A’Ji held a status in the Mo clan village second only to A Chong. Since A Chong’s parents and relatives had died early, she had raised him single-handedly. Now seeing that Feng Huan actually wanted to flee, people from all directions gathered around with unfriendly expressions. Rustling sounds continued from the grass, water in the peak forest surged wildly—the formation was second only to the reaction when Tie Ci had “severed” A Chong’s finger that day.

Feng Huan trembled, clutching tightly at Murong Yi’s clothes.

Murong Yi leisurely picked him up and dumped him in front.

The main target was here—he wouldn’t serve as a shield.

Feng Huan glared viciously at Murong Yi, then glanced at A’Ji, already prepared to be dragged back by A Da and A Er.

But A’Ji suddenly burst into laughter.

While laughing, she waved her hand: “Fine, fine. Don’t you Central Plains people have a saying—’a melon forced from its vine is not sweet’? If the melon isn’t sweet, why would I gnaw on it?”

Feng Huan was delighted but feared a trick, staring with wide eyes: “You… you didn’t put some curse on me, did you? I heard that some women from Yannan know how to cast curses—if a lover dares betray her, he’ll die with his intestines bursting and belly rotting as soon as he leaves the village!”

“What’s so precious about loyalty obtained through curses and poisons?” A’Ji’s eyes widened even more than his: “What, am I such a good woman that I must desperately beg you to love me?” She snorted with laughter: “Besides, that kind of curse poison is very precious—why waste it on someone without heart?”

Feng Huan’s face flushed red. He wanted to say something but couldn’t. A’Ji seemed to have lost patience and waved her hand: “Get lost, all of you get lost!”

As she waved, the wave-like grass surged and rolled away. People slowly made way, the peak forest waters calmed, stone peaks creaked as they moved, opening a broad waterway. In the center of the waterway floated a small boat quietly.

Behind him, A’Ji said: “Once you leave, don’t come back. The Mo clan village doesn’t welcome those with divided hearts.”

The clear path lay before him, but Feng Huan didn’t know why his eyes suddenly reddened.

He immediately cheered, his voice sounding particularly joyful. In a few steps he jumped onto the boat, untied the mooring rope, and looked back at Murong Yi impatiently.

Murong Yi laughed and boarded the boat, turning Feng Huan’s head backward: “Take another look?”

Feng Huan had originally wanted to look back, but now he stubbornly kept his neck twisted away. Murong Yi laughed again and waved to the people: “I’ll be back.”

The girls cheered while the men remained expressionless.

No, you’d better not come back.

Feng Huan rowed vigorously, as if only this could show his enthusiasm. The peak forest stood before them—after turning one more bend, they wouldn’t be able to see what was behind. Just as they were about to turn the corner, Feng Huan couldn’t help but look back.

At the end of the waterway, a waterfall hung like snow-white cloth from beneath A’Ji’s feet. A Chong was pulling her hand, speaking urgently about something, occasionally pointing in Feng Huan’s direction. A’Ji shook her head and pulled her hand away.

A Chong pulled again, A’Ji pulled away again.

Feng Huan felt a vague uneasiness in his heart, always feeling there was something he didn’t know about.

He suddenly felt an impulse to go back and ask clearly—otherwise, once he left, he might never find the answer again.

But if he turned back now, he might never return to the prosperous world he knew and loved.

While hesitating, the small boat passed through a bend.

The terraced fields, wooden buildings, falling flowers, and A’Ji could no longer be seen.

The rest of the journey was peaceful. After passing through the waterway, no one poked their head out from the tree house. Several giant pythons swam slowly before the stone wall. The stone wall rumbled down, and in the valley ahead, several figures suddenly jumped up.

“Young Master!”

Chazi shot over like a cannonball, looking Murong Yi up and down with some disbelief.

Behind them, the stone wall slowly closed again. Feng Huan looked back but couldn’t see any figures after watching for a long time.

He pursed his lips, thinking that women’s hearts were truly cruel.

Murong Yi looked around: “Where’s A Ci?”

Chazi’s excitement faded as she waved her hand: “Gone!”

Murong Yi made an “oh” sound.

Chazi said: “Said she had important business to handle and left without looking back.”

Murong Yi said: “See, our A Ci is so crisp and decisive.”

