Chapter 26: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced? [26]

After Mu Siyang left, Mu Jin's eyes lowered, and all his emotions instantly receded.

He lounged lazily on the soft couch, wondering if, at this rate, he could finish this world's mission early.

At this pace, would he leave this world without ever managing to heal his eyes and legs...

If so, then this world would've been a total waste.

Just as Mu Jin was thinking, he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound.

A small snake was rapidly approaching him, slithering up and wrapping around his calf.

Mu Jin knew this snake belonged to Ying Huaifeng, but remembering how Ying Huaifeng had quietly handed him over to Mu Siyang, he couldn't help but feel annoyed.

He reached out, and the little snake immediately pressed its head into his palm, nuzzling affectionately, all obedient.

Mu Jin snorted, then grabbed the snake by the head.

The little snake didn't resist, just docilely wrapping its tail around his wrist, gently rubbing its tail tip against his skin.

"Hiss... hiss hiss hiss..."

Somehow getting what the snake meant, Mu Jin frowned: "Your master screwed me over like that, and you're the one feeling sorry for yourself?"

"Hiss hiss..."

"Scram. Next time I see you, I'm making soup out of you!"

Mu Jin tossed the snake away in annoyance.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ying Huaifeng, who'd just stepped out to handle a few people and came back to find not only his house burned down but his little emperor missing too, was about to cry.

Ying Huaifeng barely managed to track down Mu Jin using the gu worm he'd planted inside him earlier.

But to his surprise, Mu Jin thought he was the one who'd schemed against him.

Ying Huaifeng pressed his lips together, wiping the bloodstains from his hands, feeling deeply wronged.

His emperor suspecting him hurt worse than death.

Ying Huaifeng turned his back to the others, casually tossing the blood-soaked handkerchief into the fire, and said in a low, dejected voice:

"Kill the rest too. Don't let them die easy. Cut off their limbs first, then dig out those traitorous hearts, and feed the leftovers to the gu worms."

"Make it clean."

The men kneeling behind him couldn't help but shiver.

They didn't get why their master seemed so upset after dealing with the traitors.

But clearly, this wasn't the time to question Ying Huaifeng.

They bowed their heads and answered in unison:

"Yes, Master."

Meanwhile, the little snake on the other side crawled pitifully to the window, grabbed something in its mouth, and crawled back to Mu Jin, nuzzling his calf with its head.

Mu Jin got even angrier. Was this thing taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't kick it away right now to mess with him?

He grabbed the snake again, put on a gentle smile, and parted his lips:

"Looks like you really want to be snake soup. Fine, I'll grant you that wish."

The little snake immediately trembled in fear, hastily dropping the thing from its mouth into Mu Jin's arms, then started writing characters on Mu Jin's other palm with its tail.

Mu Jin frowned even harder, but he let the snake go and reached out to feel for the small box that had fallen into his lap.

When the box opened, a single pill lay inside, and a strange floral scent instantly wafted out.

Mu Jin froze. This smell was so familiar.

It was the same scent he'd smelled when he was on the mountain, bathing in the hot spring with Feng Buyu.

Holding the pill, Mu Jin was puzzled. Could this really be the antidote to the gu poison in his body?

He figured it was more likely Ying Huaifeng wanted him dead in the Regent's Mansion, then use his death to stir up trouble.

Seeing Mu Jin wouldn't take the pill, the little snake got anxious, rubbing its tail against his wrist and hissing nonstop.

After a moment's thought, Mu Jin put the pill in his mouth anyway.

The pill dissolved the moment it hit his mouth, no bitterness at all—just a faint sweetness, like the sugar cakes he used to love.

This relaxed Mu Jin's furrowed brow.

Then a warmth flowed through his body, and with it, Mu Jin felt his whole body become light and airy.

The little snake, seeing Mu Jin's condition, wagged its tail happily and quickly bit the tip of his finger.

As dark, black blood flowed out, a gu worm crawled out with it.

The second the gu worm came out, the little snake swallowed it.

Mu Jin only felt a slight sting on his fingertip and instinctively looked down.

In a few blinks, a faint light appeared before his eyes, and everything around him gradually went from blurry to clear.

"Hiss hiss~"

Mu Jin finally saw the little snake coiled around his wrist clearly.

He went quiet.

This snake looked a lot like the one in his dream, except it was missing some markings on its head.

Mu Jin pressed his lips together, coldly grabbing the snake by its weak spot and yanking it off his wrist.

"Go back."

Mu Jin admitted that the moment he saw the little snake, he'd taken out the anger he felt toward the big serpent from his dream on it.

But who cares?

Both were Ying Huaifeng's doing—neither was any good!

One messed with him in his dreams, the other messed with him in real life.

Mu Jin's gaze turned icy as he flung the snake away once more.

This time, the little snake only kept its distance, watching him—its body pressed flat against the floor, not daring to so much as lift its head or come anywhere near him.

Mu Jin felt its posture wasn't born of fear toward him, but rather seemed to be cowering from something else altogether.

