Little Monk Qingran breathed a sigh of relief. Watching Jiang Yuyu's retreating figure, he sighed again.
Suddenly, Jiang Keyin came bouncing back and said, "My father's still here tomorrow. I'll come find you again then. Aren't you surprised?"
Little Monk Qingran: "."
I'm absolutely thrilled. He forced a bitter smile.
Aboard the warship, everyone took in the scenery of Tianling Island.
Mu Zibai and Wenren Lingmeng stood at the bow. Wenren Qingyi, utterly clueless about romance, insisted on clinging to Wenren Lingmeng beside them.
Wenren Qingyi chattered away at Wenren Lingmeng while Mu Zibai watched from the side, thinking, I really should find a chance to poison Wenren Qingyi into a vegetative state.
"Brother Mu, enjoying the view?" Jiang Yuyu came over and said, "We're about to set off. We should arrive in an hour or two. Our Great You warships look imposing, don't they?"
"Mm."
They really were imposing, with the air of an invincible army.
Looking at Jiang Yuyu, one wouldn't guess from his usual carefree manner that he would one day become King Qi.
What was more, when Mu Zibai first made contact with him, he'd gained seventy thousand points—twenty thousand more than he'd gotten from the Dragon Person Crown Prince. That had surprised Mu Zibai.
He trusted the system's judgment. Jiang Yuyu's status was no ordinary matter.
It might also have been because Jiang Yuyu was King Qi's only son, while Ao Ying Tian was the sixth son of Prince Guang.
Suddenly, Mu Zibai was filled with regret. He should've found a chance to make contact with King Qi. He'd been busy discussing other matters and had forgotten about it.
For a moment, he felt as though he'd missed out on a fortune.
"Elder Sister Lingmeng, you're so beautiful!" Jiang Keyin spotted Wenren Lingmeng and immediately ran over to chat with the two sisters.
"You're flattering me, Keyin." Wenren Lingmeng smiled gently.
"Hello, Elder Sister Qingyi." Jiang Keyin greeted Wenren Qingyi. She was a few months younger than Wenren Qingyi.
Being called "Elder Sister" by Jiang Keyin made Wenren Qingyi puff out her chest, looking every bit like the big sister. The title satisfied her little vanity.
So I'm an elder sister now, too.
"Elder Sisters, what were you talking about just now? It sounded interesting." Jiang Keyin asked curiously.
Before Wenren Lingmeng could answer, Wenren Qingyi jumped in. "We were talking about Dream of the Red Chamber. It's a wonderful story."
"Dream of the Red Chamber?" Jiang Keyin had never heard of it and looked puzzled.
Wenren Qingyi put on the air of someone who'd seen the world. "You don't know about it, Keyin? My brother-in-law made it up."
"Oh?" Jiang Keyin grew curious.
Wenren Qingyi puffed out her chest and said proudly, "My brother-in-law may not be much as a person, but he's amazing—a true literary genius! He can write poems and all that like it's nothing. Right, brother-in-law?"
Wenren Lingmeng: "."
Mu Zibai: "."
He silently said, I can't!
He could understand her bragging about herself, but please, don't drag him into it.
"Oh? Brother Mu is a literary genius?" Jiang Yuyu looked at Mu Zibai with curiosity. It made sense; Mu Zibai's slender build gave him quite a scholarly air.
"I'm all right. I studied for a few years, but I wouldn't call myself a genius," Mu Zibai said modestly. It's not like I'm standing on five thousand years of Chinese culture.
Everyone chatted for a while, though Mu Zibai said little. Most of the talking came from Wenren Qingyi and Jiang Keyin. The two girls were close in age and shared similar interests, so they got along very well.
Mu Zibai also got a rare chance to stay close to Wenren Lingmeng. She leaned against his shoulder and ate the fruit he fed her.
They looked so sweet together that anyone watching would feel envious.
Jiang Yuyu, left all alone, felt thoroughly miserable. Am I the only awkward one here?
Watching Mu Zibai and Wenren Lingmeng show off their affection was especially painful. He knew they were being lovey-dovey, and he was just the third wheel, forced to watch them flaunt their romance.
But why was he so pathetic? Why did he insist on staying here? Jiang Yuyu even wondered if he'd been born with a masochistic streak.
He was single, yet he liked watching them act all lovey-dovey. It just made him feel awful.
No. Once I get back, I'll have a woman on each arm and flaunt it in front of Mu Zibai.
But seeing Wenren Lingmeng's stunning beauty, he let out a quiet sigh. Forget it. I can't compete.
Wenren Qingyi, that little girl, felt uncomfortable whenever she saw her elder sister with Mu Zibai, as if Mu Zibai had stolen the person she loved most. It was almost like—
the hatred of having one's wife stolen?
Wenren Qingyi had slept with Wenren Lingmeng since they were little, and that had hardly ever changed. She was closest to Wenren Lingmeng.
Now, though, Wenren Lingmeng spent every day with Mu Zibai. Wenren Qingyi was still just a child, so naturally she felt a little reluctant to let her go.
"Keyin, what's fun to do in the South Sea? Take me to see something!" Wenren Qingyi asked curiously.
"There's so much to do, I can't think of it all right now. We've got plenty of time, anyway. Let's go see a bonfire on the beach tonight!" Jiang Keyin said with a smile.
"Sure!" Wenren Qingyi nodded happily.
[Clang! Points +23]
Mu Zibai: "?"
He felt someone poke him in the kidney. What fiend dares poke my kidney?
It was naturally little Wenren Qingyi. Seeing the look she gave him, Mu Zibai grew wary. Is this little girl planning to cut out my kidney?
What was that look? All that winking and grimacing—how was anyone supposed to understand it?
"Brother-in-law, show off your talent a little," Wenren Qingyi whispered in Mu Zibai's ear.
Mu Zibai: "???"
He suddenly understood and asked, "So I show off my talent, and you get to brag?"
"This is a great chance to show what you can do. Keyin likes poetry. Let her spread the word about you—maybe you'll earn yourself a reputation as a literary genius," Wenren Qingyi whispered.
She looked as though she was doing this for her brother-in-law's sake, but Mu Zibai couldn't understand it. "Why do you care so much about me? Come on, what are you after?"
It wasn't that Mu Zibai couldn't appreciate kindness. He knew Wenren Qingyi too well. A weasel wishing a chicken a happy new year—she definitely had an ulterior motive.
Wenren Qingyi gave an awkward smile. "Nothing. I'm just doing this for your sake, brother-in-law."
"I don't believe you." Mu Zibai shook his head. This little girl had given herself away; she'd definitely had an ulterior motive. "Spill it."
Wenren Qingyi pouted. "Elder Sister said that you'll be sleeping together from now on, so I can't sleep with her anymore. I thought if I was nice to you, maybe you'd let me sleep with her tonight?"
Mu Zibai: "No!"
Absolutely not. He still needed to farm points. Not letting him farm points was like killing his parents. How could he agree?
"Brother-in-law, please let me sleep with Elder Sister! Look, I've been so good." Wenren Qingyi pleaded pitifully.
Mu Zibai patted Wenren Qingyi's little head. "Be good and sleep by yourself."
Wenren Lingmeng also patted Wenren Qingyi's head and comforted her. "Be good. Don't make a fuss."
Watching Mu Zibai hold Wenren Lingmeng on his left while happily chatting with his thirteen-year-old sister-in-law on his right, Jiang Yuyu had only two words in his heart: beast. Worse than a beast. How was that any different from a beast?
Then he looked at his own little sister and let out a long sigh.
"We've arrived."
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