Mu Chengyan had a very long dream in which a man was waving to him.
“Gege…”
Before he could clearly see what the person looked like, a voice seemed to ring in his ears, and Mu Chengyan snapped his eyes wide open.
A stream of sunlight poured inside, casting a warm halo over the entire room.
Jun Xun was slumped beside the bed, both hands gripping Mu Chengyan’s wrist tightly. Even in his sleep, he kept calling out a single name.
His butterfly-like eyelashes trembled gently, as if he were having a nightmare, and a fine layer of sweat seeped across his forehead.
With a heart full of heartache, Mu Chengyan wiped the sweat from the youth’s brow. Jun Xun was extremely alert; the moment he felt the touch, he grabbed Mu Chengyan’s slender wrist.
“Ah-Xun…”
“Gege!”
Jun Xun immediately released his grip, terrified that Mu Chengyan would despise him, and recoiled far away.
“Ah-Xun, you’re back. Where did you go last night? Were you hurt?” Mu Chengyan asked with concern.
“N—no, Gege, I…”
“Come here, let me look at you.”
Jun Xun walked over with his head lowered, both hands kept behind his back, looking rather nervous.
Mu Chengyan took the youth’s hands and inspected him all over, finding no traces of injury, which finally allowed him to set his mind at ease.
From inside his shirt, Jun Xun produced a small wooden-carved figurine, holding it out to Mu Chengyan like a precious treasure.
“Gege… this is… this is a little figurine I carved.”
Jun Xun spoke with a flustered stutter, his eyes darting everywhere, not daring to look at the person before him.
Mu Chengyan took the figurine and examined it closely. It truly looked a great deal like him. To think this little fellow possessed such craftsmanship!
“Ah-Xun carved this remarkably well. It’s the most accurate likeness I’ve ever seen. Thank you.”
Jun Xun was utterly dazzled by the bright, radiant smile on Mu Chengyan’s face. In this world, the most breathtaking scenery could not compare to this.
“As long as Gege likes it.”
The hands gripping his long sleeves slowly relaxed, and a flash of joy crossed his brow.
“I like it very much…”
“Your Highness, it is time for your medicine. A whole day has passed, and those people still haven’t returned. Let us be off as well and wait for them no longer.”
Yueying carried a freshly brewed bowl of medicine. It looked pitch-black and gave off a rather peculiar scent.
“Mn…”
Mu Chengyan took the medicine from his hands without the slightest hesitation and drank it down in one breath. This practiced familiarity sent another sharp pang of pain straight through Jun Xun’s chest…
“Gege… have a candy.”
The youth pushed a piece of candy right to the corner of Mu Chengyan’s lips. His fingers brushed against Mu Chengyan’s crimson lips, and he pulled his hands back in a frightened jolt, snapping them away as if burned.
His heart began to pound frantically!
The sweet flavor instantly washed away the lingering bitterness in his mouth. A wave of warmth washed over Mu Chengyan, leaving him somewhat astonished.
After all these years, to think someone would still offer him a piece of candy.
“Where did Ah-Xun get candy?”
Yueying crossed his arms and let out a cold snort. “Your Highness, his candy was probably stolen.”
“No… it’s not stolen. Grandpa gave it to me. Grandpa saw how pitiful I was and gave me a few candies. I couldn’t bear to eat them, so I kept them, saving them all this way until now.”
Jun Xun looked like a wronged little waif, his face painted with grievance.
Mu Chengyan reached out to stroke the youth’s handsome face. “Yueying, you must not suspect others without a shred of evidence.”
“I have both reason and evidence; he was a beggar to begin with, so he’s naturally a thief.”
Mu Chengyan shook his head helplessly. For whatever reason, Yueying simply couldn’t get along with Ah-Xun.
“My shop, is my shop still standing?”
A flurry of footsteps sounded from outside as a plump, stout man rushed inside.
Long Yin was coming, so he had to slip away and hide first. Though he hated to part with his shop, preserving his own little life was of the utmost importance.
“So you do know how to come back! For a moment there, I thought you didn’t want your shop anymore!”
“Y—you… who are you? Why are you in my shop? And why are these tables, chairs, and doors of mine smashed to pieces? Was this your doing?”
Yueying sneered coldly. Now here’s someone trying to shift the blame back onto us.
“Those things were all smashed by Long Yin; it has nothing to do with us.”
The man clearly wasn’t having it. How could he possibly dare to go looking for that young tyrant…
“Cut the crap! It was definitely you lot—it must have been you few who ate and lived here for free while trashing my property! Is there no justice? Is there no law left in this world?”
Unable to endure it any longer, Yueying drew his sword, pressing the sharp blade directly against the fat man’s flabby throat.
The man was so terrified that his knees shook, nearly dropping to his knees.
“Yueying, cough, cough… stop…”
Supported by Jun Xun, Mu Chengyan stepped outside. His delicate frame looked as though a single gust of wind could knock him over, appearing even more slender and fragile than the youth’s.
“Your Highness, he is simply bullying us beyond reason!” Yueying’s hand trembled with rage as he held the sword.
Mu Chengyan, however, showed no turbulent emotional fluctuations, speaking in gentle tones. “A portion of this damage was indeed caused by us. Compensate him for half.”
Having witnessed human nature time and time again, he had long since grown accustomed to it. No one would treat you kindly for no reason, and no one would stand by your side forever.
“Only half? Do you take me for a beggar? And what about the night you stayed here? That comes to thirty-six taels in total, and not a single coin can be less!”
Now that he finally had people here, how could he miss the chance to fleece them? Furthermore, all of them were dressed in lavish garments, instantly marking them as young masters from wealthy families.
Gazing at that ugly, avaricious expression, dark, icy chills flashed through Jun Xun’s deep, shadowy eyes.
“The things here were not broken by us, and staying for a single night does not cost that much silver!”
“Give him eighteen taels.”
Surveying the ruined wreckage of the inn, Mu Chengyan decided to treat it as compensation.
Reluctant though he was, the innkeeper had no alternative and could only accept the silver from his hands.
As the group stepped out of the inn and had barely walked two steps when the building behind them suddenly collapsed…
“The house has collapsed! The house has collapsed! That innkeeper tried to fleece people out of their money, and now his house has finally caved in even the heavens couldn’t stand to watch any longer!”
People swarmed in from the streets to watch the spectacle.
Clutching the eighteen taels of silver in his hands while staring at the ruins of his establishment… the innkeeper felt a wave of suffocating chest pain, his vision went black, and he collapsed straight onto the ground. A figure flashed by in the adjacent blur, snatching the silver straight out of his hands.
Jun Xun curved his lips into a wicked smile. “Gege, even the heavens couldn’t stand it.”
Yueying felt a wave of schadenfreude, laughing even more recklessly. He finally got what was coming to him!
Mu Chengyan sighed softly. “Let’s go…”
True enough, men’s deeds are watched by the heavens. Yet, why was it that some people managed to escape the notice of the skies entirely?
Ahead, a massive crowd had gathered, completely blocking their path.
“L—Long Yin!”
“Everyone, run!”
“Wait, don’t run just yet, look at his eyes, and look at his legs.”
Long Qingtian stepped forward personally, his attitude exceptionally sincere. “Today, I have brought my son here to make amends before everyone!”
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, today I bring my son to confess his crimes. It was he who was blind and arrogant enough to offend Your Highness.”
Mu Chengyan was watching the spectacle with great interest when a wide path suddenly parted before them…