Chapter 16
At night, Lu Xuejin helped the boy up. The tent was quiet except for the sound of guards walking back and forth.
Lu Xuejin: "I'll take him back. You get some rest."
He met Wei Ning's gaze, and Wei Ning raised an eyebrow slightly, lowering his voice to say, "This little bit of wine is nothing. I'll be there tonight, so don't worry."
"Okay." Lu Xuejin replied. Wei Ning helped him lift the tent flap, and a chill came over him. There was someone leaning against him. The boy's cheeks were flushed, and he was like a drunken shrimp in his arms, his breath smelling of alcohol as he snuggled against Wei Ning's neck.
"Wisteria... What time is it... I'm going to the plum garden to pick red plums." Her soft mutterings fell into his ear.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xuejin smiled. The hunting grounds were filled with red plum blossoms, but it was impossible to tell which ones had been picked by Murong Yue.
As the night deepened and the dew grew heavier, a layer of mist rose from the forest. The faint chirping of insects added to the dampness, and he looked towards the distant woods, where a winding path led to a secluded spot, but all he could see was darkness. For some reason, he stared for a while, his vision becoming increasingly clouded by the darkness.
It wasn't until the boy in his arms scalded him awake that Murong Yue realized the boy's body temperature was high, revealing his constitution. The warm, cool fragrance pulled him from his thoughts.
"Your Highness? Are you awake? I'll take you back." Lu Xuejin said in a low voice, but he was worried about disturbing the boy, so he made a soft sound that fell into the boy's ear without waking him.
It's like a lullaby, making people sleep more soundly.
"Young master, should we inform Tengluo?" Ziyan asked.
“Alright,” Lu Xuejin said, “Let’s go back to our camp first.”
This means taking the Ninth Prince back. Ziyan followed behind. Seeing Lu Xuejin carrying someone, she recalled the day the Prime Minister's residence burned down. This road was extremely similar to the road Lu Xuejin took back that day.
Their figures quickly disappeared into the woods.
After everyone left, Wei Ning changed her clothes in the tent. She wore all black and hid outside the tent during the change of guards. In the distance, she saw a familiar face.
Song Zhao asked the guard, "Has Lu Xuejin left?"
"Young Master Lu just left with his men. Only Miss Wei is in the tent now. They drank some wine, so Miss Wei should be asleep by now. We didn't hear any noise," the guard said.
Song Zhao: "Stay here and do not let your guard down. Notify me immediately if she leaves the camp."
Guard: "Yes."
Wei Ning pulled her head back and turned in a different direction. The guards didn't see her. She disappeared into the woods, gradually moving away from the sounds of people.
"Ziyan, bring some tea over," Lu Xuejin said.
He brought the boy back; the boy's alcohol tolerance seemed worrying. If he fell asleep like that, he'd probably have a headache the next day.
Ziyan: "Yes."
Lu Xuejin asked, "What are Your Highness's plans for the second day?"
Ziyan: "It seems they are going hunting, with the students from the Zhizhang Hall and Grand Tutor Zhao accompanying them."
"Looks like he might not be able to get up tomorrow," Lu Xuejin said, dipping a towel in cool water and gently wiping the boy's face and ears, trying to cool down the fever from the alcohol.
Lu Xuejin: "Ziyan, do you remember the first time we went to the restaurant? Wei Ning led the way, and we all drank strong liquor. It seems that none of us reacted as strongly as His Highness."
"The young master was also quite choked up at the time, and he drank a lot of tea with Miss Wei," Ziyan recalled, "He wasn't much better off than His Highness."
“Perhaps I’m mistaken,” Lu Xuejin said.
As time passed, he grew accustomed to strong liquor, and it no longer tasted spicy when it went down his throat. He was only occasionally reminded of the curiosity he had when he first encountered strong liquor by its aroma.
Ziyan: "I've kept the tea warm over a low flame. Please feel free to summon me if you need anything, young master."
The tea was bubbling and steaming, the candlelight flickered, and Lu Xuejin's handkerchief touched Murong Yue's lips, leaving a trace of pear blossom fragrance. The boy's small canine teeth were faintly visible between his lips. They looked fierce when his face was gloomy, as if they might bite.
The handkerchief brushed against Murong Yue's lips, and Lu Xuejin stared at him for a while. He seemed to always notice the boy's canine teeth. Now that the boy was asleep, he stared for a long time, his brown eyes reflecting the boy's sleeping face.
He looked at him and reached out, his fingertips touching the boy's lips as he lowered his gaze. His fingertips caressed the lips, touching the sharp corner of the lips. He flipped it up slightly and touched something warm.
"...?" Murong Yue was extremely wary. He woke up slowly as Murong Yue reached out his hand. The atmosphere around him changed, and he instantly met a cold gaze.
The boy couldn't see the person clearly, but out of physical defense, he forced himself to open his eyes. His dark, fan-shaped eyes burned with two flames, and he looked at him warily like a small animal. The boy's fingers immediately felt pain.
There were two more teeth marks on it, and my finger was bitten and bled.
"Your Highness?" Lu Xuejin was bitten by the boy, but he didn't cry out in pain. He just calmly withdrew his hand.
That shout brought the child back to his senses. Murong Yue's expression cleared slightly, his guard instantly vanished, and he opened his eyes to look at him, his cheeks still flushed from the alcohol.
"..." Murong Yue was still in a daze, his head was spinning. When he heard Lu Xuejin's gentle words, his body reacted automatically. All his defenses disappeared, and he became weak and limp.