Chazi glared at him. Murong Yi frowned: “What? Glare all you want—your eyes still aren’t as big as A Ci’s. Don’t stand in my way. Hurry up, I need to go to Kun Zhou.”

He walked a few steps. Chazi stood in place, waiting for him to turn back and ask, but Murong Yi never looked back and walked on by himself.

Only when he began climbing up the mountain did Chazi realize he truly didn’t care whether she and the others followed. She had no choice but to shout from behind: “Young Master!”

“Come if you want, get lost if you don’t.” Murong Yi said indifferently: “No one’s going to indulge your temperaments.”

Chazi thought of Mu Si, who had stayed on the boat and came over a step later, thinking: Wasn’t his temperament spoiled by you?

But she didn’t understand—when Murong Yi indulged people’s temperaments, it depended on what kind.

No matter how foul-mouthed Mu Si was, he had never dared be foul-mouthed toward the Crown Princess.

Chazi had no choice but to lead her people to follow. But with resentment stuck in her throat, she couldn’t help saying: “Young Master, not everyone can be like you—for one person, not wanting money, not wanting prospects, not wanting foundation, not wanting anything…”

Feng Huan had been somewhat confused, but hearing something wrong in these words, he turned to stare at Chazi.

But Murong Yi suddenly turned back to ask Feng Huan.

“I heard that day all the poisonous insects on Li Mountain were chasing to kill us, then all the poisonous insects on Li Mountain were killed by Duanmu and poured into the valley outside. The entire valley was filled with insects. The village sent boats to fish out insects—even now our three daily meals still contain dried insects.” Murong Yi said: “I’m asking you, with so many insects suddenly falling down, not much different from a river flood—everyone was buried, right?”

Feng Huan answered without thinking: “Yes.”

“Where were you then? You must have been miserably pressed under the bottom of the insect pile, right?”

“Not at all. The Crown Princess was righteous—she kicked me up to hang on a tree.”

“Then where was the Crown Princess?”

“She was at the very bottom holding up…” Feng Huan suddenly realized he had said what he didn’t want to say and abruptly stopped.

Murong Yi’s eyes lit up like a demon’s.

“She was at the very bottom holding me up so I wouldn’t be submerged, right?”

Feng Huan’s mouth clamped shut like a clamshell.

Chazi’s steps faltered.

Murong Yi slowly said: “I was suffering from poison and serious injuries, that was one thing, but you, with all limbs intact, also needed the Crown Princess to take care of you. Bah.”

“Who needed the Crown Princess to take care of me? Who needed the Crown Princess to take care of me!” Feng Huan glared angrily: “If I hadn’t said you were also the A Jin-ge I prepared for A’Ji, could you have gotten in?”

“What about after getting in?” Murong Yi immediately asked.

“Just got in. A’Ji said she didn’t want you and threw you out again.” Feng Huan became proud as he spoke, shouting loudly: “She only likes me!”

Murong Yi couldn’t be bothered with him and pressed on: “What happened in the tree house outside?”

“I heard they searched her body but didn’t find anything good, so Young Master A Chong wouldn’t let them pay attention to her.”

“Since they wouldn’t pay attention to her, why could she enter the peak forest later?”

Feng Huan refused to speak again, rolling his eyes skyward.

He had promised His Highness not to tell.

“Oh, I know.” Murong Yi said to himself: “The peak forest—just row a boat in.”

“What nonsense! How could just anyone enter the peak forest! If His Highness hadn’t made a decisive move to take A Chong hostage, and I hadn’t helped you at the top of the peak forest, you would have been dragged into the water by A Da and A Er to be their midnight snack long ago!”

“Oh, taking A Chong hostage? On their territory, taking their leader hostage? How exciting?”

“Just that exciting!” Feng Huan said proudly: “My jaw dropped from shock!”

Chazi looked at his jaw with a complex expression.

What a simpleton.

“They just let her take him hostage like that? Those guys don’t seem so easy to talk to.”

“Of course not! There were many traps. Later we almost fell off the waterfall. Uncle moved the peak forest formation and shortened the waterway by a section. Such a pity—if you had fallen, you would have become Murong meat pie.”

“Then you saw Uncle?”

