Chapter 23: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced? [23]

Chapter 23: Will the Mad Tyrant Also Be Forced? "23"

Feng Buyu sighed, sounding melancholy again, "Back in the day, my brother and I were just like this."

"The wind and snow get pretty rough at night, but if we cuddle up together, we'll stay warmer through the night."

"Of course, if you're unwilling, I won't force you. I can handle a bit of cold, but your body's still not fully recovered—I just don't want you catching a chill."

Mu Jin thought for a moment. He didn't feel cold at all, but Feng Buyu's logic made sense.

Since Feng Buyu had already thought of everything for him, there was no reason to say no.

So Mu Jin reached out and wrapped his arms around Feng Buyu's waist, pressing closer and holding on tight.

"Then let's just sleep like this."

Feng Buyu watched Mu Jin willingly nestle into his arms, the grin tugging at his lips impossible to hold back.

Oblivious to all that, Mu Jin quickly dozed off in Feng Buyu's arms.

Once Feng Buyu was sure the man in his arms was dead asleep, he carefully slid out of bed, tucked the blanket in tight, tossed something into the brazier, and only then threw on his robe and left.

He didn't come back until just before dawn.

And Mu Jin—maybe because the 648 energy had run out and he'd gone offline—dreamed of that snake again.

This time in the dream, he was wearing strange, ornate clothes embroidered with patterns he'd never seen before.

………"This is a deletion divider—don't ask how much was cut, the author doesn't know either"…………

Mu Jin stood barefoot on a white fur rug, facing a field of pale purple flowers and grass wrapped in white mist, the distance hidden from view.

The sound of silver bells mixed with ancient chanting drifted to his ears.

Just as Mu Jin forced himself to stay calm and tried to get up and leave, the silver snake from his earlier dreams appeared in front of him again.

Startled, Mu Jin's hands at his sides clenched into fists.

He knew full well this was his own dream, but he couldn't escape it.

All he could do was watch the snake slither closer and closer.

Just as the snake was about to reach him, a gust of wind swept through, swirling the mist and swallowing them whole.

Mu Jin squinted instinctively, and when he opened his eyes again, the silver snake was gone.

In its place stood a young man wearing clothes just as strange as his own.

The young man walked toward him step by step, silver bells ringing in his ears.

Mu Jin watched him quietly, taking him in.

His gut told him the snake he kept dreaming about was connected to the gu poison Ying Huaifeng had put in him, so maybe this young man was...

Mu Jin already had his answer, and for a moment, he didn't feel like running at all.

He watched the young man approach, and couldn't resist reaching out to pinch his cheek.

Come to think of it, after all this time in this world, this was the first time he'd seen what the male lead actually looked like.

He was even better-looking than Mu Jin had imagined, especially those eyes—soft and full of affection, like they could drown you in them.

Ying Huaifeng was clearly caught off guard by Mu Jin touching his face, but he recovered quickly.

He lifted his hands to cup Mu Jin's face, eyes dropping as he murmured softly:

"My lord, my A Jin..."

Mu Jin was forced to look up at the guy who was a head taller than him, and he wasn't happy about it.

………"This is a deletion divider—don't ask how much was cut, the author doesn't know either"…………

No, this is all fake. It's just a dream. Just his dream.

Was he insane? How could he dream something like this?

With Ying Huaifeng kissing him, Mu Jin was shocked and furious, but even more than that, confused.

He couldn't figure out why he was dreaming like this.

………"This is a deletion divider—don't ask how much was cut, the author doesn't know either"…………

Even now, Mu Jin was still racking his brain over where things went wrong.

After thinking it over, he figured it might have something to do with the gu poison Ying Huaifeng had put in him.

The original "Mu Jin" had been poisoned with gu too, so even though he knew Ying Huaifeng had planted it, he didn't stop him or think much of it.

But he'd never known exactly what kind of gu Ying Huaifeng had planted in him.

………"This is a deletion divider—don't ask how much was cut, the author doesn't know either"…………

What kind of gu poison could make you dream something so indecent?

Mu Jin felt a bite on his neck and silently cursed Ying Huaifeng for being so underhanded.

But it never crossed his mind that the gu Ying Huaifeng had planted might be different from the one in the plot he'd gotten.

