Chapter 96 Sweet Moments [IF Route] (Part 1)

Mu Qingheng returned to his room and gently closed the door behind him.

On the way back, I could vaguely see a white light flashing before my eyes. The illusion of mist intertwined with reality, and the illusory images pierced my mind.

Mu Qingheng leaned against the door with his eyes closed, reached back to touch the wooden bolt on the door, and quietly locked it.

He had never experienced anything like this since he woke up. He didn't know what kind of illusion he would see, so in order not to worry Mengmeng, he decided to walk away alone.

Soon, countless points of light enveloped his consciousness. After a moment, however, the girl in her pristine white dress did not appear before him. Instead, a scene of exquisite beauty and splendor, almost indistinguishable from reality, appeared before him.

At the very beginning of the scene, he sees himself standing on the edge of a cliff, slowly lowering the sharp dagger that was pointed at his heart.

...

"I'm not going! I already said I'm not going!"

Mu Qingheng held Mu Meng in one arm and held Mu Luo's hand with the other, while the little girl was throwing a tantrum, struggling and resisting, "I'm not going! I'm not going!"

Mu Meng nestled obediently in her brother's arms. She was still young and didn't know what had happened, but seeing her sister keep complaining about not wanting to go, she couldn't help but plead in a soft voice, "Brother, sister says she doesn't want to go, so why don't you let her go?"

She blinked her big, bright eyes, so clear and innocent that they softened anyone's heart at first glance, and her sweet, childlike voice was incredibly endearing.

Mu Qingheng's heart softened. Despite his busy schedule, he couldn't resist pressing his cheek against hers, then turned back to take Mu Luo's hand. "Luo Luo, don't be stubborn. What did you promise me? Didn't we agree to wait for you for a quarter of an hour..."

Mu Luo raised her head, her handsome eyebrows furrowing slightly: "There is a fifteen-minute time limit, but I said I needed fifteen minutes to think it over. Now that I've thought it through, I'm not going."

She retorted so smoothly that Mu Qingheng's eyes widened slightly, and he choked for a moment. He held Mu Meng more firmly in his arms, softened his tone, and calmly reasoned with Mu Luo: "Luo Luo, you are the eldest princess of the Heavenly Clan. Everyone sees your every word and action. I know that the second young master of Zhenjiang must have said something offensive today, but you are a princess and have your own dignity. How can you hold it against him?"

He took a deep breath and coaxed in a low voice, "Of course, if he is really disrespectful, we can't let him get away with it. But you should have told me so I could handle this. How could you have hit him so hard? Look at what you've done to him!"

“Yes, and Jiu Yan…” Mu Qingheng glanced back as he spoke, only to find that the little tail who had been following him dejectedly was gone. He opened his mouth, speechless for a moment, “I don’t know where he ran off to. Okay, we’ll talk about him later… Luo Luo, you don’t need to think about it now. If it’s just a minor injury, I don’t mind apologizing to the Zhenjiang Lord on your behalf. But in the current situation, if you don’t even show your face, people will gossip.”

"Let them talk..." Mu Luo said dismissively. "People who don't know the inside story and just spread rumors everywhere must be brainless. If they know I'm not easy to bully, they'll behave themselves. But if they dare to let me hear any more untrue nonsense, I'll definitely beat them half to death."

Not one to back down, Mu Qingheng couldn't help but poke his younger sister's forehead, but he didn't use much force. After poking her, he stroked her forehead and said, "You're not even an adult yet, and you already have this kind of temper. Yes, very few people in this world can bully you, but if people don't understand your character and think you're hard to get along with, then you'll suffer in silence, unable to speak out or vent your temper. How can anyone feel at ease if this continues?"

He spoke at length with great earnestness, but Mu Luo selectively ignored most of it. In the end, she pouted and retorted, "Brother, aren't you an adult yet? Why are you so talkative?"

Without saying a word, Mu Qingheng pulled her over: "Come on, let's apologize."

Mu Luo waved her hand, "I'm not going, he's not worthy!"

"Shh...keep your voice down..." Mu Qingheng pressed his long fingers against Mu Luo's lips and gestured to her with his eyes, "Mengmeng is asleep."

Mu Luo opened her eyes wide in surprise. Her little sister, who had been held quietly in her brother's arms, nestled against his shoulder, was actually asleep. She couldn't help but chuckle, "This little sleepyhead, she can even fall asleep like this?"

