Chapter 24: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced? [24]

Chapter 24: Can a Psycho Tyrant Get Forced Too? "24"

In the hot spring pool, Mu Jin felt the warmth and smelled the faint fragrance of flowers, a little joy sneaking into his voice.

"What flower is this? It smells amazing."

Feng Buyu stood behind Mu Jin, wrapping an arm around him as he washed him, replying with a smile:

"They're just some wildflowers from the hills. If you like them, I'll gather some later and make you a few sachets."

Mu Jin felt the calloused hand stroke his calf, and though he felt a bit awkward at first, Feng Buyu was so composed that he couldn't really complain.

After all, his body really wasn't in a good state right now, so he could only wash himself with Feng Buyu's help.

………[This is a deletion line. Don't ask how much was cut—it was just a regular bath, and if you ask, the author doesn't know either]…………

Mu Jin's fingertips curled, digging into the soft flesh of his palm, leaving a red mark.

Yet his expression remained unchanged, still that relaxed and content look, as he quietly leaned against Feng Buyu's chest, letting him take care of him.

Mu Jin didn't remember when he'd gone to bed, only that he'd dozed off in Feng Buyu's arms.

When he woke up, he was already in bed. He pinched the clothes he had on—the fabric felt nice, comfortable enough.

But they didn't fit quite right, hanging loose and oversized on him.

Mu Jin silently rolled up his sleeves, and the thought he'd had before falling asleep resurfaced in his mind.

A different scent, a different feel.

The same good cooking, the same skilled hands.

Even the nightmares that hadn't bothered him in a long time had started again since he'd been sleeping in Feng Buyu's arms.

All these details came to mind—could they be a coincidence?

Could Feng Buyu be Ying Huaifeng?

Mu Jin's expression turned serious; he already had his answer.

How many coincidences could there be in this world?

Yet even though he hated being deceived more than anything, when this suspicion came to mind, he felt no anger at being tricked.

He was a reasonable person, after all—he'd used the excuse of... to deceive Ying Huaifeng too.

Besides, compared to Ying Huaifeng using a fake identity to trick him,

what concerned Mu Jin more was that if Ying Huaifeng had been here with him all this time, when would he gain the strength to fight the two villains as the plot required?

Though Yun Fuyue and Mu Siyang were currently fighting, that was nothing new for them—this time was just a bit more serious.

Ying Huaifeng absolutely couldn't miss this opportunity...

Mu Jin couldn't figure it out. He knew all this himself, so why couldn't Ying Huaifeng see it?

He'd already secretly given his people to Ying Huaifeng. Since he couldn't give Ying Huaifeng anything else now, why was Ying Huaifeng still here with him?

Was it because of their deal?

But that shouldn't be it. Ying Huaifeng should only see him as a pawn, right?

Mu Jin pondered silently but couldn't figure it out, so he could only set the matter aside for now.

He shifted his focus to figuring out how to subtly remind Ying Huaifeng not to forget his "revenge" without revealing his own identity.

Mu Jin sighed. Why was he, already playing his role as the villainous cannon fodder so well, still having to nudge Ying Huaifeng to obediently follow the protagonist's path?

Now even a cannon fodder like him had to worry about the male lead's every move.

The more Mu Jin thought about it, the more frustrated he got, but there was nothing he could do at the moment, so he just lay back down and buried his head under the blankets.

When Feng Buyu returned, he saw a lumpy shape on the bed.

He approached quietly, carefully pulling the blanket down a little.

The moment he saw the little golden dragon horns, Feng Buyu's eyes lit up, his fingertips trembling.

Mu Jin had sensed Feng Buyu's movements the moment he opened the door.

But now that he suspected Feng Buyu's identity, his trust wasn't what it used to be.

Sensing Feng Buyu getting closer, Mu Jin kept his breathing steady, pretending to be fast asleep.

Feng Buyu first reached out, gently and affectionately stroking Mu Jin's dark hair, then quickly touched the two dragon horns!

A light touch, a quick squeeze.

Mu Jin had only wanted to see what Feng Buyu was doing, but he never expected a strange tingling sensation to suddenly sweep through his whole body.

Realizing that this feeling came from his dragon horns being touched, Mu Jin's pupils suddenly constricted!

He bolted upright in bed, quickly retracting his horns, raising his hand to cover his head as he scooted backward, moving away from Feng Buyu.

"What are you doing?!"

Feng Buyu watched helplessly as the little dragon horns he'd just caressed vanished before his eyes, letting out a sigh of regret.

He hadn't gotten his fill of touching them yet...

Mu Jin, however, was wary and on guard, with a hint of confusion mixed in.

Sometimes, when his emotions got too intense, he really couldn't control his horns.

But 648 had said that things that shouldn't exist in a small world couldn't even be seen by the male lead.

So how had this guy touched them just now?!

Wait—not being able to see didn't seem to mean not being able to touch...

Feng Buyu was still speaking innocently: "What's wrong, A Jin? Did I accidentally pull your hair and hurt you?"

Mu Jin realized his reaction had been too intense, and immediately felt annoyed at himself, his expression softening slightly.

He shook his head gently and said calmly: "I'm fine, I just had a nightmare."

He'd figured out who this person was, but couldn't figure out why he was sticking around.

Mu Jin's attitude toward Feng Buyu cooled off noticeably.