But he couldn't be bothered to think much of it, and instead turned his attention to sizing up the room.

Though many of the objects were unfamiliar to him, he could tell they didn't come cheap.

He scoffed. Figures—the villainous Prince Regent. His place was packed with some seriously nice stuff.

He wanted to get up, stretch his legs, and check out the outside, but found his legs still wouldn't budge.

Mu Jin: "..."

Mu Jin's eyes drifted back to the snake sprawled on the floor.

He arched an eyebrow, smirking: "Didn't you say this was the cure for the gu poison?"

The little snake lifted its head and gave a nod, then quickly slithered over to Mu Jin, scrambling up like it had done this a hundred times, using its tail to trace characters in his palm.

It clicked for Mu Jin—this cure only worked on the gu poison that had taken his sight. But to fully heal his legs, he'd have to go back and soak in herbal baths over time.

But the fact that Ying Huaifeng had handed over the medicine so easily and had a snake deliver it to him meant he'd had it ready all along.

He just hadn't wanted Mu Jin to see his real face, and once Mu Jin knew who he was, he'd kept it from him.

Once he figured that out, Mu Jin stopped dwelling on his legs. At least he could see now—that was something.

Once it came back, the little snake stayed curled on Mu Jin's lap, showing no sign of leaving, even nuzzling his palm, clearly acting all clingy.

Mu Jin let out a soft chuckle, running his thumb over the snake's head. "You're not heading back? Did he tell you to stick around?"

The little snake nodded.

Mu Jin played with the snake's tail, saying offhandedly: "Didn't he already give me up? Now he suddenly thinks to send you to keep an eye on me."

The little snake shook its head in a panic.

Mu Jin's hand stilled. "Huh? He didn't do it?"

The little snake nodded eagerly.

Mu Jin went quiet for a long while before pulling his hand back, saying in a tone that gave nothing away: "You're pretty smart for a snake, huh?"

It could understand him and write in his palm—wasn't that the definition of clever?

"In that case, you can stick around for now."

Mu Jin said, all casual: "But make sure you hide yourself well. If Mu Siyang catches you and throws you in a snake soup pot, don't expect me to save you."

He could practically feel the snake in his arms perk up after he said that.

But he just quirked the corner of his mouth, patting the snake's head and saying, "Good boy."

Mu Jin could tell this snake wasn't going anywhere unless he killed it—the only question was whether it stayed out in the open or hid in the shadows.

But even if he killed it, Ying Huaifeng would just send something else to watch him.

Might as well keep the snake, then.

Mu Jin looked out the window, wondering when this mess would finally blow over.

Until then, having a snake to keep him entertained wasn't the worst thing.

Mu Siyang seemed to be tied up with something—other than sending meals and a few attendants to look after him, he didn't show up himself that night.

That was a relief for Mu Jin; he really didn't want to deal with Mu Siyang.

But he hadn't counted on this: after he'd gotten ready for bed and was lying down to sleep, a dark figure came climbing straight through the window.

Mu Jin glanced over—even with the mask, even though this was technically their first meeting.

But those eyes—the ones he'd seen countless times in his dreams—gave the man away.

Ying Huaifeng was still dusted with snow from the wind. He slipped in, shut the window at once, and hurried to the bed.

He'd been frantic the whole way—after learning Mu Jin had been taken, he'd nearly lost his mind.

But now, seeing the man right in front of him, a flicker of hesitation crept in.

The closer he got, the slower he walked.

"You came."

Mu Jin said, totally unfazed. He'd figured Ying Huaifeng would sit on the edge of the bed, so he'd even lifted a corner of the covers.

But instead, Ying Huaifeng walked up and dropped to his knees without a word.

That made Mu Jin's eye twitch.

Ying Huaifeng kept his head down, his eyes unreadable. All Mu Jin heard was his voice, thick with regret:

"I've put Your Majesty through so much. This is all my fault."

Mu Jin hesitated. "...It's not like I suffered, really."

For the past month, Ying Huaifeng had kept him close under a false identity, using his disappearance as a scheme.

But he'd treated him well, no question—and made Mu Jin feel like coming to this world had been worth it.

Mu Siyang had brought him back and locked him up in the Prince Regent's manor, but he hadn't skimped on anything either.

All in all, he really hadn't suffered much.

But clearly, Ying Huaifeng wasn't buying it.

Ying Huaifeng looked up, eyes a little red, and gave Mu Jin a strained smile.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I've got it all handled. I'm taking you out of here now."

Ying Huaifeng barely got to his feet before Mu Jin caught his wrist.

Mu Jin felt a wave of helplessness. "Alright, that's enough. You don't have to do all this."

"Since Mu Siyang locked me up here, he's clearly planning to use my identity to go after Yun Fuyue."

"Isn't it better to let them tear each other apart? Why pull me out of here right now?"

Mu Jin trailed off for a beat, then looked up at Ying Huaifeng:

"I remember you said that night that Yun Fuyue is your enemy. Don't you want to get back at him?"