“How could that be? The peak forest was one trial. There was another trial—finding the building where Uncle lived among these wooden buildings that were more numerous than ants. I still don’t know how His Highness found it. A Chong said he was carried around flashing here and there until he almost vomited.”

“And then?”

Feng Huan glanced at the expression on Murong Yi’s face—heartache, emotion, excitement, joy… various emotions complexly intertwined. Watching him, Feng Huan felt this person’s heart probably had a group of little people doing strip dances, and after finishing they would streak naked for ten thousand laps, then rush back to hug His Highness’s knees and sob.

Just… very crazy feeling.

This time he really didn’t dare say more. What came after was even more stimulating—what if this guy had a fit from the shock?

He didn’t know whether this person, after learning those things, would rush to hug His Highness’s thigh and cry, or first make everyone in the village cry.

“Then we just begged Duanmu to act.” He said vaguely.

“The old monster isn’t so easily moved to act. Did you voluntarily sell your body for physical compensation? Should I thank you?”

“You’re the one selling your body for physical compensation! Your whole family sells bodies for physical compensation!” Feng Huan jumped with rage: “Duanmu was shameless and defaulted on his debt. His Highness acted to sever A Chong’s finger to show determination, forcing Duanmu to agree to save you.”

“Oh, like that.” Murong Yi seemed to finally get his answer and stopped asking.

But Feng Huan felt like he had been left hanging halfway, feeling indescribably frustrated all over—the most crucial and difficult parts were still to come. Why stop asking?

His Highness had made such great sacrifices, and this guy just brushed it off so lightly?

Anger rose in Feng Huan’s heart, though he couldn’t understand where this anger came from.

“You’re not going to ask anymore?”

“Hm? Ask what? Wasn’t it enough that he agreed to save me?”

“Why don’t you ask what happened when A Chong’s finger was severed and Uncle was forced to save someone—wouldn’t he be angry? Don’t you ask what would happen after he got angry? Don’t you ask why when you came to save the Crown Princess, it was in a cemetery?”

“Hm?” Murong Yi’s reaction seemed suddenly much slower. He picked his ear and dragged his feet, seeming ready to leave again.

Feng Huan anxiously rattled off: “A Chong’s severed finger was fake! His Highness cut her own palm and used a fake finger. The movement was so fast even Duanmu was fooled. Duanmu thought His Highness had hurt A Chong and was very angry. He made His Highness kneel step by step to the cemetery to apologize to the Mo clan ancestors. His Highness didn’t say the severed finger was fake and really went to the cemetery kneeling step by step. Duanmu was still playing tricks behind her, with wind, thunder, ice, snow, and lightning taking turns…”

All around suddenly became very quiet.

Only then did Feng Huan realize he had said too much and nervously fell silent.

Beside him, Murong Yi’s expression was calm, his long eyelashes drooping down, outlining a patch of dense shadow under his eyes. His face was sharp as a carving, every line hiding emotions complex beyond words.

Feng Huan watched him, afraid he might turn back and burn down the Mo clan village in anger.

After a long while, Murong Yi suddenly burst into laughter. While laughing, he turned to Chazi behind him, whose face was pale: “Did you hear that?”

Chazi lowered her head.

“I asked if you heard?”

Chazi said in a muffled voice: “I heard!”

“Good that you heard.” Murong Yi said coldly: “If I weren’t afraid you’d presumptuously ruin A Ci’s affairs, I wouldn’t even want you to hear these words. How A Ci treats me—what right do you have to ask?”

Chazi bit her lips tightly. Her already pale lips were bitten to a bright red.

“I don’t need anyone to feel injustice for me. I want Liaodong, and I want A Ci too. I don’t care how she acts—I only care whether I myself can do everything. She has given me more than I imagined, so I must give her even more in return.” Murong Yi said: “My people are her people. Her needs are my needs. If any of you can’t treat her as the same master as me, get lost early.”

Chazi fell to her knees with a thud: “Young Master! You promised the Great King…” She glanced at Feng Huan, who was listening with perked ears, and said vaguely: “…If you can’t do it, the Great King won’t let you off!”

Murong Yi snorted with laughter and turned to leave.

“Who won’t let whom off—that’s still uncertain!”

Author’s Note: There are many year-end events and I’m not feeling well physically. I’m out of saved manuscripts, so I’ll take a break from updating tomorrow.