“Mn… are you calling for me?”
Mu Chengyan pointed at himself, feeling innocent. Wasn’t it already established that they didn’t believe he was the Crown Prince? They had even gone so far as to mock him earlier.
Long Qingtian bowed respectfully to Mu Chengyan. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, my son has been blind and ignorant. I have brought him here today to beg for your forgiveness, and I hope Your Highness can be lenient.”
Long Yin tumbled off his chair. “I… it was I who was blind and ignorant; I failed to recognize Your Highness the Crown Prince…”
Long Yin lay sprawled on the ground, his body trembling, looking as if he had suffered quite a fright. Mu Chengyan looked at the man on the ground, lost in thought. How had he suddenly become like this?
“With a broken leg and a blinded eye it seems the heavens have truly punished you.” The heavens still have their eyes open, it seems. However, he brought this upon himself; he must have broken a promise he made.
Yueying stood to the side, sword in hand, his brows knotted like a tangled mess of rope. Only our Crown Prince would believe all of this. Who on earth… could have blinded Long Yin and broken his legs? It’s only been one night since yesterday. Last night…
Yueying’s gaze landed on Jun Xun. Last night… he was the only one who left!
“Having offended Your Highness, he deserves this retribution.” Long Qingtian did not defend his son in the slightest; because of this rebellious brat, their Dragon City had almost been implicated!
“Your Highness!”
“It really is the Crown Prince! Long Yin truly deserves this; His Highness did exactly the right thing!”
The people below began cheering and shouting. Long Yin had committed too many evils, leaving them with bitter grievances they couldn’t voice. Thank goodness a Crown Prince had arrived this time. With eyes blinded and legs broken, let’s see how he’d go about snatching innocent girls in the future.
Mu Chengyan gave a light cough. “Everyone, please rise. I am only the Crown Prince of a small nation.” He had grown accustomed to being ignored, so suddenly being treated with such reverence left him feeling a bit unaccustomed.
“Gege really is the Crown Prince! And Gege even helped them punish the wicked Gege is truly amazing.” Jun Xun’s eyes brimmed with adoration and unreadable emotions, radiating a deep sense of reverence from the inside out. Mu Chengyan felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. In truth, he hadn’t done anything; he had only made them swear an oath…
“Are you going to dare again next time? Hurry and promise His Highness that if you ever dare to harass the common people again, I will not spare you!” Long Qingtian lectured his son through gritted teeth.
“I won’t dare! I won’t dare again, I swear…”
Long Yin rolled pathetically on the ground until others helped him back into his chair. Seeing his sorry state, the crowd couldn’t help but spit out two words: “Serves you right!”
Seeing how wretched he looked, Mu Chengyan sighed helplessly. “As long as you perform more good deeds in the future, your legs and eyes will recover.”
His gentle voice washed over everyone like a spring breeze, leaving them intoxicated. Such a gentle Crown Prince, they would love to have one like him, too.
Jun Xun watched the surrounding crowd’s covetous stares, his grip on Mu Chengyan’s hand tightening as a flicker of cold, murderous light flashed in his eyes. This Gege belongs only to him.
“Your Highness… now that you have come to our Feilong City, you really should stay with us for a while.”
“Yes, Your Highness! Which country’s Crown Prince are you? You truly love your people as if they were your own children; the people in your country must be very happy.”
“The Yuanqi nation,” Mu Chengyan replied politely to the crowd. Everyone envied the people of the Yuanqi nation; their own Crown Prince never cared for small border cities like this. Some even ran home to fetch local snacks, thrusting them into Mu Chengyan’s hands.
“Everyone, you don’t need to be so polite. I have brought enough food with me; you should keep these for yourselves.”
Yueying leaned in, whispering into Mu Chengyan’s ear, “Your Highness, our only roasted chicken was given away by you to that little brat, and the last of our dozen-odd taels of silver was used to pay off that innkeeper. Now, we don’t have a single thing left—we are penniless.” They didn’t even have money for the road now, and His Highness had to eat. These people were essentially solving an immediate crisis for them.
Mu Chengyan touched the tip of his nose awkwardly. “Then, I thank you all for your kindness.”
In the end, Yueying ended up covered in items food, supplies, and even clothes…
Mu Chengyan cradled a basket of peanuts and spoke softly, “We are in a hurry to get back on the road, so we shall not intrude any longer. If we have the chance, we shall pass through here again.”
“Very well, Your Highness, we shall all be waiting for you.”
“Your Highness, you must return!”
The vast street was packed solid; the crowd seeing him off stretched for several blocks. Even if the Emperor himself had come, he wouldn’t have received such a grand send-off.
Jun Xun trailed behind Mu Chengyan, keeping a vigilant watch on those around them, terrified that someone might touch him. Yueying dumped all his belongings onto Guchen and walked along, feeling light as a feather.
“The people here are truly enthusiastic. No matter which country we are in, there are always so many people who adore His Highness.” The people of their Yuanqi nation used to love His Highness, too, but now… His Highness had been deliberately painted as a monster by those few princes, leaving the common people terrified of being implicated and thus changing their views of him drastically.
“Yueying, do not speak nonsense.”
“Your Highness, I am not speaking nonsense! His Highness is naturally well-liked; it is all because of those few villains. If it weren’t for them, you would not have…”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Mu Chengyan broke into a violent fit of low coughing, cutting off Yueying’s words.
Jun Xun felt his heart tighten suddenly, and he gently patted Mu Chengyan’s fragile back. He could be blown over by a single gust of wind. I want so much… to pull him into my arms, but I know that I am unworthy. He only needed to watch from afar; seeing him safe and sound was the greatest wish of his entire life.
“Your Highness, why don’t we rest for a while before continuing?” They had no idea when they would reach the imperial palace. His Highness’s body was frail, and they had no one among them capable of constructing a spatial bridge.
Mu Chengyan replied, “It is fine…”
“Gege… what is wrong with Gege? Why is your body so weak?”
The youth tugged on the hem of Mu Chengyan’s robes, lowering his eyes to hide the heartache deep within them. There is not a trace of spiritual power in his body, and he is so thin. In the past… it clearly wasn’t like this.
A single long sword could churn up a storm, and amidst thousands of troops and horses, he could carve a path through blood to save a life.
White robes stained with blood, full of youthful vigor.
That was the Gege he saw in his eyes—the Crown Prince he saw, the person he revered the most.
“Ah-Xun, I am fine; it is just a cold that has left me a bit weak.”
Mu Chengyan gently ruffled the youth’s hair. His body could likely only hold out for a few more years. As long as he saw the world at peace, his wish would be fulfilled.
“Then Gege must wear more clothes. When Ah-Xun has money in the future, I will buy many, many clothes for Gege.”
The youth lifted a handsome face, cupped Mu Chengyan’s hands in his own, and silently made a promise.