Feng Buyu naturally picked up on it. His hand froze mid-air, and after a long pause, he slowly pulled it back, still smiling as he said:

"I'm heading down the mountain in a bit to sell some stuff, and I'll pick up two new outfits for you while I'm at it. Wanna come?"

Mu Jin squinted. Since this guy was actually Ying Huaifeng in disguise, there was no way he was really going down to sell stuff.

Had he finally remembered, after two days with him, that he still had to get revenge on Yun Fuyue?

Mu Jin felt the worry that had been weighing on him—because the male lead wasn't playing his part—start to ease. Maybe he was overthinking it.

After all, the male lead was the male lead—how could he ever forget what he needed to do?

"No need. My legs are messed up anyway, and I'd just slow you down."

If the male lead was about to stir up trouble, this cannon fodder would rather stay out of it.

Feng Buyu, even after being turned down, still smiled and said:

"It's no trouble. I made you a wheelchair, and I can grab some food and other stuff for you while I'm out."

Mu Jin opened his mouth to refuse again, but Feng Buyu cut him off:

"It'll take me seven or eight hours round trip, and I'll have to crash down there for the night."

"If I left you home alone, you wouldn't be able to do anything you need. And if something happened, I'd feel awful."

Mu Jin was momentarily speechless. With Feng Buyu putting it like that, he really couldn't find a reason to say no.

He really was helpless on his own.

Mu Jin nodded. "Then I'll be in your care."

But Feng Buyu suddenly leaned in, staring right at him.

"Hm?"

Mu Jin could feel their breaths mingling. As the silence dragged on, the atmosphere between them started to get weird.

"What is it?"

Mu Jin awkwardly turned his head away, avoiding that burning gaze.

Feng Buyu's voice sounded a bit hurt: "Why doesn't A Jin call me Brother Feng anymore?"

Mu Jin: "???"

Feng Buyu sighed. "But if A Jin doesn't want to, then don't. Even though I see A Jin as my own little brother and would love to hear him call me that."

"But if A Jin doesn't like it, then it's fine not to call me brother. I won't be too upset—just a little bummed."

"It must be that I haven't done enough, which is why A Jin doesn't want to call me brother, huh?"

Mu Jin: "...Huh?"

What was this guy's deal with making him call him brother?

Mu Jin was confused. Mu Jin kept his mouth shut.

And also—why did that sound so off to him?

To stop Feng Buyu from saying more weird stuff, Mu Jin, though reluctant, gave in and called out:

"Brother Feng."

"Mm."

Feng Buyu immediately perked up. He dressed Mu Jin, wrapped him in a thick cloak, and bundled him up snugly.

Then he carried him out to the carriage that was already waiting outside.

Mu Jin felt around—the carriage was piled with soft, thick furs, and on the other side were herbs and fruits, with just enough room left for him.

Maybe thanks to those heavy furs, despite the fierce wind and snow outside, Mu Jin didn't feel the slightest bit cold.

Feng Buyu tucked some fruits into his arms and said with a smile, "If you get hungry, you can snack on these."

"Alright, Brother Feng."

Mu Jin squeezed the fruit in his hand and couldn't help but marvel—the male lead really was a master at putting on an act.

Being this good to him—if he hadn't already read the story, he might've almost believed it.

The carriage swayed gently, warmth wrapping around Mu Jin, and his head grew heavy, his consciousness fading.

As drowsiness crept over him, he suddenly realized—he'd been sleeping longer and longer these days...

But he was too tired, and in the end, he couldn't hold on and dozed off.

When he woke up again, they'd already arrived at the small town at the foot of the mountain.

Mu Jin was awake but didn't want to budge. And when he heard a familiar voice outside the carriage, he wanted to budge even less.

"How's it going? Has everything been gathered?"

"Rest assured, Master. Everything's been gathered, and the people are just about ready."

The speaker's tone was respectful, then hesitant: "But news of His Majesty's disappearance still got out. The Regent is furious and has people searching everywhere. The court's in chaos."

"People from the National Diviner's mansion are saying the Regent's got ulterior motives—first imprisoning the National Diviner, then going after His Majesty, all for the throne."

"Yesterday, the Regent had no choice but to release the National Diviner."

The speaker then asked, puzzled: "But Master, if he wanted the National Diviner dead so badly, why didn't he act sooner and get rid of the threat for good?"

Mu Jin's ears perked up slightly as he heard Feng Buyu let out a cold laugh:

"He wanted to, but the old man's got plenty of supporters. If he'd acted directly, he wouldn't have come out clean either."

Another voice chimed in: "Exactly. If only he could find the National Diviner's Lifebound Gu, it wouldn't be such a pain."

Even for a former Holy Son of Miaojiang, if you held his Lifebound Gu, you could not only easily control his life and death.

And with the secret arts of Miaojiang, you could even turn him into a puppet to do your bidding.

That was why Mu Siyang was so desperate to get his hands on Yun Fuyue's Lifebound Gu—to score bigger gains with minimal losses.

"Spread some more rumors to throw them off the scent. Don't worry about the rest—I have my own plans."

Feng Buyu chuckled softly: "Oh, and tonight, the Moon Spirit Grass on Wanhan Mountain will bloom. Have them guard it well. Pick it the second it blooms. I want every single flower by tomorrow morning."

"Whoever misses even one—I'll chop off one of their hands."