In the dimly lit room, the candlelight flickered softly in the breeze.
Tears welled up in Jun Xun’s eyes as his hands clutched tightly at Mu Chengyan’s sleeves. “Gege… is Gege going to give me away?”
With a heart full of heartache, Mu Chengyan wiped the tears from the youth’s eyes and nodded reluctantly. If Ah-Xun stayed with him, he would only face greater danger.
“Ah-Xun will be safer here. When Gege returns, he will come to visit you. Do not cry.”
He, too, was reluctant to part with Ah-Xun reluctant to let go of this pitiful youth.
“Okay. Ah-Xun will be a good boy.”
Jun Xun rubbed his eyes with both hands and nodded vigorously. I will be good…
In the dark corner of the room, a morbid, sickly intensity gleamed in the youth’s eyes.
Jun Xun huddled tightly in Mu Chengyan’s warm embrace, his arms wrapped around that delicate, willow-like waist.
Only when Mu Chengyan was fast asleep did he dare to indulge himself; only then did he dare to hold him without restraint.
In the past, merely being able to follow Gege and stay by his side had been the greatest extravagance he dared to wish for. But now, his desires were growing increasingly greedy.
He wanted Gege to belong to him alone, with his heart and eyes seeing no one else…
Leaning down slightly, the youth pressed a devout, reverent kiss onto Mu Chengyan’s pristine, jade-like hand.
Gazing at those crimson, seductive lips, his deep eyes grew even darker. Unable to resist the urge, he leaned in closer…
Early the next morning, Mu Chengyan brought Jun Xun out of the City Lord’s residence.
Throughout the journey, Jun Xun neither cried nor made a fuss, simply trailing quietly behind him.
“Your Highness, this is the household. They have long wished to adopt a son, but never had the opportunity. I’ve already made inquiries their living conditions are decent, so this little brother will not suffer by following them.”
Mu Chengyan looked over the dwelling before them; it was indeed well-kept. With them, Ah-Xun would certainly never go hungry or lack for anything.
The gates swung open to reveal two elderly residents whose faces lit up with warm smiles the moment they laid eyes on Jun Xun.
“So this is the young lad the City Lord spoke of. Such a handsome boy.”
The elders appeared to dote on Jun Xun immediately, showering him with warm, solicitous inquiries.
“Mn. Ah-Xun is very well-behaved, and his temperament is exceptionally gentle.”
He was so sensible that it made one’s heart ache. If circumstances permitted, he… wished he could keep him by his side forever.
Mu Chengyan slowly loosened his grip on Jun Xun’s hand, feeling a chill creep into his chest.
Ah-Xun had brewed medicine for him and kept him company through quiet conversations; his heart wasn’t made of stone. It was simply that he had no way to protect Ah-Xun properly.
“Cough, cough…”
Another fit of violent coughing wracked his frame, casting an unnatural flush across Mu Chengyan’s face.
Overwhelmed with heartache, Jun Xun produced a small white porcelain bottle from his waist and pressed it into Mu Chengyan’s hand.
“Gege, after I am no longer by your side, you must remember to take your medicine properly. This is the flower nectar I gathered for you and stored in this bottle. Whenever the medicine tastes bitter, just add a drop of this.”
Closing his eyes, Mu Chengyan gripped the medicine bottle tightly. Without looking back, he turned on his heel and strode away at a rapid pace.
Because he knew that if he glanced back even once just one more glance he wouldn’t be able to bear it.
He couldn’t bear to part with Ah-Xun, and he couldn’t bear to leave him behind.
“Alright,” Yueying muttered as he hurried to catch up, grumbling under his breath, “If Your Highness didn’t want to give him away, we could have simply brought him along. I could have protected the both of you.”
“No. Ah-Xun deserves a stable, peaceful life. Let us go.”
“Yet Your Highness looks thoroughly heartbroken.”
A sharp pang of emptiness pierced Mu Chengyan’s chest, leaving it feeling hollow, as though a piece of him had been torn away.
“I am fine. Tomorrow we shall resume our journey; by tomorrow, we will reach the imperial capital of the Song nation.”
Jun Xun stood frozen in place, watching that departing white figure until it faded entirely from view, unable to snap back to reality for the longest time.
Gege…
Having been summoned urgently back to the capital, Song Jinxuan had already departed ahead of them, leaving the previously bustling Sunset City somewhat desolate and quiet.
