam Ming Sum stuck her tongue out at Kam Chin Kee. 

But as she was about to leave with her plate, the girl blocked her way. “Did I say you can leave?” She was a gorgeous girl in her early teens. The thick make up on her made her look like a doll. 

She looked at Kam Chin Kee unhappily and back at the plate on Lam Ming Sum’s hand. “Why do you always feed brother Chin Kee with rubbish! What if he ends up sick! Can’t you be more content with your lot!” 

“I ate it willingly.” Kam Chin Kee frowned at her words. “It’s got nothing to do with Ming Sum. Moreover, Siu Mei, she is your elder sister…” 

“She’s not! She’s just a bastard of my father and an imperial chef!” 

Kam Chin Kee’s face fell upon hearing her. But before he could stand up, an angry roar was heard. “Lam Mei Mei! What nonsense are you babbling!” 

As soon as they heard the voice, the elders around Lam Mei Mei kneeled to the ground respectfully. “Greetings, your highness.” 

A teenager walked over slowly, but majestically. He was the current crown prince of the Lam dynasty, Lam Zaa.