It seems that her brother already knew, no wonder he kept speaking in a low voice. Mu Luo thought about it and found it funny, so she smiled and touched her sister's fair and soft face.

Seeing that she was behaving better, Mu Qingheng's temples, which had been throbbing, calmed down, and he couldn't help but smile slightly.

Looking at Mu Luo again, his eyes showed more helplessness, but also a hint of doting: "This stubborn mule temper of yours only softens up when it comes to Mengmeng. Alright, Luo Luo, if you really don't want to go, then you should at least tell me what happened. The Second Young Master of Zhenjiang is not an impulsive person. What did he say to make you so angry?"

Mu Luo said with a resentful look, "Brother, you've asked me seven times since half an hour ago."

"If you don't tell me now, I'll have to ask you for the eighth time."

Mu Luo waved her hand, "Oh, there's nothing to say, he just deserves a beating."

Seeing that Mu Qingheng seemed about to speak, she quickly interrupted, saying, "Brother, why are you like this? You are the Crown Prince of the Heavenly Clan. Can you not be so tolerant of everything? You are truly a good child raised by Father. You have no temper at all and follow his every whim. You are reasonable, but not everyone is as reasonable as you. You can't indulge everyone."

After saying that, she muttered under her breath, "She looks quite capable when she's on the battlefield making decisive moves, but at other times she's just unbearable to watch."

Mu Qingheng chuckled and gently pinched her cheek. "Who said I'm going to condone him? Luo Luo, I know you had a reason for hitting him, and he must have made a mistake. But he's still unconscious, lying on the bed half-dead and unable to move. You should at least show some attitude first. When he wakes up, I'll naturally make him apologize to you for his offense."

Mu Luo chuckled coldly, her expression quite intimidating despite her young age: "Who cares?"

“Brother, you don’t need to say anything. I know why you insisted that I make this trip. Isn’t it because Father and you both have chosen the eldest son of Zhenjiang County for me and want to arrange a marriage between us in the future? Now that I have beaten his younger brother, I have made an enemy of him. I might suffer grievances after I marry him.”

She scoffed, "Then I won't marry him. I don't like that person anyway. Besides, with a family like Zhenjiang's, even if I suffer a little grievance, just staying there would feel like a coward. I don't care."

"What's wrong with them?" Mu Qingheng was both amused and exasperated. "The Jing family in Zhenjiang has a gentle and upright family tradition. Isn't that good enough?"

Mu Luo scoffed: "Heh..."

"Huh? Hey...you're not allowed to go either, okay..." Mu Luo glared at him with exasperation. If she weren't holding her sister in her arms, she would have poked three holes in his forehead. "Brother, why are you so annoying? You are the Crown Prince of the Celestial Clan, the future Heavenly Emperor. Don't just learn Father's kindness and virtue, okay? You need to know that punishment is also a reward..."

Mu Qingheng covered her mouth with his hand, unable to suppress a laugh, and said, "You're so young, yet you already know these things. Either you come with me, or you take Mengmeng back to sleep."

"If you keep acting like this, you'll definitely get bullied in the future!"

"Um……"

"I...I will definitely keep Mengmeng away from you from now on, so you don't raise her to be like you!"

"oh……"

"Let him be, he won't listen to reason!" In the end, Mu Luo glared at Mu Qingheng, turned around and left with a resentful look on her face.

...

When Mu Qingheng returned in the evening, he only saw Mu Meng sitting alone in the yard playing.

She is young and not yet proficient in manipulating spiritual energy, but fortunately she is very diligent, more so than most children her age.

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." She is so young, yet she knows she possesses a great treasure. If she is not strong enough, she will only cause her family worry.

Mu Qingheng watched as Mu Meng's fair and delicate little hands stumbled and drew a spell. After finishing, she had to frown and check it for a long time.

A smile appeared in Mu Qingheng's eyes, but the smile contained a deep heartache and pity. He slowly walked over and sat down beside her.

Mu Qingheng smiled and sincerely praised the incantation Mu Meng had drawn.

Mu Meng was naturally happy to be praised, and she leaned up and gave him a crisp kiss on the chin. Then she naturally leaned on Mu Qingheng's shoulder, her big eyes darting around as she began to complain: "Brother, Father just came over. He scolded Sister and made her copy books."

She held up her little hand and gestured, "Copy it ten times. Daddy said I can't sleep until I finish copying it."