………"This is a deletion divider—don't ask how much was cut, the author doesn't know either"…………

…

When Mu Jin woke from the dream, he was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He sat up abruptly in bed, breathing lightly.

The corners of his reddened eyes were still wet with tears, and his unfocused, dilated pupils took a moment to clear.

The necklace around his neck was radiating scorching heat, making him instinctively grab the snake-shaped warm jade.

Mu Jin had just bitten his lip when he realized his lips felt weird too.

………"This is a deletion divider—don't ask how much was cut, the author doesn't know either"…………

Mu Jin subtly scooted back, replying, "Alright, got it."

But the next second, Feng Buyu sat on the edge of the bed, grabbed his hand, and pulled his fingers away from his lips. Staring at his lips, he gasped:

"Oh my! A Jin, why are your lips all puffy and red? Did a little bug bite you?"

Feng Buyu said it with that familiar, helpless tone:

"There are so many snakes and bugs in the mountains, especially once winter comes, there's always some little critter that likes to bite people."

"I was too tired yesterday and went to bed early, forgot to toss those bug-repelling herbs into the charcoal fire. I didn't think those little bugs would go after your lips."

Feng Buyu said, sounding both regretful and guilty: "It's all my fault, don't worry, I won't forget tonight."

"Hold on, let me go grab some ointment for you."

Feng Buyu rambled on and quickly came back with a box of ointment.

Mu Jin was still a bit out of it, clearly not all there.

But when Feng Buyu told him to open up, he did it without a fuss.

The lightly scented ointment melted into his lips as it was applied.

Feng Buyu moved at a painfully slow pace.

Watching Mu Jin, who had willingly parted his lips and looked so docile, his eyes turned dark and unreadable.

There was a hint of testing in his fingertips.

"Mm!"

Mu Jin's eyes fluttered, but he barely held back the urge to bite.

Feng Buyu quickly pulled his hand back, wiping the white ointment from the corner of Mu Jin's lips, his tone full of apology:

"Sorry, A Jin, I didn't mean it, I just—accidentally—accidentally..."

Feng Buyu's voice trailed off, but knowing Mu Jin couldn't see him, he stared at his own fingertips, the grin at the corners of his lips didn't fade one bit.

Mu Jin felt like something was off, but he couldn't quite figure out what.

Feng Buyu didn't seem keen on lingering on the topic either. After stashing the ointment away, he went back to the bed, helped Mu Jin get dressed, and scooped him up.

"Good A Jin, that was brother's fault. Brother's sorry, so don't hold it against me."

Feng Buyu carried him while murmuring sweet reassurances.

Even though Mu Jin had been feeling a bit awkward, most of it had faded by now.

Especially the smell of the food, which snagged his heart like a tiny fishhook.

That made Mu Jin instantly forgive everything Feng Buyu had done earlier.

I mean, how could someone who cooks that well and actually wants to cook for him have any bad intentions?

After eating, Mu Jin remembered the cold sweat he'd broken into from that dream, tugged on Feng Buyu's sleeve, and picked his words carefully:

"Brother Feng, I want to take a bath..."

Feng Buyu wasn't the least bit surprised by Mu Jin's request, but he still acted like it was a problem:

"Sure, that's doable. There's a hot spring out back in the mountains, but I haven't had a chance to head down the mountain to get you new clothes yet. So you'll probably have to make do with wearing mine for now."

"If you're cool with that, I can take you there now."

Mu Jin didn't care at all and agreed without a second thought.

"I'm good with anything, thanks, Brother Feng."

Feng Buyu grinned like a sly fox, but he just got up to grab the clothes and said in a deadpan voice:

"No need to be so formal with me."

----- "Mini Theater" -----

Feng Buyu grinned slyly: "Be a good boy, A Jin, open up, and brother will put the medicine on for you~"

A Jin obediently opened his mouth: "Ah—"

648, furious: "You scoundrel, you're so sly! Why does applying medicine require opening your mouth? Huh? Why does it require him to open his mouth?!"

648 said, heartbroken: "Host! Snap out of it! How can you still think he's just trying to keep you warm?!"

A Jin: "Huh?"

Feng Buyu: "You're being too talkative."