“Ah-Xun, what would you like to eat?”
Jun Xun looked at the array of delicious dishes before him and cautiously pointed at the white pastries on the side.
Mu Chengyan picked up a pastry and handed it to Jun Xun. “Eat…”
Seeing such a scrawny youth, he wondered how long it would take for him to grow plump and healthy.
“Your Highness, how can you let him sit and eat with you?” Yueying stood beside Mu Chengyan, acting as his most loyal guardian.
Mu Chengyan placed two additional sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table. “It’s fine. You two should sit as well; there is no need for such formalities.”
Jun Xun held his food, eating happily, with stains smearing the corners of his mouth.
Mu Chengyan reached for a handkerchief and gently wiped them away, his movements incredibly tender.
Jun Xun froze in place, looking at the face so close to his own, unable to suppress the urge to move even closer…
Yueying sat down, slamming his sword onto the table and fixing Jun Xun with a scrutinizing stare, as if trying to bore a hole through him. “Where are you from? What is your real name? Why did you suddenly appear here?”
Jun Xun shrank into Mu Chengyan’s arms in terror, as if he had encountered a pack of wolves.
Mu Chengyan stroked Jun Xun’s head and sighed helplessly. “Yueying, he is just a little beggar; you are frightening him.”
“Your Highness, for all we know, he could be a spy sent by someone else. And you, Guchen—don’t think I don’t know what you are trying to do. You are just here to monitor His Highness.”
Guchen’s cold face remained devoid of any extra expression.
Mu Chengyan could only grab a steamed bun to plug Yueying’s mouth. “Yueying, enough with the nonsense. Eat quickly, or it will get cold.”
Yueying didn’t dare say more, eating obediently, though his gaze remained fixed on the two of them. Everyone here is good at putting on an act. One day, I will catch the foxes by their tails!
Jun Xun huddled pitifully in Mu Chengyan’s embrace, looking like a little waif with no one to claim him. He looked up, his large, bright, and innocent eyes filled with confusion. “Gege, he doesn’t seem to like me. Did Ah-Xun do something wrong?”
Seeing such a sensible youth, Mu Chengyan’s heart ached. “No, Ah-Xun didn’t do anything wrong. It’s Yueying; he just has a bad temper. Don’t take it to heart.”
Yueying stopped eating, glared fiercely at the youth, and took a violent bite of his bun, as if he were biting Jun Xun himself. White lotus! He’s playing the victim! My sister told me that people like him are white lotuses!
Jun Xun whispered to Mu Chengyan, “Yueying Gege is very good; I… I like him too.”
Yueying let out a cold snort. Don’t think that just because you are buttering me up, I will let you off the hook.
“Ah-Xun is very kind, Yueying. No more baseless suspicions from now on.”
“As you wish, Your Highness,” Yueying replied half-heartedly. His Highness is simply too kind. He would let himself be sold and then help count the money for the one who sold him…
Just then, sounds drifted in from outside.
“Long Yin is here…”
“The Tyrannosaurus is here! Everyone, run! If you aren’t quick enough, you won’t get away!”
The men, women, and children who had been eating scattered like a gust of wind, fleeing the scene with maximum speed.
Yueying stood up immediately, grabbed a man who was preparing to flee, and asked, “What is going on?”
“The son of the City Lord of Feilong City is a notorious hooligan around here. His favorite thing to do is to snatch beautiful people, whether they be men or women.”
Yueying looked the man up and down. His appearance was, to say the least, challenging to describe; there was even a large black mole on his face.
“So… you consider yourself a very handsome man?”
The man nodded bashfully. “Isn’t that the case?”
Yueying felt a surge of nausea and tossed the man aside with great force. In his eyes, only their own Highness could be called the number one beauty in the world.
“Yueying, you must not be so rude.”
Yueying hadn’t quite recovered from the revulsion; seeing Mu Chengyan’s world-class beauty, he felt his eyes had been cleansed. “Your Highness… does the Young City Lord of Feilong City really have such… tastes?”
Mu Chengyan coughed lightly. “The world is vast, and there is nothing one won’t see.”
A group of people outside stopped at the entrance of the inn. The man leading them was draped in blue robes, appearing at a glance to be a noble young master.
“Young City Lord, everyone has practically run away. Shall we go somewhere else?”
“All these people are terrified the moment they see you; they have no appetite to eat here anymore.”
A cacophony of noise erupted at the doorway, indicating a large arrival of people.
“Go inside and check; there might still be someone left.”
A man brandishing a large broadsword stormed in, his matted hair obscuring one eye, his body disheveled and filthy. Upon catching sight of Mu Chengyan, he shouted in delight, “Young City Lord, there is a great beauty here!”
With a slender waist and long legs, he was so beautiful that their Young City Lord would surely love him.
Hearing the commotion, Long Yin led his party rushing inside. His greedy gaze swept up and down Mu Chengyan, his pupils widening in shock. Dressed in white with an aloof and detached face, his skin was as fair as top-quality mutton-fat jade. He had never seen such a beauty before.
This figure…
The man rubbed his hands in excitement.
A gaze as icy as a sharp blade struck him from the shadows, though Long Yin remained oblivious and continued walking forward.
Yueying drew his long sword, blocking their path, his rage no longer contained. “Presumptuous! How dare you lay a finger on His Highness the Crown Prince!”
For such a disgusting creature to even look at their Highness was an insult!
Long Yin laughed recklessly. “His Highness the Crown Prince? If he’s the Crown Prince, then I am the Emperor! Capture this beauty for me!”
“Seeking death!”
Yueying’s face darkened with murderous intent. His long sword left its sheath, glowing with a chilling, cold light.
A man in black behind Long Yin leaped up, parrying his strike. The two clashed violently in mid-air; the tables in the inn were smashed to pieces, and several doors were destroyed.
Mu Chengyan hid Jun Xun behind him, fearing the boy might be harmed. “Stop fighting! Whatever the matter is, let us talk it out properly. If someone gets hurt…”
“Your Highness, watch out!”
Several men surrounded them. Guchen finally drew his black sword; a single stroke carrying sharp sword energy sent everyone’s legs trembling. There were too many assailants. Yueying and Guchen fended off the majority, but a few slipped through the gaps.
“Gege, I’m scared.” Jun Xun seized the opportunity to throw himself into Mu Chengyan’s arms, inhaling the unique, faint fragrance radiating from him.
Mu Chengyan took the youth’s hand and dodged the others. “Do not fear; I will protect you.”
Jun Xun nodded earnestly, his dark eyes shimmering with brilliance as he recalled a sentence from many years ago:
“Gege will protect you, don’t be afraid…”
He was no longer afraid. As long as he was by his side, there was nothing he feared.
Mu Chengyan had been backed into a corner, with nowhere left to retreat. He offered the men an awkward smile. “Let us… stop fighting and sit down to talk.”
“Talk? What is there to talk about? Capturing you is our mission!”
“Then do not blame me for being discourteous!”
Mu Chengyan’s aura changed instantly; his voice became as sharp as a scalpel, causing those nearby to freeze in terror. He spent a long time digging into his sleeve until he produced a small white bell, engraved with dense, intricate patterns…
“Hahaha…”
Several burly men holding knives laughed until tears streamed down their faces. And here we thought he was some dangerous fellow? Who would have thought he was just a little bell??