That useless fool. I'd told him to bring a book or a martial arts manual to read when he had nothing to do. He did bring a book, all right—but this is what you brought me?
I've completely disgraced myself.
"I told you to bring a manual. Why did you bring me a book like this?" King Qi was so furious his heart nearly gave out. It took him a long while to calm down.
Jiang Yuyu scratched his head. "It's not for me. A friend of mine wanted to read it."
"Heh. A friend?" King Qi found the excuse laughable. "Where did this book come from?"
"My friend asked me to bring it for him," Jiang Yuyu said with his head lowered, not daring to meet King Qi's gaze.
King Qi drew a deep breath. Forget it. He'd settle the score with him when they got back. Silently, he tucked the rare book into his robe.
Mu Zibai gave Jiang Yuyu a thumbs-up. That was a masterful "I have a friend" move. The man was clearly a seasoned offender.
King Qi had probably spent the last two years worrying himself sick. If he hadn't been in the Phoenix Nirvana Realm and built like a tank, Jiang Yuyu would've angered him to death by now.
Jiang Yuyu sighed wistfully, walked over to Mu Zibai, and pulled out another book. "It's all right. I've got another one. Interested?"
Mu Zibai's mouth twitched. Impressive. The man really wasn't afraid to die.
"Don't underestimate this book. It's wildly profitable. It only costs a few copper coins to make, but you can sell it for several taels of silver." Jiang Yuyu put the book away. He couldn't let King Qi see it again, or it would really be gone.
"Sounds like you've made quite a bit of money."
"Actually, my father's a frugal man. Half of the Qi King's Residence's income comes from the books I sell. Without me, our household would fall apart."
Jiang Yuyu let out a long sigh. It was so hard. He clasped his hands behind his back, looking as though the Qi King's Residence couldn't manage without him.
Young as I am, I'm keeping the residence afloat by selling rare books. How hard is that?
Mu Zibai no longer knew what to say. All he felt was incomprehension—an inability to understand this kind of oddball.
It was hard to imagine anything like this happening.
How could he make it sound so... noble?
Now Mu Zibai understood why King Qi worried so much. Who wouldn't retire forty years early if they had to deal with this guy?
He suddenly wanted to ask King Qi for his secret to keeping his hair. How had he managed not to go bald at his age?
"Who's the princess?" Mu Zibai asked curiously.
"You wouldn't know. I don't know what's gotten into my younger sister either. She's introduced him to so many young masters. They can't match me in talent or looks, but he still likes that little monk. I just don't get it," Jiang Yuyu said, baffled.
Mu Zibai: "..."
He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Little Monk Qingran?"
"Right, that little monk. I can't understand it. He's a monk who's already taken vows, yet my sister still won't let go of him. Tell me, isn't she a bit dim?" Jiang Yuyu said, perplexed.
Mu Zibai gave Jiang Yuyu a hearty slap on the shoulder. "I don't know if your sister's dim, but you're definitely blunt."
"Thanks for the compliment."
"By the way, are you and your elder brother, Mu Ziyu, enemies?" Jiang Yuyu asked curiously.
"Uh, how should I put it?"
Mu Zibai briefly explained what had happened, leaving Jiang Yuyu furious on his behalf.
"That's way too much. But at least you turned misfortune into a blessing."
At that moment, Wenren Lingmeng was strolling by the lake with Wenren Qingyi. Jiang Yuyu's eyes lit up. He stared at them, rubbing his chin.
"Which one?" Jiang Yuyu asked.
"Obviously the older one," Mu Zibai said with a grin. "Pretty, right?"
"She really is," Jiang Yuyu said, nodding emphatically.
"My wife." Mu Zibai patted Jiang Yuyu on the shoulder and gave him a simple, honest smile.
Jiang Yuyu: "..."
The murderous look in his eyes was impossible to hide. He gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
Why make a point of saying she's your wife? And then ask me if she's pretty? How infuriating!
Jiang Yuyu stared for a long while, unable to make sense of it. He looked Mu Zibai up and down but couldn't see anything special about him.
"How did you end up with such good luck?"
He'd felt so sorry for Mu Zibai's misfortune before, but after seeing Wenren Lingmeng, to hell with sympathy—he was jealous.
Why couldn't something this wonderful happen to him?
His feelings were all over the place.
"I've spent my life doing good deeds and accumulating virtue. I deserve a little good luck," Mu Zibai said with a smile.
Jiang Yuyu was even more confused. "I do good deeds too. I'm always helping poor girls. I've helped who knows how many over the years. Why haven't I had this kind of luck?"
Mu Zibai paused, baffled for a second, then asked, "Which poor girls do you help?"
"From the Yichun Courtesan House."
Mu Zibai: "..."
He didn't know what to say. He forced a smile that was polite enough to serve as a warning to others.
"Look at those girls, standing outside with so little on. I'm just helping them out, donating some silver. Doesn't that count as doing good and accumulating virtue? Why haven't I had this kind of luck?"
Jiang Yuyu couldn't think his way out of it, no matter how hard he tried. This kind of good fortune should have fallen into his lap.
Mu Zibai said meaningfully, "Take it from me: the fact that your father hasn't beaten you into a vegetable and left you bedridden is already a blessing you earned by doing good deeds in your previous life."
Jiang Yuyu laughed. "Let's go say hello. We should head back soon, or it'll be dark."
"Mm."
"Husband, how did your discussion go?" Wenren Lingmeng asked with a smile.
"We may need to stay in the South Sea for a while longer. We'll head back with the Crown Prince later."
Mu Zibai briefly explained what they'd decided. Wenren Lingmeng nodded. "That's perfect. We'll have time to explore the South Sea. I've wanted to come see the ocean for ages."
"Good. I'll stay with you while you look. Once you've seen enough and grown tired of it, we'll head back." Mu Zibai spoke gently and lightly caressed Wenren Lingmeng's cheek.
Wenren Lingmeng took Mu Zibai's hand.
Watching the two of them cling to each other, Jiang Yuyu felt sour all over. His mouth moved unconsciously, as if he were chewing on something.
Why am I such a fool? Why did I have to come along and see this?
"Fine, I'm going to find my sister. I'll leave you two to it. See you at the beach later." Jiang Yuyu didn't want to stay here any longer and turned to leave.
"Okay."
As they watched Jiang Yuyu go, Mu Zibai strolled with Wenren Lingmeng. On the other side, Wenren Qingyi tugged at Wenren Lingmeng, trying to pull her over. But she wasn't strong enough, so she could only puff out her cheeks in frustration.
Just then, Monk Lanyuan walked over, a trace of surprise on his face.
"I heard you'd awakened, benefactor, so I came to see you."
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