Mu Chengyan seemed to have grown accustomed to the youth’s presence by his side. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he cradled a piece of clothing the boy had worn, gently stroking the fabric with his fingertips.
“Ah-Xun.”
Ah-Xun must be sleeping soundly on a soft mattress right now, no longer forced to sleep on the freezing floor.
Seeing Mu Chengyan drowned in sorrow, Yueying felt a sympathetic ache in his own heart. If it hurts you this much, we should have just kept the little beggar with us. Unpredictable as his motives might have been, he had never done a single thing to harm His Highness.
In the quiet stillness of the night, a dark figure stepped gracefully across the moonlight like a phantom. Moving with absolute precision, he located Mu Chengyan’s bedchamber and pushed the door open soundlessly.
Mu Chengyan stirred slightly in his sleep, tossing restlessly as his butterfly-like eyelashes fluttered under the silver moonlight.
The man leaned in close, pressing his face against the delicate curve of his neck… Only after a long moment did he pull back, a triumphant curve playing at the corner of his crimson lips.
He whispered softly by his ear: “This is your punishment.”
Mu Chengyan’s arms slipped limply downward, revealing the garment clutched against his chest.
Recognizing the all-too-familiar clothing, the man’s deep eyes darkened to an abyssal black devoid of light.
Shedding his outer robes, he slipped beneath the covers, carefully gathering the frail, slender body into his arms.
Cradled in that warm embrace, Mu Chengyan slept with profound peace. When he finally fluttered his eyes open, warm sunlight was streaming directly across his face.
He felt as though he had experienced a rather long dream last night, and the mere memory of it sent a blush creeping up his cheeks.
“Your Highness, everything is packed and ready. We must set off our next stop is the imperial capital.”
Yueying gently tapped against the wooden door.
Wasn’t His Highness always an early riser? Why was he sleeping so soundly this morning?
“Alright.”
Mu Chengyan sat up, smoothing out his garments.
Yet, his robes felt inexplicably crumpled, and his belt was somewhat loose.
He distinctly remembered not undressing the night before.
As soon as his feet touched the floor, a faint, prickling sensation brushed against his neck.
Had he been bitten by an insect?
Paying it no further mind, Mu Chengyan straightened his attire and stepped outside.
Yueying’s gaze locked instantly onto the mark gracing Mu Chengyan’s neck. What wretched place is this that breeds such vicious bugs, biting our Crown Prince right on his delicate skin!
Yueying cursed the local pests thoroughly in his mind.
To accommodate them, Feng Qi had thoughtfully prepared a carriage draped in fine silk, inlaid with gemstones, and fitted with rolled bamboo blinds that chimed melodiously with every sway.
“Many thanks, City Lord.”
Catching sight of the mark on Mu Chengyan’s neck out of the corner of his eye, Feng Qi swallowed a laugh and replied smoothly, “You are most welcome, Your Highness.”
It seems that fellow finally couldn’t hold back.
Though, to have waited this long was quite a feat.
Still, he truly lacks any restraint; to leave such an obvious mark on the delicate Crown Prince… Could the frail Crown Prince possibly endure such vigor?
Feng Qi swept an appraising look over Mu Chengyan’s fair, translucent skin—smooth enough to produce water with a touch and suddenly understood why the man had completely lost his composure.
“Your Highness!”
A dense sea of people had gathered outside the city gates, comprised entirely of the elderly folk Mu Chengyan had rescued, accompanied by their respective families.
Thanks to Feng Qi’s thorough “re-education,” these families had experienced a sudden awakening and rushed back to reclaim their elders.
“Your Highness, thank you for saving my father! It was my greed that blinded me…”
A middle-aged man wept openly, lunging forward directly toward Mu Chengyan!
With a flash of movement, Yueying materialized instantly to block his path.
“N—no need to thank me. Just… treat your parents well from now on.”
Startled by their overwhelming fervor, Mu Chengyan hid helplessly behind Yueying like a frightened, defenseless creature.
“Yes, we certainly will! Your Highness, please rest assured!”
“Your Highness, you truly are the finest prince in all the realms so much better than our Great Song Crown Prince!”
Standing off to the side, Feng Qi smiled faintly as he watched the spectacle unfold.
This delicate Crown Prince possessed an astonishingly high level of popularity.