He saw the young man's injured finger, bleeding. He didn't know if it was him who had done it; he seemed to have bitten someone just now. His mind went blank, and he stared blankly at the young man's hand.
We must not let this person get hurt.
Murong Yue leaned forward, his lips brushing against the young man's fingers as he licked away the beads of blood.
"...Your Highness?"
A warm touch came from his fingers. Lu Xuejin, startled by Murong Yue's action, was momentarily stunned. Murong Yue's eyebrows were as dark as ink, his fan-shaped eyes slightly open, a blush spreading across his handsome, cold face, his lips a delicate red like flower petals. His previously gloomy expression vanished completely upon touching him; even his canine teeth were carefully concealed, as if afraid of injuring him.
Just moments ago she was biting people... but now she's restrained herself and gently licking his wounds.
Lu Xuejin thought of felines; the wound felt sticky and warm, like two soft, fluffy clouds gently caressing him. The boy's canine teeth occasionally bumped against the wound, and perhaps the candlelight had warmed his eyes and brows, making them appear darker.
The atmosphere in the tent underwent an indescribable change. What was initially just a wound, the boy gently sniffed at his palm, drawn by the inexplicable fragrance, and moved closer, his nose touching his wrist, pressing against his palm, his lips brushing against his wrist's pulse, and easily reaching his neck.
Murong Yue seemed to have found the source of the fragrance, and Lu Xuejin immediately felt a strange sensation on his body. The boy's nose brushed against his skin, and his canine teeth grazed his earlobe, almost biting it several times. As if it were some kind of temptation to the boy, his sharp eyes were dark and unfathomable, staring at his neck for a long while.
But was he used to being in contact with the Ninth Prince? He slowly realized what was happening, and felt a faint, warm, wet touch on his ear. He felt a surge of heat throughout his body and stared at the boy's tiger teeth in a daze.
The fragrance mingled, their scents intertwining. Lu Xuejin stopped Murong Yue from biting him; he still retained some rationality and held the boy in his arms.
"Your Highness, it's getting late. You should get some rest," he said softly.
Fortunately, the boy was half-asleep and unaware of what was happening. As soon as he spoke, he covered the boy's eyes with his hand, and soon the boy fell into his arms.
The boy in his arms was like a small stove, and he felt a surge of warmth as he held him. The tent was excessively quiet, so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat, which was a little faster than usual.
He closed his eyes and slept peacefully, a rare occurrence for him.
"Brother, it's here again."
In his dream, the old roof beams became clear. He had been reading by the window when a small black cat appeared on the opposite beam. The cat was entirely black, its fur glossy black, with large, bright eyes and sharp, protruding fangs. The cat stretched lazily on the opposite side, glanced at him lazily, licked its paws, and paced back and forth on the eaves. He watched it for a while before pointing it out to Xue Yi.
"You like it?" Xue Yi asked him. "I'll go catch it."
"Why catch it? It's come here several times already. Each time it stays on the other side for an hour," he said.
As he spoke, he picked up a book. The book contained a description of a raccoon dog, and the animal drawn in it looked exactly like the one on the opposite roof—endearing and adorable. He looked at the book for a while, then at the black cat on the roof. The one in the book looked very docile, while the wild cat on the roof looked much fiercer.
"Brother, wait for me a moment." He put down his book and hurriedly left the house.
He went to the kitchen, found a small bowl, and some dried fish his father had left out the day before yesterday. His father loved dried fish, and Ziyan would pickle a lot every year; their family had no shortage of it. Perhaps the kitten knew he had dried fish and was attracted to it. In that sense, this creature seemed quite spiritual.
He put the dried fish into a bowl and placed the small bowl on the windowsill. Xue Yi noticed his actions and quietly asked him, "Feeding the cat? What will Dad eat tonight?"
“If asked, my brother will say that I ate it,” he said.
Xue Yi: "Okay."
He left his dried fish outside for an hour, but the kitten across the street didn't even glance at it before leaving after it had finished sunbathing. He only brought the dried fish back in when the sun went down.
That evening, the dried fish reappeared on the dinner table; he had given it back to his father.
"Your Highness is up?" Ziyan peeked through the curtain.
When Murong Yue woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar place... yet the furnishings were strangely familiar. Memories of the previous day flooded back; he only remembered getting drunk and his brother bringing him home.
I don't remember anything else.
"Where's Brother Changyou?" he asked.
"Young Master is already up. Your Highness, please get up and wash up, then we'll have breakfast together," Ziyan said, lowering the curtain.
Murong Yue responded. After washing up, he went to the small tent, where Lu Xuejin was already sitting upright to the side. There was porridge and side dishes on the table, and a bowl of fried dried fish in the center.
"Your Highness, please come and sit down," Lu Xuejin said to him.
He noticed that Lu Xuejin was reading a book early in the morning, with the book placed to one side and several fat cats drawn on it.
A note from the author:
National Day Mini-Theater:
The two went shopping together.
Lu Xuejin chose several pets for the young prince, including a hamster, a ladybug, a firefly, a small fish, and a parrot.
Which one does Your Highness prefer?
Murong Yue didn't like any of them. He pointed at the small fish in the jar and noticed the expression on the face of the person beside him change. His eyes were shining.
"Why these things? These are things that children catch to play with," he said.
Lu Xuejin: "Look. The way the hamster eats is like Your Highness, the ladybug is like Your Highness sleeping, Your Highness's eyes often glow like fireflies, the little fish is as cute as Your Highness, and Your Highness is sometimes as talkative as a parrot."
Murong Yue: "I shouldn't be like those. I want to be like a tiger and a lion, the king of the forest."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com