Chapter 32: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced? [32]

Mu Jin listened to these words, his eyelashes trembling slightly, a suspicion beginning to take shape in his mind.

This was the first time he and Zhao Ruoqian had met, so there was no way they could have any past bad blood.

According to the plot he'd gotten, Zhao Ruoqian had a thing for "Mu Jin."

He'd also read the quick rundown on Zhao Ruoqian's background—nothing there pointed to any blood feud between them.

If Zhao Ruoqian really wanted revenge, there was only one explanation.

In the original plot, Zhao Ruoqian died in a sea of flames, but the Zhao Ruoqian standing here now...

The second that possibility hit him, Mu Jin's head started to throb, and he couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

Was he just that lucky?

The one time he actually treated someone decently, they turned out to be a reincarnated avenger.

Mu Jin finally got where Zhao Ruoqian's hatred was coming from.

If he were Zhao Ruoqian living a second life, he'd probably be plotting day and night how to off "Mu Jin."

Even if this life's "Mu Jin" had been decent to her, that didn't change the fact that she'd already died once.

Ying Huaifeng had no idea what Zhao Ruoqian was talking about, and he didn't give a damn. All he cared about was getting Mu Jin out of there.

The problem was, Zhao Ruoqian seemed seriously unstable, and the blade in her hand was sharp enough that one wrong move could slice Mu Jin's throat open.

That alone was enough to make Ying Huaifeng's heart jump into his throat.

Ying Huaifeng refused to let Mu Jin get hurt, but there was no way out of this standoff right now. All he could do was grit his teeth and say:

"I don't know why you've got it out for His Majesty, and I don't know what grudge you're holding, but His Majesty has always been good to you!"

Ying Huaifeng's eyes burned as he forced out each word:

"You know exactly what His Majesty is up against, and still he gave you the few people he could spare—all just to keep you safe."

"Zhao Ruoqian, other people might not know, but are you really going to act like you don't either?"

"That assassination at Jiuyun Temple—you're the one who tipped off Yun Fuyue, you're the one who led those people inside!"

"Even if you've got a grudge, you already hurt him once. Now you want to take his life a second time?"

As he said this, Ying Huaifeng's chest ached something fierce, and the corners of his eyes went red.

His Majesty had never once treated him like that...

And right then, Ying Huaifeng's murderous intent hit its peak!

Zhao Ruoqian didn't deserve an ounce of His Majesty's kindness!

Mu Jin let out a soft sigh, as if he weren't the one with a blade to his throat, about to die at any second.

A slight smile tugged at his eyes, his tone still gentle: "Okay, you two, cut it out for now."

"Why don't you have them leave first? I want to talk things through with Ruoqian. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Mu Jin's eyes crinkled warmly as he looked at Ying Huaifeng. "There's just a misunderstanding between us. Don't worry so much."

Ying Huaifeng said nothing.

Mu Jin paused, then added: "I'm craving that three-plum cake from Wanfu Zhai. Ying Huaifeng, think you could bring some back for me?"

Ying Huaifeng's hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists.

How the hell could he leave? How could he walk away from Mu Jin at a time like this!

Mu Jin said quietly: "The Prince Regent's mansion and the National Diviner's mansion haven't been cleared out yet. Make sure you clean them up properly and change your clothes before you go buy the cake, or it won't taste right."

With that, Mu Jin just looked at Ying Huaifeng in silence.

This was the first time Ying Huaifeng didn't want to do what Mu Jin said, but he still turned and walked away.

He couldn't refuse Mu Jin. He trusted him.

But the thought that Mu Jin was being this gentle with him just for Zhao Ruoqian's sake...

"Your Majesty, wait for me to return."

Ying Huaifeng didn't slow down. As the silver bells jingled, the people with dull gray eyes fell in step behind him.

Ying Huaifeng had already made up his mind—even if Mu Jin walked away from this unharmed, he was never letting Zhao Ruoqian live.

In the vast hall, only Mu Jin and Zhao Ruoqian were left.

Mu Jin calmly watched Zhao Ruoqian, whose hands were shaking, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice:

"Why don't you have a seat? We can take our time talking, okay?"

What he'd said to Ying Huaifeng wasn't just to calm him down.

Once he'd figured out why Zhao Ruoqian hated him, he also realized that who she hated was "Mu Jin"—not him.

Zhao Ruoqian hated "Mu Jin" that much—how could she not tell that he wasn't "Mu Jin"?

Now, seeing the state Zhao Ruoqian was in, Mu Jin was even more sure: she hated "Mu Jin," but even with revenge on her mind, she couldn't bring herself to kill him.

Mu Jin had planned to have a proper talk with Zhao Ruoqian, but he hadn't expected his words to completely shatter her composure on the spot.

Zhao Ruoqian stared at Mu Jin, gripping the blade tighter, but her hands shook even harder and the tears wouldn't stop coming.

She forced a smile that was uglier than crying: "Mu Jin..."

"Do you have any idea how much I want you dead?"

"I... I'm not from this world... I don't belong here. I shouldn't be here."