"So much?" Mu Qingheng immediately felt a pang of heartache. "I'll go tell Father later... But, Mengmeng, were you here the whole time? What did Luoluo say to Father?"

Although young, Mu Meng had a good memory. She fluttered her eyelashes twice as she recalled, "No… it was always Father scolding Sister, saying she didn't know her own strength. Um… besides saying 'he deserves to be hit,' Sister didn't say much else. So, Father originally only made her copy it five times, but because she didn't say anything, he changed it to ten."

Mu Qingheng was both amused and annoyed. He rested his chin on his hand and sighed with a smile, "Forget it, there's no use pleading with Father if that's the case. I'll just help her copy it a few more times later."

"Brother, does knowing the whole story mean Father won't punish Sister?" Hearing Mu Qingheng's murmur, Mu Meng suddenly tugged at his sleeve, looking up at him with her innocent little face. "Then I know what happened."

"You knew?" Mu Qingheng raised an eyebrow in surprise, picked up Mu Meng and placed her on his lap, then lowered his head and chuckled as he gently pinched her nose. "Since you knew, why didn't you tell me when I asked Luo Luo before?"

Mu Meng said seriously, "Because my sister clearly doesn't want to answer, it would be wrong if I were to speak up and answer for her."

Mu Qingheng's eyes were full of doting affection, and he couldn't help but smile, his voice low and gentle: "Then I obviously want to know, why aren't you on my side?"

Oh right... It seems I've been a bit biased. Mu Meng quickly explained, "Brother, I was just about to tell you that."

Mu Qingheng was still a boy after all. Although he was mature and steady, there was still a trace of childishness in his personality. He pretended to be sad and pursed his lips. "Is that so? You told me so that Luo Luo wouldn't be punished?"

"No, no..." Mu Meng quickly denied, but denying was lying, so she changed her story again with a conflicted look, "Yes... not entirely, there's another reason, brother, that you want to know. It's just that I couldn't say it in front of sister back then, but I can say it now."

She was very sincere, cupping Mu Qingheng's face in her small hands to examine him carefully, looking for any trace of unhappiness in his eyes: "Brother, don't be sad. You and sister are equally important to me, not at all, really."

Mu Qingheng couldn't help but laugh and kissed her soft little face. "Brother knows, I was just teasing you. My heart isn't made of glass, it's not so easy to be sad."

Mu Meng was relieved. She frowned and recalled for a while before stumbling over the situation to Mu Qingheng: "It was just that... in the morning, my sister took me to Luoyaochi. When we passed by Chenqingmen, we happened to run into the second young master of Zhenjiang. He was talking to a few people and didn't see my sister and me passing by. But after my sister heard a few words, she rushed up and beat him up."

So, he didn't have a conflict with Luo Luo, nor did he verbally offend her. Mu Qingheng nodded and asked carefully, "Mengmeng, do you remember exactly what the Second Young Master of Zhenjiang said?"

"Hmm... I didn't quite understand what he was saying, but I knew it wasn't anything nice..." Mu Meng glanced at Mu Qingheng, a hint of hesitation in her clear eyes.

Mu Qingheng lowered his long eyelashes slightly. He already had a general idea of ​​what Mengmeng had said, and said softly, "It's okay, just say whatever you hear."

"He seems to have heard it from his father, saying that there was a person from our Celestial Clan named Mu Ciyue... who was unscrupulous, ruthless, and a disgrace to the Celestial Clan. Although he is dead, he has not yet atoned for his sins. Therefore, his child should atone for his father's sins and should not be treated leniently... Then he said a lot of very unpleasant things."

Mu Meng's childish narration omitted many extreme words, only giving a general outline, and finally stated her opinion with a hint of distress: "But brother, I also think what he said is wrong. Although I don't know who Mu Ciyue is or his child, since Mu Ciyue is the one who did wrong, he should naturally make amends for his mistake. How can the blame be placed on an innocent child? So sister couldn't stand it and hit him, but she didn't wrong him, right?"

Mu Qingheng remained silent for a while. The gentle breeze of the quiet night ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead, making his features appear even more stunningly beautiful.

He instinctively hugged the little girl in his arms tighter, and after a while he said, "Well, Mengmeng, go and get your sister out, and then you two should get some rest."

Mu Meng whispered a reminder: "Father will be angry if he finds out."

"No..." Mu Qingheng smiled, "I'll go find Father now."