Zhao Ruoqian's words surprised Mu Jin somewhat. He had originally assumed she was reborn, but it turned out she was also from another world, just like him?

Zhao Ruoqian's state was clearly unstable, and she continued speaking to herself:

"I didn't want to come here! I didn't want to at all!"

"My parents, my brother, and my little fish—they're all still waiting for me."

"Why am I here?! Why did so many people have to send me to this broken world!"

Mu Jin watched Zhao Ruoqian, who was on the verge of completely falling apart, but didn't try to comfort her.

He knew that nothing he said right now would do her any good.

So he just listened quietly while she talked about another world.

Back in her original world, she had a happy, whole family who loved her, and a cat named Little Fish.

But she'd only been fourteen when she left that world.

She said she just read a book and fell asleep.

When she woke up, a system had dragged her into this world, making her the Prime Minister's long-lost eldest daughter, "Zhao Ruoqian."

The system gave her a mission—she had to win over "Mu Jin" to get back home.

So she went out of her way to be good to "Mu Jin," and for a while, she really did fall for him. She felt sorry for him, even tried to change his fate.

But within just three short years, "Mu Jin" ended up locking her away because he didn't trust her.

"Mu Jin" said her eyes were the best at lying, so he put one of them out.

"Mu Jin" said her mouth could lie too, so he ripped out her tongue.

"Mu Jin" said she'd betrayed him, so he broke her arms and legs.

In the end, he just stood there and watched her burn to death.

And that so-called "seduction system" just vanished into thin air.

Zhao Ruoqian thought she'd die in that fire, full of resentment and regret, but fate gave her a do-over.

She made a deal with the heavens—if she could get her revenge, if she could kill "Mu Jin" with her own hands, she could go home.

Back to the home that was actually hers.

"I wanna go home... I gotta go home..."

Zhao Ruoqian choked out, her words laced with pleading.

"Mu Jin... just die, okay... please die... if you die, if you die, I can go home... wuwuwu..."

And then she finally broke down, sobbing her heart out.

She never belonged here. She just wanted to go home...

Mu Jin was quiet for a long time, then finally dropped his gaze and spoke slowly:

"Alright, then. Kill me."

"Kill me, and I'll get you home."

He took Zhao Ruoqian's shaking hand and slowly tightened his grip, pressing the blade to his own chest.

"Right here. Press hard. Don't miss."

At that moment, Mu Jin thought of Ying Huaifeng.

He'd just promised Ying Huaifeng he'd live.

Looked like he'd have to break that promise.

But Ying Huaifeng had used him so many times—surely it was okay to trick him just once?

Anyway, both villains were taken care of now. Even if he left this world early, it should be fine, right...

"Why? Why... what gives you the right... I finally made up my mind, I finally got this far!"

Zhao Ruoqian's hands shook even harder. Just as the blade was about to sink into Mu Jin's chest, she suddenly yanked herself out of his grip:

"Why aren't you him? Why are you so good? Why, Mu Jin... why didn't you come sooner..."

"I wanna kill you! I wanna kill you! Why don't you hate me?!"

Zhao Ruoqian collapsed to the ground, sobbing bitterly, her whole body shaking uncontrollably, until her voice faded away.

"Wuwuwu... hate me, okay? Please hate me, okay... If you don't hate me, how am I supposed to hate you..."

"Su Gantang clearly gave you a dagger—why didn't you use it on me? Why didn't you attack me? Why?!"

Only then did Mu Jin realize that the dagger Su Gantang gave him was meant for him to use on Zhao Ruoqian.

Only if he hurt her could Zhao Ruoqian harden her heart enough to kill him with her own hands.

But Mu Jin didn't.

Mu Jin was speechless, looking at Zhao Ruoqian. He truly didn't know what to do right now.

"You're not him, you're not him... Mu Jin, I just want to avenge myself. I won't kill you."

Zhao Ruoqian had thought that after everything she went through in her past life, she'd become ruthless.

But faced with this Mu Jin, no matter how hard she tried to convince herself, she still couldn't do it.

She'd already suffered so much for no reason—how could she harden her heart and use another innocent person's life as a stepping stone to get home?

Zhao Ruoqian's tears fell in big drops, as if she was crying out all the grievances of several lifetimes.

Her makeup was a mess, her red-rimmed eyes and the dark circles under them making her look completely wrecked. Through the blur of tears, she looked at Mu Jin, half crying, half laughing.

"But, but if I don't kill you, who else is there to kill..."

"Mu Jin, I wish I could hate you so badly."

"Mu Jin, I wanna go home."

"I'm sorry..."

"I'm sorry..."

She was sorry to Mu Jin, who had been so good to her, sorry to herself for not being able to avenge herself, and sorry to the people still waiting for her back home.

Mu Jin lowered his gaze and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Be good now, don't cry."

"If you wanna go home, then kill me."

"I'm Mu Jin now. You can kill me without any guilt and get your revenge. I won't blame you."

"If you don't want to kill me, then stay here and live well."

"But Mu Jin, I won't make it..."